Hi Janet, Nan and Jeanne and everyone!
Amazingly, I haven't gotten any bounced emails back, so hoping to hear from more of us soon. I'll start!
We moved to North Carolina permanently 3 years ago this past January, after having the house built in 2017. Well, I liked the area as a vacation spot, but not so much for full-time living. First of all, it is very, very different in the south. The food is nowhere near what we are used to, the locals can be hostile (though never to your face, bless their hearts), and worst of all, the local (only) hospital is terrible. Also, in case anyone is ever thinking about it, do not ever move to a community that is primarily retirees. All anyone does is complain about their knees and hips and the women can be really clique-y, gossiping about each other and generally acting like middle schoolers (who at least have an excuse for their behavior). My place is not age-restricted, but there are very few families here. On top of that, the town I am in (Leland - across the river from Wilmington, NC) - is bursting at the seams with people moving here from up north. We are bringing all the problems that we had up there down here....traffic, overcrowding, high prices, etc. They have gotten so greedy, charging $6 an hour or more to park at the beaches - that is, if you can find a spot. Environmentally terrible - high PFA's in water, burning trees for new developments creating poor air quality, general disregard for animals and wildlife......well, I could go on, but you get the idea. (We are about 1 hour north of Myrtle Beach, SC).
So I have been deciding for literally a couple of years now on where to go. I have thought of NJ, but more south....my brother lives part-time in Barnegat. Eh, I don't know. I think it's a lot like here....beach area, packed in summer, dead the rest of the time. Right now I am thinking of the Raleigh area (more well-educated, more things to do). My daughter lived there until we moved here full-time - that same year, she meets a guy and moves to Seattle. OY. She wants me to go out there....well, it's super expensive, traffic is miserable, everyone else is on the East coast, and most of all, I don't trust her. HA! My other choice, as much as I hate the heat, is Tampa. My son and his wife live there with their two girls, who are 6 and 8 and growing up so fast. I hate missing it. As much as I am not a fan of Florida, besides them, my brother and his wife have a place in St. Pete's half the year, and we have other friends there. Also, my son Chris, who lives in Morristown (Canfield Ave., right near you, Nan) goes to Tampa often to visit friends....but we never see him in NC, lol. Anyway, I need to get out of here before I lose my mind - even though everyone else seems to think it's Shangri-La.
Okay, enough about that for now. Jeanne, glad to hear you are okay and I would be very interested in hearing more about NOOM and how it is working for you. I am in the same boat and really need to do something about it.
Is everyone else still in the area? I don't come up to NJ as much as I used to, but when I do, I would love it if we could arrange a get-together. In spite of everything that happened to us, we had our group, which was a source of strength, laughter and love that I truly miss. On the medical front, I finally had my ovaries and tubes removed last year due to my gene mutation now having a connection to ovarian cancer. I went to Duke - the cancer center there looks like a hotel; it's really amazing. Another reason for looking to move into that area. Dr. Papish always told me, if something happens, go to Duke. I didn't trust the local hospital for a surgery. Got there at 11:30 am for a scheduled surgery time of 1:45 p.m. Well, they didn't take me to the back until 3 pm, where I sat until 6 pm. Was released at 10 pm at night and of course was starving. Another plus for that area is that they have Wegmans and it was open till midnight, so we were able to get some food. We don't have that where I live. Duke was just packed with people and helicopters flying in. They were wonderful, but overwhelming. I really miss our hospital. Well, you know what I mean 🥰
I am looking forward to hearing all about all of you now. Write when you can!
xoxo
Nancy