Spring is coming and that means so are the flowers. The sign of spring. Flowers seem to always make people smile. It gives them hope that summer is coming. Flowers make people happy.
“Flowers always make people better, happier, more hopeful.”
~Luther Burbank
Photo by Ioann-Mark Kuznietsov on Unsplash
Monday, April 1, was my birthday which always happens to be April Fools’ Day! And I love it. Many people would find being born on April 1 annoying, but I have always found it so much fun. My mom tried to get me out on March 31, but I am glad my little body decided to stay in there until 12:06 midnight 48 years ago.
April has always been the best time for a birthday. It’s springtime and the weather starts getting better. It doesn’t fall around Christmas or Back to School Time so you get presents throughout the whole year for all the special occasions 🙂 Sometimes it falls around Easter, but that just makes it more special.
But here we are, another trip around the sun for me. Some people fret about getting older, but I think what I have learned from my dear family members who have passed away at the young ages of 38, 60, and 63 is that celebrating a birthday is a magical thing that you should feel blessed to be celebrating.
Although it is hard to believe that I am TWO years away from turning the BIG 5-0, I am excited about it. I hope I make it, and I hope I get to celebrate. My goal has always been to make it to all 50 states by my 50th birthday. If I haven’t made it to all 50 states by 50 (I’ll be close), my birthday party may end up in Arkansas! I am not sure what there is to do in Arkansas, but I will have to think of something if that happens to be the last state on my list.
This year, I was blessed that my late sister’s family was in town for Easter AND my birthday for the second year in a row. I hope the Spring Break tradition continues. I was so excited to spend time with my brother-in-law, his girlfriend, my niece and nephew, and my bonus niece and nephews. It was a packed few days with nine of us running around the house. We made it to church, had a delicious brunch, afternoon pool time, and an Easter dinner on the pool deck. The next few days were filled with boating and spending time on Fort Myers Beach. If you have visited us in Fort Myers then you probably know of our favorite ice cream place called Love Boat. My Prince and I continue to follow the tradition of my late grandfather which started over 20 years ago. Just like he did, we take all of our visitors to the Love Boat for ice cream! And I haven’t found one person who doesn’t love it! The rest of our time together was spent playing pool, ping pong, and games around the fire.
Anyway, as I get older I try to look at the positives. I don’t need anything materialistic for my birthday, just a few good wishes and some time with family and friends. I also realize that birthdays don’t need to be celebrated on the exact day which is perfect for me because I love celebrating ANYTIME around my birthday with ANYONE willing to celebrate!!
So the next birthday you have, live it up and be proud of whatever age you are celebrating! Celebrate YOU and YOUR day! You made it and deserve to be proud of your age, accomplishments, and life. Cheers to you!
P.S.
If you do want to try to reverse time, check out my new health and wellness business at www.skinlikestacy.mynuskin.com, and let’s get rid of some of those fine lines and wrinkles together!
While each season is relatively short, we also need to remember that we are only here on this Earth for a short visit. Be sure to enjoy every moment. Stop to smell the roses and find the good in all there is.
“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
~ Walter C. Hagen
Photo by Ruslan Zh on Unsplash
I hope you had a wonderful St. Paddy’s Day. We just returned from a two-week ski trip in Europe. We were thinking of going to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day but we heard they just don’t celebrate like we Americans do. Anyway, as this quote says I hope you live a long and inspiring life and never have a want in the world. May you have all that you need.
“May you live as long as you want but never want as long as you live.”
~ Irish Blessing
Photo by Leighton Smith on Unsplash
As you know My Rock and I travel A LOT. And many people wonder how we stay in shape while we are almost always on the go. We can’t always work out so we need to make a conscious effort to eat healthy while we are running around.
Depending on how you travel there are many options. If you drive, you can pack a cooler and stop at different restaurants along the way. We love looking up local restaurants and sitting down for a nice meal when we drive. If you fly, which airport you are flying into and how much time you have can make a difference in what you choose to eat. Many people go for the fast food chains they know and love in the airport. I believe this is for several reasons. One, they think it’s cheaper than any other option. Two, they know what is available and how it will taste. Three, many people are afraid of trying different foods.
If you have a little bit of time, look for different restaurants. There are some very cool and different restaurants in the airport terminal. There are several options from Asian, Belgian, English, Irish, and American. If you are adventurous, try something new! Many times the lines here are shorter as you see here at Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh (in the Denver airport, which was packed).
Happy March my friends! It’s a month of blessings and drinking green beer. I hope you have a wonderful and lucky month.
“You gotta try your luck at least once a day, because you could be going around lucky all day and not even know it.”
~ Jimmy Dean
Photo by Jakob Cotton on Unsplash
As many of you probably know, after I quit my job as a Coordinator of Special Education in Virginia, I moved to Thailand to teach English as a second language. Since coming back to the United States in 2015, I have had many new ventures. Life Changes have thrown me many curves so I have not had a true full-time job since 2015.
When I returned to my hometown in 2016, I worked in my friend’s ice cream and hot dog shop. The hours were 11-3, and they were perfect. I could have breakfast with Sweet Gram and then go to work. Then I’d pick her up, and we’d head to a softball game as I also started coaching for my High School Alma mater.
At the end of that summer, I worked in a chiropractor‘s office. It was a fun job, and I got to see many different people I knew. Then Gram broke her hip. I had to be more available so I quit the office job and worked on getting my real estate license. I felt being a realtor would provide me with a good income and the flexibility needed to take care of Gram. I sold a million dollars of property that first year and enjoyed being a real estate agent. The paperwork was very similar to writing an IEP for my students in special education. I worked for ERA Real Estate in Pennsylvania for two years.
When Gram and I moved to Florida in 2018, I wasn’t sure what I could do since we would be traveling back and forth and living in two different states. My Rock introduced me to some of the neighbors and one of them owned a travel business. I teamed up with them and became a Travel Advisor (which I still do so let me know if you need me to plan you a trip!). Then I worked remotely for my former school system off and on for three years from 2021-2023.
It was not feasible for me to have a “normal” job due to my Prince’s schedule, therefore I just kept trying new ventures to keep my mind busy while I was taking care of Gram. I was home more and my ventures kept me from being bored when my Valentine was gone and Gram was asleep by the pool.
Now I barely have time to be bored let alone have a “job!” But what can I say? I am a Yes WoMan so I said yes to starting another new venture.
Ever since I was a little girl I was intrigued with my grandmother’s makeup bag. She always used Clinique, and they usually had some type of free samples and a cute bag that she would bring home. I loved playing with her lipstick and eye cream.
Throughout the years I have tried several different skincare routines. Recently I started using NuSkin. A former colleague of mine is always posting about the great results. And I like the way it works and feels. I have not tried all of the products but I have a few favorites.
Well, she convinced me to become a brand affiliate so now I can sell the products. I am not sure I am a good salesperson but I figured I’d try. Check out my NuSkin website and let me know if you’re interested or have any questions!
As we get older our skin loses collagen and we develop those wonderful laugh lines. NuSkin has several products that can help reduce those fine lines and wrinkles. I like the Tru Face Line Corrector and the Uplifting Cream. They also have a firming cream to use on your whole body that tightens and firms. For all my friends up north as well as those who don’t want to spend too much time in the sun, they have a great self-tanning lotion. A new product that is coming out is the RenuSpa. It is a little device that tightens and firms your arms, and tummy, and even helps get rid of cellulite! The results people are posting are amazing! Just look at this!
So here we go again! Another venture! Maybe this one will stick and I can do it from wherever our adventures take us! Also, check out my new Facebook Page and hit the Like button!
I love this quote by Atticus. I believe it probably was the inspiration for the country song “Leave Her Wild” by Tyler Rich. I think so many times we get into relationships and instead of accepting people for who they are we want to change them. Why do we do this? Why can’t we fall in love with the whole person and leave them as wild as they are?
Love her but leave her wild.
~Atticus
Photo by Artur Matosyan on Unsplash
Loving someone means that you care about their happiness. Seeing them happy makes you happy. It’s about lifting each other up! Whether it’s your spouse, your partner, your friend, or another family member caring about them and their happiness is essential to yours.
Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
~Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
On New Year’s Eve, My Love and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. As tradition goes, we held an NYE celebration after a romantic lunch at Cooper’s Hawk Winery. This year was small as a few people were sick but we ended up having a blast just the same. We learned more about our friends at the table by playing a card game of getting-to-know-you questions. We rang in the new year with champagne and then the singing began! There were only four of us left by then but it was so much fun! After our guests left, my Valentine and I decided to stay up talking until 4 am! What is wrong with us? Sometimes I think we need adult supervision and a bedtime.
It’s hard to believe that this will be our fourth Valentine’s Day as a married couple. We had the best of both worlds by getting married at 8:30 am and having a brunch reception. Some people stayed to hang out at the pool but others left and came back for a New Year’s Eve party/reception. It was so much fun! Of course, looking back there are some things I wish we would have done differently but life is meant to be lived with no regrets, and I don’t want to take away from our perfect day.
If you are married or have been married, you know that marriage is hard. It’s not a fairy tale, it’s not a romance novel and it’s not like it is in the movies. It takes communication, effort, forgiveness, and compromise. Marriage is not perfect. Marriage is complicated.
Somehow, I got lucky. The timing was right when my Prince and I met. Had it been earlier or later when our paths crossed, maybe it wouldn’t have worked out. But for some reason, Sweet Gram broke her hip and led us to Fort Myers that February seven years ago. The stars aligned and for some reason, Fate thought the two of us would make a perfect pair!
Through the ups and downs, we have learned the importance of communication, compromise, and unwavering support for one another. Our journey has taught us that true love is not just about the grand gestures, but also about the small acts of kindness, the sweet moments shared, and the simplicity of being in each other’s presence.
I think that I always wanted the male version of me to be my partner in crime. Is he exactly me? Well, no but we are close. Sometimes that is good and sometimes not so good. He is way more forgiving than I am and like most men (I believe) he says what’s on his mind, we talk about it, and he forgets about it. I, on the other hand, and most women (I believe) tend to hold onto their frustration, wait for ourselves to explode, and then talk about it again and again. Why are we so complicated??
We are fortunate because we don’t have small children. We don’t argue over bedtime or consequences or how much television to let them watch. We both have been very responsible with money so our bills are paid and we have savings for vacation and travel. We don’t have addictions, although we may have a “too much traveling problem”, which is to say we have too many friends and too many social events which leads to too much fun and too many adult beverages. But every marriage has its difficulties. We just have different stressors than those of young adult marriages.
Maybe because we both have been married before we realize life isn’t about keeping score. It’s not about how many times I have done the dishes or cooked the meal. It’s about being a team. Food needs cooked, dishes need to be washed, and counters need to be wiped. Let’s help each other out and get it done. Then we can relax together and do something else we might enjoy. It’s about realizing someone has thrown in the laundry and then the other person putting it in the dryer and folding it. It’s about saying thank you when one partner makes coffee for you in the morning or holds a door open for you. It’s about appreciating what you have. Because we need to remember tomorrow is not guaranteed. Say “I love you”, say “thank you”, and tell your partner they mean the world to you. And say it often.
To celebrate our Fourth Anniversary, we talked about the Highs and Lows of our four years of marriage. My red-headed sister from another mister (aka, my brother-in-law’s significant other) plays this game with the kids at the dinner table. It’s a great way to have my nieces and nephews think and talk about the events of their day. What went well? What was negative? Then discuss it as a family. We decided to review our highs and lows for our four years of marriage. We also looked at our Year in Review and decided what we liked and didn’t like about the past year.
Today is Valentine’s Day. So to my incredible partner, thank you for being my rock, my confidant, and my best friend. Your love has brought so much happiness and fulfillment into my life, and I am forever grateful to have you by my side. Here’s to many more years of love, laughter, adventures, and cherished moments together!
On this February Day of love, I want to express my gratitude and love to all our friends and family who have stood by our side. Your presence in our lives has been a constant source of strength and inspiration, and we are thankful for the love and support you have shown us throughout these four (seven) amazing years. And to those who have drifted out of our lives whether by chance or by choice, I hope you have found peace and happiness in your lives. We miss you and want you to know there is always space in our hearts for more. Happy Valentine’s Day!