Merry Christmas!

(Found this on Facebook, and just had to copy it!)

This is our first Christmas not having at least one of the boys with us for at least some of the holiday, but the logistics just weren’t going to work out this year.  Nicolas’ leave was shorter this year, and flights aren’t really plentiful or convenient between Norfolk and the RGV, and Bryce had a big trip to California for the Michigan State Bowl Game.

We had to quickly get our Christmas shopping done and get our gifts shipped out to the kids, and my Mom and Tom’s Dad.

One of our shopping trips resulted in a visit with Santa . . . he was very nice, and we chatted with him for a long time.

Of course, there were also some handmade gifts I had to finish before getting them in the mail – for Nicolas and my Mom.

We spent one whole day shopping for boots for Nick . . . and still haven’t bought any . . . got to get back out this week!  We did find some really nice custom boot shops, though . . .

Once we arrived in the RGV, I was able to put out a few Christmas decorations, not too much, but we did put my little wooly tree in the front window.

With presents added on Christmas morning.

I don’t do as much baking without the boys around, but I did make a batch of pizzelles so I could include some in their presents, and I made some other traditional cookies for the park’s Christmas Eve Cookie & Snack Party.

Before the party, Tom and I had our Christmas dinner – Prime Rib.  We had the butcher at H.E.B. cut a small one for us . . . and we still had half of it left over!

It sure was good, though!

After dinner, we went to Christmas Eve mass in San Benito, then got back in time for for Christmas Eve Party.

There was a lot of snacks and desserts!

And a couple of the guys from the park entertained us with Christmas songs . . . they were actually really good!

On Christmas morning, we opened our gifts from the kids – Tom got a Samsung tablet, and I got a Kindle e-reader. 

Oh, and Tom got a new sewer connection – now that was exciting!

The Christmas Dinner potluck was at 3pm, so we had a big breakfast at home and I made my dessert to take to dinner.

The park provided 2 turkeys and 2 hams, and all the residents brought everything else . . . and once again, there was more than enough food!

Once everybody was sufficiently stuffed, Santa and Mrs. Claus joined us to pass out candy canes and secret santa gifts.

It was a fun afternoon, and everybody enjoyed themselves!

Meanwhile in Virginia, Nicolas was on duty on Christmas Eve,

but he made plans with friends for Christmas dinner, and they managed to have a little bit of fun at work, too, with a little Jib Jab clip.

He’s staying in Virginia for his leave, but I’m sure he’ll enjoy being able to relax and sleep in, and he’ll find some fun things to do with his friends.

Back in Michigan, Bryce was able to spend Christmas with the family before taking off for California – here he is with the Gimmarro cousins on Christmas Day, and his littlest cousin on Christmas Eve at my Mom’s.

It was tough being away from everybody on Christmas, especially the boys, but we all had a nice Christmas on our own, and we were all in each others’ thoughts. 

Feeling a little nostalgic, our Christmas card was a collage of Christmas memories.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2019 to everyone!

Merry Christmas!

 

Well, here it is . . . 7pm on Christmas day . . . we’re watching “A Christmas Story” and still recovering from the huge Christmas dinner we had here at the RV Resort at 1pm!

There was a wide variety of food to go with the turkey, ham and mashed potatoes provided by the resort.

Then there was the dessert table . . .

 

 

 

and I took these pictures early, before everyone had gotten there! 

Everyone enjoyed this gathering of our “RV family”, and not a single person went away hungry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three of us had a nice Christmas . . . Bryce got his new bike and some workout clothes . . . Tom and I are still shopping for our presents – new bikes for both of us.  Bryce also got a fitbit from his aunt & uncle . . . it’s a pretty cool little gadget.  He wears it like a watch, and it tracks his activity and sleep to his phone.  He can also keep track of what he eats, calories, and set goals for himself in the app on the phone.

Pretty much a high tech pedometer, but the kids love their gadgets!!

 

 

My present came on Christmas morning, when the Navy Recruit Training Center posted 612 new photos to their facebook page . . .  Bryce and I were searching through them, and he spotted one of Nicolas!

No phone calls on Christmas, but this was the next best thing!

Last night and today were difficult without him being here with us, but in just 22 days we’ll get to see him graduate!  We can’t wait!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our friends and family, near and far!

Leaving the Winter Wonderland

Bryce says he wishes the snow didn’t have to bring the cold weather along with it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But it did . . . we didn’t get a LOT of snow (glad we’re not in Buffalo!!), but what we got was hanging around, and the temperatures were brutal!  We didn’t get above freezing (even during the day) for over a week, and we burned through several more bottles of propane!

Poor Casey had her “summer cut” in preparation for Florida, and doesn’t have much of a coat to keep her warm!!

She doesn’t seem to mind too much, though!

Nicolas wanted to wash his car before he put it away for the next 2 months, but that wasn’t going to happen . . .

he did manage to have a snowball fight with his brother, though!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It sure was “Christmas Card” pretty, though!

Then came the time to say good-bye to Nicolas.  On Tuesday, while I was at work, Tom and Bryce took him to the recruiter’s office.  They had his paperwork all ready and took him across town to the hotel where he would spend the night before shipping out.

When I got off work, we drove over to the hotel to have dinner with him.

On Wednesday, he was up bright and early to report at MEPS for his medical check, interview and shipping brief.  We arrived at 9am to watch his “swearing in”.

I did a really good job of keeping my emotions under control (Nicolas said if I cried, he would deny that I was his mother!!), but almost lost it when the officer swearing them in talked about how honored he was to be performing the ceremony.  After the short ceremony, we took a few pictures,

 

and Nicolas signed his contract.  He’s officially a recruit now, and on the payroll!

 

We sat with him while he ate his lunch, and before long it was time to say our final good-byes, and he boarded the bus to take him to the airport.

There goes my boy!! 

OK, I cried a little in the car . . .

But, he had his phone with him, so we texted a little while he rode the bus to the airport, then he called me once he got through security and found his gate.

He was the only one shipping out for the Navy from Detroit that day, so he was on his own at the airport.  He texted me before his flight took off, and called again once he had landed in Chicago.  They gave him a voucher for dinner, so I made sure he was getting something to eat before he made his way to the USO to get on the bus to RTC.

I didn’t hear from him again all evening (I had hoped he’d call or text before he got on the bus), so that was a little nerve-wracking while we waited for the scripted call to come . . . he finally called around 11:30pm, so I knew that he was safely there.  Now we’re just counting the days until we see him again at his graduation!!

Knowing that Nick was settled in at boot camp, it was time for us to move on . . . and get the heck out of Michigan!

It was cold and blustery this morning, but the roads were dry and clear, and we had a bright blue sky.  It took a little longer to get ready to roll, with just three of us & having been parked in one place for nearly 3 months, but we were on our way by 10 am.

After a little bit of traffic in Toledo, and some construction south of there, the rest of the trip was uneventful.

There was still snow on the ground in Ohio,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but as we continued south, we saw less and less, and the temperature crept up . . . by the time we reached Cincinnati, we were above freezing!!

We crossed the Ohio River,

and said hello to Kentucky.

Our destination for tonight was the Kentucky Horse Park.  We chose it because it’s familiar – we know it’s right off the freeway, with paved level sites, and easy to get in and out of.  It’s their winter season now, so only 1/2 the sites are open, and there’s no water at the sites, but there were plenty of sites to choose from and we’ve been working off our fresh water tank for the last week anyway.

We arrived just before 5pm, and got set up on site 251 . . .

hmm, last time we were here, there was a tornado . . . don’t think we have to worry about that this time!

It’s still cold here, so we turned on the furnace to get the RV warmed back up . . . but it’s not as cold as it’s going to be in Michigan tonight!!

As we drove into the campground, we noticed that there were Christmas lights set up around the other loop of the campground. 

When we checked in, we asked about the lights, and the girl in the office told us that the drive-thru light show didn’t start until tomorrow night, but that tonight there was a 5K through the lights, and that it was open for walking through.

So, after dinner, Tom and I bundled up and took Casey for a walk through the lights.

We were surprised at the number of people who came out to walk and run through the lights.  It was really cool . . . Nicolas would have loved this!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was quite a treat that we stumbled onto!

Tomorrow we continue our trek south . . . next stop – Georgia!