Wow…it’s been a super busy fun filled few weeks since our last trip to California & Christmas.
We rang in 2025 quietly but with a wonderful evening walk around the neighborhood. Caught this photo at the perfect time! Sara & her family flew to Hawaii to enjoy their winter school break, so it was just the two of us. But we’re really enjoying the wonderful temperatures of Florida in the winter season.
Birthdays…we’ve had three since Christmas. Claires comes in first right after Christmas on January 3rd when she turned 10! I baked her a very tall-out-of-proportion cake, but she loved it. She celebrated with friends at a gym which was really cool….they had the whole gym to just her party, Taylor Swift music was blaring & they had a blast playing on all the equipment!
When Claire was born, I started a “Travel Project” for her. Every single time I took a trip, I’d buy postcards from all the places I traveled. Then, I’d write on the back of each one; filling it with things I did or saw & a few words of wisdom & advice. I always said I’d conclude the project & give it to her when she turned 10. So, I did.
On a super sad note, our little Sammy kitty died. She had been doing badly for quite awhile, then a blood test showed liver cancer. It was really difficult & very emotional as all pet lovers know…loosing your little fur ball you love so much, is the worst thing about loving animals.
The girls quickly learned to love our cats, especially once we moved here. Claire was really close to Sammy…it hit her hard to lose this precious kitty.
She is missed everyday.
And, our cat Bob, is very very lost without his dearest friend. He’s lonely & bored, meows in the middle of the night & just seems sad too. We are giving him extra attention, but it’s heartbreaking.
He does seem to have made a new friend or at least has found a distraction. I put the bird feeders up when we first moved here hoping the cats would be entertained. We call all the squirrels around here “Chiller”…something that started long ago with me & Emma. So, Bob & Chiller have staring contests somedays.
For part of our Christmas, Sara & Kevin got us tickets to a KU game. I’ve never been to one in Lawrence, & the crowd was definitely way more Florida fans than Jayhawk, but we had a great time! So fun to go with Sara & the family.
In other times, we’ve still been exploring Florida…so much so I’ve created a separate page for our adventures in our new state.
We’ve found some new hiking trails,
More Tiki bars & a super great local cocktail lounge,
I love seeing all the murals around Orlando…this is an area about a mile from our house called Thornton Park
I’ve joined a “Nature Walk” book club which meets at local parks, then we walk, then we discuss the months book. I really enjoy these women & it’s great to read books that I normally wouldn’t choose for myself.
And we've gotten to spend lots of wonderful time with Emma & Claire!
We had fun each making our own “weird Barbie” from thrifted Barbies I found.
My brother & Pat are staying in Florida for a month or so & came by to visit us one day. We took them on a bike path we enjoy.
Projects….I’m almost done with my three big projects I’d set as goals for this winter. For some reason, I’m a little freaked out about how old I am & how young little Hayden is. When Emma & Claire turned two, I gave them a rag quilt. When they each turned three, I started a “pillowcase of the month” project, sending them themed cases for each month for one year. So, I decided I’d give Hayden his rag quilt when he is ONE…so I went ahead & made it, knowing once spring gets here, I won’t be here..or at least not for very long. I’d bought the fabric for it last September when I was in Lawrence at my favorite quilt store…there seems to be a huge lack of fabric stores in this area (and now even Joann’s is closing).
And, I’ve started on the pillowcase project…which he won’t get until he’s big enough for a pillow which is usually three years old…that would make it November, 2027. I have nine done & four more to go. I’ll post photos when they’re all finished, but I’ll be completing that as soon as we’re back from our next trip.
The third project I did was a lot of work, but very fun. Have you ever heard of Blind Date Books? It’s where you chose a genre, then you get a wrapped surprise book with all kinds of goodies on the outside of the wrapping that pertain to the story inside. I also added a blurb from the book on colored paper on the outside for attention. I decided to make it a summer gift for Emma & Claire & call it “Summer Surprise Reading”. There are only 10 weeks in their summer, but I added two bonus books for a total of 12 each. I picked up all the books at local free libraries or thrift stores. I think they’ll love it!
My friend Casey, who travels in her huge camper about 6 months a year, was passing through the area & we managed to meet up in Avalon Park for a super fun night of catching up & visiting. I met Casey & her Mom, Peggy, on the Grand Canyon float trip & have also camped with them in Texas a couple of years ago. Hopefully, we’ll camp together another time soon!
Emma’s birthday is February 6th & we had fun celebrating after school. They were headed out of town for the weekend, so we grabbed them when we could.
...pretending to nap on her new pillow & TS blanket
Valentines Day was just yesterday. We loved to going to Emma’s school music program…then the girls & Kevin were headed out of town for a fun weekend adventure to see their cousin in North Carolina.
The evenings are so enjoyable to walk around the neighborhood, or up to a local brewery to restaurant. We haven’t missed the cold crappy winter weather in Kansas at all
Our little Hayden turned 3 months old in February! He’s growing soooo fast! We so stoked to be flying out there tomorrow to see them all….we can’t wait!
And now we’re off to California!