Ask anyone who has adopted a pet from The Humane Society.  We love our pets from the Galveston IHS (and all they cost were a few immunizations at a discount:)  Most of the dogs I met in the Pet Parade were rescues.  Why would you pay hundreds, even thousands, when there are so many in need of homes?  They come in every breed, shape and size imaginable and the love they give is worth every penny!  They add such spice to our lives and ask so little in return ~ a bowl of food and a little water goes a long way.  AND they give you an excuse to dress up like a maniac and parade down The Strand on Mardi Gras!

Connie is beyond description.  Multi-talented, generous, caring to a fault, just begin to describe this salt water soul.  Sometimes we just need to stop and be grateful for the people God places in our lives.  Recently our friend and water aerobics buddy Kahla moved to her new digs.  Connie grabbed a glue gun, some shells and a grapevine wreath.  Viola!  Better than store bought.  She also is an artist with a pair of scissors. I would let no one else near my unruly curls. More than that, she always brings a positive spirit to the occasion.  She has touched so many of us at Diamond Beach in so many ways, I just wanted to say thanks for being you Connie!

A girl never gets too old to sit on Santa’s knee and share her secret wish list.  While Santa couldn’t promise that my book would be published, he did provide some invaluable advice on how to get it done.  Christmas for the Wilcox’s began Christmas Eve and went on for several days after, as Captain Matt had to fly Christmas Day.  No problem, we adjusted our time together to Austin over the days after Christmas ~ when life hands you lemons:)  Two things Austin always offers:  cold weather at Christmas time and great places to eat out.

As we sat on Laura and Tres’s sectional enjoying the fire, we shared our gifts one-by-one.  As we watched each other open his gift, we savored the expression of enjoyment on the face of the recipient.  Now that we are 7, with the 2 grandchildren, it takes the better part of the morning.  No problem, our stockings provided the traditi0nal nuts and fruits to go with Laura’s wassail.  With 2 toddlers and 2 family dogs, there wasn’t a quiet moment.  Ivy ran back and forth on her new floor piano while Hazel whizzed around on her Frozen cycle.  Since it was actually a few days after Christmas, when it got really crazy we threw the family in the minivan and headed for Hula Hut’s near the end of 6th Street.  Great Tex-Mex overlooking Lake Austin, but the coup de grace was the synchronized musical light show provided by the next door coffee shop.  God truly blessed us every one this year.

Every family has one, they often go unnoticed and unappreciated by family members.  It doesn’t matter if they paint, sculpt, write, or act, they need your encouragement to blossom.  Last night I traveled to Beaumont for Gina’s first showing in the beautiful historic Mildred building.  It was well worth the trip.  While I have never been a fan of contemporary art, probably because I don’t quite “get it”, a shortfalling on my part; I admit I did fall in love with one of her pieces.  It is the only piece of contemporary art I’ve ever purchased, and it will hold an honored place in my little beach condo.  Unfortunately I didn’t catch a picture of it, so you will have to visit me to view it:)

Thanksgiving Day table is set at the WineNDine for everything BUT turkey, knowing that Black Friday will hold turkey and trimmings in Beaumont.  So our turkey day display was filled with shrimp, crabmeat, and green bean casserole.  Sister Ruthie made her famous bread pudding and Paige provided our Mom’s chocolate wafer and whipped cream log.

Dad and Carol rent a huge country hall Friday so the grandbabies can bring riding toys and run wild while adult family can relax and enjoy visiting while feasting on the traditional meal.  Such a great family tradition created by Carol, a retired school teacher, of course!

The Annual International Boat Show of Fort Lauderdale is best seen from from the water, just to get a perspective on the absurdly oversized yachts that boggle the mind.  These aren’t really yachts, they are ships as you can see.  Fortunately Captain Matt was willing to oblige, in spite of the squalls.  At least it was warm; can’t imagine being wet and cold on the water.  We couldn’t help but wonder where all these folks made the money to buy one of these “toys”.   I think there is evidence here that the recession is truly over:)  The most impressive sight to me, though, was the house (seen below) of the “intermittent windshield wiper” inventor.  Why couldn’t a Wilcox think of that?

Through the eyes of Joey’s kids, Tobyn and Paisley, the Festival of Lights became magical for Aunts Paige & Rita.  They forgot to be sullen teens as their eyes opened in wonder at the awesome display of sea and christmas themes in lights.  The two favorite events, though, were the fire juggler and the zip line.  After we watched Joey and Paisley, our two brave ones in the group, zip line over the entire display; the rest of us decided we have to come back and just do it!