Sunday, December 30, 2018

Christmas 2018

December was a busy month!  We started off the Christmas season with our church Christmas party.  We did a breakfast this year and it was a lot of fun!




 Kate sang in the talent show and Izzy played the violin.  

After breakfast and the talent show, there was a special visit from Santa!








 Another fun event is the Singing Christmas Tree at Bradfordville Baptist Church.  This year Mason came with us (Gigi, Granddaddy, Kate and me) and he loved it!  Maybe next year we can convinced Daddy to join us. :)
 It was Maverick's first Christmas and there was only one time he was on the naughty list and ate a present.  Thankfully I was able the toy inside wasn't damaged and we were able to re-wrap it.  Silly puppy. 

 Maverick even met Santa and had his picture taken at Petco.  

Not only did we have Christmas fun on the weekends, but at school too!  I went to both class parties with the kids and enjoyed every minute of it.

 Kate's class had a breakfast for the parents and then each student opened their gift from Ms. Homme (a book).

Mason's class decorated gingerbread houses for their party and he did a great job on his house!   

 One Friday night before Christmas, we met Gigi, Granddaddy, Uncle Jordan, Aunt Katie, Cooper and Camden at Dorothy B Oven to see the lights!  A favorite tradition of mine!



 We even ran into friends (Kate with Anna Kate)!

 It was cold that night but we had a great time!  

One unexpected gift this year was a brand new truck for Justin.  My car rolled over 200,000 miles in December and we started discussing me getting a new car.  But I wasn't sure what I wanted (still don't know) and Justin mentioned all the repairs that were needed on his Dodge truck.  During a random conversation we learned Chevy/GMC trucks were on super discount due to the end of the year and a new body style in 2019.  After doing some research, we ended up purchasing a brand new 2018 GMC Sierra SLT (loaded) for the same price as a used one with low miles.  It has always been on my bucket list to buy a new vehicle, I just thought it would have been for me.  Haha.   

Enjoying riding in the new truck.

One day, I mentioned to Justin I wished he would plan family activities every now and then.  This was a learning lesson for me to be careful what I wish for because he decided we would wear matching Christmas Vacation shirts for Christmas Eve.  All of our shirts are well known quotes from the movies and we got several compliments.  Haha. 

 Mason: You Serious Clark?
Kate: Looks Great!  Little Full, Lotta Sap 
 My shirt: Why is the carpet all wet Todd?
Justin: I don't know, Margo! 
 We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Aunt Katie and Uncle Jordan's house on Christmas Eve and then a chilly golf cart ride around their neighborhood to look at lights. 
 Excited for Santa to come! 
 Santa was very good to them and he even left a little something for Maverick - a new food bowl!  Mason got football goal posts and a Jacksonville Jaguars football uniform for his big gifts and Kate got a Barbie dream townhouse a life-like baby doll for her big gifts. Their other big surprise gift from mommy and daddy was a Disney cruise for spring break! More to come about that big trip! 
We had a wonderful Christmas Day spent with family and friends!  We enjoyed the morning at Gigi and Granddaddy's house and the afternoon at our house with Mimi and Papa.  Later that evening we had both our families over for a pasta dinner (ziti and baked spaghetti) and were joined by our wonderful friends, the Bruners.  
Merry Christmas! 

Friday, November 30, 2018

Saying Goodbye to Gaga

The day before Thanksgiving, Gaga went home to heaven.  She was so special to me and I miss her so much already!  She was a part of my life for the last 14 years and I am so blessed by the time we spent together.  She was so special to me and I felt like she and I always had a special bond.  She always introduced me as her granddaughter, not her granddaughter-in-law.  She loved telling stories and I loved hearing them.  I can still picture her sitting there and closing her eyes to remember a small detail and then saying, "well, anyway" if she couldn't remember.  She always saved articles for me to read during our next visit together and make sure to have special treats for the kids (a photo album, bracelet, cookies or candy). 

She amazed me at her endless energy and determined attitude.  I admired her kindness, thoughtfulness, friendliness, passion and strength.  She helped start the Southwest Florida Gold Star Mothers Chapter in Naples and I know she touched so many lives.  She made friends everywhere she went and I see a lot of her personality in Kate.  I loved our recent tradition of visiting her and Aunt Linda on Memorial Day weekend and honoring Bobby's memory.  It's hard to know I won't be able to talk to her or hug her again but I'm so thankful for all the memories we shared together.

There are so many pictures I have with Gaga over the years but these are a few of my favorites: 
Kate meeting Gaga for the first time (October 2009)
Gaga introduced Scooby to Kate (December 2009)

Attending the Crews/Sapp family reunion in Lake Butler:
July 2011
July 2017

Justin and I took the kids by ourselves this past reunion (July 2018) and I hope we can continue to attend in the future to honor his grandparent's memory.

Christmas visit (December 2014).
December 2015

Memorial Day Weekend 2016:



One of my favorites of Gaga with Justin and the kids.

Memorial Day Weekend 2017:

 One of my favorite pictures - just she and I!
Love this one too!  They all look so happy!

One of my most favorite memories will be last Christmas (December 2017) when Gaga was the Grand Marshal in the Naples Christmas parade and the kids were able to ride with her and pass out candy.  What a once in a lifetime opportunity!

 Another favorite memory I will always have is attending the Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz Carlton.  Gaga had always talked about taking Kate and last Christmas we booked our reservation.  I'm so thankful we did that together - it was worth every penny!


This past Memorial Day weekend (May 2018) was our last one together.  It hurts knowing it won't be the same next year but it's memories with her that I will always cherish and hopefully we can attend again in the future to continue the tradition.


The Monday after Thanksgiving, we drove down to Naples to honor Gaga. It was a quick trip and always good to see friends and family but Naples will never be the same now without the grandparents.  






 The Rolling Thunder biker group escorted the hearse to the Naples Memorial Garden for the burial.  Gaga had become close to several members due to her involvement with military events. It makes me smile that a 93 year old woman had a tight knit group of biker friends. 

Sometimes the impromptu pictures are some of your favorites.  
I love it - maybe it's because this was taken on the day we were honoring Gaga.

We love you and will miss you, Gaga!  You will always have a special place in our hearts.


A local news article about Gaga's passing: 



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