GROUPON

I recently discovered a great way to save some money on all kinds of purchases. Every day in my email inbox, I receive notice of the Deal of the Day in my area. Deals run the gamut from restaurants, to spa and health services, to retail and entertainment. You can usually save at least 50% off the regular price and the "groupons" are generally good for a year. Every day there is a new deal, good for purchase on that day only. You simply buy the ones that interest you and bypass the ones that don't.

Check it out at www.groupon.com

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

I was flipping through channels while at the beach this week and happened upon Gene Kelly singin' and dancin' in the rain with his umbrella. It looked so inviting and fun.

Not! When I tried it, singin' and skippin' down the road toward the beach, the raindrops pelted my face and the wind blew winter into all the gaps in my clothing.

I didn't have an umbrella, which was perhaps the problem.

Or it may have been a problem of love.

"I think it has something to do with love," I remembered, "the reason he's so happily melodious in the inclement weather."

So the next day, I bundled up better and braved the wintry weather once more. I still didn't carry an umbrella (umbrellas are for wimps -- and dancing props) but I did take that lovin' feelin' with me on my walk in the rain.

And you know what? It worked. I had a lovely time singin' in the rain.

NEW YEAR'S RETREAT

I love Mondays and New Years. Also the first day of summer vacation and the first day of school in the fall. It's beginnings I love. There is such an energy and hope about a fresh start. All the unfinished business, the mistakes and disappointments of the previous week/year/semester fall away and we get to begin again.

I like to begin each new start with a bit of quiet and solitude, away from the daily grind. So typically, when the new year rolls around, I get away. It's a time to retreat, reflect, and renew.

So I'm off to Surfside today, at the northern tip of the Long Beach peninsula. It will be cold there in January, but there's nothing nicer than watching winter storms over the ocean from beside the fire in my bonus-time condo. I've packed two backpacks full of books and journals. I have my first-draft list of goals to refine and organize. I've carefully planned and packed food to carry on with my healthy livin'. And yes, I've got my boots for fast walks on the beach. And Season 2 of "Friends" and some yarn and a crochet hook.

My good husband mans the fort while I'm gone, for which I'm grateful. He knows he will benefit as much as I will by this set-apart time.

Even if you can't retreat totally, find a few hours to be quiet and focus on what you really want in this new year. I promise you, it's worth the effort.

And by the way, I can book anyone in the Worldmark condos on bonus time. I can see availability for two weeks ahead, and the cost is about $30-$50 per night. Contact me if you're interested.

SPIN

I took my first Spin class at the gym this week. Ugh! I pedaled and pedaled for an hour and even though I gave up standing up for the "hills" every time Denise yelled, "Crank up that dial!" I didn't quit.

And you know, I actually felt great . . . about thirty minutes after class ended.

HEALTHY LIVIN' CHALLENGE

Yep, it's the new year, time to get back on the wagon and live healthy. I've joined a group of women in a healthy livin' challenge, to add a little motivating competition to my efforts. You can see the details of our challenge at www.healthylivinchallenge.com.

We can earn up to six points per day, one point each for:

1) reading scripture (any amount)
2) praying
3) drinking at least 64 oz. of water
4) eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables
5) consuming no junk food
6) exercising at least 30 minutes (resting 30 minutes on Sunday)

I'm two days into it and have earned 12 points already! Of course, everyone else probably has, too, so the key will be to stick to it.

I suspect you'll hear more about this as I progress. And of course I'll let you know when I win.

LA'S ORCHESTRA SAVES THE WORLD

Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favorite authors. A Brit with wit, he always provides a chuckle-in-your-tea -- even the occasional pee-in-your-pants hilarious adventure in reading. So when I saw a book by him on the "New Books" shelf at the library, I grabbed it.

It's called "La's Orchestra Saves the World" and it's very different from anything else I've read by him. Set in a small village in Suffolk during War World II, it's the kind of story that whispers in your heart until you are snared unawares by its tenderness and truth. The writing in some paragraphs is so stunningly beautiful that you reread them just to hear the words again.

I don't know why, but I am always deeply moved by stories involving the British fight against Hitler during those dark years of the Blitz. I don't know a braver story. As I walked toward St. Paul's Cathedral in London with my daughters last August, recounting how the Londoners determined to save the cathedral, whatever the cost, and how they stationed soldiers in the belfry to watch for the German planes that came blazing in every night to bomb the city, I cried, like I do every time I visit this point in history. I don't even know that much about it. But something extraordinary happened in those five years in England, with Churchill chanting, "Never give in!" and the nation rallying to resist evil.

"La's Orchestra" is not really about that. It's about a girl who gets married and then unmarried and who finds a way to make a life and to contribute. But the setting is important and at least for me, incredibly moving.

Try any of Alexander McCall Smith's books. You won't be disappointed.

PARTY ON!

My family and I sat down to Sunday dinner and wondered, "What shall we do this week?"

"Well, it's New Year's Eve on Thursday. Let's have a party!"

So we did. We got on the phone and invited some local families over. They came bearing goodies and game boards and we had a rollicking time.

At midnight, we all went out on the porch and waved our sparklers in the rain, shouting . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Hope you heard us, since we were shouting at you.