Any of my readers who have been with me for a while will know that I am divorced. If you followed along at all while I was going through the process, you may have heard me talk about the fact that my ex refused any and all forms of Marriage Counseling prior to the decision. That was devastating for me. I was willing to do anything at all to ensure that we were not part of the 50% statistic and that my child would grow up in a two-parent household.

I have always been a believer in the truth that marriage is a relationship that deserves hard work and effort. Counseling is part of that, because involving an impartial third party allows neutrality that is close to impossible when two people who know one another very well are trying to press forward through difficult issues.

I advocate pre-marriage counseling in order to make sure issues of finances; child rearing and lifestyle have been appropriately explored. I think counseling during trying times in a marriage is often times a life saver: a new child, a death in the family, the loss of a job, a move, an illness. We actually went though all of the examples I just listed and we did it alone. I was only once able to coax the Ex into counseling and that ended up leading immediately to individual counseling for him rather than actual marriage counseling.

When the issue of divorce came up, involving an unbiased counselor should have been our absolute first move. Running directly to an attorney is never the right reaction. Matters of the heart are not the realm of lawyers.

I continue to champion the concept of marriage counseling when I talk to my married friends. Although a marriage is a personal relationship in many ways, you can’t beat the benefit of having someone who is able to look at both of you without taking sides and see the situation through new eyes. That is true for any relationship.

It’s been a very fortunate hurricane season in the Tampa Bay area this year. So far, nothing has really even come close to hitting here. Of course, that sure hasn’t encouraged the insurance companies to stop dumping policies and raising rates.

Hurricaine Noel looked for a while like it might ration out some nasty weather for Miami Beach and surrounding. What has happened, though, is that the storm turned northeast. They system should be going out into the Atlantic Ocean. Noel has recently strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane as it moved away from the Bahamas into the Atlantic Ocean.

It is expected that by Friday, Noel will be not threat at all to Florida. We’ve had some pretty breezes, though, and that is always welcome this time of year. It puts an emphasis on the cool air and pleasant conditions.

I have a lot of friends that I like buying for when Christmas comes. I’m the practical type, though. If you receive a gift from me, it is more than likely not going to be a knick knack that will sit and collect dust, or a cheap pen set, or dime store perfume. I like to buy gifts I know will be used and if I can find a way to do so, I like my gifts to be consumable.

I love things like the Fruit of the Month Club. I can hardly think of a single person who would not absolutely love to get a shipment of fresh fruit every month, a gift that changes each time and certainly won’t sit around gathering dust or taking up space on your mantel.

This gift is especially appropriate for my friend Sonia. She lives in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the middle of the city, where space is limited. What room she does have is filled to the brim with stacks of books. Books are her passion. She also loves good food, though, and her kitchen is actually relatively uncluttered. By sending her five pounds of gourmet fruit each, I know she will not only love what she receives, she will also be able to enjoy it and not worry about where she is going to store it for years to come.

I live in Florida and I have an amazing array of fruit trees in my yard (star fruit, blood orange, naval orange, lemon, etc.), but it’s an awful lot of trouble to ship fruit. And, I have shipped in the winter and the things I send freeze in transit. I would rather rely on a company used to shipping fruit on a daily basis.

Plus, with an actual minimal amount of effort on my part, she will have something arrive on her doorstep 12 times this year that will remind her how much I love her. How sweet is that?

Officials at the Tampa International Airport announced today that they plan on building a 3.5-mile light rail system to link with the possible future regional rail system that Tampa Bay area leaders have been discussing again recently.

There has been talk of building a light rail system in this area for a while now, but talks about earmarking funds seem to have been stepped lately. A regional system would years away, but if the airport has a system in place first, it could possibly propel the momentum for the regional system to actually happen.

As it stands, we do not have an easy-to-use public transportation system in the area. There are buses, but they have their own pitfalls. I think a rail system would be fantastic, especially for tourists. Think of how great it would be to go to Busch Gardens or to a Bucs game and not have to drive or cab.

I have written about my maternal grandmother in the past. She had Alzheimer’s disease and we lost her in August of this year. It was rather like dealing with a very long death process that lasted for years. She was gradually pulled away from those she loved by her failing memory. Although she never forgot my voice, my face, my name; she could never recall who Gigi was. There were pictures of my daughter next to her bed, so when we visited her in Ohio last Christmas, she said, “those eyes. I know those eyes.” That was all she could remember about her own great-grandchild, though.

Your own memories are one of the most cherished possessions you will ever own. They are yours and nothing can change that, but Alzheimer’s can and does rob people every day of their memories.

The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America has an annual initiative that it carries out in tandem with other organizations and healthcare professionals all over the U.S. Every November you can find facilities offering free memory screenings. This year National Memory Screening Day is November 13.

The early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related illnesses can allow for early intervention and greater chances for success in beating the disease. Participating sites will conduct the free memory screenings, as well as follow up resources and educational materials to those concerned about memory loss.

Several Kmart pharmacies in my area here in Florida will host the screenings on November 16. I plan to make it a family affair for the women in my family. My mother, my sister and I will all get screened together and I feel like our efforts will honor my grandmother and acknowledge the very real risk that Alzheimer’s is in our family.

And remember, it’s not too late to help those who arte already suffering the loss of their pasts at the hands of Alzheimer’s. You can still ensure quality care for sufferers by making a contribution to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.

There are so many preventative measures you can take to stave off Alzheimer’s: stay active, engage in mentally stimulating activities, and don’t put off social activities that will allow you to interact with others.

…and not in a good way!

I went to a dermatologist this morning. I initially made an appointment due to a small spot I have on my back. It became inflamed this weekend and I wanted to get the ball rolling to have that taken care of once and for all. While I was at it, I decided to talk to the doctor about the acne issues I have been facing.

As a teenager, I had perfect skin. Literally, I had skin that was flawless, enviable. I could have probably not washed my face and still had skin to die for. Starting in my mid-30s, though, I started to experience adult acne. It’s not terrible, but sometimes I have small bumps on my forehead or I break out in my t-zone monthly. The bad part of it has been trying to re-learn how to care for my skin.

I walked out of that office with four prescriptions: an antibiotic, a body wash and 2 facial washes. *sigh* I’m putting off calling my insurance company for a couple hours to find out what the co-pays will be. I want to delay the sticker shock.

Now, if I could only get my teen figure back.