Wednesday, July 23, 2025
It’s Wednesday and that means Joyce link up day!
1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you?
Time passes slowly for me in the middle of the day usually. It passes quickly in the morning when I am trying to do all the piddling and little house tasks. I’m still trying to come up with a good schedule. I like to do a few chores each morning and if I have errands I usually don’t go out until after 10. The traffic has died down by then and the stores are open.
Time passes slowly in January and quickly in June! I am trying to enjoy January more. Let’s see if being retired will help or not. I think I am going to have to make an effort to get out and be social.
I love this photo of my twins! I loved dressing them. They both had white polos but two different plaids. I did outfits like that quite a bit while they still didn’t care.
2. Do you have a favorite beach? What’s your favorite ‘beach’ activity? Tell us what we’d find in your beach bag.
I love being near any body of water. I am going to walk in sand anytime I get the chance and in any season or type of weather. We went to the beach in Scotland in December of 2023 and walked along the water and we went to the beach in Barcelona and took off our shoes and socks to walk in the water last fall. I like walking in the packed sand by the water. I am not big on laying out anymore but I would love a lounge chair in the shade to read my book or I love getting in the water and playing in the waves if there aren’t jellyfish or sharks.
Scotland:
Spain:
Spain:
3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting?
Gosh, any movie with a house with a pool that is also on the beach.
I believe this was Assateague Island National Seashore:
Lake Michigan – deep in conversation:
4. What’s a food you love, but find it’s a pain to eat? Is it worth it?
Corn on the cob! Why does it taste better on the cob? Since we are talking about beaches, I hate getting sand in my food.
5. Do you like roller coasters? What’s the best (or worst) roller coaster you’ve been on?
I love a mild roller coaster. I don’t want to go upside down. Most kiddie roller coasters are just my speed. I love a water ride. I can spin with no problem or I could. Who knows now. I love the water ride that is a circular raft and you go through rapids.
My worst ride I went on was at King’s Island. It was a standing up roller coaster and I was terrified. My Jordache purse strap broke right as I was getting locked in. I think I was also worried about my purse. My friends peer pressured me to ride it. That was in 7th grade.
But, then I went back to King’s Island after college with two guy friends and a few girls. We had so much fun. Blonde Heather always made me feel better about scary rides and I enjoyed them with her. She was a dare devil. I say “blonde Heather” and “brunette Heather” here on the blog but IRL I call them “Heath” and “Hig”. Blonde Heather was my roommate all through college and four years after and Brunette Heather was a girl we met like day one of college and it turned out she was from a place very close to where I was from – right across the river.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
It was a long time ago, but the Harry Potter World at Universal was so clever. We surprised our kids when they were really into Harry Potter and it ended up being one of our best trips ever. We drove to Orlando, stayed in a nice hotel with pool, and the next morning we woke up and they had tickets to Universal HP in their Easter baskets. It was Easter and spring break, by the way. We did the park and the next day we drove through the Everglades and did a swamp boat ride, then we went to the Florida Keys and stopped at each and every one of the keys practically, then we took a boat from Key West to the Dry Tortugas, then we drove home along the west coast of Florida and stopped at Siesta Key. It was an epic trip. We all loved it.
That was a fun one, Joyce!
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
This was so fun to read! I love being near the beach but I don’t actually like the beach anymore other than walking on it in the morning and in the evening. I can’t seem to handle sitting in the sun on the sand; it’s just bugs me now. However, your trip through the everglades and the keys sounds fantastic! We had a trip like that planned one winter but then a hurricane wiped out one.. or both of the house we planned to rent and stay in so we pivoted to do something else but I can’t remember what.
I LOVE roller coasters but only for like the last 15 or so years; I hated them all through high school and college and never went on any. Now I have been on some pretty extreme ones; though we rode one somewhere where they warned that the g-forces can make people pass out and I nearly did. I did not enjoy that sensation.
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Your thoughts on time are spot-on – I didn’t think about it that way. Winter is a LONG season, summer too short – ha! You will figure out that routine – what is it with us and “schedules” as teachers?? I love a schedule too. Your last answer about your epic trip sounds AMAZING. When my daughter was really into HP (like, she believed they were real and talked about them like they were real people) I wanted so much to take her there but it wasn’t in the budget AT ALL. Later, when she was graduating HS it was do-able budget-wise but she wasn’t interested enough for me to spend the time/money. I’d still like to go, though – I’m sure it’s beyond anything we could imagine. I love all the driving of the state you did afterwards too.
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Oh yes, time does go so quickly when I am doing all the boring chores around the house and then I wonder where the morning has gone.
What beautiful beaches!
I think I would be happy on a kiddie roller coaster too. I just couldn’t go on one standing up. Eek!
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That picture of your boys (the first one) is precious! I hope you have it framed somewhere in your house.
Can you believe we have never gone to HP at Universal? So sad because my boys read all the books and saw the movies yet we have not gone! Your trip to FL sounds so good, that is the way to really see FL. We are so much more than theme parks.
Isn’t it nice to go out to stores in the mid morning when it’s not so busy?
xo,
Kellyann
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That’s a great idea and I could do that easily at Walgreen’s! I think sometimes we forget to do the things in our backyard. You could still take them! That would be hilarious and you would love it. Florida is def. more than theme parks.
It is so nice! I was really happy driving my new car (to me) this week and having the freedom to not rush and run errands! What a luxury!
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I like the beach in winter too. Summer more, but there is something great about the beach out of season. That last trip sounds fabulous…I love the Keys! You will find a new rhythm. It takes time and I’d say don’t hurry to commit to anything too quickly. I do need to have some things on my weekly calendar. Too much blank space isn’t good for me. Hope you have a great day!
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Yes! I agree about seeing it out of season sometimes. It was a great trip. I am being really hard on myself this week. I don’t want too many plans but when I don’t “do” anything I’m kind of at a loss. Hub goes to work from 7:30-6ish so he is not here. I don’t want to commit to things yet but I am not even really reading much, either, or doing anything totally just for me. You too! I will figure it out!
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Your trip to Universal sounds so nice! We had a trip there planned with the girls the spring of 2020 and of course couldn’t end up going. By the time we could travel, they weren’t nearly as in to Harry Potter so we’ve never been. I don’t think KI has a standing roller coaster ride anymore? I know they “retire” some after a while. You’ve been to some neat beaches. Any beach will do for me! Have a great day!
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As much as I appreciated it as an adult and loved the butterbeer, I bet your crew would still like it. You only need a day! I haven’t been to KI since my kids were 4. I have always loved it. My church group went at least once a year.
Any beach will do for me, too – even a lake “beach”.
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Your answer to number one was TRUE. The winter months do creep by. I love the pictures of your boys.
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Right? I just feel so trapped inside! Thank you!
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this was a fun one to read!! I love the beach. I love to smell the ocean air and hear waves crashing. I would love to own a house right on the beach. We can see the ocean from our coastal house. And i can walk there. But I’d love to just walk out my door and down a flight of beach stairs !!! Maybe someday?
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I loved reading your answers to the prompts today! I am like you in that I love being near any body of water. I think it’s the most beautiful thing of all time! I love the pics of your boys through the years…time really does fly! I’ll be curious to know what your next January will be like for you. How fortunate we are to have friends for a lifetime, like you with your Heathers. Friends are one of our greatest gifts!
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How fun reading about your Heather friends! It is nice to see pictures of beaches from other countries. Enjoy your day!!
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Love the picture of your boys at the beach!
Your Easter/Spring break tip to FL sounds epic. Siesta Key beach is my favorite, the soft white sand that doesn’t burn your feet.
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My sister used to live on the Delmarva pennisula and would visit Assateague Island often. I like that picture of your twins also. Something about a picture from behind tells a great story.
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That is so true about January being a slow month and June cruising by! Being near the water is so calming! I’ve always wanted to see Harry Potter World at Universal! We need to make that happen before they do away with it.
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G is loving Universal and said the new Epic park is incredible. She said she would even want to go back soon. I agree about January being a slow month. Sometimes I hardly have any pictures for that month and wonder what we did! I agree about loving any beach, warm or cold. One of my favorite trips was the beaches of Cornwall Uk in February. It was sunny, so that helped! Loved hearing your answers – this was a fun hodgepodge!
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I have always loved a beach. One of our very first family vacations (when I was a kid) was to Florida…first Jacksonville (my dad had a Marine buddy there) then on to wherever Sea World was. We didn’t go there, but we stayed at a hotel nearby. I’m not big on theme parks though I’d love to go to Harry Potter World. I’d also love to drive down to the keys (but I’d have to close my eyes on those bridges where it’s just water on both sides of you). I hate rollercoasters although I loved the water park at King’s Island. My son tells me it’s completely different from what it used to be. I like the big rafts that you ride down…though I like the lazy river, too (which, again, may not be there).
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
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I agree about corn on the cob! Even if it’s cut off the cob, there’s just something about it.
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