We had a yummy breakfast and enjoyed parting conversations with our fellow guests: A San Diego couple celebrating their 3rd anniversary, North Carolinian retirees driving home from a chaotic (think spring break) grandchild’s birthday celebration @ Disney, a couple from Nashville on a quick getaway, and a couple from Florida just getting out of town for the weekend. He’s  from the French speaking part of Belgium so every word he uttered was irresistible.

Being a lady of leisure and all, combined with having no particular place to be, I’m staying on in Florida with Dan to while away my time when he attends a conference at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club in none other than Ponte Vedra, just east of Jacksonville, right on the ocean fronting a deep white-sand beach. Yawn…stretch…grin.

To get here we drove the length of Amelia island, a whopping  13 miles from our B&B. My favorite thing is the moss drapped Gone with the Wind trees. There are not loads of them like further north, but what’s here are old, huge, and beautiful. We passed a few resorts which were in contrast to the huge old homes in the downtown area, a few of which were made of some sort of concrete made with sea shells back in the day. Kind of ugly in their way, but interesting and perfect for the salt air.

Our exit off the island was via a two minute car ferry ride. Lunch was fresh sea food at a crab shack sort of place. We ate on the deck looking out at the ocean. Dan and I have to reconsider tattoos. They are the rage here, especially on the legs. We got to the resort in time for a two-hour walk on the beach where Dan hunted vigilantly for sea glass, just like he had done on Amelia Island, and again found none.

Dinner was room service…a mega club sandwich and wine…which we enjoyed on our deck overlooking the water. If I a) had a smart phone and b) could download pictures, I could make you wish they were married to Dan so you could tag along.

Dan and I flew to Jacksonville, Florida, bright and early Saturday morning and by noon were having lunch downtown Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, about a half hour north of the Jacksonville airport. We had a lazy afternoon walking in and out of the cute shops, settling into our B&B (Addison on Amelia, which is right downtown and within walking distance of the shops and restaurants), and getting organized for cocktails and h’ordeuvres at 5:00. It’s island time, so when they say it’s five o’clock somewhere they are not just talkin about Key West. From cocktails, we headed to dinner at Le Clos, a tiny French restaurant in a small renovated house. We had been warned that the food is great but the acoustics awful and, sure enough, by the time the place filled to capacity at 7:00, we thought we were at the World Cup and were leaning across the table to talk. Small price to pay for the to-die-for grouper. Plus, let’s just put it out there, Dan and I can pretty much finish each other’s sentences, so we didn’t need to hear anyway.

Today was another lazy day. Other than a stroll downtown to buy same-day tickets for a ferry that was not running today (go figure, it’s Easter), a 3-mile round trip bike ride to and from the beach, and the hour and a half stroll on the sand, we pretty much just whiled away the day. The B&B has granny bikes at our disposal. The kind with plump seats, jumbo tires, high handle bars, pedal breaks, and …thank heaven for the flat terrain… no gears. We grabbed snacks in the dining room in lieu of lunch since we had a big breakfast and knew more free wine and h’ordeuvres were coming at 5:00. Dinner was at 29 South, a stones throw from our accommodations. The fried green tomatoes had a layer, miraculously, of goat cheese on top of the tomato; the duck spring rolls were divine; and our entrees were wonderful. The concept for the restaurant is locally sourced ingredients and veggies and herbs from the backyard garden. Northern Virginia prices for locally sourced ingredients right here in Northen Florida.

The obvious question is how to celebrate the momentous decision to retire. I have given it a lot of thought and decided on 17 adventures in celebration of 17 years! Why not is what obviously comes to mind…no? I actually made this decision earlier this year and have three adventures under my belt already. Let’s review:

• Ringing in the new year in Bixby, Oklahoma with our old friends Walter and Cleone
• Celebrating Deb’s 59th birthday in San Diego
• Attending Lynne and Dawn’s wedding

Three down and 14 to go!

Yesterday was my last day at ASIS after a great 17.5 years. All last week was wonderful! Full of love and support. Each morning leading up to Friday I had a text from Matt, call from Cyd, and voicemail from Murphy wishing me well and cheering me on. Coworkes sent notes, stopped by to say goodbye, brought gifts, and emailed their good wishes. Yesterday morning Dan surprised me with a cute card and tickets to a production at the Kennedy Center this summer. My department went all out with a send off. After a great ‘five o’clock somewhere’ lunch there was a retirement reception in the main conference room. They left no stone unturned: beautiful flowers and decoration, fun as well as beautiful gifts, delicious cake and snacks, and a slideshow with pictures provided (behind my back) by Matt and Murphy. As if that were not enough, I went home to fun retirement themed gifts from Matt, Emily, Murphy, and Josie: a fun wine glass, coffee mug, sun glasses, book of retirement wisdom…you get the drift.

I leave ASIS with a happy heart and grateful for the support I recieved not just during this last amazing week, but for the six months I was in Customer Services, the five and a half years in Publishing, and the many years in Marketing. I’ve had a wonderful run and feel fortunate to take with me so many happy memories and friends who have promised to stay in touch.

They did not have to get married without me. Woo hoo! Knowing that my layover in Charlotte was tight, I did not check my bag for fear my wedding clothes would not arrive in Melbourne with me. I left Virginia with my wedding make-up done also in case there were delays. My paranoia was a good thing since I had to run from concourse C to concourse E in Charlotte just to find out the crew had a delay which meant a late departure from Charlotte. I ended up getting to the hotel 25 minutes before time to leave for wedding pictures.

The ceremony,  held at Lynne and Dawn’s church and officiated by their pastor, was perfect. Friends and family came from near and far: Lynne’s best friend from California, Dawn’s bestie  since kindergarten, fellow Floridians, the cousins as Cyd and I were referred to, and Dawn’s four sisters. Lynne and Dawn were so happy and looked beautiful. Lynne was wearing the strand of pearls her mom wore on her wedding day in 1945.

Beautiful music started things off. One of Dawn’s four sisters and I had the honor of lighting a candle representing the two families that were being joined by this marriage. Riley, their 16 year old son, walked down the isle between his moms. When it was time to incorporate the wedding rings into the ceremony, Riley came forward with a beautiful silver box and offered the rings. Hugs around when it was over and then it was off to the reception at a beach-side hotel. The food, music, champagne toast … everything was great.

Lynne picked Cyd and me up at our hotel on Saturday so we could have a quiet Woodruff cousins lunch. We had such a wonderful time and made so much noise laughing that the waiter said the drinks were on the house. It was like winning a prize for having a good time.

There was a casual pizza dinner at the hotel Saturday night and then we got organized for our flights home. Cyd and I were on our feet at 4:15 this morning to make our 6:25 flight; we flew together as far as Atlanta. There was rain in Florida and freezing rain in both Virginia and Arkansas, so we thought we might have a hard time getting home, but everything went great.

After 20 years together, my cousin Lynne, oldest child of my dad’s brother, is marrying her partner, Dawn, in Florida Friday evening. Cyd and I are honored to be going down to represent the Woodruff side of the family. We are surprise guests actually, thanks to a plan we cooked up with Dawn, so fingers crossed we are as big a hit as we hope to be.

It seems all surprises are not for Lynne alone since I got one of my own when my flights were cancelled not once but twice. I did not meet Cyd in Atlanta, as planned, for lunch and the second leg of our trip since I was eventually re-booked for tomorrow morning. Cyd got there right on schedule and attended the rehearsal and dinner tonight.

If all goes well, I’ll arrive just in time to change clothes and get ready for pictures at 3:00 and then the wedding at 6:00.

I hopped on a plane yesterday morning heading to San Diego to celebrate Deb’s 59th. She and Tom had arrived from Memphis the night before. We all left record breaking low temperatures + ice in the case of Memphis and snow in the case of Northern Virginia and arrived to a cheerful 60-some degrees.

Matt and Emily had everything planned to a tee less Matt’s starter going out on his trusty Honda Friday morning. Thank heaven it had not happened the day before because Deb and Tom had the dubious honor of picking me up at the airport, lunching me, and getting me home…all of which would have been complicated by a car that wouldn’t start in a city they barely know. Anyway, Emily’s parents loaned us a car to use while the starter was being replaced, so it was hardly a blip on our radar.

The long weekend was all about Deb who was surprised by a gift each day. On Friday, the actual 59th, the breakfast table was set with party hats, a tiara for Her Highness, streamers in the light fixture, and a Yet Another gift. Matt cooked and served the birthday breakfast.

While on the topic of food, it was kind of a foodpaloossa weekend. Every bite was amazing. The day I arrived Deb took me for a meatball sub in Little Italy and that night Matt grilled his signature chicken which was served with Deb and Emily’s Pintrist-inspired grilled artichokes and a salad. My treat was a waterside birthday lunch. Matt and Emily chose the perfect restaurant and arranged for a table by the window, personalized (embossed with Happy Birthday Deb) menu, birthday dessert with candle, and a waiter who was easy on the eyes. Having thought of everything, they even arranged for a navy vessel to cruise by and an F16 to fly over. Those two California Mongeons could be fricken party planners I tell ya. We intentionally paced ourselves at lunch because we had reservations at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. Mariachis singing the birthday song and another birthday dessert made it perfect. We wore our cone shaped party hats and Deb donned her tiara.

I might have to take back the party planner remark because Matt and Emily did, actually, miss the mark after the birthday dinner. Once home we settled into a game of Apples to Apples and they promptly took turns winning and then packed us losers off to bed.

Saturday was a blast from start to finish. We had an amazing breakfast at a cute restaurant on the water. From our perch, we could see swimmers, seals, birds, and loads of people out enjoying the beautiful, though cloudy, day. From breakfast we headed to the beach in search of a fire pit. We were beat to the punch in La Jolla, but we found an even better place on the bay. Matt and Emily had the car loaded with snacks, beach chairs, wood, and all the necessaries for birthday s’mores. Deb’s best friend from her days in Japan, Donna, and her husband, Bruce, drove down to spend the afternoon with us. They were such a wonderful addition to our party, and we wiled away the afternoon visiting and playing corn hole. I hate to come right out and say Bruce, totally new to the game, and I, a senior, won four out of five games, but the truth was bound to get out in these days of social media. When Bruce and I had exhausted the competition we took a walk, ate our snacks, enjoyed the view of sailboats, birds, and paddle boards, and watched the sun come down low enough to start our fire.

For those curious minds wondering if you can fall out of/off a blow-up mattress, I’m here to tell you it’s doable. Always remember to execute all turns and rolls from the center of the mattress or it will sort of flip you out and onto the floor around 3:00 in the morning.

My flights to and from were perfect with early arrivals on both ends. You read that right … early. Both going and coming we flew over snow 3/4 of the way. Beautiful from the air.

Back to work tomorrow after my 2nd adventure this year. You loyal readers will recall Dan and I rang in the new year in Bixby, Oklahoma.

Walter and Cleone taught us their (more complicated than our) version of Hand & Foot last night. I should have used my poor health to get out of playing because the guys whooped the girls and we have not heard the last of it yet. I have named their boastful duo the Gundgeons.

We all went to see Unbroken yesterday which was very well done, quite sobering, and made us think of Dan’s dad, George, who was a prisoner in Germany for 10 months or so. Home for spaghetti and more cards. Cleone and I did  much better but we still lost.

We are off to the airport in an hour or so to head home. It has been great fun to have some one-on-one with our old pals. This year marks our 40th year of friendship.

We were all party poopers last night, sad to say. The friends who were joining us for cards were sick and couldn’t come. I went to bed early not feeling so great; the guys watched football; Cleone watched TV in her bedroom. The party hats were untouched.

Dan and Walter stayed home allllllll day today to watch yet mooooore football. Yawn. Cleone, her daughter-in-law Sarah, and I went to the movie to see Wild which we really enjoyed. I got the book for Xmas, so I guess I’ve reversed the order and will read the book 2nd. I usually have no problem downing a large popcorn and a large drink, but my cold got the better of me, so my reputation is now at stake.

Cleone is making us a spiral ham dinner with scalloped potatoes. It smells delicious. Before we went to the movie she made Dan’s all time favorite dip…prairie fire. It’s made from pinto beans and provolone cheese. Walter and Cleone’s son Jeff and his wife, Sarah, and their two children joined us for dinner.

We are in Bixby with our dear old friends Walter and Cleone who retired from the army to their hometown in 1991. We met in Fort Lee, Virginia, mid-August 1975 at a mixer for the new Advanced Course class. We were pals for the 9 months the guys were in school and then kept up with letters and Christmas cards. We were stationed near each other three times over the years which cemented our friendship.

Ten years ago Walter and Cleone built a fabulous new home on a small farm outside of Bixby and, believe it or not, Dan has never seen it. We used this as an excuse to drop in to ring in the new year. Today, day one of the visit, was relaxing. We drove around their farm and saw, of all things, a white hawk with a little red on its tail and their grove of pecan trees. We toured downtown Tulsa spending a brief time on Route 66. We had a great burger at Hop Bunz for lunch and were home in time for a dinner of cornbread and Walter’s chicken soup with a baby bundt cake for dessert.

Just a brief whine before I head to bed. I woke up at 5 this morning with eye sockets that were burning and teeth that were aching. In spite of my best efforts and drugs dispensed by Cleone, I have not made a miracle recovery. A deep, wet caugh set in my noon. I’m going to head to bed and hope to wake up a new woman tomorrow.