We’ve had the A/C running mostly non-stop for around a month now as it’s been unseasonably warm. The previous winter we froze; this winter I had to flip on the air a few times as the Florida sun beat down on our roof and superheated our upstairs. It’s nice to get some spring temperatures before the muggy heat of summer.
Every year the Parks & Recreation department puts on an Easter Egg Hunt down at Lakeside Park. This was our first year going, now that our little one is old enough.
The “hidden” eggs:
Overall there were over 20,000 eggs for this year’s event. Filling this many plastic eggs with treats is no small task.
People lined up at the starting gate awaiting the countdown.
The event was well-attended and, besides a few meltdowns, everyone appeared to be having a good time. Chick-fil-a was there, as was the Easter Bunny and a Balloon Animal Artist.
A great job by Celebration Parks & Rec!
I’ll start with a disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive look at raising a child here. We only have one child and he’s still a toddler. We have zero experience with any of the schools here. Take what I say here with a grain of salt (as opposed to usual, where you’re hanging on my every word, right?)
We love raising our son in Celebration. We moved here from Chester County, PA, a few months before our son was born. Back in PA we lived in a suburb of older homes, on a horseshoe street with no sidewalks that led to a busier street with no sidewalks. Winters were… well… what you would expect from living in Pennsylvania. So the climate and neighborhood here in Florida provide us more quality time outdoors, running and playing.
When we arrived here, two months before our due date, we had almost nothing in the way of baby supplies. There were a few books, but none of the essentials. Within weeks, we found everything we needed from neighbors who were a little further along than us. Our son’s crib was purchased from a couple around the corner. His change table from someone nearby in a condo. Many, many books and toys were acquired through the Front Porch or during one of the community-wide yard sales. And so on.
We feel fortunate to live in a community with so many generous other parents. We’ve made friends with other couples with children around our son’s age. There are well-maintained parks for children a short walk away from everywhere in Celebration. It’s safe here. It’s home.
We missed the tree lighting because the little one decided to nap until 5, but went down after and decided we hadn’t missed much activity. There were a ton of people down there and everyone seemed well-entertained. The “snowfall” seems greatly improved, too. The lampost boxes seem much more productive now… they seem to spit out more “snow”, for longer.
Our electric bill for last March was $122. Our bill for August was $279. Doing some rough math, this means the air conditioner accounts for about $5.25 a day, or $157 a month.
The finance nerd in me looks at that $157/mo savings as a possible future stream of earnings. That is, if I took that money and invested it in something earning 5% a year compounded annually I’d have $255 at the end of 10 years. That kind of thing.
The foodie in me looks at that $157 and thinks, “That’s at least two no-holds-barred trips to Seito; apps, a boat, booze, and the banana tempura thing for dessert”.
The realist in me knows that money will instead end up going to a doctors bill or to Nick Urgo or food for a party or a replacement router or any one of dozens of different unexpected things. But, for a few shining moments, cooler weather brings free money.
Friendly reminder that today is the community-wide yard sale here in Celebration. Follow the signs or just drive around. There are deals to be had!
Update: No Parking signs are desperately needed on one side of Nash.
Update 2: There’s a lot of VHS for sale. And I saw some audio cassette tapes, too.
Traffic at a standstill on Nash:
One sale on Eastlawn. Not sure what’s up with the lady in pink on the left. Glitch in the Matrix?
This is how some people park. It’s courteous because you can still squeeze a Smartcar in next to the curb.
Over at 851 there are a bunch of tables set up for condo and other people. It’s nice because there’s convenient parking at the school. But no shade.
Lake Evalyn area:
The power has been a problem here all day. There was a twenty minute outage this morning, and then it’s been on and off (mostly off) since 5:30pm or so. It’s a peculiar thing, since we haven’t had so much as a blip in the year-and-two-months that we’ve lived here.
On the plus side, I was planning on grilling salmon tonight, so that went off without a hitch! I even used the side burner to make orzo.
It’s unfortunate that it takes a storm rolling through for it to happen, but it was actually a pleasant evening. October can’t happen soon enough.
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s part of the Florida culture to complain about the heat.
As you’re suffering through the sweltering summer heat (and eye-popping electric bills), remember this: for the last 30 years, the average March high temperature for Kissimmee was 79 degrees, with an average low of 55. For November, the average high was 79 with an average low of 57.
It gets better from here, I promise! 
Courtesy flickr user rcbodden
Some mates from work saw this website and were wondering about Segway tours of Celebration. I can’t say how they found out about these tours, but they contacted me to learn more.
So, as a public service, you should check out: Segway Tours of Celebration, Florida
I can safely say this isn’t a fly-by-night operation, as we’ve been seeing Segway tours of Celebration since we moved in here more than a year ago.
