And All Through The House

Rolled into JawJa early Christmas Eve afternoon, with our driver (my brother)breaking the sound barrier. Made the four hundred plus mile trip in just under six hours. We went to see my in laws first and spent a few hours with them. Bitter sweet visit. Reminded me once again how blessed I was both my parents took the express checkout. Good physical health and a failing mind are a terrible combination to live with, but was still nice to spend some time with them both.

We got to my sisters house around sunset, just as they were leaving for church service and made ourselves at home.


It still doesn’t seem possible Christmas Eve was here already with a new year just days away.

It was a fantastic time with all the family, only missing TJ, Stefan and Jamie, who had other obligations with other sets of family members.

We began Christmas celebration around noon with our new tradition of a gift swap/trade/steal. Everyone bought one nice present and we drew numbers. The first person opened a gift and had an option to keep or open another. The next person could steal the first persons' gift and let that person open another or keep what they opened...and so on and so on. It was a blast and laughed ourselves silly(er).

We had a huge dinner, compliments of our hostess with the mostest, my sister.

A couple of years ago she taught us a card game called 'Nerts' and we played it that afternoon. Everyone has their own deck of cards and is basically a group game of solitaire against each other. Our goofy brother chose to use the deck of over sized cards that came in one of his presents.

Being around our family is always a treat, whether you're one of us or just visiting our clan. It was a day and a half of pure love, laughter and merriment. As much as I'm beginning to truly enjoy living in Orlando, always look forward to time back home with the ones we moved away from.

Nonstop laughter is always good for the soul, and sure got plenty... and then some.


I was scrolling through my phone looking at pics I'd taken that afternoon and noticed two pics taken right after each other.


I uploaded them to my FB page with the caption "What's up when your husband looks happier with your sister than you?"  #batteredhusband

We all got a kick out of that one!

Tim, not so much...but he did chuckle about it.

Got to spend some time with my Lost Boy as well.

His personality is so very different from mine...actually all of ours. Maybe there was a baby swap with all three of our kids. None of them seem to haven gotten any of my 'Goofball' gene.

We ate, drank and laughed well into the evening hours, two days in a row and was the most fun I've had since the last time we were together, a mere two weeks ago for Massey's graduation.


I just couldn't (and wouldn't want to) imagine being from a family which doesn't remain tightly bound to each other. I know many people who have families like that, estranged, and  truly saddens me...for them.

Wasting precious love is a tragic way to spend your lifetime on this earth.

The Leach family love carries far, wide and deep. It was the way we were all (thankfully) brought up.

          No matter what I do or where I live or go, the love from these two constantly follow me.


That's a pretty awesome feeling to have...being loved, no matter what the circumstance.

It was traumatic losing my mother that fateful afternoon in 1977. It was equally as hard in 2002 when West Nile Virus took my Diddy. But with these two by my side every step of the way, have made it to the tender (ouch) age of fifty six.


If you have family members you don't speak to or stay in contact with, I urge you to change that. Make it your New Years' resolution.

I started this year as a wimp but  think I have ended it as a winner. I’m happy living in Orlando now and even happier when I get to visit my family still living back in JawJa. You can take a girl out of the peach state but you can’t take the peach state out of a girl.


We (Chris, Massey, Tim and I) got up this morning, the day after Christmas and piled into Chris' Mercedes aka the Falcon 9 at six AM and were back in Orlando before noon. Chris is a NASCAR driver behind the wheel.

We've made a lot of great memories the past day and a half, which will last a lifetime and be thought of and laughed about by the ones who will carry them on long after us three sibs are gone. We've raised some good young'uns and feel confident they will remain as close as Cindy, Chris and I have.

Love is truly all you need...and doesn't cost one thin dime.

How great is that?

In less than a week, we all begin another year. I urge you to make 2018 your own. Fill it with love and laughter and tight hugs.

You get what you give in this game called Life.

I've had more hits than misses in life but have struck out a couple of times. Lucky for me, my cheering section aka 'Family' has always been there to urge and sometimes provide the way for me to move on and always up.

I have a fortress of love surrounding me. Family, friends, coworkers, former coworkers, neighbors and mere acquaintances. If you put out positive vibes, they always boomerang back.

Life really is logical if you stop and think about it.


Wishing every one a happy and prosperous New Year!

Till next time...COTTON

Talk About A Christmas Angel

                        This was our last Christmas tree in Georgia, a huge twelve foot Fraser Fir.

Last year was the first time ever ( I believe) that we didn't have a real tree. A couple of years when we were broke as jokes, other people bought us a tree. We've always been blessed.

Last year was a tough Christmas for me. I was still reeling from my job transfer to Orlando gone awry and struggling to learn my new job, not to mention was suddenly living over four hundred miles away from my home of fifty six years. I've never been through depression that deep or long lasting before..even when we were poor as church mice

It was one of the toughest things I've ever (luckily) battled back from or against. 

Flash forward one year.

I've made some friends... good friends, mostly all from work but work is pretty much what I do best.

We all traveled back to Georgia this past weekend to let Massey walk with her class at college graduation. I was a nervous wreck about leaving the dogs. It's not easy when you own three huge dogs and two of them don't get along. We have the 'dog swap' down to a science. Our old blind boxer is just too nervous to be around our lunatic young boxer and have to keep them apart. What's even crazier is that they lay facing each other through the back sliding glass door and Ziggy has never once growled or been aggressive towards seeing Ham less than a foot away from him. Ham, the blind one, doesn't see Ziggy staring at him but know he senses that he is there and seems okay with it as well.

Go figure.

We found the perfect dog sitter. A coworker of mine who also owns three dogs and a couple of cats. One of the cats doesn't coexist well with her pups so she is all too aware of the separation factor. She's been to our house a couple of times and seen us do the 'swap'.  I typed out every instruction for her, which ended up being two pages long. Then the weather threw us another curve. Temps in the thirties forecast for Orlando with rain to boot. I lined the dog house out back with fresh shavings so when Ham had to be left out would have a warm place to go. She agreed to stay overnight so Ham could sleep inside and she would sleep in our bedroom with Ziggy...door shut.

I thought about the dogs...a lot ,but after not hearing from her, knew they were all hunky dory.

And they were!

We had to stay an extra day in Georgia because of a snow storm which cancelled graduation from Saturday afternoon and moved to Sunday evening.

She acted as if it was nothing when I texted and agreed to stay Sunday until around eleven PM, putting Ham out back in the yard with a warm dog house before she left for her own home.

Tim and I left the graduation around eight PM. We dropped Zach back off in Newnan and hit the road for Orlando around nine. We rolled back into Orlando after three in the morning, just in time to do another dog swap and let Ham sleep inside, in the living room, with Ziggy sleeping with us in the bedroom.


We walked in to the house and were greeted by a fully decorated three foot Christmas tree with lights.

There was a mason jar filled with spiced holiday tea, a can of white chocolate covered pretzels and cookies and a plate of fudge in the fridge. There was also a $25 gift card for Cracker Barrel...the place Massey and I frequent to get our JawJa fix. The icing on the proverbial cake was her Christmas card.

      She told me the next day that she knew Massey wanted a Christmas tree this year.


                  Now we have one , and in our tiny temp rental, looks and feels like a six footer! She is one of the nicest gals I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and feel grateful for her friendship. I couldn't believe all she did for us, when actually was us who owed her or taking excellent care of our pups.

I've made good friends here and beginning to feel at home in Florida. She and Massey hit it off  and now are pals as well.

It's hard building a new life in a new place after well over half a century but when you surround yourself with wonderful people, makes it a much more pleasant transistion.

Last year this same time, the verdict was still out as to whether or not I could be happy here. This year, the verdict is in. I can, and I am. Most of the thanks go to the wonderful people I have met and surrounded myself with here in Orlando

Thanks to our Christmas Angel, our dogs survived us being out of town and came home to find our place all decorated for Christmas.

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol:


"But I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely."

To be honest, I'm actually not too sure what I've done right in my life.

I've made a lot of  turns in my life, some for the better and some for the worse. But in the grand scheme of it all, think I'm an okay person.

At the end of your day, go to bed feeling like you have been an okay person that day.


Baby steps.

                                             If you haven't...tomorrow is another chance.



                                                                      If you're lucky.

Love fast and love hard.

Merry Christmas

COTTON

All Coming Together

The last time we took a family photo together was when TJ left for Australia, probably over five years ago. At least this one has a much better background and are all in a much better place in life.

Our girl, Massey got Gradiated this past weekend. We headed back to Georgia and ended up with almost ten inches of snow around the university where she was to graduate.

Graduation was cancelled for Saturday afternoon at three and moved to Sunday evening at six.

Huge flag on the play!


You can't stop us...we went right ahead with her graduation party on Saturday night at my sisters' house. All our friends from north and west of us were snowed in and couldn't attend but had a great turnout, with about twenty five of us celebrating Massey's wonderful accomplishment of getting her college degree.

             
One of her besties decorated her mortarboard and did an outstanding job!

My sister(of course) outdid herself with a huge pot of chili and  huge pot of vegetable beef soup. I simply chopped green onions, japs (restaurant lingo) and made some cornbread.


It was so nice to have all three of my kids together again and be with both my sibs as well.

I pretty much think everyone had a great time. There were friends from our past and friends we've made since.

The saying is true..."Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other one's gold."


To be surrounded by our three kids again was a wonderful feeling. It's been way too long.

The snow put a hitch in our plans for her graduation ceremony. TJ and his lil fam had to miss graduation and so did my brother since it was put off until Sunday evening but Saturday night was our graduation party, for her as well as us...for surviving!

If there is one thing I can say about being a member of the family I was lucky enough to born into, is that it's the best jump start in life you could ever be lucky enough to get.

Lucky for me, I did get it. 

It was such a wonderful weekend, even with all the weather issues. Our daughter graduated with her college degree and both my sibs were there to help celebrate. All three of my kids were there as well and we were surrounded by our friends, old and new.

Life doesn't get much luckier than that.

"The once in a lifetime kind of people."

Those are the peeps you want to be lucky enough to have love you. Always surround yourself with them and everything will be alright.



I asked my husband tonight to think of a song which (to him) best described being born as a Leach  (my maiden name) or how my family considers the grand scheme of life?

He thought for about maybe three minutes and came up with this:

Seems I chose a good man to marry and dance with through life.

He gets me...and he gets my family.

I've never asked him, but think he feels pretty lucky to have fallen in with us along his own way through life.

                                          We came into life separately  but are conquering it... together.

                        Huge congrats to Massey, our first college graduate! Go far and aim higher.

                                    We know you will; always know we have your back.

                                                                  Go gettum kid!

   She came into this world twenty two years ago, almost three months early and nearly killing us both.

                                                                And now I know why.

                 I'm the luckiest woman on this planet and don't ever think I do not realize that.

I relish every moment of my life . The good times, the bad times and the times it took to get from one to the other.


Til next time...

A mighty grateful COTTON