Posting 2 The excited Shout

The excited shout “Grandma” next to the Aquarium entrance made my wife Jennifer’s head spun in a nanosecond with an immediate open arm’s and bright smile and equal amount of glee responded “Natalie”, that was the beginning of a great day.

It’s not often the my family gets together, we are spread out over the East Coast, but sometimes we get lucky and manage to squeeze in a day together. Matt and Mary (my youngest son & wife) flew into to Tampa to attend Mary’s Grandmother Funeral on Saturday, which left Sunday wide open. Their flight back to Chapel Hill NC didn’t depart until Monday morning 10AM.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, my first born, Mike Brenner and wife Miranda along with 2 year daughter Natalie agreed to meet Uncle Matt and Aunt Mary, Grandma & Grandpa at the Tampa Aquarium, take in the exhibit get some lunch and take a little break from school (we all are University students) and enjoy each other’s company if only for the day.

Both Mike and Miranda are full time students at FGCU, both work part time jobs and raising the world’s most perfect grandchild – they have very busy schedules. Yeah it’s weird attending the same school as your kids…

Younger son Matt has been fortunate to work with NOUA and Webinar-internet conference in on staff meetings in DC allowing Mary to go back to school and earn her second Masters. Mary’s fatigue from studying each day the past week from 7 AM till Midnight to “Ace” her first Finance midterm in grad school at Chapel Hill paid off.

So we all arranged to spend the day together first at the Tampa Aquarium, then back to Matt and Mary’s Safe Harbor Resort room for a pool side play time to catch up and hang out, swim, have a beer and some pizza. Mary’s sister was in town for the funeral so Emily and her boy friend Zack joined us.

Then later in afternoon Mary’s mother Cathy and Uncle Frank to joined us poolside to relax and unwind, and get some much needed rest and relaxation.

My Granddaughter Natalie, who is now half fish, craves the attention of Uncle Matt and Aunt Mary as they play with her in the pool. Natalie shows off her swimming skills and new found abilities with a flouting noodle. Much the liking of both Matt and Mary they both compete for Natalie’s attention, who’s her favorite Matt or Mary? As They spoil her with each other affection and play all afternoon.

Natalie’s favorite comic super hero is Spiderman, taking after her father who brought along a Spiderman costume to surprise her with later in the evening.



As the sun went down and Natalie was starting to get sleepy, Mike quickly made the change into the Spiderman costume. wearing his Spiderman costume he walked out to the swimming pool liani where all the kids at the swimming pool in unison shouted “Spiderman”! Mike walked up to Natalie as she buried her head into her mother arms and apprehensively looked at “Spiderman” and said “Daddy?” then reached out and touched his hand and took his arm and said with concern said again “Daddy”.
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That was it! The hood came off and Mike showed Natalie it was him and gave her a fatherly hug. That’s my boy’s aren’t they great.