Here Comes the Sun

It sure feels great to be able to do my walking with less layers and no heavy boots. It was always a pain having to carry my shoes to the club (you wouldn't believe the number of times I'd have to turn around because I forgot them at home). Now Beth is more interested in walking again, with the warmer weather here.
Joel got back safely from his trip to the Tropical Princess in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (I'm including all of the relevant information here so I can refer back to it in the future to perhaps book my own vacation there). It sounds like a wonderful place, though of course our chef apprentice felt the food wasn't that great.
We were able to have everyone together at Mom and Dad's for supper on Wednesday, so we celebrated Dad's 76th birthday and their anniversary as well. It's a rare thing to have all 9 of us in one spot so that was nice.
Went to see the science fiction movie "Source Code" this week. Haven't seen loads of movies so far this year. This one was entertaining enough, an interesting diversion, which is what I was looking for. Couldn't think about it too much or a lot wouldn't make sense (especially the happy ending).
My weight has crept back up a little as I've been snacking more, so I've recommitted to eating better starting this week. Been able to keep up the exercise regime though and have recently added more weight to each of the machines I use at the fitness club.
Really enjoyed the Brooks Williams concert on Friday. He's a great guitar player and deserves a wider following. Hadn't realized he'd moved to Cambridge, England and married a Brit. The most fun song of the night was one he had composed of all the famous guitar riffs that everybody wants to learn (without learning the whole song). Hilarious! And it worked/flowed well. Hope it appears on the internet somewhere.
Other music I listened to this week included the new Paul Simon, 'So Beautiful or So What'. I'd like to say I'm a big fan but just can't seem to get that into his stuff - it's all right but doesn't blow me away or anything. Listened more closely to Michael Gungor's music ('Ancient Skies', 'Beautiful Things') and that does impress me. Also getting into Sara Masen's 'Dream Life of Angels'. Just picked up Springsteen's 'Devils and Dust' from the library, trying to listen to artists others think are important - this one's okay but the song about a prostitute is too graphic for my tastes.
Been thinking this week about learning/memorizing songs that would make for good singalongs at select social gatherings or campfires - y'know, Beatles tunes or other classic/familiar hits. 'Hey Jude' or 'If I Had a Million Dollars' come to mind as good examples. Need to consider this further.

It was nice getting together with Beth's siblings on Saturday. We had them to our place for lunch, which means a bit of driving for them (from Chatham, Grand Bend & Exeter). Lots of laughs and shared memories. Everybody but Beth and I have retired so we get tips from them and it helps us dream - in fact, we've all planned to go on a cruise in November of 2014 (the year I'm due to retire - I told Beth that now I have to, so we can participate in the cruise!)