Christmas 2023

Hope your year has been fantastic. Ours has been very good.

I am happy to report that I didn't have to have my gall bladder removed which is what I expected when I wrote last year's newsletter. The surgeon said that although my gall bladder function is low it isn't low enough to remove. So instead I had a heart catherization and the cardiologist discovered that I have micro-vascular dysfunction. This means that the capillaries in my heart are not working as well as they should. But it isn't a big problem so I am now taking two very low dose medications and a daily baby aspirin. I have only had very minor chest pains a few times this year so I feel comfortable that this diagnosis is correct. 

I went to Florida last December. I was there between Thanksgiving and Christmas so I was there for my brother's and my birthday.  Lee and I went to a NHL Tampa Bay Lightning versus Nashville Predators game. It was the first time I had been to that arena. Lee had been there once before. The Lightning beat us but it was still a good time. 

We had our first white Christmas. It was really pretty and very cold. 

 

Later in the winter, we discovered a negative consequence of the weather. There was an ice storm and it knocked our power out for 40 hours. It was cold but we were able to stay warm enough with our gas fireplace and lots of clothes and blankets. Meade cooked on our Coleman stove. It wasn't fun but it was an adventure.

Meade and I went to Sevierville again in February. We stayed at the same Wyndham resort. I went to Tuckaleechee caverns. Meade says I am a bat. They claim that they are the best cavern under the Smokies and I agree.  I also went to the Skylift Park in Gatlinburg. It was nice, the suspension bridge was a little scary but I walked it so I was proud of myself. I also went to SkyFly Soar America at The Island. It is like the Soarin ride at Disney World. They are kind of like a Ferris Wheel with an Imax. I love them, it feels like you are flying.

 

Lee, Mom, James (my great nephew) and I went on a 7 day Carnival cruise on the Mardi Gras in March for Mom's 90th birthday. Mom got a suite and loved it. Lee and I upgraded to a balcony room. We were right above them. 

 

The ship has a roller coaster on it which we rode. It was good but pretty short and cost $15 so we only did it once. James really loved the water park. He also went on the ropes course which is one thing that I have learned I REALLY don't like. By the end of the cruise, Mom was letting James go out on his own and he really liked that. I am a Carnival Platinum member so I got a free chocolate delight which was right up my alley. There are other rewards but that is definitely my favorite. I went to lots of shows but didn't take any shore excursions, I discovered one I should have gone on (waterfall tour) so I will have to go again and do it.

Mom and James' friend Gary has an airplane and he took James and I up in March. I loved it. 

I managed to not have any problems with poison ivy this year. However, I did end up getting 3 ticks one day from working among my ivy. Luckily Meade was good at removing them. When I was in high school, I got a tick but my parents did not know how to remove it and we ended up in the ER. Now I am careful to put rubber bands around the bottom of my pants when I go out to do yard work. I haven't had another tick since starting that practice.

I signed up for the Movie Pass (www.moviepass.com). I pay $10 a month and get 34 points to use for movies. At the beginning of the year, the movies cost less points but even at the end of the year it was still a good deal. I do love going to the movie theatre for theatre-worthy movies. By that I mean ones with good action scenes or scenery that deserve a big screen.

I took James for our first solo trip this year. We went to Busch Gardens for 2 days, Adventure Island (Busch Gardens water park) for 2 days and one day at Legoland. We only went on one roller coaster at Busch Gardens because James REALLY did not like to wait in lines. I did make him go on the Congo River Rapids and the Log Flume.

We floated around on the Rambling Bayou (Adventure Island's lazy river) a ton of times. James absolutely loved it. We went so many times that it changed the color of my tee shirt. We only went on one of the big slides, once again because James didn't want to get in a long line. 

I was very impressed with Legoland. It was much better than I anticipated. We went on quite a few rides because the lines were not bad. They had a lot of places where you could play with Legos and meet Lego characters. We definitely didn't manage to see everything in the one day. They also have a water park. I plan to take James back again probably next year because it is aimed at 12 years old and under. He will be 10 next year. They have a large area where 32 million Lego blocks are used to depict a lot of places around the country including New York City. It was very cool. I think our solo trip went very well so I plan on taking him on a trip every year.

I fully retired on August 21 after working part time since January of 2021. A group from work took me to lunch and gave me $200 worth of Taco Bell gift cards. They obviously know me well. 

I had worked at SAIC for the last 20 years and have been working in the IT field since January 1980. It has been a good career and I have enjoyed most of the years but I am VERY happy to be retired. The last 13 in Huntsville were definitely my favorites.

I started taking social security in October and Meade is now getting his spousal benefit. I feel very comfortable that with our retirement savings that we are in very good shape. I am really enjoying retirement. I work at the food bank, go to movies, read, do yard work, do jigsaw puzzles, and practice my keyboard. I will continue to go to Florida every quarter and plan to add some more trips to new places.

I made another trip to Florida in September. Lee came over to Mom's to celebrate his 36th birthday. I can't believe that he is that old but then I can't believe I am now 64. My brother Marcus and Lee's cousin Nichole and her wife Mel joined us. 

Lee had a bout of kidney stones while I was there which scared me but he hasn't had any problems since then. I took James to the beach. It was rough but he enjoyed it. I played Sequence with Mom and spent quite a bit of time throwing a football with James. I was actually better at it than I expected. Not good mind you, but better than I expected.  I was able to visit my friend Sarah.

I went to Wheel of Fortune Live in Huntsville in October. It was neat. It was hosted by Bob Goen who hosted the daytime version from 1989-1991. He was pretty good but not nearly as good as Pat Sajak. I have applied about 5 times to participate on the show and went to one of their audition events several years ago. Since Pat Sajak is retiring, I don't plan on continuing to try and get on the show.

We were able to see the partial solar eclipse in October. We had our eclipse glasses from years ago. I have hotel reservations for Hot Springs to be in the path of the total eclipse next April. A friend went to one a few years ago and said it was cool so I wanted to experience one.

I went to the Memphis zoo in October. I really like zoos and I don't know why I waited so long to go to this one since it isn't very far away. Unfortunately, it did take longer than I anticipated to get there because of road construction but I made it and was impressed by the zoo. They had three tiger cubs which were the first ones that mother tiger had. The had a big China area but unfortunately the Giant Panda they had died. I will definitely go back. I think I can get Meade to come with me once the road construction is done.

Lee has been having trouble with his stomach. He has had periods of time when he can't keep anything down. He finally went to a gastrologist who recommended an endoscopy. It was performed on October 31st. They found some inflammation of the esophagus but nothing more critical. They have given him some medication to eliminate the inflammation. Lee hasn't been back for the pathology report but I assume that if there was anything serious they would have contacted him.

I was back in Florida in November. Lee and I went to Busch Gardens for the day and managed to ride every single roller coaster. I was a little nervous about a few of them but enjoyed them all. It is quite scary when you actually come off of the seat. We stayed late enough to see the Christmas lights. They did a really nice job decorating. Lee is very friendly with strangers I can see why he does so well as a waiter.

I took James to Gatorland. I haven't been there in ages and it has definitely changed a LOT. It was nicer and more fun than I expected. They also have a REALLY good discount for seniors. My ticket cost less than James'. I know we are in good shape financially but I am still always happy to get a deal. It was colder than we expected so James wore my jacket. There is a a zipline course that I might go back and do in the future. But if you are going to Gatorland, I wouldn't bother to pay for the train ride. It was not worth the $3 fare.

I went to my first UCF football game. College football is annoying because they don't have the time of the games set until a week before the game so I have never been in Florida when there was a home game in the afternoon. I wanted an afternoon game because I didn't want to drive an hour back to Mom's in the dark. The game on the 25th was at 12:00 so I bought a ticket for it. I didn't even notice that the ticket was for row 13 in seat 13. I am not particularly superstitious but after seeing those numbers when I was heading into the stadium I said an extra prayer for safety. A college game is definitely different than an NFL game (at least a Titans one). The fans are MUCH more involved with almost everyone doing the first down signal, cheering wildly and singing along. It was a lot of fun and we won and qualified for a bowl game. The next time there is afternoon home game while I am in Florida I will be going.

Lee and I went to another Tampa Bay Lightning NHL game. There wasn't a game against the Predators so we went to the game on November 30th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately, Tampa lost and to make it worse there were SO many Penguin fans in attendance that they cheered really loudly when they did good. We left before the end of the game. But our travels were safe and I got to spend time with Lee so I was happy with the event. 

Meade and I are still big Nashville Predators fans. We try to watch all of the games on tv. Though if it is opposite a NFL Titan or Miami game, we watch football instead since there are only 16 football games in a season and 84 hockey games. The Predators are doing pretty good but the season is only about a quarter done so there are lots more games to play.

We are also still big NFL fans. Meade is thrilled with how well the Miami Dolphins are doing. They are first in their division at the moment and considering how few games are left I are pretty sure that is where they will end the season. Unfortunately, my Tennessee Titans are not doing nearly as well. We are last in our division and I don't see any way we will get out of the basement this season. I will be cheering for the Dolphins through the playoffs and hope for better results for the Titans next season.

Meade is still playing guitar and in fact has ordered another one (his fourth) for a Christmas present for himself. He really enjoys it and listens to LOTS of music on Spotify. I am still playing my keyboard but still play it because it is good for my brain not because I enjoy it. I like doing it but it is frustrating when I have trouble which I frequently do. I am sure it is good for my brain because it certainly does not come naturally. 

Meade is doing really well with his diabetes. He started eating much better and it lowered his numbers significantly.  It seems like beans and pudding (must be the skim milk) are a magic elixir. He is also very diligent with testing his blood, taking his insulin and his eye drops. I am really proud of him.

 

I am still the co-lead for our small group at church. I really enjoy it and have been able to meet the ladies for lunch twice when I drive through Birmingham on the way home from Florida.  The sermons are just great. I am really enjoying them.

 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

If you haven't invited Jesus into your heart I would ask you to please consider it. I truly believe that it is the most important decision you can make. If you want to talk about it I would be happy to (407-342-4101) but it would probably be best if you check out my church's services. (www.churchofthehighlands.com). Please give this some serious thought. God Bless.

Hope everyone has a blessed and happy holiday season and 2024.