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Hey Reader,

Looking for fun? Never underestimate what is in your own backyard!

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My friend, Brenda and I took advantage of a beautiful day last week to have some fun close to home.

I had just learned that The Woodlands, a master-planned community north of Houston has one of the largest collections of public art in Texas.

I have been going to The Woodlands for 40 years to shop and go out to some of their fabulous restaurants.

I had seen some art around but never paid much attention to it.

Since I follow The Woodlands in Instagram*, I started learning about different pieces, especially the art bench collection.

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These benches were created by local, national, and international artists with different styles and techniques.

Brenda and I spent a couple of hours walking along the Woodlands Waterway, admiring, taking pictures and sitting on these unique pieces of art.

Best part - it was absolutely FREE!

So - next time you want a fun outing, think about art that might be in your community. Murals are all the rage these days. I see them in small towns and big cities.

Venture out. Take a look. And by all means get lunch when you are done!

*Pro-tip: Follow your city and nearby communities on Instagram or Facebook. All kinds of things will pop up that you either never knew about or you've forgotten about.

Forgotten about is a common theme these days.....

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Thrive through Serving

​Soldiers Angels is an organization that provides aid, comfort, and resources to the military, veterans, and their families.

You can support these heroes and their families in a number of ways:

• Sending care packages, baked goods, letters and cards.
• "Adopt" a Service Member and support them throughout their deployment.
• Support female Caregivers of wounded Service Members and Veterans.
• Participate in a special collection campaigns throughout the year, including Warm Feet for Warriors, Treats for Troops, Holiday Stockings for Heroes and more.

I signed up to send a card to a veteran or service member periodically and this week I am sending an anniversary card to a wounded veteran and his wife.

To volunteer with Soldiers Angels, you do have to fill out a volunteer application and be approved - even to just send a card. This extra step in screening protects our Service Members.

Once you are approved, you can access all of the volunteer opportunities and choose how you would like to serve.

One other thing. I didn't find the Soldiers Angels website the easiest to navigate, so I almost said "forget it" when I was trying to sign up for a volunteer opportunity.

Then I decided to get over myself. If these people can deploy to dangerous places and risk their lives for our country, then I think I can "inconvenience myself" for 10 minutes to figure out how to send a card😀.

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Thrive through Learning

I took a class to learn how to play Mahjong. Do you play?

I have friends who play and I've always wanted to learn.

I was listening to a random podcast where the owner of a company that produces Mahjong tiles said best way to learn is to work with a teacher for a couple of hours to get the basics down.

So I took a 3 hour class from Mahjong Rodeo (local to the Houston area).

It was so fun!

There were 3 tables of 4 ladies. We learned the basics then played several rounds with the teacher there to help us.

There is a lot involved in this game. It will definitely take practice. But what great way to keep the brain working and have some fun with others.

I found my teacher through Oh My Majong. You just type in your zip code and they give you a list of teachers near you.

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What I bought this week

In the last newsletter, I put the wrong link for my favorite "where have you been all my life" laundry detergent sheets. Here is the correct link.

And to further illustrate the exciting life I lead, there's more:

I have worn these Vanity Fair panties for years. No panty line and they don't ride up. I usually get them from Macy's or Nordstrom. But I found them on Amazon for a good price if you buy 5 pairs.

​Fiskars Gardening Sheers . These little clippers aren't the super expensive ergonomically designed ones. But they are perfect for me to use with my grip that isn't as strong as it used to be.

Is she really recommending panties and gardening sheers? Yes, she is. But hang tight. Spring fashion is coming.

And our old TV died right as March Madness 🏀 was starting, much to my husband's chagrin.

​So I ordered this LG 55-Inch Class OLED B4 Series Smart TV 4K Processor Flat Screen with Magic Remote AI-Powered with Alexa Built-in .

I have no idea what that description means,.

🏀But it got good reviews.

🏀Is middle of the road on price.

🏀It came the next day.

🏀And I can turn it on and off and find my shows.

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Back to Mahjong. Have you ever played? Do you participate in any kind of organized games like Bridge, Canasta, Dominoes, Poker or Bunko? Write back and tell me! I'd love to know!

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Until next time,

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Cathy

Thriving through SERVICE, LEARNING and HAVING FUN!​

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