Gina's Jewels

Living Waters......

Stephan completed his 16 hour work week by mowing around the park. I just happened to look out the window while I was cooking lunch and caught a glimpse of him buzzing around on one of those zero turn models. I joked that he was probably enjoying himself and would lose track of time. Sure enough, I had to send Wagner out to get him for lunch. He wasn’t ready to quit for the day, but we convinced him to take a break, join us for a spaghetti lunch and then he could continue.  I know now that an old fashioned mower will never be good enough.

Since he was off work on Friday, Stephan burnt some of his energy washing the truck and rig. The weathermen have forecast rain every day that we’ve been here, but we’ve only had a few scattered showers. Of course it did rain, right after Stephan finished washing the truck and rig.

On Saturday, we drove to Fort Myers to do some browsing around in the morning. In the evening, we went to a service at Living Waters Community Church (http://www.livingwaterscc.com/). Our first experience attending a Saturday evening service was great. The congregation is very friendly and even invited us to stay and join them for a taco buffet there at the church. Pastor Ivie reminded me of Pastor Ed Young from the DFW area. We are looking forward to worshipping with them again.

After our Sunday morning routine of watching Joseph Prince, Creflo Dollar, Ed Young and Joel Osteen, we were ready to spend some time at the beach. It didn’t take long for us to load up and relocate. The water was smoooooooooooth.

 

Wagner prefers the waves to play in but settled for snorkeling in the calm water. He found a starfish and somehow even managed to catch a small tropical fish with his hands! Stephan found a few sand dollars and some nice shells. We all enjoyed our time in the sunshine and then relaxing in the A/C munching on pizza and salad.

Nice ride......

On Monday, we got back into our school work, ate grilled ribs at lunch, played Sequence and Stephan spent several hours on the telephone with a computer repair tech in India. Fortunately, they were able to get everything fixed so the time invested was worthwhile.

Stephan drove the bike to work on Tuesday morning. I'll have to keep my eye on him - - you know how girls treat guys with nice wheels!  ;0}  Anyway, he spent his day weed whacking the park while Wagner and I went to the movies. Every summer, Regal Entertainment Group hosts free movies for kids on Tuesday and Wednesday. We drove to a theater in Fort Myers for our 10 am free admission. We arrived at 9:30, selected our seats and then watched as the seats filled with children being bused in from local day camps. We enjoyed watching “Spiderwick Chronicles” enough that Wagner will probably see it another time with Stephan. After the show, we stopped at Walmart to pick up some groceries, ate like starved dogs when we got home and then joined Stephan for a swim after he finished working. School didn’t start until late afternoon so by the time we finished our lessons, the day was over.

Not ones to turn down free entertainment; we visited a theatre in Naples on Wednesday to watch “Despereaux”. Stephan joined us for this movie as we had read the book as a family and he could postpone week whacking until the afternoon. It turned into a whole date. First the movie, THEN we went to Costco for lunch and a bit of shopping! When we returned home, Wagner and I got started on school and Stephan went to work for a few hours.

In the evening, we attended a service called “The Gospel according to Mayberry” at the New Day Christian Church in Fort Myers. Wagner enjoys watching the old “Andy Griffith” shows and its characters (Barney, Opi, Otis, Ernest T. Bass, Gomer, etc.). Stephan was cast as Barney for a short skit, we watched an episode and then broke into groups to discuss it. It was interesting to take time to analyze a show we enjoy for its lessons. All the other kids were outside playing ball but Wagner chose to stay and participate in the group discussion. This show led to discussions on humility, pride, love, forgiveness, etc. We had a good time participating together and discussing it even further on our way home.

Chameleon? How about shrimp instead?

I forgot to mention that we bought a tricycle on Friday. If you’ve ever seen me ride a bike (or participate in ANY sort of athletic effort), then there is no need to explain the need for 3 wheels. The plus is that Wagner also enjoys it and can be put into delivery service! The tricycle we found on Craig’s List actually looked much better in the photo than in reality. After Stephan and the Seller drilled holes, moved some parts, etc. it came together enough for us to pay ½ of his asking price. It is sturdy and designed for commercial use but perhaps doesn’t consist of all the original parts for a “Trailmate EZ Roll Regal Tricycle”. It will meet our needs at this time.

After church, we packed our snacks, chairs, and umbrella and got set up on the beach. It was sunny when we were packing up, pouring down rain while we drove, and then sunny again for the 4 hours we spent on the beach. I collected some seashells (because that is what I like to do) and the guys bobbed in the gentle waves. The water wasn’t very clear but I’m sure it is because of the sporadic storms.

While lounging on the beach, Wagner decided (and wanted me to document it on my blog) that whenever we do get a house, he wants to have a pet Chameleon. He saw one at the Creation Museum and has kept thinking about since then. We’ll see. While my enthusiasm on his idea didn’t make him happy, he was delighted with the fettuccini and shrimp that I served for dinner.