My Dorky Island Life
Thirty years ago, on our honeymoon, two teenagers (my husband and I) came down to the Texas coast and had a dream of one day living on this beautiful island. Fast forward to today, and we’ve been living that dream off and on for 4 years now. My husband (from here forward MSP or Mr. Sexy Pants) and I, along with roughly 15,000 other like-minded souls, have the absolute pleasure of waking up on, or near, the water every single day. Winning!
I’ve made some wonderful new friends over the past year, and just realized that I need to update the “About Me” portion of my blog for those new to my world.
My blog is called “Housecat in Paradise” because
#1 I nap a lot just like my 4 beautiful kitties, and
#2 I live in Paradise
I’ve never been an overly “neighborly” neighbor.
Example one.
I’ve tried the giving of gifts to introduce myself with horrible results. There I am, holding a plant for lack of a better idea, with my biggest hello smile on my face only to be met with wide eyes, a quick plant snatch out of my hands, and something mumbled as the door closed in my face. I never even got her name. Maybe I’m just not meant to be a welcome wagon.
Example two.
I walk my beloved pooch Willie up and down the streets surrounding our home, and met the cutest older gentleman named Bob. Bob and his dog are adorable so I approach and introduce myself. Bob is so happy that we bought our house and is delighted to meet us. I’m pumped. I’m being neighborly. Several times later, Willie and I are out walking around and I see Bob again so we wander over to say hi. With excited eyes Bob is again so delighted to meet us and wonders if we just bought our house. I don’t have the heart to tell Bob that this is the 4th time that we’ve met.
Another delight of the island is riding my bike. Boy, I haven’t ridden a bike since I was an unlicensed teenager and I don’t remember it being such a workout. I remember riding for hours, every day, and the pure joy of it. Now I’m using Map My Ride so I can not only find my way back home, but to also just make it a little longer of a ride than last time. Progress is key!
Last December I was feeling the spirit of the season and decided to just share my joy by taking the “Great Banana” out for a spin. My first bike in over 30 years! MSP wants me to wear a helmet, but I won’t tell if you don’t.
The kicker was I wore a Santa hat, my “Don’t Stop Believing” t-shirt and had a huge Bluetooth speaker in my cute little basket blaring Christmas music as I went. Sunny and 70 degrees, I caroled my way through the streets surrounding my house, and made a few people smile. Mission completed. Later on Facebook I posted my route and how much fun I had and was pleasantly surprised by comments of those who said I had made their day when they heard me and wondered where that music was coming from. Yearly tradition created!
Girl Time
Around 5 months ago I decided that I needed some girl time. One cannot live on dog walks, and bike rides alone so I researched island activities and joined a personal training studio PLUS a Womens Empowerment group. 2021 is my year y’all!
LifeFit Personal Training Studio www.lifefitpts.com was my first attempt at putting myself out there. Not only am I determined to make 49 years old look like 29 years old, but I’ve also met some of the most amazing women ever within those walls. Tasha, the owner, Nicole, and Amanda have already transformed my body, mind, and mentality in just 5 short months. The other ladies I work out with are real life inspirations to me, and I’m so happy to have met them all. I wear funny t-shirts like “Shut up legs, you’re fine”, and “Suck it up Buttercup” to help me laugh through the squats.
Next, I was accepted into Padre Islands Women’s Empowerment Group by the amazing Jolynn. JoLynn started this awesome group almost 3 years ago, and it has an astounding 818 members. Every month roughly 30 of us meet to “empower” each other and/or discuss how we can make the world/our island a better place. Let me tell you something. You want to talk about empowerment? These women are incredible. Mothers, teachers, nurses, professionals in their fields, retired, big-hearted, and powerful each in their own way. How much fun to spend time with all of them. My heart is full.
Everyday I have an adventure on this beautiful island whether it’s right off of my back deck jumping into the boat with MSP, or out and about discovering new things. One thing for certain is that I will continue to try to be a great neighbor, always have coffee if you want to stop by, and you may or may not see me out on the “Great Banana” singing a song, or walking Willie introducing myself to Bob. Again.
xoxo
House Cat in Paradise 