NASHVILLE, TN.

Hi, Y'all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I certainly did, because it was spent with the family I love so much, mine! We had a peaceful, relaxed evening with my son, daughter and her family and my sweetie. Last year we had a houseful of guests at her house but she had to work until Christmas evening, so we did not invite anyone this year except family. As usual, too much food was prepared, and I'm sure we all ate way too much. At least I did. I will have to diet for months to make up for it. It was so enjoyable, though. Since both boys are older, we got to watch them get Santa gifts on Christmas eve. Lots of electronic gadgets and games, which they loved. I enjoyed seeing them excited. I was blessed this year with gifts I love and appreciate, but then I always do appreciate them. My daughter gave me a long, cream-colored coat for church, and a much needed set of Oneida silverware (12 place settings!) and my sweetie gave me a big set of "Beauiful" cologne, with cosmetic case and goodies, trousers and shirt, and a gift certificate for the sales after. But my big surprise was an all expense paid long weekend in Nashville, Tn. My son took us, the seven hour trip was rainy, but we found gas for 1.39, the cheapest for us yet. Our suite at the Hilton was great, walking distance to Country Music Hall of Fame, and Opry at the Rhyman, for which DS had got tickets. Since my sweetie and I love country music among other types of music, we enjoyed the museum so much. I did not expect it to be as big as it was and as nice. We spent an entire afternoon there and did not see it all. The show at the Rhyman was fantastic. I was excited that Keith Urban was performing, as he is one of my favorites. He did not let us down, he was incredible. Nicole's family was visiting them and all were in the audience. We got to see several others; Jett Williams (Hank Williams,Sr,'s lost daughter), ( story there) Juliette Hough(from Dancing with the Stars) , Jamey Johnson, Chuck Weiss, Riders in the Sky, and other regulars on the Grand Old Opry. And a fairly new group, Cherryholmes, that I thought was very good. The acoustics at the Rhyman are great, so I was not disappointed that the show was not at the new Opry. I had been to the Rhyman a few times spaced over the past thirty years, and it was like visiting an old friend. We ate once at a honkey-tonk barbecue place, close to the Orchid Lounge. A mistake, since it was late evening. The next morn we ate at Pancake Pantry, another N-Ville tradition. We love the one in Gatlinburg and this one was excellent, also. Sunday morning, we went to the Opryland Hotel and it is even bigger than I remembered. We had brunch at Watersedge in the Cascades section. The dancing waters fountain was right at our table. The geysers with music is a trifle hypnotic, but so relaxing. Seeing all the beautiful flowers and trees in full bloom was such a welcome sight after the cold spell we have had. But speaking of weather, Mother Nature cooperated wonderfully. Saturday was a blissful 72 and Sunday, though cooler, was still very pleasant. Kids, of course, were in short sleeve t-shirts. It must be a universal trait to hate jackets until you are 30! All in all, it was a weekend that I enjoyed tremendously, thanks to a wonderful son who knows his Mama so well. My grandson, the one who got the bad burn, is gone back to the surgeon today to determine whether he will need a skin graft on his foot. I am praying that the healing is more than satisfactory at this stage. That would be the greatest gift I could get before 2009. My late husband's brother passed away Christmas and we were unable to attend funeral today as the family lives in Texas but our heart goes out to them as holidays are always hard after someone passes. I hate to end this exuberant posting on a sad note, but if we need any reminder to show family and friends that we love them , this is it. Not just at Christmas , but everyday, we need to say "I love you, I appreciate you, and you are a valued part of my life." And not just say it, show it in our actions. Then we can truly enjoy each day, every day, one day at a time! God bless you all and I love you, my friends.