Bye Bye Winter Doldrums

The beach, sunshine, my favorite seafood on the entire east coast, riding bikes, quaint shops, Key Lime Pie, sitting in the sun reading a book, new clubhouse & pool, Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach Historical District, movie night, and a two-day road trip to Mount Dora and the The Villages. 

Nothing helps the winter doldrums like sunshine at the ocean and winter is much more pleasant with vacations sprinkled throughout ugly months: January, February, March and April.  Plan wisely.

Papa writing love letters in the sand ... 

My favorite restaurant in the whole east coast is Coastal Crab. This understated little shack by the ocean is a hidden treasure. I knew the food was sensational, but I had forgotten how absolutely, unequivocally incredible it is.

Close to their place, a little Mango Tea or three ...

My parents newly renovated pool and property where they live ...

My mom & dad are excellent hosts and I'm grateful they are both healthy and active.

Thanks, Mom & Dad, for a wonderful trip!

 

Happy. Bossy. A Tornado.

Sofia was excited saying "bYe!" to her momma to come over and spend the evening with me. She knows where everything is at and is right at home here.

We were about to make chocolate chip cookies, when she said, "i  hUnGy, gAmMa." The sun can stop shining, the world stop spinning and the earth can shake, nothing is going to happen until my granddaughter eats.

Within minutes I had a smorgasbord of food in front of her.

We played for hours before I took her home and her momma text, "How's Sofia?" I replied,

"Happy. Bossy. A tornado." 

We played make-up, where she was the artist as she put make-up on me. We made cookies, played hide-n-seeky, swam in the tub, and Aunt Brooke came over and played puzzles. Several hours later I bundled her up and took her home. She was lights out in only minutes.

I'm so glad she is loves our dates and she's so happy here. It's a good break for both her and her momma.

Happy 50th Birthday Destination

Some people celebrate birthdays for a week, some celebrate for a month, I may just celebrate the whole year.

We were having coffee last week when we decided with both of us turning 50 years old this year, it's the perfect excuse for a dream destination vacation. I chose Sedona, Arizona, because it is a destination I've wanted to go to for decades. 

Researching spa resorts, VRBO's, day trips & excursions, luxury & special occasions, tours & sightseeing, walking & biking tours, outdoor activities, waterfalls & canyons, and so on and so on ... I'm thinking I will need to stay longer than my routine 4-days.

After all these years, I'm finally going to go.

Happy 50th birthday year to me!

Sleepover

My son-in-law, Jeremy, was in Mexico doing renovations at an orphanage with a group of guys this week and I spent the week with my daughter and grandbabies.

This photo was cute and reminds me of Sofia's excitement to have me sleepover, specifically in her room with her. Bedtime was exciting and she liked going to bed early and would announce when it was time to go to bed, which was one-on-one time, just her and I.

Beds pushed together, we'd say our bedtime prayers. Who do you want to pray for? Sofia would say, "aUnT bRoOke, gRiNnY pApA, aNnA eLsA oLaf." Then, she'd get comfy and gradually end up nestled next to me. I loved her happiness. 

The happy and sweet moments during the week and the quiet time rocking my sweet babies to sleep. Multi-symptoming or not and just like my own girls, I still lavishly hug and kiss them. She made me smile when she ran into my arms and said, "mY gAmMa!" 

Sleeping was rough. I had a hand flop across my face, a finger shoved in my nose, and last night her hand flopped straight on my eyeball and I saw a flash of light (from pain) and I wasn't sure for a moment if there was going to be damage.

Between midnight and 5:30 a.m. this morning my Fitbit had me at 3,200 steps. That was with Rowan. Both kids are multi-symptoming and he isn't sleeping well, so I took turns with Mariah getting up with him.

It's hard having little ones and it's extra hard when they aren't feeling well. At 2-1/2 years and 7 months old, my daughter has her hands full. 

Jeremy comes home tonight. It's a good thing because I am living on caffeine and meds to function. I'm not sure if I'm sick or just worn out and multi-symptoming. I will know tomorrow after I sleep tonight.

The weather forecast has high winds and rain tonight, perfect sleeping weather. It was a busy week with clubhouse renovation projects where I scraped wallpaper off for two days straight, still working a crazy busy season with brides from holiday engagements, hosted a couple events, and when I wasn't working I was at my daughter's with my grandbabies. 

My butt is officially kicked, my whole body hurts and I'm exhausted. 

I hope the thunderstorms begin soon, this girl is ready for bed!

Zen

"Is that why you're still single, Dawn?" I was asked at work today while working with a handful of colleagues on a renovation project. 

Their phones kept tinging from spouses/partners texts, nagging conversations and those who complained openly after the calls, and those who don't complain but never say anything good and you just know it isn't a good relationship. It went on and on and on. I wanted to say say,"Good grief, why do you choose to live like this??"

I hear it all the time. People needing more out of their partners than what they are getting, the real life day in and day out stuff with another person that has some advantages, but mostly disappointments and shortcomings. 

This is the tip of the iceberg surface stuff. What about all the thoughts that junk up their mind and the frustrations, conversations, and arguments where everyone is wanting the other to fill a void they are not capable of filling. 

I've become so anti-drama in my single life that I find I protect it at all costs. It would take a miracle from God to find a partner I would want and I'm not even looking.  

Peace is underrated. Freedom from disturbance. Tranquility, stillness, calm and quiet, it's very zen. It's a season of clarity. 

So, when I was asked today, "Is that why you're still single, Dawn?" My answer was, "I will be single until I find someone sweeter than my solitude." 

Calling Hours

It was a morning that felt like slow motion, as if it took so much longer to get ready for calling hours than needed. It's amazing the memories and details we remember. I turned on the hot shower ...

It was in 2000, we had just began working together when I met Dawn. She became blond Dawn and I of course was dark-haired Dawn. That's how our kids would refer to us. Brooke wasn't even 1 years old yet. The first thing we ever did together was planning a play date at the park, having kids the same age. I vividly remember her asking me, "How do you do it as a single mom?" I knew what she was hinting at, but being new colleagues and friends I didn't ask questions.

She went through an awful divorce to an angry, controlling and jealous much older husband who would make life difficult for her to present date. It was a tough journey, but our friendship grew. Stephanie just moved to the area and the three of us became a strong support system as best of friends with little ones the same ages we learned to be single moms together and had play dates, sleep over parties, working out at the gym, going out still being very much young and alive. We were three single moms doing our very best. Our kids were: 1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6 years old. McLaren, Brooke, Micaela, Austin, Mia and Mariah. 

Outlasting each dating relationship and marriage was our friendship.

[Today] I slip on a black dress and put on pearl earrings getting ready for calling hours and feel a strong need to see her, even though she has the absolute best husband ever whom I think is happy, healthy, stable, fun-loving, adores her and has made her life so much better being in it. I know he's with her. They've been married for almost 2 years. He knows her now in the role of her husband, I've known her for decades and I am Switzerland when it comes to secrets, matters of the heart, and this is where having best friends is so critical in life. 

The church was out in the country and already had a long line of guests paying their respects. She looks worn out, but she is well put together and composed greeting guests. I expected nothing less. 

I'm watching guests and I'm observing where her family is positioned standing greeting guests. Dawn is one of five sisters. Their respective spouses and kids all together and Dawn by her mom at the casket. She's strong enough to be front and center and a rock of support for her mom and she is.

Finally, it took a while to get to her and I just hugged her. She said, "I was going to call you last night, I needed to get out of the house, but I didn't have it in me to talk." I had been thinking of calling her, but didn't knowing how busy she must be in all the preparation. I told her we can walk, watch movies, we don't have to talk at all. In fact, let's get out of town and go away for a night or several nights. That's the beauty of this season in life. Buy a plane ticket and just go. Note to self: tomorrow I will get her out of the house.

Hugging her husband, Tom, and thank God for Tom! He whispers, please call her and I tell him I will. He stood behind her doing motions for me to call her, several times which leads me to believe, he's tapping into a needed support system for her. I heard and I saw his desperate attempt to relay the message, believe me I caught on immediately. I got this. 

I didn't stay for the service. There were so many people and her family needs one another, so I slipped out the church door.

I knew she was in a bad place before I spoke to her, saw her and was tipped off. I've been around for decades. I know she will pull through, we've certainly been in the trenches before, but this is going to take a long time. It was her dad passing away, not a dysfunction guy who broke her heart. 

The heavy cloud coverage is making for another dark and dreary day, it's perfect for my heavy heart. 

A text came through from Mariah and I am going to watch her play alumni basketball tonight with the girls she graduated with. This will be a fun distraction and I can't wait to see my grandbabies.

"hOnEy sUcKeR?"

The other day I was watching my Sofia at her house when she asked, "hOnEy sUcKeR?" I smiled. Oh my sweet granddaughter, I love honey suckers, too. So I told her when she comes over I will give her a honey sucker. Her eyes lit up and she shook her head, "YES!" 

When we were in Gatlinburg for our holiday vacation, my daughter and I stopped at the Savannah Bee Co. and I simply fell in love with the store. It was one of those moments where I didn't know which direction to start in. Do I walk straight ahead to the honey bar and start sampling, start to the right where the honey skin care products were, or to the left with bottles in every shape and size and flavor of honey. I was in heaven. 

Making a few purchases, we both grabbed a honey sucker for our drive back to the cabin. That's when my love affair with honey suckers began. So, I ordered several bags of honey suckers for Christmas when I got home. 

Two people know of my stash of these delightful treats, Sofia and Brooke.

Brooke stopped over one day and walking through the door in a very faint voice asked if I had a spoon full of honey she could have to help her throat. Okay, this momma knows her little girl and I asked if she would like a honey sucker, to which she woefully replied that she didn't have one.

That's when I lost my composure and called her out. She smiled. Miss Brooke & little Miss Sofia know I have a hidden stash. 

It's a special sweet treat and if it makes my sweet granddaughter happy in her heart knowing there are honey suckers for her at Gamma's house, I will clearly have to keep a constant supply or learn how to make these.