We are fresh off our visit to Florida to visit relatives (and mix in a little fun for the boys). We spent a few days with Miki’s aunt in Nokomis, FL and my God parents at the Villages. Wow…great visit on many fronts. Miki’s aunt is a long time employee at a local golf club and has formed many deep relationships with the members there. However, with the death of her long time partner (Wally) a few years back, she remains alone. She has struggled with the uncertainty of an unstable employment situation and worries about what she will do if she is let go. For now, she has her heart set on staying in Florida but has thought about returning home to Minnesota at some point. Of course, we have opened our doors to her should she ever want to come home. The timing was right for us to visit and we are so blessed to have been able to be there for her last week.
With my God parents (and Aunt and Uncle), the visit was also VERY beneficial I think for both them and me. My aunt continues to receive cancer treatment and travels to Gainesville frequently for treatments. Considering what she is going through, she looks great and I made sure she knew it. My uncle continues to stay busy with golf, softball and pickleball which I think by design allows him to spend time away from my aunt. A little sad, but it has been that way since I can remember. What I didn’t know is how close my uncle and mom are to each other. They are the only 2 siblings from my grandma and grandpa who are both deceased. According to my uncle, he and my mom talk once a week by phone.
Anyway, we had great quality time with all and I feel so good to have spend time with all of them. For some reason the hugs felt much tighter this time around. All good.
A couple of days at Disney with my boys included visits to the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Both the boys were crazy about all of the Star Wars stuff and we were fortunate to spend a couple hundred bucks on a bunch of plastic light sabers, spray bottle fans and chicken nuggets. All good…with a lot of great memories to be had. Ben’s highlight of the trip was riding on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster. My highlight was exploring with Ben around the Port Orleans Riverside resort where we stayed.
We finished yesterday at Disney Springs and arrived back in Minneapolis just before midnight last night. Reflection time today will more than likely be a nap!
Next steps: Continued focus on my service project with new developments in my next blog. Upcoming visits with my Mom and possibly a LONG awaited fishing trip with my Dad.
God Bless!