Happy New Year!

Well, a new decade has dawned, and it only seems like yesterday that we were all preparing for "Y2K" and planning our New Year's Eve party for the new millennium....

We spent this New Year's moving into our new motorhome....yes, we have been looking for quite a while, deciding whether to keep our much loved Dynasty, or move to a newer RV.....and ultimately, Norah and Howie helped align all the stars, as they wanted to buy the Dynasty.....so we decided on a new Allegro Bus, and Norah and Howie began their trek Eastward and we all met at Lazy Days on Thursday to do the deed!!!

Bob and I are exhausted from moving way too much stuff into the new motorhome, but we finally got it all into our new little cabana, and Howie came over this afternoon to drive the Dynasty into their "moving site" a few sites down from us. That was a truly sad moment for me, as we have had so much joy and so many good times in the Dynasty....but now it is their turn to create more memories and I know they will. At least we'll get to visit it now and then!!!

Santa was very busy this year!!

So, it is both an exciting and busy time for us, as we get everything in place on the motorhome and finish the delivery inspections and let them fix all of the little "quality control" issues....we had no idea this would be so much work!!! I think we will need a vacation soon!!

Happy New Year to everyone and we wish you health and happiness in 2010!!

HUGS!

My Grown-up Christmas List...

No more lives torn apart...
That wars would never start ...
And time would heal all hearts ...

Everyone would have a friend ..
And right would always win...
That love would never end,
This is My Grown-up Christmas List.

You've heard the song, I'm sure....written by David Foster and performed so beautifully by Michael Buble (and many others!). I just LOVE Christmas music and this song seems to say what we all wish for every day....and all the things that we wish for others.

We sure wish all of these things for you in the coming year, along with smooth trails and sunny, blue skies, and we wish you a joyful and blessed Christmas season!

HUGS and much love to all!!

P.S. That's a grown-up Christmas photo above...Christmas Eve on the beach in Rio de Janiero (2006) Santa really got it right in that one!

I'm dreaming of a Blue Christmas....

Yes, indeed, I am....you know....where the sun is shining and the skies are bright blue....and the weather is WARM! "Christmas Island" is my favorite Christmas carol!

I'm nothing, if not a warm weather gal!! And the weather here in Florida has been sooooo goood! In the upper seventies every day with pretty blue skies...oh my! such a thing to be grateful for!!!

However, it looks like that is going to change.... those blue skies are going to be gray for a couple of days, and the stuff falling is NOT white....it's just clear and wet!! :( Oh well, it makes that drive North next week not quite so shocking to the system!!!

It's been a busy time here at Florida Grande...Monday we had a great visit with buds Paul and Connie and we split the winnings....well, we let the guys win once, in our not-so-famous card games!

Paul tries to steal our "golden lucky horseshoe"!!!

On Tuesday Jo and Pete Peters hosted a Christmas gathering in Lakeland which was really fun!!! And then there are the parades and all the other little "gatherings", usually involving food or "Happy Hours", that are ever-so-much MORE fun in WARM weather!!!

Could that be Jo Peter's best side???

Warming our hands over the "mock" camp fire!!

You know, snow really is way over-rated!! Watching the Christmas Parade is GREAT when it is WARM!! I could still feel my toes when Santa brought up the end.....and even better, I was wearing Flip-flops!!!

"Here Come's Santa Claus"...sounds so much better at 80 degrees!

So we have a little more fun planned, and a gathering at Sleepy Hollow on Saturday before we leave the "Blue" skies here and head North to see the kiddies for Christmas.
Put another log on the fire for us, please!!! :) And make my Christmas tree....... a Palm!:)

I'll still be dreaming of that warm, blue Christmas!!

Aberdeen to Webster

Rain and more rain..it seems to be raining, snowing or blowing most everywhere!! We've been in Aberdeen, NC for most of this week. I went back to Catonsville with Tiff and Scott after Thanksgiving and spent some nice days with them. We decorated the house for Christmas and I cooked supper for them several days...it was nice just to spend time together. I took the train back to Ashland and we left the Farm the next morning, heading to Aberdeen, NC.
Aberdeen was fairly warm the first few days, then the storm brought us more rain and cooler temps....brrrrr....I don't do cold too well!!

So, today we're heading South!!! It was 79 degrees when we hit South Carolina....I was jumping for joy!!! Tonight, we're in Georgia and it's still 74 at 11:00 PM. Yay! Tomorrow will find us back in Webster, FL to warm our bones for a little while!!! There is more rain in the forecast....but at least it's warm rain!!

Sunday afternoon Dee and Jim drove down to Aberdeen for a visit. We had a nice time chatting and enjoyed dinner together... tomorrow they travel to pick up their new 5er...what an exciting time for them!! Can't wait to hear about their new adventures!!!

Hugs to everyone...enjoy every day!!

...so much to be grateful for

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! It's good to have a "thankful" time of year, even though we should be giving thanks every single day!

Thanksgiving has always been just about my favorite holiday... we always went to Momma's for the big Feast, with the girls and grandgirls, and families. Mom cooked for days on end and had everybody's favorites....she made the best stuffing ever (doesn't everyone's mum make the best stuffing? :))! In her later years, when she was too weak to do such cooking, she would still cook for days....but she let us bring something and help cook, too. Those were such fun times with good, fond memories! But just like life, things change and those grand, old family Thanksgiving's evolve into new traditions.

"Grannie's Girls"

Last year I truly learned to be grateful for my family and what it means to me. And I do mean that I REALLY LEARNED it, and I will never forget it. God uses people and circumstances to teach us things....He used Kristy to touch my heart in a way that nothing ever has.

Now, I am one of the original Steel Magnolia's.....you know...."Just put on your big girl panties and deal with it"...and I hate to cry. It makes my makeup run and my eyes get all red and swollen....and it really upsets Bob. But being with Kristy last year opened up the faucet in my eyeballs, and it's still tough to think of her, and all she went through, and keep my eyes dry. I never knew that tears could come so easily.

All of this to say that Thanksgiving will forever be changed for me. Not just losing her on Thanksgiving Day, but because of her, I am so grateful for my family...for Bob and Tiff & Scott, and Paul & Katie, and my sisters and their families. I've always known that they were wonderful, and what a blessing they were, but I guess it's too easy to take it for granted. And sometimes God will use a special someone to teach us something that we need to learn. He used Kristy to teach me so many things...she was such a brave girl in the face of her illness, and she loved her kids and her family so very much. I will forever be grateful for all that she taught me in the twilight days of her too-short life, and I am especially grateful for my family and friends that share both "holidays" and "every days" with me, and mean so much to me...there is truly, so much to be grateful for!

Hugs to each and everyone of you and I hope you have a grateful and blessed Thanksgiving.