The beach at last!

Hard to believe we live so relatively close to the beach and the first we got to it this season was August 13th. But, we got there. It's a start anyway.

We went to Island Beach State Park and then took a peek at Seaside Heights and the aftermath of Sandy. So sad.

But our beach day was good and it turns out there is something called a senior citizens pass available for free entry to all the NJ state parks. I am going to send for it! Whoo hoo :-)   (and then go places!)

Talking about going places, I realized as I walked in to Prospectors last Sunday for Sugarfootin' Sunday that  I had been there dancing every night from Wednesday...no wonder my legs were ache-y!

My camera gave me a scare when I tried to take a picture of Gary at my t-shirt selling tent at his 2013 Hollystock event. (It was sunny this year and I was a volunteer.) The scare was, it didn't work. :-(  I read some stuff online and fiddled with the stuck lens a few times and now it seems to be working again. Whew.

I got my new tax bill and it appears I have a third quarter reduction for a homestead benefit. That was a nice surprise after all these years of nothingness!

That was good news. On the bad news side, I got an e-mail indicating that the library book I thought I'd returned with the bunch on Aug. 5th was still with me and now I owe the library $1.20. Boo hoo! (It wasn't even one of my top ten :-(  

I had lunch with Kathryn on Thursday, Gee Gee on Sunday,  the DEAR group on Monday, and Tom on Wednesday. I think it's time to get back to the gym..... and for my next resolution....more sleep!

August already!

I saw it was August and panicked for a moment...despite the fact that this is the seventh year that I don't have to worry about getting my room ready for the new school year as summer races to a close. Have I mentioned lately how much I love being retired?

Recent good news was that our air conditioner got fixed instead of having to be replaced (thank you, Walt Nesbitt!). Bad news was I had bronchitis for two weeks...still suffering a bit actually.

On the medical front, it's mostly all good. Tom doesn't have to have surgery this quarter and my testing didn't come up with anything obviously bad. I might still go for some exploration of a jaw nerve to see why I had the weird symptoms.

We had fun at the Jamboree in the Hills and Randi's pig roast and Doug Brewin's performance at the 4-H Camden County Fair. It was fun to see Jill and Mike and Ann for lunch at Bonefish Grille (My meal was soooo delicious!). I was disappointed that although the restaurant was just across the street from Gina that we didn't get to see her (and Howard and Robert...who were on the way to the airport).

I signed up for like ten HR Block classes today. Looks like I'll have a pretty busy fall!

Not fun

Central air conditioning replacement is an expensive proposition and deciding what to buy, who to buy it from and whether the heating part will coordinate when the time comes that it needs replacing too are each a major consideration. My head hurts.

Meanwhile, Tom went out and bought a "portable" air conditioner for $400 while we're thinking about the central air debacle. (It is certainly cool when we're next to it!)

I thought my virtual HR Block course was yesterday and it's not until the 25th, so I was able to watch the CMA Songwriter Series show with Miranda Lambert, Kip Moore, and two really great other writers. One of them was on an island with Kenny Chesney and wrote two number one hit songs while he was there. They told interesting stories about songs they wrote and each other. It was in Boston, but the streamed it so all could enjoy...and I did!

I had a brain MRI the doctor ordered to figure out why I get novocaine flashbacks and stiff painful ear and headaches. It came out fine, so next I do a carotid ultrasound. The MRI wasn't that fun.

I am looking forward to seeing Doreen and George at the Jamboree in the Hills. Has it really been over two  years?

It's Friday again already. These weeks are flying by! I have been so lazy....! (except for one Contact overnight shift and two SHIP counseling conversations).

Praying for Shaun Hummel....

How hot is it?

Tom left for golf and our air conditioning is broken...again! I guess I'm heading to the air conditioned movie theater!
We had breakfast today with the brunch group at Amy's Omelets in Burlington.

This is hard to believe, but I didn't have my camera!?!! Luckily Dina's phone was available and ...what a great shot, right?

We've seen a few movies....Man of Steel, World War Z, the "new" Star Wars one, White House Down...
and I have a few on my to go to list.

Bookwise it's been all the Lisa Scottoline's I can get my hands on, The Tenth Song, and the wonderful Kate Morton book - The Secret Keeper.....I started David Baldacci's The Sixth Man and realized I'd already read it. Duh.

Hello to Margie in Myrtle Beach...wish we were there!

We had fun at the XTU concert and Fourth of July at Angel's. We've been dancing despite poor Tom's aching heel.

Wow, it's really getting hot in here :-(  Bye!

Brad Pitt, Zombie Hunter

We went to the movies again. Man of Steel was way better than this, I must say...Well, it had more plot than I expected, but the popcorn was still my favorite part....

I'm joining Tom in the ranks of medical procedures and people after an inquiring type visit to my GP today. I'm fine, thanks....at least usually!

My volunteer activities are crowding each other out! Oh, well. Blueberries loss is CONTACT's gain, I guess.

I stopped by the Cinnaminson Seniors event today. They had a lot of great vendors there. The mayor talked about doing it again next year. I'd suggest some publicity for it now that they know it works. I saw a lot of familiar faces. These fairs are so great for dispensing helpful information (and goodies, too!)

Next up: the annual WXTU concert. It's revised this year in many ways in, I am sure, an attempt to get it back to a fun filled, music-oriented environment that all can enjoy in a G-rated way.

Back to reality....

Tom is such a trooper when it comes to driving us places.
We got in at like 2 a.m. this morning...and he drove the whole way. Whatta guy!

Here we are, happy in Nashville.

So we had a lot of fun at this year's CMA Fest. I have a sampling of photos on Facebook and a gazillion on my picasa online  in the CMA Fest 2013 album.

Right now I am at the library, returning our book club's bag of books and also the three I had overdue (boo hoo $1.80). I have five more and ordered a bunch I wanted that weren't available yet. Aren't libraries the best?

I see my friend Jill went to the Gardens of Sculpture today. I was going to go there with Gee Gee sometime, but now that I've seen all of her photos, I feel like I've already been! What an amazing place!

There was a tornado in Maryland that we just missed by an hour or two last night. What is the world coming to?

Two more country music events to go this summer. Speaking of which...summer! It's practically the end of the 2012-2013 school year already! Wow! And, on a nostalgic note, this year's graduating class is the last of my Delran fifth graders.....I certainly wish Kyle Melvin and the rest of the Class of 2013 the best of luck in all their future endeavors!

CMA Fest or Bust

Fifty more miles and we'll be at our destination-- Nashville, TN.
Poor Tom has been driving since 10 a.m. this morning (and it is going on midnight now!)

I had a great time at the Lisa Scottoline talk at the library yesterday, and brunch with the crowd, and the good-bye party for Louise, and then some Sugarfootin' at Prospectors. Then I started packing for this trip.

I didn't get much sleep this last week. Just stayed up really late nightly.....

I had fun working with the bachelorette party at Prospectors last Saturday and taking photos at the Camden County Retirement Dinner.

Did I mention the Friday SHIP day? I had four appointments and a call in and an attempted walk in. (I called the other two the next day.) The Update we had was good too.

How about the IRS? They are sinking deeper and deeper. And health care isn't sounding so affordable these days as we get closer and closer to implementation.. And Frank Lautenberg died :-(

We saw the new Star Trek which was a good one!

Kim got married and Margie is off crusing...Hi, Margie.