Pre-New Year's Day!

Post Christmas - Maybe I'm repeating myself......12/28 and 12/29: Saturday and Sunday, while AA was at the NFJG PAR-3 Tournament, I did many little chores: rearranged the kitchen pantry and out "pots and pans", cleaned out the freezer, picked up about half the Christmas decorations, made homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce, mixed up a bag of Ginger's dry food, sent out invites for AA's January 4th Squad hang-out at the River House, planned the hang-out (list of items to take, games, prizes, etc), did laundry, walked Ginger several times, washed dishes, wrote on this blog and made homemade red beans and rice on Sunday. And of course, took baths and dressed, grocery shopped..... Next up is thank you notes to my wonderful family!

AA snuggles with her Ginger: 

Coffee in my new LSL mug from Melissa:

Lemons (at our old Winterbourne neighborhood) picked using the Sea Bag Melissa gave us:

Monday, we meant to run some quick errands, but took longer (library, post office, Mellow Mushroom to order food for the squad party, etc..), so mid-afternoon, AA and Ford hit the driving range, only to come home starved! We then went to the RH to buy NYE tickets, we probably will go for a drink on NYE, then home early while AA and Carolyn has an overnight visit.
12/31/19: Tuesday, AA and Ford went to the Jacksonville Beach Golf Club for a practice round. She played with three interesting men - with colorful language. As they left, the one who played decent said he had to go home and tell everyone "he got his ass whipped by a 13 year old".

I ran errands while Donna cleaned the house (one time I felt guilty, usually I'm working). Ford dropped AA off at Carolyn's with a homemade spaghetti dinner for them, then came home; we went to the RH NYE's party for an hour and left by 9 p.m. I think we turned the TV off at 11:45 so did not ring in the year 2020!

NFJG Par-3 (Two-day) Tournament at Palm Valley

AA played in the first NFJG PAR-3 (2-day) Tournament at Palm Valley. She was in first place by one stroke after day one, then tied for first place for the tournament. The greens were so slow, very wet, as we have had about 7 inches rain in past two weeks. Ford and AA's shoes were soaked each day.
Unfortunately, she lost in the sudden death hole playoff. Second place is okay and she lost to Lisa Colee, a senior who just signed to go to Stetson College Women's Golf team!

Round 2:

The chipping competition after the match, AA won a dozen balls - her favorite - Titleist ProV1! A $50 savings to our family!

Winner, Lisa Colee, won the sudden death playoff and was awarded the championship ring, 2nd Place AA, and 3rd place, Alanis Santiago (Graduation 2022).

Winners:

From Director Jack's Newsletter/Highlights: The course will give you a good indicator and tell you where you stand in the short game skills and maybe where some work needs to be done.  The course, has just been freshly over-seeded and the ball rolled beautifully, maybe a little slow, but it didn’t take long to get the feel. Just ask Jacksonville’s Overall Champion Moses Compaan who had 12 birdies with only two bogies in his 36 holes of play. He missed just four greens.  I’d say that’s an “A” in the short game.

This year’s event included a live holiday gift drawing, a flop shot contest over the NFJG TOUR sign and a putting contest. Six players took home a dozen PROV1’s thanks to our sponsor Tina Wiswedel. Both days included food from Primo Pizza and Larry’s Giant Subs, plus a hole-in-one contest for a $500 scholarship per hole per day. After 900 attempts from the field, Alyzabeth Morgan was reported to being the closest at 5 inches that danced around the hole. Aiden Stokes was the BIG recipient winning the pull cart and Nolan Harper the Titleist Wedge.

Girls 13-18 Division Fleming Island’s Alyzabeth Morgan and Deland’s Lisa Colee tied at 113 five over par and headed to Sudden-death to determine the owner of this year’s Champion’s Ring. On this day Colee would take the honors on a well fought battle to the end. Morgan would take the Silver for her fourth Runner-up Award. Yulee’s Alanis Santiago took home the Bronze Medal posting a score four back of our leaders at 117.

Post Christmas and Many Thank You's!

The 26th was all about catching our breath! Picking up from Christmas morning and putting away a few of our decorations. My Maine Christmas cactus bloomed, I only have one left as all others have died, the plant actually "rots", so humid here in Florida. AA and I went to Carolyn's and returned some things that she left at our home, and shopped at Barnes and Noble. I worked on Friday, so Ford and AA played some golf, but it is very wet, raining every other day.
While AA was at the NFJG PAR-3 Tournament at Palm Valley (Saturday and Sunday), Ginger and I spent some quality time together!
I made homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs on Saturday and red beans and rice in the crock-pot on Sunday. 

We made it to the River House on Saturday, nice visit with Penny, Hugh and Maureen. Kathy was with her two sons and grand-daughter, celebrating her birthday.
Ginger in the car as we left Moccasin Park after a walk in the rain:

Red beans cooking slow and low!

Now to start on thank you notes. Carolyn gave AA a target gift card and a note for "baby-sitting services, play-dates, and/or sleep-overs" (AA loves her time with Aunt Carolyn), olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette (AA loves) plus her homemade limeoncello (not limoncello - she made hers from limes) and champagne for us!
So many gifts from Maine, loved them all. Mom sent apples, Consumer Report magazine subscription, potholders, kitchen towels, Dick's Sporting Goods Gift Card and golf tees, L.L. Bean boxers, Amazon Gift card, golf pillow case, Pumpkin Pie cans, candy, icing bulb with frosting tips, Carolyn's relish and jam (from NDCC Church), earrings, sea glass necklace (made by Carol Walsh, LSL) and a lifetime Mayflower dues! From Terri we received homemade needhams, applesauce, Maine tote bag, hot sauce, flip-flops, several Christmas ornaments and very strange splat tomatoes - three of them!!
Melissa sent us many items crafted in Maine, two new panels for a wooden lamp she gave us previously, Maine coasters, UMO hoodie, handmade leather journals, earrings, wine glass tags, UMO shirt, pine satchel, Patriot koozie, two LSL coffee mugs, Sea bag bucket, Northern tote bag, cloth napkins, pretty glass State of Maine and a photo of the aluminum boat on LSL with moon shining on lake. So many amazing gifts and many made in Maine! Nice!
Print from Melissa:

From our Florida family, we received the gift of the circus from Leaa/Jesse, essential oils from Cara/Travis, champagne and AA Gator bracelet from Nicole/Jordan, homemade honey, datil pepper sauce and pickles from Justin, foot lavender sugar scrub from Marsha/Carl, Visa gift card for AA from Angie/Charles, Nana Joy sent AA money, Cathy and Werner gave AA a hand knitted Nepal beanie hat and a Visa gift card, and us a wood votive/candle made in MAINE! A huge thank you to Cathy/Werner for hosting the family, everyone tries to make it and we enjoy the way everyone can relax and hang out together.

Cruce Family Christmas Gift - Circus!

On 12/27/19, Leaa and Jesse's gift to all was entertainment at the Venardos Circus at St. Augustine Amphitheatre. First, dinner at Urban 40, then to the show. Almost the whole Cruce/Holloway family was there! (I worked so missed it).

Information about the circus - no animals!
Venardos Circus and its namesake ringmaster Kevin Venardos (veh-NARR-dos) will debut a new cast, show and music in a return to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre for a third seasonal stint beginning in December. There will  be 32 shows over three weeks in the intimate red-and-white striped tent, set up in the Amphitheatre parking lot, from December 18, 2019 through January 5, 2020.
The traveling troupe of performers has had successful stints in the St. Augustine/Jacksonville market on three separate visits since January 2018, totaling more than 15,000 attendees over 55 shows, most of which have been sellouts.
 “St. Augustine is the perfect place to debut a new show and display how far we have come since St. Augustine was so responsive and launched our circus into a successful national touring group,” Venardos said. “At the outset, we called ourselves ‘The Little Circus That Could,’ and now we refer to ourselves as ‘the Little Circus That Can.’
Guests can expect to be transported back in time to the center ring of a centuries-old tradition, but one that has been reinvented for the next generation. With an amazing assortment of aerialists, acrobats, juggling, hand-balancing/contortion, comedy, daredevilry, magic, musical production and much more, with no animals, this amazing circus experience will truly delight adults and kids of all ages. Venardos Circus proudly features its own custom-made big-top, a classic red-and-white striped tent, with an intimate feel and limited seating. The circus performers also are the crew in this traveling tour who are completely self-contained, much like the original circus tradition. A new cast was recruited this fall and will make its debut in St. Augustine where attendees can park for free in the Amphitheatre parking lot and walk a short distance to the tent.

Christmas!

We enjoyed the afternoon and had dinner with the family at Cathy and Werner's home.
Group photo (Kilee missing, Charles and Angie and Ian came later):

Dylan, Mila and Avery:

Ford, Justin and Stu:

Waiting to take the family photo:

Jordan is our photographer:

Playing in the back yard:

Pearl's sweet smile:

People piles:

This photo shows the expression when they realized the group photo had the be retaken (Avery had a dress on and was not in a lady-like pose).

Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning!

We enjoyed having Carolyn overnight and Christmas morning. We intended to go to Christmas Eve church service but somehow ended up at the River House for a drink and merriment ensued!
Christmas morning:

The new toy from Santa:

So many gifts from Mom, Terri and Melissa!

Bella:

 Ginger and Bella:

 Carolyn and Bella:

Gift from Ford to most of the family ladies:

Merry Christmas! Many thanks for our gifts.

December 23 and 24th!

Sunday was to be a NFJG Tournament at Hidden Hills, but we have had so much RAIN, it was cancelled! We took advantage of the free day and wrapped gifts, shopped, baked gingerbread cookies, etc.
We delivered Christmas gifts to Justin's, Leaa's, Cara's, Nicole's and Christa's on Monday the 23rd.

The 24th was busy with baking two pies, icing gingerbread cookies and making the broccoli slaw. Ford made the Farmer's breakfast casserole. We ate the Honey Baked Turkey and sides for dinner with Carolyn, that Bill and Joan sent to us for our Christmas gift.

Decorating with homemade royal icing:

Broccoli for the slaw, plus red onion, sunflower seeds, pecans, cranberries, match stick carrots, shredded cheddar cheese, etc...

Peeling apples (peeler a gift long ago from Charlotte):

Apple (Apples from Maine, my Mom sent us!) and Pecan: