It's been so difficult for me to blog since we lost our blogging community on AOL.  I know . . . it's been nearly 3 1/2 years . . . get over it!  I loved having a community of bloggers to encourage me, comment, etc.  Some of my dear friends still blog daily.  I read them all the time and comment once in a while.  It's just not the same. 

Most of the time, I just don't know what to say.  I've been sick a lot.  I don't want to talk about it.  It's bad enough that I know my health problems without whining to the world about them.  Here's the truth:  there are a whole lot of people out there in worse shape than I am.  I think every morning when I open my eyes that it's a good morning.  How can it be less? I know that the day I don't open my eyes will be a good morning too ~ I will be home with Jesus.  It can't get any better than that.

Rob and I celebrated 10 years of marriage last September. In 5 days, we will celebrate 2 years of home ownership.  We are incredibly blessed.  I never ever thought I would be living in Nevada.  I mean, really! Who would ever want to live in the desert? I guess I would.  We love it here.  I have 2 sisters living in the desert.  One lives here and one in Arizona.  That's pretty odd for girls who were born and raised in SoCal.  Our other sister is in Florida.

California is an expensive place to live, especially near the ocean.  Rob and I lived next to the ocean for 6 years.  I can count on the fingers of one hand the times we went to the beach.  We paid a premium to live in that area.  Rents were sky high, food more expensive, gasoline higher . . . all for the chance to live near the ocean.  Don't get me wrong.  It was beautiful.  I loved all the trees and greenery.  The temperature was nearly perfect.  The humidity?  A death trap for me. I couldn't breathe.  

For less than most of the rents in SoCal, we own a home here.  Living in a gated community is wonderful.  It's like a cocoon of security.  We know that thugs can get in and rob us or kill us, but for some reason we don't have that fear.  Little things tickle me:  I never had a garage door opener or a useable garage for that point.  I love that I can operate the garage door from the corner.  We have an opener for the gate to get in here, a clubhouse which we hardly use but a clubhouse nonetheless, private streets and cable built right into the walls.  I am not fond of having to answer to a homeowner's association, but like the perk of not having a "bad" section of the community.

We are truly blessed!  Sometimes I stop in the middle of the living room and just thank God for the opportunities in my life.  I've slowed way down since the days in Mexico.   I've had some wonderful jobs throughout my life: a waitress, a factory worker, salesgirl, oral surgery assistant, bartender, switchboard operator, office worker, public relations, missionary, wife and mom.  I think mom was the best job even if I didn't perform well.  Being a wife is tough - and I have had plenty of experience there.  I never thought being a missionary was a "job".  It was the best time of my life.  It was also the longest I've done anything other than being a mom.

There's not much to do now that I am totally retired.  Days melt into each other so that I often can't remember what day of the week it is or even the date.  I read a lot.  About a year ago I bought a Kindle reader.  It's been a joy to have.  So I bought the new Kindle Fire this year.  It's nice enough but I like the older one better.  Who needs color to read a book?  

We'll just see if I can get myself back into blogging again.  I miss writing my thoughts down.  I miss my blogging friends.  I wonder if any will find my blog again after so long a time?  

God bless you all.  Believe it or not you are still in my prayers.