Saturday, July 16, 2016

Family--Just What the Doctor Ordered

Thank you so much, dear friends, for all of your comments on my last post.

I believe they were the most heartfelt and thoughtful comments I've ever received and I have read them over and over, trying to fully absorb all the wisdom in them. 

Last weekend R.H. and I had just what the doctor ordered -- visits from dear family. 

Two of my sisters and their husbands, Floridians themselves, came to spend the weekend with us and with our daughter and son-in-law. 

My sister Deb and her husband were our house guests, along with their darling Carly, a beautiful Havanese.




She and Don and R.H. and I met the rest of the party at Aqua Grill, Christy and Bryan's favorite where-everyone-knows-your-name place.




I wasn't able to capture the water coming down like rain in this large wall inside but it was lovely.

Here's Deb and Don.....



We four had good late night talks before bed.

Sometimes a heart-to-heart talk with a sister does wonders.

Here's my sister Jenn with my brother-in-law Jeff, who were house guests of Christy and Bryan for the weekend......



That's our son-in-law Bryan across the table from them, and these two men--Bryan and Jeff--flew to Nashville when we moved, helped load the trucks and drove them to Florida for us--my knights in shining armor, along with Zack who drove me and Otis and Milo, our dachshunds, in my car. 

I never told you about our convoy, did I? We could not have made it safely here without their help.

Back to the Aqua Grill, Christy was hidden behind Bryan in the above picture so I got her to pose for the camera, which left Bryan in one of those weird poses. (He doesn't read my blog anyway so will never see this!)



Here's a few of our dinner plates....



Boneless short ribs for a few of the men.



Scallops and crab for Deb.



Wild sockeye salmon and orzo for me.

And I guess I have to include a picture of me and R.H. even though I definitely look like I imbibed too much of the champagne that Zack and Courtney had there as a surprise for all of us.



On to Saturday...there were bike rides for some of the men early and the ladies, minus me, did two miles on the beach early.

Then there was a pool party at Christy and Bryan's...



Recognize any of us? I think that's R.H. in the blue one-piece suit.

Christy grilled filets out that evening and a simple but delicious meal was had by all, including Bryan's mother and father, Barbara and Don, who joined us.



They're the couple squeezed in on the patio sofa at Christy and Bryan's, between R.H. and Don, and they are two fascinating people. And Don, Bryan's father, carved the large tenderloin into the filets for Christy to grill. That impressed me as I'd never seen anyone do it.



That's all the pictures I have even though the whole gang gathered at our house the next morning for a waffle, bacon, pork chops, eggs and fruit salad breakfast.

We ladies went shopping afterwards and came home to a clean kitchen, courtesy of R.H.

And then it was time for our weekend to end, our house guests went home, carrying big pots of lavender with them from the Ace Hardware here, which is one cool store.

A generous dose of family--just what the doctor ordered. 


29 comments:

  1. Yes, dear Dewena, I would say that that was exactly the medicine you needed. I hope more is to come! Much love.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful time you all had. Good, healing medicine.

    Love and hugs to you ~ FlowerLady

    P.S. I saved that sweet pic of you and your hubby.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A cheerful heart is good medicine indeed! So glad you had a good time. There are surely many more happy days ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happiness! Happiness1 Dewena is back! I've missed you and wondered how you were doing after the last post. There is nothing like a sister to cheer you up. Your time together sounds wonderful and I know those memories will shine bright if there's a coming dark time. Florida does have its advantages...like a great restaurant and family cookouts.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great medicine!!! Doses of family make everything ok. So happy you had this great time with your family. Hugs,
    Kris

    ReplyDelete
  6. A wonderful family gathering, good food, and beautiful surroundings? What could be better medicine than that? Nuttin' honey ;).

    You're getting to know your surroundings it seems...the restaurants, good shopping places and last, but not least, Ace Hardware. Yup. Sounds like all is well in Dewena's neck of the woods.

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh I loved this post!
    it sounds just heavenly in every way.
    and that RH cleaned up the kitchen for you is so sweet.
    christy looks more and more like you! just beautiful!
    love the picture of you and RH.
    well all of them really.
    my goodness!
    XOXOXO♥
    p.s.
    the salmon looks almost like sushi! was it just broiled?
    it looks kind of raw. but it's a lovely plate. healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. It sounds like you had a great time with your family recently, Dewena. Your daughter's outside patio is gorgeous. The boneless short ribs look so Yummy. Sometimes family is just what we need. I will get my share of family at Jess' wedding coming up. ;)

    love, ~Sheri

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm so glad you posted about this, with all the photos!! A wonderful, wonderful time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So great to hear from you, Dewena, and what a grand celebration with your sweet family! I so enjoyed the pictures and hearing how you celebrated. They are good people helping you with the move. Are you settled in yet?

    Big hugs,

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  11. How wonderful, Dewena! I sure appreciate your honesty in wondering whether FL is home yet or not. I think I would feel the same, even though my head would like to make that move (at least part-time). I'm just not sure my heart would be there. Family is definitely the heart of home! Thank you for sharing the family photos. I really enjoyed them, and having the chance to see a photo of you (a first, I believe?!). Your weekend sounded absolutely perfect.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh it sounds and looks like VERY good medicine indeed ! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi,
    So happy you had family time. xx oo
    I enjoyed your photos.
    Carla

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sounds like a wonderful weekend Dewena! Nothing like being with the people you love. And all that good food doesn't hurt either! ;) I hope you get to enjoy more of these gatherings, especially as you adjust to life there. xo Deborah

    ReplyDelete
  15. what a happy post - i loved all the pics and seeing your nice family and poolside is so gorgeous! looks like a great time with all the family.

    ReplyDelete
  16. and this, dear Dewena, is exactly why I want to sell and move...to be near my family...parents still alive, sister, her oldest son and his wife, brother and his wife...I NEED the comfort of family. Love all the photos and beautiful folks...the FOOD! STOP, you're killing me! I ate at Cracker Barrel today and thought I'd hit Big Time...lol.

    ReplyDelete
  17. What wonderful times with family! I am so glad you had these visits and that it cheered you up. The food from the restaurant you went to looked delicious. {{hugs}}

    ReplyDelete
  18. I think that's JUST WHAT YOU NEEDED!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love these late night talks! I'm so happy for you, you deserve the joy of family and friendship (and good food :-)
    Amalia
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  20. I absolutely love spending time with my siblings (all brothers) and their wives. It's rare that we all get together at the same time. We have a family wedding coming up this fall, and we're going to all stay at the same hotel. I'm giddy with anticipation:)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Family, food, fun - the perfect remedy for anyone! Your pics are filled with happy faces, (I'm sure from the scrumptious fare, as well as the stories shared!). You and R.H. look so sweet together, totally relaxed, but rejuvenated. Actually, you two look quite 'at home'; I guess, being surrounded by loved ones will do that, anywhere one might find themselves.

    Thanks for letting us be a part of it, too!

    Love,
    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
  22. Late night talks with sisters. I totally get it. Glad you shared some of them...

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a fantastic weekend. I am so happy for you. It's not easy moving away from loved ones. You kind of leave a part of your heart there with them. What a blessing that they were able to come down and spend time with you. Hope they can do it again soon.

    Blessings,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  24. Family is good medicine...and sound like you had a really nice weekend...I wanted to nibble off each of the plates since the food looks so good.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh Dewena what a lovely, happy post to read and look at ...
    As you say "A generous dose of family--just what the doctor ordered." It is always so lovely to have family get-together's and the older we get the more that time is spent together is sweet and precious.

    Take care my blogging friend

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  26. Yup, just what the doctor ordered--perfect medicine! Looks like wonderful times and some wonderful memories to ponder! ....and that salmon and orzo! YUM!
    Linda

    ReplyDelete
  27. It is true, family time can cure just about anything and everything!
    So happy for you:)
    Jemma

    ReplyDelete
  28. Sorry it's been so long since I've stopped by. Happy to see that you have had the most wonderful weekend with your family, and hope you've been able to hold onto the glow from their visit!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Those really are the best of times...when shared with family. I hope you are enjoying Florida more now. Hugs, Diane

    ReplyDelete