After spending so much time sifting through and then discarding or packing all our belongings during the move, I told the kids we are going to stop buying them so much “stuff.” I’d prefer to spend our money on memories (like day-trips, fishing, snorkeling – that sort of thing) than on material objects they’re just going to throw away in a few months anyway.
So, for Frank’s 19th birthday, I sent him the link to a website showing hundreds of fun things to do in Florida. He could have picked anything – Disney World, snorkeling, sailboarding, deep sea fishing, jet skiing…anything at all. So, what did critter lover Frank choose? A gator farm!
Since we had to drive three hours to the Everglades anyway, we called my brother and his family, and met them for dinner in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night at Mai Kai, which has Polynesian dancers that use fire in their performance. It was a GREAT show and the food was pretty good, too!
On Sunday, we had lunch at BurgerFi, which was EXCELLENT. I’m pretty sure no other burger will ever be able to compare. They had that grilled taste from the old days – that taste you just can’t find in a burger anymore. The fries were sea salt and vinegar and the shakes were made from custard, not ice cream. After we loosened our belts a notch, we then got into the truck and headed to the gator farm. When we arrived, there were two tour buses leaving. Our timing was excellent! The airboat ride was a lot of fun but it was really, really hot and humid. We had bottled water but that just wasn’t doing the trick. Our clothes were soaked with sweat. The good news is that can of Deep Woods Off I’ve been carrying in my purse for a month came in very handy that day!
We saw lots of alligators and the boys got to watch an educational presentation about other critters that live in the Everglades. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get Mason to touch this alligator:
Max’s birthday is next (in only three weeks) and he says he might want to go shark fishing. Whoo hoo!!
This week’s Masonism –
Mason was playing with Max’s cat, Rambo, this week and he said, “Mom, he walks with his arms AND his feet!”
Hugs to all,
Angela
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HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY! by Angela Hoy
Using Angela’s MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years, and record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook. Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography! **Also works for biographies and memoirs.**