Tag: life

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WHY BLOG?

FAIR QUESTION! I probably should have had this be the FIRST blog I wrote but hindsight is 20/20 right?

This is me! not gussied up, no or little make up anyway, I think I have mascara on but that is all. If I am going to be real, you may as well see the good the bad and the ugly!

I used to write a blog years ago and life got too busy, and I think maybe I didn’t have much more to say so I stopped. I enjoyed it, sharing my thoughts “out loud” with others. I’m really not that complicated, I’m pretty predictable. I had developed a decent following and had good feedback from readers on the different posts I would write about, it was fun for me. Now it is 11-12 years later maybe, and my life is so different, we moved from Orlando to a 55+ community in Zellwood which I love. I retired from my full-time job of 28 years and am now a realtor, because I like to work and be with people.

People write blogs for lots of reasons, for me it is sort of a creative effort. I am not handy; I don’t do crafts because I have no talent for it. I admire other people’s work, but I am hopeless. When I write I enjoy the entire process. I try not to get into topics that are political or upsetting to others, I like to keep it positive and fun. I love feedback and ideas for future posts. I welcome that. And its ok if you tell me I am wrong; that is part of the process. I won’t try to change your opinion either! You can hit the subscribe button at the bottom and then you will automatically get my posts when I do a new one.

A lot of professionals use blogging as a way of marketing, and it is a great tool to do that. Most of them subscribe to a service within their industry so they can send relevant info on their markets. that way, they stay in touch with their clients on a weekly/monthly basis. Since I actually like to write my little, short stories, I am trying to accomplish the goal of my hobby, writing, and marketing at the same time. I prefer to write my stories about my life so people can get to know me instead of industry markets that change constantly. Also, most of my Real Estate Sales are in a niche market that only pertains to those people. So, it is wonderful for me to write about my community where I live and not real estate in general.

If I have learned anything these past few years, as people retire the adjustment is a journey. Some people embrace it and have a list of things they want to do and have a ball. Others flop around like a fish out of water trying to find their way. Having a passion or hobby helps; or at least a desire to find one. My personal experience is work. I don’t know how to not work. I have not found a “real” hobby like golf or pickleball that I love and must do. As I said, I’m not a crafter, I don’t cook and it’s FLORIDA, so a beautiful garden is not in my cards! It’s just too hot. I do like to walk, but once I do that in the morning I’m done for the day and there are still 16 hours to find something to do.

Our 55+ Community has tons of activities from classes to card games to golf. In writing this blog, I hope to try a lot of them to at least be doing stuff. I don’t expect to like them all, but I do hope to find a few I can enjoy that I didn’t expect to! Wouldn’t that be cool? And I also hope to make a few new friends along the way. I have it easier than some because I am not the least bit shy. I can walk into a room and just go, and I realize that is a gift. And I love hugs so feel free to hug me! And one more thing, I am not afraid to fail. I will try something I am pretty sure I won’t be good at, just for the experience. So, those of you that live on the golf course, watch out, I may be out there, my friend Fran does crafts, I will TRY once, I did pickleball a long time ago, I will try it again. Maybe I can be the MIKE ROWE of our 55+ Community! haha. If you are in charge of an event and want me to participate and write about it, let me know. I can’t promise I will say yes but I can promise I will listen and consider it.

Selling Real Estate is a great outlet for me because I love it. It is like a big puzzle to me, listening to what a buyer wants in their new home and then trying to match it up with what is available for sale or what I know might be coming up. When you find the perfect storm, and you see it in their eyes, THAT is the best feeling ever. Listing a home and presenting an offer that makes a seller happy, pure joy for me. I want to do a good job, I want to be someone people trust. Some of you will roll your eyes at me, and that is ok, but I KNOW that I do not do this all by myself. God uses me to fulfill His will, and I just go along for the ride. And this has been an amazing ride. I have been with my broker, Keller Williams for 7 years July 1, 2025. In those 7 years, I just found out I have closed 279 homes. (buyer or seller side), This is staggering to me, I never keep count, so I never know. I don’t compare myself to others because if I am working for God, none of the sales competition stuff matters. I just go where I am called and do what I feel is what I am being asked to do and let the rest fall where it may. So yes, I am very blessed. This little community where I live and work blesses me every single day and I do my best to bless it back!

Needless to say, I have times when I am super busy, and times when I have nothing to do. I find that I need to be social, to be with people. I gravitate to activities that are social and when I come home, I enjoy the peace that is home. I am learning more about this community as I go to activities I haven’t tried before, which also gives me ideas that help my sales experiences. It’s impossible for me to separate the two because I am either ALL IN or ALL OUT. I’m learning to not automatically turn my nose up at something. I had a dear friend once that told me to go to a movie alone, which I was not about to do. When I said I wouldn’t like that she asked if I had ever done it. hmmm no. So, she made me do it. and you know what? I love it. I’d rather go alone. Until I try an activity, I need to remember just because I don’t think I will like it, doesn’t mean I won’t. I didn’t like pea soup either, until I tried it. (but NEVER mushrooms!)

MY HOME

And this is my happy spot, my patio. I do like succulents and they seem to like me back!

I do enjoy sitting on the patio in the evening and listening to the birds and enjoying the quiet time. Golf carts traveling up and down the road, waving hello! Sharing a smile. Our little slice of heaven. Thank you God.

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TUESDAY NIGHT IS MUSIC BINGO

Bingo is a big deal everywhere from Churches, cruises, gambling ships etc. If you want to find a place to play I think it will take about 5 minutes to find a game close to home. Funny too because all ages like it; men and women alike; And our community is no different. We actually have 3 nights of bingo here which fits all budgets!

MUSIC BINGO is my favorite because it is LOUD and lively and so much fun! Granted it is not for everyone, but nothing is, right?

This is Henry and Jerry. They are our hosts and they do a great job volunteering for us each Tuesday night. There are tons of behind-the-scenes volunteers that bring this thing together and we are extremely grateful for each of them, but Jerry and Henry are the faces that run the show! You might be thinking why is Jerry wearing a Parrot hat? Well, that is his thing. He has tons of unique hats and each week he has a new one. I think people give him hats when they find one that they don’t think he has! Henry runs the computer and keeps us straight with the songs played and Jerry is the MC. He keeps the crowd happy.

Music Bingo is the same basic format as any other bingo game except there are song titles on the sheets instead of numbers. Henry plays a song, and we mark it on the sheet. Pretty simple!

I know some venues of music bingo do not announce the names of the songs after they are played but Henry does. I like to guess the name of the song to see if I am right, keeps my brain ticking! But most everyone uses a music app to get the song titles without guessing. The above sheet is a normal sheet before the game starts. Below is the normal look of MY sheet when the game is finished!

I don’t win very often but, for me, it’s more about the music and the game than the win.

Our restaurant is the HUB of our community. Each night we hold a different event. It is more than just Bingo or the other events. This is our gathering place. There is a routine to it, most of us have our general table (area) where we sit at each week, kind of like church! You can always spot a newcomer; they are at the door with the deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces. Everyone helps them find their peeps, old or new. Music Bingo is a very popular activity, and the rooms are full but there is always room for one more! We celebrate our life’s moments with each other which makes us more like a family.

Dancing is welcomed. Whether it is on your feet or in your chair the point is to have fun. People love to sing along at their tables and remember when these songs were special to us. There are so many categories, each week is a bit different. Jerry roams around the room looking for people who want the microphone to sing along. Most people are singing at their table with all they have until the microphone gets to their mouths and then nothing comes out! It is definitely not karaoke! (THAT is another night!)

Our girl here not only took the mike, but she also gave it her all. She was AMAZING.

Music Bingo is all about the music, our love of music. General categories are normally from the 50s to the 80s, Country (old and new) ELVIS, and Henry adds Theme Songs and commercials too. Once they reversed it and did the ARTISTS as a category, I loved that one but I’m thinking I was probably the only one, I don’t recall it ever being done again. I can be a weirdo! I don’t know how Henry designed the program, I just know it is great fun and we all enjoy it. And yes, the entire room explodes when Henry plays Sweet Caroline, or JUMP, or Celebration, or SHOUT! You get the picture. Just because we are 55+ doesn’t mean we don’t move our feet!

My hubby, John, and I, make it an evening. (full disclosure, he’d rather stay home, but he does join me anyway!) We go up early for dinner and visit with our friends until the music starts. When we participate in these social events, we get out of the house, meet new people and it lifts our spirits. So if you ever see me at music bingo, or anything else, please join me. I’m so glad to welcome you to our little slice of fun and heaven.

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Who Am I?

MY LIFE IN A 55 PLUS is a blog about, well me, and my life! I may be 55+++++++ but I
still have lots of dreams and living to do. I live in a community in Zellwood Florida,
outside Orlando, it is a 55+ community which means you must be 55 years old to live
here. We are a manufactured home community, on over 800 acres. There are tons of
amenities including an 18-hole golf course, our own on-site Whistle Stop Restaurant,
tennis, pickleball and more activities than you can keep up with. I hope to feature many
of these as I go forward so everyone can see life moves forward with or without us. I
prefer to hang with the “with us” rather than the “without us” but I will also drag you
along!


In case you didn’t guess, I love to write stories, as well as travel, dance, walk, talk
(LOL), eat good food, meet new friends. I am a later in life Realtor, which turned out to
be a bigger passion than I expected. I genuinely care about people, and I love the
LORD with all my heart. No, I won’t preach to you, and yes, I accept you where you are
and as you are. I try to be kind to everyone and fail too.


My husband of 22 years and I moved to Zellwood 2/7/2012 and we never looked back.
We had a big home and a big mortgage and were never going to “own our home”.
When we found this community, I had to un-snob myself and let go of the manufactured
home mentality and allow the good things to flow through. Our community is clean and
beautiful, lots of green space and nature. Homes are not crammed together, there is no
“zero lot lines”. We were already paying a large mortgage, so we took that money and
bought our home We buckled down and in no time, we were debt free and able to live
our life instead of paying bills.


John retired and I still worked, and as it was getting closer to my retirement years, I
went to real estate school and got my license. As I built my business, I was able to retire
from my job for 28 years and put my efforts into full time real estate, which I loved.
Again, moved forward and never looked back!


Can’t believe we have been here 12 years and can’t believe how much our life has
changed. We never could have imagined this life, and yet, here we are! We have
travelled all over the world with more trips being considered. We have friends that we
care about, a beautiful home, good health and happiness!


My hope is to share my life with those interested and see where we go. I have a lot of
stuff rumbling through my brain and sharing it helps get it out of there! I look forward to
genuine feedback and ideas for future writing!