2018

Janusary has come and go and we are slowly trudging through February.  Nearly the entire US is fishing outbreaks of nasty flu virus.  It's been the worst year I can remember. I've never had the flu and as a family we are laying low in hopes to avoid getting it, again.... Hallie came down with the it at the beginning of December. She had strand A, and while it was terrible to watch her so sick, it wasn't as bad as it has been for others.  We've prayed this entire season for our health and for everyone else's.  I hope and pray the worst is over, and until then, we will avoid public places as much as we can.

In other news, I visited Doug and Rita's beautiful new home in Marana, AZ.  We spent the first night in Sedona.  I was excited to check this gorgeous place off of my bucket list and it did not disappoint!    We hiked Bell Rock, which had stunning views and really mild, comfortable weather.  It was a great, short visit and I can't wait to go back!  I loved getting to see the new life D&R have built for themselves in retirement.  Their new home sits on a beautiful golf course in the Sonoran desert.  What I loved most about Arizona were the colors of the desert; shades of greens, pinks and earth tones for miles. The vibrant colors of the sunsets were so dreamy!  Rita and I spent two nights walking the golf course; watching the sunset and inspecting the fascinating saguaros that dominate the course. Seven mountain ranges can be seen from their neighborhood which makes for great views from any angle. How lucky they are! Their days go something like this...  sunrise + coffee, pickle ball, maybe a nice hike,  swim + work out, possibly a mid-day nap, dinner, wine + sunset and early to bed.  I could easily adopted the laid back schedule. Doing retirement right! I look forward to bringing the family back when the twins are a bit older.  Aaron will never want to leave this golf/desert paradise, I can see it now!

We are in the process of planning our upcoming trip with Assurity to Sydney. We had hopes to visit the Whitsundays, but because of our limited time, decided to pass this trip.  Having r searched it, it is now at the top of my beach bucket list. The whitest sands, cockatoos galore and the Great Barrier Reef.  One day.  The list is long and continues to get longer!

In July we are so excited to visit the Majors in New Jersey!  This will be there first time fly and their first real trip to the beach after last year's vacation was cancelled because of the hurricane.

In the meantime, we will try and stay well.