Christmas in Michigan

We are back in Florida after a whirlwind visit to Michigan for Christmas.  We were able to spend time with friends, my daughters, my son in law and his family, siblings, parents, aunts and uncles and many twenty something nieces, nephews and boyfriends and girlfriends.

We drove from one end of metro Detroit to the other, including a trip to my brother’s house in Toledo.  The weather was a balmy 53 degrees most of the time and our winter coats were not required.  We had breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinners at many different homes and a few restaurants too.  Many glasses of wine were enjoyed, as well as a real treat when my daughter shared a bottle of Dom Perignon while we opened our family gifts on Christmas Day.  I received many lovely gifts and even managed to fit them all in my suitcase for the flight back.

The night before we left, my brother in law rented an arcade for my side of the family and after eating pizza we played games for two hours with all the nieces, nephews and significant others.  Who says millennials aren’t fun?  This is our fourth year doing something together the night after Christmas and we plan on continuing the tradition.

I think the photos speak for themselves and tell the story of a family happy to be together, enjoying each other’s company and knowing that family time is precious in our crazy, busy lives.

Happy New Year!

Glow Ride

Merry Christmas Eve to all of you.  Hopefully the majority of your Christmas preparations are finished and you are planning to spend the next few days with family.

Last Friday, my neighborhood held a glow ride where everyone decorated their bikes and golf carts with lights and garland and headed out for a ride.  There were six stops along the route and I helped host one of these stops with a few neighbors.  We served food, libations (I made Jell-O shots), had Santa and Mrs. Claus ready to greet the riders and even had live music courtesy of a trombone player.

It was so much fun and made me realize again what a great neighborhood I live in.  Christmas in Florida is different, but oh so fun to be able to be outside.

Have a wonderful holiday week!

Winter Reading List

My process in finding books to read is varied.  One of the biggest sources is other blogs authored by avid readers like myself.  I remember those who have recommended books I like and find more often than not, they don’t steer me wrong.  I add constantly to my Amazon Reading Wish List and I usually have many books to choose from.  In writing my quarterly book recommendation posts, I let you know what I plan to read in the next few months.

For winter reading, especially for those of you looking for a book to read by the fire on a cold night, any of these books on my list would be a good choice to chase away the winter blues.  Perhaps the one I am most intrigued by is The Flight Girls, since I love historical fiction based on strong female characters.  Conviction is the current pick from Reese Witherspoon and she rarely picks a book I don’t like.  I’m also excited to read the latest V. I. Warshawski and Temperance Brennan installments.

I also included the next book my Book Club is reading (The Only Woman in the Room) since it’s a bit different than my usual choices.  It’s a novel based on the true story of 1940’s screen star Hedy Lamarr and her fight against the Nazi’s.  There were brains behind her beauty and she is credited with an invention that was critical to the war effort.

Happy Reading!