We took a VACATION OF A LIFETIME!!

                                                            Hawaii!!!!!!! John's 50th state

We actually traveled for the entire month of May ……starting with a cruise with JoAnn and Don Cundy around the Hawaiian islands. Our ports included Oahu, Maui, Hilo and Kailua including Volcanoes National Park. After an additional 5 nights at sea the ship then landed in Vancouver where we rented a car and headed south.  Our first stop was Portland, OR, traveling down the Oregon coast and then San Francisco, CA.  Next came Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and then on to Death Valley, Zion and Bryce National Parks. Our last night was in Las Vegas, NV where we visited the famous Bellagio Hotel.

1. Lodging in 9 different locations 
2. 4 rental cars - 3,400  miles in the last one alone
3. Visits with 3 of John's cousins which he hadn't seen in over 50 years
4. Visit with John's uncle
5. Took hundreds of pictures
6. 6 Lyft rides
7. Our climate varied from the 40's to 105 degrees ( Death Valley )
8. Our elevations ranged from 10,600 feet to - 276 feet ( below sea level )
9. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (and back)

Traveling with our friends was wonderful!
Catching up with 3 of John’s cousins and an uncle was heartwarming!
The wonders of the National Parks each with their own incredible landscapes was awe inspiring!!
Time to travel with each other was marvelous!
 A trip that we will never forget...........

                                                                Our Hawaiian Luau

                                                            Volcanoes National Park

                                                                    Mt. Hood, OR

                                                       Walking the Golden Gate Bridge

                                                                         Yosemite

                                                           General Sherman - Sequoia

                                                                           Zion

                                                                             Bryce

                                                          Bellagio -  Las Vegas, NV

Elissa has a birthday!!

I love to celebrate my children!!  

But I really love the fact that they love to celebrate each other! 

 Elissa followed Krista into her 40's but instead of a BIG party she wanted a family gathering!  She knew that John and I were coming to Raleigh and we all went out to dinner, opened gifts and had  cake on her day!! Pretty typical right!! But what she didn't know was that Jenna and her family were driving to Raleigh on Saturday to surprise her with a day of family fun!  The surprise was a success, she loved all of it and we celebrated her in a BIG way!  Happy 40's sweetie!

What a wonderful winter!!!

When I look back at all of the great experiences that we have had and all of the wonderful friends that we have enjoyed spending time with it melts my heart.  I wish I had done a better job of  taking pictures but this photo gallery of our winter in Kissimmee will have to do! 

We are so incredibly blessed!!!!!!

Jeri Consla enjoying a ride in the GTO

Linda and Ken Beckham joined us for a weekend and a gorgeous day at Bok Tower Gardens

Lunches out at The Twisted Teapot, Cheddars and Lavender and Lace 

and of course shopping with Joan Rowan

A lovely visit with Keith and Julie Wang, wonderful food, a new pork chop recipe and good laughs

Lunch and shopping with JoAnn Cundy at The Red Barn

Mike and Marianne Jones gifted us with a visit.  What a wonderful time we had at the Chihuly Collections and glass blowing, St. Pete Beach, marvelous seafood at Shark Tales, bicycling and hot tubs and lots of great laughs.  Can't beat good friends!

 

It was time for John to take advantage of a gift card and ride in a race car at the Daytona Speedway!! Tom McRee was on board to take a ride too and the guys had a blast!!
 There is nothing like 170 miles an hour to get your heart pumping!! (or so I am told)

Phil and Doris Morrison invited us to visit them in Gainesville so we took them up on it!
 A visit to a nature preserve to check out the multitude of alligators, wild horses
 and buffalo made for a lovely day!

Dinner in Ocala with Riva Wallace ended our whirlwind weekend and
 we loved seeing her new place and catching up with she and Joy!

Matt and Rachel Matthews spent a night on their way to Sanibel
and it was marvelous time  to catch up with St. Giles and home!

Ron and Diane Ruhlman stopped by the next night before they headed  home.  We enjoyed seafood at Red Lobster and got to take in an evening at Old Town with a ride in the parade!

We sneaked in a camping trip to Ormand Beach for the weekend and got to enjoy a beautiful sunset and then off to a terrific seafood meal at Hulls Seafood!

Dinner with Ruth and Gary Swetnam at Misu Japanese Steak House before they headed north!

Our time in Florida is not complete unless we share the GTO and Old Town with a few friends.  This year Candy and Darryl Stanford joined us and right before we left Donna and Johnny O'Driscoll decided to come along for a ride.  Nothing quite like it!! 

Our time has come to an end!!  I think I hear our grandchildren are calling
 so it is time to head north,  but we had such a great time!!!!!

A BIRTHDAY is an amazing thing!

 

This is what 65 looks like!!!! 

  My brother, Bobby, told me that I was the only person that he had ever known that was excited to turn 65....and I really was!  The reasons are many: I am in good health, I am happy!!!,   I have a wonderful family, not perfect but wonderful!,  I am fortunate enough to have already gotten 10 more years on this earth than my mother, I now get medicare and pension monies, and I am so incredibly blessed and don't take that for granted!  But on this special day John, Krista, Elissa and Jenna put together a perfect celebration just for me and I loved every minute of it!

Mountain House, the whole family was there (Chip drove from Raleigh and back that same day), carrot cake, professional photographer, wonderful food, games about Nana, lots of LOVE and great fall weather!  I felt like the richest woman in the world!!!!
 

Jenna's GRADUATION

At the beginning of the year Jenna started a new much more demanding position with Greenville Health System  while  continuing  a two year program for an MBA from Southern Wesleyan University.  In October she finished and, although there was no formal graduation because it was an online program,   we celebrated….a surprise visit from Elissa, chocolate ganache cake, a singing telegram by the one and only Brooke Johnston (thanks to Krista) and John and I “just happened” to drop in to help celebrate.  Life has to be celebrated!!  Again, so proud of her!!

HIGHLIGHTS!!!!

Sometimes I feel like I need to pinch myself because I can't believe how lucky we are.  We get to participate in our grandchildren's lives in such a big way. 

August visit and First day of school

(we got to drop them off on their first day - 3rd grade and 5th grade)

Grandparent's day

                                          Denver Downs

Halloween

Birthdays with grandkiddos!

This year I accidentally came up with the idea of spending their day with each grandchild.   Sam was having a hard time with the summer camp schedule so I suggested that he and I spend the day together, just the two of us, the next day which just happened to be his birthday.  We had a great time and he had a GREAT day!  And that planted the seed to do just that with each kiddo.
 
Sam has the first birthday of the year starting things off on July 22nd.  He and I spent the whole day doing Sam things  bicycling around the neighborhood,  lunch at Chick Fil A, and then a trip to Toys R Us to shop for his birthday present.    "Nana we can't go to Toys R Us shopping for my gift because it has to be a surprise."  Somehow he was able to make it work.....

 

 Lily was next on August 18th, I was in town for her party which included a pool and a  hammock full of giggly girls. The next day she and I went shopping and out for frozen yogurt.  "I just love going shopping with you Nana"!!

 

 Jack came next on October 18th.  He requested McDonalds after we picked him up from school, milkshake included.   Then we went on an 11 mile bike ride  on the Swamp Rabbit Trail. He was determined to find a place to go trail riding on his new bike and he did. I am always grateful when John and I are able to keep up with a 9 year old on a bike.

Celia finished out the year with her 11th birthday on November 30th. John and I drove in from Florida.  I picked her up from school and we enjoyed lunch at her favorite restaurant, Crazy Fire. Next we painted ceramics as a remembrance of our day together , then on to a manicure and shopping.  It wouldn't be a day with a granddaughter without shopping!!

                                   I am one lucky Nana!!