Happy New Year to Everyone!!!

We sure hope all of you had a wonderful, and joyous Christmas, and now look forward to the New Year with peace and joy in your hearts.  On the way here (to Wilderness Lakes) we saw our first snow topped mountains of the season.  

I'm sure this is no big deal to many of you, living in colder areas, but to us......it's a reminder of why we moved to sunny southern California all those years ago!



We got here on Tuesday, and Tony came to visit us on Wednesday.  We worked quickly to have all our Christmas decorations up before he got here.  This is the wreath we hung on the outside of the RV.

 We put this wreath inside our home, hanging it in the hallway.

 We continue to enjoy using our Canine nativity, and added the lovely angel that our friend Marla gave us a few years ago, and a little Christmas tree.

 Jim and I made and framed this lighted wreath when we still lived in our house in Santa Ana.

This is the Christmas tree we put on our dining room table.  We like to think of the little snowman and snow lady as us. LOL. As you can see below, some of our neighbors get very creative with their Christmas decorations.
 
 





This one was an inflatable camper, and the door would open so Santa could look out.  Really cute!

We got some much needed rain on Thursday and Friday, but I'm not sure our neighbors were too happy about it.  The park people had to pump water out of the canals to keep them from overflowing.

As promised, we baked and decorated six cakes for the Christmas eve candle light service here in the park.  There weren't as many people there as Pastor Bob had expected so we only used four of them.  We gave a lemon cake to a lady here in the park to take home, as she was having guests over, and it would be enjoyed that night.  Jim brought back one whole chocolate cake.......which he is eating up as quickly as he can.  Hahaha!  The service was delightful, with wonderful Christmas music, and a very uplifting message by Pastor Bob.  
Christmas morning was quiet here.  The dogs had fun playing with their new toys, and enjoyed some special doggie treats!  We had agreed not to exchange gifts, and spent that money on some charitable donations.  When we need, or really, really want something, we get it, so there is no reason to shop just because the merchants want us to.  Willie doesn't like to get dressed up, but Millie likes to get festive.

 But sometimes she parties a little too much!
 



Christmas morning was cold, with ice hanging off the edge of our awning, but sunny and bright, so Jim got a little silly too. 

He was going to go pick up the newspaper, and had to wear his sun glasses.


The rest of the day went well.  We played Mexican Train, had a nice dinner and watched TV.  We had planned to volunteer to serve dinner at the VFW or some other place this year, but were unable to find any place to do that.  It turns out, the VFW only serves dinner to veterans on Thanksgiving day.  Maybe we can do that next year.

As you can see, the "lake" out behind us is beginning to dry up, but these birds have gone to higher ground for now.  All is well here at our home in Wilderness Lakes, and we are looking forward to a happy and healthy, and maybe prosperous New Year.  Time to think about New Year's resolutions..........maybe some we can actually KEEP this year?  As always, I encourage kindness to everyone you meet.....even those who may NOT seem to be nice or deserving of kindness.  We can't know what problems, or fears, they might be trying to cope with.  Our kindness could make a real difference to someone who is struggling.  Instead of regrets for what we don't have, we should always, ALWAYS give thanks for the many blessings we do have.  We don't have much money, but we are rich in the blessings we have.  Our health is pretty good.  We have a nice home on wheels, and two wonderful dogs to love, and they love us back.  We have family and many wonderful friends we have met along the way.  We have enough money to support our RV life style, and we are grateful for each day that we wake up to this truly awesome world God has created for us.  This reminds me of something I've been meaning to say for a while now.  There are some words that seem to be overused and it just drives me crazy.  One such word is "awesome".  Some people use that word to describe almost everything!  "That is an awesome car (or hair cut, or meal, etc)."  When I think about what is truly awesome, I think of God, and the amazing, beautiful world He has created.  We often do see a truly awesome sunset.  The gift of His son Jesus is so awesome it is beyond what any other word could describe.  Somehow I just can't see anything we do as being anywhere near awesome.  Please think about it before you say things are awesome.  The car is nice; the haircut is good; and maybe the meal was delicious, but shouldn't we save "awesome" for what truly deserves that word?

Here's wishing all of you a blessed, and happy, healthy, and prosperous year ahead.  Enjoy each day for the gift it is.  Don't dwell on the past, or worry about the future, enjoy the gift that is today.  That's why it's called the present!