Pedro, Nayra, Heather and Rio stand by Flamingo Lake at our RV Park

Wow, what a rush this Christmas has been! Heather and Pedro and grandkids Nayra and Rio arrived Christmas Eve about 10 p.m. A fabulous Christmas Gift! It has been great having a concentrated time with them all, first catching up and talking that first night as well as opening some small gifts.

Christmas Day was beautiful and fun as we ate a lot--we had a spiral cut honey ham from Harold's Meat Market down the road (where you can also buy alligator meat, pig jowls, chicken feet [!?!?!] and collard greens). We got a lot of visiting done, and then played Apples to Apples for a couple of hours.

Friday we spent the day at Jacksonville beach, walking the beach, talking, watching the kids play in the sand and surf, and enjoying the 80+ degree weather. They built a sand castle, Nayra collected a bucket of shells and Rio was body surfing. The Iowans really shifted into the warm weather wholeheartedly and had a blast.

Saturday we drove to St. Augustine, and enjoyed the trolley ride through this historical old city. So much to do there, we managed to see Castillo de San Marcos, the 300+ year old fort guarding the city, and the Lujano's went to Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. A great day! We have a great time having company, and are very thankful the kids were able to make it down here. There are 5 more groups of family/friends that are planning to visit us during our stay here in Jacksonville! Cool!!!

I am on a four day weekend from my proton treatments, resuming Monday. I hope to get rid of the pounds I've gained during the holiday break, as I am supposed to stay within plus or minus two pounds from my starting weight. I might not be able to eat anything for the next two days!