Looking Back at 2024

January was spent enjoying the sun, warm weather and family in Rockport.

Hope In February we found a weather window to move our belongings into our new home. It was a lot of work, but now we are settled and loving it. We also had time to visit with friends in Texas.

After spending a few weeks in Lewisburg we returned to Texas to wait for the weather to warm up a bit in Pennsylvania. In March we made our spring migration north just in time to spend Easter with Kyle and his family.

April was all about family and watching the beautiful flowers bloom in our yard. Every week brought more wonderful surprises.

In May we launched The Pearl and prepared to spend our seventh season in Ithaca. It was also Hattie's turn to come to the boat for a visit. Such a great time.

In June we spent our first family vacation with the kids at a house we love near Sheldrake. It was a week filled with lots of fun.

July was filled with the two older kids spending time at the boat and celebrating Kyle's birthday with a family kayak trip down the Susquehanna River. We miss having babies, but older kids are so much fun.

In August we spent another great mini vacation with the kids on the lake. Everyone truly loves spending time on and in the water. We also had a chance to meet up with some old boating friends.

In September we took a trip to Madeira. What an absolutely stunning place to visit. We spent ten days exploring and relaxing.

October is a great month to be in the northeast. They really know how to celebrate fall here. Pumpkins, fall squash, colorful leaves...it was a spectacular month and we enjoyed every bit of it.

In November we kept the grands for a week while Kyle and Brytanie went to California for a little vacation and a wedding. Soon after that we headed south. It was nice to catch up with our family in Rockport.

December was a beautiful month in Rockport. The weather was amazing. We had fun going to our Texas girls activities and spending Christmas day with them. But the best part was spending the end of the year with our complete family...the best birthday present ever. 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our family and friends. We added a new twist to our life this year...we now have a house in Lewisburg, PA. It's a cute little town just west of Kyle and his family. It's full of little shops, nice places to eat and amazing fresh grocery stores to shop at. We still have The Pearl docked in Ithaca and Texas Pearl in Rockport so we have some great places to split our time between. 

We spent the winter visiting family and friends in south Texas and moved all our belongings to our new home in February. We spent 2-3 weeks getting settled in and even enjoyed a beautiful snowfall while we were there. We returned to Texas to wait for the weather to warm up a little in the north. We made our spring migration to Lewisburg at the end of March just in time to spend Easter with Kyle's family.  

We took lots of little vacations this year to places close to home, but our big trip was to Madeira, Portugal in September. What a beautiful island in the Atlantic. We had a wonderful time exploring every little nook and cranny this little piece of paradise had to offer...soaking in the culture, the wonderful food and the extremely friendly people. Unfortunately the island is overrun with tourists and cruise ships. Definitely worth seeing once but we don't need to go back. We love to travel...just don't like crowds. 

Our kids are doing well and our grandchildren are growing up way too fast. They are all in school now and so fun to be with. We enjoy spending time with them and love that they can now text us to share their thoughts and accomplishments with us. We hope the new year brings everyone good health, good fortunes and wonderful adventures.