Christmas Eve Dinner & Bok Tower Gardens

Much to the chargrin of my family members I purchased a Groupon for Christmas at Bok Tower Gardens. I have never been there and thought it would be a change of pace for our regular Christmas. Since we were having such a mild winter it was also nice to take advantage of the beautiful weather.

Bok Tower Gardens gets decked out for the Christmas holiday. A different local company decorates each room in a theme and then you vote for your favorite. My favorite was the beach house

I love how they hung the air plants - beautiful!

Following Bok Towers we had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with Nancy and her side of the family. It was a lovely Christmas.

Christmas Family Reunion

We had a mini Wallis Family reunion the Sunday before Christmas. It was great to get together with everyone. We met at my Aunt Diana and Uncle Turner's house in Kissimmee. Margaret, Charlie, Megan, Aunt Mary, Aunt Chris and her husband came as well as Diana's mom. We ate, and talked. It had been quite some years it seems since we had last gotten together.

Mom and her birthday cake

Kelly and Charlie

Aunt Dianna, Aunt Chris, Me, Aunt Mary

Savannah Trip Through the Eyes of My Dad

My dad wrote this about our trip for Thanksgiving to his siblings - I just thought it was so classic - my dad - I just had to include it in my blog...

For Thanksgiving this year Laura and I decided to do something different. Instead of letting Laura do a lot of cooking this year we decided to go with Kate and Omar to Savannah, GA. Actually it was Kate who came up with the idea, and I was the one kind of holding out to stay at home at let Laura do the cooking. Michael was going to be involved with festivities leading up to the big football game of Florida State vs. Florida. Kelly and Lindsey were out in Logan and they could look for ways to celebrate Thanksgiving there. This left just the four of us to try and fend for ourselves. One reason for the trip is because Omar’s father works for a Hilton hotel and so Omar can get the employee family rates. So why not do something different?

Now understand that Kate is a planner. She likes to research and come up with a schedule of activities. There is no downtime or playtime when she is involved! One of the advantages is that Kate and Omar really enjoy Savannah. They have been up there several times before and so have favorite places they want to see again and new places they want to experience. Several days before we left we had our itinerary and places to see. No need to book a travel guide.

Savannah is about a 4 hour drive from Kissimmee. We went to Omar and Kate’s house in St. Augustine (about half way) and loaded up their car and drove to Savannah on Wednesday, getting there about 6:00 p.m. Kate and
Omar for some strange reason like to eat at the Casbah. It is a Moroccan Restaurant with Belly Dancing. Omar likes to watch the belly dancing and Kate likes to dance. Well, at least she volunteered to get up there and
dance with the pro when I refused. Now I know why they wash your hand both before and after a meal. Those poor Moroccan’s can’t even afford eating utensils! I was still able to enjoy the lamb and couscous using my fingers.

Savannah is one of the older cities in the U.S. that still has a preserved historical section. It has been burnt down 3 different times, yet there are a huge number of historical and old residences that people still live in. It survived the Civil War thanks to infamous (at least in the South) General Sherman who burned Atlanta and most Georgia towns on his way to the coast but presented Savannah as a gift to President Lincoln for Christmas in 1864. The historical area is next to the river which acts as a deep port. Once it was used to ship cotton and rice. Today it offloads container ships and is the third largest port in the U.S. The city itself was founded in the early 1700’s and was laid out using an English style of 24 park squares surrounded by residential streets.

Wednesday night we walked along the riverfront, which has gone touristy with its many shops and restaurants. We also walked through some of the squares. Safety is not a concern with a high police presence. Musicians,
dog walkers, joggers and tourists made the streets a lively place. Horse carriages, pedicabs, and tourists trolleys were in abundance. They even have a fleet of city trucks to clean up after the horses.

For Thanksgiving dinner I had done some research on where to go. Golden Corral was available but while it was a wonderful deal we wanted more ambience. We settled on the 17 Hundred 90 Restaurant. This restaurant is in a building constructed in 1790 and is now used as an Inn and Restaurant. Old brick floors and walls gave a feel of antiquity along with wonderful food. All the Thanksgiving dishes were there with a true Southern twist. Where
else would you want to try black eyed peas or pecan pie but in a true Southern city like Savannah? After dinner we strolled through more squares and saw more of the city.

Thankfully most of stores were closed so there was not much shopping done on Thanksgiving. At least until “Grey” Thanksgiving. I made a special effort to find a newspaper that had the Black Friday ads. I was
disappointed that there were few things to get me excited. How many flat screen televisions can you have in one house, for example? We did go to see a movie, a tradition we sometimes keep if we’re are not wrapped up in
Thanksgiving NFL Football. The remake of Red Dawn can probably be avoided, but it did help me understand that I need to watch more of the National Geographic “Doomsday Preppers” shows and get better prepared for when the balloon goes up. Either other people felt the same way I did about Holiday Deals or Savannah folks are more low key about going to Walmart at 11:00 p.m. The crowds and lines were small. In fact, I went in walked around
and was ready to leave in 10 minutes, but then Kate and Laura came in and that’s when the shopping began. We bought a few things, “saved” our requisite hundreds of dollars and were out of the store before 11:00 p.m. A
new record.

On Friday we took a trolley tour of Old Savannah, scouted out the cemeteries, read I don’t know how many historical markers (Laura read them all), went to art galleries and museums, toured old houses, and shopped. Oh
yes, the stores were now open and Kate and Laura had a grand time going to the boutique type of stores that tourists love to visit. That is not so bad until they expect someone else to carry the shopping bags. For lunch we
ate at “ Lady and Sons,” Paul Deen’s Savannah restaurant. What more could you want than more Southern cooking such as fried chicken, black eyed peas, greens, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, etc.

Locals suggest that it is Paula Deen and the book and movie entitled “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” that has helped to revitalize Savannah. The book was on the non-fiction best seller’s list for 5 years
and tells the story of an eccentric millionaire who killed a live in roommate. Tours can be taken of the house. Sorry, that was one house we did not get to tour. Maybe next time. Another reason Savannah has been
revitalized is SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. Founded in the 1970’s by local business people who had a vision. They started by purchasing the abandoned Armory for a song and a dance and they continued
to buy more buildings and grow their artistic programs. Today it is a well-respected college (tuition is $41,000/year but they have over 10,000 students) and Savannah has more art galleries than New York City per capita.

Another place we had to try was Leopold’s, an ice cream store founded in 1919. We talked with one the grandchildren of the founders. He is a movie producer who has produced such movies as “The General’s Daughter”, Mission Impossible 3, etc. He is in between movies and so he was helping out at the ice cream store. He said he finds it refreshing to talk with real people. I guess he meant Laura and me, as opposed to Tom Cruise who he had seen the week before. Understand he used the term “real people” and not “common people.”

On Saturday we visited Forsyth Park, saw the farmer’s market with many stands of locally grown organic food, and still got home in time to watch the Florida State/Florida football game. Michael was at the game in
Tallahassee. It turned out to be a disappointing loss for Florida State and Laura.

I had been the one somewhat reluctant to try something different than a traditional Thanksgiving this year. I enjoyed the trip and would go back to visit Savannah again. I will not visit it in the summer though when it
would be brutally hot and humid. Will we take another trip for Thanksgiving? I guess it depends upon how much preplanning Kate does.

I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and that you were able to recall the reason for our celebration. I know that it helped me to appreciate more the country that I live in plus also the great family that I am a part of.

Thanksgiving in Savannah

THANKSGIVING IN SAVANNAH, GA. 

WEDNESDAY night

Omar and my parents picked me up from work at 3pm to head to Savannah. We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites off of MLK Blvd which is right on the edge of the Historic District. This is our 3rd hotel in Savannah we have stayed at now. We stayed at the other Hampton Inn right off Bay Street when we went for our 1 year anniversary and then at the Doubletree which is right off Bay Street as well for last year's Christmas. 

After arriving we drove over to eat dinner at Casbah which is a Moroccan Restaurant. The setting is like a tent inside. You sit low to the ground, they wash your hands, and you eat with your fingers. The food was good like the first time we went a few years ago. The belly dancer was fun to watch as well. 

After dinner we walked around on that road where there are lots of shops. We went in this really interesting shop and found a few unique items that of course were purchased. I wish I remembered the name of it. We then walked down the river front and walked in a few of the candy shops that were open and got some homemade ice cream for desert. 

THURSDAY

We knew that most everything would be closed on Thanksgiving Day. We decided to just walk around to all the different squares and let my mom read the historical signs. We all were amazed at HOW MANY historical marker signs there could be. Some squares had like 3-5 of them! 

Omar loves the iron work of the homes

One of the cemetaries

Reservations are pretty much a must for Thanksgiving meal. My parents did some research and made reservations at 17 hundred 90 Inn. Our hotel concierge asked where we were eating and when we told her she responded, "How did you get into THAT place? Now that is some good food." I would agree it was good food. They had some of the staples - turkey, ham (we never have ham for thanksgiving), gravy, cornbread stuffing (I have never had cornbread stuffing before), mashed potatoes, green beans, collard greens (never been a fan of these and we don't normally have these), lima beans (to die for), broccoli salad, ambrosia, and these honey biscuits (I had 3 and don't really care for biscuits). For desert there was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, some different puddings, chocolate cake, vanilla cake, bread pudding. I didn't eat any deserts though. We ate plenty - so much so that we didn't eat any dinner that day.

After Thanksgiving meal we walked around more squares until finally going back to the hotel to rest for about 2 hours. We then went to see the new movie Red Dawn. After the movie we went over to Wal-Mart to participate in the Black Friday madness. We always seem to luck out with Black Friday - never really have to wait for what we are trying to get. I have never seen so many cashiers either - we literally just walked up to check out. It was a no-fuss Black Friday for us.

FRIDAY

This was our main day to get everything in as far as activities. After debate we decided to go on the Oglethorpe Tour company. Omar and I had done the Old Trolley before and thought Oglethorpe would be better this time because you do a full 90 minute tour before the on-off aspect of the trolley comes into play. This was we could get a feel of what all there was to do and would be able to then choose the next stops for the day. Plus this is the least expensive trolley company in town.

Part of our tour they let us off for 15 minutes to go inside the Catholic Church that had not too long ago been renovated for over 11 Million dollars. It was gorgeous inside. I told Omar this was only getting him ready for a potential/hopeful trip to Rome next year. 

After the tour we got off near the markets and looked in more shops before making our way to lunch reservations at Paula Deen's restaurant Lady & Sons. Next time I want to go to Mrs. Wilkes instead. 

We looked around in the cemetery and then went ahead and did the Telfair Museum pass which included passage to the Owens-Thomas House, Telfair Academy and the Jepson Center. The Jepson Center we didn't really care for - it was mainly all modern art and not too much of it at that. Owens-Thomas House is supposed to be probably the prettiest house inside to tour. It was quite remarkable. The main reason it is historical is because American Revolutionist Marquis de Lafayette stayed there for 2 nights and spoke to Savannah from the Master Bedroom there. 

The Telfair Academy was once a mansion made into a museum and had additional space built onto it. My favorite exhibit there was the watercolor paintings. They were so incredible that they looked like photographs. I don't recall who the artist was though. 

Dad building a church or something in the children's section of the museum - he looks so  proud!

Following the museums we had the trolley take us to our hotel to drop off our bags before heading back out for some ice cream. Leopolds is the top 3 ice cream place in the country, so of course we had to try it. The line was way out the door. To greet us was the owner

I used to be a Girl Scout so had to have a picture in front of the Headquarters

SATURDAY 

We went to Forsyth Park and walked around. Following the Park we drove to Bonaventure Cemetary which my mom has always wanted to see. Then we drove home. It was a nice trip.

Omar's first time voting

Omar's first time voting was for the most recent Presidential Election between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Omar registered as Republican and was not happy with how the election turned out.

Goodbye Maria Gonzalez

Maria Gonzalez

I went to work this morning and learned the my friend and previous co-worker Maria Gonzalez passed away last night. I think I am still in shock. This is the 2nd person I have known who has died in the past few weeks. This is the 2nd co-worker of mine to pass from cancer in the past 2 years.

You have to wonder how someone so loving, kind, and beautiful, not to mention SO young could die?

Maria has been fighting for so long now. Breast cancer and then leukemia. I remember when she learned about it all and went on short-term and then long-term disability. I followed her journey through journal entries as to how everything was going. She pretty much lived at the hospital the past year going through treatments....she was a fighter. She fought so hard you had to think she would be a survivor. That wasn't part of the plan.

I prayed and fasted for a miracle. That was what I was doing yesterday at church again - only to learn not even 24 hours later that it was her time. I am so glad it was quick. So happy she didn't suffer more. We were notified last week that there was really not anything more that could be done and Hospice would step in - little did anyone know that it wouldn't even be a week before she was gone.

Maria was the kind of person that anyone would be so thankful to have as a friend. There wasn't a mean bone in her body. All she did was smile - such an amazing smile. She was my Puerto Rican friend and knew how I felt with certain Spanish situations at work. She was all about having a good time and wanted people to get along - work hasn't been the same since she has been gone.

Due to her nature there isn't anything that that would need to be resolved or really said before her passing. I never got the chance to visit her - I never wanted to impose on her time with family. That's my only regret....and also that I never was able to tell her how I feel about our Savior Jesus Christ. My regrets are only selfish now because she is in a better place.

I love this picture of her. It wasn't but a month ago that she went to her first restaurant in a year. She looks incredible - this is the Maria I will always remember. She had so many dreams, so many hopes. I guess you never know when God has other things planned for you. I know she is at peace.

Uncle John's Funeral

Front page of the Memorial Service Program

I was blessed to be able to attend the viewing and memorial service for my Uncle John Madison. I had scheduled off this past Wednesday and Saturday from work and my boss had no problem letting me go a few extra days during our busiest time of the year. I knew that if I didn't go to the services I would always wish I had.

My parents and aunt Nancy met me in Jacksonville and we drove my car to Oklahoma City. We arrived at 2:30 AM on Thursday. The viewing was for family and close friends at the funeral home at 10 AM that morning. It was so good to see my family members I haven't seen in years - most of them I had not seen since my wedding. One of them being my Uncle John.

After the viewing we went to my Aunt Corrine's house and ate lunch and visited. I was able to meet my cousin John's new wife Bettina and child Alex for the first time. I was able to spend quite a bit of time with my cousin Christine as she created the program for her father.

That evening Christine's Uncle from the Madison's side made some delicious Gumbo for dinner. We went back to the hotel to rest for the evening.

The funeral services were held at the Church of the Servant which is the Methodist Church that my Uncle attended. It was a very nice service. My cousin John gave the eulogy that was very touching. I loved the opening paragraph that explained so much of who my uncle was as a person....

My father was found with the outdoor faucet running, a squeegee in place, and a bucket full of soap suds. He wanted to surprise Mom by taking care of a bunch of projects around the house while she was away in Wisconsin. He didn’t quite have the chance to finish up washing the windows, but his death was perfectly symbolic of his life, always taking care of the people around him. His life philosophy was a simple one, which he recited to us kids too many times to count. “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” I hope that his example of selfless treatment of his fellow man can be a legacy that we can can all carry with us.

I loved the songs that were chosen for the service. "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," and "Be Still My Soul." There was a lovely solo as well of "How Great Thou Art." They were songs found in the Methodist Hymnal but ones that we knew as well from the LDS Hymnal. I find that whenever something happens - whether it is a celebration or something touching or sad, I want to sing. Singing is the way I feel that I can express myself, express my love.

Me and Grandpa Jerry Wakefield outside the Church's Sanctuary

3 generations: Me, Dad, Grandpa

Aunt Nancy Wakefield, Dad, Mom, Grandma Toni Wakefield, Grandpa Jerry Wakefield, Aunt Pam Bowman, Me, Aunt Barb Denisoff

We went over to the LDS church for a lunch that the Relief Society prepared for us after the funeral services. The building is literally 15 feet from the Oklahoma City Temple.

Me in front of the Oklahoma City Temple

My dad and I left the lunch to go over to a Tire store. The hotel we stayed at was doing some repairs and there were all sorts of nails we found on the road. One of them went into our tire and flattened it. We went to see if it could be repaired. We were gone for about an hour and a half and the tire was thankfully able to be repaired and it was no charge! I was amazed.

We returned to the Madison home where we all talked more before saying goodbye for our drive back home on Saturday.

It was freezing outside, a cold front came through and I didn't even check the weather. With the wind it got down into the high 20's in the morning. Oklahoma City sure does experience extremes in weather. I didn't come prepared for cold weather and was thankful that there wouldn't be a graveyard service. My Uncle wanted to be cremated and his remains will be placed in the lake behind my Aunt's house.

It was a long trip - it truly made me appreciate Omar and all the driving he does when we go places. I was really glad we were able to attend. I have a renewed commitment to be sure that we attend our family reunions in the future. Hopefully we will all be able to have one again soon. Next year is our scheduled reunion but it looks like we might put it off a year because there have been so many unexpected get-togethers within the past year. I am so grateful to have such loving family members who try to support one another in every way possible. The road won't be easy for my cousins and Aunt Corrine, but I know that the Lord will be with them to provide peace, comfort and guidance.

Uncle John Madison

John Iden Madison
February 12, 1950 - October 21, 2012

I found out today that my Uncle John Madison passed away last night in his sleep. My Aunt Corrine was in Minnesota visiting my cousin Christine and her family. I guess she wasn't able to get a hold of him today and so had a neighbor go check on him. He has had heart trouble in the past. He was so young - the same age of my grandpa (mom's side) when he died.

This picture was taken at my wedding 4 years ago. He may never know what it meant to me for him to come - dancing with him when I couldn't dance with my dad on my special day. He treated everyone as though they were so special.

His whole life seemed to be about serving others. Every time we were together during a family event - all he did was serve others. Nothing was for his own pleasure and comfort.

One of my memories - was at a family reunion when I was probably about 8 years old. We were going to go white water rafting and I had a bowl of Captain Crunch. I ended up getting sick and throwing up. Uncle John offered to stay back with me so my parents and the rest of my family could enjoy the rafting. He made it seem like it was his plan all along to stay back and to run errands and that he needed ME in order for him to be able to do it the best. He became one of my favorite uncles in that moment. I  always liked being near him the most at our reunions because I always felt so special and that I was his favorite niece.

People so kind-hearted and thoughtful are not plentiful these days. I know he has to be one of the ones to greet me on the other side. Our family get-togethers and reunions will never be the same. I will miss you Uncle John and am so sad that you will never get to hold one of my children in this life.

Costa Rica: Arenal & San Jose

The day we were to go back to SanJose  we hired a guide who we were told is like the animal whisperer. He owns a couple hundred acres and has blazed trails through it and helps people find all the animals they want to see. We didn't realize that you pretty much have to commit the whole day to him - so it didn't work out quite like we thought. He was very quirky and odd. But we did see some animals. He would stop us in the middle of the road driving to point out animals he saw while driving by. It was crazy.

Red bananas - they are edible but have super hard seeds in them that make them difficult to eat 

A sloth

poisonous dart frog

Toucan

these were part of the raccoon family - they climb all over the trees in the forest

lizard

After our time with him we got some breakfast and parted ways. We were going to go to the Waterfall  La Fortuna but were so sore and the hike is pretty steep. We went back to the hotel and got a late check-out so that we could take a nap before driving out. We were both so exhausted.

The drive during the day was much easier and shorter. We arrived at about 4 pm to San Jose to the Doubltree Hotel. It was very fancy and huge. Our room had a back door that opened up to the pool and hot tub. We were able to pay our exit taxes at the hotel.

The next morning we woke up and wanted to go and eat one last typical breakfast. However everything was closed. We found a newly built Wendy's and ate breakfast there. When we were leaving it was after 8 AM and finally everything was opening. It was a good trip and I would love to travel there again.