The Summer is here and it is HOT!!

In the five months since Pam retired we have been busy adjusting our lives to a different beat of the drum. Even though we started out sleeping in it was not long until we settled on a routine. Normally not asleep past 7. We have continued to take trips both to the Dominican and elsewhere. These included a week with our NAPUS friends in Washington, a long Easter weekend in Kentucky with Emma, Freya, and Julia and their parents, a Mardi Gras weekend in Mobile with Denson and Deb and the Rose brothers, and a couple of days in Durham NC for a Jim Brickman concert. We also hosted the first camp for granddaughters when Allie and Hayden spent a week with us and are preparing for a second week later in June when Emma and Hailey will be here. Our Memorial Day weekend get together was a great time to visit with friends and family and enjoy the early summer weather, and then it got HOT. Did I say hot, as in 98 to 99 degrees every day and the lake water has warmed up to July levels already. So to my friends here in Alabama, "Stay Cool", and we hope to see you this summer.

What a START.............

The New Year is here. What a start!! First Pam retired effective 12/31/2010 and we immediately drove to Panama City FL for a week of relaxation. We actually returned on Thursday so we could fly to Phoenix for the BCS Championship game on 1/10/2011. We met with Zack, Lauren & Malcolm, and Amanda & Nick to cheer on our Auburn Tigers. The only one missing was Anna and she has been working on finishing her doctorate and also stayed home to watch over Emma, Freya, and Julia. I think she now wishes she had gone. She was missed. With both of us being retired we have slipped into the trap of sleeping in. Neither of us thought that it would be this easy but 8 AM is getting to be the norm for us. We are now starting to think about our upcoming trips and the things that need to be done here. So far the list has only the trips listed. If you are our facebook friends we will probably continue to post most pictures and activities there. See you sometime.

Last Home Football game

Yesterday we tailgated with family and friends for Auburn's last home game of 2010 against the University of Georgia. Good times, food and especially friends were enjoyed from 8:30 in the morning until we left at 7:30 that evening. Some stayed later just not wanting to leave. Auburn is now 11-0 and plays Alabama in two weeks. We will watch the game with friends here at the house and be able to watch all of the replays we desire. The holidays are fast approaching and with Pam's retirement at the end of December we will begin that chapter in our lives. We hope to be able to increase our visiting with the grandchildren and friends and pursue interests that we have only talked about in the past. Until then.........

Where have we been

I know that I have been remiss in posting to the blog but Pam and I have been on the road since July for needed rest and relaxation. We started out in Tunica MS at the end of July for 4 days and ended up two days ago when we returned from a week at Lifestyles in the Dominican Republic. In between we spent a week in Panama City with all of the children and granddaughters and a week in Grand Rapids MI with NAPUS friends at the national convention. Oh yea, throw in a Hall family reunion that we hosted here at the lake on Labor day weekend where over 40 family members attended. Thank goodness we have a couple of days before Allison, Hayden and Hailey arrive to go to the Alabama National Fair this weekend along with the AU vs Arkansas football game. Now as I look to the rest of the year we realize how close Pam is to retirement (80 days). I will try and get some new pictures posted soon and hope to decide on our Xmas photo soon. The lake is pretty this time of year and we hope to have a couple of more boat rides before we have to store the boat for the winter. See everyone soon and War Eagle.

4th of July

We will be celebrating the 4th this coming Sunday a little differently than the past few years. For those that were here last year, you will remember that I cooked an 18 lb prime rib roast on the Egg. Most other get togethers I have done baby back ribs, chicken and sausage. This year we are going back to when the 4th was most often celebrated as a picnic (even here at the lake) and are going to have pulled pork sandwiches and plates and brunswick stew with cold sides (potatoe salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw, broccoli salad and others) and desserts. Brother Bill has volunteered to bring his Margarita machine and mix anything that is requested. Among the special guests will be Allie, Hayden and Hailey and their parents. As most of the local shops advertise, "Drop ins are welcome".

Memorial Day Weekend

The Memorial Day weekend is almost over and Pam is realizing that she has to go back to work tomorrow. This weekend (actually Sunday and Monday) will be the only two days in a row off since May 1 and will only have one more on the 4th of July until the end of July at the earliest. However, that did not stop us from having a very good weekend with a visit from Amanda & Nick and the girls and friends over on Sunday for a BBQ. We smoked baby back ribs, mason jar chicken and conecuh sausage for a total of twenty two people. The many enjoyable side dishes that everyone brought were great and no one left hungry. The weather has been hit and miss with showers most every afternoon but there was plenty of sunshine and clear skies for the many people that were on the lake in boats. The other nights of the weekend we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and made Pizza with Hailey and Hayden making their first pizza.

It is May, isin't it

The month of May is upon us and so far the weather has been doing what you least expect. Last week had two to three days in the upper 80's and this week we have had lows in the bottom of the 50's. The first weekend of the month Lauren and Amanda both went to the Gulf Shores area and Pam and I had the three girls with us for three days. Nothing super eventful except for the fact that all three went all out from around 7 each morning until 7 at night. Their nap was short around lunch time and gave me a chance to catch my breath. Hailey had so much fun picking Azalea blooms for each nights decorations of the dinner table (we were able to eat outside every night), and she called them the "festivals". This last weekend we put the boat in the water on Saturday afternoon, selected plants for the Pergola planters and found and set out most of the herbs that I will use this summer. Sunday we traveled to Florida for Mothers Day. The rest of the month we will be home while Pam works six days a week while her clerk is off. We are looking forward to visits from the Ragsdales and Roses and then Memorial day will be here for the first of the big cookouts of the summer. C'mon water warm up.