A couple of weeks ago, I took a day and volunteered my time. Let’s just start with: it was an extraordinary day…
Volunteering at the Food Bank
The Annual Florida Pilgrimage
Growing up, at least once a year, our family would do the visit to our Grandparents down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In the winter, the visits were always great to get out of the cold, snowy-ness of the New Jersey weather. Normally, we’d fly down as my Mom, being a travel agent, would watch for deals in order to book our airfare. However, one year in the spring/summer time, we did the “gauntlet of fire” and drove all the way down with the first stop being Disney World (I was almost doing cartwheels of joy when we were told the news!). We packed the ginormous green station wagon—a.k.a Land Boat—with everything we’d need for the extensive journey heading South. Just before our departure, Dad meticulously installed our CB radio to keep ahead of speed traps. But, I think, it ended up being more for entertainment to kill time while listening to the truckers’ chatter.
Costa Rica and the Healing of my Soul
It was about two years ago in February that Carl and I went to Costa Rica—my first time, his second. In the fall of the previous year, my company (a children’s non-fiction publisher) was bought by another publishing company. Over the course of a couple months we were all pretty much made redundant, and laid off. For me, it was the end of approximately 25 years of employment. But I was hired back as a freelancer a few weeks later to continue doing book design and such for the new company. I took the work hoping it would lead to something more fulfilling—but ultimately it did not.
Welcome to my blog!! Yay!!
Cooking has always been in my blood… I believe, I’ve always loved to cook. And I believe, I owe it to my Mom, and my Grandmother, and my Nana. Sure, I grew up on the usual budget meals of the day like Tuna Casserole and American Goulash. My Mom would make our lunches every morning for school… sometimes bologna and American cheese or PB&J sandwiches, you know the drill (although, grilled cheese sandwiches with cream of tomato soup was sublime after a day in the snow and sledding). But I’ve got to tell you, the box of raisins she’d include as the “healthy snack” couldn’t be traded for anything! Thanks, Mom, for giving me no lunchroom leverage. 😉