I got my color back in 2018.   My brain fired, wired and made new connections, my eyes saw crisp colors for the first time, my neck turned to see my back and most of all, I nailed a parallel parking job in St. Pete.  Only 1 attempt folks.  Just like riding a bike!  I know I posted this already, but it’s worth noting again.

If you are in a dark place, you can get your color back too.  Take a breath, slow down and focus on what’s important to you.  I was in that dark room and missed out on a lot.  Luckily for me, I rolled the dice, took some chances, overcame fears and was rewarded with a get out of jail free card.

Thanks to all of you for helping me get my color back!  It’s a beautiful world out there.

I am in a great place and look forward to new adventures in 2019!

Happy New Year!

Peace.

Killer parallel parking job! Just like riding a bike

The past few days have been cold, wet and blustery.  My great gal friend, Robyn, visited from ATL for the first time.  There were no shorts or sun burnt shoulders on this trip.  Bummer!  Our days were full of activities, food, belly ache laughing, reminiscing, girl chats, sarcasm and good ole fun.  The kind of friendship where you are comfortable being yourself and can talk about anything and everything even though you don’t see each other often.  The kind of friend who bosses you out of love.  Everyone needs a friend who puts you in your place.  I cherish this kind of relationship.

[wpvideo OQa1GhRa]

[wpvideo Nyk4upsR]

[wpvideo MTdcyIq1]

Time to trim the tree, put up the stockings, sort through decorations, sing songs and have family time.  A perfect day with Nathaniel , Samantha, and Shelby – all the kiddos under one roof.

Sean and I set out to find a little tree for our corner table.  First stop was the big Publix – no trees.  Second stop was Ace Hardware – no trees.  Third stop was the local church – no trees.  Fourth and final stop was our small Publix – Yes, the perfect tree.  Only 2 left and 1 was waiting for me.  Sean pulled up and I quickly got out of the car and claimed it.  Sean said, “That’s a palm tree.”  I said, “No, it’s a Northfolk Island Pine.”

On the way home, we got delayed by a Christmas bike party on the Pinellas Trail.  What a blast!  We stopped and watched in amazement.  Suddenly, the car behind us appeared next to our car, only to be stopped by an elf on a bike blocking them from coming through. The woman driver blasted out, “Get out of the way, I have to go to the bathroom, I have to Shit.”  Wow, that was scary.  A grinch full of poop.  An unforgettable tree finding day!

The day ended with a feast at a local Italian restaurant with Brett and Dina.  We were all full up with bread, pasta, and savory garlic-laden sauce.  This place doesn’t dice their garlic; they slice it real fine.  Delizioso!  The kids were so full and sleepy, they decided to have a sleepover with us.  Slumber party!

[wpvideo 4HLpkd25]

We love the series Stranger Things on Netflix.  It’s clever, exciting and set in the 80’s.  Looking forward to the next season in 2019.

There are stranger things happening right here in Dunedin.  Yesterday was one of those days.  Ready?  I picked up Sean from the airport and took him to the authentic Mexican restaurant I discovered last weekend.  We walked in and all of the tables were filled with Mexican families, a person was waiting on an order, and there was lots of frying going on in the kitchen.  I placed our taco order and the woman says, “It’s gonna be awhile, like 25 minutes, because we have a big order.”  We couldn’t wait that long.

As we walked to the car, I noticed a sub/pizza joint next door, called Big Roman’s.  We decided to check it out.  As we walked in, we were greeted by two very nice ladies eager to take our orders.  I told them it was our first time, and their eyes lit up.  The lady in charge told us about the menu and the man behind her said we specialize in comfort food.  My kind of place.

I asked them if they deliver pizza to Dunedin.  They said no, but that they live in Dunedin too.  Ok, a nice coincidence.  I asked them “Where?”  She replied, “Off of Curlew.” Ok, getting a little strange.  She said, “It’s like Water or Water Lake.” I said, “Waterford Crossing?”  She said, “YES!”  I said, “2805?”  She said “YES!” with a very curious face.  By this time, her husband and Sean were standing around us.  I screamed out, “We’re the owners.”  I meant to say “We’re the Sellers.”  Very strange.  What a moment!

These kind folks bought our old house.  We hugged, laughed, looked at each other in awe, exchanged phone numbers and laughed some more.  I liked them.

Is this concidence, fate, or stranger things?  We went from disappointment of no tacos to excitement and joy making new friends with our buyers at Big Roman’s.

I shared my stranger things news with my good friend who also loves this Netflix series.  She’s heard my weird, deja vu stories before.  I called to tell her this story.  It was quiet on the other end of the phone and I wondered if we got disconnected.  All of a sudden,  she bursts out, “I’m done, I’m hanging up now.”  We laugh and she says, “What is it with you and your strange encounters?”

Stranger Things happen in Dunedin everyday!  Do do do do!

Last night, the girls and I went out to partake in a little Xmas festivities.  We started the evening at a very authentic Mexican restaurant in Clearwater.  Really, only the locals go here.  Ladies speaking no ingles, 3 tables, an order counter, Mexican Platos, a woman making fresh corn tortillas right there in front of you, homemade chips, spicy salsa and best of all, Mexican coke.  I love Mexican coke in a glass bottle; it is nothing like American coke.  It’s my drug of choice.  The atmosphere was comfortable.  One Asian man eating at the counter, Mexicans coming in to dine and take out, and us.  Girls got quesadillas loaded with melted cheese and chicken.  I got dos tacos con carnitas wrapped in warm homemade corn tortillas – soft and wonderful.  Delicioso!  We’ll be back.

A little drive listening to Christmas tunes, Samantha style, and we were on our way to the Christmas boat parade.  There’s something about lit up boats on the water that soothes you. This is how we do Christmas in Florida.

Ramped up on holiday cheer and Mexican coke, I was ready to continue the evening with my cute reindeer girls.  Of course, they didn’t want to hang with me anymore, not sure why.  Mama Santa was on her own.

I strolled around downtown Dunedin and took in all the sparkling Christmas lights.  It really is a magical wonderland.  The streets were blocked off from the Santa parade, so it was quiet and wide open.  I walked by Blur, our downtown club, and the music was blaring my kind of music – throwback tunes.  I asked the bouncer if there was a cover, and he said, “Nope, just come on in.”  I walked a little more and said, “I’m gonna do it.”  I walked in, found a spot in the corner, threw my jacket on the floor, and danced.  It was dark, lights were flashing, videos were playing on big screens.  Lots of sensory, but I was doing it.  After a couple of songs, water, and rest, I was done.  A little too swirly for me.    I did dance and sing to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, but this girl was not having any more fun.  At least I didn’t fall down, like the girl who was dancing and twirling and fell straight down on a table.  It appeared she was not hurt.  That was my cue to get the heck out now!

Fabulous seaweed hair

The beach was so inviting this morning.  I wish that I could swim, but it was too bloody cold.  The Canadians were swimming bare chested with no wetsuits.  Brave souls!  Dolphins were frolicking close by and the surf was perfect.

I really wanted to build a snowman but knew I couldn’t do it myself – too much bending, shoveling, up and down and what not.  I tried and barely got back up.

I began my hunt for a small friend.  I found a beautiful 4 year old and her sweet mom.  They are new to Florida from Chicago.  We built a snow sand mermaid together.  I walked up to them and said, “Do you want to build a snowman?”  The girl curled up in her chair, looked down and said, “No!”  I love how kids tell it like it is.  Mom said, “Sure we can do that.”  I think she felt sorry for me.  I felt sorry for me.  We gathered goodies and, of course, I was the Creative Director.  Turned out the mom is a tax accountant with no creative energy, so she said.  I directed and she executed very well.  She got into it and even made some fashion suggestions.  There’s a creative side in everyone.  She said she would take pictures and send them to her family in Chicago where it’s bitter cold.  Beach strollers came by and took pictures with our mermaid which made me very proud!

Little kids bring out the child in me.  I used to love making snowmen back in the day.  Now, I can make snow sand mermaids with a little help from my friends.

Take a chance, talk to strangers and make new friends.  I do it all the time!  Dad Austin will be happy that I am making new friends, even if it’s a 4 year old.

[wpvideo h9ICQULP]

Love the lady behind me sacked out!

I was at work today, looked up to gaze outside, and surprise!   This guy was just finishing his lunch.  I still get surprised with all the nature and beauty around us.

Months ago, I couldn’t even get out of the car when it was a windy day on the beach. I would just look at the wind and feel anxious.  I would gauge the power of the wind by barely opening the car door.  When I felt the wind on my face, I would say, “Nope, too windy for me.”

Not today.  I saw the wind blowing like crazy and said, “Let’s go.”  Sean and I set out to brave the wind and I didn’t blow away.  Amazing!  The wind was whipping up a good 16 mph and it was almost an exhilarating feeling!   I still can’t believe how different I felt.  More stable, not fearful of falling, and free.  I didn’t feel like I was trapped in a wind tunnel.  I didn’t have to cover my ears.  I can handle the wind, and that my friends, makes me very happy.

Bridges, on the other hand, are still somewhat uncomfortable for me.  I have always been afraid of heights, but not when it’s above water.  My walk on the bridge to the pier in the wind was challenging.  There was a lot of movement around me.  The water was moving horizontally, and the cars on the upcoming road were also moving horizontally.   Horizontal motion is still hard for me.  Sean told me to focus on the palm tree in front of me or close my eyes.  Guess which one I chose?  I focused on the tall palm tree and held onto Sean until I reached the end of the bridge.  Ta da, checked that off my list.

Stand up to your fears and conquer them one by one.  Push yourself!  You can do it!

This is what happens when your hubby sleeps in until 10:30 am ish.  Not straight through, but still.  I can’t remember the last time Sean was in bed until brunch time.  It must be his nesting instinct now that December is upon us.  December 1, what?

When we moved into our new house, we had to make hard choices on what to keep and what to give away.  One of our clever choices was to use our wedding china and silver for our everyday use.  It’s about time since these wares are about 30 years old.  It really does make a difference in the taste of the food when plated on fine china.  A real silver fork with oozing feta cheese wrapped around it is a very nice sensation.

I was in the mood for a delicious heart healthy omelette.  My version is a spin on Mediterranean ingredients – eggs, sautéed spinach with a pinch of garlic powder and red pepper flakes, Greek oregano, chick peas, feta cheese and of course, lots of olive oil.  A few fresh berries on the side made a perfect berrilicious complement to the omelette.  Oh, and since it’s so cold here, we had hot apple cider simmered in cloves and cinnamon as our heartwarming beverage.

Take a little time on the weekend to warm your heart. ♥️