Whetstone Factory Tour

Last weekend Brian and his friends had their annual "guys trip"- three days of golfing, fishing, and football.  The kids and I decided that the guys shouldn't have all the fun, so we took a day trip to St. Augustine.  Our first stop was the Whetstone Chocolate Factory.  The Whetstone company used to own a large plant that manufactured products for companies like Hershey, Mars, and Nestle. However  that portion of the business was sold several years ago and now they only do artisan chocolate. We took the factory tour and participated in a chocolate tasting.  We learned a lot about how chocolate is made and about different types of chocolate.  We all found the tour to be educational and interesting.

Upon signing up for the tour, we were each issued a tasting card.  On this card was a list of the various chocolates that we would be sampling along the tour.  We ended up trying 6 different pieces of chocolate- one milk chocolate, one white chocolate, two different varieties of dark chocolate, one artisan craft piece (with an orange flavor) and one piece of fudge.

We were also given hair nets that we had to wear in the factory.

The chocolate sampling was definitely the highlight of the tour.  The kids and I are lovers of dark chocolate, so it's no surprise that these were our favorites.  Owen and I liked the dark with 47% cocoa while Olivia preferred the really dark with 72% cocoa.  Before leaving we visited the shop and bought chocolate bars in our favorite flavors (plus a milk chocolate bar for Gigi- the most renowned chocolate lover in our family).  This was a really fun tour and I highly recommend doing it if in the area.

The Amazing Race

One of the most anticipated days at Toys R Us each year is the day of the Amazing Race benefiting the United Way.  Each year TRU sponsors a team (or two) to compete in this fundraiser.  Teams rush all over town solving clues and completing tasks.  The first team to complete all tasks and return to the finish line wins.  This year TRU sponsored two teams.  Brian was on team Scooby Doo (he was Shaggy).  His team did a great job but came up short of first place.  Still, they had a great time and raised money for a great cause.

The Triathlon

I competed in the Megan's House Heels and Wheels Sprint Triathlon again this year.  I was a little worried that the event would be cancelled because they drained the lake back in the spring and it hasn't filled back up all the way yet.  The triathlon did take place, but the water level was low.  I could touch bottom in the middle of the lake.  How did I do?  Well, I finished in 1:39:49, which is about the same that I did last year.  I shaved two minutes off of my swim, but I added it right back with my bike.  I ended up sixth in my age group (which was last place).  This is the only triathlon that I do each year, and I always look forward to it.  It is fun and raises money for a good cause.

Skating

The kids and I went to Jesup a few weekends ago to go rollerskating.  When I was their age, we had a skating rink in town and it was THE place to have your birthday party.  Unfortunately, that rink is long closed and the one in Jesup seems to be about the closest one around.  This was the kids' first time on skates, so there was definitely some wobbling going on.  Both Olivia and Owen started out using the walker, but Olivia ditched it pretty quickly.  She preferred to just go around the rink on her own and cling to the wall as much as possible.  She really liked skating and by the end she could make it all the way around without falling. Owen on the other hand was not a fan of the skating.  He took off his skates after about 45 minutes and spent the rest of the time in the little arcade.    

Back to School

School has begun.  We have completed one full week so far.  That means we only have 35 more to go (hooray!).  The kids had a great week.  Olivia is in third grade and her big news is that she gets to change classes this year.  She has two separate teachers and will study different subjects with each.  Owen is in second grade this year.  His big news is that he will be getting pulled for speech therapy once a week.  He is pretty excited to start this.  Both kids will also continue in the WINGS program this year.  We are hoping for a great school year.

St. Simon's with Gigi and Papa

 Most of the teachers in our area had to go back to work for pre-planning last week.  My mom and dad agreed to watch the kids all week while us teachers went back to work. We are very grateful that Mama and Daddy agree to do this for us.  On Wednesday, they took all of the grandkids over to St. Simon's Island for a day of fun.  They went to the top of the lighthouse, visited the little waterpark (which you can see in the background of this first picture), played a round of putt-putt, had lunch with Aunt Quincy (who now works on St. Simon's), and got some ice cream.  Basically, they just had a really fun day.  What a great way to wrap up summer break.

Summer Vacation Highlights

 Summer vacation is officially over.  We will miss those long, lazy summer days but at the same time we are glad to be getting back to our normal routine.  We did have some good times this summer and I would like to take a moment to highlight five of the things that made this summer awesome.
#1- movie time.  The kids have gotten to the age where we can take them to the movies to see something other than cartoons.  We saw a couple of movies this summer including Inside Out, Jurassic Park, Minions, and Ant Man.  We are already eyeballing a couple of movies that we want to see later on this year (Star Wars).

#2- summer reading program.  Olivia and Owen participated in the library's summer reading program again this year.  They read books on a weekly basis and received little prizes for their efforts.  We also attended two programs at the library.  Their favorite was the guy who made balloon animals.

 #3- kittens.  The kids have been enamored with the kittens ever since they were born back in the spring.  We were able to find a home for the two female kittens, but we are still in possession of the males. These kittens offered hours of entertainment for Olivia and Owen this summer.

 #4- playdates.  Olivia had several playdates with her friend Hannah this summer.  Those girls get along very well together.  The two of them choreographed a dance to Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off"- a dance which I have seen a trillion times this summer.

#6- fort building.  The kids have perfected their fort-building skills.  Toward the end of the summer we had a fort going up in the living room on a daily basis.  I made them disassemble it every night, but the kids were not deterred.  Each day the fort got bigger and more elaborate than the day before.  The final version had its own flag and various rooms.

We will definitely miss summer, but we are looking forward to football and cooler weather.