Christmas and New Year's

             Our first Christmas in Cleo was a success.  It was different than those in the past but we still had an amazing day--and season, because honestly, Christmas lasts the whole month of December.  We went to see Christmas lights (either we walked around our campground or we drove to see lights), a nativity scene, and various Christmas events like the Winter Wonderland in Bradenton (see my last post, November's Adventures (and some of December's)  My mom bought Mia and I a LEGO Advent calendar that we loved. We got a nutcracker, a sled and snow hill, a little mixer, and lots more.  Since there was no room for a Christmas tree in Cleo, we cut a tree out of green paper and made our own ornaments to stick on it: I used my Spriograph to create a few, and others we made out of rainbow scratch notes. It was so heartwarming, creating the ornaments and listening to Christmas music as a family.  We made banana muffins instead of cookies this year, and they were so good!  I've been helping bake (and eat!) banana muffins ever since I can remember, so it's a food that's delicious and nostalgic. Also during the holiday season, we did a family Advent devotional about the Christmas story.  I loved spending time together, talking about God's sacrifice for us: how He sent His son down as a baby, because He loved us so much.  I feel like this Christmas season I've grown closer to God.  I have the promise in my heart that God loves me, and one day I will be with Him for eternity, and that brings me a deep joy.

Our Elf on the Shelf, Fred

Friends Lego Advent Calender

Our Christmas tree

            On the days leading up to Christmas, we did some fun activities.  Wednesday (December 22, 3 days till Christmas!!) we went to the Koreshan Preserve; only about twenty minutes away.  The preserve was the historic site of the Koreshan village inhabited by a religious cult led by Dr. Cyrus R. Teed.  Teed believed that the earth was hollow, with the universe inside of the earth instead out of outside of it.  But that wasn't all of Teed's strange beliefs.  He taught immorality, feminism, and claimed that when he died, he would resurrect in the body of a woman. Teed and his followers faced persecution for their beliefs, and moved to Florida where they started a commune.  The Koreshans hoped their commune would grow into a city eventually, but their hopes were never realized.  We explored the deserted houses and hiked on the trails by the river, which was fun.  But there was something strange about the commune.  It was like a ghost town, and something haunting seemed to still lurk in the abandoned town.  Something else kind of creepy about the commune was that the day on which Cyrus Teed died was December 22, 1908: exactly 113 years ago, the founder of this bizarre cult had died. Goosebumps, right?

     

My dad wanted his picture on this bridge 

The house where the seven leaders of the Koreshan compound lived with their servant. These leaders were elected by Cyrus Teed.

            Thursday morning, we got up and went to Sanibel and Captiva islands.  It was chilly, and we were wearing fluffy sweaters as we searched for shells on the Captiva beach.   But the day warmed up and we were able to shed our sweaters.  After shelling, we drove to Bailey's General Store on Sanibel Island for a snack.  This cute store had a coffee shop inside, and we bought bagels (blueberry for Mia and I, and everything bagels for my parents) that one of the workers toasted for us.   The bagels and coffee were both really good, and we had a little picnic in the truck.  After the bagels, we went to Eric Lindblad Preserve for some hiking.  The trails were really good, thought some parts of them were quite flooded and muddy.  Mia and I saw a black snake as we were walking at the front of the group, and naturally, we screamed and ran away.  We also had a funny encounter with a spider.  On our last trail, my mom had a spider run near her hand.  Mia and I squealed to alert her, and she screamed once she realized it was so close to her.  My dad was like," What are you doing?"  We laughed at ourselves and my dad's reaction for a while.  Our last stop on Sanibel was the lighthouse, which actually looked more like a water tower.  My mom got a picture of it with its pretty Christmas wreath. 

Captiva Island

Eric Lindblad Preserve

            On Friday, aka Christmas Eve, we hung out at home.  My mom prepped for Christmas dinner the next day and Mia and I played Legos outside and painted almost the whole day.  It was lots of fun, and the weather was really good.  That afternoon, we visited a local church for a Christmas Eve service.  It was a good service, and my favorite part was at the end when we lit our candles and sang O Holy Night and Joy to the World.  After the service, we drove home to cuddle up and watch a Christmas movie together.  We found a movie called The Heart of Christmas to watch while we ate dinner: a new recipe for lentil stew that was yummy.  It was about a little boy who had leukemia; and the moral of the movie was to cherish every moment you have, because you never know what can happen.  It was really sad, but good.  For the rest of the night, Mia and I played Boggle with our dad while our mom wrapped Christmas presents.  

            Saturday was Christmas Day, and we got up before 8 A.M. to open presents as a family, like we always do.  I was so happy to receive a yoga mat (I had been wanting one, and I was so happy with it!), candy, new fluffy slippers (I had left my old slippers back at home, which wasn't a good decision), and lots more awesome stuff.  Mia got Nerf guns (she was thrilled), swim goggles, and a shiny butterfly fanny pack.  After opening presents and eating breakfast, we went outside to play with our new toys, and I did some push-ups and stretching on my new yoga mat.  We spent the whole morning outside, and it was really nice weather.  My mom whipped a mouthwatering Christmas lunch feast composed of vegan sausage, greens, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and her homemade mac and cheese bake.  It was excellent.  Mia and I wanted to try out her new Nerf guns, so my parents took us to a park that afternoon.  It was only three miles away, and we got to play several Nerf battles (plus, my dad and I tossed the Frisbee back and forth some).  When we got back home, Mia wanted to go to the pool to give her goggles a test run, so my mom took her for a few hours.  Overall, it was a good RV Christmas. 

Opening gifts on Christmas morning

            On Sunday, we did an online church service, then got ready and went to a nice Thai restaurant for lunch.  I ordered a plate with rice and pineapple and veggies, covered with a sweet and sour sauce.  It was yummy, and something new that I hadn't tried before.  We went grocery shopping afterwards, with a stop at Dick's Sporting Goods and Old Navy.  I have gotten some of the clothes that I wear most often from Old Navy, and I liked looking around.  My dad found something he needed for his bike tire in Dick's, which we were happy about, so that he didn't have to keep trying to find the part he needed. 

            Monday was our last beach day before we headed out of the state of Florida.  We biked to Fort Myers beach, and it was the most crowded beach I have ever been to.  Hundreds of people lined the shore; it was a rainbow of colorful umbrellas, swimsuits, and towels.  The water was cold, but after our bike ride it felt amazing.  My parents had a mini lunch date at the beach restaurant, where they could still see Mia and I on the beach as we played.  The sand was so soft and powdery, I loved it.  We stayed at Fort Myers beach until about 5 in the afternoon, then we biked back to Gulf Air campground.  It was almost four miles back to the campground, and we were riding right beside a busy road, but we got back home safely. 

            My mom had been wanting to go to Estero Bay Preserve State Park, which had hiking and biking trails, so we drove there on Tuesday.  The entrance we went to first wasn't open though, so we drove farther to another entrance.  However, that new entrance was too far from the walking trails, so we just did biking trails.  It was a great leg workout, and we packed a picnic lunch of hummus and veggies and tortillas.  I felt super dirty-- muddy and sweaty--when we got back home, so I showered and then my mom and I went shopping.  She bought me new yoga pants and a cool shirt at Old Navy, since I needed more winter clothes for the colder weather in Texas and Mississippi.  That night, we played Mexican train dominoes; a fun game we'd found at a thrift store a few years ago.  A single game is composed of twelve rounds, and after six rounds I was winning; but my mom was just a few points behind me and the tide of the game can change after just one round.  

            Wednesday was our last day in Fort Myers, so we hung out at the campground to get schoolwork done and prepare for our 5 hour drive to Wildwood, Florida on Thursday (see my post Sunny Times in the Sunshine State).  We'd be staying in Wildwood through New Year's, and leave on January 9.  I used my new yoga mat and did yoga that morning, and it felt great.  My mom made Asian noodle salad for tomorrow's drive, and my dad replaced his bike tires.  

            The next travel day went well.  We arrived at Three Flags to find that only the 30 amp sites were left, and we were a 50 amp RV, which meant we had to make sure we didn't use too much power at once.  However, we were only staying for about a week and a half, so it wasn't a big deal.  We set up quickly, and then my mom and Mia went swimming to cool off.  

            On Friday, New Year's Eve, we hung out at the camper.  I did extra history and science, and that night we decided to stay at the camper instead of going anywhere for New Year's Eve.  My mom made one of my favorite meals, lentil tacos, for dinner.  After dinner, I read to Mia.  I started reading to her a few months ago, when I wanted her to read some really good books that were a little to old for her.  So I read them to her, that way I was able to skip any parts that weren't appropriate for her.  We both love our time together when we read, and so far we've read Spy School, books 1-4 and The Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune.  We're currently reading The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero.  

            After school on Saturday, Mia and I went outside to play.  We hadn't played any games like Family or Town outside for a long time, and we had fun playing again.  We also rode around the campground and put on our new bike lights we got for Christmas.  There is a red one for the back and a white one for the front. Both are rechargeable and have different settings: dim, bright, strobe, and flashing.  They worked great, and we were able to see in the twilight as we rode around. 

            After our online church service on Sunday morning, Mia and I went out with my mom.  We stopped at a cute town by the river in The Villages for lunch.  Mia and I got blueberry bagels and my mom got a Mediterranean sandwich.  We sat outside on the porch and watched the cars and golf carts driving past.  The weather was great, and we had a pleasant time talking together.  After lunch, we went grocery shopping.  That night, my dad grilled Beyond Meat burgers, pineapple, and broccoli and I did some yoga outside on my new mat.  The weather was so perfect: not too hot, and when the wind would blow the pine trees overhead would sway against a background of blue sky.  Dinner was delicious, and afterwards we went to the nearest Village: Brownwood Paddock, for some music in the square.  

            Monday was another at-home day.  The weather took a turn for the cold, with a high of 65 degrees.  But my family and friends back at home woke up to snow, so we still had warmer weather than they did.  Mia and I did school most of the day, and that night we read some more of The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero. 

             Next on the agenda after Three Flags is Mississippi.  This will be my first time in Mississippi, so I'm super excited!  Plus, we'll be staying for a week at a campground with our friends and going to New Orleans while we're there!  Be sure to check in after January 17 for a new post on our adventures in Mississippi!