Days 1, 2 and 3

Yum-yum, seatbelt!

So where were we? At the Villages in Ocala, Florida. It is a self-contained retirement community complete with 2 town squares and every business establishment you can think of. You can take your golf cart to Wal-Mart, Target, McDonalds and any other business big or small. There are ~60,000 residents and over 300 weekly activities. Card games, athletic games, hundreds of clubs (Indiana club, convertible club, bridge clubs, Jimmy Buffet clubs, anything-you-can-think-of clubs) and of course golf. Something like 18 courses, most of which are free to residents. They also have a daily newspaper and their own tv and radio stations. In their sports section they have write-ups on all their league games—I was completely sold when I read one lady saying some of them play (in the women’s softball league) 4 nights a week! Hello Villages—I’m coming—hope I can still play softball in ~25 years!!! And you know me-LOVE card games.
Everything there is so clean and architecturally beautiful. When we went out into the real world last Friday, every building seemed so dirty. Even their Wal-mart looks nice and is super clean and calm.

We loaded up the car Thursday at 2:30, drove to Kentucky to meet up with Cara and boys. Loaded up her van with 2 four year olds and a five year old in the back seat. (Yes, even some of our own family called us crazy!) Caleb and I in the middle seats and Mom and Cara up front. Unfortunately, I was the one who caused all the problems. Drove for about 5 minutes when I became horribly nauseous. I really thought I was going to have to knock myself out to go any farther in the car. We stop and I get out for a few minutes. I get back in, in the front seat. Still feel horrible. Go another ~10-20 minutes, stop at Wendy’s—feel horrible. Go another few minutes and we may have stopped again--I don’t know-I was in agony and trying to figure out how I could get out in the middle of the interstate and still get to Florida without riding in a car. I’m told we stopped 3 times in the first half-hour. I'm sure they were thinking “If we kick Leah out do we still have to keep her kids with us?” But I felt better soon and after that, the ride was pretty uneventful and the kids slept thru the night.
Got to Jean/Mike’s house ~9:30 Friday morning. Went on golf cart ride, may have gone swimming and then went to town square that night and (tried to) danced, put the kids down and then played cards. (They have live music every night at the town square. Lots of people go and sit and many dance. It is always, always line dancing. They country line danced to “Do the Twist” “Give me that old time rock and roll” and everything but the Cha-Cha slide. Unfotunately, all I know is the electric slide ): )
Got up Saturday, golf cart ride to Wal-mart, around town, went swimming, fed the buffalo, went to park, played cards. A quick and violent coughing spell overtook me Saturday night. I even went outside at one point because I was so loud and just couldn’t stop. I coughed all night. Everyone went to church, park and Grandma’s house on Sunday but I zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz all day until 4:30! After that I felt great the rest of the week. I should also mention, Mike hit a grand slam at his softball game on Saturday. None of us were there to witness it but we'll take his word for it.
(Jean/Mike have a 4-6 seat golf cart and borrowed a friends 4-6 seat cart, so that’s how we were able to zip around everywhere.)
Pictures are of us going to town square the first night.