Life in the Middle Age Lane

Dora, Kim, Tommy, Me, Karen, Orlando, Richard, Bruce, and Anthony For the past two years, our high school class has been celebrating turning 50.  Richard, I believe was one of the last to turn 50 years old.  His lovely wife Michele hosted a fun dinner at Los Cucos last night with family and friends.  It's hard to imagine us all grown up with grown up children of our own.  I am so very proud of this group. My sweet, crazy friend Orlando and his gorgeous partner Omar just add life to any party or gathering. Karen and I were not friends in high school but that's not because we didn't like each other we simply didn't have time to know each other.  See my previous post- High School Friends . She is one of the kindest, forgiving, gracious lady I have ever met.  I admire her get up and go and how she is a fighter and not a victim.  I don't think she realizes how much strength she has. Through the years....... Kim & Tommy Celebrat...

I have always had a difficult time accepting credit and pats on the back.  Trying to be humbled turned me into a person who crossed the line of being weak minded.  Not giving myself enough credit for my battles, my challenges, and my decisions.  Things don't just fall into our laps, we work towards them.  Consciously or not. That's what we do, every single day of our lives. Which leads me to my story........ Back in February, I was diagnosed with a "severe degenerative disk".  I had been living with my pain for over a year.  Making one excuse after another and I chose to just suck it up.  When it started disrupting my sleep, I finally decided to consult a physician.  The intern who came in and gave me the bad news had me in tears.  I'll never do Crossfit again.  I had the back of a 70 to 80-year-old.  He even asked me if I did competitions?  He was completely perplexed why I took the news so hard. Surely, this...

Since our trip to the wine country was postponed due to John's work schedule it gave me more time to plan for this trip.  In order not to forget what I booked and keep track of our dinner reservations I made a spreadsheet.  I still goofed and double booked a wine tasting and an olive oil tour.  Guess which one we ended up missing. On Tuesday we did "beginners" bike tour with two stops at local wineries.  One of them was the Buena Vista Winery.  One of my favorites this trip.  It could have been the 5-mile bike ride and that last push up that hill that made the wine taste so good.    Rick was our guide on this tour and was just wonderful.  Patient, knowledgeable, and a sweetheart. If anyone wants to do a bike tour in Napa I would highly recommend this company. Back to the Buena Vista Winery ......... This is the Private Members Club Room. Our happy little group close to the end of our wine tour.  The second winery w...

It's funny despite the beautiful life I am blessed to have, I never considered myself to be a lucky person.  I don't win on slot machines and the few times I purchased lotto tickets/scratch offs, they didn't pay off.  (insert sad face here)  However, that changed when I won an all expense trip to Napa Valley for 3 nights and 4 days.   I think now I have used up all the "luck" that was granted to me for raffles and gambling.  But that doesn't mean I won't keep trying. John and I finally went and enjoyed a wonderful week in Napa and Sonoma.  We ended up extending the vacation to an entire week.  We also invited John's bosses since they never been and because they are very gracious in inviting us to Bonaire and Key West on a regular basis. Day One, John and I rose at 4:30 AM to begin our adventure in Napa in a hot air balloon.  We used Napa Valley Balloon Adventures and found them exceptional.  Had a great time, breakfast afterw...

As time goes on and we "mature" our definition of friendship changes.  Either consciously or unconsciously but it happens.  We hold a higher value to the word and it's meaning as time goes on. As time whines down. We start choosing discerningly. As children everyone we encountered was a friend.  By the end of visit to the park we left with thoughts of the new friends we made only never to see them again.  But those few precious moments of playing we left with the feeling of camaraderie. As we grow into our teen years we find ourselves looking for friends we share our struggles, similarities, and ideals.  High School was an altogether different animal when it came to friendship.  At an age most of us are self involved, self aware, and self conscience it's a wonder we even knew what true friends were.  You learned quick in high school who to trust and who you could not. Promises broken, boyfriends cheating, backstabbing here and there we all f...