Boston You're My Home!

Make sure to click on the arrow to view the video!  Click again if you see watch on you tube!

I feel passionate about moving back to my roots but with the advice of a financial planner tells me I can’t afford to make the move. Yet, I really want to pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks.

I want to cancel out his advice when I’m told I can’t fulfill my dreams. The only place where your goals and dreams are possible is inside your head. I want to go ahead and follow through. Then the fears set in and I know that he is right that financially, it is impossible to make the move.

What scares me is that we all know time flies and years slip away. The time is passing me by and keeping me away from my children, family and friends. I want to make the necessary changes to make me happy. I want to make beautiful memories again, so I can look back with no regrets.

I attempted once to make the move in 2007 and I actually put my condo up for sale but not one bite, the economy was against me. The economy has not changed all that much now to try again unless I want to accept half of what my condo is worth.

Yes, it does cost more to live in Massachusetts than to live in Florida but I’m alone here. Don’t get me wrong, I have friends here in Florida but the hurricane season leaves my heart in palpitations all the time. I hate the humidity and constant heat. The winters are usually glorious but last winter was not……….just hot and then hotter!

I have been living in Florida for 22 years now but since my husband has passed away. All the sunshine, palm trees and blooming flowers are not enough for me to want to stay here by myself.

Someone said to me, “Stay in Florida because eventually everyone will retire in Florida anyway and then you will be stuck up North all by yourself again.” Ughhhhhhhhh! True, that could very well happen. It certainly would be a dilemma for me then for sure!

I actually miss the snow. Of course, I would select a senior place to live where I would not have to shovel snow. I’m retired so I won’t have to freeze and wait for the bus and trains to travel to a workplace. But Mass transportation would be handy if necessary. Seniors in Florida can’t get around like they can up north. Once your driver’s license is taken away from you, you are stuck indoors due to the damn heat.

 

I’m a city girl and always will be!  Boston, you’re my home!

Message from me regarding Spams lately!

I beefed up the security again on both of my blogs. Everyone will have to use the "word verification" which is a pain and also I have to approve all comments before they are posted due to all this spam that came across both my blogs recently. I spent over an hour deleting and reporting spam on many posts this morning. All were about "viagra". Everything should be fine now.

You will not be able to see your comment right after you typed it because they have to email me first to be approved so it will be posted after that.

What a pain in the neck. This all happened because people were complaining about having to deal with the word verification feature and also they thought their comments were not being posted because they did not see it immediately so I removed all of those features and guess what happened???? Tons of spam! So security is back on again.

Hugs, Rose

Labor Day Weekend!

This long Labor Day weekend was a blank canvas on my calendar and all my friends were busy, so I decided to go solo and create my own masterpiece. I had three days to do something for myself instead of just cleaning the house or sitting in front of my computer creating more animations. I decided to get out and enjoy being outdoors after being stuck in the house due to the outer bands that thrashed Palm Beach County from Hurricane Isaac causing flooded streets all last week.

I decided to start day one at the Library. Gosh, I love the smell of the library, don’t you? Love the coffee shop in our new Library, so I headed there after selecting a few books to take home. It was getting costly to purchase books lately. “People watching” is also one of my favorite things to do. I will eventually want to own a Kindle Fire because they look so cool whenever I see someone using them.

Did you know that you can borrow a book from the library and download it to your Kindle all for free???? It is my understanding that there is a time limit to read the book before it is automatically removed from your Kindle. The good thing is that your Kindle only has your germs on it and not like the tons of germs from all the folks that have taken out that library book before you. Yah, I’ve become a bit germ-o-phobic! LOL

Day two, I decided to contact a lovely elderly woman that used to live in my complex but sadly she is blind and her son built an in-law apartment for this lovely lady so she would not be alone and they could care for her. It was getting difficult for him to stop by every day after work plus he has a family of his own.

 

I remembered how I enjoyed reading to her every Sunday when she lived here and would share my leftover food with her since she loved my Italian cooking and she also lived alone.

 

So, I spent a lovely afternoon on day two, reading to this sweetheart of a lady. She was delighted to see me and I realized how much I missed seeing her.

Day three, of this holiday weekend, I decided to take a long walk down the beach. Something I have not done in years! I chose to go to Deerfield Beach, as they have benches along the shoreline, so I can stop when my knee acted up and my back started to ache. It also gave me more people watching time.

I ended the day by going to the movies by myself and after the movies, stopped to have a cocktail at a local lounge.

No, this long weekend didn’t involve a spectacular getaway vacation somewhere or an expensive dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. It was simple yet a unique masterpiece filling my empty calendar designed by me only!

How many times have you wished that you had time to enjoy the simple things of life that didn’t involve anyone else but you? Stop wishing. It’s here. It’s called today. So go where you’ve been meaning to go. Do what you’ve been meaning to do. Go ahead and create your own unique masterpiece.

Most times, I would prefer to be with my circle of friends. I like to choose my audience wisely. I believe it is important to surround yourself with people who see you and appreciate who you really are. It is important to make it a practice to keep the company of those who only want the very best for you. Stop wasting your time trying to convince those who don't "get" you or understand your choices in life.

 

Everyone needs a cheerleader!

50th Class Reunion!

We turned back the clock and walked down memory lane on August 17, 2012 and attended our 50th Class Reunion which was so special and I was thrilled to see so many friends that I have not seen in 50 years! We have known each other all the way through grade school, middle school and high school. Not too many people can say that.

Marriage, jobs, achievements took us all to different directions and went our separate ways after graduation and some of us moved out of state, so, therefore, not able to see each other as the years went by. I’m fortunate that my children and family still live in the Boston area so I have had the opportunity to get together with our Revere Gang whenever I’m up for a visit, as Diane usually plans a Luncheon which is always great fun.

Some classmates traveled as far as from California, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Florida. That told me a lot of us still care to travel such a great distance. Yes, we are a great bunch!

Thank you to John Henry and Diane Beatrice for encouraging me to create “The Lantern” which I believe has drawn us closer since inception. To repeat what our dear friend, Arthur Buonopane said “It almost seems as if we are still walking the halls of Revere High and seeing each other every day.” As, that is exactly what it felt like being at the reunion.

The committee worked very hard to put together such an eventful days of events for all of us to enjoy which started with:

Day one: the Reunion at Spinelli’s

Day two: a BBQ the following day at Diane and Chuckie’s lovely home (we never made it to Revere Beach for the fireworks)

Day three: brunch at Deb and John Henry’s house prior to the “All Shook Up” Elvis play at the Beverly Theater.

Day four: onto Diane and Chuckie’s daughter’s home, then a day down the Cape at Linda (Spagnolo) Lattanzi’s home. Shopping and dinner with the girls.

Day five: And, for me, spending time with my daughter and son before returning home to Florida. Did I mention, I was greeted by Hurricane Isaac upon my return home? Ugh.

The memories will always be embedded in the corridors of my mind. As we grow up, we learn that you'll cry because time is flying by so try not to miss these opportunities to get together.

I love taking pictures for the memories, I love to laugh so hard that my stomach hurts, I try to forgive freely as life comes with no guarantees. We lost so many classmates from our very large class and we are blessed that we were able to attend our 50th Reunion together.

A special thank you to Diane and Chuckie for opening their home for me, Janice and Janet to bunk at their home for the weekend. It was very kind and generous of you!

All photos are posted on “The Lantern” Blog!

God Bless all of you and thanks for the memories!

Patience

Patience is one of the seven virtues, the lesser-known cousins of the seven sins. And indeed, “patience is a virtue” – or so goes the saying. But another saying states that “fortune favors the bold.” So which one is it?

I recall a wise woman once told me to "Never run after a bus or a man, there will always be another one." LOL

I find that patience is the main ingredient necessary to get through difficult times. Yes, it is hard to be patient! But, without patience, you would have no hope.

Patience is waiting, not passively waiting, that is laziness but to keep on going when the going gets rough...........now that is patience.

People often handle life as they do bad weather. They waste away the time waiting for the rain to stop. I’m guilty of that myself at times. Yet the tide of opportunity comes to everyone if you have patience. When your chance comes, take advantage of it.

Can anyone name all the seven virtues?

Don't mess with me!

Exercise your brain and get rid of that useless doctor to take care of your medical needs! It takes determination to research for a good doctor and then a lot of luck to find a good one.  It also took me to lose it one day and say "I had enough" with this woman doctor and her idiot assistant!

“Problem solving comes easier with a fit mind.” I have been so chronically fatigued and not knowing why. This symptom is not easy to solve the culprit that is causing it. I only recall that is started after my several dental visits in June??????

I can’t expect my body to stay in shape without regular exercise, so I surely can’t expect my mind to perform to the peak of its ability without use.  And, I can't exercise if I'm constantly sleeping during the day and awake all night long!

I needed to confront the problems that were crossing my path. And, more importantly, taking that step and planning a strategy to make things better.

I was facing seeking a new doctor, as my old doctor was just not cutting the mustard! She and her staff were unacceptable. Not good to always get voicemail whenever a medical issue arises and waiting up to five days for a return call. This was the last straw for me! It is difficult selecting a Primary Care out of a huge book of names.

Finally, all my research and efforts brought me to a good place with a new, knowledgeable, caring doctor and he even returns the calls himself to relate the results of lab work. Whooooooooohooooooooo!

 

I feel like that awful portion of my life is over having to put up with a terrible medical facility/doctor/staff……..so now I have full control and it begins right now. When you are not feeling well, this is not good to have a useless doctor and staff. I invested two years with this doctor and didn’t know where to turn next. It is hard to find a good doctor.

I asked everyone I came in contact with for a referral of a doctor that they truly were happy with how they managed their health.

So, one doctor’s name kept popping up and I remembered this name when my Medicare Card first arrived in the mailbox but at that time, this doctor was not taking new patients, so I dismissed this medical office. I’m so happy that I decided to double check again two years later and he was now accepting new patients!

Wow, what a difference between the old doctor and the new. Like night and day! I now feel like I’m in good hands at last.

 

I still work on letting my feelings be my choice. I realized that there is no need to hold my feelings hostage. Oh the valuable possibilities if I just allow myself to observe the world from a positive perspective!

This new doctor is Board Certified, educated in the Northeast, Italian, knows his stuff, super great staff, pristine office facility, and did I say easy on the eyes! LOL



To My Awesome Cyberfriends!

 

It doesn't matter what you wear

What you eat or what you weigh.

Who cares if your hair's a total mess

Or if you're hundreds of miles away?

To see you in my contact list

Whenever you're online

Reminds me of how glad I am

That you're all friends of mine!

Whenever I need to rant or rave

You're always there for me,

You hear me out on everything

And we so rarely disagree!

Whether there's a problem to solve

Or a funny story to tell,

Though we listen with our eyes,

We understand each other so well.

We've got games right at our fingertips

And funny greetings too,

Whenever I'm at my computer,

There's ALWAYS! ! ! ! ! !

something to do! So here's

to you, my cyberfriends,

You really are the best!!

You make the web sure feel like home

And for that I feel so blessed!

Phenomenal 2 letter Word!!!!!

I'm sure you will enjoy this. Here is one word in the English language that can be a noun, verb, adj, adv, prep.

UP 

 

This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is "UP". It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report? We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now . . . my time is UP!

I spy!

 Nobody’s watching, so what do you do? And, I don’t mean picking your nose!

What do you do when nobody is looking? Do you work just as hard? Do you remain just as reliable?  Are you just as considerate of others? Are you a good employee? Are you a good employer? Are you just as responsible? Are you a good friend?

If you cheat when nobody’s looking, you’re only cheating yourself. If you concentrate only on what you can get away with, all you’ll do is just get by on the road map of life.

So plant your seeds for achievement on this journey of life because they are only sown when nobody is looking.

We are now approaching the 2012 London Olympics and I’m sure all those athletes who will win the gold medal for their performance surely spent years in training while nobody was watching.

The millionaire entrepreneur like Steve Jobs, a creative genius, spent years working late into the night while nobody watched.

Nobody’s watching now. So, now is the time to be your finest and climb above the crowd. I never believed in doing anything half “arsed”!

And keep your finger out of your nose!

What makes you happy?

What makes me happy? Some people may say it’s fame and wealth. But, hands down, family and friends are number one in my book!

Yet even though we all have a need to connect, some of us always go home alone. You may have people around you throughout the day or you may even be in a lifelong marriage, yet you may feel a deep down loneliness. You’d be surprised to know how many people are in that state of mind.

Hmmmm, so happiness - isn't that what we all want to find, keep and cherish? Nobody is happy all of the time, but some people are definitely happier than others. I’ve observed that most people that are happy all the time reveal that it doesn't have much to do with material goods or high achievement; it seems to be narrowed down to your outlook on life and the quality of your relationships with the people around you.

Just because something seems to make other people happy doesn't mean that it really does. People are very good at pretending they're happy, especially when they've invested so much into the things that are supposed to make them happy; it's hard to acknowledge that you've been placing all your eggs in the wrong basket.

I think that happiness is a state of mind and not something which can be defined objectively. Keep in close touch with your family and a small circle of friends. You can't beat their love and support. And, don’t take advantage of their generosity, kindness and loving support either!

Let go of the drama, it only causes you unnecessary stress and stress leads to poor health.

Be happy! Be good to your family and special friends!

Magic Mike! Plus, Fifty Shades of Grey!

This movie surely was entertaining!  Hiding me blushing!!!!! Whew, is it hot in here or is it me!  LOL 

Starring: 
Channing Tatum , Alex Pettyfer , Matthew McConaughey , Matthew Bomer , Cody Horn

I was surprised to see so many old biddies in the theater too! hehehhehehehe

As if my face wasn't already red and rosy from reading Fifty Shades of Grey which is an erotic novel by British author E. L. James. Set largely in Seattle, it is the first installment in a trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes.

The second and third volumes are titled Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, respectively. Fifty Shades of Grey has topped best-seller lists in the US, the UK and around the world The series has sold around ten million copies worldwide, with book rights having been sold in 37 countries, and set the record in the U.K. as the fastest-selling paperback of all time surpassing the Harry Potter series. Critical reception of the novel has been mixed.  They are now in the process of making a movie out of this book.

Happy Father's Day!