Life in the Sunshine State

Our New Year's Eve celebrations go back to when 1999 rolled over into 2000. From that first celebration, New Year's Eve became a special time for friendship, goal-setting, good food, and lots of laughter. We look forward to it all year long because no matter how busy life gets or how far apart we live from each other, New Year's Eve rolls around and we gather together.

Happy New Year from the Gulf Coast!

-Wandering around Seaside-

We took a carriage ride around the lake New Year's Eve and sang Christmas carols the entire time. Afterwards, the carriage driver thanked us for the serenade. :)

My birthday is in January, a very cold month in all the places I've lived. This year, however, I became a Floridian, so my 26th birthday was celebrated at the beach in flip-flops! 

Civil war reenactments, vintage automobiles, Celtic folk music, and afternoon tea are just a handful of the many reasons why I love this town! 

JoJo let Spot lean against him to keep warm while he slept on the bench on the back porch. They are best buddies.

-The great ice storm of 2014-
School was out for three days, the temperature never climbed above 25 degrees, and there was a sheet of solid ice on the ground. To people in the north, it would not have been a big deal. To the residents of Florida who had not seen ice/snow accumulation in over 20 years, it was a HUGE deal.

-A package from Russia from a childhood pen pal, Indian food on Valentine's Day with my kindred spirit, chocolate from Kazakhstan, and walks around the lake-"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
-James 1:17