Congratulations Billy and Christina

 It is not every day that your brother gets married so this is a very significant event. On this New Years Eve John and I were very pleased to participate in their ceremony.Grateful for family, good health and good times together.  So very happy for Billy and Christina!!

Christmas in Florida

Our Christmas with the kids took place at Thanksgiving.  It was fun to surprise them with a little touch of early yule tide.  And them off to Florida.  Our tree got an update, new handmade ornaments that I created last winter.  It was fun to include some of my treasured ornaments with a new look for the tree.

On Christmas day we headed to the beach, as we have done before.  The weather was perfect, add a pecan pie to go with our turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches and we had a lovely time.  Sand art was included to document the day.

Happy Birthday to me!

What an exciting time to be alive!!  And this year I celebrating my birthday while I was with Jenna, Jack and Sam.  Jonn was out of the country and I stayed behind as John headed to Florida to help Jenna with the boys.  Lunch with Jenna was simply wonderful.

Jack and Sam greeted me that morning with their rendition of a birthday song, "Happy holidays, happy birthday Nana, Happy holidays!"  Jenna prepared my favorite dinner and here is my cake.   Oh my goodness how scrumptious!  And time with my favorite grandsons.  I am one lucky Nana!!!

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