Moving, Staying, Retiring

Huntington Beach CA 2012

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

My head is spinning. I have dived in to my new ocean and I'm swimming in the swirling waters. For those of you who don't know, upon our return home from SoCal, Rob and I bought a smaller home in Lexington, SC where we'll some day retire. Look at your map and you'll find Lexington just northwest of Columbia, the capital of SC. Our cozy brick home is on a golf course with a small lake in our backyard--yep, we're trading one lake for another-- surrounded by tall Carolina pines. The club house looks like a big barn because the property was once a dairy farm. No cows left, but lots of squirrels, geese, and deer.

Our daughter Jacquie, hubby Tom and granddaughter Destinee live on the much larger Lake Murray about ten minutes northeast us. We've been apart for over five years so having them close by is a blessing indeed. We're not too far from their office, Life Wellness Center, so that makes me a happy camper. With shops and eateries close by, it makes for a nice place to retire. Retire? What does that actually mean? I'll let you know down the road a ways.

Our Fort Mill home is still for sale so we'll be living here for awhile until Rob retires next year. In the meantime, you'll find us driving down the Interstate every week or so, taking bits and pieces of furniture and treasures (that's what I call my stuff I can't part with). But right now I have a desk full of correspondence to answer, bills to pay, a manuscript to revise, and floors to swifter, and of course, little Popcorn to take for a cold brisk walk. Bye for now ... happy sailing and oceans of blessings!

Come unto me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 NIV

wRiting, Running and Romance

Huntington Beach--Surf City--January 2012

The gift of life unwraps itself through TIME; all we need to do is sit back and enjoy its contents.

If I could put TIME in a bottle...wish I could. But TIME has its own schedule. Hopefully we are learning to fit treasured memories into each fleeting moment before its too late. Take some free time to wRite those memories down; beLeaf me, you won't remember them all. I now wish I would have kept more journals. I kept a Running Journal when I trained for my first--and last--half marathon. I even wRote a book about the parallels of Running our physical and spiritual race, taken from Hebrews 12:1. I'm dusting thee old manuscript off and I'm excited about the project, Lady on the Run ... or perhaps Lady and the Road ... don't know for sure yet. TIME will tell.

And for the record, I'm taking more time to get that Romantic feeling with my cowboy, the feelings that ye old menopause tries to steal away. Beware, ladies, Ms. Meno can come in like a roaring lion and stay for long periods of TIME. Don't allow her to steal the Romance out of your Relationship. Aunt Eunice has a few words to say about that in her next blog.

The passing of Whitney Houston reminded me once again of how precious life is. How critical our daily choices are. The importance of when we almost drown in a storm, Jesus is there to lift us back up, and with His grace we continue towards the finish line that He has set before us. Yes, at times we are weak, but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves us. He loves Whitney. We love her too.

Shout and sing for joy, you people of Jerusalem, because the Holy One of Israel does great things before your eyes.

Isaiah 12:6 NCV

Books, Birthdays, BeLeaf

January 30th: I'm spending the last hours of my 65th year pondering a few special moments. There were so many, but here are a few random thoughts...

March 2011: I completed my manuscript, Lady and the Sea and submitted to WestBow Press.

May: my annual Grits Getaway brought girlfriends from SoCal, New York, and Boston.

June: Our daughter & family moved from SoCal to South Carolina ( just a stone's throw away from us.)

October: Lady and the Sea was released on Rob's birthday.

December: A month full of book signings, my East Coast Book Launch Party, and a family Christmas.

January: 23rd: Sold our SoCal house in 7 days!

29th: West Coast Book Launch Party with friends galore!

My sixty-fifth year was the best! Now I am excited to see what my sexty-sex year holds. I am ready to lose sight of my familiar shore and dive in to a new ocean that God has waiting just for me! How about you? What are you waiting for? God has some exciting oceans for you too. All you have to do is have faith, and beLeaf. Oceans of blessings and I'll see you on the radio!

Traveling Lady

Zion Nat'l Park ~ January 2012 ~ first snow of the season

I shall keep this short. I've traveled from Carolina to So-Cal to Utah in 3 days. Lots going on .

A few random thoughts: I'm having a fun time with my 89-year-old Dad. Today brother John drove me to Zion National Park and we saw the first snow of the season! Rob is doing a great job in SoCal with the house -- we already have two offers, so we'll see what God has in store.

Here's a friendly reminder to drop by our west coast book launch open house on Sunday January 29th, 2 - 5 pm Pacific. Location: 712 Huntington Street, Huntington Beach, CA. Hope to see you there.

Read a fun review of Lady and the Sea online at www.mycarolinatownfortmill.com

(page 12).

See you on the radio!

Lady Traveler says, Let's Get Moving!

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation.

For when you return to your work, your judgement will be surer.

I am writing to make a little announcement to all my non-Facebook friends who live in sunny Southern California. Rob and I are flying to SoCal January 15th for a three-week stay. Our long-time renters have to move, so our trip will be a combination of work and play. We are selling our home in Surf City so lots of preparations are already taking place before we even land on California soil. I look forward to spending the first week visiting my Dad in Utah, and staying with my brother & his wife near Zion National Park.

When I return to H.B., for once we have determined that we will not be hitting the mad freeways ... we are staying put at the beach, taking advantage of bike rides along the coast, dining at our favorite eateries, and hanging out with friends. This trip will be quite different because both Jacquie (45) and Shawn (38) have exited California. Jason (38) is still residing in California, for now.

After our house has had it's extreme makeover, I am going to throw a West Coast Book Launch Open House for my debut novel, Lady and the Sea. Rob and I would love for you to stop by. Our friend, Tia Diton will be furnishing yummy desserts and coffee. Her business, Dolce Tia, is thriving and you'll taste why--I am so happy for my beau-TIA-ful Italian mama!

The event will take place Sunday, January 29th, 2 to 5pm at 712 Huntington Street, Huntington Beach, CA (our house).

We hope to see you then, my warm California friends!

Oceans of blessings!

www.sharonleaf.com