Day 2171. Yesterday I didn't have to teach in the morning which was nice so I tried to sleep - with limited success. It was raining, and so I tried to do some office work. However, suddenly none of my office files would open any more. What a nightmare! I tried for hours to find a solution but to no avail. No more Word, Excel etc. In the end I had to buy a new Office version, and thankfully it would install.
A lot of time was lost dealing with this issue but it was raining for most of the day so there wasn't much we could do. When it let up in the afternoon, we went into the pool. Sammy had a fever and did not like it as it was too cold for him.
After we had all returned to the trailer, Tammy wanted to go fishing again, and she ended up going with our friend and the neighbor. Later Emmy joined them, and Randy and Sammy also went there for a little while. The kids ended up catching two turtles but no fish.
This morning I had to teah from 9 to 11 am so my alarm went off at 8 am. Emmy was already up and had woken up his sister. Sammy being sick, he actually slept quite long which I was glad about. I wanted to teach at the table in the trailer but the internet was not sufficient there. I had no choice but to go to our bedroom to teach. It was once again raining outside. It wasn't ideal and by the end of the two hours I was hurting quite a bit.
Randy and the kids had left while I was teaching. Randy was doing laundry in our friends' house, and the kids were watching TV. Eventually they returned to the trailer, and I made them sandwiches for lunch.
Then it finally stopped raining and the sun came out. I suggested we'd go to the beach as it was our only chance with rain being forecast again for tomorrow. Just before we left at 2:50, our friend said she had seen an alligator and took the kids with her to show them, but by then it was gone again.
We got into the car for the 45 minute-drive to the beach in Panama City. Sammy still had a fever and did not want to go but he calmed down in the car. We paid an entry fee to the state park and parked by the beach. Then we got our stuff and walked on the white sand to get to the pier where there was shade. The kids were pretty excited. We put our stuff down and went into the water. Tammy and Emmy were loving the waves. I got Sammy and sat down with him. Even he was having fun with the waves for a while, but not for long. Then Randy took him, and the three of us continued enjoying the waves. Soon Tammy left us as she wanted to build a sandcastle. Our friend had given us sand toys but she was missing a bucket to get water. Sammy then joined her in the sand.
Emmy and I continued enjoying the waves. He was having the time of his life. They had their diving goggles with them and could see quite a lot of fish in the water. At some point we also got out of the water, and I tried to help Tammy with her sandcastle. We built a channel to the ocean so that the water could flood the channel around the simple castle but somehow the waves never came quite close enough.
We then went back into the water, Tammy included, and continued enjoying the waves. Sammy was not having fun at all, lying on Daddy's chest. Tammy and Emmy didn't want to leave the water at all, but at some time we had to move. I was sad as I love the ocean so much and this was my only opportunity to be close to it. Who knows when we'll see the ocean again.
After two hours we left again. We rinsed off at the showers and took our bathing suits off by the car. Then we got in and drove off. It was 6 pm.
On the way home we stopped at Walmart to get some groceries. Emmy and I went inside, and it took us 40 minutes to do the shopping and return to the car. Time flies when you're in a store. The other two kids were not happy in the car, and they were hungry. By 7:30 pm we were back at the trailer, and I put the pasta dishes straight into the microwave. Tammy ate really well, and Emmy also ate more than usual. Sammy ate mashed potatoes, once his favorite foods. Randy then put him to bed pretty quickly, and he soon fell asleep after I had prayed for him. TH
he others still had dessert then it was their turn as well. I prayed for them, and they lay down on either side of Sammy to sleep. I then turned my computer on. Now it's 1 am and time for me to go to bed.
