Monthly Archives: March 2014

Happy To Bring A Little Warmth To Your Winter!!

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Warm Wishes From Florida!!!

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To help you feel all warm and cozy…

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I’ll just share with you our day at Palm Island!!

And though your weather outside is frightful…

And the map shows Florida to be the only warm spot in the country…

You can bask in the sunshine I’m sending you!

http://www.palmisland.com/the-island-experience/palm-island-marina/

Let’s start with lunch…

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Johnny Leverocks Seafood House

Yum!!!

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Where there are boats on the ceiling!

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Come on, the journey to get to Palm Island…

Is half the fun!!

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Come aboard!

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It’s a beautiful day!!

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The scenery is awesome!

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What a sighting!!

Looks like they’re walking on water!

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Soaring Birds…

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Here’s our landing…

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What fun, we’re here!

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Colorful kayaks!

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Quiet beach!

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Sit, relax, read, gaze at the Gulf of Mexico!

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Want to stay awhile???

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I see you met a friend!

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Stay on the beach ’til the sun sets!

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Here’s your lifeguard!

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Ahhhhh…the sun is so warm!

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Time to go back to the mainland!

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Take care of our marine life!

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Let’s come back again soon!

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Yes, you should!

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Here comes our ride!

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The gang’s all here!

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What’s this following our boat???

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It’s becoming clear!

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Flipper!!

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Dolphins are so much fun!

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Back and forth, back and forth!

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(I think my husband took these last three photos, ’cause I was getting dizzy!  Ha!)

Afterwards, I tried to video them on my camera, but they got bored and left us!!

Hope you enjoyed the boat ride!!

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 Your sunny day at Palm Island!!

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And that the sunshine warmed your heart!

http://www.palmisland.com/palm-island-slow

http://www.palmisland.com/dining/rum-bay-restaurant/

http://palmislandmarina.com/?page_id=12

Numbers 6:23-26

“The Lord bless you

and keep you;

the Lord make His Face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn His Face toward you

and give you peace.”

A Swarm Of Seniors!!

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Proverbs 16:31

“Gray hair is a crown of splendor;   

it is attained in the way of righteousness.”

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It was sooo funny today…

 

My hubby took me to Fisherman’s Village…

 

http://fishville.com/

 

To get my long-awaited burger…

 

After my routine colonoscopy…

 

Which is such an awesome procedure…

 

NOT!!!

 

I took all the required meds yesterday…

 

And waited…

 

Finished getting my income tax ready to work on with hubby over the weekend…

 

Typed up two blogs…

 

And did various other things…

 

My son came home sick, guess he got it from me…

 

So I had to take care of him!

 

And still no potty time…

 

I could have taken a walk today…

 

But I thought I’d have to rush to the bathroom!! 

 

I don’t want to keep hopping in and out of bed tonight…

 

While I’m trying to get a restful sleep…

 

Please, Lord, let my plumbing work properly…

 

And let the results to be…

 

“Ok, see you in 3 years!!”

This is what we seniors talk about!!

Such lively conversation, huh???

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We haven’t been over to Fisherman’s Village in a while…

 

http://www.fishville.com/marina.html

 

And certainly not at lunch time in February…

 

At the height of “snow bird” season!!

 

Snowbirds are people who leave cold, northern winters…

 

By escaping to Florida!

 

If you don’t stay for at least half the year…

 

Then you’re a sunbird…

 

If you don’t come down here at all…

 

To escape the snow flakes…

 

Are you a flaky bird???

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Floridian’s Temperature Gauge:

74 degrees-

  Beautiful outside weather…

85 Degrees-

Beach and pool weather…

95 Degrees-

Too hot, stay in air conditioning…

Anything lower than 70 degrees is chilly…

Lower than 60 degrees is cold…

Lower than 50 degrees, we’re freezing!

http://EzineArticles.com/3282469

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We decided to go to the…

 

Village Fish Market Restaurant…

 

When I e-mailed my friend/hairdresser this story…

 

She said…

 

“How was your burger at the Village FISH Market??!!!!

 

LOL

 

That alone cracked me up!

 

That is tooo funny!

 

A client asked me how I can stand it with all the old peeps!

 

HaHaHa

 

And…..YES!

 

I was laughing hysterically thinking this is definitely…

 

BLOG MATERIAL

 

hahahahahhahhahaha!!”

She’s young, she doesn’t get it…

Wait her time will come!!!

Ha!

 

http://www.fishville.com/restaurants.html

“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old.

You grow old because you stop laughing.”

-Michael Pritchard-

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Well, we noticed that the…

 

Village Fish Market on the water was very crowded…

 

So, since we didn’t want to wait…

 

We sat by the door in the bar area…

 

Well, let me tell you…

 

Fisherman’s Village was like a Senior Citizen Reunion…

 

Not one young adult, teen, or child in the whole place!

 

I think every Senior in the world was at Fisherman’s Village at that exact time…

 

Walking past our window!

 

And me without my camera!!!!

 

It was Baby Boomer Heaven…

 

They were all dressed for summer…

 

Because our weather’s in the 70’s…

 

As compared to…

 

What’s yours???

 

Zero???  Or worse???

 

I had on black capri sweats…

 

Since I just came from the Surgi-Center…

 

No makeup…

 

 I wasn’t ready for the Florida Summertime Fashion Show…

 

I didn’t fit in!

 

Plus, I had a long sleeve denim shirt over my short-sleeve top…

 

Because I felt a little chilly!!

 

Ha!  What a hoot!

 

Yup!!!

 

They just kept comin’ in and out…

 

Walkin’ back and forth…

 

Meeting friends…

 

Talkin’

 

Like they hadn’t seen nice weather in their entire lives!!

I was still a little woozy from the anesthesia for my colonoscopy…

I thought at first that I was seeing things…

When, seemingly swarms of seniors…

Came out of the woodwork…

From everywhere…

Like an Old Folks Convention…

Is Tuesday Senior Day?

https://www.facebook.com/fishermensvillage

What a show!!

A Senior Fashion Show!

Snowbirds, sunbirds…

En mass with their Florida Lifestyle outfits…

Like a casting for a Beall’s “Florida Lifestyle” Outlet advertisement!

What an onslaught of walkers, canes, braces, wheel chairs, and orthotic sneakers…

I spend so much of my time with kids…

That I forget I’m old…

Elderly= 55 +

Some days I feel old…

Especially last week, when I was sick with a sinus infection…

But, Praise God!

They were so vibrant…

They made me feel young, and not alone…

So, since we’re right there with them…

And we’re old, too…

We just waltzed ourselves down that breezeway/runway…

Right out of there with them!

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Then, later in the afternoon…

I took my walk…

And again saw old folks…

 

Strolling back to their condos, from the pool, in full beach gear…

 

Two guys in a boat looking at their catch of fish,

 

And one elderly couple approaching me going to the pool…

 

The old guy was wearing no shirt, bless his heart….

 

Gee, they all just must want to finally feel the sunshine on their skin!!

 

All this “old folks” conversation…

 

Brought back memories…

 

Of when we first brought our son, who was around five…

 

To Whiting, near Toms River, NJ…

 

To see Grandma and Grandpa’s new house…

 

We took him into the big grocery store…

 

Rode him around in the cart while we shopped…

 

And he kept looking around, looking around…

 

Finally he says,

 

“Gee, Mom, there are certainly a lot of Grandma’s and Grandpa’s down here!!!”

 

We laughed so hard!!

 

Well, that was me today…

I saw so many, many Grandma’s and Grandpa’s…

Wish you all were there with me!!

It was so funny!!

My cousin from NJ, e-mailed me…

“What’s so funny?  

Sounds like a warm, sunny, wonderful day for the old folks (like me)!!!!! :)”

Right!

And from my friend Marian…

“I got a kick out of your story about your funny day… 

I’ve noticed a few of those ‘old folks’ around our neighborhood, too…

But mostly driving cars like they think they may break (not brake)…

If they turn the wheel too sharp. 

I wonder how they got all the way from places like Ontario and New York! 

Just last night, we had a couple over…

And talked about how we have become the ‘older’ generation.”

Yikes, it’s true!!!

“Inside every older person

is a younger person wondering what happened.

-Jennifer Yane-

So Come On Down!!!

The state of Florida is the southernmost state on the continental United States,

boasting both peninsula and panhandle landforms.

Due to its location as the closest U.S. state to the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator,

Florida is renowned for its exceptionally sunny, but humid, tropical climate.

Known by other state nicknames such as

“Alligator State,”

“Orange State” and

“Everglade State,”

the nickname “Sunshine State”

was officially adopted by the Florida Legislature in 1970.

The nickname appeals to “snowbird” tourists who,

especially during cold winters in the northern climates,

visit Florida for its spectacular weather and warm beaches.

In 2011, tourism is the largest industry in the state

and one of the top domestic and international destinations in the world.

Spanish explorer Ponce DeLeon was the first European to explore Florida.

He named it Pascua de Florida or “Feast of Flowers” for the succulent flora and abundant flowers.

Florida has a humid subtropical to full tropical climate,

with abundantly sunny days and a mean daily temperature of 71°F.

Despite its wide variety of temperatures of near 100°F

to sub-zero temperatures throughout the year,

Florida is the warmest state in the United States, on average.

http://www.wisegeek.com/why-is-florida-called-the-sunshine-state.htm

Royal Palm Christmas Dec.2010 001

Dedicated to all seniors…

In loving memory of my Mom, Tina!

Miss you, Mommy!

What Hoops Are You Jumpin’ Through???

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Words From a Father to His Daughter

(From the Makeup Aisle)

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Reblogged from:  http://drkellyflanagan.com/?s=makeup+aisle&submit=Search

Dear Little One,

As I write this, I’m sitting in the makeup aisle of our local Target store. A friend recently texted me from a different makeup aisle and told me it felt like one of the most oppressive places in the world. I wanted to find out what he meant. And now that I’m sitting here, I’m beginning to agree with him. Words have power, and the words on display in this aisle have a deep power. Words and phrases like:

Affordably gorgeous,

Infallible,

Flawless finish,

Brilliant strength,

Liquid power,

Go nude,

Age defying,

Instant age rewind,

Choose your dream,

Nearly naked, and

Natural beauty.

When you have a daughter you start to realize she’s just as strong as everyone else in the house—a force to be reckoned with, a soul on fire with the same life and gifts and passions as any man. But sitting in this store aisle, you also begin to realize most people won’t see her that way. They’ll see her as a pretty face and a body to enjoy. And they’ll tell her she has to look a certain way to have any worth or influence.

But words do have power and maybe, just maybe, the words of a father can begin to compete with the words of the world. Maybe a father’s words can deliver his daughter through this gauntlet of institutionalized shame and into a deep, unshakeable sense of her own worthiness and beauty.

A father’s words aren’t different words, but they are words with a radically different meaning:

Brilliant strength. May your strength be not in your fingernails but in your heart. May you discern in your center who you are, and then may you fearfully but tenaciously live it out in the world.

Choose your dream. But not from a department store shelf. Find the still-quiet place within you. A real dream has been planted there. Discover what you want to do in the world. And when you have chosen, may you faithfully pursue it, with integrity and with hope.

Naked. The world wants you to take your clothes off. Please keep them on. But take your gloves off. Pull no punches. Say what is in your heart. Be vulnerable. Embrace risk. Love a world that barely knows what it means to love itself. Do so nakedly. Openly. With abandon.

Infallible. May you be constantly, infallibly aware that infallibility doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion created by people interested in your wallet. If you choose to seek perfection, may it be in an infallible grace—for yourself, and for everyone around you.

Age defying. Your skin will wrinkle and your youth will fade, but your soul is ageless. It will always know how to play and how to enjoy and how to revel in this one-chance life. May you always defiantly resist the aging of your spirit.

Flawless finish. Your finish has nothing to do with how your face looks today and everything to do with how your life looks on your last day. May your years be a preparation for that day. May you be aged by grace, may you grow in wisdom, and may your love become big enough to embrace all people. May your flawless finish be a peaceful embrace of the end and the unknown that follows, and may it thus be a gift to everyone who cherishes you.

Little One, you love everything pink and frilly and I will surely understand if someday makeup is important to you. But I pray three words will remain more important to you—the last three words you say every night, when I ask the question: “Where are you the most beautiful?” Three words so bright no concealer can cover them.

Where are you the most beautiful?

On the inside.

From my heart to yours,

Daddy

Like the last letter I wrote to my daughter, I wrote this first for her and the day I’ll eventually read it to her. But I also wrote it for every woman who needs to hear the words of a father. Women, no one else can define your beauty for you. But they’ll try.

My daughter is four years-old now. If her awakening to the makeup aisle comes at the typical age, I figure we have about five years to radically alter the arc of history and the subjugation-by-image of the female gender. We’ve got a lot of work to do. And it begins in the heart of each and every woman.

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Disclaimer: My writings represent a combination of my own personal opinions and my professional experiences, but they do not reflect professional advice. Interaction with me via the blog does not constitute a professional therapeutic relationship. For professional and customized advice, you should seek the services of a counselor who can dedicate the hours necessary to become more intimately familiar with your specific situation. I do not assume liability for any portion or content of material on the blog and accept no liability for damage or injury resulting from your decision to interact with the website.

Kelly is a licensed clinical psychologist, practicing at Alliance Clinical Associates in Wheaton, IL. He is also a writer and blogs regularly about the redemption of our personal, relational, and communal lives. Kelly is married, has three children, and enjoys learning from them how to be a kid again. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

I agree…

So does God!!