Christmas is sweetest when celebrated with family

It is finally here!! Christmas with the family in Islamorada. We have been planning this for a long time. 

L: Julie, Brett, Dan, Julia, Steve, Sara, Marissa, Kermit, Katherine

We’ve been waiting to see the kids since last July. That is a long time to be away from your family. We haven’t been home at all, unlike some of our Looper friends who go home regularly. So this is special. We have been gathering presents at all the cool places we visited. Judy helped me wrap presents on Friday before we left. I was at wits end how to pull it all together. But she helped a lot.

Before we left Clearwater we drove in the rental car to Dunedin with Judy and Mike. We really liked the farmers market. We found the bike path that we rode on in Tarpon Springs. If we stayed on it we would have arrived at Dunedin. Isn’ that ironic?

December 21 was supposed to be the end of the Mayan Calendar so the fine folks at the Clearwater Yacht Club had a big party with signs and lots of drinking and laughing. It was a blast! We really like the people at Clearwater Yacht Club.

We left Mike and Judy on One September on 12/22/12 in Clearwater to meet the family for Christmas in Islamorada, FL. The weather was clear and warm with plenty of sun. After picking up Marissa we headed to the Keys via the Florida Turnpike.

The house is amazing! It has big front and back patios sitting right on a canal with a dock in front. Unfortunately we don’t have the boat here. We rented a big house with four bedrooms back in September when we thought we could be in the Keys with the boat by Christmas. But we were overly optimistic. We got to Clearwater, about 360 miles north and west of the Keys. So we rented a car. Not a bad trade off all in all.

Brett and Julie picked up Dan and Julie along the way, arriving later on Saturday night. Sarah and Steve, Marissa’s friends, joined us on Sunday afternoon. Marissa gets the couch since we are staying in the house instead of in the boat.

We are getting along great. It is such a pleasure to be with the kids for a week. We are lounging, reading, drinking, laughing, and eating – having a wonderful time.

Life is good...

The best part for us has to be sleeping in a king sized bed in a big beautiful master suite. The bathroom is right in the bedroom and it has a HUGE shower with double rainfall heads and a Jacuzzi tub. I might take a bath!

We didn't use the pool room as much as we thought we would

Brett enjoying the great recliners in this place

The back patio was comfy

We walked the dog and found a neat neighborhood around the block that is an airport community with an little airstrip and places to tie up your boat at your house. I never saw anything like that before. Planes landed and took off throughout the week.

Rusty enjoys the neighborhood

Boats passed in front of our house all the time. But it doesn’t seem very populated. A lot of houses appear to be empty. Those with people have neat Christmas decorations but pictures taken in the dark do not turn out well. 

I love this ironic sign - beware of dog sign with an open gate!

 This great house makes it easy to hang out with everyone or just find a quiet corner to sleep or rest. We are eating a lot, which is fun because we have a lot of good cooks in this family.

Marissa, Sarah, and Julia

Julia, Marissa, and Steve for Christmas breakfast

Kermit

 The funny part of this picture is Kermit stepped in to the kitchen but everyone else cooked!!

Julia and Dan

 There are lots of critters around. We have seen pelicans, iguanas, geikos, crabs, and a big manatee that comes around almost every day. He let Bret pet him!!

A little crab and the barnacles on our post

Kermit and Steve figuring out how to take a timed photo

Pelican sitting on a tree across the canal

Sarah, Marissa, and Rusty checking out the manatees

Brett and the manatee - he came often

Julie and Brett

 We rested a lot:

Kermit cooking turkey dinner

Rusty resting

Sarah, Steve, and Marissa

Made five different kinds of Christmas cookies. We made chocolate layer cookies, spritz, birds nest, and peanut butter blossoms. They were great and now they are gone. 

Marissa and Sarah

Julia making those marshmellow things - they were good but sticky

We went to Annie's Beach because how could we go to Florida without going to the beach. 

from front: Steve, Sara, Marissa, Dan, Julia

Julia and Julie

Rusty was running around like a puppy. There were two young black dogs - one a Lab and one a Rotweiller, both nice and both running. Rusty was even picking fights. He slept all night and much of the next day.

Rusty found a friend - a nice Rotweiller

Our group photo - Steve is not in it - he is taking the photo: 

Then Steve set the timer so we got a picture of us all: 

L: Brett, Julie, Julia, Dan, Steve, Sara, Marissa, Katherine, Kermit, Rusty

We made a full Christmas dinner with grilled turkey, ham, mashed and roasted potatoes, dressing, and green beans with Angel biscuits and cookies for dessert. Then we needed to rest again. 

L: Kermit, Marissa, Sara, Steve, Julie, Brett

L: Katherine, Marissa, Sara

And the gift exchange was great!! Funny gifts include a bedazzled hat for Sara, a bendable Jesus for Dan, a roulette table with a drinking game attached, an olive oil collection that Julia won but Sarah wanted, a great beer belt that Julie got, and shirts from our travel collection that were a big hit. 

Sara with the bedazzled hat - she liked it!

Brett got the shirt we intended him to get from Lynchburg

Marissa got a book on an appropriate subject

Brett got a nipple cup. Not sure I understand

Katherine got the flying shark!! It got stolen many times

Steve got soap - not exactly what he wanted

Dan got the roulette drinking game

Julie with the beer belt

Julia got the worst present - a Las Vegas ornament -
so she traded for some space camp stuff!

Sara trying to steal the first good gift Julia got - she failed!

Brett, Julie, and Dan opening presents

Our group photo on Christmas Day, wearing our new shirts that say: Good Karma First Reunion Tour!

This has been the best Christmas ever. So relaxing and fun with friends and family all around. I am so glad we decided to do this!!

The rest of the week we plan to go to Key West and do some kayaking or snorkeling. Joe and Edie from Seaquel might join us on Thursday or Friday which will be nice. More later.