Memorial Day weekend

To say that May has been a busy month would be an understatement. So I guess having a 3 day weekend is what is takes to get something back up and running on the blog.

Jessica was home for a little over a week after completing her first year of grad school. She is a delight to have around the house and of course there is always something going on with her friends. We showed her off to our friends at Belmont happy hour too. She is off to Istanbul for a weeklong Brandeis fellowship now and when she returns  from that she will begin her summer internship at Boston Beer in Boston. (Sam Adams is their most recognizable brand). Then in August she is off to Milan, Italy for a semester abroad. That leads into my exciting news. Steve and I have planned a trip to see her in October and will spend time touring northern Italy and Switzerland and maybe even make it into France. Then we will be taking a slow boat home. We have scheduled a transatlantic crossing from Rome to New York with stops at Sardinia, Italy, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal. A very exciting trip to look forward to all summer.

But for now it is summertime and we should be golfing. Mothernature has not been kind to our area this spring though. With cooler than normal temperatures and rainfall amounts over 8 inches above normal, the golf course is practically unplayable. We keep hoping the trend will change so maybe todays sunshine and warmth will be the beginning.

Happy Memorial Day!

Just checked out the preview of this and see the Santa pictures. I will have to update that with some new AJ shots this week.

It's My Birthday and I am not out of the country

But the plan is to visit Jessica while she is studying in Italy next fall so I am foregoing the usual celebration in another country. For this year!! I had a great Mothers Day yesterday even though it is not one of my favorite holidays anymore. Steve and I played golf with friends and Mike, Jesi and AJ came over for dinner. We shared stories, laughed and had fun. I hope everyone remembers that time waits for no one. Enjoy the people you have in your life. Enjoy your time everyday. Getting older is a gift. I promise today I will not lament about turning 60.

Sunday May 1

Welcome May. Today was not the weather we want for May. Cool, cloudly and wet. But at least I am home for the rest of the summer. Last week I flew back to Florida and drove with my parents back home. Maybe for their last trip. As much as we think Florida is a great place to be in the winter they are reluctant to commit to going back next winter. Health and age put a different perspective on things.

I am anxious to get on with summer activities. I have enjoyed my winter but I am so ready to play golf on our golf course and spend time with friends this summer.

Home..but missing

We got home late Saturday night, really Sunday AM. The drive home was uneventful other than the continuously dropping temperatures. By the time we got to Perrysburg it was raining and 36 degrees! Not what I expected for mid April. Sunday was nice although cool and now we have had rain for 2 days. I am really missing the sunshine. Even with a list of things to get done it seems harder to get motivated. And it is back to cooking comfort foods. Meatloaf and a baked potato tonight. UGH!

Liquid SUnshine and Tornados

For the second time in a week there are tornado watches for our area in Florida. It is raining now althought he temperature is in the seventies. The stormy weather is predicted to be through by late afternoon and except for some strong winds there does not seem to be the same weather as last week when major damage was seen across Florida.

Steve is safely back in Ohio now working on catching up this week before he returns to Florida on Friday. I will be driving up to Jacksonville to see Rosemary and Bob this week after a few days with Mom and Dad. Rosemary has signed us up for a tennis tournament this weekend while Steve and Bob golf. Steve needs to be in Fort Myers, Monday through Wednesday and then we will finish our Florida travels with a trip to Destin to visit more friends. I am sure spring will be in Perrysburg by the time we get there.

A note from the Sunshine State

I love the sunshine and warm temperatures here in Florida but it is amazing how quickly one thinks of this as the norm. Is it really still cold and wintery in Ohio?? 

With Steve working 12-14 hour days I have had to keep myself busy. Not hard here at the LongBoat Key Club. Plenty of reading on the beach, tennis, golf and biking. I would add that there is a  little shopping in the area too, but those of you that know me well know how much time I have spent doing that. Yesterday brought the first rain we have had in over 2 weeks. I performed some of the mundane household chores around our little suite that the daily maid service doesn't perform. Washed clothes, threw away newspapers, and spent some time doing paperwork. Yes Jessica I finally finished your California taxes. Today rain is again in the forecast. I will probably trek across the bridge into Sarasota and spend some more time at Mom and Dad's. Tuesday night is BINGO at their mobile home park and although I have not won yet Mom is the lucky one and she enjoys having me tag along.

 I miss home and there is a growing list of things that should be getting done there that can not be handled from Florida. Belmont has reopened and the summer activities are being planned. Our normal kickoff to the golf season is our Masters Party. We opted not to have it this year because of the uncertainty about our return date from Florida. Not that the prep time is significant, but I think I might be going a little crazy at this point trying to complete the preparations from here. I am sure there is someone out there feeling left off the invitation list this year that doesn't realize there is no party.

I miss my time with AJ. Jesi posted pictures of him at the circus yesterday and it made me miss him even more. I have been skyping with Mike and that helps me feel better about how he is handling our time away. Very capably I might add. Last week on skype, he told me I could move down here because he is fine. Of course that was after I told him he needed a haircut and I wanted to see it cut before we got home. He still needs a Mom!

Off to the tennis court now. Rain must be forecast for later today.