Merry Christmas 2018

It was almost too good to be true, but we managed a marvelous, healthy, mishap-free Christmas with the Morlan-Needham-Seymour gang! Truly, it was everything I hoped for, and I am so very grateful.

We girls enjoyed a festive tea outing at the St. Regis (along with Chris and Abby, not pictured). Thus even included a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus for Laura:

We enjoyed several delicious meals both at home and at Eclipse di Luna, as well as baking (and eating) several tasty treats:

Christmas Eve brought church and its finery:

Plus placing Baby Jesus in the manger:

Christmas morning brought LOTS of goodies, including this cozy chair for Clare that was quickly covered by many:

The holiday also gave Uncle Tim, a.k.a. The Fox, the opportunity to reach the big kids how to play poker.

It was a brief, but blissful time. Merry Christmas indeed!

 

Sometimes Good Enough Will Have To Do

We were delayed in selecting our tree this year, because the first week of December was when I was able to schedule house painters. (So long, yellow walls!) I had been told by a friend at school that there was a shortage of trees this year, a fact that quickly came to light when we headed to Home Depot early Saturday morning. My hopes for a 12-foot tree were quickly dashed when we saw that they only had a couple of 9-foot trees left. Since neither of these were to our liking, we headed to another Home Depot, unsure of what we would find. While their selection was not huge, they at least had a better looking tree in the 9 to 10 foot range. So, it was quickly decided that this was our tree! And you know what? We still had a great time decorating it, and we still love to sit around it!

The Thanksgiving That Taught Us About All of Our Blessings

There was bound to be a vacation or holiday that didn’t quite measure up, and Thanksgiving 2018 turned out to be one of them. The trip started out well enough, with a smooth drive and beautiful weather on Sunday, followed by a nice round of golf for Larry and Tim on Monday morning and a fun lunch downtown for all of us.

On Tuesday morning, the five of us woke up early and headed to Universal Orlando, where we had tickets to experience both of the Harry Potter worlds. The above photos are proof that we were there. Unfortunately, after just two rides, Clare came down with a stomach bug for the first time in 10 years! We tried to sit it out for a bit, but it was soon apparent that we needed to go home. It must be said that Danny and Laura were incredibly understanding about this!

We made it back to the condo, and Tim took Danny and Laura to Siesta Beach to salvage the rest of their day. Fortunately, Clare woke up feeling better on Wednesday, but we needed to lay low. So Tim and the other two went with Ryan, Brian, and Larry to the aquarium. All nine of us were able to enjoy a nice dinner at Philippi Creek that evening, which turned out to be the highlight of the week.

Unfortunately, Danny started throwing up very early on Thanksgiving. By late morning, he seemed stable, so Tim and Larry went out for a round of golf. Eventually, however, they got called off the course because Karen was headed to the hospital via ambulance for back pain. She and Donna spent several hours in the ER, but made it home in time for dinner (much of which Donna had wisely prepared ahead of time). Danny had to stay in the other condo, and Clare pushed herself too much at dinner, so Friday morning dawned a bit grimly for them.

Given that Laura stayed healthy, and Ryan needed an outing, the four of us headed to the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Reptile fun for all!

We did manage to pull off one last meal all together, and I suppose ultimately that’s what we came for, right? 

Halloween 2018

It was inevitable, but admittedly a bit sad for the Seymour and Franco adults: The kids went separate ways this year, so the adults didn’t get to hang. End of an era. This meant finding new plans for Danny and Laura, too, but we ultimately lucked out by way of our soccer family/neighbors!

Although the Coach Bobby soccer era ended for Danny, his daughter wound up on Laura’s team this fall. So they invited us to join them for the festivities, which worked out well because it’s really close, and both kids had a trick-or-treating buddy. While Danny totally phoned it in on his “costume,” he was still very eager to gather goodies.

Laura, meanwhile, took her role as Hermione from Harry Potter very seriously. I had a serious deja vu moment from my high school days as I braided her hair the night before, prepping for the crimped effect. She was very pleased with the results.

Clare spent the evening with Abby over at SJ’s house. They reported a delightful time of pizza and trick-or-treating. They made very cute cats, too!

We couldn’t have had a more gorgeous evening, so Tim and I enjoyed strolling behind Laura and Neve while sipping beers. (Danny and Ewan were on a more accelerated pace.) Best of all, we were home by 8pm, and since it was a school night that worked out well. We did grumble a bit at the Francos for not delivering any pulled pork, but they claim they didn’t make any. That may be reason enough to reinstate Halloween with them next year, but overall we considered this year a victory!

The Gang of 9, Year 8

Eight years in a row. It's a pretty incredible feat for two busy families, so I'd say it sums up quite well the importance and overall enjoyment of the tradition of our mountain house weekend with the Francos. It's also yet another piece of evidence that time flies - wasn't it just yesterday that Tim was carrying Laura on his back for our first hike?

This year we made our reservation early and thus returned to Kleinhaus, with its incomparable views (the above is from a window in the living room). It's truly a special piece of property, with terrific access to several hiking spots and the charming town of Clayton.

Although the weather was a tad warmer than we would have liked for a fall getaway, we took advantage of the outdoors and went on hikes both Saturday and Sunday. The first was to a scenic waterfall area. The second turned out to be an extremely rigorous 2.2 mile hike that we all thought was *surely* longer than that, until Isabella's tell-tale Fitbit reported the truth. Still, the views from the official overlook at the top were quite stunning (see family photo at the top of the post).

We also spent a lot of time chilling, something I think every single one of us needed. I kept my phone on silent, and it was glorious. We watched the sun set. Not a single game of Euchre was played, which needs to be remedied next year (and sooner than that, on the Party Porch), but the Irish did have an excellent victory on Saturday night. And Tim and Luis engaged Clare and Isabella in late-night billiards and ping-pong, so I'd say some important bonding took place.

The weekend went by as quickly as the 8 years have done, but I don't doubt that it will feel like I am posting about year 9 tomorrow. What a blessing.

Labor Day Getaway

Faced with the rare long weekend with nothing on the schedule for any of us, Tim and I decided to capitalize on it and booked a weekend in Asheville, NC. As the years increasingly fly by, we’ve realized it’s now or never to go places and do things together as a party of five.

I think we struck the right balance of things to do and time to relax. Friday afternoon’s drive was painful, as there were a *lot* of people on the road. But we eventually made our way to the rental house and found it very much to our liking. 

The next morning we woke up leisurely, and made our way to a charming breakfast spot in the Biltmore Village. From there we headed to the Biltmore Estate, where I am happy to say that all five of us really enjoyed the audio tour of the massive home. (In particular, the kids’ audio tour did a great job of keeping Laura’s attention.) The grounds were also spectacular, if HOT, and the Chihuly glass exhibition was impressive.

Toured out and hungry (maybe even hangry), we headed to downtown Asheville - not a unique idea. But we found a parking space, and then Bar Taco, and doin life was looking up once again. Refreshed, we walked around and hit Malaprop’s Book Store (Clare’s request) and French Broad Chocolate (dessert for all). Two thumbs up.

We grilled hamburgers back at the house and settled in for a great Irish season opener over Michigan. Yes! 

Another leisurely morning ultimately led to a family hike at the North Carolina Arboretum, with lovely grounds and views and several different trails - perfect for our “soft, suburban family” as described by Tim.

A quiet afternoon at home preceded a gorgeous visit and dinner at the Grove Park Inn. Everyone was sufficiently wowed by the views and the building- and dinner was pretty great, too.

A lovely end to our weekend escape!

First Day of 6th and 2nd

They would tell you the summer was too short, and that they weren’t ready to return to school, but I would disagree. Let the school year begin! A big year for both!

Golden Times in the Golden State

I’m pretty sure we are in the sweet spot of vacation ages: Everyone is old enough to participate in things AND amuse themselves (mostly), no one so young they need constant monitoring. And no one too old to enjoy the time, at least not in this crew. Bliss.

This year we tried new things like Mission San Juan Capistrano, Crystal Cove Beach, Mt. Soledad, Balboa Island and Torrey Pines State Beach, and old favorites like La Jolla, the Del Mar horse races, Balboa Park, Oceanside beach and Old Town. We enjoyed it all!

Ultimately, though, cousin time reigned supreme - and this year featured a “horror” movie titled “The Cat Sitter” (not photographed here). 

We are so grateful for another magical visit to CA!