Abby's Spring Break

Abby was invited to go to the beach house for her spring break (which is ridiculously early, first week of March) and here's the recap from Grandma Judy:

well...it was almost a week!

tuesday afternoon g'ma, g'pa, abby and josh boarded a small jet and headed to amelia island with 2 pilots, plenty of electronic devices and enough candy in the "snack drawer" to propel us to the moon and back....m&m's (plain and peanut), milano cookies, pretzels, granola bars, licorice, and other assorted sweets to tempt even the most skeptical snacker.  "could be a bit bumpy as we take off"...truer words were never spoken.  but as we headed for the beach we leveled out and snacked our way to landing.  cricket was sure glad to see all his cousins arrive...tasty treats under the table for sure. abby and g'ma took a long walk down the beach with cricket to explore the sea shelling possibilities for the next day.  while amelia has a very nice beach...it is no shelling mecca. fancy sushi for dinner...bed (later than you might think)!

good morning...a little chilly today so we decided to pass on swimming and head for town...and lunch and shopping. first stop...cats angels (a safe place for cats and kittens waiting for the perfect person to take them home).  what a fun place.  sit on the floor and a cat magically walks into your lap, brushes by your back or just comes by for a sniff.   on to downtown...  in and out of a few stores resulted in 2 very cool t-shirts, gifts for siblings at home and a few souvenirs for best friends at school.  on to tasty for lunch.  one of my favorite places.  burgers and fries and milkshakes/root beer floats for the kids...world's best turkey burger and sweet potato fries for g'ma.  complete yumminess.  off we go to the local dog shelter.  nothing like trying to walk a dog, when just the opposite starts to happen.  these little guys are strong, friendly and eager to show you how hard they can pull on the leash...while extremely cute...no dog is cuter than the one we have at home nestled up in a chair.  did you know there are 2 shelters here in amelia...neither did i, but we do.  the second one across from target (how convenient!)..they are the home to many cute cats and dogs and as a side note...the place is cleaner than most homes.  still, no heartbreakers so home we go.  that night, steaks on the grill and an amazing monopoly game between g'pa, g'ma, abby and josh.  sadly, g'ma was the first to fold...abby next.. g'pa with hotels everywhere was the winner.  thank goodness...we have been at this for 3 hours!  rectangle treats and bed.  oh, there may have been chocolate cake involved too.


thursday...pool 90 degrees, hot tub 94...what's not to like?  these little kids were in the pool all day.  lunch was al fresco..or should i say al hot tub.  why not eat and sauna at the same time?  every toy we own was floating with the kids in the pool.  science experiments with floating plastic balls and inverted sand buckets made for a really fun afternoon. at 5:45 an executive decision was made...all prunes in from the pool.  the loop for a very nice dinner.  abby's dad, uncle jumbo is here to join us for a few days...really lucky for us.  don't worry abs...i'm still the boss and you can be on beach rules...which actually...means not many rules.  spot it and bananagrams kept us up until 11:00.

friday..those kids were upstairs playing monopoly until noon...at least. miss denise brought over the fixings for home made ice cream...the height of deliciousness.  everyone needs ice cream before lunch.   after a lazy afternoon..off to see the movie, oz, great and powerful.  we liked it a lot.  the 3 witches were the stars...actually...the make up team were the stars of that show.  after popcorn, soda, and plenty of candy...1/2 through the movie and abby needs to head to the ladies room because her tooth is hanging by a thread.  we emerge victorious!  we have a tooth and only managed to miss a few moments of the movie.  the vote was back to fancy sushi for a 2nd visit.  back home to laugh and joke over apples to apples.  laughter is even better when it comes from 2 young grandchildren having a great time.

saturday...the kids are back in the pool!  but the day started with cricket walks, and a ride to the plantation to rent a golf cart.  off we go to the nature center and to walkers landing for some driving lessons.  abby and sam take their illegal driving pretty seriously...sometimes you just have to practice your driving.  home to made individual pizzas...which were extremely yummy.  they must have been... because there was scarcely a crumb for our furry pal.  he gave me that,"don't they share?"  look.  todd and grandpa went to the concourse d'elegance at the ritz.  it is a yearly homage to the cars we never see...except in movies.  the place is a flurry of excitement and brings plenty of tourists and $$ to our little island.

the day is not over, but that is as far as we are.  thanks for sharing your precious little girl with one of her biggest fans. she is a joy, and i love her. 

Abby's 10th Birthday Extravaganza!!

 Abby will sit in her room at night with her iPad and unbeknownst to me, she sends emails to her Grandma Judy.  One of those emails said something along the lines of, "I'd like to swim with the dolphins for my 10th birthday.  Can you take me to Discovery Cove?"  

So, being the fun and sweet Grandma that she is, Judy planned a special 10th birthday trip for Abby and here's her account of their magical weekend:

friday afternoon...delta flight 2369 to orlando.  2 special passengers...abby weinreb, celebrating her 10th birthday with her lucky grandmother and travel partner.  our flight was smooth and uneventful...luggage arrived unscathed and rental car ready to go...off to our destination....the ritz carlton grand lakes.  this place is beautiful.  our room is a lovely suite open to the lake and the pool and access to the "club room"...a veritable all day buffet.  all it takes is a card and abby has her own...she can visit anytime she wishes.

quick change for a 6:00 reservation to cirque du soleil.  no gps and grandma got a bit lost so our 30 minute early arrival turned out to be a rush across the parking lot to be there by 5:55!  phew...we made it and what a show.  a collection of some of the most amazing feats of artistry, acrobatics...skills in areas you could never guess.  5 small girls spinning spools on string and tossing them high in the air to be caught without the slightest slip.  bicycle riding of olympic skill on one back wheel, trampoline and tumbling...each act amazing and unbelievable.

back to the hotel for snack and bed...big day tomorrow....surprise!  hotel has left a magnificent strawberry cake in our room...chocolate covered strawberries, and chocolate swirled lollipops....the cake is wonderful. the candles, and sparklers, with fireworks from disneyworld end a perfect day.

 

 saturday... yummy breakfast in the club room.  abby was so excited she went ahead by herself...why not...she has her own card!  on to discovery cove...  what an amazing place...beautiful weather...limited admissions and never too crowded. a very quick check in and we receive our name tags worn on a lanyard...it covers everything...every snack, drink, meal is included in the entry fee....into our wetsuits and we are ready for fun.  so our first adventure is sea venture.  i do not know who thought out this amazing adventure, but here is how it works.  it is a little intimidating and the water is cold...but we braved our fears of freezing and abby led the way.  down the ladder to the undersea world of beautiful fish, reefs, and creatures...up to see the sharks just beyond the fence.  accompanied each step by a great team of divers who point out anything you might be missing.  we wear a diving helmet so it is like walking under the sea.

we have some time until our next adventure and we grab a noodle and ride on the lazy river.  warm yummy water...river otters just across the glass...couldn't be more relaxing.  the cove also boasts a great aviary and we enter the beautiful space to see birds in the trees, everywhere...hold out your small cup of fruit and nuts and a bird is on your finger, your shoulder, your arm.

swimming with the dolphins is also amazing.  into the tanks with those beautiful dolphins.  they jump and show off, let you rub their backs and finally... you hold on and swim  across the lake hold on tight...they are pretty fast.  there is no feeling like it. 

what a day...back to the hotel. one pooped little girl who had dinner in bed...watching the disney channel and asking if she could take the pillow home. and if i could buy her cable for her birthday.  tomorrow we see the beluga whales.

sunday...sea world...BIG, CROWDED, OVERWHELMING.  the lines are long, and this is a halloween celebration week end and all the kids are dressed up to trick or treat at the park.  after we enter the park we have time to kill until our whale adventure so we head to the dolphin stadium to see the show.  i like to sit far back of the 'soak zone' and it was a lucky thing cause those guys can splash!  show over...time for some dippin dots and off to the belugas.  the wet suit is on, booties are on, hair pulled back, no jewelry.  bad news...the water is 53 degrees...that is 20 degrees colder than yesterdays dolphin adventure and we thought that was miserable.  neither abby nor i could bring ourselves to sit on that ledge up to our waist in that water.  we did get our whale interaction, but we sat on the walkway and were delighted to pet and touch those beautiful whales without freezing.  they did not get to put their heads in our laps...but we did not care.
after a warm shower, abby and i decided we would like to lounge by the pool at the ritz and have a nice dinner out...and so we did.

by this time abby has probably been to the club room about 10 times.  she has eaten her money's worth to be sure.  we lounge by the pool, enjoy the warm pool water and eat dinner at the sushi restaurant at the hotel....lobster, crab....perfect.back to the club for a beautiful array of perfect desserlets.  back to the room...abby watches tv...grandma packs...hey, it's her birthday week end.

monday...breakfast...car return...off to catch flight 1278 to atlanta.  it is nice to be home...but a looong drop from constant sugar and chocolate, room service, silk soft sheets, great adventures in perfect weather with my adorable, sweet little abby.  thanks, kim and todd for sharing.