Here I go again trying this video stuff, the only way I will get good at it is to keep trying. I am doing it a little different as I figure new things out. There are 4 or 5 videos this time, and I hope you like them. I am hoping to be able to learn to edit them together. Its all a process.
It’s also good for me to see the awful faces I make while I am talking. It does make me laugh so go ahead and join me.
So there you go. I am so happy you have visited my blog. I hope you will continue to give me feedback and ideas. And please share with your friends. I am not bored because I just keep moving forward. Sitting still is not an option!
Our home for 5 days was the Islander, Margaritaville at Sea Cruise Line. We left on Sunday and returned on Friday morning. A lot of our cruising friends asked us to give a true review of the ship and cruise itself. I think this was our 10th cruise, maybe more, and we have been on several different cruise lines, so I have lots to share about the cruise and ship and our adventure as well. If you know me at all you know I love to travel and I am up for just about anything. We had actually been to Key West and Cozumel in 2018 when we took advantage of Cuba being open to Americans. We were looking for a weekend get-away and did not consider the heat of August! Funny thing is when we went in 2018, we also went in August! I guess you really do forget the miserable parts and hold the good in your heart!
According to Wikipedia, The Islander is a renovated ship that Margaritaville purchased from Carnival. After renovation it reentered service in 2024. It has 1100 rooms and ours was a standard balcony. There was plenty of storage and the bathroom was more than adequate. Seasoned cruisers know that bathrooms can be extremely small, so this was a very good thing. We were quite comfortable in our room and would not hesitate to book it again. We do like the balcony and didn’t feel the need to upgrade to a larger room.
Everything about the ship is Margaritaville, from head to toe! it is fun and colorful, the staff is friendly, and I must say HAPPY. The ship was at full capacity, and we never felt cramped. Waiting for elevators, dining room seating, buffet seating etc. was never an issue. There are many small lounges with music, either canned or live, all over the ship, all the time. The main area, Flip Flop Lounge, was probably the most crowded and active and LOUD but it was easy to find a quiet spot elsewhere to veg and relax. We sort of expected a huge amount of very inebriated people but that was not the case. Yes, occasionally you’d run into it, but mostly it was just chill. There were no formal nights, a couple of themed nights (Boots and Bubbles was one with lots of cowboy boots and bling!) and a Caribbean theme night we didn’t even notice. There are gift shops, but not many, and everything was Margaritaville. None of the normal shops you find on most cruise ships. NO EFFY!
There were 3 pools, one was adult only, but it was just too hot. 95+ sun and heat were too much for our group. We mostly stayed in the buffet and people watched enjoyed the ocean views. and air conditioned! None of us came back sunburned! Our dermatologist would be very proud!
There was nothing fancy that we found, if you want a 5 Star experience this is not the cruise for you. If you want good food and relaxation, then this is it. They certainly know their market and they cater to it. Grilled hamburgers every day on the pool deck and they were good! Taco bar outside as well. Buffet had a good simple variety. Not the biggest I’ve ever seen but everything was good and hot. We actually preferred it to the main dining room which is a big switch for us. The coffee cups were a scream. Way too small and plastic. I don’t like drinking from plastic cups and glasses, and all the plates were also plastic.
And the last thing about the Buffet area, most everyone came in their bathing suits with little to no coverups. That was the norm. Apparently, shoes were optional as well. It wasn’t offensive (mostly) but it was different!
We had to do an old fashioned MUSTER! Honestly, I don’t think we have been on a ship where we had to line up since the 2nd cruise to Cuba! It was so hot and we had to line up! Did you hear me, LINE UP! And stand there until they did what the law requires, I get it. One lady fainted. It was SO MISERABLY HOT, All of us crammed in. I promised the good and the bad, so this was definitely not a good.
On to the adventure, our first port was Key West! John’s only request was to go to what I keep calling Mel Gibson’s Museum. For some reason I cannot get the name right! Hopefully not offending Mel Fisher and family! I am not a museum person so for me it was snooze city, but John and our companions really enjoyed it. There was a short video and then lots to look at.
This would be the last bench John would find to sit down for several hours.
We had already been to Truman’s White House and Hemmingway’s house (both highly recommended) on our last visit so didn’t need to go again. We decided to walk to the Southern Most Point. John and I stopped at a shop to get a soda and were told it was about a mile walk and lots of places to sit and rest. Stupid us believed that total lie! LOL.
This is to show you how we started out, because it gets much worse! Walking down Whitehead Street as instructed, and there was some shade but no place to sit. After a few blocks we thought maybe the Hop On Hop Off Bus might be a better idea. We passed John’s bank so went to the teller machine for some $$$ and there goes the bus past us so we continued to walk. All the buses were now going up the street instead of down the street, so we walked some more, still no place to sit and rest. I was fascinated with the Kapok tree.
It was shady so we liked it there. Kapok tree beautiful. and shady. No place to sit though. Did I say shady? We thought about sitting in someone’s front porch but decided against it. Now we are getting hot and frustrated and we are starting to bite each other.
Bayon Resort was beautiful. Look at these beautiful old trees. I would love to go back to Key West for a week and stay here. In the winter or spring maybe, when it is 70 degrees!
And a picture of the lighthouse, no we didn’t go into it. That required climbing stairs so a hard NO.
As we strolled down the street and sweated like crazy, I kept trying to do videos. This one I took sideways, I don’t know how but I could not edit it to the right angle, so you are treated to another one of my imperfections!
I don’t pay attention to what I am doing so I fall down a lot and John is trying to keep me focused. Silly man!
Kept waslking and finally got to the Southern Most Point, and of course there was a line, it wasn’t bad but John was having none of it.
If I was going to get a picture at all we would have to get to the side of the line and “share’ our picture with anyone nearby. It was ok, as you can see, we do not look our best! But at least I got the picture to prove we were there! And we were WAY too hot to care about looking good.
Walking back was no better than the walk up, all the busses were going in the opposite direction and no place to stop and rest. We plodded on and finally got to Hemmingway’s house. And there was a place to sit in shade, although we were not welcomed unless we paid admission. It was either sit or faint, so sit we did. When we were revived, I thanked the gate keeper for his kindness even though he was a jerk that was only doing his job.
On we went to Sloppy Joes! Good food, good fun and way too hot to enjoy much of it! Nice guy playing guitar and singing, I’d love to tell you his name, but I don’t know. We drank a LOT of water and sat under a fan and finally cooled down.
Our friend had a Sloppy Joe and said it was really good; John and I split a burger. And on to Kermit’s for their amazing Key Lime Pie! YUMMY, this is the place to get it.
YUM!
Back to the ship and the day is done. And in actuality I have no idea whether this sunset is from Key West of Tampa. But the day is still done!
Farwell to Key West and day 3 is a sea day. And we did nothing. We relaxed and ate and relaxed and went to the casino and lost money and relaxed some more.
Welcome to Cosumel! Day 4
We took a ship sponsored tour to the Mayan Ruins. It was a reasonably priced tour, an AIR CONDITIONED bus and a great tour guide. I will spare you ALL the pictures I took but it was an interesting and fun day, although again, very HOT. Lots of mesquitoes. Luckily while we were waiting for the tour to begin a sweet lady had a can of bug spray she offered and we sprayed ourselves down.
It’s hard to tell from the picture but the steps to climb up were very short (I guess they all had small feet!) and it was unsteady to climb up this thing. This was an alter for sacrifices to their gods. I got up and down without falling and was well pleased with that.
And that was an interesting tour. True to myself, I am not going to even try to explain any of this as I will get it all wrong. If you would like to know more about the ruins, I would suggest asking someone else! LOL. Google!
After the ruins, back on the bus and after a tour of the island and coast it was on to the Chocolate Factory. Cacao. We had been there before but it was just as interesting as the first time. Cacao, which is really bitter on its own, and the locals drank it with hot water. It was really yucky. Luckily the Eurpoean’s took it to Europe and added milk and made it wonderful! We had a fun demonstration of how it is mixed and flavors added to make it bearable.
After the demonstration there was a chocolate bar and apparently I was more interested in that than anything else because I didn’t take any other pictures! This was a drink bar, they had chocolate margheritas, chocolate martini’s and so on. I did sample a chocolate margherita and it was very good. I don’t think I’d ever want another one but I’m glad I indulged.
AND NO, I DID NOT DRINK 3! The gift shop offered samples of all their chocolate bars and many Mayan gifts. Very colorful and fun. I collect crosses so I got a cross and a napkin holder. My dishes are fiesta ware so the colorful items match well and will be used.
Back on the bus, and back to the ship. We were hot and sweaty and needed a shower and lots of water. If I didn’t mention it before, and even if I did, water was NOT part of the drink packages. I don’t know how I missed that in the early paperwork but if you wanted water you had to buy the bottles al la carte. That was not pleasing to me and I did voice a hard complaint on my survey. And one more negative thing while I am complaining, the WiFi sucked. There is no nice way to say it. We paid for it and it just didn’t work. This ship really had no technology at all. We did better with house phones to communicate between rooms and using our cell phones was miserable. If you MUST have your phone, it is a problem.
Day 5 was our last sea day and we pretty much repeated day 3. We relaxed and ate and relaxed and went to the casino to win a little bit this time. All in all I broke even so no complaints. I’m not a big gambler, I could be if I had money, but penny slots are as much as I am willing to loose. I did get 9 sevens and screamed like a little girl. I won $68.00. And of course, lost most of it back to the house. the casino is cash only, you cannot put a credit card or your room card into the machines. Cash only. You can go to the cashier and get $100 per day from your credit card. This is odd to me if you are a high roller, do you take cash with you? How does that work? Never mind, I don’t need to know!
We docked before 7AM in Tampa on Friday morning. Eveerything was smooth as could be for leaving and we had a pretty easy drive back to Orlando.
Would I take this cruise again? Yes. It is perfect for relaxation and a reasonably priced getaway. If you want all the fluff and fun shipboard, then no. The staff is great, food decent and you don’t have to dress up. If you want to find things to complain about, you will always find them. We had a ball!
AND BY THE WAY – THEY DO HAVE VERY NICE SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR ACTIVE-DUTY MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDERS. ASK YOUR TRAVEL AGENT!
If we remember back to when we entered puberty, we received a lot of information about what our body was doing to us. I don’t know how other families handled these things, but my mother always said GO ASK YOUR FATHER. That was most uncomfortable for a 12- or 13-year-old girl. I didn’t want to talk to Dad about my “monthly visitor” or any other things of that nature. Dad was a teaser and was not a quiet talker so if he knew, EVERYONE knew. It was best to just not discuss it. So, that was how we grew up.
Dad used to run, long before it was fashionable. He was a referee for Jr High and High School basketball and football games, so he had to run to keep his stamina up. People would stop him and offer rides all the time thinking it was an emergency, he never wore sneakers, he wore his loafers to run. But if us girls needed “girly supplies” he would include the 7-11 on his route and come running up the road carrying our supplies, no bag needed. So humiliating! Those Weinar girls!
Consequently, I never learned to talk about girly things of any kind with any person at all, certainly not my parents, sisters or friends. Even talking to a doctor was too embarrassing, I always just pretended I knew what they were talking about.
This behavior really does still exist in me today, God love John, he has somehow learned to figure out what is going on when I don’t discuss things. He really does have a lot of patience!
As we age, of course our body changes again and all kinds of weird things start happening again. I don’t know about you people, but I don’t want to talk about that stuff either. Getting out of my comfort zone is what is best for me so talk about it I will. If you already know all this stuff you can pass on today’s reading, if you are shy and humiliated by all this stuff READ ON! Don’t be afraid, I am not going to talk about the most personal stuff, I’m going to talk about skin. There is plenty of time for other topics, I am not quite THAT daring yet!
I have always had oily skin, or HAVE I? Since Mom didn’t talk about this stuff, I don’t know if it was oily or it was oily because it needed moisturizer, and I never used it. I’m fairly sure Mom never used any girly stuff, she never wore make-up, as far as I remember, only lipstick. So she wouldn’t have been a good advisor. My older sister always had a beautiful complexion, but I never asked what she did. She didn’t share her make-up, so I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to share that info either. She is 5 years older than me, we shared a room all our lives, and that was all we shared. We didn’t touch each other’s stuff.
Consequently, at 69 and a half (LOL) my skin sucks. I have blotches, bumps, pores, red dots, and hair everywhere but where it should be. Since I don’t talk about this stuff, I do not know how to get rid of it. Or what is wrong with me that I keep getting more and more of it. I have bought machines that are supposed to do the trick, but they do not really do what they promise they will do. They sort of do stuff but not really. (I will not name brands since they don’t work for me, only if they DO work for me!)
Enter Dermatology. I have been going to various dermatologists for several years and they burn or freeze or cut off things I don’t want on my body whether I can see them or not. I was a fair-haired teenager, always sun burned, rarely tanned and I am absolutely paying for the sins of my youth. Although I’m really glad we didn’t know back then because we sure had lots of fun in the sun. All this skin cancer stuff has taken the fun out of beaches and pools in the summer.
In July when I went for my 6-month checkup, my new Dermatology provider is Kim Pham, FNP-BC. I have gone to the same office for quite some time and the specialist kept changing and the “feel” of the office was sort of down. When I went to the check-up everything was different. All the faces were new and the happy, which makes ME happy. When I go to a doctor and the office is glum I prefer not to go. I did all the preliminary check in stuff and was not in the waiting room very long at all. BONUS! When Kim gave me my skin exam I really felt like I mattered, it wasn’t routine to her, she asked me questions and cared. What a difference! She showed me where my skin had issues that could be fixed, not with a big expensive treatment but with a moisturizer that I could by at Walmart! Seriously! She ever taught me how to apply it with tap,tap,tap and not rubbing it in. And she did not try to up-sell me products I didn’t need. I felt very comfortable with her and then I began to ask her questions. What are these stupid bumps? What are these red dots? Why does hair sprout everywhere but where it should? And she was very professional with her answers, didn’t make me feel silly or stupid. And I trusted her! Amazing. Especially for me. Then I dove in and asked if she did any treatments for skin issues. And how much did they cost and what should I have?
I bought the lotions she told me to buy, sunscreen and moisturizer over the counter stuff and used them for 2 weeks. She promised I would see a difference before I went back to her and guess what?! I DID! A huge difference. I also did get a treatment for my skin that was very reasonable and is helping with my other issues. She called me to check on me, making sure I had no side effects from the treatment. Kim is the ultimate professional and genuinely wants to help us resolve our issues and feel better about ourselves too.
She has several different cosmetic treatment packages, depending on what you might want or need. What I needed might not be what you need. If you ever wondered, don’t be afraid to call and ASK her. I wanted soft skin and less fuzz; you may want Botox. All I can say is she will be fair and honest with you and make you feel very special. Kim office is in Apopka off Rock Springs Road.
And, by the way, she is a medical professional. This also made me feel much more comfortable. She wasn’t going to bleach my hair, cut my toenails and wax my lip. That was important to me too. I do not receive any kickbacks by writing this, I just am passing on my life experience, as usual, when I find something that matters to me. Men and women alike face these situations. It is so nice when you find someone that makes you feel comfortable and not silly! Kim is definitely that person for me!
Sunday was my dearest John’s birthday and we always celebrate with his favorite dinner. Not that I cook, but any restaurant that HE picks. And nice times out of ten he picks sushi. Euu! But it is his special day so to sushi we go.
Mt Dora has an excellent sushi place that is really a favorite of John’s so we went to Wave.
We went on Sunday after church, around 1:30 and it had a nice steady flow of customers but we did not have to wait for a table. Our friends that went with us had not been before so that made it extra fun.
John always get a dynamite roll and octapus sashimi, ALWAYS. (DOUBLE EUUU) and they do it just like he likes it.
Our friends got Texas Roll and Ramen bowl. Both looked really good too.
And then there is me. (remember this is my story!) I am not a fan of sushi but decided to be adventurous since I am always preaching that. All their food is so pretty and it sounds so good. I have had the raw tuna before and while I don’t love it, I kind of don’t hate it. So I decided to get the spicy tuna taco.
Apparently, I get my food groups mixed up or with old age my color vision is not that great. When I first saw the taco, I thought that pink/orange stuff was tomato. Work with me here! I knew the taco shell was seaweed tempura, and actually that was not a bad thing at all. So, I take a big bite only to discover that pink stuff was indeed the tuna. I thought the tuna would be inside like a regular taco and of course this is tomato, so my taste buds were going crazy with WHAT THE HECK! It was nice and crunchy like it should be, actually better and crunchier than a traditional corn tortilla shell. And with ALL that tuna it all overwhelmed me. I tried to push off a lot of the tuna so it wasn’t so overwhelming, but it was just too late. I was all done. I think I ate 2 or 3 bites and that was it. For those of you who love a tuna taco, this is the bomb. Lots of fresh spicy tuna and lots of crunch. For me, I should have stuck with my usual shrimp and rice.
This is the Link to the WAVE Mt Dora menu for those of you interested. So many choices and very beautiful presentations. Fresh food no matter what you choose. Our server was very friendly and helpful. Great place to try if you haven’t and great place to go back for more.
Thank youb WAVE for our Happy birthday to John, I’m going to Roadhouse on MY birthday!
Its Tuesday and raining, probably will all day. I have a hard time doing nothing and daytime TV is so depressing to me. So, I am going to make PIE! I am also going to experiment with video chats so this might be very interesting. I have never done it so today seems like a good day to try. Remember I am not a professional! This will be a work in progress!
After reviewing the video, John said I should have at least put some make up on and comb my hair. SIGH. But if you were at MY house this is what you would see. So, I am staying true to myself. One day you might get some make-up, but it is not something that means that much to me. I’d rather you see ME.
AS you can see, you are probably going to want a cup of coffee, glass or wine or bottle of beer to continue this journey with me. Remember I am an amateur and am frustrating everyone I know to teach me how to do this.
TURNS OUT that the mystery container was SPAGHETTI SAUCE! LOL. I guess since it tasted a bit like BBQ Pork it was time to go. So funny, if it ends up in the freezer it probably is not going to ever make it to a meal.
John’s family is here from Virginia to visit so they got to have some pie! Melissa is John’s daughter-in-law and Hannah is John’s Grandaughter!
Melissa and Hannah had the raspberry pie and said it was really good. John likes the blueberry pie! They aren’t “pretty” but taste is priority, right?
I learned a lot about recording from my phone; I ordered a phone stand so that I don’t have to hold the phone while I talk. And there has to be a way to do this where I don’t have 15 different videos. Sorry about that I don’t know how to edit them together, if you even can. BUT I still learned something new, I took a chane to do something different. I wasn’t bored at all. My rainy day was successful. And let me tell you, this took ALL DAY. I do not whip this stuff up bing, bang boom! But I feel like I accomplished something fun and made the people in my life smile! Hopefully I made you smile too!
PS PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW IF I SHOULD CONTINUE WITH THE VIDEO OR JUST WRITE! IT WON’T HURT MY FEELINGS, as this thing moves forward I need to know what works!!! And please subscribe if you are enjoying the blog even a little bit! And lastly, please share with others!!! I’m so grateful for your support!
For Better or worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health…. but what about RETIREMENT??????
Those vows did not include being together 24/7, every single day! Did they?
My friend asked me to write about this topic (yes you CAN request topics, and I will do my best). I have been thinking about this because it is for sure a concern. A lot of my friends are single so their issues are very different, and I’m sure many of them would want our problems. The grass always looks greener on the other side. Experts (I don’t know who those experts are) say if we all dumped our problems out to view, most of us would keep our own. Probably because they are familiar and we have already been dealing with them.
So, what does this 24/7 look like? It definitely varies between men and women. I did not realize that my dear husband, John, would LOVE watching old movies on The Grit Channel; and yell at me to come look! When I run in there, from whatever I am doing, he asks “who is that actor, actress”. AKKKK!! John said he didn’t realize I would become so bossy! Really? Me? I can’t imagine! These are things that are annoying and funny at the same time. If you want to stay sane you have to find a way to allow them to be funny. And yes, I guess I am more bossy because I see what he is doing; when I was working outside the home, he was here alone. If I asked what he did today he’d say nothing. True enough.
John also talked about making decisions. When we were both working full time, we didn’t really care about decisions so much, we just made them, and we moved on. Now we have to discuss everything, probably because we have to talk about something! Like, do we want another dog? What kind of dog? Who will train, walk, feed the dog? This one has been going on in our house for months. No dog has appeared, although day to day the decision changes. Vacations? Do we or don’t we? Cruise, drive, fly? Where? What do we do when we get there? AND the ever important where do we go to lunch/dinner? What are YOU hungry for? It takes forever to agree on this important almost daily decision.
Life is full of new decisions that we both have very different ideas. John is more conservative than I am, and I get bored easy. I need to stay busy, if not, i get itchy and need to do something.
Of course, we ALL love retirement and our significant others. It should go unsaid but sometimes it doesn’t come across that way. We had a friend that complained constantly about her husband. My John used to tell her all the time to get divorced and then she would be highly offended. But John would tell her if he was that awful maybe it needed to be considered. The answer was always, I love him, but he drives me nuts!
I asked random people what their thoughts were on all this, I originally intended to post the responses by men and women categories, but it seems to be more interesting this way.
The husband of the first couple I talked with said he was surprised at how often his wife shopped; it seemed like she was always running to the store for one thing or another. The wife said he was always asking what’s for breakfast, what’s for lunch? Even though she says he can make it himself, there still has to be something in the house to cook. Right? After retirement, he started a small business that keeps him busy. She encourages him to call friends to work with him so that he has help and interaction with others.
Several women mentioned that when they retired, they lost one boss and gained a new one. Apparently, our spouses have known all along how to cook, do laundry and clean the house. And they are quite willing to give extra tips on how to do it more efficiently. The good news is since they have so much experience, they are now helping with the chores. Great solution ladies! Other women said they were not prepared to answer the questions of a two-year-old, fend off the octopus arms of a seventeen-year-old and watch a geriatric old man snore in his chair the rest of the day when there are only two of us in the house. One says I also wasn’t expecting to have him kiss every time I get up or walk in the room and listen to Honey! I love you every fifteen minutes for the rest of my life. Don’t forget the ever asked “where did you put ???” Of course, this is only in jest but until we learn to adjust to the 24/7 it can be irritating.
At the other end of the spectrum is when our next couple “retired” they decided to work together in their own business, and he says he has a different and higher level of respect for his wife now. He is especially proud of all she has learned and can do since they started working together. This is physical labor, and she kills it!
I think the single people responses were what I expected. One lady missed companionship, not having to make all the decisions on her own. Cuddling, laughing at private jokes and someone who can fix most anything. She had a gem! And yes, sex. Even at 55+, we still got it! (from ages 55 to 80, several people said sex by the way!) We are alone, not dead! Another friend said she missed someone to discuss the day’s events, it’s really quiet after work she says. And yet another said she misses nothing! After her husband died, she was lost for a while. But has now found a way to love living on her own. She is free to do what she wants, when she wants and not be accountable to anyone or anything. Bravo!
Learning to maneuver this retirement stuff can be challenging. If you are a routine person, it’s hard to find a new routine when you can do whatever you want. And it is also easy to get stuck in a routine that needs more variety. John and I get into that trap, and we have to fight our way out of it. There is nothing wrong with it if it works for you. For me, I need to be doing something!
I do find it interesting how many people end up going back to work, either full or part time. It isn’t always a financial reason, it is a boredom reason. I personally planned my retirement around me being a part time realtor. It has ended up being full time but I feel much more fulfilled when I am working than when I am not. I have several friends that are the same. The extra money is nice but not the driving force.
I’d like to tell you I have all the answers, but I do not. Since I live in a 55+ community I see the success stories and I see the sad stories. People who appear to be thriving are usually very active, social, committed to a cause or charity. I have also found that there are a lot of people who are not comfortable going to an activity alone, they need someone to accompany them. It’s tough to walk into a room of strangers alone. If you know your neighbor a little bit, ask them to lunch, or bingo, or book club, or bible study. You don’t have to do it every week, just get them started!
I also hear “it’s all so clicky”. Yes, it can be, but I think that is an excuse. I have a lot of acquaintances, some friends and a few very good friends. But I am friendly with most everyone. Ok, granted it comes natural to me. Meeting new people doesn’t mean they will be your besties, but you never know. When you are participating in an activity that you enjoy with others that enjoy it too, you are starting out with a common thread that can grow.
So GET OUT THERE! Call someone, talk to your neighbor. Take a chance. I always ask, “what is the worst thing that can happen?” If you can live with that, then go do it. I get my feelings hurt, I get mad, I feel stupid, I fall down (literally and figurative) and it can be humiliating but I get back up. Change your mindset. I like to sing karaoke, I am not great, I am OK. But if someone thinks they can do it because I did it, I am happy. I’m not looking to be a rock star; I just want to have fun. I don’t want to miss a moment!
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.
WAY BACK in October 2023, we went on a cruise to the Mediterranean; we flew to Athens, spent a couple days there and then got on the cruise ship and went to Istanbul, Mykonos, Naples, Florence, Rome, Caan, and Barcelona. It was a wonderful trip, highly recommended! As I write my blogs, I will probably be referencing our travels and experiences as they are a part of my life. Which is kind of the entire point of the blog right? And I can already see that food is going to be a big part of the blog as well, not because of my cooking (God Forbid!) but the lovely people I meet along this journey!
This trip was planned well in advance and then the Isreal / Hammas war started October 7, 2023; we were due to leave a couple weeks later. Do we stay or do we go? Cruise line, airline, governments etc didn’t cancel so we didn’t either. We probably had a heightened awareness of our surroundings but otherwise everything was fine.
Until Istanbul. in order to KNOW ME, I have a really vivid imagination, and it doesn’t take much to get my brain going. The cruise ship gives an informational talk on each port the day before, so we all know what to expect and one of the things they said was ” if you see a big crowd developing, go AWAY from it” so of course that got me started. Big chicken, foreign country… cluck cluck cluck!
We did not have a tour scheduled as we initially docked at 4pm and would be there a 2nd day so we had decided we could be on our own and go to the world market. That would be plenty for day one. They assured us we could take public transportation with no problem. However, because of the war, the cruise ships going to Israel were diverted to Turkey; and instead of getting 3 ships, 5 arrived. An additional 10,000+ people all in port at the same time. Add to that, locals said it was the first beautiful clear day Istanbul had been given in a week. There were people EVERYWHERE in a city of 15 MILLION PLUS people. Avoid crowds, impossible! Our phones didn’t work, public transportation was very kind to take our credit card money and not share a ticket back, tick tick tick goes my mind! We decided to walk, because we were told it wasn’t that far; so “in for a penny, in for a pound” we will die here anyway! There were 6 of us walking and walking and no market in sight. And the more we walked; I relaxed a bit. There were people everywhere, but the city was interesting. It was also intimidating. None of us knew where we were going, except THAT WAY. Not much further… I think we walked 200 miles (LOL not really about 5!) and finally found a very nice man who spoke English and could actually help us. We were not going to make it to the market before it closed so we decided to go back to the port. In hindsight we should have found a place to eat and then gone back to the port but that did not seem to be an option at the time. This kind man helped us get 2 taxi’s and back to the port we went.
I must observe, after the fact, that us American’s are so stupid and trusting. We go to a foreign country, where we don’t speak the language, know little to nothing about the cultures and trust that these total strangers are actually going to help us. And you know what, they do! It’s just amazing. (By the way, maybe that is just ME that is so stupid and trusting! Other people might actually research places before they go).
Back to the story, day 2 we have a tour guide! YAY and we see this wonderful city of Istanbul and the Mosques and find out this is where “Cherry Races” were held. (It was Chariot Races, but I am a bit hearing impaired and I don’t necessarily hear things right. When things don’t make sense and I ask, I gain an entirely new understanding!)
The first picture is the bridge we went over, the 2nd I think is Hagai Sophia but I could be wrong and the third is the Blue Mosque. Do not ever allow me to be your official travel guide. I never know where I am going or where I have been!
On to the MARKET we go.
It was fascinating and CROWDED and overwhelming. This was, by the way, the SPICE MARKET. I believe the smaller market. We passed through the big one and that was HUGE and packed!
Saffron is where my story continues. Most people know Saffron is the most expensive spice and it is “reasonable” here in Turkey. So, I bought a lot. My brother loves to cook so I got a jar for him and a jar for me. I bought nuts and candy and other spices so I could not begin to tell you how much it all cost. It is like play money to me. And to tell you the truth, I have no idea why I bought it. I do not cook. But it was there and I had to have it.
Bye bye Istanbul, it was fascinating and scary and a nice adventure. and no, I didn’t die there!
Fast forward to 2025! I still have the unopened jar of Saffron, and it is obvious that I am never going to use it. I don’t know how long it lasts but I certainly do not want it to go to waste, I want someone to have it that appreciates what it is and will actually use it and enjoy it.
My friend Lori is known to be a wonderful cook. I see Facebook posts of people who join her for dinner and rave about her cooking and dinner parties. She is a super friendly person with many talents, and we all know Facebook doesn’t lie right! I talk with Lori and ask if she cooks with Saffron and she assures me she does, so I decide to give her my beloved saffron from ISTANBUL. My only request is that she make a dish using it and share it with John and I so that I can at least learn what it tastes like. (I didn’t want a dinner party, just bring me leftovers, I’m good with that!) Lori agrees. She is a very busy lady and I knew she would keep her word and did she ever! She called to see our likes and dislikes and made arrangements to cook our dinner for Wednesday.
I have to tell you I was so excited, not only that I didn’t have to do dinner, but that Lori was! I anticipate things and blow them way up, so it is not easy to meet my expectations. All day I dreamed and savored what might be coming. I knew it was a chicken dish, otherwise, saffron.
One other side note, when we were in Barcelona, I ordered paella, which has saffron. Only it has octopus too. Euuuu. I took a big bite of what I thought was chicken, and it was octopus, which grossed me out and I spit it back in the plate (literally, I did that) and the meal was over for me. I could only tell you saffron tasted like octopus!
And now the big finish!
Here comes Lori with her beautiful casserole of chicken and yellow rice that she prepared, and I am so happy and excited. It smelled so good and looked amazing.
Lori is so gracious and kind, and I think genuinely excited to share her cooking skills. She featured the saffron in the rice so we could really get the flavor out of it. As soon as I tasted it, I recognized the flavor, but not as pronounced as this, in a good way. More than likely, restaurants don’t use much because of the expense of the spice. This was wonderful, and I am unable to compare it to anything I had ever had before. (And it didn’t taste like octopus! LOL) The chicken has green and red pepper, tomatoes I think, and beautiful tender chicken thighs. Red pepper flakes gave it a nice kick but not too much. It was perfect. I do not know what Lori did to prepare the rice, but it was so tender and delicate and YUMMY! I am not a culinary person, so Identifying flavors is not really something I do, but I tried really hard to focus, and Lori told me what was in it. LOL.
John, my hubby, is not as picky as I am but close, and he loved it too.
and YES! Lori was so very kind to write down her recipe for us so any of you who want to enjoy this treat can make it yourself!
In order to make new friends or build on the friendships you have, sometimes you have to take risks. It helps to be kind and unselfish as well. I was never going to use that Saffron so why not share it with someone who would truly enjoy it? And why not ask for a sample of her cooking expertise? The worst Lori could say was no and the best she could say was yes! Which she did. The kindness I knew of her rang through in her smile and her cooking. And I think I increased a friendship that I might not have ever had. I am so grateful that Lori allowed me to share her talents in my blog. If she ever invites you to a meal say YES!!! You won’t be disappointed!
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.
I was fortunate enough to take a great trip to Bruge Belgium, part of a long tour through the United Kingdom, British Isles and Holland in April (2025).
Bruge is one of those beautiful European cities that charm you from the moment you arrive. It is a World Heritage Site of UNESCO which makes it a must see when you are in the area. It is a Port City and a Canal City. Luckily damage was spared from both World Wars so the architecture throughout the city is amazing. Our group took the walking tour of the city and the canal boat tour as well. The history is fascinating and one 5 hour tour is not enough time. Easily, you could spend a week and enjoy every moment!
One of the places that was a favorite of mine was a Convent where group meditations were held. The garden within the Convent grounds was full of wildflowers and chairs were placed in a circle around the grounds. One chair had a large gong to start and stop the meditation period(s).
This sign is interpreted as LISTEN HOW SILENCE TELL A STORY. It is most appropriate in the meditation garden. People came in and took their seats and sat quietly with their meditations. (it is a shame the tourists were not as quiet!). When the meditation time was completed, the gong would sound and those meditating would quietly stand and walk orderly out of the garden. I wanted to be a part of it but there was just no time to stop.
Then my mind starts ticking, which is nothing new. My mind is always ticking. I wanted to figure out a way to bring this experience home with me…to MY community. In my mind, it doesn’t matter if people want to participate, it is more about sharing the idea and then experience with those who DO want to try it.
TICK TICK TICK. My first instinct is to recreate what I saw, which is impossible on so many levels. Our community does have a convent or a place where we could grow wildflowers and they would bloom and be delicate and beautiful. We live in Florida, and we have sand and weeds and ants. The possibility of us placing chairs in a circle on a vacant lot is slim.
And who would maintain the space IF we found one. And completely forget the gong! But all that is for the naysayers!
After I returned home I started doing some groundwork within the community to see exactly what could and could not be done. Of course, HOA Rules and Regulations needed to be reviewed, and I was pretty sure there would be no conflict there as long as we were orderly and left no messes for others. I asked about vacant lots within the community that were unbuildable, as that might be usable space. Then I started walking around the community and low and behold, there were several areas already here that could be used with no issue.
Green space areas are all around the community with large shade trees and nice views.
Our Gazeba arfrea is beautiful, lots of shade and a nice lake, on e of many quiet spots that coul be utlized and not intrrupt the daly flow of the community.
Whether a meditation group will ever form doesn’t really matter because I can always find my SPOT and be alone in the moment. What does matter is looking at my community with a new set of eyes and finding what I am looking for in my own back yard!
MY LIFE IN A 55 PLUS 