St. Augusitne's 17th Annual Nights of Lights

Millions of white lights create a magical holiday atmosphere in the Nation's oldest city during the 17th Annual Nights of Lights Celebration in St. Augustine, Florida. Tracing its origins to the Spanish tradition of displaying a lighted white candle during the Christmas holidays, the spectacular lighting reflects the city's 445-year history while creating a beautiful setting for special memories.

A dazzling array of special events and activities await visitors. Nighttime tours of ancient buildings and inns led by storytellers in period clothing, rollicking train and trolley tours through the narrow brick streets, art walks featuring more than 30 galleries serving free holiday refreshments on the First Friday in December and January, special Saturday night antique shopping events, a dazzling regatta, Florida ice skating, luminaries in the town plaza, holiday concerts, even a Christmas parade are among the special events to be added to the memory books of visitors and residents alike.

The Nights of Lights will sparkle in St. Augustine through January 31.

For more information, Click Here.

The Grande Villas get Basics First Aid and CPR training

Several of us were given a course in Basic First Aid and CRP training which I was hoping we would never have to use!  We first went over basic first aid which means the immediate care that you give someone with an illness or injury before trained help arrives and takes over.  That could be and EMS responder, nurse or doctor.  Your actions during these first minutes of an emergency can be critical.  What you do may help a victim recover more quickly.  The usual first aid you will give is for minor illnesses or injuries.  But you may have to do first aid for more serious problems, such as a heart attack or major bleeding.  By knowing what to do, you could make a big difference in someones life! 

We were all shown the steps to take to perform CPR on someone.  Everyone was given a dummy to practice on and yes we did name them! (I am not at liberty to share these names with anyone!) Each of us was given a chance to show off what we learned and how much we comprehended which was a lot of fun. 

All of our dummies survived and will go on to live the best life a dummy can have! We learned the importance of having an AED (automated external defibrillator) and how to use it in the event someone might be having a heart attack.  The class was fun and I think we all walked away with more knowledge of First Aid and CPR. 

I did mention that I hoped I would never have to use anything I learned but the very next day we had a guest collapse at the front desk and Karen Morris and I jumped into action.  Since we knew what to do and what questions to ask we were able to help our guest until the EMT’s arrived.  So a BIG thanks to our instructor Mark for giving me the knowledge of what to do! 

So if you’re at the Grande Villas at World Golf Village in St Augustine rest assure that our employees have your back!
 
~~Written By Mary Quiroga~~