Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
Peter Pan
A lil bit of heaven
During our many travels, Brian and I love to seek out the local sweet shops in the cities that we visit. No not the over stocked sugar filled candy stores of old, but a shop of light, joyful, treats that could please even the darkest of souls, CUPCAKES to be exact. Could there be a dessert more perfect than a cupcake ? Oh the heavenly cupcake, an abbreviated dip into the realm of cake without the commitment of two whole layers to devour.
We have found Mecca and it is in St. Armand's Circle on Lido Key Florida,
The Sarasota Cupcake Company.
The shop is a light filled cheerful space designed to only enhance the beauty of the cupcakes created in this lovely place. Primary colors abound, reminiscent of a Ben & Jerryish feel, you will find yourself greeted on the side walk by one of the shop keepers with a tray filled with tiny sample cupcakes. No, not crumbled up pieces of leftover cupcakes, but miniature sized cupcakes fully decorated in their own little paper cupcake liners.
I am ashamed to say that I never did get the names of these two gentlemen, I suppose it was the frosting fumes that overwhelmed me, they were both extremely helpful, and very enthusiastic. I will however be visiting this shop so frequently that I am sure we will become fast friends (one can only hope !)
So there you have it, the beaches here are wonderful, the sunsets on the Gulf unparalleled, the sunshine perfection, but I have truly found perfection in a tiny shop called The Sarasota Cupcake Company.
Squeezing the juices out of life
Each day that passes here in the warmer climates convinces us both that we have made a brilliant decision. We have now been here for 11 days and it has drizzled for the first time. At 7 am this morning the temperature was 67 F very conducive to outdoor activity. We are able to enjoy two extra hours of daylight everyday, a boon to my perimenopausal mood. Since our arrival I believe we have only missed one sunset on the gulf, Brian is really learning the ins and outs of his new camera.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner with our pal Susie, her impromptu trip south was conveniently done in our geographical area, thanks for stopping in Susie !
We have found our rhythm here, a run or bike in the morning, followed by the daily picking of the backyard grapefruits. Brian has become our master juicer, he is reveling in the joy of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice everyday. We have yet to put the kayaks in the water, but that is not due to the lack of boat launches.
One of our greatest joys is watching our dogs, Hazel and Josie enjoy the out of doors all day long. We have long walks with them in the nearby preserve, they have a nice big back yard to run in, and an endless supply of tiny evasive lizards to stalk.
We send out love to those in the cooler climes and a reminder that the days are getting longer and we are slowly headed towards spring.
2
We enjoyed a lovely dinner with our pal Susie, her impromptu trip south was conveniently done in our geographical area, thanks for stopping in Susie !
We have found our rhythm here, a run or bike in the morning, followed by the daily picking of the backyard grapefruits. Brian has become our master juicer, he is reveling in the joy of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice everyday. We have yet to put the kayaks in the water, but that is not due to the lack of boat launches.
One of our greatest joys is watching our dogs, Hazel and Josie enjoy the out of doors all day long. We have long walks with them in the nearby preserve, they have a nice big back yard to run in, and an endless supply of tiny evasive lizards to stalk.
We send out love to those in the cooler climes and a reminder that the days are getting longer and we are slowly headed towards spring.
Jogging my memory
Running, jogging, what ever it might be called that I did this morning was much more than physical. I have not been able to really run for any length of time since late 2008. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and spent the next two years getting my life back physically. The reconstructive surgery that I had after my bilateral mastectomies has made me feel whole again. Now please don't get me wrong, there are ladies out there that are living without recon and very happy, I worship them. For me I found that after three months with no breasts and the ever present scars I personally felt that something was missing. But I digress. You see the nature of my surgery caused changes in my muscles of my lower body and made my hip flexers painfully tight. My feeble attempts earlier to run at all just left me with many trips to PT and WATSU.
We are spending some time in Florida, escaping the cold for a spell and the green grass and warm temperatures have drawn me out. I put on my runners this am and vowed to slowly run for just 20 minutes. I only stopped to walk for about five minutes, but I managed to make it home in one piece.
The most interesting part of this event was what happened in my mind. I will be fifty this year, I don't feel it, when I say it out loud it sounds so foreign to me. I will say that the way my body feels running is very close to 50, when did everything begin to jiggle so much ??? The rhythm in my breathing, the feel of the pavement, these things all brought me back to the days when I ran swiftly, without tiring, my muscles and flesh felt taut and firm. It was quite a revelation to me, age, undeniably in my midst.
I will not run and hide from what is approaching, I am embracing it, I am ready, I am determined to be scuba diving in exotic places well into my 70's. Hey this summer I plan on trying kite surfing. I am preparing now with healthy eating habits (most of the time) hehe. Moving my body daily, staying flexible and active, using all that I am able to use before I lose it. I am TRYING to be kinder to myself, praise myself a bit more, pat myself on the back, and be less of my own worst critic.
I would like to recommend a book for all you ladies, ladies of all ages actually. I am enjoying it so much that I want to share it with everyone. Jane Fonda has a new book out, the concept is life has three acts, each act is equivalent to 30 decades (if we are all so lucky). It is straight forward, easy to follow, and very very workable. The name of her book is "Prime Time" and has suggestions for eating , exercises , spirit, and mind. I hope you enjoy it.
Hugs and kisses
5
We are spending some time in Florida, escaping the cold for a spell and the green grass and warm temperatures have drawn me out. I put on my runners this am and vowed to slowly run for just 20 minutes. I only stopped to walk for about five minutes, but I managed to make it home in one piece.
The most interesting part of this event was what happened in my mind. I will be fifty this year, I don't feel it, when I say it out loud it sounds so foreign to me. I will say that the way my body feels running is very close to 50, when did everything begin to jiggle so much ??? The rhythm in my breathing, the feel of the pavement, these things all brought me back to the days when I ran swiftly, without tiring, my muscles and flesh felt taut and firm. It was quite a revelation to me, age, undeniably in my midst.
I will not run and hide from what is approaching, I am embracing it, I am ready, I am determined to be scuba diving in exotic places well into my 70's. Hey this summer I plan on trying kite surfing. I am preparing now with healthy eating habits (most of the time) hehe. Moving my body daily, staying flexible and active, using all that I am able to use before I lose it. I am TRYING to be kinder to myself, praise myself a bit more, pat myself on the back, and be less of my own worst critic.
I would like to recommend a book for all you ladies, ladies of all ages actually. I am enjoying it so much that I want to share it with everyone. Jane Fonda has a new book out, the concept is life has three acts, each act is equivalent to 30 decades (if we are all so lucky). It is straight forward, easy to follow, and very very workable. The name of her book is "Prime Time" and has suggestions for eating , exercises , spirit, and mind. I hope you enjoy it.
Hugs and kisses
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