it’s time to pack up the sleigh for our ho-ho-holiday trip. We’re not headed to the North Pole but rather the airport, and it’s not really by sleigh but rather Uber. The packing part is true, as I print our boarding passes and baggage tags in anticipation of sunny Florida. My run this morning was in 36 degree temperatures, but I added a new twist. It was the first time that I ever picked up my dry cleaning on the way back. This is part of the convenience of living downtown, having everything within running distance. We even walked to see Star Wars yesterday afternoon. The “foot force” was with us!

We’ll continue our holiday dining spree tonight with just the two of us at Q, but might want to go by streetcar. Tomorrow night will be at Roy’s in Orlando, another food favorite. That’s 3,000 miles between meals, although I hope to have some Biscotte cookies on the way, as our next sleigh becomes a rental car. Then it’s Marriott-to-Mariott along the Gulf and back to the “Mouse’s House.” We’ll be gone for 15 days, made possible by my wife’s recent retirement. It will be one of our longer excursions together with many more lengthy get-aways to come. Part of our goal on this trip is to find the right spot to buy our final home. It’s also a great opportunity to spend some time with my son’s family.  

It will be an odd Christmas, with most of the time spent on an airplane. We did not bother to decorate at home this year, other than my wife’s Limoges boxes and newly purchased pearl tree. At her instructions, I did not buy her a new box this year for the first time in twenty years. We’re out of space, so jewelry is sadly the only option. LOL. She’s into these custom charm-like tags that hang from a pricey gold necklace chain. I think they look like dog-tags, but she likes the personal messages that can be engraved on them.  “Angels On Your Body” is the first little expression of love. (See Post #1165). I bought ahead for Valentine’s Day, our 19th Anniversary, and her Birthday. We’ll exchange tonight before Santa’s sleigh arrives in the early morning hours to whisk us away to the airport.