About Time to Update!!!

We have been staying busy over the last several months. My 98 year old aunt has had some physical issues which have meant weekly or twice weekly visits to the doctor. None of the issues have been serious, but she wants to go to the doctor for anything, no matter how minor.

We have also been riding our bikes on a regular basis. We have put over 500 miles on them since we got them the beginning of June. This past week, we've been putting the bikes up on the car and driving south to Venice to bike a "Rails to Trails" trail. It's an abandoned CSX railroad line and is now a wonderful bike trail. There is also a trail along the Venice Waterway which is beautiful. It is so nice to bike along the trail and not have to worry about traffic! We've been riding quite a bit around home also. We have a new nature preserve about 1-1/2 miles from our home that is wonderful to bike through. In the preserve is a 56 foot tall tower that overlooks the preserve and adjacent waterways. It is wonderful to climb up to the top (81 stairs which I'm now able to climb thanks to my new knees) and watch fish jumping and birds feeding.

We were out on our patio the other day and a bird flew over us. It was large and I was pretty sure it was a bald eagle. It landed on the bank of the pond immediately behind the house and we looked and sure enough it was a bald eagle! We wanted to get a picture but of course it flew away before we could. It was majestic! We've also had many ospreys fly over and several times have seen them with fish in their talons. One of the things we love about living where we do is the wildlife we see.

Above I mentioned biking in Venice. One of the parks along the bikeway is Caspersen Beach Park. Yesterday as we were biking across a bridge heading out to the gulf, we saw a bobcat not more than 10 feet away sharing the bridge with us! Unfortunately, neither of us had a camera with us,

Back to Normal

We're finally getting back to normal. Although we didn't take a direct hit from tropical storm Fay, we've had winds all week. Yesterday, we had the first and only rain from the storm - about 2.5", which when you think of what others got, was nothing.

Aunti Vi had cataract surgery 3 weeks ago and Thursday got her new glasses. The doctor was hoping the surgery would correct her eyesight to 20/40 or 20/60. With her new glasses, she is now seeing 20/20!!

Yesterday, Sarah and I went to an all day scrapbook crop party in Tampa. It was fun to sit with 900+ other ladies and crop. We got there about 10AM and left at 6PM. I was able to get 10 pages done and ideas/plans for several others.

Because of the strong winds and possibility of storms, we've only been out twice this week biking for a total of about 15 miles. Tonight we headed out to the beach which is my favorite ride. As we were going over the bridge from the mainland to Perico Key (there are a total of 3 bridges between the mainland and Anna Maria Island), we looked out and there were dolphins feeding in Palma Sola Bay. We aren't sure how many there were, but we saw at least 6. They are so beautiful and graceful! We stayed on the bridge for several minutes just watching them before resuming our ride out to Anna Maria Island.

This week again is relatively quiet which is welcome and gives me a chance to prep for Bible study which starts September 11th. I also hope to get some more scrapbooking pages done.

Fay update

We have had no impact from tropical storm Fay at all - just some wind - not even enough to mention. Dan took the window boards down this morning and we're putting the patio furniture and umbrellas back outside. The storm took very much the same path as hurricane Charlie did in 2004 - came in on the southwest coast and headed straight up the spine of the state. Relatives in Sanford are getting pounded the same as they did with Charlie in 2004.

On another note, this week is relatively quiet - taking Aunti Vi shopping on Wednesday is the only thing on the schedule.

Fay, Fay Go Away

We are under a hurricane warning. However, from the looks of the track and radar, we should get off with just rain and some wind (<40 MPH). Last night it looked like we were going to be on the "bad" side (the northeast quadrant) but the path has changed and now it looks like we'll be on the lighter side (western quadrants). However, we are as ready as we can be - Dan put gas and oil in the generator so we will have backup power if the power goes out. It's not a whole house generator so we'll be without air conditioning if the power goes out. But it will keep the refrigerator and freezer running. It will also support some lights, a TV and fans. Dan also boarded up the windows just in case in gets windier than they're forecasting. We have plenty of nonperishable food, bottled water, paper plates and disposable silverware. We've also brought much of the patio furniture in so it doesn't blow around. Both cars have full tanks of gas in case we need to evacuate (which isn't likely for this storm). Our house is concrete block, so it's solid. Now it's just a waiting game.

A Wonderful Weekend

Last week was a relatively normal week. Monday and Tuesday were quiet. We went bike riding and did some much needed grocery shopping. Wednesday we stopped and picked up groceries for Aunti Vi as she didn't want to go out in the heat. Thursday was the next to last Bible study for this session. We finish Thursday and then will take a break until September 11th. Friday was another relatively quiet day.

As alluded to in the title, the weekend was wonderful. Saturday Eric and Sarah and his sister, her husband and their 5 children came over for a pool party. They are home on furlough from Grenoble, France (they're out under GEM). The children range in age from 13 down to 5 and all are "water rats." When they arrived, their eyes opened wide and they turned to their parents and said "they have a BIG pool. Can we go get our swimsuits on?" It was so cute (the pool isn't all that big but to them it was). They proceeded to play in the pool for about 2 hours. We finally got them in the house about 7:00. Dan grilled steaks and chicken for dinner and we also had corn on the cob and potato salad. The finish for the evening was "do-it-yourself ice cream sundaes." A good time was had by all!

Today we got up and went to the early service (Bethel has 2 services - the 8:15 service is traditional and the 10:45 service is contemporary - we prefer the early service). After the service, we went to Sunday School, then came home and collapsed! After waking up, we headed out on our bikes. We've been wanting to do a long ride, but figured it would have to wait until the fall when the temps cooled down. We left, started biking and 1 hour and 25 minutes later we had put 17.25 miles on our bikes. When we got home, we "fell" into the pool and enjoyed cooling down! Our next goal is 20 miles.

This week is scheduled to be a quiet week - shopping on Wednesday and Bible study on Thursday are the only things on our calendar this week. We're hoping to get in more biking also. We are both enjoying biking again and look forward to getting out and exploring.

Where has the month gone?

It doesn't seem possible that July is almost gone - 1 day left. It seems like just last week was July 4th and our anniversary.

July 3rd Bible study started. There has never been a summer Bible study at Bethel before, so I didn't know what to expect. When the spring study ended in March, the ladies all said they didn't want to wait until September to have another study. However, I knew I needed to take some time after surgery (March 24th) for rehab and healing. We prayed for the Lord's leading in this matter and His leading was to do a summer study. We also prayed asking for leading in what study to do. The Lord definitively led us to Beth Moore's "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things." I then prayed that the Lord would put the ladies He wanted in the study. I had very low expectations as far as numbers went since it is summer. However, the Lord had other things planned. There are 14 ladies in the morning session and 12 in the evening session. I figured considering normal attrition of 50%, after the first couple weeks, there might be 6 ladies in the morning and maybe 6 in the evening. Again the Lord had other things in mind. There have been absolutely no drop outs! I am humbled and thankful. I enjoy leading the studies and the ladies keep me challenged with their questions. I love research and generally I wind up with at least one or two questions that need more biblical research after each session. It's hard to believe that there are only 3 weeks left.

Something else that has been keeping us busy is running to the doctor with my 97 year old aunt. She is developing aches and pains that are normal for her age, but since she's never had aches and pains she wants to go to the doctor each time something new comes up. We have been to the doctor's at least once each week since the beginning of June (he has found nothing wrong). Besides the visits to the medical doctor have come visits to the ophthalmologist for cataract surgery. She had her right eye done 4 years ago and has procrastinated getting her left eye done. She finally made the decision in June to have it done. So since July 14th, we have been at the eye doctor's each week. She had the surgery July 22nd. She stayed with us for 2 days following surgery to be sure everything was healing the way it was supposed to (which it did). She had an appointment today for her 1 week post op visit and the doctor was very pleased. She has one more appointment to get new glasses the middle of August. Hopefully we won't be running to the doctor's quite as frequently now.

We are also trying to get out and ride our bikes every day or every other day. We have biked over 200 miles since we got our new bikes June 2nd. Our longest ride so far is 14.5 miles. We are routinely biking 10-11 miles. Our average speed has increased from 9 MPH to 12 MPH. We have many bike routes that we enjoy. My favorite is biking out to the beach which is about 6 miles each way. The route takes us along the edge of Palma Sola Bay and it's interesting to see the different birds that inhabit the shore. We routinely see great blue herons, brown pelicans, egrets, ospreys, roseate spoonbills.

Well, I'll close as this post is long enough.

Wa-Hoo!!

Today we biked 12.5 miles! We have been trying to get past the 10-11 mile threshhold for several weeks. Today we did it! We biked down along the eastern edge of Palma Sola Bay which was just beautiful. There are many beautiful homes along the shore and looking out over the bay with the accompanying wildlife was just fantastic. The road along the bay is lightly traveled and the pavement is smooth for biking. Our next milestone will be 15 miles.

Tomorrow night we're supposed to do the same ride with friends. That will also be a milestone - biking 12+ miles 2 days in a row! However, the weather is supposed to be dicey at best, so we'll see if we can get the ride in.

Our Anniversary

Today was our 42nd wedding anniversary. It doesn't seem possible - where have the last 42 years gone? I can remember when we were newly married, friends of ours were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. We thought that was FOREVER!! And here we are celebrating 42 years. We went out for a bike ride ride this morning. We were hoping to do 12 miles (we've been averaging 10-11 miles a day), but after 9 miles we were totally trashed. We biked out towards the beach realizing that we had a tail wind going out which meant we would have a strong headwind on the way back home. Boy, did we!!! Normally our average speed is about 12 MPH. On the way home we barely hit 8 MPH. There is a bridge over Palma Sola Bay and on the way down off the bridge, we normally hit 20+ MPH. On the way home, our high speed was 14 MPH. Like I said a wicked headwind!! When we got home, we headed for the pool and soaked for about 2 hours.

This evening, we went on a dinner cruise on Sarasota Bay. It's something we've wanted to do since we moved down here and just haven't done it. Being our anniversary gave us the perfect excuse to do it. It was lovely. The food was yummy (prime rib and salmon) and the scenery fantastic. There was a complete double rainbow the entire cruise!






All in all, it was a wonderful day!

Update

Nothing exciting going on. We've been enjoying riding our bikes almost on a daily basis. We're trying to build up our endurance so we can do some of the rails to trails down here. We're up to 8 miles a day working on being able to bike 10 miles. We also got a new bike rack for the car so we can put the bikes up and drive to different trails around this area. Friday we drove up to Fort DeSoto and rode the bike trail there. It was beautiful - smooth and uncrowded.

The Cubs were in town to play the Tampa Bay Rays last week. It was the first time they had been to Tropicana Field. We went to the game on Tuesday. Unfortunately the Cubs lost. But we enjoyed being at the game. We had been to one other Cubs game since we moved. They played the Florida Marlins who play in Dolphins stadium in Miami.

I had my last ortho doctor's appointment on Monday. The doctor said he was blown away by my recovery and wishes all of his patients had my self motiviation and discipline. He stated it would make his job a whole lot easier. I don't have to go back until next March - the 1 year anniversary of having my knees replaced. I really hadn't realized how much arthritis had "stolen" from me. The decline in the function of my knees was so insidious that on a daily basis I didn't notice any difference. But over the long haul, I now realize how "crippled" I had become.

I'll close for now, chores are calling.

Nice and Quiet

Our schedule has been blissfully quiet. Other than normal activities (church, choir, taking my aunt shopping), nothing out of the ordinary has been going on.

Friday we met Eric and Sarah at a movie theater and saw the new Indiana Jones movie. We had been to see it before and it was so good we wanted to see it again. After the movie we came home and went in the pool for an hour or so and then grilled hamburgers. After eating, we spent the night scrapbooking and watching "National Treasure - Book of Secrets" another great movie.

Monday we bought new bikes. Our old bikes are 32 years old and we figure they have somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 miles on them. The only original equipment left on them are the frame, wheels and seat - everything else has been replaced at one time or another. They have served us well, but we figured it was time for their retirement! The bikes we got are 21 speed Trek bikes with seat suspension and front fork suspension. What a different ride! Shifting gears is now a pleasure as opposed to a chore. We've also ordered a new bike rack for the car. We're now looking forward to putting the bikes on the car and exploring parts of Florida we haven't done before.

Tuesday afternoon, Aunti Vi's step-grandaughter (and her husband) and Aunti Vi came out and visited for a little while. We then went to dinner at a restaurant out on the island that fronts right on the gulf. The restaurant isn't fancy, but it does have good food!

Yesterday we took groceries down to Aunti Vi - she didn't want to go out as she was tired from having company. We also had choir last night.

The rest of this week is wide open. We'll probably spend some time swimming and biking. I also need to continue to prep for Bible study which starts July 3rd.

Today was a great day!

I have been trying to figure out a way to recap the last 2 months. I have several drafts but haven't been happy with them. So -- I've decided I'm just going to start fresh and not try and catch up.

Today was a wonderful day. We went for a bike ride early this afternoon. It is so incredible to be back on my bike again! I haven't been able to ride for over 2 years because of my knees, but after surgery, I am now able to ride pain free! After we got home from biking, we spent 2 hours in the pool, not doing much of anything except floating. By this time it was time to come in and start dinner. After dinner, we walked up to DeSoto Park to watch the sunset. It's a mile each way to the park. Again, 2 months ago, I couldn't even think about walking that far. When we got home, we just sat and cooled down. We may head for the pool again. The water is 90 degrees and the air temp is about 82.

Tomorrow will be another day like today if nothing comes up. We are thoroughly enjoying these down days.

April Update

Where to begin? Where I left off (March 24th)? Current?? 4 weeks with no post - much to update - probably too much for one post -

I'll start with today and work backwards - today was my birthday. Didn't do a whole lot. We talked about going over to Disney but decided not to. We swam this afternoon - the pool is 90 degrees. The main problem today was the air temp was 80 and breezy, so it was cool when we got out of the water. However, it did feel good to swim again. We also were able to swim yesterday - the pool was 92 degrees - again the air temp was cool (80'ish) but the water was delightful! After we swam, we decided to go to one of our favorite restaurants in Sarasota for dinner. We came home by way of the island drive (Bird Key, St. Armand's Key, Longboat Key and Anna Maria Island) and parked by the beach and watched the sunset. It was just beautiful! Yesterday we took Aunti Vi to the doctor. No major problems - she just wanted reassurance from the doctor about a few issues she's having. Basically the doctor said if everyone was in the shape she is, we would have a lot less people "pushing up daisies." After the doctor's appointment, we took her grocery shopping and then home.

Last week, was doctor's appointments for me. Monday, I had my first post-op ortho doctor's appointment. He's thrilled with my progress and told me I was way ahead of the normal recovery curve. The only issue is the flexion in my knees. My right knee flexes 92 degrees and my left knee 91 degrees. He wants both flexing at 120 degrees. I reminded him prior to surgery I had about 80 degrees of flexion in both knees! Tomorrow I have my first outpatient ohysical therapy session. We'll see if I've gained any more flexion in the last 2 weeks (I have been working on my flexion independently). Tuesday was my post op appointment with my family doctor. He too is thrilled with my progress and said I didn't need to come back for 6 or 7 months (which is when I'm due for my annual physical).

Wednesday was choir. It felt good to be back even though I didn't go up on the platform. Just seeing everybody and sing along felt great! Friday night we went out to dinner with friends who are leaving to go back north for the summer this weekend.

Well I'll close for now - this post is long enough. More later.

Update

Life has been relatively quiet. Both Dan and I are pretty much recovered from our bout with the flu. Aunti Vi is feeling better but it is taking her longer to recover. The antibiotics the doctor put her on almost did more harm than good. Hopefully by next week she'll be 100%. We did take her to Wal-Mart on Wednesday and she enjoyed being out n the air for the first time in 3 weeks.

Bible study finished up on Thursday. After the morning session we all (there were 14 of us)went out to lunch at the Amish restaurant near church. It was great to be able to visit and spend some social time with the ladies. Each one is so dear and spending the last 11 weeks with them has truly been special. Right now, I believe the Lord is leading me to offer "When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" over the summer. It's only an 7 week course so right now I'm figuring on starting either the 3rd or 10th of July and going through the middle of August. Our fall Bible study ("Living Beyond Yourself" - A study on the fruit of the Spirit) will start September 11th and end November 20th. As far as the evening session goes, two of the ladies bring refreshments and we "graze" the entire evening. The evening ladies are also dears and I love each one of them. The two sessions are as different as night and day. The morning session is 90% discussion, 10% going over homework. The evening session is 90% going over the homework and 10% discussion!



Friday, we went over to Disney to the EPCOT Garden and Flower Show. The flowers and displays were beautiful. I don't know if we'll get over there again this year, but I'm glad we had the chance to go Friday.

Today was the choir cantata at church. It was presented last night and then at both services this morning. Because of my knees, I have had to drop out, but Dan sang. It was beautiful and the message was phenomenal.

Well, I must go, laundry is calling!

Not quite hale and hearty but better -

We are feeling better - just about 100%, but still coughing. Not as much as we were, but still not rid of it totally. Monday, we went down to check on Aunti Vi and she was afraid her's had gone into pneumonia, so we made a doctor's appointment for her Tuesday. We took her in and all the doctor said was it was going to take time for her to get over it. There's nothing they can do. It's a viral flu. She did give her a prescription for a broad spectrum antibiotic as a precaution. I talked to her a little while ago and she had eaten 3 meals today for the first time since she got sick and she was feeling just about normal.

Tomorrow is Bible study - I can't believe we'll be finishing up next Thursday. The 11 weeks have flown by. The ladies are pressing me to lead a Bible study over the summer, but I've told them we need to wait and see. I do have one picked out that I believe the Lord is leading me to, but I want to wait and see how the next several months go. This study is only 7 weeks long, so it would work to do it over the summer.

Friday we're heading up to Tennessee to celebrate my mom's 87th birthday on Sunday. We'll be back home on Monday.

This week is the Tampa Bay Scrapbook Treasure Hunt. It's been fun to go to the different stores and see the different scrapbook products that are available. There are 15 stores on the hunt, but I'm only doing 9. Last year I did all 15, but several of them are a couple hours away and I wasn't overly impressed with them. Also with the price of gas what it is, we haven't wanted to use a tank just running around.

Well, I'll close - it's just about time for bed.

Sunday Update

I did go down to see Aunti Vi yesterday. She was a lot better than I expected. She's just weak from not eating very much for the last 5 days. Her fever is gone and now she just needs to rebuild her strength. i didn't stop by today but did call her. We're going to stop down tomorrow with some more cough medicine and also some canned chicken broth. When I talked to her today, she said she "fancied" some chicken broth and had 2 cans so she heated up one and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now she is down to one can but she likes to keep 2 cans on hand as she uses it as a base for her homemade soup.

Just wanted to update ---

Update

The good news is I'm almost back to normal and Dan is about 50% of normal. HIs fever finally broke Thursday afternoon and he started eating again yesterday. THe main thing now is we're both left with a residual cough. Hopefully that will clear up in the next few days.

The bad news is Aunti VI now has whatever it is we have. We were with her on Tuesday before we realized we were contagious. She is very sick and her age is definitely against her. Please pray she gets well soon. I haven't been down to see her since I've been so sick, but I'm going to go down today.

Under the weather

Unfortunately, we are "enjoying" ill health. Somewhere we have picked up very heavy colds. I feel decent today, but Dan is running a high fever and has all the symptoms of a very heavy cold. I am just praying it is not the flu. Right now he is in bed tryng to get some sleep.

Aunti Vi's doctor's appointment yesterday went very well. The doctor is very pleased with her condition and she doesn't have to go back for 6 months. She has developed a heart murmur, but at her age they won't do anything about it. The only treatment is valve replacement and that is not an option. After the doctor, we went out to lunch and then shopping. She only had 4 items on her list, but wound up with about 25 items!

Obviously, we will not be going to choir tonight. I do have a couple errands I need to do this afternoon, so I will probably go out in a little while.

The weather is wonderful - sunshine and warm. When we hear what the weather is doing up north, we are very thankful to be here.

Busy day and weekend

Today was a lovely day. We didn't leave the house - we just put swimsuits on and worked out in the yard. Our live oak tree is just about finished shedding its leaves so we're trying to rake them up and get them off the grass (live oaks do not shed their leaves until new growth comes in behind the old leaves and pushes them out so the tree is never without leaves). Because the leaves have a waxy surface, they don't decompose at all - they just lie on the ground waiting for you to come and rake/vacuum them up! Dan put 8 bags of leaves out for pick-up last week (yard waste pick-up is Wednesday). Today I raked up 4 more HUGE bags of leaves for pick-up. Hopefully this is about the last for this year. After raking the leaves, we went in the pool and enjoyed relaxing in the water. The air temp was about 82 degrees and the pool temp was 88 degrees. We don't mind yard work when we know we can relax in the pool after!

This weekend Rick and Csilla came over. They arrived about 3:00 Saturday and by 3:15Taylor and Ashley were in the pool. The water temp was only 80 degrees and the air temp in the low 70's but they didn't care. They wanted to go in the pool! Taylor stayed in the water for about 15 minutes. She was chilled by then so she got out. Ashley stayed in for another 15 minutes and by then Csilla (who was in the water with the girls) was cold so Ashley had to get out also (very unwillingly). They left about 9:30 Sunday morning. This was earlier than they normally leave on Sunday, but Taylor was riding (on a horse) in a parade in Orlando Sunday afternoon.

Tomorrow, Aunti Vi has a doctor's appointment in the morning then we may go shopping - depending on how she's feeling. If we don't shop tomorrow, we'll go on Wednesday. Thursday is Bible study. I can't believe there are only 3 weeks left. It seems we just started. The study is on the Old Testament tabernacle and how Christ was revealed in the tabernacle. None of the ladies has done a study on the tabernacle before so we are all learning.

Well, enough for now -- laundry is calling.

Another Warm Nice Day

Today is sunny and warm although we are supposed to have thunderstorms and then turn sharply colder tonight. Tomorrow is supposed to be a high in the low 60's and overnight it's supposed to drop to 40. However, by Friday, we 'll be back in the upper 70's again.

We are thoroughly enjoying winters here in Florida. We do not miss the cold and snow at all!! It was 80 yesterday and the pool was 88 degrees - absolutely delightful. I had put on shorts and a shirt to go outside to do some yard work, but as soon as I felt the pool water, I went back in and changed into a swimsuit! Our pool is "uncaged" so when the trees shed their leaves in February, vacuuming is a daily task. When the water is warm enough, we vacuum the pool while we're in it. When the water "cools" down (lower than 80 degres), we vacuum it from the deck. It gets the job done, but is not nearly as much fun as doing it while in the pool!

With the price of gas what it is ($3.25 per gallon), we have been staying close to home. We did go over to Orlando and have dinner with friends from the Upper Penninsula who had come down for a couple weeks to escape the cold and snow. Rick and Csilla also joined us. We had planned to go over to Orlando to have dinner with them earlier that week, but the weather forced us to cancel (heavy, heavy rain and very limited visibility).

Bible study is going phenomenally well! All of the ladies who started are still in it. Normally, there is an attrition rate of about 50%, but we are still at full enrollment. The Lord is present in the study and blessing us each week. The homework is stretching us and the questions the ladies are asking is making me do research which I just love.

I've been trying to scrapbook a little each day - I don't always succeed, but I try! Right now I'm working on the "January birthdays" from 2001. That was the year James turned one and it was the last January birthday celebration we had where all of us were together to celebrate all three January birthdays (Dan's, Michael's and James'). As I scrapbook the older pictures, I am enjoying the memories it brings back (I have plenty of current pictures to scrap, but I wanted to get these pics done!).

Tomorrow is our normal shopping day with Aunti Vi. She is back in her apartment after being displaced for 2 weeks while they replaced the windows. She is VERY happy the whole experience is behind her.

Well, I best go and get some studying done.

Catching Up

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since I last wrote. Where has the time gone??? Things down here are quiet. Weather is typical Florida winter weather - average high in the 70's lows in the 50's. We are VERY thankful to be down here when we see what the weather up north is (snow, bone chilling cold). We do not miss it at all. We have already been swimming this month. The pool is averaging 80-85 degrees. It feels so good to be back in the water again after not swimming for 2 months.

The end of January, we drove over to Orlando to have dinner with friends we worked with at Ameritech. We hadn't seen them in 8 years. We had a wonderful visit and the time spent with them was much too short.

We also started crop nights again at church. I wasn't going to, but several of the ladies approached me and asked me if I would start them again. We'll see how it goes. I got a bunch of pictures cropped, but none mounted yet. I'm looking forward to spending some time scrapping at home. Dan built me a beautiful shelf unit for my scrap area and it has allowed me to get totally organized. As far as the senior center goes, I don't know if it's going to continue or not. They have a new activities director and she isn't into scrapping at all so it's not put on the activities schedule. Also, March 7th I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon which is going to interfere with the time at the senior center.

This past weekend, we drove up to the Warner Robins Air Force Base with Eric and Sarah. They have an aviation museum there that rivals the one at Wright Patterson in Dayton, Ohio. We had a great time. It was a flying trip - we drove up Friday afternoon, spent Saturday morning and early afternoon at the museum and drove back home Saturday evening, getting home about 9:00 - 13 hours of driving in 30 hours! Dan took 230 pictures and Eric took 280 pictures!!!

Today we took Aunti Vi to the eye doctor. Her vision hasn't changed that much since her last exam last June. She will be having cataract surgery in June. She is back in her apartment after being "displaced" for 2 weeks while they put in new windows in her apartment.

Tomorrow, we're driving over to Orlando to have dinner with Rick and Csilla and the girls. We haven't seen them since Christmas, so it will be good to see them again.
The end of the week, we'll be driving over to Orlando again to visit with friends from the upper penninsula. They weren't going to come to Florida this year, but they are tired of the snow and cold and need a break!

Well, the timer just went off letting me know dinner is ready.

Getting old!

Yesterday was Dan's 62nd birthday. He will now start collecting Social Security! We didn't do anything special - we didn't even go to church. We were both just too tired when the alarm went off at 6:15. I had baked a chocolate bundt cake on Thursday, so that served as his birthday cake! We'll actually celebrate Friday night with Sarah and Eric. Friday is Sarah's birthday, so instead of celebrating twice, we'll combine it into one. We'll go out to dinner and then head for church for crop night. I'll also be teaching at Water's Edge (the senior center) in the afternoon.

Today, we went to the Social Security office to finish my filing for Social Security. I had filed on-line, but I needed to bring my birth certificate in for validation. I'll be old enough (62) to start collecting in April!

We stopped by Aunti Vi's this afternoon. She is doing okay - just wiped out from the move and stress. We only stayed for a few minutes - just long enough to check on her. We'll take her out Wednesday for lunch and shopping.

Well, I need to go finish studying for Thursday and laundry is calling.

Where has this month gone?

Even though we haven't done a lot this month, January is almost gone. Where did it go??

Bible study is going well. There are 18 ladies in the morning and 10 in the evening. The time commitment from each of these ladies is amazing. Beth's Bible studies are demanding - there is about an hour of homework for 5 days a week and then our weekly meetings last between 2-1/2 and 3 hours. It adds up to about 8 hours a week. Each of the ladies is precious and I'm privileged, honored and humbled to lead them.

Choir is also challenging - our new director is taking us in a whole new direction. He is young so most of the music we are singing is contemporary which is very different from the traditional choir music we have sung for years. However, our Easter cantata is more towards the traditional we are used to. I don't mind the contemporary, but it seems he has "thrown the baby out with the bathwater." In other words, rather than mixing the new contemporary with the traditional to get us used to the new style, he has gone completely to contemporary.

Aunti Vi is doing wonderfully. Monday, she'll be moving out of her apartment for 2 weeks while they put new windows in. We're going to go down and make sure the move goes smoothly and get her settled in her temporary location. She hopes to be back in her apartment by the 10th of February.

Tuesday we're going to go over to Orlando to have dinner with friends we worked with at Ameritech. They retired before we did and moved to South Carolina. We haven't seen them for about 8 years so it will be fun to see them and catch up.

Wednesday, we're going to go and pick Aunti Vi up and head for the gulf to have lunch. It should be fun - there are several restaurants out on Anna Maria Island that front right on the gulf. Since her temporary apartment is half the size of her regular apartment, we want to make sure she gets out. Her regular apartment overlooks Wares Creek (which is a tributary of the Manatee River) and her temporary apartment overlooks a parking lot - UGH!

Like I said, nothing much happening so where did the month go??

A relatively slow start to January

Things have been very quiet down here up until this week. We didn't have choir rehearsal or Bible study so we've had many days where we didn't even leave the house. Even our Wednesday shopping excursions with Aunti Vi have been a "no-go" because of the "cold" weather (one day the low was around freezing and the high in the upper 40's). She didn't want to go out and didn't need anything.

However, as of this week, our schedule is getting back to normal. Monday we drove up to the Lifeway store in Brandon to pick up books for Bible study. We also went to the most awesome kitchen store "Rolling Pin Emporium" (www.rollingpinonline.com). It beats out any kitchen store I have ever been to including Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table. They also offer a wide range of cooking classes. Dan and I are going to take one on "knife skills" the 25th. It should be fun. Before we drove up to Brandon, I had my bi-annual eye exam. Everything is fine but I do need new glasses. I haven't had new glasses in 4 years since up until now, my prescription didn't change enough to warrant the expense of new glasses. Driving up to Brandon though was NOT fun. With my pupils dilated, I couldn't focus on anything - very strange feeling. However, my eyes finally got back to normal by about 9:00 Monday night.

Tuesday I worked on getting some scrapbooking done and preparing for Bible study. The pictures I scrapped were from Chistmas of 1997. It was fun finally getting them done! I have lots of current pics to scrap, but it's fun doing the older ones too.
Wednesday was our normal. We took Aunti Vi shopping in the afternoon and then choir in the evening. It felt really good to be back in choir. We started learning our Easter cantata which we will present 2X on Sunday morning and 1X Saturday night. Thursday was Bible study. We started Beth Moore's "A Woman's Heart - God's Dwelling Place"- a study of the Old Testament tabernacle. We have 15 ladies for the morning session and 12 in the evening. Friday, we had a quiet day which I was very grateful for. The day after Bible study I am totally exhausted.

Saturday too was another quiet day. We didn't leave the house from the time we got home from Bible study Thursday night until this morning when we went to church. There are a couple reasons - one, there were things we needed to do around the house and two, with the price of gas where it is we are combining errands and if we don't need to go out we don't.

Well, that's enough for now - I'll write more later this week.