Christmas - A little late - New Year's Eve

 Terry has a cough/cold and I'm exhausted.  We had to cancel our plans to go to Diane and Tom's tomorrow (our friend Joyce will be there and is getting chemo and we don't want to infect her).

We went on Stan Sklar's funeral at BJBE-each of us in our recliner with I-Pads and ear plugs.

Shirley, our landlady ,came to pick up her shopping from Target.  We said we needed some bath mats and she got carried away.  She paid us for the bath mats we found at Target that are perfect.

Here are some photos from Christmas - there were so many of them - it was hard to pick.

Getting married in May

Andrew and Jessica

Ashley and Jeremy

Jessica, Andrew and River

Jessica decorating Chanukah Cookies

Glenn, Mindy, Jeremy, Ashley

Marilyn, Terry

Mark, Stacy, Jessica, Andrew, River

Mindy, Glenn

Zach, Miranda

We each got a lovely piece of cake

River and Luna

Santa

Stacy, Marilyn, Terry, Mindy (we did not get the red memo)

Stacy, Mark

Stacy and her grand dog, River

Stacy and Jessica

Stacy set a beautiful table

Jessica, Terry and Antlers

Terry, Marilyn and Antlers

Shopping and Driving Ms. Terry

 After breakfast, we started our day of shopping.  We started by getting our Villages credentials in Spanish Springs.  Next was Target where we purchased bath mats for our bathrooms.

Next was Dollar Tree, Aldi, and gas and then home for lunch.

After lunch, I drove and Terry ran into another Dollar Tree, CVS and Publix.

Home for a treat of potato pancakes - closest we have come to celebrating Chanukah.

We are both tired from the trip, unpacking, and shopping to get the supplies we need.

Watching the tributes to Jimmy Carter (Marilyn).  He was a very successful PAST President - a man of principle.

Busy and Lazy Day

 We  had breakfast and then left for Walmart to do some shopping.

We made it back home before the skies opened up.

 We still have some more stores to hit, but it will wait for tomorrow.

We had our leftover soup (Marilyn) and salad (Terry) for lunch.

We both unpacked and organized our desks.

Marilyn did laundry-she had a full laundry basket!

And then we heard that President Carter died and watched MSNBC's coverage of his life.  Started watching it while eating our salmon leftovers for dinner.

NOTE:  WE HAVE ADDED SOME PHOTOS TO THE PREVIOUS ENTRIES

On the Way to Florida - Day Three

 We had breakfast at the La Quinta Inn, Stockbridge, GA and were on our way in FOG and drizzle.  You get the idea - more of the same!.

Finally the FOG lifted and we had somewhat clear sailing on I-75.

After getting gas and discussing where to eat - Terry wanted to go to Waffle House.  I warned her that their waffles were not the best - but that's where she wanted to go.  Terry had waffles and admitted that they were just fair.  I did not have waffles, but my meal, Texas hamburger with cheese did not agree with me.  Fortunately, Terry had pepto with her.  I WILL NOT BE GOING TO WAFFLE HOUSE ANYTIME SOON.

We are in FLORIDA!

After the GPS took us off of I-75 early, we were on an interesting road, until we got onto 441-27 and finally arrived at the house, where Shirley and Bernie greeted us.

We than went to Olive Garden for dinner and have leftover salmon for dinner tomorrow night.

Rain is expected for tomorrow so don't know that we will do our big shopping tomorrow.

On our way to Florida - Day Two

 What a .day of driving!  Rain, Rain, and more Rain  Fog, Fog, and more Fog.

Glenn put RainX on my front window and that helped a lot in the driving rain.

We made stops for potty breaks and gas.  We had McDonalds for lunch (Stacy is disappointed).

One stop was at Buc-ees!  OMG- line for ladies washroom was long, but went fast with about 40 stalls and a woman shouting where the open stalls where.  Gas pumps galore!  What an operation.

Terry took some photos at Buc-ees, finally got them loaded.

GPS took us on a bypass of I-75 through rural Georgia (to save 30 minutes).

We FINALLY got to the hotel and it was DARK.  I was too tired to go out again in the car, so we had microwave Michelina's dinners that Terry microwaved.

We then went onto our Temple's Chanukah Service.  Only Rabbi Sherman and Cantor McKenzie were there playing their guitars.  

On our way to Florida - Day One

 Marilyn got to Terry's around 8 a.m.  We got the car packed up and were on our way about 8:15 a.m., in a foggy morning!

Not much traffic on 294 or 80/94.   Of course, we checked out an Oasis on the south side of Chicago before getting onto i-65.

Good thing we stopped when we did as none of the I-65 Rest Areas were open until after Indianapolis.

We stopped at Love's for gas and lunch at Subway.

Back on I-65, our GPS took us on a little detour where there were lots of round-abouts (getting us ready for The Villages).

We are at La Quinta in Elizabethtown.

Went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner.  Nice meal and quiet.

Friday and Saturday and Lansing, MI

Friday, September 27, 2024

Terry came to Marilyn's about 10:30 a.m., and we packed Marilyn's car, and then picked up Ida at 11 a.m.

We headed toward Lansing, with a stop at a McDonald's for lunch.  

We later stopped at Cracker Barrell to use the washroom and bought some M&M's, and a little gift.

We arrived at the Hyatt Place Hotel in East Lansing (where they charged $10 for parking in their garage).

We rested in our rooms and then met to go to dinner at Mitchell's Fish Restaurant, in the shopping center across the way. We met our cousin, Bill Molner, and his lady friend Lisa for dinner.  Everything was delicious, but we forgot to take a photo of the group!  Our bad!!!!  This photo is from Bill's Facebook post.

Back to the hotel for the night.

Saturday, September 28, 2024

After sleeping only fair, we met Ida for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and had a nice breakfast.  They had a nice buffet and the breakfast area was not crowded.  MSU was having a football game later that day, so some of their fans were in the hotel.

We left the hotel, packing up the car, to go to Stateside Deli to meet Martha Smith and her friend Lee, for brunch at 11 a.m., in Okemos, Michigan.  They had driven in from Mt. Pleasant.  Lee had been President of the Reading Association of Michigan and knew Rick's first wife, Susan, and Susan's sister who both were past presidents of the National Reading Association.

L TO R:  Ida, Marilyn, Terry, Lee, Martha

After leaving the Deli, we stopped for gas and headed home. Along the way, we stopped at a rest area for a break, and then made our way on I-94, into the Indiana Toll Road, and then the Skyway to take Ida home.  We dropped her off and then stopped in Lincoln Village at a Panera so Terry could use the washroom.  Terry then put her luggage in her car, which was in Marilyn's parking space, and headed home.

HOME

 We left Elizabethtown about 8:30 after a nice breakfast of waffles.  There were not a lot of people in the hotel and it made for a nice, quiet breakfast.

It was clear sailing for most of the trip.  We stopped at a Love's for gas and they had a Hardee's Restaurant so we had chicken sandwiches there.

We stopped at a McDonald's for a break and when we got back into the car we were rerouted over to the Calumet Expressway into I 294, because of lane closures on 80-94.  It was an interesting ride into Will County and then on I 294, which is still under construction.

Dropped Terry off and then Marilyn came home to a light drizzle, but parked in the driveway so the suitcases could be taken out of the car without any rain affecting them.

On the road - Day 2

The beds were comfortable at the Hyatt Place in Smyrna,  GA, however the room configuration was not to our liking.  They made changes to the room that we disliked.  The interior designer should be shot at dawn.  The mirror over the sink where the bar area was is missing., as is the sink  The desk used to be spacious - now it is a mini desk. The area is now a mirror, a lot of wasted space, a two drawer dresser which is inaccessible, and hooks above for ????  No door on the closet either.

We then went down for breakfast = there were only a few tables and they were occupied.  Also, they had run out of plates and there were a lot of people waiting.  We each finally got a plate, grabbed a bagel and some peanut butter and jelly and took it up to our room.  What had been our favorite chain is no longer our favorite.  I complained that when I made the reservation they did not mention that they were under construction.  The clerk who checked us out, gave me 2000 Hyatt points - but no change to the rate.  We may try the Holiday Inn Express across the way next time.

We went to a I-Hop for lunch and came just in time to beat the crowd.  

Traffic was moving steady throughout the day.  Except early in the trip, just outside of Atlanta, I had to swerve to miss a bicycle on the roadway.  Scared Terry as she was looking down and did not see what I had swerved to miss.  We saw a car over on the shoulder that had one bike on it, which probably lost the one on the roadway.  Hope there was no accident because of it.

We got to the La Quinta Hotel, in Elizabethtown, and have a room with two sinks outside of the toilet and shower, a sofa and two TV's.  A refrigerator and microwave are also in the room.

We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse.  Great dinner - too bad we are traveling would have loved to have taken the leftovers home.

Throughout the trip, Terry has admired these purple flowers.  Since we were moving, she took this photo which really did not show them off.

On the Road

 We left the house at 8:15 a.m.  Fortunately, it did not rain so we were able to get Terry's suitcase into the back seat after moving the car onto the driveway.  The garage is too narrow to open her side backdoor.

We left the towels and sheets on the washing machine and texted Shirley to let her knew that we had left.

Stacy will be upset, because we had lunch at McDonalds.  It took two of us to order using the kiosk.

We had a little rain early, but then it cleared up.

Our GPS took us out of traffic, which we appreciated.

We got to the Hyatt Place Hotel in Smyrna, GA to find that the front door was closed as they are under construction.  We did find the correct door for entry.  As we arrived so did the police.  There was an altercation and the front desk called them.

We came upstairs and rested for a little while, and then walked over to Carrabba's for dinner.  We shared a chicken parm and Terry had a salad and Marilyn had a soup.

We came back to the hotel and sat on the couch and both promptly feel asleep - nice nap!

Packing and Tossing Out

 We both did laundry and then spent the morning packing and loading the car.

Even a 500 pound person would not have helped close suitcases- just too much stuff from our three-month stay and marathon shopping.  Not everything fit into our suitcases, so extra bags of stuff are piled into the car.  Do cars have to be weighed - or only trucks?

We are eating the last vestiges of food and will be ready to leave in the morning.

Tomorrow our computers and our hotel suitcases will go into the car.

We plan to go onto our Temple's service tonight.  Our only excitement of the day!

Politics, Packing Up, Diane and Tom, Animals

Happy 116th birthday to our Dad, in heaven.

After breakfast, we both went on the Zoom with Sally to discuss politics.  Marilyn in the lanai and Terry in the "office."

We finished packing the box that we leave at Diane and Tom's and have a list of things that we will leave in the house.

We went to the postal station for our last time this trip and then went to The Resale Shoppe to donate some "hats" that we bought and did not wear to the Chicagoland  Ladies Tea.

We then recycled our newspapers at St. Tim's Catholic Church.

We came home to relax and then went to Diane and Tom's with our box and then all went to R.J. Gators for dinner.  We ate inside as it was too long of a wait for an outside table.  IT WAS COLD in the restaurant but the food was good.

Tom and Terry walked to get the car while Diane and Marilyn waited - listening to the music at Sumter Square and talking.

When we left the restaurant there was a man with two parrots - Terry only got a good photo of the one bird.

In the neighborhood, there is this "puppy" who gets decorated and he is ready for Easter.

Packing Up, Book Club, Downloading Forms, RAC Program

What would Wednesday morning be without some Des Plaines Post Office drama?  For the first time since we have been in Florida, Terry got a text with a tracking number for a premium forwarding package from her post office.  ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT IS THAT NO PACKAGE WAS TO BE SENT AND HER MAIL WAS TO BE HELD.

It took multiple tries to get in touch with the post office and they found the package, fortunately, it had not gone out as yet, and will be held!  At least, we hope that is the case.

We spent some of the morning packing up the box that we leave at Diane and Tom's and also left some things in the house.

We went on the Sisterhood Book Club, that Janet Levine conducted as Hedda Schless just got out of the hospital after some surgery.  Hedda was on the Zoom!

After lunch, we ran over to Laurel Manor and Terry was able to download the program she needs for doing personal taxes.

We also stopped for gas and the prices went up again.

Shortly after Jeopardy ended, we listened to the RAC's Program 

Every Voice, Every Vote: Take Action

Book Interview, Barry Bradford 1974, and Cousins

Before breakfast, Marilyn listened to last night's Skokie Board Meeting.

Marilyn went on the Streicher Center Women on the Move book interview. Cathleen Schine was the guest.

Her  book is about a grandson and grandmother who spend Covid together and the grandson learns about how she left Europe before the war.

We both listened to Barry Bradford's program about 1974 and what the news was then.

At 4:30 our time, we had a Zoom with our Sachsel cousins.

Top Row:  Terry, Marilyn,  and Harriet

Bottom row: Linda and Julie

We plan to watch Jeopardy and then Finding Your Roots.

Pedicure and John Della Volpe and Working at our computers

 The morning started out rainy, but cleared up as the day progressed.

We had a quick breakfast and then went to Angela's Nails to get pedicures.  For the second month, Moi did Marilyn's pedicure and Abagail did Terry's pedicure.

We came home and stayed in for the day.

After dinner we went on a special program that Sally  Sachar put together for a combination of her groups.  Pollster and Harvard Professor John Della Volpe was the speaker.  He spoke about young people and voting.

John Della Volpe is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and the author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America

Sunday, March 17 - St Patrick's Day - FORGOT TO WRITE THE BLOG

 

It was hot and humid (not Marilyn's weather - Terry was happy as a clam).

We got a late start, after writing Mitch and Marty about Betty (she died three years ago today).  We miss her and her sense of humor.  She always saw the bright side even when things were bad.

Marty, Betty and Mitch

We headed to Seabreeze Recreation Center for a  Glass Fusion Show.  We did not buy anything.

We then went over to Dollar Tree - Terry was searching for an insulated case, but did not find what she wanted.

We then had a trip over to Anthony's (25% off sale) but we did not buy anything.

Next was our final Beall's Outlet run and Terry found a cute top - they almost paid her to take it home, as we had a $5 credit.

Terry ran into Publix for a few things (all in one bag) just to fill in for the rest of the week.

In Sunday's Daily Sun Newspaper about The Villages:

2024 Villages statistics

#1 In Senior Living - the average median age is 68.3 years.  Punto Gorda is 2nd at 59.9 years

#1 in Recreation  -747 holes of golf, 253 pickleball courts, 30 platform tennis courts (most in the U.S), 164 approximate miles of multi-modal paths, 8 dog parks

#1 in Public Safety The Villages leads the state in bystander CRP rate of 65% (including more than 6,000 residents trained in CPR and automated external defibrillator use with the Neighbors Saving Neighbors Program.  The community boasts nearly 1,300 AEDs, including 864 in the neighborhood program.

#1 in Veterans One in seven residents served in the U.S. armed forces

#1 in Income Growth.  Per capita income grew by 37.8%

#1 in Giving - Volunteers lead and assisted in more than 5,600 resident lifestyle and sports groups  through The Villages Recreation and Parks Department.  More than 700 volunteers at UF Health The Villages Hospital Auxiliary Foundation

#1 in Voting - About 76% of registered voters in Sumter County cast a ballot in 2022 general election

#1 in New Residents - growing by 16.8% in Sumter County, 10.5% in Lake County, 9.1% Marion County

Elyse and Mark Smith

 After breakfast and doing some work on our computers, we left to go to the Brandon Mall, and this time to the Cheesecake Factory to meet Elyse and Mark Smith.  Elyse is Betty's step daughter.

We had a delightful lunch.  Terry and I both finished our lunch and shared a piece of cheesecake.

Carmel Turtle Cheesecake

Elyse and Mark had leftovers including their piece of cheesecake.

We came home and stopped at the Postal Station for Terry's package.

Marilyn sat down to read and fell asleep in a food coma!!!!  

Terry was busy opening her mail