End of March

 

As the end of March approaches, life remains busy.  But, all fun.  The best thing is that after my injury to my knee in July, after so much frustration and hard work, I finally feel like myself again. I was released by my ortho surgeon and he said I recovered better than he thought I would.  My knee flex is good and I am back to mostly feeling normal and doing most things easily.  I can even do stairs with minimal pain.  Yoga is challenging, but I adapt 😉 The rehab continues with going to the gym and stretches, but I am at the stage where I can even forget about my knee a lot.  That is progress.

I am back to my volunteer work and that feels good too.  Last week I was even walking on vine filled paths in a wooded area.  So very carefully, to not get tangled, but the most important thing is that I could do it.  Writing the newsletter for the group is one thing, but being on site with the others feels like an important step.

This month’s social life remains busy.  Next week I host an end of season brunch for my golf group and there are a few more end of season gatherings to come. We also said goodbye to a friend with a night of oyster shooters and a beach sunset. End of season means the snow birds leave and things get quieter.  

April brings visits from both my daughters and their families, so goodbye March and bring on the granddaughters in my pool and at the beach. 

God Bless Kennedy

 

We recently returned from a long weekend in Michigan for the Christening of granddaughter number two, Kennedy Josephine. It was a special time for our family and we especially enjoyed being all together the day before.  I cooked dinner and we spent a casual afternoon and evening playing with two babies (Kennedy and Lucy) and one 2 1/2 year old (Audrey). Rotating naps and feedings, reading books and playing hide and seek kept us all busy.  There were an abundance of hands to hold babies and Audrey kept us laughing.  It is times like these where our blessings are at the forefront.

The Christening day was sunny after a gloomy few days, so it was lovely to head to the church and take photos outside.  Kennedy was so good and so sweet in our family’s heirloom Christening gown. Melissa had a delicious luncheon prepared for after the Christening and it gave us time to celebrate Kennedy with our son in laws family as well.  GG  came from Florida too.  

It is so good to hug all three little ones and our daughters, but so hard to leave.  The consolation is that we will all be together in Florida soon.

Life Lately

 

It is always a busy time of year here in Florida, compared to summer.  And, add in trips to Michigan to see granddaughters and it really ramps things up.  I just got back from a quick trip to help out with Megan’s 2 girls and got a lot of toddler play time, plus fun holding little Lucy.  She gave me lots of smiles!

I have also been doing fun things like golf, birthday lunches with friends and even a Detroit Tigers spring training game.  We also get together often with a big group of MSU friends to watch basketball.  Last night I hosted Euchre at my house for 3 couples.  

Soon, we head back to Michigan for Kennedy’s Christening.  It will be a quick weekend trip, but I can ‘t wait to see her since my last trip was to the other side of the state and I didn’t make the trip to the Detroit side. I look forward to family time and all of us being together.  

Happy March - spring is on the way and it looks like a warm up for our trip to Michigan which makes this Florida girl happy.

Valentine’s Day - Beach Style

 

Rather than go out to dinner on one of the busiest nights of the year, especially during tourist and snowbird season, we decided to pick up dinner and go to the beach for sunset.  We grabbed drinks and our chairs and made a quick stop at Sharky’s Snack Shack for some delicious shrimp.  There are several beaches to choose from in Venice, but we like the one that the tourists don’t use as much.  It was quite crowded at a usually quiet beach,  but we found parking and it is easy to spread out.

As you can see, it was a beautiful sunset, quite warm until the sun went down and as usual, was relaxing sitting in our chairs, talking and enjoying a cocktail.  It never gets old that this is something we can do on a whim - no vacation plans required.  Life is good in Florida.

Family Photos in Michigan

 

We were in Michigan mid January and were all together which is always special.  The photos are too good  not to share.  So much time spent holding babies, reading stories, playing in the snow and cooking; my love language.  Leaving Florida and going to below zero temps is only something we do for those we love the most.  As the photos show we made the most of the visit.

A Christmas Baby

 

Our third granddaughter was born right after Christmas on December 29th.  Precious Lucy Noelle is doing so great, along with Mom and Dad and big sister Audrey.  We plan to travel to Michigan to meet her very soon and I can’t wait to see her little face and hold her.

We still need to celebrate our family Christmas and we plan to all be together.  I will be cooking a big dinner, we will open presents and of course get a photo with all 3 little ones.  I will stay for a few extra days to help the new mom and probably cook a lot more for her freezer.  But, mostly keep Audrey entertained to give everyone a break.

I love my life in Florida, but it is hard to wait to see a new baby in the family.  Finally, we will.