Oh, the holidays.....

The holiday season has come to an end and we all take a deep breath and prepare for another year.  We have had parties and BBQs, small gatherings and big ones to celebrate the Christmas season. There was no lack of celebration as we approached the end of the year. Of course, we missed family and friends back home, but since all five grandkids had the flu over Christmas ….well let’s just say I did not need that!

Christmas Eve was lovely and with our friends Karen and Terry as we nibbled on salmon, flatbreads, wings, meatballs, and cheeses. Christmas carols filled the background as we ate, reminisced and toasted the season with a bit of good cheer. Christmas day was a pool day followed by a BBQ supper of steak and chicken and various sides with friends. After a couple of rousing games of Euchre we called it a night, walked home to our condo, and that was Christmas for 2019.

The weather has continued to be very fickle here with rain and wind. Sun, cloud, rain and wind seem to cycle through every day. The temperatures have been sitting around 25C -27C , but the cloud cover has been persistent.

As we moved toward New Years Eve the sun has decided to shine! Yahoo, what a good sign for the coming year.  Sun bathing at the pool was a great way to finish off 2019.

New Years was fun with about 20 people here at our condo. We started at 6:30 with a huge potluck with the most delicious food brought by all. The talking and laughter continued until 10:30 when we had our first toast to the New Year. Champagne flowed and cheers erupted after our false countdown to ring in the New Year.  Over the next hour the crowd dwindled a bit as some headed home to bed.  The rest of us continued our festive celebration laughing our way until midnight. Yes, then it was round # 2 to ring in the New Year.  We watched the ball drop, toasted with more champagne and it was officially 2020!  The fireworks started immediately and we had a wonderful view from our Florida room. We opened up the curtains and the patio doors and watch a spectacular display of colour over the water.  By 1:30 the last of the revelers headed home. A couple of people stayed to help with a quick clean up and one last toast with champagne, (you can’t let it go to waste), and then it was off to sleep.

Morning seemed to come early. The annual New Year Turtle dip started at 9 sharp at the pool followed by aquasizes, coffee and breakfast. A little rest was needed before heading back to the pool for the afternoon.  We had a supper with our friends Karen and Terry, a quick game of cards and we were ready to call it a night. Sleep came easy and the first day of the New Year came to a close.

We never know what the New Year will bring but we can enjoy every day as it comes. That is my promise to myself this year.  Taking each day and living it fully engaged, the good ones and the not so good ones. I guess as you get older you realize that sometimes life is just what is. We can hope for better things but we must not miss the moments at hand.

We hope you all have a great 2020 with many truly special moments that make this year one to remember!

Carol