Williams Family: I Am a Geography Nerd

I am a Geography nerd. I think it began in 3rd grade when Mrs. Evans was my teacher and we learned what Geography was and had to know how to spell it. She taught us a mnemonic device to remember the letters. G--George E--Evans O--Old G--Grandmother R--Rode A--A P--Pig H--Home Y--Yesterday Got it. George Evans old grandmother rode a pig home yesterday. It worked as I still remember! Anyway, my love of maps, land formations--what they are called and where they are located, and how cultures are impacted by Geography began. Somewhere in 6th/7th grade, our family took a road trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to visit a long-time friend of my mothers. Her husband had been relocated for a job and we were off to spend time with her and her family. My parents threw the map to me in the backseat and I navigated our way to Pittsburgh. By the time I was in High School, I was allowed to drive in/around/and out of state. When I was in college, I enrolled in a Geography elective as a night class. I liked to take night classes as there were more non-traditional college students and the competition for grades was fierce. The first night, the instructor gave an oral pre-test. My hand shot up at nearly every question. He told me not to return until the final but to complete the class project. Done. Geography showed up in Science Methods for Elementary Teachers at the University, too. The professor just smiled when I answered questions that seemed to baffle other students--time zones, Earth's axis, etc. As a young adult, I had an Atlas on my bedside table. Reading and studying maps was a soothing pre-sleep activity. Now, knowing Geography helps me connect with others. As a Travel Advisor, it is extremely helpful to have an idea of the world. When I frequent Walt Disney World and ask guests where they are visiting from, i can typically ask a question about their home location based on my knowledge and/or experience. And, I've won a trivia contest or two. When at our community pool and neighbor, who works for Disney Cruise Line, was telling a group of us that she is from Cape Verde. Another neighbor asked if it was a tropical location and she responded with no. I said it is dry, like a desert, as it is located off the West coast of Africa near the Sahara Desert and the Cape Verde is where hurricanes are generated before crossing the Atlantic. The gal from Cape Verde was stunned as no one in our community had known about her home before. A few weeks later, I introduced her to a very well traveled neighbor from Norway who has visited Cape Verde. It can be a small world! Today, during Thanksgiving, my nerdom struck again. Our nephew was watching football and I said, that's Terry Bradshaw. Yep. I went on. . . he played for Pittsburgh, right? Now my nephew is intrigued. I added that I had been in the stadium in Pittsburgh, but to see the Pirates, not the Steelers. Then I asked if he know what rivers gave the stadium its name. He got 2 out of 3 correct! When dining with more people around the table, football came up again. Talk of Fantasy football teams including kickers. I interjected that the Iowa Hawkeyes had won last Saturday against Michigan State due to their kicker. (These folks are from Iowa and Hawkeye fans.) I got bonus points for having that information. But I went on. Both schools are party schools. I added that I had "celebrated" in both Iowa City and East Lansing as a young one. Another guest talked about their time in East Lansing and mentioned another Michigan town. My reply was about how that town was West of Lansing. Surprise on all accounts. Now maps are digital and accessible at one’s fingertips. I am not one who needs to turn the map the direction I am facing; that actually confuses me. I have been told that I have an acute sense of direction and once when I flew into New Orleans after dark, I could tell which direction was North.

Williams Family: A Part of the Story

 

Yesterday was the husband and I's twentieth wedding anniversary.  Today, would have been the 49th anniversary for the couple pictured above, but they passed away eleven months from each other--May 6, 2021, and April 23, 2022.  Who are they?  My dad, for the first nine years of my life and then again from my mid-20's until now, and his wife, my stepmom, who was also my first grade teacher.  The young man in the photo is my half-brother, who I have known since he was born, but he didn't know I existed until he was 18.  I am so grateful to have had them at our wedding and the moment captured in a photo.  Who isn't pictured?  My younger brother, who did attend our wedding, and my mother, also in attendance, who passed away a decade ago.  Who didn't attend our wedding, my stepdad turned adoptive dad at age nine.  He refused to attend because the people in the photo were in attendance even though the events that took place happened over twenty-five years prior.

You see, fifty odd years ago two couples were married, one couple had two children, and both couples divorced. And each couple married the opposite spouse.  My first grade teacher became my stepmother, and her ex-husband, a man who I had never met, became my stepfather.  Custody battles ensued, my dad and stepmom had a son--pictured above, parental rights were terminated to coincide with an adoption of my brother and I, and my dad, his wife, and their young son moved several states away. 

My brother and I were sat on the couch in the living room and told to call our stepdad "Dad" and that we would never see our dad again.  Our grandparents, who still lived in the community, insisted on staying in contact with us as "the divorce and adoption" did not impact them legally.  The new "Dad" agreed for visits for a while and then even that became contentious.  Also, we were growing up and had activities that kept grandparent visits to a minimum. It was through my grandmother and grandfather that I knew what my dad was up to, where he was, and what he was doing.  I suspect that is why the new "Dad" wanted to block contact.  It took me years to figure out that was one of the reasons we had a post office box for mail instead of the mail being delivered to the house. 

I remember a time in high school when I was working at local sporting goods store and my grandfather came in along with my dad, stepmom, and half-brother. I froze.  I was uncomfortable and didn't know what to do.  We spoke briefly.  By the time I got home, the new "Dad" had learned of the interlude, and I was punished. 

As the years wore on, I drifted from home.  A full ride college scholarship and working multiple jobs kept me some-what financially independent from the parental units.  I graduated from college, got a job, an apartment, and set out on adult life. 

It was several failed relationships that helped me understand the need to reconnect with my dad.  With the assistance of my grandmother, I was able to write him a letter.  I remember trembling and crying as I wrote.  What if I didn't hear back?  What if he didn't want to see me? Neither were the case, and our correspondence went from writing to phone calls, to a plane ticket for me to come for a visit.  This is when my half-brother learned the news of his half-siblings. 

The cross-state visits continued for years.  Driving alone and with friends, flying with a future husband, and then flying with an infant. 

The advent of cell phones and social media helped us to stay connected.  There were annual visits until Covid-19. Our last visit was in July of 2021. It was the three of us and just Dad--our last visit.

A few weeks ago, I posted on social media about how there had been some hard weeks and my dad's passing had been one of the reasons.  Folks who may not have known my story thought that it was my stepdad turned adoptive parent who had passed.  I can assure you that he is alive and kicking.  He is active on social media and sends cards/checks on appropriate occasions. 

While some know the history due to verbal storytelling, this is the first time I have put it in writing.

Williams Family: We Aren't The Only Williamses Moving To Florida--Some Are Already There!

 

Our timeline to be Floridians is 10 more months or so.  But the husband's brother and his wife, have beat us to Florida!

In April, we got the call.  Their plan was to drive to Lakeland, Florida, the beginning of May and find a place to live.  Winter Garden maybe.

On May 2nd, their townhome in Iowa was under contract for sale and on May 3rd, the drive south began.

A few days later they were back in Iowa, property in Lakeland, Florida, under contract for their purchase.

By Memorial Day, May 30, their two cars were packed, and they began the trek south the next day.

Since then, they closed on their house in Iowa, closed on their property in Lakeland, and are undergoing refurbishments--flooring, countertop, bathrooms getting a redo, new roof, and more!  New bed, appliances, and furniture are being delivered and soon, they will inhabit their new Florida home! Did I mention that there is a "Florida room?"

In the meantime, they took a drive and ended up in Windermere, specifically, by our condo, and took pictures of course. 

The pictures came via text and made me chuckle.  They made it to Florida and our condo before us!  I guess that is what big, I mean older, brothers are for.

When we were Disney dreamin' it never occurred to us that family would be near and now, that dream has come true, too.  

The report was that the drive from Lakeland to Windermere wasn't too bad, smooth actually, other than (insert colorful language) drivers in I-4.  Also heard about driving "right through the Magic Kingdom" to get there! 

What is taking us nearly two years took them less than two months!  I can't wait to be living in Central Florida near them! 

Glimpses Into the Future

In a sea of over 300 photos there has to be some good ones and there are, but of all of the photos from our most recent sailing on the Disney Fantasy, the photo above is one of my favorites.  Here’s why. . .

When we were preparing for our very first Disney Cruise in 2007 I read or heard (think podcasts) somewhere that when cruising with your children you get glimpses of them as their older more mature self.  This has been true for us on every cruise and yet this time, we have a photo that captures that glimpse.

We watched our son navigate room service, plan his day, make new friends both in and out of the clubs, and find his way around the ship.  On the afternoon we first came on board, he got mixed up as to which side of the ship our stateroom was on and was a bit lost for a while, but he problem solved.   We saw him order his meals trying new foods and discovering new favorites.  Escargot was gulped up without reservation as were a variety of sea foods.  He can order sea bass and crème brulee like a pro! 

He also took responsibility for his time indicating what time he would meet us or return to the stateroom and making sure he followed through.  Even though I was sleeping, I was told the story of how he returned to our stateroom one night shortly after 1:00 am, as the Edge closed at 1:00 and asked to go with his friends to another location.  The husband said no.  When I heard the story I giggled.  We were prepared for him to stay in the Edge until it closed, but we weren’t prepared for our 13 year old to be asking to go to the “after party”! 

This event did open the door for the conversation about what is okay on the ship—you can go with your friends to a public place on the ship like the pool or D-Lounge, but you cannot go in someone else’s stateroom unless we had met the parents/family.  When we cruised a year and a half ago, he had met a friend at the airport before we had even boarded the bus to the port and we did get to meet the dad.  The two boys did spend time in both staterooms because it had met the criteria we had mentioned above. 

During the evening shows, he has specific places he wants to sit in the Walt Disney Theater and sometimes it means not sitting with us.  That’s okay, as we know where he is.  And, once again, he managed to get himself on stage during the John Cassidy show and even got $1.00 for it.  When he sits by himself, he visits with the people near him. 

I enjoy getting glimpses of the young man he is turning into and can’t wait to see more!

Day 6 Without A Dishwasher

It’s day 6 without a dishwasher at our house.  Last Monday, the dishwasher made funny sounds and stopped working--coincidentally, just after the husband had inquired about getting a new silverware basket for it on Sunday.  I called the repairman on Tuesday; he came to check it out on Wednesday.  Results:  control panel broken and could be fixed for half the price of a new dishwasher.  We decided on replacing our 14 year old dishwasher with a new one.  Caveat:  In order to get the color that would match our current appliances, the dishwasher would have to be ordered and then we wait for delivery and install.  Estimated time of getting a new dishwasher is Friday—5 days away. 

If I had been okay with a color that did not match the rest of the appliances in the kitchen, we would have had a new dishwasher last Thursday.  When I told our repairman that I wanted the matching color, he originally told me that the color wasn’t made anymore and that it was out of style.  I told him to wait two years and it would be back in style.  Alas, after doing some searching, the color was found!

One might say that a dishwasher is a “nice to have” not a “need to have.”  While I agree in premise, I disagree in reality.  The childhood home I spent most of my time living in had a dishwasher.  In college, I lived at home for two years—with dishwasher, in the dorms for 2 years—no need for a dishwasher, and rented a room in a house for 1 semester where there was a dishwasher.  My first apartment after college had a dishwasher.  I lived there for nine years.  When I moved to another city I chose my next apartment by looking at a blue print as it wasn’t built yet.  The floor plan was faxed to me and included a dishwasher.  When I contacted the builders they said that hadn’t planned to include a dishwasher.  By the time we got off the phone, a dishwasher was going to be installed in my unit and all units thereafter.  I lived there for 3 years until we bought our current home in 2001.  When we bought it, there was no dishwasher.  Before we moved in, a dishwasher had been installed in the kitchen.  I can live without many other appliances—blenders, toaster ovens, curling irons, but a dishwasher is on my “must have” list.  And as for the husband, his childhood and adult homes did not include a dishwasher until we bought our home and had one installed.  He has since come to agree with me. . . at least I hope!

So, here we are half-way through our “no dishwasher” situation. 

At one point I was wishing there were dishwasher mats similar to laundry mats.  Bring in your dirty dishes, run them through the dishwasher and leave with clean dishes.  The people I shared this with did not see any usefulness or practicality in my idea. 

We, and when I say we, I mean the husband, has done some dishwashing.  Pots, pans, spatulas.  All other dirty dishes are being put in boxes and stored in the garage for washing later.  (We have done this before when our dishwasher went out over Christmas and we were hosting and cooking.)

The husband’s first worry was silverware, especially forks.  I referred to the Ziploc baggies of extra silverware in the basement.  Since we didn’t marry until we were in our mid-thirties, we had both collected a few silverware sets in our time.  Now that we are using some of the previously banned to the basement pieces because there wasn’t room in the silverware drawer, I cautioned the husband that I am falling back in like with some of them.  He groaned and asked, “The yellow ones?”  Yep!  We have yellow silverware, and yellow/white checked silverware—so pretty!

The paper plates and Styrofoam bowls that were stored in the cupboard for emergency use are also being used along with some Styrofoam and paper cups. 

One might also think that we would go out to eat more often as that, too, would save on dish use.  Yeah, but that would also cost more money.  I reached into my purse and pulled out two $5 McDonald’s Arch gift cards that I had earned for free on MyCokeRewards and the husband did bring home McDonald’s for he and the boy one evening.  He even had some gift card credits left over!  And, I did bring home a bucket of chicken from the grocery store the other night as I was doing the grocery shopping anyway, there was great deal on the chicken and I had coupons to lower the price and give us free potato salad.

We’ll make it through the next few days just fine.  I am excited for our new dishwasher to be installed and have plenty of dishwasher soap stockpiled for many loads.  Oh, to be grateful for new appliances!