Occupying My Time

Once I started to recuperate from my surgery, I was determined to find new ways to occupy my time. As with any new project in my life, I've dived in and experimented. I dabbled in trying to write a new genre of material and found myself absorbed in a new landscape that I really love. So far, Michelle has enjoyed the 40,000 + words I've sent her to review, which is a blessing.

Next, I decided to take pity on Becky who loves to garden, but had spent too much money on this exercise, by having her help me with some plants. I kill everything I touch, so this was tricky. The ever-green thumb, Peggy, offered up some cat mint from her garden and I selected some "pretty" flowers at the store, which Becky helped me pot for my patio. I spent many summer weekends, sitting on my patio with the animals, writing away and gazing at my new pretty flowers.

Next, Sarai invited me to join a knitting group. I had met some of the members at game nights and parties, and I thought of it as a nice way to meet new people. Sarai kindly took me to the store to select my first skein of yarn, which I selected pink, and needles. Edith was very patient, showing me how to cast on and add new yarn. See my finished work, a pink scarf. You can't see the length, but it is long. I'm still unsure why I chose pink since I rarely wear the color, but I'm proud of myself and have already requested a scarf from a friend.

Most of you know how much I love to travel and that I take a gazillion pictures on my travels. I have numerous framed photos and albums in my apartment. I enjoy surrounding myself with the memories. In my travels, I have taken some beautiful scenery shots and decided I should blow them up into poster size images, which I then framed. Hubby was kind enough to place them on the very white wall of our bedroom, adding some ambiance to the room.

I Accept That Challenge

Michelle has thrown down the gauntlet and I have accepted her challenge. November is National Writing Month and a group has created a contest called Na No WriMo. The concept is simple, from midnight November 1st until midnight November 30th, contestants have to create a 50,000 word story. At this time, I don't feel comfortable submitting my material to this site. It's bad enough to let my trusted reviewers know the insanity that plays in my head, much less total strangers. Plus, the point of the contest is to get the material out there, unedited and potentially full of issues. As a perfectionist, I'm incapable of submitting that type of material. But I am up to the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

I am now sharing the challenge with you. Is anyone else interested in trying their hand at creating a story in a month? You wouldn't have to submit anything to anyone, just share the experience with me.

Tourist in Your Hometown

Returning home was interesting. It had been 18 months since I last visited. I usually worry about my trip because I hate the drama of seeing family and friends, unsure of what type of welcome I'll receive. I was shocked to have my brother ask for an opportunity to talk. After all these years of me begging and pleading, who knew we could have an enjoyable moment together?

My disinterest in Florida has not changed, so I was unsure how I would feel this time around. I discovered I do miss certain things about Florida; moments with my family, seeing my nieces grow up, Michelle and our friendship. I also realized I miss the beach; the sounds, the feel, and the beauty. I never thought much of the beach before, but Lake Michigan does not compare to the Gulf. I miss being around other Gators and knowing there is a place I can go and surround myself with other fanatics and enjoy the ups and downs of our team.

With all the things I miss, one would think I would question my decision to move away, but there are a great many things that make me yearn for my home in Indiana. Visiting Florida, I felt as if I was a tourist and was actually labeled that during this trip. The morning I flew down, it was a nice 50 something. Then I arrived to what felt like a nice 80 something degree temperature, which grew into an uncomfortable too warm heat. The too cool water in the Gulf was comfortably pleasant to this tourist, while I collected shells from the water. This was an experience I hadn't enjoyed since childhood and I relished in it.

The traffic and long drives to get to the other side of town were further reminders of why I love where I live. Why should it take 45 minutes, plus two toll roads, to visit the west burbs from the south burbs? Of course, flying at 80 mph down the roadway is similar to a roller coaster. Though I miss certain restaurants, I didn't feel as comfortable at my favorite bar this time. Maybe I've grown used to my surroundings and enjoy the rustic feel of my haunts in Indiana. When visiting my former library, I felt reminiscent, but recognized I had moved on and wouldn't fit in any longer. Of course, having a few people tell me not to rub it in that "I'm doing really really well," may have helped with that sentiment.

All in all, I can finally say, I am a tourist in my hometown, and have created a new home in the North.

Return to Florida

My mom turned 60 this past weekend, so I made a jaunt down south to visit and celebrate this momentous milestone. Thursday arrived with Michelle and Crystal picking me up in Sanford (the ticket was direct and cheaper). We spent the afternoon playing board games and relaxing with Gatsby. Michelle and I began the trip by visiting one of my favorite restaurants, Carabbas, before heading down to Ybor for an evening of music. We had a few misses, like the jazz club with the black light bathroom, Coyote Ugly with its silver walled bathroom, settling on Green Iguana, which had an amazing duo performing on guitar and drums.
The next day we visited Pass-a-Grille and ate lunch at The Hurricane. Can we say fresh shrimp and grouper? Yummy. Our waiter informed us the water was too cool to go swimming and only tourists were out there. Yes, I'm a tourist, I went in the water and collected shells on the seashore. We popped into Gators Bar for some desert so I could soak up the ambiance. I spent the evening with my in-laws and ate dinner at Beef O'Bradys. Yes, I had some fabulous wings. Michelle and I were off to Channelside to visit my favorite bar, Howl-at-the-Moon and met up with Jen and Cheryl. We had a fun night, though I lost the bar to some Georgia Bulldogs.

Mom's birthday happened to fall on a major college football day. Dad and I spent many hours in front of the tv watching the games. We had lunch at Cheesecake Factory, in which C, had a child's portion of pasta (looked like too much food for an adult), which she scarfed down with a fork in each hand. John asked if we could talk privately, so we headed out to his favorite pub and had a drink. Jo arrived later and we headed out to dinner for mom's birthday.

Michelle and I were up early Sunday morning, and headed out to Islands of Adventure with N. I could write a full post on the Harry Potter world. It was very impressive. We rode the rides, bought several gifts, tried ButterBeer, which is delicious, and ate at the Three Broomsticks. All around, it was a lot of fun.

Monday morning dawned early, with Michelle, Crystal, and I heading to Village Inn, my absolute favorite breakfast place. We visited my old library and spent time with some old friends. It was strange to be in the place and visit the people who played such a large part in the beginning of my career. The place has changed in a lot of ways and so have I. We went to lunch in South Tampa at Datz, then headed to the airport.

It was a lengthy weekend with lots of treats thrown in, but also a lot of emotional moments.

Ghosts of the Past

Recently I was visited by a ghost from my past. Sound familiar? Due to some rather uncomfortable circumstances, I have moved on from my past and really have no interest in looking back. I believe in learning lessons from past mistakes and moving forward, yet recently I have been in a bad place emotionally. Between my surgery, the aftermath, all the problems that arose, my emotional state has been rocky. I was amazed to gain perspective on my current situation thanks to a visit from my past. The person gave me some insight into my situation that I hadn't considered previously. Though I have no wish to garner former relationships, since I feel strongly that I've already experienced enough with certain individuals, it is interesting to see yourself through someone else's eyes. Someone who doesn't see the everyday and only comes with history.