Christmas 2022

Best vacation is Daytona Beach during the coldest Christmas in Florida in forty years, following a hurricane, and when those up north were snowed in and couldn't access the roads. Our first five days we barely saw other people, and had the hotel to ourselves.  We stayed at a new resort call The Max Resort Daytona, which was built to be condos but changed to a hotel before opening in June, so there was a full living room and kitchen, with two full bedrooms and baths, and our own laundry room. Best place we've stayed by far, and we've stayed in some nice places.

The resort was so nice we didn't venture out much. Did get to see the light display at the Daytona Speedway on Christmas Eve, which was cheesy but pleasant (and the one video Brandi shot has me cursing.)  Took a two-hour kayak run along the Halifax River, but it was too cold to see any wildlife, just boats and birds, and heavy waves from the wind that kept us paddling hard (Joey, our guide, was lame-o.) And I visited the Daytona Speedway for a track tour one morning on my own.  Nick spent most days on his laptop in the condo kitchen, but that's the vacation he wanted. (He was on the beach for one minute, and I got a photo.)

We walked the beach every day. Tide was high most of the time, and the view was generally remaining damage from Hurricane Nicole a couple months earlier, so many barriers and beach washed away. It was only 'warm' (above 65 degrees) on our first and last days, so we ate outside those days, but we still bundled up and got outside as much as possible.  We had fish at Riptide, stopped at

Landshark and Crabby's on the Beach, dinner at an outstanding Mexican restaurant where Brandi ordered 'the pig', and attempted twice to find decent pizza, being successful once.  From experience, Christmas dinner is the toughest, most places being closed, but the hotel had an outstanding chef, so we ate in at the hotel, and they served us in the 12th floor lounge, no one else around. The staff was outstanding, and well organized for the newness of the facility.

Nick got in a couple stops a Buc-ees along the highway, because his brisket sandwiches and candied cashews are the travel priority, and we avoided the bad weather at home. 

Photos here.

Jason

Nick's Life on the Beach

Got a photo of Nick on the beach again this year, and it aligned well with those from the past. Funny none of these are from Clearwater Beach where we've spent the most time. He's certainly traveled to his share of places in his young life.

November 2022

It was a month of nothing exciting, really, so I'm going to include one photo here that I found Nick took of himself, it was in his selfies when I updated his phone. We talked about joining the photogrpahy group at school, maybe there's something to it, if he can take pics this good.
Brandi and I had a date night at Cabela's, played lots of Wordscapes on the phone, and of course Thanksgiving.  We ate last year's 30+ lb turkey (turkey ambush), and she cooked for two days.  It was awesome.   Nick continues to volunteer at the Otterbine House in Ottawa Hills, he got promoted from the Dining Room to Bingo Night, and the sponsors sing his praises... he was running the entire dining room alone one evening when no other volunteers showed up. I'm sure the old people love him.  There's a personality in there somewhere, like when his OSU-fan Geometry teacher removed all the M's from their class assignment, and he wrote them back in up on the board.  I do enjoy his sense of humor when I can understand it, like the idea of putting 'The Dude' on our front lawn for Christmas and changing our religion to worship The Big Lebowski. Something to offset the neighbor with her nativity decorations that cover the entire yard.

October 2022

Fayling came into town for a family event, so we had a nice dinner and chat.  He wanted to see Nick in action, so they went off for a drive and returned safely.  Feedback: "Nick drives well, except he doesn't look backwards when he puts the car in reverse."  Adding that to the App so we practice.

Nick made mac and cheese for lunch one afternoon, so we're starting to get to the point where he can cook for himself.  Or at least has an interest in doing so, that's progress.

We had family in town for a couple days, Carrie stayed with us, while we gathered for the funeral for Jessica's husband, Jeff.  The crew came over to our place afterwards and we had a fun evening just catching up over beer and pizza. The photo is reflective of just what you'd expect from this generation... all on their devices. Bummer that we've reached the age of 'weddings and funerals' (which is most of this post), but that's where we all are while chasing kids' activities constantly.  There's one good photo of Brandi and me, since we had to get dressed up.

September 2022

Back to school, so it's a short month for stories.  This photo isn't from his braces, it's actually teeth whitening shortly after.  It was an opportunity for him to be in his mother's chair at her office, she whitened him up.  Mama's feedback: "he has highly uncooperative lips."

He was recognized for honors last year at a school function, so good grades are not an issue.  We attended a teacher conference recently, and his teachers love him, however, "he's an A student trapped in a C student's body."  Can't seem to turn anything in on time, if at all.  He's holding back for perfection, so he says. Something else to work on.

This month was mostly filled by his mother hating her chiropractor, and other appointments, car repairs, attic fans, etc.  We did attend a Freshman Football game to watch SFS play Clay one morning, got to see his team play Colin's team.  Of course Nick doesn't care about sports, but he got a hot dog out of it, and it was a nice day to be outside.  I had other plans that were squashed by a run-in with Covid, that had me in bed a couple days.  Back to normal shortly.