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1. 

   hurtseachday2

   576 Kudos

   11/05/09

   
   

   
   

2. 

   sleepingbeauty777

   6016 Kudos

   10/14/09

   

   
   Original comment »

3. 

   sleepingbeauty777

   6016 Kudos

   10/12/09

   

   10/13/09

   Reply from Noela2:

   That sure is an amazing way to spend a Monday! Thanks for sharing!
   

4. 

   aleine23

   1489 Kudos

   08/20/09

   kudos for you!
   

5. 

   sleepingbeauty777

   6016 Kudos

   03/10/09

   

   
   

6. 

   tecjb

   198 Kudos

   01/04/09

   I'm excited about going down in February- it's been forever since we've been down, I just hope that Jonathan stays well so we can go and don't have to cancel.
   
   So.. what made you move from Sarasota to Spain?
   
   Leslie
   Original comment »

   01/05/09

   Reply from Noela2:

   Leslie,
   
   To make a long story short - we moved to Spain 2 years ago for a couple of different reasons. My husband and my dad (now deceased) were both from the little town of Noia in the northwest of Spain. We (hubby & I) met here when I was 16 years-old and was visiting my cousins during my summer vacation. We subsequently got married here and our two children were both born here. We went back over to the States and lived in Sussex County, NJ, and then in Sarasota. My father was disabled for a number of years, but he and my mom lived in Sun City Center (a beautiful retirement town near Tampa) and my mom was able to take care of him. Two years ago, my mom broke her hip and then BOTH of them needed care. We had bought our condo here in Spain a couple of years before and decided to retire early and take care of my parents here because the socialized medicine pays for all of our doctor's bills, prescriptions, hospitals, etc. With my FM and all of the drugs I take, there is no way we could have retired so early in the States (especially with the cost of health insurance). By moving here, we were able to move my parents (now just my mom) into their own place and get them outside care. We really love our life here! Besides being such a beautiful place, we have all of my hubby's family here and we are very close with them. I see my mom every day (I make our dinner at her place so that we can check up on her and make sure she gets a good healthy meal). The only thing I really miss are the kids and our granddaughter.
   
   I really hope that everything works out for you to take the trip in February. When we used to take vacations to Sarasota (before we moved down there), just a week or two in that beautiful place was enough to renew our spirits and get us through the long NJ winters! I was just thinking - another fun "touristy" thing to do down there is to go on the L'Barge tour boat. It is a little "cheesy" (the boat has great big palm trees on it and gigantic mermaids) but they have music, drinks and burger-type food, and give you a great view of Sarasota Bay at night. :)
   
   Bye for now! Adios!
   
   Jo
   

7. 

   tecjb

   198 Kudos

   01/04/09

   Hi Jo. Oh yes, Kilwins, that's my husband's and oldest daughters favorite. Hubby gets Makinac Island Fudge ice cream. So, when we are up in St. Armand's we have to go to both places, just for ice cream. Did you ever go to Shells? That was a nice seafood restaurant- although they have closed most of them now. Sharkey's is really good- although there is this really cute little place near Nokomis Beach called Pops Ttropigrill. It's soooo nice there- good reasonably priced food and great ambiance.
   
   It is a small world, and when I heard you mention Sarasota... I just had to comment. That's our old stomping ground- Siesta Beach is just the best- and a favorite stop of ours every time we are up there.
   
   Too bad about the New Orleans style place... I would have loved to visited in February! Leslie
   Original comment »

   01/04/09

   Reply from Noela2:

   Hi Leslie,
   
   We used to go to Olaf's a lot because sometimes the line at Kilwin's (especially during "tourist season") was SO long. Both have excellent ice cream!! We've been to Shell's a few times. We've been gone now for over two years, so I didn't realize they were closing the Shells restaurants. The Old Salty Dog (on the channel that divides Longboat Key from St. Armand's Circle) was always our all-time favorite. The good thing about it is that it is not super-expensive. Some of the St. Armand's restaurants can be pretty expensive, so we only went there on special occasions. Among them I've been to Hemingway's (very good), Cafe L'Europe (also very good), Tommy Bahama's (we were a little disappointed with the food - our chicken was undercooked on two separate occasions), and the Columbia Restaurant (good - but not authentic Spanish food - trust me). We used to own a sailboat and did a lot of sailing on Sarasota Bay.
   
   I hope you really have fun in February. The weather should be real nice then - sunny and dry. Let me know if I can fill you in on anything else.
   
   Jo
   
   PS - You are right! Siesta Beach is the BEST beach! We used to go all of the time. :)
   

8. 

   tecjb

   198 Kudos

   01/03/09

   Noelia, I wrote to you on yesterday's daily (1-2-09) check it out! Leslie

   01/03/09

   Reply from Noela2:

   Hi Leslie,
   
   Small world isn't it? We lived in Sarasota for 13 years before we moved here to Spain. The place we used to go to for the begnets has unfortunately closed. :( It was a New Orleans-style cafe and bakery right on St. Armand's Circle (not far from Olaf's). Another real good ice cream store is Kilwin's - they make homemade fudge there and all kinds of chocolates, truffles, etc. We used to love to go to St. Armand's and "play tourist" on Friday or Saturday nights. If you are looking for a real neat (inexpensive) old-Florida style restaurant right on the water - go to the Old Salty Dog (across the street from Mote Marine). We used to go down to Venice to Sharkey's on the Pier for dinner once in a while. Hope you have a good trip down to Sarasota/Venice!! If you need any other suggestions on places to go see/restaurants, etc., let me know. Jo
   

9. 

   jillybromley

   278 Kudos

   12/23/08

   Dear Jo,
   
   Wishing you and all your family a very Happy Christmas and wishing you many blessings and improved health for 2009.
   
   Your posts are always so upbeat and cheerful. They have such a marvellous effect on me, and I wanted to drop by to say thankyou.
   
   with warm hugs
   
   
   

   01/05/09

   Reply from Noela2:

   Jilly,
   
   I just saw your post. Am I blind or what??? I almost never get messages, so I didn't even bother to check my account. I always enjoy reading your posts too! I love your great sense of humor and the way you put others at ease and make them feel good. I hope that 2009 brings you all good things - happiness, joy, relief from pain, good health, and fun! -- Jo
   

10. 

    Lene Gulliksen

    1297 Kudos

    08/20/08

    

    
    

    08/20/08

    Reply from Noela2:

    Thak you for the nice card!
    
    Have a great day!
    
    Jo
    

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