Orlando is the top tourist destination for Brazilians!

 Orlando is the top tourist destination for Brazilians!

(Did you know that?)

"You can spot Brazilian tourists in Florida by their matching T-shirts and large tour buses."

Brazilian tourists shop the bargains at a local mall.

Photo Credit:  John Couwel/CNN

     Visit Disneyworld or Universal Studios and you will see many large groups of tourists, all sporting their tourist/travel company t-shirts, and carrying the Brazilian flag. 

     Last year, especially, I noticed that the Brazilian groups were more noticeable than ever.  "They must REALLY love Orlando theme parks," I thought to myself.

     No, it was explained to me, our US exchange rate is so low, that they come here to do two things:  1) go to theme parks and 2) go shopping!   And we are very happy to welcome all Brazilian tourists for both reasons! 

      Here is how it works, and this is a direct quote from an article on the CNN Travel website from 2012:

"On a recent afternoon at the Orlando Premium Outlets near Disney World, one of the hottest-selling items among the Brazilian tourists is luggage. They buy the suitcases, then stuff them with recently purchased shoes, clothing, bags and electronics until the luggage is almost bursting at the seams."

"As a result, Disney hired 54 Portuguese-speaking "Super Greeters," most of them from Brazil, to assist Brazilian tour groups throughout Disney's parks."

"As a result, SeaWorld recently launched a website in Portuguese, and Frey says the company is looking to expand its Portuguese-speaking employees."

By John Couwels, CNN

updated 9:51 AM EST, Tue January 24, 2012

Here is the link to the entire article by John Couwels. 

Now is the time to learn Portuguese, if you want to meet and greet our Brazilian tourists!  Welcome to Orlando, friends!

Brazilian Carnival Going On Now...See Pictures and Article

Happy Mardi Gras today, Fat Tuesday! Click link to today's parades in New Orleans!

Need help getting your "stuff" organized and simplified? Click this link!

Click this link to see my latest pinterest interests, and you'll get some great ideas...

 



My Horoscope, Scorpio, Says "Get Out Of Town Soon"

My Horoscope, Scorpio, Says "Get Out Of Town Soon"

Photo Credit:  www.abovetopsecret.com

"You may be drawn to a romantic notion of getting away from it all, yet this kind of escape might sound better than it really is. Nevertheless, a well-planned trip makes sense now. There's no need to be impulsive about it, but the sooner you get out of town for some rest and relaxation, the better. If possible, invite someone else along on your adventure, since the energy you receive from others on your upcoming excursion can fuel your enthusiasm."

Horoscope by Rick Levine, Tarot.com, on www.HuffingtonPost.com February 10, 2014

     Although I am proud to have Scorpio as my birth sign, I rarely check my horoscope these days.  However, today I took a peek and realized that I must get out of town very soon!

     Sooooooooooo, tomorrow I will make the effort to decide just when I will actually make travel plans and purchase that plane ticket to London. 

     According to the Orlando Sentinel, our local newspaper, either crime or a traffic accident will mow me down before I get my suitcase packed. 

     I've had my new passport for many, many months, so what am I waiting for?  Nothing.  I seem to be permanently in a state of suspended animation since I retired.  Even my horoscope is tired of me sitting around, so I guess I will definitely get out of town soon!

Photo Credit:  www.uscis.gov

     Although I hate cold weather, I love London, so I'll just have to pack clothes suitable for the frigid and damp English winter weather.  Wish me luck.  But wait...aren't all the Brits spending their winter holidays in Orlando? 

Why don't you check out my organizational blog here? You might get some ideas for downsizing your "stuff."

Click this link to see my latest pinterest interests. 

If you can believe this, I'm even on Facebook now. No. Really. Click here.

Surprise! Click here to see my twitter madness.

 







Been Retired 3 Months Now---What's New?

Been Retired 3 Months Now--

What's New?

This book may be of some help...

Photo Credit:  www.gettingpersonal.co.uk

     Nothing new has miraculously changed about my life after retirement.  In fact, I find myself sitting absolutely still, in front of my computer, for most of the day.  What?  That's not supposed to happen!

     I wrote faithfully about all of the opportunities and activities that would await me upon retirement, if I chose.  I retired on a Thursday, stayed home that Friday, and haven't really explored much since November 1.

     Here are the three activities I did pursue:

     1.  Purchased the business name for my Professional Organizing business:  Simplify Your Lifestyle.  Signed up with www.findyourorganizer.com .  Had lovely business cards printed.

     2.  Drove 1000 miles round-trip to Alabama to visit a dear friend at Thanksgiving, stayed one night, and came back the next day. 

     3.  Went to visit my family (all of us, including 5 grandchildren) at Christmas.  Experienced some family drama, and couldn't wait to get back home.

     Spent all of January looking at my empty calendar for the month, and rarely got dressed.  Something about retirement isn't going as planned. 

Get the idea?

Photo Credit:  www.singlemindedwomen.com

     Saw an interesting website on "Ellen" about dating sites, and one caught my interest:  www.farmersonly.com  so I joined.  I dropped out after one day, because it caused me to miss my horse and ranch in Fort Myers...Here's the clip from Ellen's segment.

Ellen DeGeneres talks dating sites.

     Watched the Southwest Eagle Cam videos as two eggs were laid, chicks hatched, then one suddenly died last week for no apparent reason.  Here's a tribute video to little E3.  E4 is still thriving.  Tribute to E3 Eaglet--Southwest Florida Eagle Cam, by urdognu



  And during all of these three months, I wouldn't and couldn't think of anything positive or uplifting to write about my newfound "retirement life."

Yep.  This is what I look like every day now, except I'm usually wearing pajamas.

Photo Credit: www.dailymail.co.uk

Photo Credit:  www.pramshow.blogspot.com

     To get this day, now half over, off to a better start, here is one of my newest favorite videos, by Pharrell Williams, called "Happy."  So I plan on doing some dancing and singing today to chase away that black dog for a bit. 

Go ahead: Sing and dance to "Happy," by Pharrell Williams. 

Follow my recent pinterest interests here. Enjoy!

(For some reason, half of this blog is underlined and most of the links aren't working...I've been gone from here too long.)