January 2016 Newsletter

On a sad note...
On December 22nd Aripeka West lost a long time resident and friend.  Mike Hohimer died in a tragic automobile accident.  Please keep his family in your prayers.

Warm & Wet 2015...

At Aripeka West we will remember 2015 as"warm" and "wet"!  Our normally dry "winter" was wet and our normally wet summer was even worse than normal.  For a while in July and August, we thought the rain would never end, but finally it did and our fall and early "winter" was a bit drier but unseasonably warm, with the last week of December high's in the mid 80's setting and tying records everyday!

As we begin a "New Year"...

We begin 2016 with hopes that the new year will bring peace and happiness in the world.  We look forward to many new and exciting experiences, to meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones, to sharing meals and great conversations and above all good health.  Wishing everyone a very happy and health new year! 

Aripeka Community Club...

Pot Luck Dinner on Monday January 4th at 6PM.   Bring a dish and join your neighbors for some great food and conversation!


To do in Pasco...

11th Annual Suncoast Arts Fest

January 16, 2016 | 10am-6pm and January 17, 2016 | 11am-6pm

At The Shops at Wiregrass; 28211 Paseo Drive • Wesley Chapel, Florida 33543

Suncoast Arts Fest is free to the public and features:

125+ Fine Artists and Craftsmen displaying their artwork along Paseo Drive

Live music and dance all weekend, including performances by local favorite, the De Lei’ed Parrots

“Emerging Artist” Exhibit featuring the work of talented high school artists

Chalk art sponsored by Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture & the Arts

Art Maker Space where art, technology and education collide!

Duncan McClellan Glass Etching Experience, Saturday and Sunday from 11am – 5pm

Hands-on Kid’s Art Garden will provide interactive arts for youth on both days

Phoneography Competition sponsored by Rasmussen College; a competition for anyone who can take a picture on their phone.

Annual Kumquat Festival®

Eastern Pasco County's, Biggest Most Distinctive Event
January 30, 2016 • 9am-5pm 

As many as 40,000 people attend our one day event every year, with over 425 vendors and 40 sponsors participating, filling our historic Downtown core. Here, visitors can enjoy all kinds of tasty kumquat treats, from kumquat pie to kumquat cookies, smoothies, ice cream, marmalade, and even kumquat salsa.

DadeCity's Annual Kumquat Festival®, held the last Saturday in January each year, (Saturday, January 30, 2016 - 9am to 5pm) has become extremely popular for its homegrown, family-friendly entertainment. Visitors can listen to local entertainment, get their face painted, look at antique cars, and shop for arts and crafts.

Fun Activities to SEE & DO at the festival include:Arts & Crafts, Delicious Food, Car & Truck Show, Health & Wellness Area, Live Local Entertainment, Farmer's Market, Kumquat Kids Corral, Kumquats, Kumquat Pie & Products, Quilt Challenge and our wonderful Sponsors.

Admission is FREE, transportation from the satellite parking areas is FREE, city owned public parking downtown if FREE and the experience of a unique, authentic and fun filled festival is unforgettable.

Brooksville Raid 2016

New Year Resolutions...

If your New Year's resolutions from last year have gone unresolved, you're not alone. Now a new year offers another opportunity to achieve your goals, and these nine tips should help you keep to your New Year's resolutions.

1. Make it something you really want. Don't make it a resolution that you "should" want or what other people tell you to want. It has to fit with your own values.

"Put some thought into it," says Richard O'Connor, author of "Happy at Last: The Thinking Person's Guide to Finding Joy." And avoid knee-jerk New Year's resolutions, he says. "I encourage people not to make cheap resolutions, but to save it for something meaningful."

2. Limit your list to a number you can handle. "It's probably best to make two or three resolutions that you intend to keep," says O'Connor. That way, you're focusing your efforts on the goals you truly want.

3. Be specific. "To be effective, resolutions and goals need to be pretty specific," says O'Connor. Jettison the amorphous "exercise more," in favor of "I'm working out at the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 p.m."

4. Automate. Automating financial goals can maximize your odds for success without you having to do anything, says Keith Ernst, director of research for the Center for Responsible Lending in Durham, N.C.

If your goal is to save $3,000 this year, calculate the amount out of each check, then arrange to have it automatically deposited into your savings account each time you get paid, says Ernst.

5. Make a plan. Rather than stating one daunting goal, create a series of smaller steps to reach it.

"Have an action plan," O'Connor says. "Figure out exactly what you want to do."

If you need immediate rewards, here's a suggestion. "Ask yourself: What are the short-term goodies?" says Susan Wilson, co-author of "Goal Setting: How to Create an Action Plan and Achieve Your Goals."

For example, if you want to exercise regularly and love spending time with your friends, getting the group together to walk regularly could give you a short-term payoff 

Deuces Wild...

Rob and Ali, AKA Deuces Wild have several shows scheduled for January.  If you would like more info on when and where they are performing this month, please call the office.

Calendar of Events...