The Holidays! I'm sorry this and the next couple updates are getting to you so late. I've been working on Tortugapalooza night and day. After x-mas Ronn went to Berlin for 2 weeks, and Riki went to visit friends in N.C. That left little old me to carry the Palooza torch all alone. I'm not complaining, we all carry the weight alone from time to time. I'm just letting you know I haven't forgotten about all of you out there. Anyway, enough excuses.
Normally, we (Sharon and I) open our presents x-mas eve, but our schedule was slightly askew due to my dads arrival to the area and our desire to squeeze visits in all over the Tampa bay area. So, we cheated a bit and opened our gifts earlier x-mas eve as not to disturb our busy social schedule.
I actually got to spend some time with my family and friends this year. X-mas eve we went to Howie and Bert's (Roberta's) house. A bunch of our inner circle of friends was in attendance. Amy, Jeff, Anne, Chris and the boys were all there to share the mirth into the wee hours of X-mas morning. Howie and Bert are known for their fun "themed" parties. They always have fun party games and activities for all. I forgot how much fun it was to drive home by dawn's early light. NOT! I actually had to pull over and let someone else drive. Somehow I managed to get enough sleep to make it to my dad's by ten o'clock the next morning.
My father recently moved down to Florida from St. Louis. He had an open house x-mas day. So Sharon and I got to visit a bit. I found it odd that so many of my dad's friends had no idea who I was. I guess he's really been talking me up! (That was sarcasm, by the way.) They kept walking up to me and asking, "So, how do you know Dick?" But, it was nice to see him settled in his new home. I know how hard it must have been to move from his home of many years and leave his close friends. His house is beautiful, located in a very nice up-and-coming area near Sarasota. It figures he'd move close to my house on the eve of me renting mine out to spend more time touring.
X-mas night brought us to another home in the Hall clan. Dinner at my cousin Sandy's. He's my Dad's brother's son from his first marriage. (Did that make sense?) If you've read my bio, you know that I'm not quite as close to my dad's side of the family. Sandy is the exception. Although I'm on the road a lot, we manage to keep in contact throughout the year and especially during the holidays. His daughter, my 2nd cousin and I are close too. I suppose it's mostly since we're closer in age. We had a wonderful dinner and hung out for wine afterwards. (Another love we share) They invited my father but my step mom made plans for them already. I thought they'd rather spend time with they're family x-mas night, but that's the joy of family politics.
After we left my cousin's we headed out to Jeff's house. He's a friend of Sharon's. Lots of Sharon's friends from her various jobs over the years were there. Jeff's a great guy. As if the perfect name wasn't enough, he's a great cook too. He made lasagna, Italian roast pork, turkey, and spicy meatballs. I actually ate even though I was still full from dinner at my cousin's. I thought I was gonna explode! After sitting there bloated and miserable for a bit Sharon and I went home to enjoy the rest of our evening alone with our kids. And, when I say kids I mean our two dogs, Silk and Jasmine.
It was quite a whirlwind tour, but I wouldn't change a thing. I'm eternally thankful for all of my friends and family, and I hope your holidays where filled with joy and lots of cool stuff!
