I have been interested to learn more about how to use the computer because keeping up with our rapidly evolving, high-tech society, my community just added computer courses to its many amenities. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Lake Ashton's Instructor...

My wife and I have fostered many dogs over the past 3 years.  Right now, we own 4 dogs (adopting Maddy, our most recent foster), and therefore can't legally have any more adult dogs in our house.  I thought I'd share a few pictures of our past...

I love signing in to GB!  Each trip here opens a new window to something I'd never thought about before, or it inspires me in some way.  Today I read some great stories here about motivated people - what drives them, why they reached and how...

When Veronica and I came up with the idea to write about life after raising kids, and actually looking forward to it, one of the first things I did was Google "empty nesters." I wanted to see if anyone was looking at this the same way we are. You know,...

When the Act 3 saga ended, I had returned from war to my friends and family. While I was away, my parents had moved from Catalina to a little town called Hemet, Ca.. Several months later, after spending time working on Catalina Island, I moved to Hemet....

This past weekend my wife and I traveled to the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort to witness the wedding of one of my closest friend’s daughter. Robyn and Chip were to be married in what was the most beautiful wedding we’d ever had the...

Well, here I am doing something I never dreamed I'd do. I'm joining a social network site on the internet. I'm still having a hard time understanding just what the internet is. In my day, if you couldn't feel it, touch it, or build it, it didn't exist!...

The phone rings the day before Thanksgiving, and the voice on the other end asked me what I was doing on Monday. Next thing I know, I'm on a plane to California going to a tasting of 15 or so really delicious wines from Spain. Some of our group had...

Happy Friday, boys and girls.... Yes, I am going to write about the top 10 wines you've never heard, but that will follow this non commercial info-blurb about a buddy of mine... If you saw the previous blog on Umami ( the fifth taste), you may have...

It wasn’t on the fire ground or an accident, or even on the dangerous interstate highway—there were no warning signs—just a physical that the fire station requires.  The chief is always asking if everyone went for their...

I first posted this essay for CafeMom.com, but liked it so much I wanted to share! This Christmas stood out for a lot of non-traditional reasons.  I was behind on everything due to multiple family disasters a hundred miles away that started...

It's hard to tear me away from the television on Sundays … football, you know … but this past weekend, I went to a unique event called BarCamp Orlando. It was billed as a get-together for techies, a chance for people to get together to share ideas,...

As many of you know, Wendy Chioji is a good friend of most of the staff at GB.  This week she said goodbye to Central Florida, retiring from TV news and growing bolder in her efforts to open a cycling center in Park City, Utah.  Marc Middleton...

I walk into a tasting with the usual suspects at our Thursday Wine Group. This is a search to find great wines at great prices that are from small, cool and groovy vineyards to serve at several great restaurants in Orlando. This is the industrial...

Hello Again Growing Bolder Faithful, I just finished Don Felder's highly entertaining new book about the Eagles, Heaven and Hell. There are some gems for central Florida music history buffs. Felder had some early friendships with "Tommy" Petty, Duane...

Nothing is normal at our home when it comes to celebrations. Yesterday it was our 13yr old daughter' s birthday. As is the custom here, you get to choose what the family cooks for your birthday meal. Everybody kicks in and it's a great party. Of...

Being an entrepreneur...or a “Jill of all trades and a mistress of none,” which is how I’ve always described myself...I’ve found myself involved in some pretty bizarre employment ‘opportunities.’My first job was on top...

Recently, I was telling my mother about my scariest Halloween moment. She questioned whether she would have let me venture out on my own at the tender age of 6. I was with a friend from the neighborhood and we were in the same class at school, so I...

Lots of friends ask me where or how to buy wine. Where is easy. It's how that's a little tricky out there. There are tons of groceries ( Publix in FL is top), Big Box Clubs ( Costco has the best variety there), Big Retailers ( in FL there is ABC, Wine...

Go ahead, make my bed   I can tolerate most household chores, with the exception of one or two tasks, but am I really alone?? When my children were mere tiny-tots, the daily routine never bothered me nor interfered with my lifestyle. I...

Have you read through the Thought Leaders column on the GB Home Page? The number of responses to our question was overwhelming. The answers are as diverse as the backgrounds of the people themselves. Be sure to read through them. But don’t forget about...

I have never met a sea turtle that I didn’t like – I did, however, meet one once who didn’t particularly like me; in fact, I think she thought that I was trying to kill her babies, but I wasn’t. Here’s what happened: sea...

You know how a smell can trigger a memory? For me … Earl Grey tea is one of the most powerful smells around. Not because of the delicate herbs and spices -- but because Earl Grey smells like summer afternoons with my grandmother. Grandma Kathy was...

Proceed with caution. I know what I'm talking about. I've done my research. I've been to nearly every 50-plus nook and cranny of cyberspace and let me tell you… This one is way out of the ordinary. Here are some of the reasons that stand out right away....

It's the regular suspects at the Thursday Tasting Group, and we're tasting Merlots. We know the rap...Merlot has become a bad word in the wine business. A novice entry level wine. Over-produced. Wimpy. Red Wine for girls. The Apple-tini of the Napa...

No one's happier about America's weight problem than the $50-billion-a-year diet industry. That's why I've decided to write a diet book. I've done a little research and it should be pretty easy. After all, it doesn't have to work. 95% of all diets...

So here we are – me, Marc, Bill and Jason – sitting in the lobby of our office building, looking for the next big Growing Bolder star.  Our developers are some of the best in the business, but they need help.  Now that we've...

If God had built us without judgment, we’d be better off...maybe...but it’s commenting on what other people wear and look like that makes for an insane amount of laughter and gratitude...the, “There but for the grace of GAWD go...

Have you ever noticed the first four letters of the word Butter? It' s not a coincidence. It's Karma. I know, I know. Butter tastes good. In fact, the old saying goes something like: "Name the 3 most important things in French Cuisine." The answer...

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. Apparently, there's not a lot of hand clapping going on. Have you been in a bookstore lately? The happiness industry is smiling from ear to ear. There's Stumbling on Happiness, The Secrets of Happiness, In...

On this week's Growing Bolder Radio Show, Marc and Bill interviewed the great-great-granddaughter of etiquette queen Emily Post. Anna Post is pretty hip and has a great new book about wedding etiquette. She's about 18 months too late for my own nuptials...