For the months of December and January, we stayed with our parents. These were relaxing times where we could kind of breath, stay in one place, and work on fitness and hobbies. We also ended up influencing both our sets of parents to join gyms and to start playing pickleball.
December - Murphy, NC - with Lenore and Mark Berlinski (mom and dad)
First thing we did was join Murphy Health and Fitness, a gym that is similar to a YMCA since has fitness classes, workout centers, and a pool and sauna! Mark was going to join the gym upon retiring from working at the furniture store, but he decided to join on a referral from us early with Lenore so that we could go a few times together. This was also the time of year when a historic cold front was blanketing most of the USA. Murphy got down to around 5 degrees at this time, hence the warm clothes below.
Adam worked on more Spanish and drawing (look at that amazing hand he drew!), while Clare took some Master Classes online and worked through a beginners piano book. We read a lot of books too (Clare got particularly interested in a fantasy series recommended by Lauren)!
Across from the gym were pickleball courts where the Valley River Picklers group played most mornings. This group was so friendly. If you were sitting on the bench watching, you would get asked about 7 times if you wanted to play.
Meals at the Berlinski Household were also very special. We loved going to Main Street Diner, which has prices that seem stuck in the 1950s. Most sandwiches were around $3 and a slice of pie was something like $1.75. For other meals, everyone traded off cooking at home. Mark and Lenore make amazing Mexican casseroles and chicken bowls. The most interesting thing we tried was homemade pasta - using a machine borrowed from Jake and Lauren.
We went on a number of excursions together. There is a Dam nearby that has a beautiful walking/running trail along the lake, through the forest, and by a campground. We also visited the "World's Largest Ten Commandments" site in Murphy. It was impressive and really fun to climb so many stairs and read bible verses along the way.
We played a lot of games together! Primarily Rummikub, backgammon, and puzzle races with Lenore! Who knew racing to complete different sections of the same puzzle or two of the exact same puzzle would be so fun? - a Berlinski family tradition! We also enjoyed feeding the local deer, walking the hilly neighborhood, and sneakily changing the letter blocks by the TV to reflect different events. They spelled 'Welcome Clare and Adam' when we first arrived.
Christmas was wonderful with the Berlinskis. We got to watch Judah in two different Christmas productions. He sang particularly loudly and well during his pre-school program. We had a lovely dinner and exchanged gifts. We also opened 'Christmas crackers' thanks to Barbara Fletcher sending some our way.
Finally, for new years, we spent the weekend in Asheville. We enjoyed the artsy bookshop and tea shops in that town. Adam's friend Blake came to visit us there to count down to the new year and to go on a beautiful hike in the morning.
St. Augustine - change of custody between parents
We didn't take many pictures here (because we forgot and were having such a great time), but we spent a day in St. Augustine with both sets of parents. It was a blast! St. Augustine is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you Mark and Lenore for spearheading this day for us! We all rode the trolley tour to learn about the history of the town and we stopped at a couple distilleries and a winery for tours and tastings there. In the morning before leaving, a walk on the beach was also very serene.
January - Land O Lakes, FL (Tampa area) - with Barbara and Joe Fletcher (mom and dad)
This was the first time since our wedding in March of 2022 that we got to visit with Clare's parents. Due to some health conditions and infection risk, this was now the safest time to get back together.
We, again, joined a gym, played pickleball, and worked at the library often. We inspired Barbara to join a gym and inspired both Barbara and Joe to join the pickleball craze, since there are courts right outside the rec center 10 minutes from their house. It was so fun to share some of our favorite activities with them.
We also loved spending time in their house, which has a backyard like national geographic with birds, turtles, and three alligators (Terry, Terry Jr., and Arthur), a screened in pool that is heated and warm even at nighttime during the winter, and a pool table and dart board ready for nightly games.
Since we were not able to be together during the holidays, Julia took a week off to come for a visit at this time. There were many family activities planned for this week.
We ate at the Columbia, the Oxford Exchange, the Whistlestop Tea Room, and In The Loop Brewery.
One day, we were invited by Joe and Barbara's friends, Glen and Shelly, to join their boat club rental, ride around the bay, and swim with the gentle giants, the manatee. We got to jump in the water, which was surprisingly warm, and pet the wild manatee.
Another day, we traded off riding bikes/electric recumbent tricycle on the Pinellas trail.
We also enjoyed decorating gingerbread men, eating Julia's famous homemade pies, and working hard to complete puzzles with the Soma Cube that Mark and Lenore got us for Christmas. In any amount of spare time, someone was always at the counter trying to complete more puzzles.
When Julia left, we resumed our normal activities. Adam started working on building apps on the android app store. For practice, he built a simple tip calculator. It is actually available for download and is called "Adam's Tip Calculator". It takes a bit of searching to find it under the "new" category. Next, he started building a burrito rating app. That's still in progress. Throughout these projects, he really learned a lot of great programming skills.
We attended Trinity Anglican Church of Tampa while we were in the area. We loved this church. After our experience in New Hampshire, Denver, and here, we are more and more convinced of our fondness for church communities within the ACNA. This one in Tampa was unique because during each service, one liturgical saying, one reading, and one chorus to a song were translated in Spanish. This was fun to experience as part of a multi ethnic community. The congregation was varied in age, and the sermons were so good that Clare was avidly taking notes. We looked forward to Sunday every week.
Toward the end of our trip, Adam was able to drive up to Orlando for a day to hang out with good friend Karl! They ate Cup Pasta and went to a hockey game together.
After a fun stay in Florida, we are keeping the trend of moving south! We will be leaving soon on our 6ish week adventure in Mexico (Mexico City and Puebla)!
Nos vemos!
