Watching | Baby Driver
> I know this movie has been out for a while, but I heard so many wonderful things about the soundtrack, I had to check it out. While I thought the movie was somewhat predictable, the soundtrack is awesome and if you like chase scenes…you have to check it out.
Reading | Fair, Nonpartisan Election Information
> This year’s midterm ballot in Florida is over two pages long with amendments! I take voting very seriously, so I’m looking for good resources that will educate me on the issues. AARP recently ran an article listing four resources for election information: VoteSmart.org, RealClearPolitics.com, Ballotopedia.org, and PolitiFact.org. Get educated and take time to vote on November 6, 2018.
Remembering | The “Big” City
> One of the things that we knew we would have to deal with in moving to Gainesville, Florida was the size of the city. The population is about 130,000. We’ve always lived placed with 1M+ populations…and gotten accustomed to all the retail shopping, entertainment, restaurants, etc. that comes with a large city. During our last two October trips, we’ve found ourselves saying, “Oh! There’s The Container Store…” or “Ooooh, can we stop at Sephora?” LOL!
Working On | Tracking
> Weight Watchers has changed their name to WW and announced a new focus on wellness and wellbeing. I really like it. But I feel to get the full benefit that I’m going to have to do a better job of tracking my activities, which I must admit, I’m not the best. It’s all about taking it one day at a time.
Feeling | “Falling” For the Season
> Fall season in October could possibly be the very best. ‘nuf said.
Planning | Holidays
> Since we haven’t completely unpacked from our move, we’re trying to figure out the holidays. Of course, we have no idea how into the holidays people get around here. I must admit that very few people decorated for Halloween. But gosh, when we lived in Cincinnati, Halloween was a big deal. So, were trying to figure out if we make new traditions or keep old ones? Should we unpack the holiday decorations? Decisions, decisions…
Loving | Vionics
> As a speaker and trainer, I spend a lot of time walking and standing. So, I’m trying to be kinder to my feet. Especially since I’ve had two ankle fusions. I’ve seen Vionics for years but finally splurged on a couple of pairs. Very nice shoes, fashionable, quality materials, and most of all – comfortable. It did take some time to figure out the right size, but once that happened…I would recommend them highly.
Geeking | Duolingo
> Duolingo is an educational language app. I played around with it a couple of years ago and tried expanding my Spanish vocabulary. I must admit that I don’t believe I had the right mindset and quickly gave up. I’m not sure an app can make you fluent in a language. But I do like learning languages, so I decided to give it another try earlier in October. This time I’m going to work on my French. And maybe be less hard on myself…we’ll see.
What’s UP with you?
Sharlyn, I enjoy reading your updates here. A couple of the items in this post resonated with me. Like you and Keith, my husband and I moved as part of our retirement downshifting. We only moved about 10 miles away, but from a town of 3000 people to a small city of 45,000. While we’ve both lived in much bigger cities (Boston) and enjoy the busier environment, we’ve needed to adjust our routines and expectations as part of changing our living situation from a single family home to a condo. This has mostly been an upside, but there are sacrifices in terms of privacy and noise.
One thing we’ve done to get a better feel for our new home town is to become active volunteers in our neighborhood association. This has enabled us to meet people, get the scoop on neighborhood norms (in Salem, MA, Halloween is a high holiday), and contribute to our new community.
Joyce, thank you so much for sharing. Like you, we love our new city but that doesn’t mean we’re ‘adjustment free’. LOL! I think as we learn more about Gainesville, we’ll want to volunteer.
Sharlyn – I’m learning French on DuoLing too! We can practice our French together. 😉
Yes, we will! I think finding friends to converse with is the hardest part. Thanks (or should I say Merci) Melany!
Hey, Sharlyn, I had no idea that you are using the WW plan — how did we eat a dinner together in Park City and not have that come up? I, too, will be interested to see the direction that the (former) Weight Watchers takes now that they’re “Wellness Wins.” I’ve used the WW app since Jan 1, 2018 — and when you track assiduously, great things happen. If you don’t track, well . . .
I hear ya. Tracking matters! I love the new app, especially to store recipes and scan items at the grocery store.