A Tale Through Texts - Shane at Nana and Pop's!

Nana kept in contact through texts and having Shane phone home. I decided to use her texts to tell about his trip!

Creative or a cop-out? You decide! 

The texts started shortly after Nana, Pop, and Shane drove off from the Cook Out. 

The next day, virtual school started and it was clear Shane didn't pack everything he needed. (Bonus - Nana asked me to ask John about helping Jama with her library account).

Academics aren't our main concern with Shane at this age. We figure he'll do fine and Nana and Pop did everything they could to fix the situation. Meeting Shane's social needs and building family relationships were the more important needs and he got that through cousins and bouncing on a trampoline!

Or pizza. Nana kept us updated on playdates and food offered. 

I know Shane met with the cousins every day. I suspect he ate out nearly every day and I know he cleaned Nana's house out of macaroni and cheese. 

I was a little jealous he got homemade Chinese dumplings.

And ice cream later on? Were they trying to spoil the boy rotten? Or was it only fair, because they got the dog something?

I enjoyed reading the last bit about how Shane played with Tenley. He is really good with other kids. If he can learn to actively listen he'll have an incredible set of social skills.

Shane and Cole got to take turns spending the night at different houses. Shane said that Cole wasn't very excited about Shane sleeping over at his house, but he did it because he knew Shane would like it!

And yes, I did as Nana asked. She's still my mom!

There was one night he called with a headache. COVID didn't come to mind. Every several months Shane will have an exciting day or series of days and wear himself out. Then he gets a headache, goes to bed early, and wakes up at 100%.

Before Shane headed south, I told him two things: 1) Nana loves to 'help' with loose teeth and 2) doesn't like long hair. "If you come back with long hair and that tooth still loose, I'll be shocked!"

Two weeks of the 'good life' started to show after a while. Shane put on some weight!

It's been a while since Shane's last growth spurt, but I've sworn he looks older to me. It's something in the face I can't describe.

I really enjoy being Shane's father and I loved getting texts like these.

.....and Nana did get the tooth in the end!

Hopefully, Shane learned a lesson about speaking with discretion, too!

Nana wasn't the only one who texted. Kathleen gave me updates, as well.

True story: I played with my sisters when we were younger. They had Barbie dolls, too.

....and the Barbie dolls were frequently involved in accidents and often needed rescuing. Like father, like son, I guess!

I'm sure there were lots of electronics, but I love that Kathleen would throw the kids out into the backyard, too.

Electronics are great, but there's something special about making up your own games that all kids need to have the chance to do.

I wouldn't say I'm a "hard-ass," but I've always been very explicit with what will happen depending on the choices Shane makes. I'd like to think that's helped him develop a good attitude.

I told Nana there was an opening for a SPED teacher at Shane's school that Stu could look into. Is it selfish to think it'd be amazing if all the SC family moved a little closer?

Carrie and I did do research on Asheville NC and some areas around there, but decided to stick to VA. I don't regret it economically or professionally, but sometimes I do wonder what it'd have been like to be closer to the family.

And I have to mention Aunt Dot, as well. She insisted it wasn't babysitting whenever she watched Shane, but she had a hand in keeping an eye on him. Camera phones and texting aren't her thing, but she gave some updates whenever Nana called, too!

Getting to let Shane stay with Nana and Pop is one of the best things virtual school has done for us. Carrie and I are already thinking about when he can visit next! We want to let Nana and Pop have a long enough break they're well-rested and happy to see him, though!

Reports from Camp Nana-Pop!

While Carrie and I were working, Shane was having the time of his life. He swam daily, played with cousins, and Nana kept me informed (Thanks, Nana!).

"He hit the ball with his head!" Nana said.

Shane arrived to a welcome sign and the good times never stopped. He was having sleepovers with Cole...

...ice cream sandwhiches....

...and play dates galore. 

He never wants to come back from Nana and Pop's. 

You can't be a frail, wilting wimpo and offended by every correction you hear if you want to survive there, though! 

Exhibit A:

Which I find hilarious, by the way. Maybe the sense of humor is genetic.

I included the pictures here, so you can see that, yes, Cole did stick his tongue out by the last one.

I'm not saying Shane's better behaved than Kathleen's kids (you can come to your own conclusions!).

I am saying Shane's attention wanders. It looks like he forgot what Nana said and was moving on with life while Cole remembered (and wanted to rebel!).

But in general, even if Nana likes to spoil grandkids she won't hesitate to call them out and speak her mind.

Nor does anything embarrass her or worry her enough that she will forgo mentioning it.

For your reading enjoyment, I have included Nana's own words to describe what went on over the week. I got two emails in addition to all the texts.

Here's the first.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It's Tuesday evening and we're at the pool and I just realized that I should send you a note saying how Shane is doing at Nana Pop Camp. We love having him here. He and Cole are getting along great. When they talked about various Pokemon shows and books, Pop said they sound like they are talking a foreign language. Cole and Shane love all the same things.

DIRECTOR'S LOG

     First day of camp - Saturday, August 15: 

      Eating yummy delicious food with you and Shane in the parking lot at the Chick-fil-a in Greensboro,  NC was so nice. Shane watched 2 movies on our van's rear entertainment system on the rainy drive to our house.

Kathleen and her 3 kids came over to greet Shane pretty quickly after we arrived. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the Welcome Shane sign that Pop, Cole, Evie, Tenley and I made for Shane. Note the effort and not the absence of any artistic genes in the family. 

Second Day of Camp, August 16:

      Kathleen invited Shane to go to their house on Sunday morning to play and do children's church there with them. Then they all came to our house for a delicious lunch of Hungry Howies pizzas, cheesy bread and cinnamon bread. That afternoon, Stu and Kathleen took their 3 kids and Shane to the pool in our neighborhood. Then Cole and Shane came back to our house to play. Cole spent the night at our house for their first sleepover together. 

Third Day of Camp: August 17:

    Monday morning, Kathleen took Evie and Tenley to school for their first day, so it was a good time for Cole to be at our house. Tenley will go to preschool from _____. Evie will go to the same Christian school for kindergarten for _________,  but she got out early (at ___)on Monday because of it being the first day. Kathleen picked up Cole about 12:15 on Monday, while Shane stayed with us. About 2 PM, Pop took Shane to their house to babysit the 4 kids so Kathleen could go to her eye doctor appointment.  Shane came home with Pop after Kathleen returned. I cooked beef tacos for dinner and Shane ate really well, which made me feel good. We took him swimming that night. Only Pop and Shane were in the pool. We went to Brewster's for ice cream for bedtime snack after leaving the pool.

Forth Day of Camp - August 18:

    Cole had to go to school this morning for a few hours of individual testing before school starts next week. Next week Cole will only go to school in person on Tuesday, because the rest of his school week will be done virtually for awhile. Cole and Tenley came to our house for McDonald's happy meals for lunch with Shane. Then Kathleen, Cole and Tenley left about 1:35. Shane enjoyed playing on the Nintendo Switch during my nap. I took Shane back to the Howlett's house to play about 5 PM. Pop and I picked Cole and Shane up about 7:30 to bring them to our neighborhood pool to swim. It's now 8:40 PM and getting pretty dark so we're going to take them back to our house for a sleepover.

Love,

Nana
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so it's not a straight wall of text, I moved some pictures down to here.

Nana was real big on name tags and assigning things to us growing up, because otherwise no one ever fessed up to anything.

But most of the texts weren't like that. Nana's an encourager by nature.

And now, the second email:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Director's Log, Thursday evening,  August 20:

We've been blessed with great weather at camp this week.  Shane has gone swimming 5 days in a row and is delighted every time. He seems to never tire from swimming. Kathleen took him swimming twice and he went 3 times with me and Pop. Only once in his 5 times of swimming did Cole not go and that was Monday evening. They both love it.

Pop and I had Cole,Tenley, and Shane this morning so that Kathleen could work. Then Kathleen picked them all up at about 1:45 so I could nap. Shane enjoyed jumping on the big trampoline, building with magnetic plastic pieces and doing electronics at their house. We picked Cole and Shane up from the Howlett's home about 7 PM this evening. Now we're watching them swim in the neighborhood pool, trying to get them worn out before bedtime.  They often talk in Pokemon (?) so they understand each other, but Pop and I don't understand them.

Megan called earlier today and said that B wanted to play Roblox with Shane, so we let Shane install it for free on my new Amazon Fire 8 tablet. I bought a second one, because Aunt Dot took over mine months ago to listen to tons of books online after the libraries closed. Shane likes the game Bee Simulater on Roblox alot. When Pop and I travel, we watch movies on Netflix on the tablet. I think the tablet only cost about $80. 

Cole and Shane love imaginative play. It's fun to listen to them. Now they are playing like the swimming pool water turns them into various things, such as chickens. I'm glad we are the only ones at the pool. They are so silly and so loud. Pop and I  think it's fun, but other adults might not. 

I cooked  sausage cut up into small slices and French Toast for lunch and Shane ate well. He eats a lot of fresh fruit. So far he's enjoyed fresh pineapple,  cantaloupe,  watermelon,  and bananas. Kathleen picked up pizza for their dinner.  

My new fancy ovens were installed last evening. I am enjoying learning how to use them. I've been cooking a lot more since the pandemic started. We pick up food-to-go about twice a week.

I hope you and Carrie are enjoying this week as much as we are.

Kathleen let Shane borrow a couple of books that Cole had from the library.  You can't go into the libraries here, but you can get online and order books for their drive-through pick up.

Love,

Nana
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Editor/Father's Note: I'm thrilled Shane got to have such a raucous good time in SC. I want to visit family more! I wish I could drag Carrie away with me and join in more, but a barn ties you to it. It's going to happen at some point. Thank you, Nana and Pop for taking such great care of my boy!

Cruising 2019: The Road Home

They have updated offloading procedures from when I last cruised years and years ago. We were off before we knew it. For customs, we walked through a steadily moving line, had our picture taken, and walked through a door. That was it!

Soon we were in the car and we dropped by a Costco to gas up and figure out our next move.

The one downside to renting a kilt: You have to return it. Because the store was in NJ, Carrie had to drive more in the state than she wanted to! There were no left turn lights where we were so it was common practice for left turners to try and dart off the light and clear before oncoming traffic collided with them. We figured it out after the first time or two, but it left a sour taste in Carrie's mouth judging from the mutters!

I took a picture of "Prospect" to possibly show a few of my students who live in a neighborhood with the same name.

Unfortunately, the kilt shop didn't open until 10 AM. We found a Dunkin Donuts, so I could get coffee. Carrie dropped by a UPS store to see what it would cost to ship the kilt to the store and save us the trip, but we decided it wasn't worth the cost.

That meant we got on the road south a lot later than everyone else. We hit more than our fair share of traffic snags on the way down. There was a Domino's truck driving at 80 mph and passing on the left like it was a car that concerned Carrie to the point she made me call the "How am I driving?" line.

Carrie drove to help battle her motion sickness. She hadn't been bothered much on the ship, but now Terra Firma felt like a tossing ocean. We only got to stop for a moment at Jama's to see everyone before she needed to keep on moving.

We stopped once in Maryland for CFA and then again at Yoder's in Madison for a bathroom break and snack. Yoder's has gone solar!

We stayed long enough to take care of our business and take a peek at all the animals.

I believe we got home between 6 and 7 PM. Shane wished he was on a second cruise, but Carrie and I were glad to be home.

Cruising 2019: Last Day at Sea

Shane loves funny pictures. Things like bunny ears never grow old for his tastes.

Unless someone else sneaks them on him!

Shane and I ended up at breakfast with Nana and Pop only my gut was acting out. While I took another emergency pit stop, they hopped in line for bumper cars. I met up with them and we went for a morning spin.

Nana in the red car.

Shane and I in the green. He was the driver. I was the tactical adviser.

I love this set of pictures. Shane and I were all grins as we moved in for the hit.

We clocked Nana between 7 and 8 o'clock and spun her other end into the barrier for a physical and emotional jarring impact that changed my grin into a grimace.

I felt guilty, but Shane reveled in the glory of the massive collision! He skipped off the court when we were done.

Thankfully, Nana came out none the worse for wear.

Shane and I slid off to do our thing. He went to Adventure Ocean and I checked in on Carrie. Carrie and I finally got around to playing a board game I'd brought just for the trip called Fog of Love (It's supposed to simulate a TV romantic dramedy).

Nana and Pop hit the climbing wall. I've been impressed with them throughout the trip. Pop's always been capable, but when you're over 60 you get an extra nod.

Nana never would have done any of these things when I was a kid. When we went skiing, she sat in the lodge by the fire with a book and got to know anyone who sat in earshot.

I wanted to do the climbing wall myself, but it was either closed or had a tremendous line whenever we walked by.

I lifted a few photos from Nana's phone.

They took Shane swimming and to a magic show.

I wish I had A) seen the magic show and B) had pictures of it, but you can't have everything.  That helps you appreciate what you do get.

A common thought I have on any adventure is "What is life like for the people who live here?" A cruise ship seems like the height of luxury, but it's also a fascinating place where people from all over live and work together. The passengers are just passing through their world.

Our server in the main dining room, Dalas, was from India. He had just returned from shore leave with his family and hoped to work his way back up to a specialty dining room (Someone had moved up into his position while he was ashore). He said that he worked for 7 months straight and then got 10 weeks off. 

Our other server was from Mexico and a newlywed. She and her husband had managed to get on the same boat, but they didn't share a room. They were on a waiting list to get a couple's cabin, but really only had about an hour a day of free time to share! Yet, they were both happy being on the ship and the opportunity it presented. 

Our iFly instructor was from Trinidad and Tobago. He had "The Lion King" on his helmet, but the other instructors called him "Black Magic." He joked they were both his names, but it was hard to go back and forth! 

Our room attendant was named Jesika and I believe she was from Jamaica. She got a little annoyed that Carrie didn't want room service the first few days and eventually said something about it! I felt bad that she scrubbed our toilet daily while my guts were acting up.

The woman at the trapeze and North Star was from the UK and her name slips my mind (I am writing this 2 weeks later...). She talked about her time on NCL and how RC treated their employees much better. She had no regrets about switching lines. She also spoke highly of the captain and his history and how he had the ability to socialize with his employees and put them at ease. Apparently, he enjoyed the iFly in his time off and was known to work with the trainers so that he could do all sorts of aerial acrobatics.

We didn't meet the captain, but Grandma and Grandpa did. There was a meet and greet forum where the Captain and various members of the upper staff answered a wide variety of questions. 

Small bit of trivia: The 'highway' along the bottom spine of the ship is called "I-95." Grandma mentioned it to me first and then I confirmed it by spotting a street sign when we were offloading in CocoCay!