Sam, Sam comes to visit!

We did have a string of visitors back in November and the beginning of December. Two days after our friends Jari and Carol left, we had the pleasure of welcoming Samara a.k.a. Sam Sam to Florida. Sam Sam is one of our summer staff members who we have gotten to know and develop a great friendship/relationship with over the many summers she has worked at camp. This past summer she 'lived' with us most weekends. We loved having her stay at our home and getting to know her even better. She became like an adopted daughter to us! The kids, especially Amy, loved having her around.

Samara & Amy 

We wanted to keep Sam Sam busy while she was here. Her first full day here we headed to Busch Gardenswww.buschgardens.com/Bgt/ in Tampa. I have no pictures because I didn't feel like carrying a camera while going on rides. It had been many years since I was on thrill rides of any kind. I was a bit nervous about the day and I know I suffer from motion sickness and was unsure of what to expect. Having Samara with us made it great fun. Samara has a way of turning ordinary situations into fun situations. She went on all the rides with Keith and Brandon, while the rest of us hung back. Eventually, she talked Amy into trying some thrill rides and to our shock, Amy was going on them! After that first day, Amy was hooked. (we're still working on E, but that is a different story). I finally got my feet wet and went on a ride. Samara and Keith  convinced me to try the Cheetah Hunt. I had the pleasure of riding with Samara. I believe she got more of a kick out of my response to the ride, than the ride itself.  She was laughing the whole time, while I wasn't too sure about this roller coaster. The day ended up being a great success, in part, to having Sam Sam with us and being the type of person who is up for a adventure.

Ethan learning about he bones of a manatee

We decided to try and see some manatees in their natural habitat at the TECO power plant in Tampa Bay. It was a bust. Good thing it was for free. All we saw were lumps in the water. They were much too far, and slow moving to see anything . They migrate to this particular place because the water generated from the power plant is warm and they don't freeze in the Gulf once the temps. drop. I guess we learned some things about the manatees, but it was rather boring. Getting some cute pictures was the only good thing.

   Amy & Sam Sam                                   Keith & Sam Sam getting competitive 

One night when Samara was here the kids and I took her to visit a house that has been featured on different Christmas Tree lights shows (I forget their names). It was fun to see all these lights and learn about the amount of hydro they use in a month, the amount of time it takes to set up and take down and the number of light used. The people who do have to be dedicated and passionate because it isn't easy or a quick thing to do.

Information sign & a picture looking at the yard. (I had a hard time getting a good shot)

We, of course, took Sam Sam to the beach. The weather wasn't all that hot, so it was a little disappointing, but we still got to lay on the sand and soak up the sun.  (I didn't get any picture of that). I have been leaving my camera at home when going to the beach to play because sand isn't so good for picture taking. 

Keith, Sam Sam & Me 

Eventually, Sam Sam had to leave. We had a fantastic time having her here. We played a lot of games, laughed, watched a poor movie that we made fun of, talked and just enjoyed every minute we got to spend with Samara. It was truly a treat to have her visit us! 

Brandon, Sam Sam, Amy & Ethan

Dropping Samara off at the airport and saying good-bye was quite difficult on Keith and I. One of the very best parts of our job is getting to know the summer staff and develop relationships with them. One of the hardest aspects of our job is saying good-bye to those who we have loved and watched them grow over the years. It is something we do every year. Samara, our world traveler, has a lot of plans, so we knew this was saying good-bye for quite a long time. We loved having her here and it was privilege to have her come and visit us on her way home for Christmas. Thanks, Sam Sam, you are always welcomed in our home!