A whole bunch of FIRSTS!!!

Things have been a little slow at AT HOME SENIOR SERVICES but we have really been working hard!

1. We got our FIRST client!!! A sweet lady that needed a ride to the doctor. It was a one time deal...but it was our FIRST!

2. We participated in our FIRST health fair. It was a great time of networking with other vendors and we made some great client contacts.

3. We presented our FIRST seminar in a nursing home! Since I was the presenter, maybe your should ask Dan how it went but I thought it was great. I spoke on the topic of "Family Caregivers: Taking Care of YOU so you can take care of them". We had about 10 people and the response was good!

We are really enjoying our new career with At Home Senior Services!

I swam with SEA COWS!!!

My friend Joyce just turned 40 and for her 40th birthday, she wanted to swim with the Manatees (aka "sea cow").

Now, FL is the only place in the US that has Manatees so she came to see me (also because she really likes me)!!! And in order to be a good friend, I went to go swim with the Manatees.

I spent most of the time in the pre-swim months worrying that a sea cow was going to sit on me and drown me but then ... I LOVED IT!!! At one point I had a Manatee under each arm...as much as you can get a 2000-3500 pound animal under each arm, that is!

They are the most precious animals...just big, sweet, bubberly loveballs! So, come see me and we'll go swim with some sea cows....great fun!

A Change of Power

We have a new President.

A few musings from me!

I love President Bush. He wasn't perfect but I really liked him.

I fully respect the office of President and wish President Obama all the best in this huge task of running the great USA.

I love that we can have a "peaceable" change of power. Many countries don't experience that type of power change.

I am still concerned that Michelle wore green gloves with a yellow outfit.

Barbara Bush still looks amazing.

I hope George and Barbara get a really long nap this week.

I hope Barack and Michelle get a really long nap this week!

I love that Sasha and Malia still have to make their beds in the White House.

How cool is it that the Obama's show up at the White House and all of their favorite foods have been stocked in the kitchen? Do you think Barack will slip down to the kitchen for a Nutty Bar or a HoHo? (And how long does it take to "slip down to the kitchen" in the White House.)

I am so thrilled that Ted Kennedy got to make it to the hoopla and so sad that he ended up in the hospital.

Why were there "lawn mower" floats in the parade?

If you are a poet, shouldn't you be able to make your poem's rhyme?

Didn't Aretha's hat rock?!?! (Love that hat!)

Why couldn't the Fox News reporters say that there was a "ton 'o people" instead of a "sea of humanity"?

Malia could be my "soul sister"...she is attached to her camera! Love that!!

Wasn't Sasha precious when she gave her Dad a "thumbs up" after his swearing in and speech!?

Why did they give the Presidential office get 150+ people to help with the move in/out and the VP ended up in a wheelchair from moving boxes? Couldn't the White House have gotten by with 145 in order to send 5 to help the VP? Craziness!

I could go on and on :) But let me close with....

Thanks, President Bush....Best Wishes, President Obama.

This should not be!!!

Baby it's cold outside!! It is supposed to be 27 degrees here tonight.

HELLO!?!?!??!?! I live in FL. We moved to FL to be warm and now an I think it is warmer in STL!! What is up with that?!?!

Thank goodness it is supposed to be back to 76 by the end of the week...this is crazy. I didn't even get to wear sandles today!!!

Go Gators!! (Football Gators, that is, not AlliGators)

We were invited to our first Gator's party...to watch the BCS Championship game. To be a Floridian, you have to be a Gators fan ...... or a Seminole's fan!

The key is to figure out which way the wind blows before you talk FL football! You see, depending on what circle of friends we are with will determine the flow of conversation...Gators or Seminoles. (ie: If we am with Patti and Sandi, we cheer Seminoles. If we are with Dusty and Lee, we cheer Gators!)

Sound fickle? Hey, we are trying to fit in down here...you would do the same thing!!

Luckily for us...this game was not between the Gators and Seminoles ... it was between the FL Gators and OK Sooners!

We were again invited to our friends Lee and Caroline's home to experience the magic that is GATORS FOOTBALL. While we couldn't make it until midnight (the end of the game), the Gators were VICTORIOUS -- 24 to 14!!!

GO GATORS (and Seminoles)!

A Fun Day in Sarasota with the Kroepfl's!

A former roommate, Sheri, now lives in Sarasota. She is married to Dave, with one son, Josh. We have renewed our long ago friendship and love our times together! We got to spend an entire day with them and what fun we had!

We started the day Myakka State Park to see the alligators!! It wasn't warm enough to see many since it was only 70 and they like it warmer. (Eat your hearts out Northerns!) We saw about 5. It was so fun!

Then, we went to the beach somewhere, I can't remember where. But, we found a lot of shells and shark teeth...how cool is that?!?!?!

It was a fabulous day with fabulous friends! Thanks, Kroepfl's!

Dan Celebrates 44 (yep, he's a lot older than CindyC)

Dan had his first Magic day in FL. We celebrated with some friends from church on Sunday night (1/4) at Dino's Drive-in! Many say they have the best burger and fries in Auburndale! Yummmm!!

Then, on Monday 1/5...his actual magic day...we made sales calls TOGETHER. (I know, you all want to be us with all this fun we have.) But, actually, it was a great day. We made some great sales calls and then enjoyed the best dinner ever at Carrabba's (with a gift certificate from our home builder)! It only cost us $1.01!! Fabulous.

And when Mom and Dad got back down here on 1/6 and we celebrated again...with the world's best Banana cream EVER!! Great job on the pie, Mom!

Happy 44th Dan!

New Baby Cow #2 - Browny

Just a week after Slate showed up, we looked out to see another new Baby Cow!!! Meet Browny (and his Mom -- she's the one that really needs Browny to take a drink)!!!

Now, if my figures are correct, we are "grandparents" to 10 cows and 5 baby cows! I say "grandparents" because it just makes sense...all of the fun with none of the work (they live on the private ranch that backs up to our home!)

I love cows!

The Case of the Self-Crumpling Throw Run

Since we moved in to our new home in October, I have been plaqued with the mystery of how a heavy rug could move to such a degree with just the pitter, patter of 12 cat paws (3 cats, 4 feet each) and 4 adult feet (2 adults, 2 feet each)....and the adults are both very careful!

Enter exhibit A: Need I say more?!?!!??!? I love Oliver!

Marriage Builders Crashed Party #3

Dan and I are members of the "older adults" Sunday School class. Shoot...Dan will be 44 tomorrow!!! We love our class...we have some great friends!

But, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all the people in the Marriage Builder's Class (see photo of the leaders: Mark and Becky) so we continually crash all of their parties. Hence, crashed party #3....pizza and bowling!

Now, Dan did not disappoint. He won 2 out of 3 games with the boys on our team. I had a continual decline in score. At game 3, I gave up and brought in reinforcements...Steve and John! That was the best decision I made all night! My LAST game I actually broke 100!

Many thanks to Steve and John for standing in the gap for me and bowling my last game....we rock as a team!

A Redneck New Year's Eve

Our good friends, Caroline and Lee (photo left) invited us to their home for a Redneck New Year's Eve party. Apparently, Rednecks burn their Christmas trees for New Year's Eve fun.

The way I understand it, you quit watering the tree the day after you put it up so it will be completely dried out by 12/31. Then, you dig a posthole, insert the tree, stand back and set it on fire. The tree is supposed to go "poof" and the flames lick 14 feet (or more) into the air. It is a site to see for sure...or so they say!

Our trees were too green still and didn't go "poof" ... actually, it was very anti-climatic. But the smores and the fellowship were great! And, we asked for an invitation back for 12/31/09. They promised not to water their trees at ALL this Christmas! So....14 ft. flames....here I come!!