And speaking of friends, we finally got to meet Mike and Mardi! They are a couple from Minnesota who follow our blog, got in contact with me through email and Facebook, and were planning their first trip to Belize.
It's kinda' funny to me when you're pen pals. While you may see pictures of the other people, read and respond to their messages, you really don't know if you will actually click when you meet in person.
Any concerns that may have flitted through my mind were gone in a second upon meeting them. They are so down-to-earth, funny, and kind.
While the weather wasn't completely cooperative during their stay (lots of rain), the skies turned clear and beautiful on their last day (of course). A bunch of us gathered at Jam Rock, so they could meet other folks who made the move here.
I do hope they come back for more visits (hint, hint). But one of the cool things about social media is that we can be in touch, online, in a second. There's hardly a day that goes by that we don't touch base. Good people, good friends.
But no sooner did Mike and Mardi depart, then Thanksgiving appeared. This year a bunch of us gathered at the home of Colleen and Bruce Steege.
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| Left to right: Dianna and Dave Rider, Graham Towers, me, and David) |
We collectively decided on a Traditional Thanksgiving with a Flair. That meant instead of turkey, we had duck. And let me just say that Bruce outdid himself. One duck was stuffed with wild rice stuffing, the other with citrus. Both were basted multiple times with a lovely red wine. Combine that with garlic smashed potatoes, gravy, cheeses, breads, pate, cake and lots of incredible wines from Colleen, Bruce, and Graham, and we had all the makings of an amazing feast. Oh and there was broccoli. Leave it to me to forget mentioning the veg.
Anyway, we all had a tremendous time. Unfortunately, the cold symptoms I had been ignoring for the couple of days previous to the feast decided to rear their ugly heads that night. This is the same cold that I gave to David, who then gave back to me. I know, I know, karma is a bitch. For the next three days I was pretty much worthless. It has been sooooo long since I've had a full-blown cold that I forgot just how tired and crummy you feel. My brain couldn't put two thoughts together that made sense. I ended up nesting in a blanket, sipping hot tea and honey, when not sleeping, sneezing, or coughing, and gave into being a slug.
As an aside, we picked up some local brand tissues that were cheerily printed with a Christmas theme on the box. I really didn't care about the design, I just needed tissues. Anyway, what we didn't realize is that these particular tissues have some sort of potpourri scent to them. Overwhelmingly so. And they are not soft by any stretch of the imagination. Colleen, being the amazing friend that she is, took pity on me and gave me a box of Kleenex brand tissues. My nose was immediately happier.
Fortunately, it seems the worst of the symptoms are over. Still have a cough and sound congested, but at least I can function...mostly. I have things to do, people to see, cooking that I'm aching to do. And let's not forget that in a little more than three weeks Christmas will be here! And what does that mean? Nope, not presents or decorations or carols or nog...it means we can spend time with all these wonderful people and a host more we know and enjoy to celebrate the holidays.
To all our friends...thank you for being you and sharing time with us.
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