My birthday is October 23rd. Autumn baby. Friday’s Child. Loving and giving.

I was born in Pensacola Florida 1959 at a US Navy Hospital.

My sister and brother were both born in North Carolina in the 2 subsequent years. We all had little Southern accents.

Then we grew up in our parents original home in Connecticut. New England killed the Southern accent. Stayed there until I went my sophomore-senior years to New York, then lived in NYC for 4 years before moving to Boston. You had to have a Boston accent to communicate up there. Too cold…Moved to Florida for a second time. Too hot!! 4 yrs later moved up to Martha’s Vineyard then to the Jersey Shore, then 22 years later back to Florida for a 3rd time! I guess I keep coming home!

You could say I’ve got the accents pretty much down pat.

When I lived in Fort Lauderdale in the 1980’s everyone was called “Bud” with a heavy drawl. It’s not like that now unless you’re really back country. Not sure if that’s true anymore.

When I first moved back to Naples FL to be near my friends who had moved there I was surprised at how much development had taken place in those years between 1986 and 2002 (I had started to visit them and moved 6 years later). And it was beautiful and comfortable.

I had started networking right away so it was easy for me to pick up work when I got my Florida massage license . What started as self-care became caring for others and my first ever Spa employment. My first full-time job in Naples was actually in Marco Island at the brand new (2008) Hilton Spa. I got to be in the original training program which took place for an entire month in one room with 40 or so people. We learned about products and protocols, service and operations. We had a close knit team. And then the Economic Collapse happened and only a few of us got to keep our jobs which were barely keeping us alive.

Even then I would come home after a long day and I’d get on the computer and arrange classes, applying to the various Boards and State and the various tasks that keep it going. I would work til midnight and then be on the road by 6 or 7 the next day. For two years I did that and then started working at LaPlaya Beach Resort in Naples. I loved working there because it was beautiful with wooden floors and garden views.

I was there until March 2020 when COVID struck the world. It didn’t make sense for me to expose myself to that virus and all the people who might be jet-setting around the globe so I stopped doing spa work and didn’t work again until June 2021 when I got my COVID vaccine.

During that time I learned about giving Webinars and arranging for them to be approved in the proper channels. I volunteered with Soul Lightening International Acupressure to update their programs many of which I teach. It was a very busy time. Enforced education.

I also gardened. I volunteered to beautify the back area of my condo association. It was good to be out on the Earth and was very worthwhile.

I still have a lot of class building to do and I am confident that it will go well and grow and it takes a lot of time and energy to do so. I have not gone back to spas and am only seeing private clients now and working on creating and building my classes.

I hope to be more free to travel sometime when COVID dies down. I miss my family in Connecticut and friends in various places that I would visit occasionally.

I have been to visit my father in Pompano Beach FL, 2 hours away, who will celebrate his 85th birthday this month. I enjoy joining him and my step-mom for lunch then he and I walk in the pool for an hour. He still plays golf three times a week. Does the grocery shopping and cooking. Keeps him young. That and the 11 Grand Children and 6 Great-Grand Children & 1-on-the-way!! It is a joy to watch our family grow. A really beautiful family. Very accomplished and lovely. Lots of handfuls. Heartfuls.