CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY IN OHIO

December 31, 2013 - We're both back in Houston now but had a memorable Christmas in Ohio. Marsha got to experience some SNOW, but Paul escaped the worst of it. As a matter of fact, the weather was so nice one day, Paul mowed the grass and cleaned up the leaves.

We had a partial-family Christmas Eve party, and then the entire family returned on Christmas day to exchange gifts and enjoy a wonderful Christmas ham dinner. With the family together there is always time for a few beverages and some card playing.

Kelly making one of the numerous dishes for Christmas Eve.

They are really having fun but must wear their game face while playing.  

Table ready for the Christmas dinner.

How can there be so many presents and we don’t even have any children?

A few of our favorite gifts.

After dad/grandpa said a few words to us all, we made a toast to another blessed Christmas day.

This isn’t a normal gift for an 86 year-young man. We got dad/grandpa a new computer, and he loves it!

Marsha’s brother and sister with dad and his computer.

As we stated in an earlier blog, our oldest daughter, Kelly, got engaged. That means Marsha is involved “big time” in wedding planning. Carrie will be the maid of honor so the girls were busy discussing wedding options. Paul knows it's best he avoid these discussions, so as planned he headed back to Houston the day after Christmas.

Kelly had a very unique way of asking Carrie to be her maid of honor. She wrap a note in one of the candles she made for Carrie.

Marsha and Carrie caught their flights back on the 28^th and both had uneventful flights. Temperatures in the 70's welcomed them home, so we spent the day relaxing outside in the sun.

We'll be attending the New Year's Eve party at the Elks Lodge, aka…the Club…where we are enjoying our friends here in the campground. Bella has sure enjoyed the field of grass next to our RV and the many birds that visit the bushes nearby.

We've decided to remain in Houston for the winter. The women have a wedding to plan, and Kelly and Dave will be flying in for a long weekend in early February. We may make another short trip to the Rio Grande Valley but considering the difficulty in getting a site here at the Elks (our Houston home), we may either leave the RV here or erase those thoughts all together.

We wish all our family and friends a very happy, healthy and safe New Year!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE WEAVERS

Wednesday, December 25

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

AND THE BIG NEWS IS….

Monday, December 23 – We have waited almost 30 years for this day…drum roll please…

Our daughter, Kelly, and boyfriend, Dave, are engaged. 

He asked her last Wednesday, December 18. She was totally taken by surprised. She said she is so nervous right now. Marsha asked if they had set a date, and Kelly said she just wanted to enjoy being engaged for awhile. Dave is going to make an excellent husband and wonderful son-in-law. We are both thrilled with the news.

Congratulations, Kelly and Dave. We love you both.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

S- N-O-W IN O-H-I-O

Saturday December 21, 2013 – Here is what has been happening since December 5.

Marsha flew back to Canton, Ohio, for the holidays on December 5. She's been doing her holiday shopping and baking, visiting with family and friends, and enjoying the COLD and SNOW!!! She says sorry about not reading many blogs. She has no Internet in Ohio and only 2G on her phone. She went a bit nuts not having the Internet.

Yep, Ohio, as most of the Nation, has been getting hit with unseasonable cold and some pretty good snow falls. Paul hasn't been basking in the sun either....been dang unseasonably cold in Houston too! At least we don't have SNOW! But he does have a bad case of cabin fever. But the sun did come out this past Sunday-Thursday. The days were beautiful with 70-80 degree temps.

Marsha is enjoying baking holiday cookies. Our daughter, Kelly, and boy friend, Dave, joined in and helped out. Hey, now don't eat them all. Leave a few for Paul and Carrie when they arrive just before Christmas.

When it snows you gotta' make the most of it! Dave was out shoveling the driveway, and Kelly decided to join him to make a snowman.

What great neighbors. The fellow across the street was out plowing driveways in the neighborhood with his four-wheeler and cleaned our driveway several times. That sure put a smile on Marsha's face – she's got visiting and shopping to do!

Many people have wondered about “Who’s going to take care of Bella while you are in Ohio?” Carrie has a couple friends staying in Houston for the holidays that will “cat-sit” Bella for a few days when both Paul and Carrie fly North. Come Christmas day, the family will be together, all except poor Bella.

Now to the present. Paul flew back to Ohio on Thursday, December 19. There was tons of snow on the ground. But come Friday and today, it has rained and no more snow. He is not one bit unhappy.

Kelly and Dave came Friday night to stay the weekend with us. Carrie flies in on Sunday. Kelly is on winter break, so she will stay with us the entire Christmas break. Poor Dave has to go back to work…boo hoo.

We have some big exciting news to share but that will be in our next blog.

Hope everyone is done with their shopping. There are lots of nutty drivers out there this time of year.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

WE ARE IN OUR SITE….YEA!

Tuesday, December 3 – Ahhhh......full-hookups! We moved into our site this afternoon after a three-day delay. We don't mind dry camping entirely but have sure gotten use to full-hookups. Nice to be able to use all the modern utilities.

We are in site #1.

Looking to our left.

We usually are on the other end of the campground, Site #10, but feel this site is the best! It has a very nice patio and extra grass area with no one on our door side. We are next to the pool, but it obviously isn't in use this time of year. So a nice private patio is a joy!

Bella always thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

We joined our neighbors by putting out some Christmas decorations. We kept it manageable, but if Marsha gets her way, it may expand.....LOL. She's decorated the inside of the RV too.

Marsha flies back to Ohio tomorrow. She will be there four days longer before Christmas than last year. She said she needs more days to get all the shopping, baking and lunching done. Paul will fly back on December 19; Carrie the 22. Guess Bella and Paul will live like bachelors for awhile.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Hope you have a great day!

WE ARE STILL ALIVE AND DOING WELL

Monday, December 2 – Again this year we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with our daughter, Carrie and a group of her friends. We are always so pleased with what a wonderful group of kids she has as friends.

At about 11:00, we began to get the two turkeys ready.

Played a little Cornhole while the turkeys were cooking.

Coloring the tablecloth for the celebration.

Just waiting for those turkeys to get done.

Finally!

We had a wonderful meal, an awesome day, and an abundance of fun. Thanks Carrie!!!

Our month stay at Forest Retreat expired on Saturday, so we headed to the Houston Elks Lodge. This is our “normal” home while in Houston and is only 15 minutes from our daughter's apartment instead of the 35 minute drive we had in New Caney. We will have to dry camp for a day until Site #1 opens up. The people in that site are planning to leave December 1.

It is 7:30 a.m. on Black Saturday. Everyone must be shopping…good for us!

Dry camping at the Elks.

Big football game day. We met Carrie and her group at Pub Fiction for some refreshments and watch the Buckeyes tangle with the Wolverines. Finally score…

Sunday we spent most of the day baking at Carrie’s. Her big Annual Holiday Extravaganza is coming up and the boys love her cookies.

Buckeyes…yummy!

It is Monday, and we are still dry camping in the Elks parking lot. The people planning to leave on December 1 have extended there stay for several days due to illness. Dang! Boy, the Elks could sure use more RV sites. They have ten sites, and according to the camp hosts, they've been full almost constantly for the past year or more.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!