Merry Christmas

Oh what a day, what a perfect day. Love when that happens! The rain held off and the kids here were even able to go swimming. Unfortunately, Jeni is not in my group photo here because she was setting up the camera. I do hope to get one from the others that were taken and have everyone in the photo. :)

The twins, Jake and Alex, are the new additions to the family and they are absolutely precious and gorgeous. Bill and I met Todd, Tom's brother and his wife, Erika (parents of the gorgeous er..handsome twins!). They have traveling with babies down to a science with pac n plays and portable high chairs, etc. They make it seem flawless, both parents working in tandem to care for the little ones. It was amazing (and tiring) just watching them and the system they have obviously developed for taking care of Jake and Alex. I enjoyed getting to know them so much and hope to see more of them in the future because they don't live too far from our home in NC.

Pam (Tom's sister) came with two of her children, Marc and Leah. The hard part, Seth, their son, is not doing well and so Greg, Pam's husband, stayed home with him while Pam got a bit of time away. It was a much needed respite I am sure. Our prayers and thoughts go out to them as they try to find a treatment for Seth that will work and thathe will get well again. We missed you Greg and Seth.

Jeni and Tom came in Jeni's new car. They are enjoying that car so much. Jeni's car needed so many repairs. She had a hard time giving it up because it was Brian's car but Bill worked out a way to make it easier on her.
Leah kept waiting for Jeni to arrive and Jeni spent time with her and her new Christmas toy (which I've forgotten the name of now but Jeni said it can be called a death trap. LOL That's what I used to call my kids go carts and skate board). It's cute to watch them together and watching Jeni worrying over Leah trying to master her skateboard-type toy. She was getting pretty good on it by the time she left tonight.

Wayne, Yamelis, and GJ were here and we had a little time for one on one talk when everyone left last night. GJ has a good life right now with the military and he does seem more grown up than before he left for basic. He and a girl here are serious and we talked a lot about that. I hope he doesn't get TOO serious yet. Next year I think he will be in NC stationed at Fort Brag. We just have to appreciate the time he is with us because we don't know when he'll be here for Christmas. This was a good year all around though having him home. His mom is just beaming and both are so proud of him.

We had more than enough to eat, OMG, the desserts were incredible. We had good luck cake and Italian Love Cake (recipe given to me by my Italian friend, Jeannette) that everyone got a taste of those so that good luck and love will be coming up in 2009. LOL Now that I think about it most of my recipes come from my friends. I made Jessie's cranberry salad and Fran's make ahead mashed potatoes. One curious little dessert that I enjoyed was mice (yep, not a creature was stirring). They are made with a maraschino cherry for the rump and tail, a candy kiss for the mouth, the whole thing covered in chocolate, and two almonds for ears. They piped on two eyes and a Santa hat and they were so cute and I will just have to make some for myself next year and add them to my cookie tray. Pam brought a dessert to die for, chocolaty and whipped cream. I will get the recipe for sure. Yum.

People were raving about Wayne and Yamelis' ham. It's a black forest ham and it was so good. Even the twins were eating it up!

Jeni and Tom brought two kinds of dressing, one with cranberries and they were yummy. Everything turned out really good. Bill grilled one turkey and deep fried another. I really couldn't tell much difference so opted for the grilled thinking it might be healthier. After finishing dinner I just thought "why bother thinking healthy on a day like today."
Alan and Kay brought an incredible pineapple dish, hot, sweet, that they always serve with ham. It was a big hit and I forgot to ask for that recipe as well. I'm going to have to start a book of recipes like these and everyone will think I'm such a good cook! LOL The only problem, if there was one, is that there was just too much food but that's not really news. We had take-out for anyone that wanted to fix their plates.

We played a game for the gift exchange. The person whose number is called can either choose a new gift to open from the gifts everyone brings or they can "steal" one from anyone who has already opened a gift. The game got lively and was so much fun. Kay heard of a new game for next year where a story is read and you pass the gift to your left every time "left" is mentioned in the story. When the story is over, you get the gift that is with you then. Sounds like fun but this was so much fun this year.

Alan and Kay are Tom's mom and his step-dad. They are the greatest people and already such good friends. Bill and I are so glad that we like them so much. I know that's not always the case for in-laws, but these people are just wonderful and we look forward to getting to know them better. They are so congenial, easy to talk to, and just wonderfully loving parents and grandparents. They are ball room dancers, too! They teach dancing even on cruises and they are scheduled to go on one of those cruises in June. They invited us to come along but with my bum knees there's not a chance right now. They will give lessons twice a day on the cruise and assure Bill and me that they can teach us to dance. Well, they never dealt with such an avid non-dancer as I am before I am certain! BUT, Alan said he'd show me how and he did. He showed me some steps and I thought I would die because I really did feel like I was dancing. I was yelling at Bill to come and see me because I knew he wouldn't believe it.LOL Thankfully, Pam got a photo of me to prove it. But then Alan said I wasn't dancing yet, those were just steps. Dang, don't you just hate when that happens. He did show me more and though I couldn't quite stop looking at my feet I really WAS dancing the waltz in a few minutes. I think these people COULD teach us to dance! I am so excited about it and have been thinking about it since then. That would be so neat if Bill and I could learn to dance. I'm really looking forward to learning and have promised myself now to get some new knees so I can keep up with our new friends. J

I'm so thankful Jeni and Tom brought these people into our lives. I had such a good feeling at days end. Not only full to the gills with food, but also full of the joy that comes with being surrounded by family. I just wanted it to last forever. Maybe it just will!
Merry Christmas to all of you who read this and may you be blessed in 2009.

Christmas Eve

Bill and I went to the Y this morning and then had breakfast before he went to the car lot and I went home to cook and bake and get the house ready for Christmas. Whew, what a tiring day but I got everything on my list done and now, hopefully, I can relax with our family and friends tomorrow. Bill is putting on two turkeys, one fried and one on the grill early morning tomorrow. I am actually still baking cookies but am almost done with that as well.
Bill and I opened our gifts to each other tonight and it was special and really nice. He got me a watch and I got him clothes. Its hard after 38 years to think of gifts and I know a lot of people don't exchange gifts when they have been married a long time, but we like to have something to give each other.
I have thought often today of all the children who wait in anticipation of what tomorrow morning will bring. I am reminded of the joy this season brings.
Merry Christmas eve.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

It felt like Christmas today.
I know a woman who was hurt badly in a freak accident. A Plant City sheriff was giving a demonstration to the Chamber of Commerce's group of business people. He was on a motorcyle showing how the radar is used. The Sheriff's deputy lost control of the motorcycle and hit the woman I know, Lynn, and cut all the tissue away from her leg from knee to ankle. She will be fine but the recouperation is going to be a long one. She just got home from the nursing home where she was getting rehab. She is walking a bit now and things are better but she needs help on her day to day living. A bunch of us volunteered(after she asked for help- and we are thankful she asked)to come by on certain days of the week to help out. My day was yesterday 12-2 and Fridays at the same time. I took her lunch and cleaned the house up and got all her things that she would need around her there.I felt like I had done something worthwhile to start off this day. The first thing good was to go to the Y to work out, the second to help Lynn.
Then at 5pm my Jeni and Tom came and we had sandwiches and celebrated our Christmas together. We had a wonderful evening. Jeni and Tom got us some thoughtful and creative gifts and I think they liked the ones we got them. Well, I know they did. It was wonderful having them to ourselves for a few hours this night. Everything is going so good for them now. Its a joy just to be around them.
My best gift was a photo of Tom and Jeni. I had been asking for a couple years now so I was really glad to finally hold one in my hands. Lexi was really interested in the gift opening and all the wrapping. Her t-shirt says "Go ahead and put me on the naughty list."
It was a wonderful day.

December 23, 2008

It was great seeing Guillermo again. His hair is growing out a little bit. He definitely is looking military though. LOL He is going to tech school in VA right now and will return there January 1^st. He will be there a couple more weeks before going to Georgia for further training, jumping out of planes! YIKES. Then he will be stationed in Ft. Bragg, NC for a while for his first duty station. That's pretty neat because our mountain place is in NC so we won't be too far from there. He seems different, more grown up and sure of himself already.

We ate pizza and watched a Christmas show on TV. I made a peanut butter fudge bar dessert that was awful so this pre-Christmas saved me from making that on Christmas day. LOL

It was hard to get Bill and GJ off the Wii upstairs. I'm really glad I took a chance that Bill would like this game because it's turned into a real hit.

Christmas Begins

Christmas has already come to our house. Yesterday we took Michael, our nephew, out to dinner at Fred's Market in Lakeland, and then we came home. Bill and he were going to the car show in Plant City but we had a few gifts for him to open here. We are having a simplified Christmas this year. We have decided that everyone coming for Christmas would bring a $25 gift and we'd play a game and they would choose the gift they were going to take home. That would be the extent of Christmas, with the exception of Tom's nieces and nephews who will be here. What a load this will take off everyone as far as gift buying is concerned. It sure was a load off for us. However, since Michael is by himself this season, we wanted to get him something. The other exception this year is Wayne and Yamelis and Guillermo who we did exchange gifts each year since Yamelis came here about 4 years ago. This year we finally decided to only get each other only two gifts and then next year..nothing. (Sometimes you have to wean yourself from gift giving one step at a time! LOL)

So, we had our Christmas with Michael last night, then we will celebrate our Christmas with Wayne, Yamelis, and Guillermo Monday night. Tuesday night Jeni and Tom and we will exchange our gifts (lovingly held down to 2 gifts each this year..very hard to do. J). Then we will have Christmas Eve to cook and get ready for Christmas day. Woo-hoo. It's such a busy and exciting time of year.

Hearing from so many of my friends who are battling the dreary weather up north; trying to get to their families for the holidays, I feel very blessed this year to be in Florida this year. I just hope that it's not too hot! I hope for cold enough to run the fireplace but, honestly, more than a few times we have set the AC down to a colder temp so we could have our fire place. LOL

Visit with a Donkey

On the way to Mike and June's house the other day, we passed by this field where a donkey was by a fence so, we stopped. He had some personality. Here are a few pictures of the donkey and Bill.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

It's Jeni's official birthday today so Bill and I called her with our rendition of Happy Birthday.
Today was party day for Hanna, my Little Sister. She must have called me ten times the last few days to talk. I could feel her excitement as Sunday arrived and she called me twice more before the 11:30 pick up time came. She said she was afraid I would forget what time it was. LOL
Josh, her brother, went with us because his Big Brother, who is in the Air Force at McDill, wasn’t able to go. It turned out to be an enjoyable day for all of us.
We picked them up too early (guess we got caught up in her excitementLOL) and so we drove a round to waste 20 minutes. We ended up taking them to the oldest cemetery in the county, with tombstones from the 1700’s. We told them whomever located the oldest headstone would be the winner. They began to read the headstones and got interested in some of the writings as they looked for the oldest. Josh would shout out that he found a World War II vet’s stone and read it to us. We found a lot of interesting history and Bill won the contest, finding a stone from 1800. We didn’t have time to look for the 1700’s. LOL
Onward to the American Legion Hall and the Vet’s there who host the party each year.
We had pizza and cookies for lunch and then they opened their gifts. Hanna got a $50 gift certificate from
Wal-Mart and Josh got a game to play on his computer. Then Santa came and handed out candy. Santa is a very good one. Natural beard and natural looks like the jolly old fellow. I appreciate what these Vet’s do each year for all these kids. They thanked us, the Big Brothers and Big Sisters for doing what we do and I wanted to say “Right Back Atcha”. I will get with Hanna next week when we wrap the gifts she chose for her family and we will write a Thank You card.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Another great day in sunny, cool Florida. Love this weather!

This morning I went to a book signing by a local author, Gilbert Gott, who wrote about Plant City. He really just compiled some interesting stories about the city and put it into a book. He runs the local archive center for the city and he is an interesting man. This book is right up Bill’s alley with local historical content so he will read it first.

>We went to Mike and Junes. June’s birthday is the 15th so we took her a cake. Wayne and Yamelis were already there. They were going to have chili and cake and watch the neighborhood parade. They decorate golf carts and form a parade through the neighborhood and its something the area looks forward to each year. I was really sorry we couldn’t stay for that, but at least we got to stop in and spend a little time with everyone until we had to leave. They have a wonderful, huge pool and they just found out it is leaking. They are having it worked on now. They are dissappointed but I'm sure it will be fixed in no time. Been there, gone through that. Terrible to deal with when they first move in though.
We had made plans to celebrate Jeni’s birthday with Tom and her so we had to leave.
Mike and June have their house fixed up SO nice. We saw it empty, needing work, and what a difference. They did all the work in record time, and it’s gorgeous, warm and inviting. I was shocked that they had done so much in such a short time. Even had it all decorated for Christmas. It was nice spending some time with them, though we didn’t see the parade or make it to Chili time. Gizmo, their chiuahua was a little more outgoing. He is really attached to June as you may notice in the photo. They also have Carver, a yellow lab that is so mellow and Gizmo keeps him in line. LOL They both are so well trained. They were cracking us up and amazing us, too. I think I'm going to try to get Lexi to do something but sit and stay. Maybe shake hands like Gizmo and Carver.

We met Jeni and Tom at the Cheesecake Factory and had a wonderful visit. We were surprised by Tom’s Mom and Sister who stopped by to visit with us a bit, their arms loaded down with gifts from shopping. We are so fortunate to have these people in our lives. I’m very thankful that they will be officially part of the family in April.

Just one of those perfect days all around. Still on a high from all of it, especially celebrating our daughter’s 38th birthday. I cannot believe this woman is THAT old! Geez, that must mean I’m getting on up there. We had a wonderful evening.

Fred's BBQ

I don't know what the big deal is. I asked the waitress to take a photo of us at Fred's today and Bill and Wayne teased me the rest of the meal. They said, "Now we get it, every time we do anything you are going to want a photo because you are a blogger." Well, what could I say accept that having a photo enhances any blog post. I guess I'll have to stay a little more low key with the photos though. Bill doesn't know that I almost took my camera into the Y! LOL

After Bill and I went to work out at the YMCA (Yes, Virginia, I DO work out. This body of mine is neither cheap nor is it easy to get.LOL), we called Wayne to meet us for lunch. Any good we might have done at the gym was easily erased by this meal we had, no doubt.

We got a late start on our work out because Bill had to go to the Dr. for his yearly heart check up. They put him through a lot of "stuff" when he goes and he really surprised them because they couldn't get his heart rate up like they wanted to because he is so much more fit than he used to be. I walk a bit on a treadmill when we go but Bill keeps adding to his work out. Anyway, they will have the labs back by tomorrow but the Dr. said his heart looks good from what he can tell. There is no further damage or clogging. Woo-hoo. This was such good news. He is so proud of him and so am I. I don't think Bill Roney will die from a heart attack. They are keeping too good a watch over him there. He'll have to just die of old age. LOL

Wayne's company (Yamelis' Mom and sister) left on Tuesday and he and Yamelis have a fairly empty house until Guillermo gets home for the holidays on Dec 20. Wayne seemed a bit more relaxed. Can you imagine having your in-laws that you meet for the first time staying with you for a whole month? Not me. Them not speaking a word of English actually worked in Wayne's favor he tells me. LOL Yamelis said she misses them but she's so busy with preparations for Christmas and her son coming home that she is OK.

That's my news for today. Oh, yes, I just happen to have a photo, too.

Re-connecting with Kay and Alan

Tom’s parents, actually it is his Mom and step-dad, met at La Septima for a good Cuban lunch today. It was so nice to see them again. They live in Sun City during the winter months but live in PA the rest of the year. They look great. I think they are getting younger rather than older. Bill and Alan went on to the car auction then and Kay and I visited a bit more before we left.
They are professional ball room dancers! They said they would teach us. I’ve always thought I’d like to learn. They are going on a cruise in June; they go on many cruises and teach dancing on board ship. What a gig that is, huh? Anyway, they are going in June to Amsterdam and Russia and a few other places and they asked us consider going with them. The cruise is two weeks! I don’t know if I could stand that. If we went, they would give us dance lessons each morning and each evening. I think that would be so neat to be able to dance. We went on the cruise from hell many years ago when Jeni and Brian were still at home. It was a nightmare, stormy seas, seasickness for just about everyone on board, no stops because of the storm. We were basically prisoners on board until the storm let up. sigh The storm never let up!
I went with a friend of mine a couple of years ago to Alaska on a cruise and that was different and even enjoyable. Of course we knew so many people on board because my friend was the head of a Red Hat group in New York. This was the red hat cruise and even the Queen Mother, Mary Ellen (herself) was on board. I felt sorry for anyone that wasn’t a red hatter on that trip because we really took over the ship! LOL Of course, my roommate, Zellies, was the funniest woman on earth I think and we laughed for seven days!
We had a good lunch and it was wonderful re-connecting with Kay and Alan who will soon be my daughter’s in-laws. I don’t know what that makes us (besides nothing) but they feel like family already to me.
The weather here is superb. A little too warm for complete happiness but I’ll take what I have. Nothing is perfect, but this is almost.

Women's Club Christmas Luncheon

I went to the Women’s Club luncheon today. Everything looked so festive and the food was delicious. The president talked about all the good we have done this past year and that gave me a real lift and made me feel good about being a part of it all.
I am still not crazy about the way things are handled and I may not remain a member but for the past two years it has been nice to see how much we have been able to accomplish in the community. Perhaps the ends support the means (I think I said that right) but I do think I will consider dropping out in the coming year. They are still after me to head up one of the committees but I thought I’d best not if I’m going to drop out. LOL
I have tried to figure out what doesn’t seem right about this club. They do so much good. Today I realized one big thing is that this organization was built up in a century that I think should be gone. We, the members, are listed as such: Mrs. Bill Roney (Judy). This is our club, our work, etc., why would our husbands be listed there and we are an aside? Just seems strange to me. I am one of the younger women in the club. I’ve been getting the senior discounts for many years now, but I’m the young one. I’ve heard more than a few times that I would bring new “blood” into the club. Well, for one thing I’d be listed as Judy Roney as a member of this club.
Wespend so much time and energy on preparing, cooking, eating, and cleaning up afterwards. I guess this is the way things are done and I know women’s faces dropped when I asked why we spend all that effort and time and money on the lunch when we could all go out to eat for less time and effort and money. I suppose its tradition but it doesn’t make sense to me. sigh I guess I’m a malcontent! LOL I enjoy the company of the women when I’m there but I keep getting the feeling that everything is so antiquated and when I question something I always get the answer “this is the way we’ve done it for 40 years.” Well, I’ve never bought that explanation for anything but that seems to sum it up for the women there and that’s the end of that.
Oh, well, I’ve thought about this for these two years now and I know its time to either stay with this or quit and stop thinking about it so much. I think things to death sometimes and this hardly qualifies for important life events.
I have been searching for ways to belong to the community and I do believe the Women’s Club is it for now.
I go to North Carolina and I’m going 24/7 with this group or that group. Here I find it so difficult to find any place to just enjoy being with other women my age. There’s no painting, writing, knitting, or neighborhood groups that get together. Its not that this town is smaller than the one in NC but it’s just different.
I did try a different church this past Sunday and though it wasn’t in my community I’m willing to stretch though boundaries now. LOL Maybe this will work out. I guess I’m just a joiner and I miss that.
Hmmmm, not sure how all this rambling happened here. I meant to come online and tell you what a nice time I had today at the Women’s Club Luncheon. LOL
I do think of this blog when I do things now because I took my camera with me ready to get a few shots of the way they “do” the club house for Christmas to shoe you. After taking several shots I got a message saying that I had no card in my camera. I had left it home in my computer so ..no pictures for me! I am forgetful on a good day but this month and last month ..forgetaboutit!
Oh, I also wanted to say that I decided not to join the Garden Club. When asked why it was pretty easy. I don’t garden. LOL Sometimes I think I’ve lost my mind! I did like the women there though and that would have been fun. So, I just kept trying to figure out a way to join a garden club. I’d also like to join a golf club (those women have so much fun!) but ..I don’t golf. LOL Marlene, my friend I met for lunch yesterday plays tennis maybe four times a week. Hmm, perhaps they are looking for a woman to join that doesn't play tennis. I'll have to check that out.

Monday, December 8, 2008

I met Marlene and Judy in Apollo Beach for lunch at Circles Restaurant, right on the gulf. The restaurant setting was lovely with all the boats and beach atmosphere. It was such a joy to see Marlene and Judy again. Although we live an hour away, our schedules never seem to coincide enough to get together as often as we want to. We did a lot of catching up over a wonderful lunch. We ate outside so we could enjoy this beautiful weather and the scenery. To say we had a LONG lunch would be an understatement.. but we had lots of catching up to do. Hopefully, when the holidays are over, we can meet again there at Circles and bring the men along to enjoy it with us. That area is about half an hour from all of us so I’m really glad that they knew about it and were able to find it again. I think our friend Jean was the first to find it and now we’ll pass it on. I felt so good when I left there because we finally got together after months of not meeting ,the food was very good, the weather perfect and it all made for a perfect time.

I made it home in time to do a few things around the house, take a quick nap, and then get ready for dinner. Its a hard life but someone's gotta do it! Bill and I went out to dinner with Wayne, Yamelis, Gabriella and Bettina. Gabriella and Bettina were all packed up and ready for their long journey home to Venezuela tomorrow morning. When we asked them what they enjoyed most while here they both said Disney World. LOL Of Course they said number 1 was spending time with their daughter/sister and meeting Wayne and Bill for the first time. I had met them in Mexico when I was there last year. They said they were glad to get to know me better and I took a phrase from Yamelis, "well, of course!" LOL I know Yamelis is going to miss them terribly and vise versa. It’s hard to say when they will get to visit again. With Chavez in power it is extremely hard for them to get Visa’s to visit the states. They had to jump through hoops for years to get this visa. They think they will move back to Mexico City because it is safer than Venezuela. Imagine that!

It’s been a wonderful day and one that makes me feel good about life in general. I’m glad I live here in the states and glad that I have family & friends close by..life is good.

Charlie-Paloosa

Charlie Daniels Charliepaloosa

We had an unexpected surprise from our future son-in-law. Tom called us with the news that he had a hotel room for us at the Hard Rock Hotel in Tampa where Charlie Daniel’s would be. We would have VIP tickets to events and the concert. We went not knowing exactly what it was but hey, if it’s free it’s for me especially if I can be a VIP. Well, it was really something. The hotel (actually casino) we had been to before, but hadn’t stayed. The room was wonderful..all the extras. Such modern decor and the beds were unbelieveable. Like sinking into feather beds! The hotel was dressed up royally for Christmas. Bill and I aren’t much at the gambling aspect but we both put in $20 to throw away. LOL Bill went home with $16 of his $20 but I gave mine all away to the hungry machines.
We went to the hospitality suite where we found dinner, steaks, chicken and every kind of food imaginable …FREE! OMG Drinks, desserts, candy bars, fruit..OMG FREE LOL
When we got to the concert we found out that it wasn’t just Charlie that was there. Confession: we have never been Charlie fans but also on the headliners were The Marshall Tucker Band, Confederate Railroad, and (drum roll here) Bo Bice (American Idol). Every one was really good but we were waiting for Bo Bice. We are American Idol fans, can you tell? He finally came on stage and we were shocked. He’s a little tiny guy…thin and short. I wouldn’t have recognized him in the hotel or anywhere I met him because I wouldn’t have expected him to be so slight plus he wore the strangest looking straw hat and also big sunglasses. It was good to see him though.
Strange thing is that we never saw Charlie Daniels. This concert went on for hours and we tried to wait it out but I went back up to the room finally and Bill stayed. He was going to report back about Charlie but he finally gave up, too. Charlie came on long after the concert was supposed to be over. Fans said you never really know when Charlie Daniels will show up. We figured he’d be the very last act, but then the much anticipated Florida-Alabama game came on.
We opted to see Tim Tebow over Charlie Daniels. LOL And what a game it was. It sure had us on the edge of our seats for most of the game but Florida beat the undefeated Alabama team. Hooray!
It was a great day all around, starting with that phone call from Tom. Wow, what a guy! Back to the real world again today and trying to get caught up. Our day of being VIP's is over. sigh

December 5, 2008

We had a lot of commotion and excitement today in our small town of Plant City, Florida. Too much.
A man shot and killed another guy last night and the police found killer today and they had a car chase. The man then ditched the car at the shopping center and took out his AKA? machine gun and started shooting.
He killed a 58 year old man who was out to the grocery with his grandson. The grandson was not hurt physically but he saw his grandfather get shot in the head out of no where. My heart goes out to that little boy and that man's family. What a senseless tragedy for this family. Breaks my heart.
Another man was seriously injured.
There was an extensive man hunt for quite some time, roads were blocked, and there were helicopters, dogs, and police from neighboring cities as well as ours. Everyone was encouraged to stay in their homes until this man was captured. The schools were all under lock down conditions but the parents were allowed to go to the schools and pick their children up. Finally he was captured and things are returning to normal.
I was in Brandon at the time and Bill called me and said (I know you won’t believe this one), stay out shopping, Judy, there’s a killer loose here and the roads are blocked. The Christmas parade was cancelled that was supposed to have happened today along with other activities. Our small town was under siege and it really was a scary feeling.
Since everything was OK and the man captured, I went ahead with my plans for picking Hanna (Little Sister) up. We went out to eat and went shopping for her Moms ( twin aunts who are raising her),her brother and her grandfather. She will wrap them here next week. I told her she has to keep the gifts a secret but there will be 0 hopes that she will keep that secret. I told her only if she could. I don’t want too much pressure on her.

True to form, I’m making an all out effort to get the tree up and house decorated for Christmas.
Bill and Michael got the tree up, lights lit, and garland on so the rest was up to me. Bill worked on the outside Sunday while I worked inside. Now that I have an indoor storage for Christmas items, I am delighted to actually see all that I have. We will be giving a lot to Good Will but there are things that I have not seen for years! When things were put up in the attic, some years some things came down, other years, other items but I doubt that I ever saw it all together like this and it’s been fun just seeing what I do have. Its also been melancholy as I had to relive each ornament and what was going on when we got it. sigh
Today, Monday, we are looking very festive indeed. I do have probably another month’s work sorting and deciding what stay and what goes. LOL (only kidding I hope)
Since Bill and I were married in 70 I’m realizing I am in possession of antiques (besides the obvious…Bill of course!). I have the first decorations that Bill and I had. Awwwww. I’m getting all sentimental again. LOL The things we had in 1970 are looking more than a little sad, yellow, and droopy. I guess we are all in this together, these ornament and me. I think I have a few years on them though ..that’s scary!
I wanted to show a photo of Lexi. Its almost time for Bill to get home from work and she has a built in clock. She wanted to watch me complete the tree decorations and take photos BUT..she just couldn’t. She had to keep an eye on the door in the hopes of hearing Bill drive up. She won’t leave her post until he arrives and its treat time. LOL Every day is Christmas for her when Bill gets home.

Nov 27, 2008 Happy Day

Happy Thanksgiving

My daughter and I have always believed that when Santa appears at the end of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, that Christmas was officially here. She was looking forward to getting back home to start decorating. LOL

We had such a wonderful time. Lots of warmth and time shared with family. We had the meal catered and that was so convenient but we all agreed afterward that cooking had its own merit on the holidays and we agreed we would cook on Christmas. We missed the turkey roasting and the pumpkin pie baking in the oven.

I can barely keep my eyes open right now. It’s been a long and perfect day. The only snag in the day was that Tom, Jeni’s fiancé, was unable to come. He is always on call on his job and he’s been in Ft. Myers for three days trying to correct a problem at their waste treatment center. Not a nice way to spend the holiday. He will get home about midnight tonight if all goes well. Jeni and he are getting used to him always being on call I think but its still disappointing, especially on a holiday and he has to be away.

We were delighted to have June's Mom, Cecelia, spend the day with us. I know June and Mike are worried about her because she has Alzeimers but for a 90 year old woman she looks great and she enjoys herself. I know we enjoyed her. We learned that she is outspoken and funny.

Lexi got her share of attention, as always. I don’t know what level you go to after spoiled isn’t strong enough word. LOL

The Wii was a hit. Michael stayed over after every one had left around 8pm just to get in a few more games. I heard Bill commandeering Michael to come help set up Christmas decorations as he left.

Yamelis, my sister in law from Venezuela, said her mother and sister were a bit perplexed over our Thanksgiving celebrations. In their country they eat Thanksgiving dinner and then leave. Here we eat, play, rest, eat dessert, rest, play, watch Christmas Vacation as we nap, then its dinner time, build a bon fire to sit by, the maybe eat a snack. LOL Maybe that’s why Yamelis weighs about 100 lbs and I don’t! LOL

Great memories here of another Thanksgiving Day and all we have to be thankful for.

Blessings on this day.
This year I’m thankful for my husband. I am so thankful that he takes care of himself so I don’t have to worry about him. He works out daily at the Y, is eating better (not a good subject for this day), and gets his checkups, etc, etc, etc, Thirty eight years of loving him is not enough… I want thirty-eight more.

Jeni, our beautiful daughter I adore and am so proud of. She’s such a hard worker and does so much. She has a wonderful heart and cares so deeply.

Family that keeps growing now instead of disappearing, which was my fear. Though we suffer losses,most notibly our Aunt Betty this past year, and people leave (Guillermo is in the Army now), our family can still gather and even grow. Tom's family has already become family to us and this Christmas we will even get to meet Tom's brother and sister in law and ..ta-da..the twins! We are looking forward to seeing all the family and meeting the ones we haven't met yet.

I’m thankful that Yamelis’ Mom and sister were able to come to America and they were able to be together after seven years of separation. I'm glad we have the opportunity to get to know them better.

I’m thankful for my four brothers and the family tie that we have, the love we share. I’m thankful for my sister in laws and how close I feel to each one of them. Loving your in-laws is not always a given so I know how blessed I am to have Brenda, Rita, Yamelis, and June in my life.

I’m thankful my mother is still alive and part of my life. It’s wonderful knowing she is still able to manage on her own and is vital. Al & Brenda take a load off all of us because she is in a house on their property and they do all the work, seeing that she gets to the store, Dr. and a million other things. I‘m very thankful for Alvin and Brenda!!

We are blessed with a handsome, wonderful, caring, future son in law, Tom. The love that he and Jeni share touches my heart every time I see them together. They will be married in April and I’m thankful that we will be on Antigua on April 11, for this occasion.

I’m so thankful for my family in Texas and for the blessing they are in my life. All of them love and care about us and keep in touch and keep that family tie with Bill.

I’m thankful for all the friends in my life. So many from HCC and Skywriters and here in Plant City and Maggie Valley. They enrich my life and make me more.

Oh, I can see this list could go on and on for eternity. Too many blessings to even list right now. I am so blessed and I am thankful. I will start to think of all the other blessings when I send this and I’ll be thankful for those but I’ll spare you all more words here. LOL

Holiday blessings to each and every one of you who read this.