Well, after 13 hours of actual driving time and 818 miles of road behind us, Gary and I arrived in Venice, FL at 11:45 p.m. Sunday night.  The temperature read 54 degrees and the moon was shining overhead as we pulled into our new "homestead" for the next 2 1/2 months.  Wow, this feels different!

We left snow-covered roads in Lynchburg and rode about two hours on packed snow before having one lane of clear road surface in North Carolina.  In South Carolina the roads were clear, but the branches of the trees were ladened with ice....beautiful, but they must have had a ton of ice and the temperatures were still in the 30's...burrrrr.

It's been a very long day....I'm hitting the sheets.  God bless and thank you for praying for our safety!

With all the snow we received yesterday in Virginia, Gary and I are headed out with blue skies overhead.  We are praying for some clear roads, but I'm not sure what we'll find....after all, this is Virginia and just about every church in the tri-state area has been cancelled for today.  So, pray for us.  We hope to be in the State of Florida by sundown.  I'll give you an update as soon as I can get to another computer!  God bless!

Isn't it ironic that Gary and I are urgently trying to get to the warmth of Florida to spend the remainder of winter and we are "stuck", literally, in Virginia with a ton of snow??  We woke up to at least six inches on the ground and it's still snowing like crazy.  All of this was predicted yesterday, but we kept thinking the weather stations might miss the mark, but nope...not this time!  So, we'll spend the time visiting with my folks, watching movies, catching up on devotions and waiting for the snow to cease so we can hit the highways for warmer temperatures.

Since this day affords me the opportunity, I will probably be posting the first assignment for the Bucket List Bible Study.  This will enable those who are participating a little extra time to get started with our study.  I appreciate all of you who will be joining us and look forward to the nuggets of knowledge we will discover together from God's Word.  God bless, my friends.  If you're anywhere in the South and experiencing this weather...be careful and be safe!

Currently being in Lynchburg where I was born and raised affords me the chance to be with the rest of my family who lives in this area.  Gary and I have the opportunity to live with my parents when we visit and I get to help out in small ways with things my folks need.  This afternoon affords one of the those opportunities.  My dad is having a procedure on his back.  Being in pain for the past several years, the doctor feels he can alleviate some of the pain with a lumbar injection.  We are praying this will do what it is intended...lessen the amount of pain he feels on a daily basis.  Please pray for us.

Last night I got to see my "sister's" granddaughter, Kaylee Ann.  Kaylee, as you might remember has been diagnosed with a small hole in her heart.  She will see a cardiologist the first part of February, but she is such a little blessing.  Tiny and beautiful with a head full of black hair....

I also got to visit with Miss Betty yesterday.  If you recall (if you are a long-time blog reader) that my friend, Kathy, passed away last Spring after a very long battle with cancer.  Miss Betty is her mom and I have always enjoyed sitting around talking, remembering old times and laughing with her.  She has always been a blessing to me....even after hard times, she always has been a lovely, positive influence in my life showing the compassion of Christ in her thoughts and actions. 

Well, that's about it for now.  A large snow storm is predicted for tonight and tomorrow morning...we are waiting to see if it is really "large" and if we can still leave for Savannah tomorrow.  Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day, my friends!  God bless!

Hi friends and family....well, day two and we made it to Lynchburg, Virginia.  It was a wonderful day to travel on Wednesday.  The sun was shining brightly and as the day dissolved we had a full moon and a sky full of stars to guide our early evening travels.  In fact the last time we had a full moon our family was dining under the stars in Hawaii....ahhh....those precious memories!

It was difficult to figure out where we had placed our overnight bags for our short Virginia stay....we finally had to unpack part of the trunk to find Gary's bag.....oh, I did I mention we couldn't "squeeze" in my shoe bag so Gary mailed it with the other boxes....26 pounds of shoes!  However, Gary did have some shoes in the box, so don't go thinking the entire box was mine....although I love my sandals!! 

There is a predicted storm coming through on Friday and Saturday with either snow and/or ice.  We'll have to wait and see if it happens.  The beauty of retirement is no set schedule....although I'm traveling with the King of Planning...he's starting to slowly realize the phase, "what's a schedule, I'm retired!"  Today is absolutely gorgeous....lots of sun and the temps are hitting the high 50's....Springtime to us northeasterners!

God bless, my friends....

So in an hour or so Gary and I will be departing and heading into the sunshine....hopefully!  Except for having granny in her rocking chair strapped to the top of the cadillac, we look like the Beverly Hillbillies!  I brought a stop to it when I rounded the car and saw Gary had pushed a bag of toiletries into the ledge behind the passenger seats (where the world could view) and a bottle of Pepto Bismol and Tums were rolling around....enough, I said....so we re-packed a few items.  At least we look a bit more dignified as we ride down the road in his new caddie!

We are full of excitement and uninhibited joy as we ready ourselves for this journey that has been termed the life of "snow birds" which I've really never understood....we're more like robins or humming birds, I believe.  Of course, I'll miss my kids.  Guess that happens after you've given birth to them, but we'll all survive and they have a place to come during their Spring break from teaching.  So here we go....I'll be blogging next from Lynchburg, Virginia for the next few days.  I'm going to visit my parents and it's a great time to see my "sister's" new granddaughter, Kaylee.

To my friends at the high school, hold down the fort for me.  I'll return in the Spring.  For my Bible study girls, the first assignment will probably go on this weekend, so let your friends know...let's go Bucket List Bible Study! 

God bless, my friends!

Well, my friends....my blogs will be written from various locations for the next couple of months.  Gary and I depart for Virginia in the morning to visit with my folks.  We'll then "ease on down the road" to Venice, Florida to spend some time in warmer temps,  This has been a dream and a goal of mine for quite some time and my husband, who has kept every promise thus far, is bringing this one to reality. 

I would ask that you remember us in prayer as we journey and also that God would show us exactly what it is He would have us do in the coming months.  I look forward to visiting new congregations and the opportunity to worship with new friends!

May God bless each one of you...I'll continue to blog and share the various lessons the Holy Spirit teaches me along the way. 

So, my friends, the retirement party and all the post activities are completed and the events are now logged into our memory banks.  What an outstanding celebration of Gary's career of over three decades with the Federal Government.  To have our family and friends present to hear and more clearly understand the numerous contributions Gary has made to the Navy Nuclear Reactors Program for the Department of Energy carried with it an enormous feeling of gratitude and pride....and that was only my perspective! 

I'd like to be more specific with the awards and honors he received in order that you might perhaps see a glimpse of what he has accomplished in his career.  So here goes:  recognition of Gary's accomplishments:

He set up an Accounts Payable process in 1982 that related to work with a major Virginia vendor and that particular process is still being used today.  This fact was written into many letters Gary received as awards at the dinner.

He and his staff never had an audit finding since the audits began in 1986.  This fact is unheard of and was quoted by several speakers last night. 

Gary was the first ever recipient of duel excellence medals from the Bettis Atomic Laboratory in Pittsburgh and the Knolls Power Atomic Laboratory in Schenectady, NY.

He was awarded a silver medal for Distinguished Service from the National Nuclear Security Administration in D.C.

Gary received a letter from  Four-Star Admiral Kirkland Donald of the U.S. Navy to congratulate Gary on his accomplishments along with an autographed picture of the USS Maine.  Gary spent five days and four nights aboard that submarine on a VIP tour several years ago.

He was presented a United States flag that was flown over NR Headquaters at the Washington Navy Yard in his honor for his 34 years of dedicated service.

And then he was informed that an award had been established that will be given annually by the Department of Energy's Chief Financial Officer.  That award has been named the Gary A. White, Do It Right Award!  Gary has been asked to be part of the selection team and to present the award personally next Spring.

To add to the list of unforgettable moments, Nicholas and Kimberly also participated and completely surprised their dad.  Gary's staff had contacted the kids via email to ask if they would show the audience of mainly co-workers the "dad" side of Gary. 

Kimberly tackled the assignment by creating a video that included pictures of the kids from birth until present day.  Music accompanied the video and all in the audience thoroughly enjoyed seeing Gary's various appearances from long hair and a bushy mustache to present day.  She captured her dad creatively as all were touched by her gift of love.  Nicholas, who gave the invocation, gave a speech that actually "roasted" his dad a bit, but was overwhelmingly received by all in attendance.  We laughed until we cried at the hiliarous adventures Nicholas recited as he recalled growing up in our household with Gary at the helm ending his speech with various items Gary has written on a list of "Things My Dad Told Me Before I Left Home."

I was blown away before the end of the night when I was called to the podium and received from the Admiral a letter that was a certificate of appreciation from the Director, Naval Reactors that cited appreciation for my service in devotion to my husband in aiding his contributions to the Navy and the Nation.....amazing.  I have seen wives of military personnel receive this letter, but to be able to count this among my little contributions was overwhelming.

So, there you have it.  An amazing night honoring an amazing man.  Gary's family (including the kids and me) were blown completely out of the water as we truly recognized the depth of the work Gary has been involved in over these past three decades.  Although we have only been in his office, at the most, twice due to the security measures taken, we realized he is an accomplished "soldier" that has made countless contributions using the gifts God has given to him.  We do give God all the honor, the glory and the praise.  And I am truly thankful for these blessings and for the man of my dreams, the father of my children and a man who will now be honored each year for "doing it right"...what a legacy to leave to your children and generations to come....thanks for taking me on the ride of my life.  I love you, Gary.

Okay, so I'm excited!  Gary's retirement party is tonight....it's going to be a good one!  There are many individuals that span Gary's thirty years with the Federal Government who will be in attendance and, of course, family and friends.  It will be so neat to watch, listen and simply "drink in" all the information/stories that will be shared concerning my precious husband.  Gary is one that doesn't like the limelight, but tonight the stage is set for him to be the focal point....he's feeling a bit uncomfortable, but he'll live!

So, here we go....an afternoon and evening of fun times, making memories and the time to start with an entirely different kind of clean slate.  This next week we depart for Florida for a little break....another phase of life, another dream to make reality and another occasion to thank God for being so good to us.  May God gain all the glory, honor and praise in our new phase of life and may each breath we breathe show others our love for Jesus.  God bless!

Hi my friends....today I'd like to use this space to inform my loyal readers that the Bucket List Bible Study is fast becoming reality.  I posted on my "Home" page all the details concerning the study.  Hopefully, if you have friends you'd like to invite to tune in to this study, or if you need additional information for yourself, I have addressed your possible questions.

I'm extremely excited and look forward to the initial beginning on February 1st.  A reading assignment will be given on that day under the "Bucket List Bible Study" toolbar.  The Home page is purely an  introduction to the study, the Bucket List Bible Study toolbar is for the actual assignments, comments and/or questions to be addressed.  If you have additonal questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the website email address tsbtm@comcast.net 

God bless you all with a wonderfully relaxing and refreshing weekend!