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No longer on the river and, again, an empty nester. Back to living on Fleming Island and making some more friends!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I'm 100 pounds lighter!

Well, at least it feels that way! Whew, what a relief it is to have this meeting at the attorney's office over with. I had all my paperwork in order, save for one piece of paper which Kimberly can get off the Internet.
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Last night was Art Guild and I was so looking forward to seeing Martie again, since I hadn't seen her in person since before my trip. She had to buy groceries and such for an office meeting the next morning but was going to be finished in time for the meeting. I sat in the family room for a bit, while my TV was recording "Oprah" for Joanne. My Packer blanket was wrapped around me to keep me toasty, even though it was nearly 80 degrees outside, and actually I fell asleep for a few minutes, as I'd not slept well the night before. Before I knew it, the clock said it was time to get ready for Art Guild!
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"We were sitting there, drinking coffee, without a piece of cake! We looked like idiots!" (I'm listening to "Seinfeld" as I write.....)
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Art Guild was fun, because I'd not seen these people since the CHRISTmas party on the 2nd of December. Sadly, Martie only popped in for a minute to say "hi" and tell me she was heading home because she had a brain-buster headache. In fact, her face was red around the eyes, which means she probably had a sinus headache going on. Too bad, because I've really missed her!
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Our presenter was a lady from the watercolor society in Jacksonville, painting a portrait of a live model. While it was so interesting to watch this process, when it got to be 8:30 and I was freezing half to death, I decided to head out. Dee took pictures of the finished piece so I'll get a chance to see how it turned out. Joanne came home about 9:00 pm, exhausted as well, but made herself the most wonderfully smelling meal in the oven using veggies and a turkey burger, bathed in garlic oil. Oh, my goodness, it smelled divine! I told her I was going to have a drink and go to bed! So, I did! Mixed myself a glass of lemonade and my tea-flavored vodka, sipped it and went to bed. Ah, there is nothing like a good night's sleep, no matter how it comes!
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I rose and shined just before 7:00 a.m. to the wind whipping the palm trees again. The river is blown back away from the shore, exposing the yukky sand, coated in green algae-looking stuff. I hope the winds let up soon and that the tide comes back in quickly. It's hideous, I have to look away!!
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As my meeting was scheduled for 10:00, I decided to leave home around 9:00 in order to avoid any traffic or weather problems. So much for THAT idea! I no sooner left than did the heavens open, pouring huge rain drops onto the cars and trucks. I followed a semi down Highway 17 and eventually the rain let up so I could see my way toward town. Right across from the office building I was able to pull "nose first" (another "Seinfeld" reference) into a parking stall with 20 minutes to spare. The meter was fed two quarters and I was on my way in! My friend, Judy R., had given me a great canvas bag as a gift when I was at her house in April, and it held my binder and files perfectly. It's brightly colored, as were my flowered folders, also given me by Judy, which were stuffed into the bag.
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A lady was coming down the sidewalk going the same direction as was I, so I moved over to allow her pass, as she pulled a suitcase behind her. She turned to me and said, "You look so beautiful!". I thanked her, telling how she raised me up and made me feel good. She said, "That's what we're supposed to do, raise each other up!" On our short walk together, she told me she's an artist, is a licensed tailor and does costume design in the theatre. I asked if she was taking part in the Art Walk which was happening that night, and she asked me how far they walked...........................Well, I'll take that as a "no". But she was very very nice and really put the icing on my day today!
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When I got up to my floor, cruising at 50 miles an hour in this high-speed elevator, I decided there was time before my meeting to stop at the rest room. As I walked through the door of the bathroom, a woman was coming out. She threw her arms around me and told me how nice it was so see me again.....it was Kimberly, the person with whom I was meeting! I can't believe she remembered me from four years ago, and she was happy to see me besides that!
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We spent the first part of our meeting catching up on news, and she showed me pictures of her darling grandson, although she certainly doesn't look old enough to be anyone's grandmother! Her son is the same age as Justin. Kimberly has a gentleman friend with whom she loves to travel so we discussed the places I've been and such. One day we are going to have lunch together because she wants to look at my albums from the Mediterranean. Now, I'm excited!!!! As I mentioned earlier, I had all the paperwork I needed except the one accessable via the Internet! She assuaged my fears about the rest of the information, saying it might not be necessary to even have to complete it all, depending upon how far this goes. I told her that I'll continue to gather my information so I'm not caught off-guard, having made such great headway on my filing. Talk about being proud of ones' self!