Movin' Along

Framing going on....beginning to look livable (sorta) !

Photos of Shed

The outside of the new shed is almost completed, and the inside work begins this week.

Springtime

During the last two months, much has happened in my life.  Early March I traveled by car to Florida.  It wasn't an easy decision for me since I would be making the trip by myself.  Being a nervous Nellie, I felt it was something I had to accomplish on my own.  AND, it all went well--no major mishaps or wrong turns or crashes! I had a short visit with Jan and Lee before dropping down into the Keys.  During my month's stay, I did have family members and local friends visited throughout March/April.  I missed Larry's presence a great deal and was reminded of all the things we did together in Marathon.  This trip marked ten years of wintering in the Keys; imagine, one decade of sun 'n fun!

I arrived home last Thursday and saw how far along the "shed" was--it is under roof, windows in, and patio poured.  I made the choices yesterday for the counter tops, the fireplace, and the flooring.   Now I need to choose the lighting and the fans today.  It is quite exciting to build--something Larry and I never did before.  Hope he is approving my choices and is guiding my way!

Quote

I ran across an interesting, but very real quotation:

"Life is too short to be anything but happy.  Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is LIVING!"

Happy Valentine's Day to all my family and friends!

Fun on the Horizon

Today I woke up to a frigid temperature of 5 degrees with a wind chill that feels like -7 below !!!  Brrrrrrrr!  Winter here in the Midwest has been brutal with ice and snow.  Tuesday we got another 5 inches.  Makes me anxious to "Get out of Dodge."  In 27 days I'll be leaving the area for the Florida Keys where today it is 83 and sunny.  During my stay, family and friends will be visiting off-and-on during the months of March and April. Should be exciting.  When I come home, the construction crew will be hard at work on our new shed/rec room and I'll be out shopping--floors, tile, lights, cabinets, paint, etc!  Besides that, Dale and Jason have invited me to our annual Reelfoot fishing trip in May.  Right now, I'm undecided about going; we'll see.

Next item up, Jan and I have planned a trip to Ireland toted as the "Giant Irish Adventure Tour" where we'll be hiking/walking/bicycling/swimming/kyaking/horseback-riding throughout the Emerald Island.  We leave on July 17th and return on Aug. 2nd.  Lee hates travel and Jan loves it--so, we two are on our own!  What a game plan for the upcoming months!  That's the way to solve one's winter's doldrums.

Aging OR Not!

Today is Chris's birthday--42 years old.  OMG, where did that time fly? He has turned into a fine young man, one whom we are all proud of!  He'll turn another milestone this October when he and Sarah get married!  Ah, to turn back the clock, huh?  Not really.  To be happy within the company of yourself and to enjoy all that you pursue makes aging irrelevant.  I remember someone saying, "Don't die until you're dead!"  How true that is...  I would think trying new, adventurous courses and just saying YES more often to what life throws us should keep us all young at heart no matter the gray hair and wrinkles!

On the Horizon

The snow has finally melted, and the warmer temperatures have come back to roost.  No more -3 degrees! Yeah, Mother nature!  This weekend it's "out 'n about" for me.  Celebrating my youngest's 40th birthday at Syberg's Sports bar in Fairview, enjoying the NFL playoffs for two days, and getting my bags packed for a quickie trip to Florida.  Now, if only Ole Man Winter would just quietly creep away.  My frozen pipes situation was remedied...a visit by my plumber and $200 later, all is well.  The hottub, however, is taking its last breath.  Still haven't quite decided if I should end its misery or stick another $1000 into it.  Larry probably would've pulled the plug by now.  What to do, what to do??  All is progressing with the plans for the huge garage and Rec Room on the back lot.  Building the "Shed" (as we are calling it!) gives me something to look forward to.  Everyone knows how much I love HGTV and decorating.  I am hoping for good weather so that the building can progress quickly.