Sandy was already up and about by the time I was out of bed this morning. I had a hankering for my familiar Waffle House, so I tried to coax the kids out of bed to join us for breakfast. Strangely, the prospect of a cooked meal wasn’t enough to dislodge either of them from their nests, so it was just Sandy and me this morning, which I was more than happy with. I love my kids and all, but everything in moderation, right?
Our usual bubbly and fun-loving waitress was on shift this morning, but we were seated at a table serviced by another younger waitress this time. She was also lovely, although she did get a couple of minor things mixed up.
With tummies full and with nothing else pressing to do, we made our way back home. By now, the kids were starting to stir. I whipped up some maple bacon for Joey, and a couple of slices of toast and butter for Jae.
Unbeknownst to the kids, our good friends Carlos and Kristy were coming to the house today. They were to drop off the Beyblades Joey had purchased and that we had delivered to their house some months ago, and to spend a bit of time with us. We tidied the house a little and made it presentable. Although it’s generally clean and well-kept, we do have a few areas around the house where we are still living out of suitcases to a degree, so a little straightening up here and there was in order.
Sandy and Jae went out for an hour or so, while Joey and I spent some quality time on the Nintendo Switch playing Mario Kart 8. Despite my best efforts, I still cannot fathom how he plays so much better than I do. Of course, I taught him everything he knows.
Other than waiting for our guests to confirm their arrival time, we had little else to occupy ourselves today. I enjoyed a bit of mindless lounging around by the pool, in and out of consciousness in the day’s heat. Like all the other properties here, this house has a fully screened-in backyard. The yard itself backs onto an open field with a lake a short stroll away. The setting is private and idyllic—the perfect place to relax. My dozing was disturbed only briefly by the arrival of the pool guy, who attends once a week to give the pool the once-over. He was a nice guy, and we spent a few minutes engaged in small talk as he went about his duties.
Carlos and Kristy eventually showed up. It was exciting to see them both again. Neither has changed a bit since we left Florida in 2002. They had returned from a holiday yesterday and had just collected their dog, who a relative near Orlando Airport had looked after. As pets are not allowed in the property, we had to request that the lovely puppy remain out by the pool.
Carlos offloaded from the car all the boxes of Beyblades that Joey had bought, but Joey was a little sheepish about coming downstairs, given the hubbub we were all making. As Carlos is a paediatrician and an expert in caring for children, he went upstairs to help put Joey at ease.
We spent some quality time catching up with Carlos and Kristy before deciding we would head out for dinner together. I suggested Chilis, which everyone seemed happy with. When we got there, Caralos noticed a Miller’s restaurant adjacent to Chilis, which looked like it had outdoor seating. This would work better since the dog wouldn’t then need to sit in the car. When Carlos went in to check, it turned out that the outdoor patio area wasn’t usable for dining. We ended up going back to Chilis after all.
We had a lovely meal with excellent conversation. It’s something of a sport for us to try to be the first to grab the waiter’s attention to convince them to accept only payment from us for the meal when the time comes. I always want to be the one picking up the tab, and I specifically wanted to ensure Carlos and Kristy ate on our dime tonight. Alas, they play this sport just as well as we do, and they were first to get in with the waiter. I was able to redress at least some of the balance by picking up the tab for the dessert Sandy, Joey, and I ate.
When the end of the evening came, we bid a sad farewell to Carlos and Kristy. We agreed to see them again at least one more time before we leave Florida in three weeks. With a bit of luck, they will come down and spend more time with us in the coming weeks, although they won’t bring the dog with them when they do.
Back home, we reviewed our plans for tomorrow. We are scheduled to visit EPCOT and have lunch at the Beer Garden in Germany. The original reservation was for 12 noon, so we changed it to 2:45 pm, to give us more flexibility for a later start if we want or need it in the morning.
This will be the third attempt to visit EPCOT. What could possibly go wrong this time?