I would love to have been there in Dillon Montana with my daughter and son-in-law Meredythe and Joey Wedding but old lady Flo (I’m 95) not flying anymore.

Luckily my lovely daughter Meredythe agreed to do my shopping for me with all my Wedding Family. All I had to do was send her a check.

Just before Christmas Day she flew to Ohio for her grand daughter and my great granddaughter Holli Carpenter’s nurses pinning in Springfield Ohio. So she got a new outfit (Her Christmas present from me) to wear to the ceremony. And here she is wearing it.

Here is my granddaughter Jodi wearing the blouse and necklace gifts from me. You look very pretty Sweetheart. Jodi had one of the girls who work at Gables Nursing Home in Marysville Ohio take this picture with Jodi’s IPad and send it to me here in Florida.

With so much excitement going on at holiday time Meredythe forgot to tell me what I gave to Levi and Holli in Ohio. But whatever it was I’m sure they were happy with it.

Now she flew back home to get ready for Christmas with all the other ones of my family in Dillon

Dillon is a little town nestled between two snow capped mountain ranges. Having been through the Rocky Mountains several times in a car I can picture that little scene. Can you?

Now let’s go inside and see actual pictures and not have to imagine. Since Joey is an avid hunter you see mounted deer heads on their walls. Holding true to the north western thyme.

Meredythe changes the scene with this Christmas decorated table holding some of her treasures.

A group of Shirley Temple dolls with two little Madame Alexander doll in front and Lawton dolls Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist the English orphan who ask for the second bowl of porridge and Mary Tilton the little girl who came over on the Mayflower.

Also photo of her grandsons and my great grandsons Jeffrey and Darren when they were little and a picture of Levi an Holli my great grandchildren sitting on Santa’s lap, a Santa Claus, a book “‘The Night Before Christmas” a keepsake from Dean and Jodi’s childhood among other treasures.

Here is the picture I have of Levi and Holli on Santa’s lap, so precious!

Dean and Joey went out in the woods and cut down a tree for each of them. Meredythe said theirs was a Charley Brown tree. Not many branches!!

Another

That Shirley Temple doll looks like a little girl standing there, doesn’t it? She is from my collection of eleven Shirley Temple dolls most of them I gave to Meredythe for her doll collection.

And now for the other gifts from me

Joey showing the new watch I gave him and Dean seated holding his gifts

Patricia, Deans pretty wife with gifts

Jeffrey and Maegan…. they just purchased their first home in Three Forks Montana

Darren always the comedian. He did a show for television hunting in mines for gold that robbers had stashed. You should have seen him on his galloping horse going across the prairie with the man from the TV station. He was a real cowboy!

My great granddaughter Terra with Jake. Aren’t they adorable together?

And now for my great great grandson. Darren and Diana’s little boy Jayden. I think he likes what I gave him.

Little three year old Isaiah, Jayden’s brother, opening his gift.

Hey Isaiah don’t cut down your Gramma Pat’s Christmas tree with that buzz saw.

I gotta say YOU DONE GOOD Meredythe. Thank you so much for all your effort making everyone happy for your mom!!!!

I couldn’t have done it WITHOUT YOU!!

FRF❤️

Turning into Deer Creek Blvd you view these beautiful Florida oak trees

You slow to a stop at the gate house waiting for the attendant to give his nod and raise the bar.

And now to Tracy and Pamela Drake’s home in beautiful sunny Sarasota Florida where I am very fortunate to live with them.

As we arrive at the Tracy and Pam Drake home let’s see what is going on inside.

Pam has set the table with her best China, newly polished silverware, goblets and champagne glasses.

On into the kitchen and… oh great…. Tracy has just taken the ham from the oven and is assisted by my always helpful grand daughter Sarah. Also very nice is that her friend Ado is our family photographer.

Sarah checks to see all our dishes of mouth watering food made it to the table as she fills our champagne goblets. As you see Matt, always helpful, has already seated me at the table.

Our happy family together.. photo taken by Ado our professional photographer.

Just how helpful is this? We are so fortunate to have Matt and Sarah fill our dinner plate with our chosen food. Ham baked with brown sugar and mustard coating topped with pineapple slices, also escalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, asparagus and Tracy’s special corn bread. His secret….he adds whole kernel corn, cream and butter with two boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix.

I made a coconut cream pie and a pumpkin pie but we are all so full we decide to wait…….someone said 15 minutes…..for desert.

We all gathered around the tree and opened presents that Santa left for us.

Matt and Evin showing the present I had wrapped and ribboned. How you like? They call them “Flo’s bows”.

Tracy and Sarah watch as I open a package from Sarah and Ado. Delicious Belgium goodies.

I had baked sugar cookie cut outs that Pam, Evin and Sarah decorated them Christmas Eve while joining Tracy, Matt and Ado in the family room watching a ball game on TV.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT. I had already gone to bedzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

FRF❤️

My son-in-law, Tracy Drake, is very busy in the kitchen making oyster stuffing for the turkey getting it ready for the oven. He rubs soft butter all over the turkey, salts, the places it in a cooking bag, in the big roaster and in the oven to bake four hours.

Tracy usually buys mashed potatoes already made from Publix freezer. Since I wanted real potatoes and red ones guess who peeled them on thanksgiving morning. You guessed right, it was 95 year old FLO.

We invented our lovely neighbors Pat Boyer, 100 year old Lee LaPage and her daughter Darlene to join us. They brought baked corn and a sweet potato marshmallow casserole plus two bottles of wine. One bottle was my kind Sutter Home White Zinfandel.
My daughter Pamela made a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie. She also did this beautiful table setting.

Tracy has just taken the turkey from the oven

Pamela, Sarah and Pat, that is her arm, assist Tracy in draining turkey drippings from the roaster for gravy.

Sarah inspecting all the food she has just placed on the dinning room table

Some body forgot to tell me to smile

We each had so much to be thankful for. A delicious dinner, lovely friends and family in beautiful sunny Sarasota Florida.

FRF❤️

How delightful this is for Holli Carpenter’s Great Gramma Flo. She is following in her Gramma Meredythe’s foot steps to become a Registered Nurse, having her nurses pinning ceremony at Springfield Ohio. So she is now a nurses aid.

By ambulance, Holli’s mother Jodi Wedding, along with Holli and Meredythe are on their way from Gables at Marysville Ohio to Springfield for the ceremony. And surprise, their ambulance driver had a granddaughter in the same class being pinned.

Let’s have us a look-see at these happy family festivities……..

Here is Holli with her ever loving Gramma Meredythe Wedding

Holli and her brother Levi standing on each side of their proud father Dean Carpenter and seated front and center their beautiful Mother, Jodi Carpenter Wedding with blankets to keep her toasty warm. It was a cold winter day in Ohio.

In this picture we have added Holli’s Gramma Meredythe

And here she is with her boyfriend. Note the shirt with tie and jacket with blue jeans, quite the stylist.

A close up with brother and sister Levi and Holli

And now beautiful Holli by herself

They are my wonderful family !!!

FRF❤️

This is the day I am 95 years old. How did I get so old so fast? However it is actually quite nice because I’m having a second birthday party at the BONEFISH GRILL where our best friends and neighbors in Deer Creek are joining us.

First things first, we each ordered our favorite cocktail, mine was champagne, for a group toast to my birthday and a delightful evening.

My son-in-law Tracy Drake, always the gracious host, got up from our table in the restaurant and took this photo. The second lady on the left side just turned 100 years old this past September 18th. Isn’t she beautiful? She even has a beautiful name, Lee LaPage. Along with her are Pat Boyer and Lee’s daughter Darlene LaPage.

After a while when I spotted our waitress just leaving from another table where she took their order, I hailed her down and ask would she take a picture of us at our table. With a big smile she took my IPad and this is the photo she snapped.

Our lovely neighbors handed me a bagged gift to open and , you have to see this absolutely unique and charming security light they had found. I love it!

And lighted

An adorable little boy at a table next to us let out a high pitched squeal that was attention getting and we all turned to see he was a toddler. How Precious! The way we live in Florida not that many babies and little ones cross our path so for me this is a real treat. The older I get, the more I love seeing babies and small children.

The BONEFISH GRILL serves delicious coconut shrimp so guess what I had? It is listed as an appetizer but I told the waitress I wanted it as my entre with a house salad. It was YUM YUM tasty.

After we finished our meal, knowing how I had been looking forward, Tracy said “Did that make your tummy happy?”. My reply “It is smiling!”

When we all returned to our home in Deer Creek there on the table was a large bag full of gifts from Pam and Tracy. I pulled one wrapped gift after another from that bag. You must have a look-see at all the beautiful gifts.

We didn’t have desert at the restaurant, instead back at home we each had this.

A box of chocolate covered strawberries that came by UPS one day delivery, from my lovely friend in Ohio, Lisa Ellison. And here is the card she sent me…..

This card from her pretty blond daughter Joscelin, although totally blind from childhood diabetes is capable of doing ever so many things and is a dear friend of mine.

Inside

Other cards

There are many more cards I haven’t shown you.

And………you know what I decided? Turning 95 years old is rewarding!

WHAT DO YOU THINK??????

FRF❤️