Where There's a Will, There's a Way

cemetery

The proverb where there's a will, there's a way is said to mean that if someone has the determination and desire to do something, they will find a way to achieve it. So, a strong will can overcome obstacles and lead to success. It seems to me that this applies equally well to a different kind of will - a last will and testament. Having one of those will help your heirs overcome legal obstacles and will help you succeed in making sure your estate goes to the people you intended without being tied up in court.

Today my community had a lunch and learn that discussed wills and trusts. We have had two wills done in the past - one when our first child was born, and the second as we neared retirement. They both were filed in Missouri, and it has been weighing on me that things might not go smoothly when one of us dies since we now live in North Carolina. The presenter today confirmed my fear. An out of state will is better than no will, but a death will be incredibly difficult for either one of us without complicating things having to go through probate.

The presentation was very good. I picked up some new information, and some additional things we should take into consideration when we update our will. Or go with a trust, which was not recommended by our attorney in Missouri. But years have gone by and we are in a different jurisdiction, so I'm not sure which direction the new document will go. The sponsoring organization offers a free one-hour consultation to Imagery residents, so I signed up to be contacted for that. This was just the motivation I needed to jump-start the process of updating our estate.

A Tropickle Vacation

Turks & Caicos

That's not a typo in the headline. We just returned from a pickleball trip to Turks & Caicos put on by Travel Shark, a local travel agency. They set up Tropickle Vacations to take pickleball enthusiasts to beautiful, tropical locations. This was their first trip, and it was held at Club Med, which boasts 10 dedicated pickleball courts!

I believe there were 24 in our group, which consisted of players who are rated 3.5 and above. We had folks from Alaska, Utah, Florida, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina and North Carolina. Most of them are in their 30s and 40s, and I had suspected that we would be the grandparents in the group. That was close to being the case, but we are used to playing with the younger set so it was no big deal.

While the Club Med is showing its age, you just can't beat the location. It is a short 3 hour flight from Charlotte, and the islands are gorgeous! I had requested a balcony ocean view room, and that is what we got. We could see the sunsets from the balcony, though we usually chose to go to the beach for a broader experience. The resort is on the small side, with only one swimming pool and a restaurant, though a bar called Sharkies serves a few items a couple times a day.

beautiful sunsets

Eight of the pickleball courts were installed on two tennis courts. While they are dedicated courts, in order to get that many on they had to orient the courts east/west. This makes it miserable in the early morning and the later afternoon as the sun is in your eyes. That is really unfortunate. The other two dedicated courts are properly oriented north/south.

The weather was nice and sunny, with the high hitting 78 degrees each day (the low was always 77). But the winds! Each day they were 20 mph, with gusts up to 25-27 mph. That made play very challenging, especially with the pickleballs being so light in weight. Sometimes you just had to laugh as you anticipated the ball being in one place and the wind would blow it to another. Generally the pros will not play if the wind exceeds 15 mph.

Tropickle players

We had some time to snorkel, which we always enjoy. They had a big party for the Super Bowl, and while I didn't necessarily care who won the game, it was fun to watch the game on the three big screens with a lot of other people.

Overall, it was a relaxing and fun trip. While I would definitely go back to Turks & Caicos, I would probably look for a different place to stay. Club Med was built in the 1980s and has only been updated once since then and it shows.

Hoping for a New Dawn

Sometimes when the world gets crazy and the news headlines make my heart beat too fast or shatter all together, I just have to take a deep breath and go outside to let Mother Nature do her thing.

Skin Cancer Number 20

skin cancer biopsy

Tuesday was my six month checkup with the dermatologist. Since I have had so many skin cancers, she has me come in every six months for a full body review. There was a pre-cancerous spot on my left arm that she zapped with liquid nitrogen, but also a spot on my right arm near the shoulder that she was concerned about. It looked suspiciously like the squamous cell she removed from my left arm last March. She removed a small piece for biopsy.

Surprisingly I received the path report this morning. That came back fast! It was indeed cancer, only this time an early basal cell. The doctor cannot fit me in until March 5th for removal of it. Because it is so small and a basal cell, she will again do an ED&C procedure to take it off and I won't require Moh's surgery. This makes skin cancer number 20, of which 4 were squamous cell and 16 basal cell. Early detection is the key here, but holy moly that is a lot of skin cancer!

The Not So Sunshine State

January 14th we began our drive down to Florida to visit friends from our neighborhood. Our first stop was Palm Coast, where the Hamiltons spend their winter on a small yacht. While we had been on the boat before, we had never gone out on it with them. The weather was cool and a bit windy, but it cooperated enough that we were able to boat on the intercostal waterway for a few hours. It was fun, and it's always great to see them!

Palm Coast

After a couple days in Palm Coast we headed south to Key Largo. I had been there once before in 1991 for a meeting, but Jim had never visited. In Key Largo we stayed with the Staleys in their condo. Again it was unseasonably cold and rainy for this part of Florida. Our plan was to get in lots of pickleball, but we only had good enough weather to do that once. One day was actually sunny and warm, and we went out on the Staleys boat. I loved seeing the birds, dolphins and the manatee that came to drink the fresh water from the hose. That ended up being our one and only warm, sunshiny day the whole trip. Again, we made the best of the situation and enjoyed being with our friends.

Key Largo

Our next stop was a quick one in Naples, where we had lunch with the Bambergers. I had met them in 2017 in St. Louis through pickleball. I wish we would have more time, but it was good to reconnect with them in person rather than just through Facebook.

Naples

The last destination was Port Charlotte to visit the Stuckeys. It rained every day but one, and even that day was quite cool. No pickleball for me as I did not pack warm enough clothes to play outside, but Jim was able to play once. We did visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates, which we really liked. It was nice to get outside and walk, even if it was cool and windy yet again. 

We ended up staying one extra day in Port Charlotte as it was bitterly cold and snowy in the Charlotte area. When we did leave we drove straight through, which we normally don't do. But with the weather not cooperating, there was really no place we wanted to stop and see for the night.

Port Charlotte

Note to self - maybe going to Florida in January is not a good idea! 

Ring out the Old

Despite the fact that we didn't have any company in town for the holidays, we managed to visit a couple of nice Christmas displays in our area. The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden does a great job with their lights, and nearby McAdenville is a must if the weather cooperates. We had great weather for both events, and it was pleasant walking around to really enjoy the decorations.

Christmas lights

For the first time in our 46 years of marriage, my husband and I spent Christmas Eve and Day on our own. Early on we always traveled to either his parents or my parents, even after we started our family. After we moved to North Carolina in 2019, our kids came here to be with us. But this December our daughter couldn't get the time away from her job, and our son and his family went to his in-laws for the holiday.

We ended up opening gifts via FaceTime on Christmas Eve with our daughter. We made our signature Cranberry Cosmopolitan, and put on music in the background. While it wasn't ideal, I'm grateful for the technology that makes it possible to do a virtual gathering.

On New Year's Eve we drove up to our son and daughter-in-law's house to do our gift exchange with them. Again making our signature cocktail, we got our daughter on FaceTime and we opened up our presents together. It was a nice way for everyone to catch up. The next morning afternoon we again used FaceTime for our granddaughter to open her presents with her aunt. Hopefully we can all be together in 2025.