Year end fun times

John and "Uncle" Mac

 It's been a fun holiday season...but felt a little different. this year. I can't figure out if it's because Christmas was on a Wednesday? or the way my work schedule played out...or what. In some ways it seems like Christmas was a long time ago....I did have to work at 9:am the day after Christmas...something I never really like. It seems like the holiday should always be like at Thanksgiving. We always get Thanksgiving and the day after... I feel like we should always get the day after Christmas...it would make it seem like more of a holiday or something. I don't like when it feels like just another day in the week. And it's not like I had great plans...but I always wish I did...and I'll think to myself...next year...I'm taking a few days off..............but I don't. haha Oh well. We had a nice Christmas. Went to brunch down at Vero Beach Disney Resort...then came home, relaxed and had Mark, Paul and Tracy over for dinner. As it turns out...Tracy's son Carl came too...which was nice. I worked Thursday and Friday...but Friday evening John's niece...(who happens to be my age...and just one year or two younger than John.)..invited us down to her house.

Josh taking a spin on the scooter

 Her daughter Emily and family were in town for Christmas...so they were celebrating. Brenna, Josh, John and I headed to Grant for a Friday night cookout. Duane cooked up some delicious barbecued chicken, fresh conch fritters (so good!) and hamburgers. There was also 7-layer dip and chips, kale salad, fresh tomatoes and lettuce, various other vegetables and  dips...and everything was really good!

 Debbie's grandson, Bishop and grand-daughter, Ever...got new scooters (pictured above). Since they hold up to 200 pounds we all had to try them out...haha

 We enjoyed meeting Emily's girls, and seeing Debbie's daughter Sara and her husband Lance again. It's been a while since we saw everyone... Her boys...Lance (jr) and Bishop are such nice boys. They both have great smiles too! Lance gave me a big hug when he found out I brought the plate full of cookies...how could I NOT like him...hahah

Cousins....Ever and Bishop (-6 months apart in age) checking out the dinner selections

"Johnny" and his sister Lucy...she's the oldest...he's the youngest

Gracie (2 1/2), (grandma ) Debbie and Great Grandma Lucy Ann

Aunt Lucy and Brenna

 Debbie and Duane have a great covered patio area- plenty of room for "scooting" around....

my niece Sara, her friend, Emily and her husband

 Duane was busy cooking away...so I never managed to get him in a picture...but Debbie posed with her uncle Johnny....for me. Debbie used to spend a lot of time at the Kaminski's house...as it was much closer to school than where they lived in Grant.

Lucy and Anne

Jessie, Lance and Josh

 We had a great time with all the family...meeting Debbie's grand daughters...seeing the grandsons again...catching up on things and just enjoying a nice evening together. That's what I like about the holidays...I want day after day of that kind of thing...so that it feels more like the special time that it is!

New Year's Eve we didn't have any real plans; I had to work until 5pm. It was a busy day at the library...actually a busy week...the "snowbirds" are back and January and February are always busy months for us...this year the way the calendar worked out... it started a week early! What is usually a fairly quiet week between Christmas and New Year's Day...ended up being busier than usual. Can't tell you how many times I answered the phone and had people asking me......"Are you open? When do you close? Are you open tomorrow?" I was polite...but what I wanted to say was..."We close at midnight"...just to hear the reaction... and when they asked if we'd be open on New Year's Day...what I wanted to say was "Really? Surely you have something to do besides come to the Library!!!!! I don't even have plans...but I won't be anywhere near the library'...hahah..I mean...come on people we're not the hospital!....Ok now that  I got that off my chest...hahah...I'll continue...
We don't really like to go out anywhere on New Year's Eve...I don't like being in any big crowd...especially when everyone is drinking...not my idea of fun most of the time. Our friends in the neighborhood...Tom and Teresa invited us over to their house for dinner and champagne. Teresa is like me...we drink champagne! hahaha They had made a BIG pot of spaghetti to have with a big pot of sauce and meatballs and/or meat sauce with peppers and sausage. Of course there was salad and bread to go with it. It was tasty!

 Teresa had plenty of champagne on hand...and every time I turned around...she was filling up my glass....

Laurie, ?, Anne, Teresa's mom...aka "Oma", Teresa and Brenna...after a glass or two...haha

at one point Teresa plunked this bottle down in front of me....I tried to give some to someone else...she told me "No...that's yours"...hahah

 

I don't think I finished the bottle...and manged to give Brenna a (very) little...haha...and let's just say I was enjoying myself...hahah

 We left before midnight...and I passed on the suggestion that we ride bikes up to the Monkey Bar...haha. John went to bed, Brenna and Josh headed home ( they ended up at one of their neighbor's party) I sat to watch part of the Texas A&M and Duke game...dozed off once or twice...and exchanged text messages back and forth with my friend Heather...she thought I was nuts. Now...I was definitely a little drunk, a little tired...but I'm going to blame the phone for trying to determine what I was typing...and changing it...resulting in some interesting messages...hahah I wasn't proof reading them either...... Heather  wrote back at one point "WHATTTTT?"  hahah I had a good laugh about that. After I signed off with her.......I fell asleep...missed the end of the football game...woke up to the cheering when Texas A & M managed to pull off the win.............missed the fireworks at midnight...but they were going on all night anyway...so no big deal there...hahah ...BUT thanks to my trusty Excedrin....(I took two before I went to sleep for good)...I woke up completely headache free! Amazing because I wake up almost every day with a headache...or rather.... a stuffy head...and have to get up and get moving to clear my head. I had figured I might have... as one friend puts it..."a few cobwebs" in the morning...but I had nothing! So that was a pleasant New Year's surprise. As far as the first day of 2014....it was a dreary, rainy day ALL DAY LONG! I managed to get a bike ride in this morning...only got drizzled on right at the end of my ride. Later on in the afternoon... John and I decided we'd just put on rain coats, hoods and visors...and take a walk in the rain....so we did. No thunder and lightning...just WET. Tested his rain gear and my jacket...both of which kept our clothes dry. Our shoes were soaked...John's especially, when right before we turned down our street...he took a  jump right into a big puddle.....to see how big of a splash he could make. hahah Reminded me of Megan and her friends running around in the rain and puddles one year on her birthday ( I think)...getting completely drenched...and loving every minute of it! So...it was a kind of quiet...but nice day. Back to work tomorrow.........................
Happy New Year!
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