Lyra, trying to tube

Caleb wakes me up. Then he’s off to a late muster at 8:30 for training. We forget how laid-back shore duty is. It’s no wonder some people fight the system to avoid a ship’s long hours and their inevitable deployments. I’m in no rush, as the family has a delayed start to the day as well, and Caleb has the car.

We find parking at Ocean Breeze Waterpark at 11:15. We ride the 1,000-ft-long lazy river twice, giving us about 20 minutes of relaxed tubing with a steady current. I ride the longest water slide two times, then nap in our rented cabana to pass the afternoon, while Caleb and Robert chat quietly.

Jake and Nicki Jessi, Caleb, and Kris, prepping the cake

We leave as the storm arrives and drive through flooded streets. Back at Kris’s house, Caleb carries a chocolate cake with 60 candles for Robert’s birthday (even though it’s not until December). There is also a carrot cake and pineapple ice cream that will count as dinner. Jessi takes the kids to Chuck E Cheese.