MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The trees are up. The lights are lit. The elves are busy at the North Pole. Santa is at the malls. I no sooner put away my summer clothes and it was time to drag out my Anna Lee dolls. I can’t believe Christmas is almost here. We’ll soon be toasting a new year. Winter is on its way.

We had some major bumps in the road between June of 2009 and May of 2010, but we managed to get through them. We had a great summer, a fantastic trip to Disney in October and a relaxing weekend in North Conway in December. We have a new grandson, a beautiful family and wonderful friends. We are truly blessed.

DISNEY: OCTOBER 2010

This trip was amazing! Two of our kids were there with their families. The whole Disney experience is different when seen through the eyes of children. Some of our grandkids have been to Disney before. This was Mason’s first trip and Katie’s second. I loved seeing the expressions on their faces when they met the characters.

We stayed at the Boardwalk Hotel this time, which worked out well for us. Gina, John and Katie were at the Dolphin, a five minute walk from us. Michelle, Clive and Mason were at Caribbean Beach, also close by. We all spent a lot of time in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The kids were great company for each other. They were both a little afraid of some of the rides. Katie did not like Snow White’s Scary Adventure. Mason wasn’t crazy about the Haunted Castle, but he went on Splash Mountain with his grandfather. Both kids loved It’s A Small World. How could they not?

Dick and I enjoyed a nice quiet dinner at Shula’s one night and a lovely Italian dinner at Il Mulino’s at the Swan. We spent a lot of time on the Boardwalk. The kids were fascinated with the magicians and jugglers. It was a magical trip, except the last night when Katie took a header out of her stroller on the way out of Hollywood Studios.

NORTH CONWAY: DECEMBER 2010

Dick and I enjoyed a relaxing weekend in North Conway in December. We stayed at the Suites at Eastern Slope Inn. Our unit was behind the inn near the railroad station. The Magical Express passed by our door. It was so close that I could wave to the people on board as they headed for the North Pole. I got a big kick out of watching the train go by and taking pictures of the children.

We had lunch at Horsefeathers, pizza one night at the Flatbread Company, the restaurant at the inn, and shopped the outlet stores. On Saturday night, we had a lovely dinner at the White Mountain Hotel, another one of our favorite places up north. I stopped in at Zeb’s and the North Conway 5 and 10 Cent Store and all the little shops in the center of town. We did a lot of shopping and eating.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES / SWEET VIOLETS

The news on Carousel Kisses is not good. I’ve run into some publishing problems and cannot tell you when my book will be available at this time. I will let you know as soon as possible. In the meantime, I am working on starting a publishing company of my own so that I can publish books myself as many authors do these days. I don’t know the fate of CAROUSEL KISSSES right now, but I can tell you that I am working on my next book, SWEET VIOLETS. I will keep you posted on what’s happening with the publishing company and both books. I hope to have some good news soon. I will update you through my website, www.luvs2write.com , the website/blog for the book, www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com , Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for your support.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

This wonderful group continues to flourish. We have seven members at present. It’s a phenomenal group of women writers. My good friend, Gail Lowe, (author of Former Things) attended one of our meetings as a guest author. You can visit us at www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com. Please stop by. We appreciate your comments. Bookmark the site and visit often.

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

Dick and I will be celebrating our 11^th wedding anniversary in January. We have a special weekend in North Conway planned in February in honor of the occasion.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

May you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year in 2011!!

Lina

Summer's End....

I hope you have all enjoyed the beach, barbecues, concerts, boating, golf and other great summer activities.

Dick and I took advantage of a perfect summer day in July. We went into Boston on the Blue Line. In 15 minutes, we were at the Aquarium station about to take in all that Boston Harbor has to offer. The photo opps were incredible: tall buildings, fabulous hotels and condos, restaurants, the Aquarium, magnificent boats offering harbor cruises and tourists from all over the world enjoying the picturesque harbor.

We walked over to the North End for the Feast of Saint Agrippina. It’s a fun place to visit. We love the atmosphere, music and food. Our last stop was Fanueil Hall and the Market Place.

The following Sunday, we continued our walking tour of Boston. We got off at Copley Plaza and wandered through the Copley Fairmont and the Taj on our way to the Public Gardens. I was in awe of the enormous old willow trees and the way their branches touched the water and swayed in the warm summer breezes.

The Swan Boats have been a popular attraction in Boston for decades. They glide through the water carrying passengers who have taken the time to enjoy the tranquility of this beautiful spot. After a quick stop at the infamous Cheers for a bit of nostalgia, we headed to Boston Commons.

It was heartwarming to watch families playing Frisbee or enjoying a picnic under a lovely shade tree and young couples sitting on a blanket reading a book. It was nice to feel the serenity and to watch the kids cooling off in the Frog Pond. Another one hundred pictures later, we stopped at Clarke’s at Fanueil Hall for a leisurely lunch before heading home.

We truly have many great places to visit and some amazing things to do and sites to see, right in our own back yard.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

I am hoping to announce soon that Carousel Kisses is available. When I know, you’ll know. The cover is done and we are close to publication. I have re-vamped my personal website, www.luvs2write.com and have a website/blog for the book, www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com. I am now on Twitter under Carousel Kisses and have a Facebook page for the book. Tide Dancer, my publisher, has added me to their website, www.tidedancer.com . I will continue to send out updates on my blog, through personal email and on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Thank you for your support.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

We celebrated our second anniversary as a writing group with a luncheon at the home of one of our members. You can visit us at www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com. Please stop by. We appreciate your comments. Bookmark the site and visit often.

OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

We are expecting our 5^th (yes, I said number 5) grandchild next week! Another boy.

We are looking forward to our next Disney trip in October. This one will be a magical happening with some of our kids there, including two grandkids. We have a relaxing weekend planned in North Conway in December.

My class reunion is coming up soon. LEHS (Lynn English High School) Class of 1965, September 24^th at Gannon in Lynn. If you were a member of this class, try to make it. If you know someone who was, please tell them about it in case they don’t already know.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

Enjoy the last days of summer!

Lina

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME, SUM, SUM, SUMMERTIME.....

I hope you have all enjoyed the great weather over the Memorial Day weekend. It's a good beginning to the summer season.





WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

Carousel Kisses will be available soon. Hopefully, you will be able to find it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble sometime this month. My publisher, Tide Dancer Publications, has been working hard to get my book out there in the world. Rene Morris has designed a fantastic cover. I have been busy working on rebuilding my luvs2write website and starting a blog/website for the book. You will be able to find out more about the book at http://www.carouselkisses.blogspot.com/. It is under construction right now, but will be ready before long. I have new bookmarks and business cards. I will send out updates via personal email, on my blog, Facebook and LinkedIn as I get them.

MY WRITING GROUP: NORTH SHORE SCRIBES

The new website for North Shore Scribes is up and running. Not all of our members are on it yet, but it is a work in progress. Each member will soon have a page for posting her own work. You can visit us at http://www.northshorescribes.wordpress.com/. Please stop by and feel free to leave a comment. Bookmark the site and visit often, as I will be adding some good stuff. We are celebrating our second anniversary as a writing group on the North Shore at a luncheon later this month.

DISNEY 2010:

We had some hot weather in Disney World last month. Every day was in the high 80's to 90 something. I got in a lot of pool time. I danced on stage with Chubby Checker! We "Twisted the Night Away." Well, a little of it anyway. I went to two of his shows in one night. Talk about nostalgia.

Lori, my brother Rick and I had some fun at Hollywood Studios on the Great Movie Ride. We saw the Indiana Jones show and participated in American Idol at the American Idol Theater. We had a fun lunch at the Prime Time 50's Diner.


OTHER HAPPENINGS IN THE REHAL WORLD:

We just celebrated Dick's 50th year class reunion at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Danvers. Lots of great photos popping up on Facebook. It was the best reunion the LCHS class of 1960 has ever had. A great time was had by all who attended.

My class reunion is coming up in September. LEHS class of 1965, September 24th at Gannon in Lynn. If you were a member of this class, try to make it. If you know someone who was, please tell them about it in case they don't already know.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please stop by again.

Happy summer to everyone!

Lina

HAPPY SPRING!!

Spring is here and we have the deck to prove it. Dick has outdone himself again. He's added an array of colorful butterflies and pastel bunnies to his garden, creating this year's theme, Butterflies Are Free. The pansies (my favorite), tulips, lilies and hydrangeas are doing well despite the cold temperatures. They are surrounded by various hanging ornaments, wind chimes, statues, solar candles, twirling things, trinkets and glass balls. If you know my husband, you know our patio is his domain and that he spends a lot of time making it a special place to relax and enjoy the moment. I take no credit for the gorgeous flowers or the decor. My part is to look, take pictures and not to touch.

Soon, he will plant the daisies that will stay with us throughout the summer and fall. Last year, we had daisies well into December. I wonder if we will see that again.

NEWS:

The biggest news is that I'm working again. Yeah! I'm working at Care Connection in Malden. It's a division of Intercity Home Care. I've just completed my fourth week there.

WRITING UPDATE: CAROUSEL KISSES

Another big news item is my book, Carousel Kisses. My publisher, Tide Dancer Publications, expects it to be out sometime in early summer. Another yeah! As many of you know, this is a revised edition of the book. If you read the first one and liked it, you will now be able to tell your friends about it and how they can get it. I've added a two stories, a poem and more photos to the new edition. It will be available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, through the publisher and on my soon to be launched website for the book plus various other places that will be announced later.

Carousel Kisses is a collection of nostalgic short stories, personal essays and poems about growing up in the late 1950's to early 1960's. It is a look back at the days of lemonade stands, pajama parties, sand lot baseball, five and ten cent stores with lunch counters, soda fountains, amusement parks and penny arcades. It's a great gift idea, especially for your baby boomer parents or friends. People love nostalgia.

NORTH SHORE SCRIBES:

My writing group, the North Shore Scribes, is about to celebrate its second anniversary in May. We now have eight members and still meet one Saturday a month. The group is planning a luncheon for our June meeting, hosted by one of our members. To further mark the occasion, we are creating a blog/website that will allow our writers to share their work with you. We cover several genres including fiction, non-fiction, memoir writing, nostalgia and poetry. This site will provide some interesting reading. More on this later.

DISNEY:

Another Disney trip is coming up for us. We are looking forward to sunshine, fun and seeing my favorite mouse and all the characters again. Go Mickey!

Thank you for reading my blog. Feel free to pass it along to your friends.

Lina

Catching Up

Happy New Year to everyone! Hard to believe we are in the second month of a new year! I’m ready for new and exciting challenges in 2010.

Dick and I celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary in January. How fast did that go by? We are looking forward to our annual celebration weekend up north. This year, we will be spending three nights at the Suites at Eastern Slopes Inn. I’m excited about being right in the center of town and within walking distance of my favorite places. I’m sure it will be busier than it was in early December when we were last there. Looks like they got some snow from yesterday’s storm. We don’t ski. We shop, eat, hang out and enjoy the scenery. The snow will make for some beautiful pictures.

Disney: Volunteer Program

I recently participated in Disney’s “Give A Day, Get A Disney Day” volunteer program. I volunteer at North Shore Elder Services (NSES) in Danvers. NSES is a registered participant of the program. In early February, I worked a day on a special project for them. Yesterday, I received a voucher for my one day, one park ticket. It was fun being part of this wonderful program. Can’t wait to redeem my voucher in May! You can be part of it by going to http://www.disneyparks.com/, finding a registered participant and volunteer project that suits you and signing up. Please read all the rules and instructions. It’s a bit complicated.

On My Writing: Carousel Kisses

I have exciting news about my book, Carousel Kisses! As most of you know, I wrote and self-published the book in 2005. In October of 2009, I met with my friend, Cindy Oldham, co-author of Kaleidoscope Memories, a book of short stories celebrating family life that she wrote with her two sisters. Cindy is the owner of Tide Dancer Publications in Kissimmee, Florida. We talked for hours about our families, our books, writing and publishing. She encouraged me to go further with my book. As usual, I had to ponder every aspect of such a project.

I am thrilled to announce that I finally made a decision to go global with Carousel Kisses and that Tide Dancer Publications is going to publish it!

Once I made up my mind, I worked hard on revisions that I believe will enhance the book. It still has the same stories and poetry as the original version, but I have added two new stories, one poem and lots of photos. If you read the original version and liked it, please tell your friends and family about it when it comes out. It will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobel.

I am in the process of creating a website specifically for the book and working on my next book, Sweet Violets.

I will let you know more on all of this as soon as possible.

On other writing news: I write a nostalgia column for North Shore Elder Services in their monthly newsletter, The Shoreline. The newsletter provides great information on health issues and services available to seniors and elders on the North Shore. I also post a link on Facebook.

Thank you for reading my blog.