It's Holiday Time

December is here and I hope it doesn't fly by! At work when people check books out, the due date is 3 weeks ahead...I don't like seeing December 26th as a due date when it's only the first week in December. But that's the way it is, so I just have to take time to enjoy each day.
My Christmas decorations are already up...I started earlier than usual this year.

 Not sure why exactly...but I like them. I like sitting by the tree when it's lit up at night.

 I like getting out the ornaments and remembering where and why and when we got them. I feel corny when I say this, but It's kind of like visiting with old friends.

Some are from friends, some are from family members some have seen better days....hahaha you get the idea.

I decided to decorate a little early because things are going to get hectic later on this month. We don't have a live tree...so it doesn't matter if we put it up in early December and leave it up until January 2016.

For most of the year we have been planning for John's big 60th birthday. We decided right after Brenna's fun 30th birthday that we needed to have another party to look forward to...and so the 60th Birthday plan started to evolve.  Since then I have been driving everyone crazy, I'm sure, with my little updates about the music, the costumes, the food, etc.But as a result...all of my sisters are planning to come to FL for the party! Looks like my persistence was worth it...hahaha. Now I feel like even if no one else shows up...there will be enough of us to have a great time!

Months ago I started gathering my decorations...starting with the neon colored garland and the little "Groovy Buses". I have assorted table cloths, other garlands, lights...you name it. Since it's near Christmas...I figured we needed a retro silver tree or two...and some ornaments with a 60's feel to them.

                     I have a few posters...Woodstock and Endless Summer of course.
              And there are boxes and piles of assorted items in various rooms in our house.

                       As you can see...neon colors and peace signs are the rule of the day.
By the time the date is here...I think I should have more than enough to go around. hahaha
I've been tweaking the play list...and I think I have it where I want it. When I happen upon a good song from the 60's...I just add it to the list.  For instance, We recently watched THE MAN FROM UNCLE and there were a couple of good songs in the soundtrack. When my favorite station plays a random song from the 60's....I run for the paper and pencil so I can jot down the name. I am hoping people will not just recognize all the songs...but dance too! It is kind of interesting to see the difference in my idea of the 60's vs John's idea of 60's music. He was the youngest in the family...so he knows all the Supremes, Temptations, and other top 40- 60's hits...whereas I lean towards the "Alternative" bands like The Zombies, The Troggs, Cream, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix. Of course a lot of the people coming are younger than us ...so I have to have plenty of Beach Boys and things they'll recognize too. I've tried to put together a good mix...time will tell.
We are all getting our costumes together...no doubt there will be a few who come with just a peace sign or a tie-dye shirt...but that will work. John has some retro print baggies, t-shirt and a wig.... As for me.......................................................................

My sister has several pairs of boots...we'll have to see what pair she chooses. hahaha My nephew got his costume together for Halloween and he was looking pretty good. One thing for sure is we will all have some good laughs! Hey...if you are going to turn 60...you might as well have a good time in the process!

So for the next few weeks we are going to enjoy the festivities around town. The first of the out of town family arrives on December 24th...then the 26th, the 31st, Jan 1st, and party time on the 2nd! I am looking forward to fun and games with everyone. PingPong, football games (on TV) ,board games, food, drinks and lots of laughs! Bring on the holidays!

More picture of trees :)

The last day of our trip to NC the weather turned wet and chilly. Not the best day for walking or doing anything outside; but we decided to drive around and do some sight seeing. In a way the rain made the colors even brighter.Even Bill and Kathie who have spent a lot of Octobers up there were excited by the bright oranges and reds we saw.

Bill and I rode around on the golf cart to look around

We stopped in town to eat and check out a few stores. Everything was decorated for fall...I loved all the pumpkins, squash and seasonal displays.
BUt the sight we saw as we got to the entrance of Trillium...was breath taking...we all hopped out in the drizzling rain, because you had to take a picture! hahahah

the reds!!!!!!!

We got home on a Monday, and then we got ready to head up to DC that Friday. I'm not usually that willing to hop on a plane...but you gotta do what you gotta do. And it was lovely there too.
We got a special rate at the Lansdowne  Resort; for a golf package. John had tried one other time to take Marcus there...but our last trip up ,there had been a lot of rain and half the back nine was flooded.
This time conditions were nice. We spent one night with B-i-L Rob. Then the next night we went to the resort.
It's a quiet time of the year for them, so we got a very nice deal and a great room!

                                                             with a really nice view!

The guys had a good time golfing; and Marcus was the winner at the end of the day. Megan and I headed out to Tyson's Corner...a fun mall to visit when you're up in that part of  town. That evening we met up with the guys and Rob and Shane for a drink and then dinner.

Sunday morning John and I slept in, then took a nice walk around the property and down by the Potomac River.

I especially enjoyed the walk down by the river.

Yellow and brown were the dominant colors down there. For most of the walk we had the path to ourselves. We only passed on bike rider.

Look at this beautiful spot along the trail. That's looking over to Maryland.

The it was time to turn around and make our way back to the golf course, up the hill and back to the resort. We packed up and headed back to Rob and Shane's house for one more day/night.

              Picturesque spot at the front of Lansdowne...there is almost always someone taking pictures down there...you can see why. Just out of this picture there are rocks and a waterfall. Nice spot.
We enjoyed catching up with Rob and Shane, Megan and Marcus. For John and I, that was the last time we'll see Marcus until sometime next year.For me it was a perfect way to end the 3 months off. We left the chilly fall weather and when we landed in Melbourne the next evening...it was 90! degrees!!!!! Aggggggh!
We got home and unpacked...I for one was happy knowing I wasn't going anywhere else anytime soon...hahahaha.
I had a day or two to get organized and then it was back to reality. My first day back started off a little roughly...but I decided I wasn't going to dwell on it. I enjoyed working with my friend Susan...she got me up to speed on the goings on at the library during the time I was gone. We had a few laughs and all in all the day went well. I have to admit I was a little tired mentally and physically at the end of the day. It didn't take long to remember all the "cons" of the job....standing for 5 hours, wacky schedules, the usual BS that is still there...no matter how long you take off...hahaha  ;) But...the "pros" are there too. It's nice to have a steady paycheck coming in every two weeks. I still have plenty of sick leave in the bank...and I'm already adding more. It was nice to see my favorite patrons again...although half of them acted like they never knew I was gone...hahahah. After the first week I got to do my Story time program. I had a small, very young group...and I was worried that it might be awhile before I got back in the swing of things...but the second week I had many of my old regulars back for the program. I was happy to see them and they told me they were very happy to have me back. :) This is a good time to get back...because with all the holidays coming up...I have a pretty easy schedule for the next month. My supervisor has done her best to schedule me so I don't over do it. At this point I'm not going to HURT myself...but my shoulder does get sore by the end of the day...I'm sure that's just a matter of time. It was easier than I though to jump back in to the mix....and I definitely feel more relaxed about some things that used to get me flustered...now I just don't fret about them too much! I can do this for a few more years until I qualify for my full "pension" or retirement or whatever you want to call it. I just hope the State of Florida doesn't run out of money before I start  getting my share! Now....if our director would just find a job at another branch....hahahah life would be just right!

"I'm pretty sure I took this same picture yesterday...."

I'm pretty sure I took this same picture yesterday....
I said that a lot  a couple of weeks ago when we were up in North Carolina. We were there the last  week in October....and we happened to be there for the peak of the fall color.

 We planned this trip months ago....before I had my surgery, etc. As it turned out, it was a nice way to finish up my time off from work.I got to spend my last 2 of the 12 weeks of "sick" leave out of town. I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. (I had my physical therapy the day before I left and the day after I got back....so it really worked out perfectly.)
We flew up to Atlanta, as we usually do,  then rented a car and drove up to the mountains from there.. We try to plan ahead to avoid rush hour traffic in Atlanta....and once we get out of the city...the drive is not too bad. Three or so hours versus the drive from Melbourne...which would be about 11!
This was at the first "Scenic View"...and as soon as we saw this...we were excited!

We arrived at John's brother's place in time for lunch. Later that afternoon his sister Sandy and brother-in-law were arriving from the other side of the mountain.(TN)

The temperatures were cool...but not cold, and it was wonderful. We took a nice long walk each day and I took pictures and picked up leaves...hahah I couldn't help myself. I would tell myself not to bring the camera, but I always did.

It was nice to see the family again, since we last saw them in November last year. I love to go up in the fall because even though I've been in Florida for 47 years....I still love to see the leaves.  It is wonderful when the are at peak color....it really is beautiful. We had a nice visit too. John has been working hard and the 5-6 days off were a much needed break for him. For me the trip usually involves visiting, and shopping with Sandy and Kathie. We always make a trip to Highlands for our favorite shrimp and grits lunch and then shopping along Main street. And then we finish the afternoon off with a stop at Buck's Coffee. It never gets old...at least it doesn't for me.

all the colors on one tree

 

Walking along in the 50-60 degree temperatures and enjoying all the color....made me just want to keep walking!

I decided to just take a picture of the leaves I collected....since they never keep their vibrant colors when you save them. I try to get all shapes and sizes and all different colors. I think my very favorite are the Maple trees that have the red/orange/yellow colors. The red  almost seems  florescent in the sunlight.

view from the back deck

morning coffee by the fireplace outside...perfection!

 

We had some nice conversations while we enjoyed the fire and watching the different birds stopping by the bird feeder for a snack.

For me this vacation was especially welcome. I had been off from work since August 11th, because of my shoulder surgery. The first few weeks I didn't venture too far from home; I just thought taking it kind of easy would be best. I did take my daily walk...and it was HOT!!!!! 90 degree temperatures forced me to get up early and get myself going...to avoid at least some of the heat. I had a system where I used VIVA paper towels tucked in my sling...so it wouldn't get all wet and smelly from the perspiration. John thought I was completely nuts...stuffing paper towels in every day, mostly because I would let them dry and reuse them. That particular brand is very durable...hahah and I did feel like a little old lady...but I couldn't waste all that paper every day.hahah
During the first few weeks I read some books I had saved up to read...and then I started on "A Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin; a book I had bought off the sale shelf at work a while back. It is pretty thick and I read kind of slowly...but it was fascinating. Lincoln was pretty genius the way he went about putting together his cabinet. It should be required reading for today's politicians....maybe they would realize there is a way to disagree but still get things done. I have have read other books about Lincoln and The Civil War but this one kind of tied it all together for me. We made a trip or two to Disney World during my time off...but I didn't want to jeopardize my shoulder in any way...so I only went on a handful of easy rides. I also cleaned up around our house...slowly working my way from room to room...one drawer or cabinet at a time...since I wasn't supposed to reach, lift or pull anything. I weeded through some junk...and actually tossed out a few things. I am a bit of a pack rat...but I try not to get too carried away. It is funny sad how you can be looking for one thing and come across two-three other things you forgot you had....that happened more than once. Sometimes it was a matter of "Oh that's where I put this!!!" other times it was me realizing I had completely forgotten about the item. The good news is that my gift stash has been reorganized  and with any luck I will give some of the things away this holiday season. (we'll see.... hahaha)
I tried to bake once or twice but it took a looooong time...using one arm to do most everything....but that's ok...I spent one whole afternoon on a batch of cookies. Baking relaxes me...not necessarily that day...but that's okay.
At the beginning of the 12 weeks...it seemed like an eternity; but that didn't really bother me. I had lunch with a co-worker one day and she said something like"How long have you worked for the library? me-" 12 years " her "Wow...I just don't know if I can/could do that" We both paused a minute and I had to admit that the 3 month break was kind of a nice break from the  job. At the beginning of August I was feeling a little weary/bored/something and kind of looked forward to the time off. For the most part I don't mind my job...but some of the tedious details bother me from time to time and then there's the BS that just frustrates me.I've enjoyed a lot of breaks this past year...Hawaii, Park City and other long weekends....so I should have been satisfied...but I was a little restless. And even though people couldn't understand how I wasn't bored to death...I was perfectly content. Two important details...I had paid sick leave...so I wasn't worried about paying my bills while I was out... and that is huge! I don't get a lot of benefits working part time...but paid sick leave and vacation time is pretty nice! (Especially when you have plenty of time saved up.) and I was able to get out and walk, go to the beach, go in the pool.... I wasn't confined to bed or the house. And probably most of all...I wasn't really in pain at all. Maybe a little discomfort at the beginning...and when therapy started...but for the most part....I was pain free. So...paid time off, nice weather (hot- but you can't have it all...hahaha) and relatively pain free...adds up to a nice break. And a nice trip to NC right near the end was great. As it turns out we planned a last minute trip to DC the same week that we got home from NC...because Megan and Marcus will be moving out of the country in December and we wanted to get up to see them once more before they leave. I will save that for another day...as well as the rest of my pictures....hahah because now I AM back to work...and I have to be there tomorrow. I am still getting back in the routine...and have to make myself go to bed so I won't be tired all day!