Before and After.....

There's nothing better than a clean dog!  Today was Dixie's spa day.  She got a haircut, eyelashes trimmed, tail, chin and ear bob, bikini cut, special attention to her feet and everything washed.

Check her out!

Before

After

Memorial Day

I must admit, when the developers of Compass Pointe decide to do something, they do it well. 

 

Today they hosted a Memorial Day Flag dedication celebration at the Grand Lanai.  They honored veterans,  had the All Veterans Parachute Team jump out of an airplane holding flags, served food and had the Compass Pointer Sisters sing war songs.  It was a beautiful day for the event and we took advantage of it.

 

I'm glad that Tony and I had our Memorial Day dinner yesterday as I was called into work from 5:00 to 11:00 this evening.  I hoped to get in some cornhole today and cleaning, but I'll have to save that until tomorrow. 

 

I hope everyone had a great holiday today.

 

A beautiful day

Tony listening to the speaker

Remembering fallen soldiers

Testing the wind before the parachute jumps

My Veteran

The military of tomorrow

A young veteran who lost both legs is still on active duty

Here come the jumpers

Closer.....

Closer.....

I see the flag

A perfect landing

Followed by a female veteran jumper

Another perfect landing!

Jumpers 3 and 4 land almost at the same time

Here comes number 3....

And number 4 is down.  He carries all of the flags of the military branches

The crowd stands for taps

Respect, honor, service

The Compass Pointer Sisters Singers

Happy Memorial Day

 

 

Save The Date

           
           

We had such a great time at our vow renewal we decided to do it again.  Save the date, May 12, 2039!  That will be our 50th anniversary.  Can you see us coming down the isle with our walkers and slippers with white socks?  The minister will say to Tony, "do you take Jan...." And Tony will say, "Jan who?"   When the minister says, "you may kiss the bride..."  I'll probably say, "we're going for a ride???"  We will be 87 and 92 at that point.  Coleton will be 27 and David and Tony will be in their 50's.  What a sight we would be!

 

No matter how many times we do this, nothing could top the ceremony and reception we had.  The ceremony was casual but meaningful, the food at J Bella's was great and we were with people we love and care about. 

 

My favorite part of the ceremony was when Tony and I were doing the recessional.  We walked down from the altar and Coleton came after us.  He slipped his tiny, little hand into Tony's and all 3 of us walked out of the sanctuary. 

 

It was good to go back to Cleveland and get married in the same place we did 25 years ago, but the best part is looking forward to the next 25 years.  Fire up your walker, Tony, I'll meet you at the church!

 

Pastor, Vicki McGaw did a nice ceremony

Coleton saw Papa leaving so he decided not to stick around either!

This is our "sea" cake....blue with white waves and our original cake topper

My three cigar guys, minus the cigars

The next day we took our flowers to the cemetery.  Yellow roses were my mother's favorite.

 

25!

Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary--the real one.  Not the one we're having on Friday, or the anniversary on the 21st, like Tony jokes, this was 9,125 completed days of marriage. The big one!

 

We had a nice day, most of which was spent on finalizing vow renewal plans.  Everything is set....the seating for the reception, the flowers, picking up David--we're even getting Dixie a shampoo so she doesn't offend our hosts!

 

After a busy day, we went to a new restaurant called Havana's.  It was cute and had really good seafood.  We sat and talked about the years gone by and enjoyed being together.  After that, we came home and opened a special bottle of wine that Tony has been saving.  It was 9 years old and very smooth.  Worth the wait.  Of course, we had our special time with Dixie on the screened in porch with music and  the Christmas lights that Tony hung for me.

 

What a great evening!  Here are the highlights and some other events!

 

Tony checks out the bottle

and the lable

A man and his dog!

Me with the man's dog...and my psoriasis spots....

Worth it!

Sniffing the cork....

Decanting....

Mother's Day Flowers

A beautiful evening

Dixie napping in her toy box

Our Fitness Center is almost done!

 

The Sounds of Spring

When I am not working, Tony and I have been sitting on the patio after Dr. Phil (long story) and enjoying the sounds and sights of spring.  It's a wonderful time to relax and reflect.

Today, we had serene music piped out to the patio....you know, the kind of music you hear when you are getting a massage, and happily watched the day come to an end while we were drinking our wine and before Tony grilled the steaks.

The sounds were amazing.  The breeze was blowing and you could hear the sound of the leaves and palms swaying back and forth and bumping against each other.  The small fountain we have was running, so we had the sound of rhythmic water falling over stones.  We had the overhead fan on and the hum it made was underlying just enough to make you sleepy.  We didn't have the blue and white Christmas lights on because it was daylight, but in the evening when they are on, it makes the patio even more pretty.  

The doves were out, doing their "coo, coo, coo" messages and somewhere out there was a tree frog, talking to us.  I think it was afraid of Dixie.    It sounded like a pepper grinder.  Dixie was all curled up under the table on her cushions, just listening,  and life was good. 

I have said often that "I can't image wanting to retire...." but I do.  To have the opportunity to just enjoy the weather, the sights and the sounds is so inviting. 

We continue to prepare for our vow renewal and sadly, Jenna, Jon and the kids won't be joining us.  They will leave a big hole of sadness in the day, but she has to do what is best for her family. 

So, here is the view from the patio....a lovely view and so calming.