The month of December flew by! It has been wonderful enjoying the warmer temperatures of the south! No frigid temps or snow!! It's wonderful!!! Would you believe, on Christmas Day, we were in North Carolina and had the windows wide open and I even sat out on the porch and enjoyed the warmth of the sun!  We had a wonderful Christmas with all of us gathering in North Carolina at Melanie & Rodney's. Even Ryan drove 9 hrs. for a very short visit, but it was great being together for Christmas! Our stay in NC was shortened because Daryl ended up flying to New York to surprise his mom for their Family Christmas on the 21st. He and his sister Cindy from Georgia shocked the daylights out of his mom by showing up on her front porch! It was the first time in many years that all 6 of the kids were home for their Family Christmas. (Sheryl also came in from Florida, as well as nephew, David & Sondra from Georgia) Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were very enjoyable in NC. Friends/co-workers of Melanie's, originally from Columbia, also spent this time with us. It was nice sharing our Christmas with some very nice people who had no family in the area. Each of us shared traditions and we all enjoyed learning more about one another and our customs. Madison was a joy to see the "awe" in her eyes, in fact, she was pretty overwhelmed Christmas morning and really just wanted to stop opening gifts and play! Ian on the other hand, was more interested in eating and sleeping this year, but wait until next year!!  Our stay in NC came to an end as Melanie & Rodney left to drive to NY to spend time with Rodney's family. We then ventured back to Valdosta to enjoy a couple days with Cindy, Pat & family. Then, off we headed to the Naples, Florida area where we will be  "staying put" for awhile.  Daryl has accepted a position as Elementary Principal at Golden Gate Elementary School in the area. He starts on Monday, January 5 and is looking forward to getting back into it!! It was a difficult decision for us to settle down after enjoying our travels, but "sometimes 'ya gotta do what 'ya gotta do". We have found a beautiful resort to live in the Motor Home until we get a feel for the area and decide what we want to do.