Oh my, it's July!!

I can't believe it is July already!  It seems like yesterday was the first of June and school was letting out for the summer.  The weather has been gorgeous, great for outdoor activities. Bill and I have been riding our bikes quite often.  Sunday we took them to Fort Wayne and rode the River Greenway there from New Haven, downtown to Headwaters Park.  It was a nice ride and I'm sure we will take our bikes again and ride a different part of the trail. 


Yesterday was the 4th of July.  Bill played golf in the morning, I frosted cupcakes and baked some cookies that later were turned into ice cream sandwiches.  

Late afternoon, my daughter Ashlee and her two children came over for a cookout.  She brought her boyfriend Casey and his two children along with her.  After dinner Ashlee and Casey beat Bill and me in a game of bean bag toss, and I beat Ashlee 2 out of 3 games of Wii Bowling.  The kids played with water shooters and stayed busy outside.  

Later in the evening we all went over to some friends' house to watch Bluffton's firework display from their front yard.  I was happy that my daughter Brooke and her family were able to join us for that part of the evening.  Watching the fireworks from the Coleman's front yard is becoming a tradition for us.  The fireworks were great and the kids had a wonderful time.  At first, Charli, my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter, watched the fireworks with her hands over her ears - just too cute! (I really should learn to take pictures of the things that happen in my life so I could share them with you.)      

There are some things I'd like to do with the grandkids this summer, so I guess I had better get busy and plan them or summer will be gone.  Some friends of ours have a pool and I want to take them over there for an afternoon of swimming, and I want to take them to the splash pad.  That's something I can do even if I don't have a lot of time - even if I have an extra hour that is plenty of time.  Maybe tomorrow I can do that.  The kids will love it! 

I'll be sure and take my camera - the above photo is from last year.

My Husband Bought Me a New Bike!

I had a bike.  In fact, I just got it last year.  It was like brand new.  I barely rode it.  So why in the world did I agree to get a new bike?  A better bike.  I don't know, but I did. 

Bill was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  I'm really proud of him for the way he has changed his eating habits.  He's cut sweets and and a lot of carbs out of his diet - better than I probably could if I had to.  This really breaks my heart, because if you know Bill, you know he enjoyed his food so much.  He dislikes exercise as much as I do, but he likes to ride his bike.   He had a bike.  He wanted a new bike.  A better bike.  

Some friends of ours bought new bikes last year.  Schwinn Trail Way 28" bikes.  They're a hybrid bike.  I don't even know what that means!  They really liked them.  We went shopping.  Target carries them, so I called around.  This Target had the Men's, that Target had the Ladies.   It was an adventure just buying them!


Well, in the past I rarely visited the River Greenway, but in the past two weeks I've been there more than I was there all last year. 

 We love to go to the Greenway and ride out to Oubache State Park. 

 Who would have thought that a better bike would be so much more enjoyable to ride.  I didn't.  We are enjoying our new bikes immensely.  


I'm curious...what would a really expensive bike ride like? 

It Won't Be Long....

until the sun will be shining and people will want to be outside doing something.  I don't care if I'm just sitting on my deck, I can't wait to have the sun warming my skin.  My husband will be playing golf.  


There are two golf courses here in Wells county.  Timber Ridge Golf Course is located at 2330 E 250 North, and Green Valley Golf Course is located at 2635 E 150 North.  If Bill plays in Wells county you will most likely find him at Timber Ridge.  HOWEVER, I would venture to say that there are at least 100 golf courses within a 50 mile radius of Bluffton, and he will visit quite a lot of them over the course of the golfing season. If you like to play golf you can probably find a course within 15 - 20 minutes of your home.  


One place that will be a hub of activity is the River Greenway.  It is accessible all year long to pedestrians and bicycles, but only the true fitness enthusiasts use it in the winter months.  When nice weather arrives you will see all the fair weather people (which I am a part of) walking or riding their bikes.  The Greenway begins at Wabash River Park (located just a block north of City Hall) and goes out to  Ouabache State Park.  The Greenway is a great way to commune with nature while getting some exercise.

Ouabache State Park is another great place, and Bluffton is very fortunate to have it close by.  For family fun you can't beat a day at the park.   You can picnic, hike, fish, swim, camp, or much more.  


To see all the wonderful parks that Bluffton offers, click on this link for the Bluffton Parks and Recreation's page.  Bluffton has a park for just about everyone....even the dogs!  For me, I love to take my grandchildren to the Splash Pad.  

Whatever you like to do outdoors, I'm sure Bluffton/Wells County has something for you!! 


Come on Mr. Sun, We're waiting for you!!!! 

This is my first Blog post!

What am I doing here?


Today I had continuing ed.    


I'm a REALTOR.  Every two years REALTORS have to take 16 hours of continuing education before being able to renew our Real Estate licenses.  Brokers renew their licenses in the odd years, and Agents renew their's in the even years.  I have a Broker's license so this is my year. 

This year's classes were held at the Bluffton Wells County Public Library.  What a great facility we have in our library (I'll save more info about the Library for another post).  There were about 40 real estate professionals in attendance.  I was fortunate that I only needed four additional hours to complete the 16 hour requirement.  I attended yesterday from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. and then again today for the same hours.  Yesterday's class was on Indiana License Law - very boring.  Today's topic was Social Media.....so here I am!  Socializing through media.  


The instructor was Allie Hostetter from IAR (Indiana Association of REALTORS).  She is young and very tech savvy. I don't know how many of the participants in the class will do anything with the things she talked about.  She talked about Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other things,  I have a Facebook page for myself and a business page for our real estate firm Facebook/McBride & Associates Real Estate. Allie also talked about blogging. I thought it sounded like fun and one thing that I could have in addition to our Facebook page.  So, here I am.    


From time to time I will come here and talk about the things that are going on in my life and our community.  So, please stop by and visit me!