THANKSGIVING

The whole gang was able to make it for Thanksgiving this year, not a small task.  Amy and Sophia (friends of Jenna's) were able to join us and we had a wonderful time.  Very thankful for family, friends and good weather that day.  Five children under the age of 8 ( Celia turned 8 two days later).
And never forget the very special moment when we shared what we are thankful for, a.k.a. Jonn L.

                                It is a rare treat to have all of the grandchildren together and
                                     we love it when we can get them to sit still with us!!

                    And I just adore my yearly photo. How can so much love exist in one place?

Family gathering

We started the tradition of a family gathering in the fall.  This year we missed a few major players, Will, Harrison and the Livingston family but still had fun and took a few great shots.  We also enjoyed the addition of a back porch to our Travelers Rest home.  What a great space to hang out the the people that you love.  What a handsome crowd!!

Nantucket

The invitation came in early January and we accepted without question.  Our reservations for a flight to Nantucket for a week in August were made. And we have arrived at the house Jane rents for a month in the summer, 16 Flintlock, Nantucket, MA.  The view from the Widow's Walk shows the thick vegetation tightly surrounding each home with the ocean in the distance.  It is a land of opulence and mystery.

 

 

Our first adventure was a tour of homes in downtown Nantucket.  We saw stately homes restored to their original style, all mostly built in the early 1800's and often passed down from one generation to the next.  I didn't take alot of pictures, you can't do it justice, but these flower arrangements caught my eye. Simply beautiful!

                                We got a picture of Jane and I touring one of the flower gardens.

                                                     Our next adventure was dinner!!!

NHA Whaling Museum started with an impressive skeleton of a whale and a wonderfully narrated video of the history of Nantucket.

The view from the top of the museum gave us a vivid perspective of transportation to and from the island, as a ferry was unloading.

While in Nantucket we were fortunate enough to be able to attend a performance on the island of the Boston Pops.  Katie Couric was the host with Matthew Morrison (from Glee) performing.  Stellar!!

We had a simply wonderful week and are so fortunate to have Jane, such a very dear friend!!

Summertime visits

I am always grateful for a summer visit......but this year held a different challenge.  Lily accidently fell into a campfire while camping and got a bad burn on her forearm  After two weeks of careful treatment and doctor visits she was released to swim for the first time.  Two little happy faces.

 Dinner with Jenna, Jonn and the boys was a treat.  Wild Aces has great pizza and it was fun to have all the kids together.

Time at the pool - aren't they adorable

Time with the girls

Finally, we made it to Pinehurst to visit the Popes.  I say finally because when we return from Florida I am antsy to see the kids and sometimes it takes a while to make the rounds.  Memorial Day weekend and time for the Gymnastics meet for both Celia and Lily.  Lily's meet was more informal and we were able to be down on the floor and follow her through her routine and see her accomplishments up close and personal.

Celia demonstrated her skills with her class and boy has she learned alot this year. 

 I just love that grin!!

In between meets we went to a nearby park for a picnic lunch and time on the playground.  Guess they got tired quickly, but  Celia didn't get tired of was hearing stories about herself when she was a "little" girl.  I do love to make that child laugh.

The last night we were there, the girls put together a GOODNIGHT presentation as they went to bed.  I remember so vividly when Krista, Elissa and Jenna put on plays, skits, shows for us.  What great family memories!  Goodnight sweet girls, sweet dreams!!

Blue Ridge Fest

Blue Ridge Fest is a big deal, only in the fact that there are so many classic care enthusiasts that show up for this one day event and the entertainers are classics themselves.  I tried to get a photo that shows the scope of participation, but that was impossible.  There are hundreds and hundreds  of classic cars on display.   This was our first time to attend and it was cool to be an exhibitor too.  We enjoyed the entertainment, which included The Drifters.  Classics are simply classics!!

 

 

 

Life with boys

 I have been looking forward to keeping the boys for the weekend for several weeks.  They turn life upside down in a way that nothing else does, and I just love it.  I am glad that we took some time to play outside the evening that they arrived because it rained the rest of the weekend.  No playground time for us.  So the inside activities included shucking corn for dinner, food, food and more food, plenty of TV time, self portraits photography and wrestling with papa.  John is going to have to stay in shape to keep up with this!!  I just love these guys.

Springtime in Travelers Rest

We returned home from Florida last week and spring is full swing here (pollen included). The dogwood, azaleas and phlox are just beautiful and my purple iris from the Rama Road house have found a happy home and are flourishing here. I am so excited to be home, excited that we have a home to return to, excited to see family and friends, and excited to continue to settle into Greenville.
Florida has alot to offer and we just love our time there but it doesn't have spring!!

All good things.....

It is time for our winter in Florida to come to an end. Sometimes I still can't believe that we are so fortunate to be able to enjoy this time in our lives this way. We have had a wonderful time and I am already reminiscing over all of the good times we have had with the people in our lives.  We are very blessed!!!


Sandy Labram and Jim came for a visit right after our arrival and we joined them for a New Years Day party.

Ron and Diane Ruhlman and Faye joined us for the Christmas concert in Winter Park, peppermint ice cream included and R & D visited later for a night when they returned to Florida.

Keith and Julie Wang hosted us for a wonderful weekend in Naples. Remember the air boat ride!!

Phil and Doris Morrison joined us for dinner and toured Solivita after dark in the GTO.  It was a great double date.

BJ Johns drove over for the day, enjoyed the pool at the Palms and brought me up to date on all of the Tampa news.


Sandy Saunders took a day out of his vacation to spend time with his favorite cousin (my words).  It had been over ten years so we had lots of catching up to do.

Dan and Jeri Consla introduced us to the most recent members of their family, Harrison and Miranda and took us out to lunch.

Claire Ponsonby and I visited for a bit at the museum.

JoAnn and Don Cundy met us at Old Town, rode with us in parade.  The next day we bicycled through Solivita before touring the model homes.

Marianne Evans, Cheryl Rogers and BJ Herig met me for lunch at The Red Barn.  We made some new memories and shared some old ones.

Chuck and Karen Stevens hosted us for brunch on Easter Sunday and we toured around in the GTO. 

Riva Wallace and Tom McCree joined us for dinner. Riva joined us several weeks later at Old Town.
I have never been in a parade with a true princess before.


New local friends have invited us into their lives including:

Carrie and Lawrence Widener invited us to dinner and we loved getting to know them and more about First Presbyterian Church of Haines city.

Carol and Mike decided to try out Old Town with us and we enjoyed food, games,and the occasional win.

Candy and Darryl joined us for dinner and a concert at church by the Watoto Childrens Choir.  They are a beautiful group of children from Uganda who have lost one or both parents due to war or disease.  Before we left Kissimmee we went out in the GTO together and they treated us to ice cream.

Barb and Wayne went to Old Town for the ride of a lifetime and a great for a night of cards.

Don and Ann  are friends from pickleball who joined us for the tour of Old Town and the Snowbird Dinner/Dance. Don was especially great at helping me get John on the dance floor.

Myrna, Dick, Kerry and Dave joined us for dinner.  And you can always depend on Myrna and Kerry for the occasional party invitation.

Remember this moment.....

On a perfect spring evening, John was playing pickleball and I joined him to take some pictures.  Our time in Florida was coming to an end and I wanted to capture a few last minute shots.  As we sat on the bleachers waiting for his turn to come to play again, a woman that I have never seen before came up to us and asked if we wanted a picture together.  Unplanned, unsolicited, unprepared....she took a great picture of us.  I am still learning....that sometimes you need to just let life happen and watch for the unexpected plans that God has in store for you.   I am grateful to John for joining me on this incredible journey called life.

Easter celebration

What a gorgeous day to take a ride in a convertible!!  

After a wonderful worship service at First Presbyterian Church of Haines City, John and I traveled to be with friends Chuck and Karen for Easter brunch.  It was just too tempting to take the GTO and surprise them with a little spin and a journey back in time.  There is nothing quite like a wonderful meal, a beautiful day and time with good friends to make you aware of how very blessed we are.

Give Kids the World

John has been doing some volunteering this winter with a wonderful organization called GIVE KIDS THE WORLD.  From driving the shuttle to serving ice cream, he has enjoyed helping out.  GKTW provides a fantasy week for children with life threatening illnesses from all over the world .  Trips to any Disney theme park, parties, gifts and on and on are provided in a beautiful setting.