Santa Rosa Beach

We spent Saturday before school started back for teachers at the beach.   We had a great time.

New Tudy Phone Phrase

The new phrase when we are getting off the phone with Tudy is.... "I love ya tha most-est". I don't know when it started but since I have started calling Tudy every other day it is the new phrase that is said prior to bye. Today when Sydney was getting off the phone, she belted, "I love ya tha most-est". I guess the days of saying, "I will kiss my end if you kiss yours" is out. So, bring in the new!

How cool is Grandma Tudy? The Coolest! This picture was taken August 2010 at her 91st birthday party. She is sporting these rocking sunglasses from grandson, Bobby Rush.

Orange Groves Bring Memories

Today, I drove the back roads home from Orlando, FL. Driving those highways enabled me to see grove and groves of Orange Trees. More than I have seen in YEARS. They were beautifully filled with Oranges weighing down their branches. Which was great to see and I hope that they will produce outstanding Oranges and Orange Juice.

**When the family would go on vacations to visit my dad's parents (Ella and Stanley Stroud) in DeBary, FL, one of the stops we would make had to be the Florida Visitor's Center. We would get free orange juice samples. Being from a family of six (6) free is always a good thing to the parents.**

**When most people say half and half they think of creamer, but in my family that means something different. It means 1/2 OJ and 1/2 water. We would go through milk and OJ so quickly that Dad would often split the OJ gallon in half and replace with water. So still to this day, it is hard for me to have a straight glass of OJ. Spoke to Aaron about this and he is the same way. We both actually water down our OJ. Mom was able to convince Dad to NOT water down the milk. But, he was frugal and did sometimes which he would then be the only one to drink it. Then when times were REALLY bad, he would make milk from the dry milk and that was YUCKY! I would skip my milk at those times. **

**One other story that came to mind was that MomMom and PopPop (Ella & Stanley Stroud) had an Valencia Orange Tree in the back of there house in DeBary, FL and I would climb in the tree. This tree never produced fruit to my memory or we never visited when it had fruit on it.**

**Another memory is going to Blue Springs State Park to see the Manatees however we visited too early in the seasons all my life to NEVER see them at the Florida State Park. As I got older, I eventually have seen living Manatees at another Florida State Park.**

**Last Orange memory is Santa Claus would always leave us kids a Naval Orange, Red Delicious Apple and Brazilian Nuts in our stockings along with other candies and gifts.**

I'm glad to have experienced all the lessons I did in my early years. It has made me a stronger, caring, understanding and a more determined person. Wow! Who would have thought that Oranges could teach someone lessons in life.

(Original post from The Magnolia Cafe on 1.6.11)