21 January 2023 | Berry Hill, Leets Vale, AU
19 January 2023 | Melbourne, Victoria, AU
17 January 2023 | Zagame’s Hotel, Melbourne CBD, Victoria, AU
17 January 2023 | Seaspray, 90 mile Beach, Victoria, AU
16 January 2023 | Seaspray, Victoria, AU
15 January 2023 | The Quarterdeck, Narooma, Australia
15 January 2023 | Narooma Golf Course, Narooma, Australia
13 January 2023 | Huskisson, Jervis Bay, Australia
11 January 2023 | Medusa Hotel, Sydney, AU
08 January 2023 | Antelope Bay, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe
04 January 2023 | Changa Bay, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe
03 January 2023 | Spurwing Lodge, Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe
01 January 2023 | Old Drift Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
31 December 2022 | Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
30 December 2022 | Old Drift Lodge, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
29 December 2022 | Inhassoro, Mozambique
25 December 2022 | Inhassoro, Mozambique
19 December 2022 | Borelands Farm, Barberton, South Africa
17 December 2022 | Steiltes, Nelspruit, South Africa
17 December 2022 | Kruger Lodge, Mjejane Game Reserve, South Africa
A wonderful week in motion.
25 March 2024 | Southlake, TX
Maggie
It's been a wonderful week!
The girls spent a night with us and had great fun with their boa's.
Lily sang like a bird in her choir at school.
Jimmy Smith came to visit.
I planted our garden behind the pool.
Nev and I played in a "Nine and Dine" golf tournament together with Mike and Kim and placed second!
Nev and Jimmy saw the longhorns down in the Stockyards and visited an historical bar there that Jimmy had visited 40 years ago!
Brent and Jennie, Stu, Kevin and Rosie joined us for a fabulous night of food and stories and good laughs.
Candace was spoiled at a beautiful "Landing soon" baby shower for baby boy Clark due to arrive in the first week of May.
Palm Sunday at church yesterday was a glorious recreation with "Jesus" on a donkey going down the main aisle while we waved palms and sang praises.
We've had wonderful soaking rains and equally wonderful sunshine in between.
And now I'm at the airport, on my way back to Casa Azul to check on things for a few days before returning by the weekend, I hope, to celebrate Easter...
a week in motion for sure!
All better now. ♥️
21 March 2024 | Ladera Ranch, CA
Maggie
Stephen and Christopher were both prone to nasty ear infections from a very young age and had numerous sets of grommets (tubes) inserted into their ears to relieve the pain and drain the infection, this ongoing right up until we left for the States when they were 5 and 4 years old.
Unfortunately it appears both Makenna and Carson have inherited the same ear formation as their daddy and have also lived that same young life.
When we visited for Christopher's birthday both kiddies were sick with ear infections, high fevers, and the need for their mama only for snuggles and comfort.
However, typical of young children, there would be tiny gaps of okayness when Makenna went to the park or to her gymnastics class or Carson played with the ball or ran about the backyard, and both laughed and gave us hugs.
The good news is that they had surgery yesterday, Makenna a new set of tubes and her adenoids removed, Carson tubes only. They came thro with flying colors and are all better now! ♥️
Thank YOU! 🙏
I pray this is their last bout as my boys finally, at around this age, healed.
They're coming to join us at Casa Azul in May and I'm hoping the sun and the sea will help them along their healing journey. ♥️
Love you all.
It was a sweet time.
And Christopher and Allison: you are lovely, patient and gentle parents. 🩷
36:63 💙♥️
07 March 2024 | Ladera Ranch, CA
Maggie
Today we celebrated Christopher's 36th birthday together, suddenly realizing half way thro the fun, that I am 63!
36:63
Love that we were together for this once in our life time moment!
He produced a wickedly delicious chocolate mint cake he'd made for himself that we all devoured!
And then Victoria, Allison's sister, kindly baby sat Makenna and Carson while we had the most fun and delicious dinner together at Hanna's, me especially thrilled because Christopher had two sips of red wine and said it wasn't too bad!!
Double history made today!!
I’m hoping the latter, the wine tasting, isn't a once in our life time event.
Happy birthday my kid ♥️♥️
Love you more!
Busy lives.
07 March 2024 | Santa Rosa Valley, CA
Maggie
This is a busy household we've been spending time in, both for the parents and the children!
Dax grows a veggie garden that supplies salad for the family plus he's making candles for an entrepreneurial class at home school and doing a great job marketing Dax's Waxes too.
Heidi has an incredible ability to memorize scripture verses and a huge talent for drawing that blows our minds.
Ryan is busy loving on his chickens or going to gymnastics or building tracks and tunnels for his trains or just tumbling and running and talking non-stop as he does so.
Trev and Star are carting children hither and thither in between their own fun schedules of yoga and mountain biking; then there are meals to be cooked and homeschooling to be done in between preparing for their return to Spain in May!
We played board games and card games and enjoyed this sweet and busy time with all...
they are growing up fast and we soaked it and them in...
In between all this activity I was also able to have a wonderful sushi lunch with my girlfriends Debi and Flea, the time always too short for the stories to be told and lives to be shared. Love and miss these ladies.
And Nev was able to squeeze in a yummy breakfast with his buddy, Rob, at his favorite breakfast spot in Oxnard, Mrs Olsen's.
All too soon it is time to move on, not too sad because Trev and the kids will be visiting us in Dallas in April...
Yay!
(our only regret is forgetting to take pics to capture this time together)
Beauty in brown paper.
03 March 2024 | California.
Maggie
I am constantly reminded of the simple beauty that surrounds us, and especially so on this trip to California:
beautiful freesia's wrapped in brown paper from the Farmer's Market in Oxnard
blood red and delicious strawberries
deep conversations with old friends
hugs that are tight and genuine and warm all the way to my heart
delicious food and unexpected laughs with strangers
stories that remind us of the preciousness of these lives of ours, each lived so very differently
birthday celebrations and champagne
wildflowers and snow on the mountains en route to Tehachapi
the gentle comfyness of family.
I smile as I write these words
and remember each moment
so glad we're here...
and we have another week to go. ♥️🪻🪻♥️
Not in a hurry!
01 March 2024 | Los Angeles, CA
Maggie
The days fly by in a hurry lately it seems, or is that just because the years do too??
The few weeks since my last post have been full.
Nev is loving his twice weekly golf days with the guys, his three times weekly stretch classes and now his visits to a new club where he's dabbling in pickleball! And he's feeling great albeit a little achey...
I've been down to Casa Azul to check on the building happening there, and the farm now that it's on the market, and our darling Donde, mum's cat, who is as lost as I am without her there. She patiently soaks up my hugs and kisses, such a sweet girl.
The building is progressing and ALMOST completed, and the farm is looking amazing, all the trees loaded with blossoms... I think we're in for a bumper crop of everything this year.
While I was there I was able to enjoy a long walk on the beach and plant a new garden - a few of my favorite things to do!
In between all of that there is the sweet time with the girls that I grab when I can, and I love every minute of it.
I'm still taking golf lessons and am now officially a member of the Boopers Club, a women's golf group focused on 9 holes of golf a week along with food, fun, fellowship and fashion!! I know I'm going to love being one of them, and they will be gentle with my beginner duffs!!
We have explored our neighborhood on our bikes and I remain baffled with the weather and gardening here but it's a work in progress.
Today Nev and I have flown into LAX, excited for the ten days ahead of us that will be consumed with family and friends and all things familiar...
no doubt a time and a visit that will pass by all too quickly...
we're going to breathe each moment in deeply in an effort to slow it all down...
I'm even embracing the honking horns and the craziness of LAX while I wait for Nev to return with a rental car!!!