I was very fortunate this past week to have my sister here for a visit.  We were supposed to be in London at this time, but cancelled our trip with all the uncertainty.  So, to make her stay fun, Nicole and I planned a stay at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs.

The hotel is incredible.  There are more buildings than I actually saw.  The rooms and bathrooms were the pinnacle of luxury and comfort.

We were also fortunate enough to join a beginner falconry class and learned quite a bit about the sport and the birds involved.

We spent some time in the indoor pool and infinity hot tub as well as some of the other services the hotel offered.  The food was wonderful and the service was phenomenal.

I hate to see her go today, but thank you, Nicole, for spending this time with me!  Love you!

Living here in ABQ is so wonderful, which includes the friends we've made here who we treasure.  Today was another fun day as we girls celebrated Lydia's Birthday.

We started off the day with lunch.  Finding available restaurants during this pandemic is not easy.  The only dining available is outdoor patio seating.  Lydia chose El Pinto in Los Ranchos and it was wonderful!  Their outside patio was perfect - great shade, ceiling fans and the tinkling of water fountains.  Lunch was also wonderful as was their fair-sized variety of Margaritas.  Lydia went with her favorite cucumber, while Gerda enjoyed a blue agave and I went rogue with a horchata margarita.

Lunch was followed by coffee, cake and gifts at Monika's house.  As usual she had set a beautiful table, filled with Lydia's favorite flamingos.

​I'm so glad we were able to get together to celebrate Lydia's special day.

One of my favorite authors, DB McNicol states, "I am participating in the #AccountaClub hosted by I. L. Wolf where we post weekly, on Fridays, how we are doing with our goals.
So, I'm starting a Monthly Check-in on our blog. Once a month, sometime during the first week (preferably the first, but hey, who's checking), I will post my replies to the categories listed below.
I hope you will join in the fun! I've used items from both Denise's and Red's lists for a total of 25. 
Here are the categories for you to copy and save. Just blog your first thoughts - don't spend a lot of time on this, skip a category if nothing comes to mind quickly:"

1. ENJOYING the beautiful weather here in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  Being right on the shores of Lake Michigan makes the breeze cooling.
2. MAKING room in our bays below by cleaning out.  
3. COOKING brats again for dinner.  I found the German style brats here at the local grocery store and stocked up for the next month.  We can't get enough.
4. DRINKING my Crystal Light.  I really should stop and drink more water, but I just can't seem to stop. I think I'm addicted.
5. READING the Brainrush series by Richard Bard on my Kindle.  Have I mentioned how much I love my Kindle?
6. WANTING my Sage to feel better.  She kept me up all night last night and hasn't been herself today.  I know the day will come when I have to say goodbye, but I'm not ready to let go of her.
7. LOOKING out at the waves cresting on the Lake and the trees bending in the wind.
8. PLAYING Lollipop Match 3 on my tablet.  I am an addict.
9. BUYING lounge chairs for more comfort outside.  Now to help Dave understand his old chair needs to go.
10. WISHING that we could spend another week here - the campground and weather is so wonderful.
11. FOLLOWING my dear friend, Donna on all her blogs.  Guess I'll need to include Stu now with his blog :)
12. WAITING for bedtime.  After last night, I'm beat.  And we travel to Wisconsin tomorrow.
13. LIKING waking up and wondering where I am.
14. WONDERING how the weather will be by the time we get to the Dakotas.
15. LOVING my family.
16. CONSIDERING how to keep streamlining our life to make it easier than it already is.
17. WATCHING Moonshiners cause hubby has the remote.  
18. HOPING that I can steal the remote back.
19. SMELLING the sea air.
20. WEARING my nightgown.  
21. NEEDING sleep
22. HEARING the waves crash onto the beach.  There's nothing that lulls me into a zen state more than that.
23. THINKING that I sure hope we don't get swarmed with the famous biting flies and mosquitoes when we head to Wisconsin.
24. NOTICING all the RVs pulling out of the campground, to go back to their lives.
25. KNOWING that I'm enjoying my life right here and don't have to leave the campground to go back to a house.

It seems like every time I turn around, I'm snapping a cute picture of either Sage or Chacho.  At times, they're willing to be my models.  Other times, I get "the look"  Divas!

​Here are my kiddies together in all their divaness!

Kate, our wonderful granddaughter, spent the night with us last night; one more time before we hit the road for summer.  As always, it was a wonderful day and evening.  We ended up at Mel's diner in Pigeon Forge for dinner, and then went across the street to a small children's amusement park where Kate rode the merry go round, train and plane before heading home.

She also had so much fun, just sitting outside, blowing bubbles and playing soccer with Grampy.

​We'll miss her this summer!

This past March, I left behind the cold winter in Florida (it was cold at that time) and joined my family on a Southern Caribbean cruise.  We sailed on the Crown Princess, her last sail before going into dry dock and headed for what's known as the ABC islands - Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.  We enjoyed our time on the ship - lots of relaxation, some good meals and a little sightseeing.  All in all, a great eight days.

​Our first stop was Bonaire.  Mom and I had been here before, so we chose not to do any shore excursions.  Rather, we just walked through town and did a little shopping.  These islands are dutch, of course, so we saw a lot of dutch knick knacks.

Our next stop was Aruba.  Well known for its resorts, we spent the day learning a little about their huge desalination plant where they make drinking water for everyone on the island.  We then spent the rest of the day relaxing on a small island, named Depalm island.  We rented a cabana, snorkeled, ate and just relaxed by the water.

Last stop, Curacao, where we boarded a little trolley and got a great tour of the town and all it's beautifully colored houses.

Finally, here are a few pictures from wandering around the ship.

We're here in Copake, NY this week for a long-awaited Westerling Family Reunion.  Nearly everyone was able to make it.  The parents, brothers Dave, George and Steve and sister Karoline, along with spouses.  Angela, we missed you!

What a treat it was to see our next generation in action.  Stevie and Taylor, you two are such wonderful young men.  Jenna, Jilly and Addy, our precious girls - you will rock in a few years!

Thanks to everyone for coming out and thanks to Karoline and Jason for hosting us yesterday.

We're looking forward to spending some more time with Mom and Dad before heading out at the end of the week.

​Let's not wait so long for the next one!

Now that we finished our April AtoZ Challenge, it's time to do something else for fun.  We've decided to participate in Celebrate the Small Things.  I kind of like posting some kind of gratitude post every week.

Each Friday, post in your blog something you wish to celebrate achieving / doing that week.

It can be writing related: I finished a tricky chapter! I worked on my outline! 
It can be reading related: I read two books! 
It can be life related: I tidied my sock drawer! My child finally ate something green! I cleaned the shed!
Sometimes the week's been so tough you can just celebrate surviving it.  This week I was sick as a dog, but I'm still alive and hope to recover soon.
Feel free to include your celebration item within a post covering other topics.


http://lexacain.blogspot.com/2015/01/celebrate-small-things.html

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