What made you happy this week?

​For me: 

Time with friends, lots of reading, recognizing my energy limits, a calendar that’s only half full, being offline more, a fun Italian movie with Peter. 

And always a fresh loaf of bread.

Lakeland mural tour

 got info from 2025 from FB

Heres a fun scavenger hunt. #LALtoday posted murals around lakeland, and I asked ChatGPT to organize them into a tour.

If you want to make it a challenge, the Amazing Race Lakeland Edition, you can just print and cut out the addresses into slips of paper and hand them to teams, and have them race to take their photos in front of it.

Lakeland Murals tour

L’Hermione

Address: 3825 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Bartow: Head north on US-98 N/Bartow Rd for approximately 10 miles. The mural is on the right side.

You Are Beautiful

Address: 4520 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from L’Hermione: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for about 1.5 miles. The mural is on the right.

LoveBird Almost Famous Chicken

Address: 2101 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from You Are Beautiful: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for approximately 2.3 miles. The mural is on the right.

Florida

Address: 740 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from LoveBird Almost Famous Chicken: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for about 1.4 miles. The mural is on the left.

Dixieland mural

Address: 950 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Florida: Head north on S. Florida Ave. for approximately 0.2 miles. The mural is on the left.

Flights of Fancy

Address: 901 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Dixieland mural: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for about 0.1 miles. The mural is on the right.

360 Unlimited

Address: 911 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Flights of Fancy: The mural is adjacent to Flights of Fancy at the same address.

Crape Blossoms

Address: 913 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from 360 Unlimited: The mural is next to 360 Unlimited at the same address.

Let’s Ride

Address: 1058 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Crape Blossoms: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for about 0.2 miles. The mural is on the right.

AstroKnights

Address: 844 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Let’s Ride: Head south on S. Florida Ave. for approximately 0.2 miles. The mural is on the left.

Dixieland THEN

Address: 948 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from AstroKnights: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for about 0.1 miles. The mural is on the right.

Lakeland swan mural

Address: 1035 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Dixieland THEN: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for approximately 0.1 miles. The mural is on the left.

Angel Selfie Wall

Address: 1113 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Lakeland swan mural: Continue north on S. Florida Ave. for about 0.1 miles. The mural is on the left.

Welcome to Lakeland

Address: 110 W. Highland St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Angel Selfie Wall: Head north on S. Florida Ave. for approximately 0.2 miles, then turn left onto W. Highland St. The mural is on the left.

Tobacco Leaf

Address: 112 S. Tennessee Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Welcome to Lakeland: Head east on W. Highland St. toward S. Missouri Ave., turn left onto S. Missouri Ave., then right onto E. Main St., and finally left onto S. Tennessee Ave. The mural is on the right.

Watchful Woman

Address: 235 N. Florida Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Tobacco Leaf: Head north on S. Tennessee Ave. toward E. Lemon St., turn left onto E. Lemon St., and then right onto N. Florida Ave. The mural is on the right.

Magnolias

Address: 230 N. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Watchful Woman: Head north on N. Florida Ave. toward E. Pine St., turn left onto E. Pine St., and then right onto N. Kentucky Ave. The mural is on the right.

Exploring Innovation

Address: 235 N. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Magnolias: Continue north on N. Kentucky Ave. for about 0.1 miles. The mural is on the left.

Rec Room

Address: 202 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Exploring Innovation: Head south on N. Kentucky Ave. toward E. Pine St., turn left onto E. Pine St., and then right onto N. Massachusetts

Butterfly Wall

Address: 310 E. Pine St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Rec Room: Head south on N. Massachusetts Ave. toward E. Pine St., turn left onto E. Pine St. The mural is on the left.

Art/ifact Studios Mural

Address: 820 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Butterfly Wall: Head north on N. Massachusetts Ave. for approximately 0.5 miles. The mural is on the right.

Artcade Mural

Address: 1035 E. Main St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Art/ifact Studios Mural: Head south on N. Massachusetts Ave., turn left onto E. Main St. The mural is on the right.

Blue Sky Mural

Address: 114 E. Parker St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Artcade Mural: Head west on E. Main St., turn right onto N. Kentucky Ave., then left onto E. Parker St. The mural is on the right.

Tapestry Mural

Address: 220 E. Pine St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Blue Sky Mural: Head south on N. Kentucky Ave., turn left onto E. Pine St. The mural is on the left.

Wildflower Mural

Address: 221 N. Tennessee Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Tapestry Mural: Head west on E. Pine St., turn right onto N. Tennessee Ave. The mural is on the left.

Sunflower Mural

Address: 207 E. Bay St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Wildflower Mural: Head south on N. Tennessee Ave., turn left onto E. Bay St. The mural is on the left.

Celestial Mural

Address: 101 N. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Sunflower Mural: Head west on E. Bay St., turn right onto N. Kentucky Ave. The mural is on the right.

Lake Mirror Swans

Address: 121 S. Lake Ave., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Celestial Mural: Head south on N. Kentucky Ave., turn left onto E. Lemon St., then right onto S. Lake Ave. The mural is on the left.

Geometric Lake Mural

Address: 502 E. Orange St., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Lake Mirror Swans: Head north on S. Lake Ave., turn right onto E. Orange St. The mural is on the right.

Cypress Tree Reflection

Address: 1500 E. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland, FL

Directions from Geometric Lake Mural: Head east on E. Orange St., turn left onto N. Lake Parker Ave., then right onto E. Memorial Blvd. The mural is on the right.

Multitasking

 I have been attempting to:

*get rid of a desk
*get rid of some unwanted cat food and a cat tower
*get a new prescription filled
*pay a few bills
*do IT security training for work
*clear up a speeding ticket I got earlier this year
*coordinate with a handyman to install more shelving in this house
*pre-plan a train trip to NC
*get folks interested in a day trip to St Pete
*make a loaf of sourdough bread
*coordinate an investment with Sean
*start a new jigsaw puzzle because I am insane that way

Hoo doggie, yes, that is a LOT when I see it all written down! No wonder I have not been successful at some of these. Today. I have not been successful at them today. But a few are done, and a few are started. and that is good enough.

Tonight is trivia night!

Cinnamon sugar lava pancakes

​video on how to 

New travel plans

 train ride up to Raleigh Durham

Researched: would cost us $950 train ride which includes two days of food

If we don’t go see Patrick in R/D … or after we have and we liked the train ride, maybe we can do Savannah as well. 

catching up

 How have I not updated in days? Ooops

We had a reading vacation weekend at our house with Matt& Heidi and Deb & JT and Barbara (for one day). Very relaxing, low key. Spending time with friends 24/7 can be tough, but it worked with these people. I got lots of reading done 0-- some of Crying in the H Mart, and a lot of Count of Monte Cristo. Also, we played 3 board games, and getting Hans Teutonica off my shelf of shame, and a puzzle/mystery game. Showed our friends Lake Morton and Inklings and Peach House and Bonnet Springs.

In anticipation of their visit, I got a lot of small home projects done. So lots of wins. 

I have had great sleep, and plan to go to bed early tonight again! [narrator: that didn’t happen. Late night coffee ice cream and too much screen time did not help]

New resolution: reading in backyard in morning before work. Spend time with birds. Get reading done. Less scrolling phone in bed.

This was a great way to avoid news and spend less time doom scrolling.

29th wedding anniversary

​29 years ago, while on our honeymoon, I married Sean Brodrick on a beautiful beach in Jamaica. It was a non-traditional wedding, but it worked for us. 

Through ups and downs and two kids and occasionally different approaches to life, we’ve made a good team most of the time. Enough of the time to weather any rough patches.

Donald Vaughan introduced us. He said to me: “you two have the same energy.” I was like “whatever man, I can use a free dinner!” But it turns out he was right. 

On our first date, we learned we both like and decorated our houses with gargoyles — a somewhat rare oddity — him because of horror movies, me for a love of architecture. That night, Sean introduced me to hard cider, and also he got lost and we did a detour through the Ft Lauderdale airport. I still refer to it as our favorite airport; we flew out of there for our honeymoon/wedding 2 1/2 years later.

The internet tells me that the 29th anniversary is the Furniture Anniversary. Whatever. We are celebrating tonight with a talk about e-bikes at a bookstore, then rum drinks at a bowling alley tiki bar. We like to do it our own way. 

I love you, Sean. Let’s keep this going.