Alabama Day 7 - Rest day redux

So. Today started out hard for me. On the one hand it is absolutely wonderful to hang out with the guys. And it is going really well! Everyone is chill and fun and getting along well. On the other hand... my anxiety and fears are always in my head and I only get brief moments away from that. I am constantly aware of being the square, the straight man, the organizer, the "mom" in the group. 

These guys and the friendship we have is really important to me. They are true friends and have been for years. And even though it started out with me playing "Wryn", that has faded over time and they know more of who I really am. Because we are online friends much of the interaction they have with my family is minimal (although sometimes they do also play games with my kids which means so much to me!) but now we are sharing a house and these two different parts of my life are coming together. And I don't really know how to make it all fit.

Me and Sava (picture from Sava)

Xenaz and Sava (picture from Sava)

Joyful and Sava being silly
(Can you tell I stole all of these pictures from Sava?)

I also realized this afternoon that I am having a hard time resting on this trip. Normally when I am on vacation with family and I get overwhelmed (which does happen a lot) I just wander off and spend some time alone. But that is much harder for me to do this time, although I'm not sure why. Maybe fear of missing out? Or stress about the kids and them bothering the adults? I don't know but I wish I could stop being so neurotic and just relax. 

But while I spent most of today worrying, everyone enjoyed a day off. We slept in, played some games, and generally hung out. And it was sunny! The kids went swimming and they finally had to wear sunscreen. I really enjoyed seeing how well the boys and Ally got along. Joyful came out to watch the kids with me and it was nice to get some time to talk. Then the guys came out and played a game by the pool, although a couple of them were sitting in the "splash zone". And James got to play Othello with Xenaz and Sava this afternoon, and was totally crushed by both of them. But that made me happy too. :-)

While we were playing Secret Hitler Christian had a chance to be Hitler. Unfortunately for him he is not a great liar. At one point he was suspected and someone pointed out that he was turning red. "I'm not Hitler" Christian cried while covering his cheeks, "that's just my afterburn!"

Finally a sunny pool!

Will gives Ally a ride

James cooked for us tonight and made creamy Tuscan chicken which is one of my absolute favorites. It was well received and Joyful was so enthusiastic about it that James says he can't wait to cook for him again. Cooking for people really makes him happy. He made way too much though, we still aren't great at judging just the right amount. 

After dinner James and I went for a little walk which was really nice since we haven't had much time to talk at all on this trip. He really encouraged me to trust in my friends and to not let my anxiety hide the truth of our friendship or cloud how wonderful this trip has actually been. That helped immensely and I went back in feeling much better. 

Sava and Joyful (picture from Sava)

James and Sava (picture from Sava)

Most nights we've stayed up playing games but tonight we mostly hung out and talked. We started reminiscing about RGF, the club where we first met and which brought us together. After a little while Chris and James retired leaving the four of us, me, Xenaz, Joyful, and Sava to talk. We talked a little more about the club but soon started talking about other things, hard times or milestones that we'd seen each other through, and how much we meant to each other. 

It was emotional and there was a lot of hugging too. I felt very loved and it was such a blessing and a rebuke to all the anxieties that have been building up all week. I hope they also felt loved and know how important each of them is to me. Tonight also felt like our goodbye. I know we have one more day but the night before a big trip is always busy. So I'm glad we had this. 

Well I know this wasn't an exciting post but tomorrow I promise to have more pictures!

Alabama Day 6 - Atlanta Aquarium

Today started early. We had planned to go to the Atlanta Aquarium which was over three hours away so we needed to leave by 9 to make it. Amazingly we left on time, made good time, and made it there early! We were a little worried by the gas shortage in the area and there were some stations that were out but we had no trouble filling up. James and I were driving Ally and Chris had all the adults in his car. 

My favorite picture from the aquarium

The Atlanta Aquarium is amazing! The first thing we saw when we walked in was a group of very playful otters and they entertained the kids while we all got settled after the long ride. Then we headed into the River Scout section which had numerous overhead tanks which were really cool. I do love the experience of looking up at fish...and at the bellies of alligators! It looked like the aquarium also had some great kid sections which were unfortunately closed because of Covid.

 

The next section we visited was the Cold Water Quest where we were immediately met by a pod of the most playful Beluga Whales I have ever seen. They were SO active! One of them kept blowing bubble rings and chasing after them which was adorable. A couple of them were playing with each other, bumping and nipping and circling round each other. And the others, I think there were 5 or 6 in total, would come up and swim right by the glass as if they were saying hi. They were all so enjoyable and fun to watch that I didn't want to leave! We also got to see more playful sea otters and a large octopus in that area. 

Belugas at play

Watching the Belugas

This guy was pretty cool

Joyful, Ally, & Sava

And now we come to the highlight of the aquarium and the reason we were willing to make a six hour round trip; whale sharks! They have three of them in the most amazing and gorgeous tank I have ever seen. The walk down to the tank wasn't impressive, just a couple small windows which let you get a glimpse. But then we turned a corner and found ourselves in a large undersea tunnel. It was breathtaking. (I find myself running short of adjectives.) 

The whale sharks were huge and impressive but so were the two manta rays with their giant wingspan. The rays frequently swam together and bumped into each other. The tank was also full of other fish which made a full and vibrant picture. There are currently three whale sharks, the largest died just last year, and the oldest of those left is named Alice. But it was the younger male Yushan that most captured our attention as he had an entourage of fish swimming with him at all times. Being in the tunnel and feeling surrounded by the tank was such a wonderful experience. 

Photo by Sava

Chris, Joyful, Ally, Xenaz, me, Christian, Sava, Jon, & Will

Christian "I just love the deep"

Jon, Christian, and Ally enjoy the view

Christian's favorite fish is the Goliath Grouper

But it didn't end there! After the tunnel we walked up and around the tank to find a giant window into it. The scene was mesmerizing and endlessly interesting. The kids though started to get a bit wiggly after about 15 minutes. 

The large tank is so full of life

Photo credit to Chris

Photo Credit to Sava

Yushan with his groupies. - Photo stolen from Sava

The kids

The pirates from Sea of Thieves - Photo by Joyful

The rest of the aquarium was a bit anti climactic after that. We saw jellyfish, sharks, alligators, dolphins and more. The dolphin tank was particularly disappointing after the wonderful displays we'd already seen. But perhaps they put all their creativity into the tank for the paid dolphin show. There was also a touch tank where the kids got to touch a small ray.

Hammerhead!

Fish schooling away from sharks

Playing with rays

We got to see these Alligators swimming above us

Jellyfish!

Checking out the dolphins

Joyful and Ally - Photo credit to Joyful

Jellyfish - photo by Sava

Splendid Garden Eel - photo by Joyful

Lionfish - photo stolen from Chris

After the aquarium we went out for an early dinner but the nearby area looked like it wasn't doing well as quite a few of the restaurants were closed. But we did find a waffle house only a block or two away and that has been on our list of things to try while we are in the South. Unfortunately it it didn't have seating that could accommodate our party so we had to split up. But the kids enjoyed sitting at the counter. The food was good although as a New Englander I'm always disappointed when a breakfast place doesn't have real maple syrup. (It has to come from a tree!)

The kids at the counter

Our first Waffle House - photo from Joyful

The guys table - photo by Joyful

Then it was time for the long drive home. Joyful rode with us this time and we spent most of the drive playing round robin on Spotify and singing along to the songs. It was so much fun I was a little sad when we got back to the house. Joyful is, as his name suggests, an absolute joy and so much fun. He's really made me feel welcome down here too.

 

Christian got this "Otter Things" shirt at the aquarium

I love Sava's new hat! - Photo by Sava

Today was wonderful but I'm looking forward to another rest day tomorrow! 

Alabama Day 5 - Relaxing at home

Today was a relaxing day. All of us slept in (even Christian!) and naps were taken, although not by the children. It was slightly less cold so Sava joined James and I and the kids in the pool for a bit. The pool was freezing but it was still fun to swim. This pool is one and a half Wills deep on one end which means the kids could dive off it and I could actually swim. It was wonderful! Well, at least it would have been wonderful if it wasn't so very cold. I thought the South was supposed to be warm in May! It hasn't bothered the kids much though, they've been in the pool multiple times anyway. 

After school Ally came back over and the boys were very happy to see her. Soon after a large and very friendly dog also wandered by and the kids took him up and down the street trying to find his house. They weren't able to actually talk to anyone though, most of our neighbors here are farmers which means their house is set far back behind the fence that keeps in the livestock. But still the kids were sweet to try. 

The kids play with the dog before trying to find his home.

Sava and Joyful also entertained us on their guitars. Sava played for us last night and this morning too but it was especially fun to watch the two of them play together. We also played board games, frisbee, and generally hung out. It was really nice and I hope we get another day like it. At the end of the day Sava introduced us to the concept of bacon salt (which we are going to adopt once we get home) and made a delicious meal of drumsticks. Jon ate so many!

Joyful and Sava play while Xenaz enjoys the show

                                                 Joyful and Sava play and sing. I love it! 

Games at the kitchen table

Alabama Day 4 - Cathedral Caverns

This is day 4 of our trip but really it was our first full day in Alabama. And what a great day it was! Last night we stayed up playing board games which was a lot of fun even though we were all exhausted from our long drives. We've been friends for years but this is the first time I've met any of them in real life so the idea of sharing a house was a little intimidating. But so far it has been really great. One of my friends, Joyful, has a 7 year old daughter who is staying with us for about half the time and she is wonderful. She and Christian really hit it off and they spent the whole day together hanging out. 

Our whole group in Cathedral Caverns
From left: James, Will, Jon, Chris, Xenaz(Tyler), Ally,
Joyful(Rodge), Bethany(Wryn), Christian, and Sava(Brent)

Today started off nice and slow. Joyful made us all eggs and bacon for breakfast which we enjoyed as we slowly trickled in. (My friends do have real names but I've used their screen names for so many years now it feels weird to call them anything else!) The boys played video games mostly while the adults and Ally played some board games. Ally is super cute and helped her dad secure an awesome victory in Sheriff of Nottingham.

After lunch we drove over to Cathedral Caverns, about an hour away. We were late which was a little stressful but they very kindly held the tour for us. I was expecting something similar to the Undersea Lake but this cave was HUGE! Each room was massive and full of amazing stalagmites and stalactites. This cave had also been better curated in the past and was much better preserved. 

The huge entrance to the cave

Will and I running in because we were late!

The path in

(Photo credit to Chris)

Goliath (picture from Chris)

Reflecting pool

It was a great tour, the guide was friendly and very very Southern. And some of the rooms in the cave were really amazing. The tour ended at the back of the cave and we were able to walk out again at our own pace. That was especially nice because it allowed us to take pictures that we couldn't have in the larger group. Although it is hard to take good pictures even in a well lit cave! 

Me and Sava finally hanging out after... 4? years!

Me and Xenaz

Me with Joyful and Ally

So glad I get to "meet" everyone for the first time!

At the very end of the tour they lit up the back of the cave with "stars"

Joyful's sister and her family came with us on the cave tour but because we were late it wasn't really possible to get to know them at all until after the tour was over. So all the adults sat and chatted for a bit outside the gift shop while the kids played. While exploring they found a scorpion! Will especially was really great with the little kids and was adorably silly as he let the 4 year old girl beat him in a race. Then we were off to Joyful's parents' house for dinner. His family was wonderful and very welcoming. It made me really happy too that the kids had so much fun. 

Christian and Ally

It was dark when we got home and not very warm but the boys had waited too long already so we let them take a quick swim in the pool. It is deep! And possibly heated? They didn't swim long but did have a great time. Afterwards I played Stick Fight with Will and Jon while James put Christian to bed. The lack of a schedule has been hard on him but he is doing really well recovering from his occasional meltdowns. 

Late night swim

After the kids were in bed we played another game, one of my favorites. And I may have gone off a little hard at the beginning... But before we arrived I made a bet with Joyful that if the guys could beat me at every game I brought that I would get a tattoo. But since I have no intention of getting a tattoo I am determined not to lose. And Dutch Blitz is one of my favorite games anyway. Xenaz though came far too close for comfort! But it is late now and I am off to bed. Tomorrow is a day with no plans so hopefully there will be more of the pool and board games!