adjustment period needed

each time i go visit tina and her family i go through a little bit of a culture shock. i know this may sound drastic, but let me explain. i grew up being an only child, in a household where my parents barely spoke to each other, and i've lived alone for almost 5 years. so their isn't a lot of talking going around other than me saying "hi Otis" and hearing a meow back. not a lot of conversation going on in my household. the W* household however is a whole different story. they start talking right when they get up in the morning and don't stop until right before they fall asleep. this is a lot to absorb when you aren't used to it. i remember one of the first trips i took to florida to visit tina i had to physically say to her the first morning "i don't talk in the mornings." ...but of course in order to say that you don't talk you have to talk. then you have your normal conversations throughout the day. but expect that at least three times to be asked "what are you thinking?". and be well prepared to have an answer. this family is very in tune with how they feel, and why they feel that way, and they usually express it to one another throughout the day. it's just a lot to handle at first.
so day 2 and 3 of my trip were lots of fun.
day 2 we drove back to lakeland, and had a little labor day cook out.

beautiful table ready for some good food.

after the yummy meal we relaxed and played rummy.

tasty seasonal drink
mike's hard spiced apple, it's yummy

day 3 was a shopping trip to tampa. i had a lot of fun shopping everywhere we went. every single store we went into i tried something on. it was a blast! we had such a great time. i wish i could describe it better, but i don't know how to put it into words. it seems weird. because for the longest time i would go into these stores and immediately look for a size XL, and try it on and hope that it would look good, and for a long time it didn't. and some stores don't even carry an XL. now i can go in and look for a M or L and know that it will fit. i can try on pants, dresses too...which were NEVER even an option. it's fun! ...that's a good word. fun.

after shopping we went to a cute little bistro for lunch

that evening all of us enjoyed dinner!
me, max, tina, jason, and jake

later that evening tina, jason, and i went out to enjoy some after dinner drinks

so prior to going out jason decided to teach me how to throw a football. so just imagine me in the front yard wearing this dress throwing a football! classic, but so much fun.

last but not least....today is Max's birthday:

Happy 11th Birthday Max!!!

3mile run/walk 40min
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