{"id":214,"date":"2009-03-30T20:27:15","date_gmt":"2009-03-31T00:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scheumann.us\/blog\/?p=214"},"modified":"2009-05-31T20:37:44","modified_gmt":"2009-06-01T00:37:44","slug":"holiday-in-the-sun-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/?p=214","title":{"rendered":"Holiday in The Sun, part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><em><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=3>&nbsp;<\/font><\/strong><\/em><font size=3><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp;<\/span>Hello again folks?well, a lot has happened since I checked in last, so this is a biggie!<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The past three weeks have been all about vacation!<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The week leading up to it dragged by ? in anticipation of what was to come; the week of it flew as we enjoyed every moment of it; and the week after it dragged again ? mourning what was now in our past and wishing we could go back right now&#8230;<span>&nbsp; <\/span>As always, our weeks have been crazy.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The week before vacation, Matt had practice each night and then finished up his wrestling season on that Thursday with a home meet.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>They won for the third time this year to close out a disappointing season.<span>&nbsp; In mid week, I got news that one of my best friends, Mark Crum, had become a father!&nbsp; Congrats buddy!!&nbsp; <\/span>That Friday, Ann took off early to run Matt back to the doctor and have his ankle re-evaluated.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The good news was that he could get out of the boot and begin track season!<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The bad news is that he wasn?t cleared to do free style wrestling; so he had mixed feelings.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>Abby continued to practice her two dances on Monday &amp; Thursday?and is nearly ready for competitions.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We attended her Family Fun Night on Tuesday, where her class sang three songs and then we ate.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>This time, we didn?t have supper (a cost-cutting measure), but instead just had desserts.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>As for Luke?he must?ve asked us four or five times each day if we were leaving for vacation ?when we get up.???<span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings\"><span>J<\/span><\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp; <\/span>The owner and instructor of Abby?s dance studio (Dixon Dance) forwarded me an advanced copy of the soundtrack to this years? revue.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>She asked me to fix all the sonic differences between the songs.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>So, I re-equalized and normalized not only Abby?s tracks but the entire soundtrack.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>I submitted it to her before we left; but I?ve not heard any feedback yet, so I hope she liked it?<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=BuFFN1 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFFN1.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=BuFFN2 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFFN4.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=BuFFN5 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFFN5.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=BuFFN6 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFFN6.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=BuFFN3 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFFN9.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=BuFFN10 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFFN10.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=CrumBaby src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/CrumBaby.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><font size=3><span>&nbsp; <\/span>Only an hour or so after Matt got the boot off, I got home from work and immediately began cleaning the car and packing up our goodies.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We had a lot less than we did when we drove down to <\/font><\/font><a href=\"http:\/\/www.www.scheumann.us\/2006_Vacation_Webpage.htm\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=3>Panama City Beach in ?06<\/font><\/a><font size=3><font face=\"Times New Roman\">.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We left somewhere around 4 pm and headed towards Florida to see Grandmaw &amp; Grandpaw Bryan.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>It took us about 17 hours to get down to Largo, stopping for dinner (&amp; restrooms\/gas) on the way.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>I drove about 12 hours and Ann relieved me the other 5.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>It is an easy drive; we head over to Cincy on I-74 and catch I-75, taking that all the way down to just outside of St. Pete &#8211; about 10 minutes from our destination.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The Pacifica held up pretty well, overall.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>She got a little hot on the way down, as I was doing 80 through the (still snow covered) mountains of TN, pushing her pretty hard.<span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings\"><span>J<\/span><\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp; <\/span>When we got down there, it was about 9 in the morning.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We had fun catching up with Mom &amp; Dad before going out to eat at one of their favorite family joints, a local neighborhood pizzeria.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We finished up eating that late lunch \/ early dinner and decided to hop in their pool at their ?retirement coach community,??? called <\/font><\/font><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mhchomes.com\/DBMHC\/MHCCmnty.nsf\/0ebd7798bed9735c86256973006b6fea\/603616e7aeeda69286256c2a00621804?OpenDocument\">Down Yonder<\/a><font size=3><font face=\"Times New Roman\">.<span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings\"><span>J<\/span><\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"> <span>&nbsp;<\/span>It is actually a very nice set up.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The grounds are immaculate and the facilities are very clean.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>I think Mom said you have to be 55 or older to live out there, so they are one of the youngest couples out there?<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We enjoyed the pool for several hours and stayed in even after it was supposed to close.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>By that time, we were exhausted.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>I enjoyed a quiet moment in the hot tub before we slowly made our way back and we all crashed-out early?and hard!<span>&nbsp; <\/span>Matt &amp; Luke got to have a camp-out on Mom &amp; Dad?s screened-in back porch all week, which they thought was pretty cool (and Abby was jealous of)&#8230;<span>&nbsp; We were starting to miss our puppy Lola already, and low and behold, Gigi sent us a picture she took of her in the back yard when checking on her.&nbsp; Grandma &amp; Gigi were gracious enough to come over and play with her each day.&nbsp; In fact, Lola even received a couple of play dates with Max &amp; Charlie (a couple of their dogs)!<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=CarPacked1 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/CarPacked1.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=BuFLA src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/BuFLA.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=AnnFLA src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/AnnFLA.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=FLApizza src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/FLApizza.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool1 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool1.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool2 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool2.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool3 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool3.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=DYpool4 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool4.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool5 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool5.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool6 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool6.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool7 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool7.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool8 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool8.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool9 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool9.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=DYpool10 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool10.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool11 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool11.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool12 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool12.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool13 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool13.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool15 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool15.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool16 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool16.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool14 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool14.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool17 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool17.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool17a src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool17a.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool17b src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool17b.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool17c src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool17c.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool18 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool18.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool19 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool19.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool20 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool20.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=DYpool23 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/DYpool23.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=FLACampOut src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/FLACampOut.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=MissingLola src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/MissingLola.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><font size=3><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp; <\/span>We were slow to get up the next day, and after lounging around the house for a few hours, we decided to hit the beach.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>So, we drove over to their condo on Treasure Island.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>Luke was amazed at the draw bridge.<span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings\"><span>J<\/span><\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp; <\/span>Even though it is a time share, they are able to use the facilities at anytime!<span>&nbsp; <\/span>So, we had parking, restrooms, a pool, private beach and perfect weather for our first trip back to the Sand Pebble in many, many years.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>It looked the same, with a few upgrades.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The kids loved the beach and we spent all day out there.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>Wouldn?t you know it; I bought a special 200 gram Wham-o Frisbee for the trip and on the darned second throw, it flew way in to the gulf and sank?never coming back.<span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings\"><span>L<\/span><\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp; <\/span>Man, I was bummed!<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The water was a little chilly, at 70<\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Arial\">?<\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"> ? which kept the old folks out, but not the kids and I!<span>&nbsp; <\/span><\/font><span style=\"FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings\"><span>J<\/span><\/span><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>&nbsp; <\/span>For a late afternoon snack, Dad took us to a little ice cream shack a few hundred feet up the beach.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>It was perfect, eating our ice cream and walking on the beach.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>The funniest part was Luke chasing after a great egret (or great heron?), which instantly reminded Ann &amp; I of Matt doing almost the exact same thing ten years earlier in nearly the same exact spot (maybe a few hundred yards down the beach).<span>&nbsp; <\/span>It was cute when Luke gestured to Matt to be quiet as he crept up on the large bird.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>Afterwards, we enjoyed hunting for shells that evening, as the tide came in.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>We went back to Mom &amp; Dad?s house in time to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle (at <\/font><\/font><a href=\"http:\/\/www.kennedyspacecenter.com\/\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=3>Kennedy Space Center<\/font><\/a><font face=\"Times New Roman\" size=3>) from their front yard.<span>&nbsp; <\/span>What a thrill!!<\/font><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf1 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf1.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=500 alt=Gulf2 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf2.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf3 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf3.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf4 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf4.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf5 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf5.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf6 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf6.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf7 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf7.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf8 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf8.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf9 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf9.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf10 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf10.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf11 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf11.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf12 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf12.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf13 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf13.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf14 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf14.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf15 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf15.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf16 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf16.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf17 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf17.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf18 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf18a src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18a.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf18b src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18b.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf18c src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18c.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf18d src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18d.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf18e src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18e.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf18f src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf18f.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf19 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf19.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf20 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf20.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf21 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf21.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf22 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf22.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf23 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf23.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf24 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf24.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf25 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf25.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf26 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf26.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf27 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf27.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf28 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf28.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf29 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf29.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=Gulf30 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf30.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf31 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf31.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf32 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf32.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=Gulf33 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/Gulf33.jpg\" width=500 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=SpaceShuttle1 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/SpaceShuttle1.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=400 alt=SpaceShuttle2 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/SpaceShuttle2.jpg\" width=300 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <img decoding=\"async\" height=300 alt=SpaceShuttle3 src=\"http:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/BlogPhotos\/SpaceShuttle3.jpg\" width=400 border=0 alt=\"Image\" \/> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;Hello again folks?well, a lot has happened since I checked in last, so this is a biggie!&nbsp; The past three weeks have been all about vacation!&nbsp; The week leading up to it dragged by ? in anticipation of what was to come; the week of it flew as we enjoyed every moment of it; and the week after it dragged again ? mourning what was now in our past and wishing we could go back right now&#8230;&nbsp; As always, our weeks have been crazy.&nbsp; The week before vacation, Matt had practice each night and then finished up his wrestling season on that Thursday with a home meet.&nbsp; They won for the third time this year to close out a disappointing season.&nbsp; In mid week, I got news that one of my best friends, Mark Crum, had become a father!&nbsp; Congrats buddy!!&nbsp; That Friday, Ann took off early to run Matt back to the doctor and have his ankle re-evaluated.&nbsp; The good news was that he could get out of the boot and begin track season!&nbsp; The bad news is that he wasn?t cleared to do free style wrestling; so he had mixed feelings.&nbsp; Abby continued to practice her two dances on Monday &amp; Thursday?and is nearly ready for competitions.&nbsp; We attended her Family Fun Night on Tuesday, where her class sang three songs and then we ate.&nbsp; This time, we didn?t have supper (a cost-cutting measure), but instead just had desserts.&nbsp; As for Luke?he must?ve asked us four or five times each day if we were leaving for vacation ?when we get up.???&nbsp; J&nbsp; The owner and instructor of Abby?s dance studio (Dixon Dance) forwarded me an advanced copy of the soundtrack to this years? revue.&nbsp; She asked me to fix all the sonic differences between the songs.&nbsp; So, I re-equalized and normalized not only Abby?s tracks but the entire soundtrack.&nbsp; I submitted it to her before we left; but I?ve not heard any feedback yet, so I hope she liked it?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; Only an hour or so after Matt got the boot off, I got home from work and immediately began cleaning the car and packing up our goodies.&nbsp; We had a lot less than we did when we drove down to Panama City Beach in ?06.&nbsp; We left somewhere around 4 pm and headed towards Florida to see Grandmaw &amp; Grandpaw Bryan.&nbsp; It took us about 17 hours to get down to Largo, stopping for dinner (&amp; restrooms\/gas) on the way.&nbsp; I drove about 12 hours and Ann relieved me the other 5.&nbsp; It is an easy drive; we head over to Cincy on I-74 and catch I-75, taking that all the way down to just outside of St. Pete &#8211; about 10 minutes from our destination.&nbsp; The Pacifica held up pretty well, overall.&nbsp; She got a little hot on the way down, as I was doing 80 through the (still snow covered) mountains of TN, pushing her pretty hard.&nbsp; J&nbsp; When we got down there, it was about 9 in the morning.&nbsp; We had fun catching up with Mom &amp; Dad before going out to eat at one of their favorite family joints, a local neighborhood pizzeria.&nbsp; We finished up eating that late lunch \/ early dinner and decided to hop in their pool at their ?retirement coach community,??? called Down Yonder.&nbsp; J &nbsp;It is actually a very nice set up.&nbsp; The grounds are immaculate and the facilities are very clean.&nbsp; I think Mom said you have to be 55 or older to live out there, so they are one of the youngest couples out there?&nbsp; We enjoyed the pool for several hours and stayed in even after it was supposed to close.&nbsp; By that time, we were exhausted.&nbsp; I enjoyed a quiet moment in the hot tub before we slowly made our way back and we all crashed-out early?and hard!&nbsp; Matt &amp; Luke got to have a camp-out on Mom &amp; Dad?s screened-in back porch all week, which they thought was pretty cool (and Abby was jealous of)&#8230;&nbsp; We were starting to miss our puppy Lola already, and low and behold, Gigi sent us a picture she took of her in the back yard when checking on her.&nbsp; Grandma &amp; Gigi were gracious enough to come over and play with her each day.&nbsp; In fact, Lola even received a couple of play dates with Max &amp; Charlie (a couple of their dogs)!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp; We were slow to get up the next day, and after lounging around the house for a few hours, we decided to hit the beach.&nbsp; So, we drove over to their condo on Treasure Island.&nbsp; Luke was amazed at the draw bridge.&nbsp; J&nbsp; Even though it is a time share, they are able to use the facilities at anytime!&nbsp; So, we had parking, restrooms, a pool, private beach and perfect weather for our first trip back to the Sand Pebble in many, many years.&nbsp; It looked the same, with a few upgrades.&nbsp; The kids loved the beach and we spent all day out there.&nbsp; Wouldn?t you know it; I bought a special 200 gram Wham-o Frisbee for the trip and on the darned second throw, it flew way in to the gulf and sank?never coming back.&nbsp; L&nbsp; Man, I was bummed!&nbsp; The water was a little chilly, at 70? ? which kept the old folks out, but not the kids and I!&nbsp; J&nbsp; For a late afternoon snack, Dad took us to a little ice cream shack a few hundred feet up the beach.&nbsp; It was perfect, eating our ice cream and walking on the beach.&nbsp; The funniest part was Luke chasing after a great egret (or great heron?), which instantly reminded Ann &amp; I of Matt doing almost the exact same thing ten years earlier in nearly the same exact spot (maybe a few hundred yards down the beach).&nbsp; It was cute when Luke gestured to Matt to be quiet as he crept up on the large bird.&nbsp; Afterwards, we enjoyed hunting for shells that evening, as the tide came in.&nbsp; We went back to Mom &amp; Dad?s house in time to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle (at Kennedy Space Center) from their front yard.&nbsp; What a thrill!!<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9vDKm-3s","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scheumann.us\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}