The "Happy Years"
I guess Catherine Lucille Hlavenka's Happy Years began when she met her husband and got married. She's been happily married for over 40 years now (to the same man!). Catherine Lucille was blessed to have two children, both grown, healthy, happy, and well established in California. Her daughter Joy, is a Children's Defense Lawyer. And her son Carl, is a Chemical Engineer in the environmental field.
Over the years, Catherine Lucille was most happy while doing a lot of traveling. Including 12 cruises to such places as the Carribean (to pretty much every island), Bermuda, Aruba, Alaska and it's inner waterway, the Mexican Riviera, Australia, New Zealand, the Tahitian Islands, Trans Atlantic to Britain, Turkey and the Greek Isles, and down the Blue Danube from Germany to Hungary. She made several other trips not on a cruise, such as to Hawaii, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Italy, Monaco, and Mexico.
All of this traveling led up to her achieving one of her life long dreams. During most of her travels, she always tried to stay in a bed and breakfast. Owning and running an Inn became her goal. Her goal was realized in 2001 with the construction and opening of her luxury 10 room Bed & Breakfast - Lucille's Mountain Top Inn in Sautee, Georgia. She ran the inn for exactly 10 years. During that time she served over 4,000 guests from 48 States and 19 different countries. Her hobby had always been cooking. So the inn was perfect for her. She was always trying new recipes (she has over 200 cookbooks), baking (breads & desserts are her specialties). As a result of her cooking passion, and with much encouragement from her guests, she wrote 2 cookbooks. They contain the recipes that received the most compliments from her many guests. Some of her guests were celebrities, such as Emmy Lou Harris. Lucille had a spa and wellness retreat at the inn, which attracted many guests wanting to stay a week or more.
After 8 years of operating the inn, Catherine Lucille began to develop pain in her back and knee. She went to several pain doctors and clinics before a specialist finally diagnosed her symptoms as being those of Parkinson's Disease. No one else in her family had it as far as I anyone knew. The disease eventually caused her to consider selling the inn, which she did in 2011. Catherine has many, many fond memories of her innkeeping. And made many friends there. As a result, she is now writing articles called "Owning and Running an Inn". She is also planning on writing a book, to be titled "Confessions of an Innkeeper".
Catherine Lucille is now retired, but she is still happy. She loves to read, travel, bike, play games, meet new people, entertain, swim, write, listen to music (oldies), shop, go out to eat, and drive a golf cart with her Yorkie (Petunia). She also loves to email her girlfriends that she has known since childhood. Yes, these are still her 'Happy Years'.
Over the years, Catherine Lucille was most happy while doing a lot of traveling. Including 12 cruises to such places as the Carribean (to pretty much every island), Bermuda, Aruba, Alaska and it's inner waterway, the Mexican Riviera, Australia, New Zealand, the Tahitian Islands, Trans Atlantic to Britain, Turkey and the Greek Isles, and down the Blue Danube from Germany to Hungary. She made several other trips not on a cruise, such as to Hawaii, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Greece, Italy, Monaco, and Mexico.
All of this traveling led up to her achieving one of her life long dreams. During most of her travels, she always tried to stay in a bed and breakfast. Owning and running an Inn became her goal. Her goal was realized in 2001 with the construction and opening of her luxury 10 room Bed & Breakfast - Lucille's Mountain Top Inn in Sautee, Georgia. She ran the inn for exactly 10 years. During that time she served over 4,000 guests from 48 States and 19 different countries. Her hobby had always been cooking. So the inn was perfect for her. She was always trying new recipes (she has over 200 cookbooks), baking (breads & desserts are her specialties). As a result of her cooking passion, and with much encouragement from her guests, she wrote 2 cookbooks. They contain the recipes that received the most compliments from her many guests. Some of her guests were celebrities, such as Emmy Lou Harris. Lucille had a spa and wellness retreat at the inn, which attracted many guests wanting to stay a week or more.
After 8 years of operating the inn, Catherine Lucille began to develop pain in her back and knee. She went to several pain doctors and clinics before a specialist finally diagnosed her symptoms as being those of Parkinson's Disease. No one else in her family had it as far as I anyone knew. The disease eventually caused her to consider selling the inn, which she did in 2011. Catherine has many, many fond memories of her innkeeping. And made many friends there. As a result, she is now writing articles called "Owning and Running an Inn". She is also planning on writing a book, to be titled "Confessions of an Innkeeper".
Catherine Lucille is now retired, but she is still happy. She loves to read, travel, bike, play games, meet new people, entertain, swim, write, listen to music (oldies), shop, go out to eat, and drive a golf cart with her Yorkie (Petunia). She also loves to email her girlfriends that she has known since childhood. Yes, these are still her 'Happy Years'.
