We are Michael & Brenda and the two of us live here in Shearwater in North Creek . Our Son Michael, His wife Michelle and three children, Jack, Maddy and Owen live very close in Grand Creek South off of Longleaf. Our daughter, Jacquelyn and her husband Craig, and their two children Simon and Ella live in Pittsburgh. Owen now attends Trout Creek Academy, Jack attends  Beachside and Madison attends  Bartrum Trails. All of the 5 grandchildren are involved in many activities. Local events we can attend frequently to be a spectator. We are lucky that many of the Pittsburgh activities we can watch live streamed. That has been wonderful for us.

We moved here in September of 2019. We were married in 1975 and lived in a small town called Seven Hills which is just a few minutes from downtown Cleveland. We were happy in Cleveland but when opportunity to sell our house came up at a fair price and just walk away, we took it. We looked at a number of places in the area and then our daughter-in-law stopped in Shearwater one day and found the house we live in and we bought it right away. We are happy to have a corner house with a larger lot. Mike likes trees and has planted many of them. Some know our house as the house with all the trees. We don't miss the cold or snow at all.

Mike went several places but got a degree in Spanish from Saint Louis University. He studied in Spain for a year and eventually he became a high school Spanish teacher. He actually has been a substitute teacher here in Saint Johns County to keep busy and keep up his Spanish. Brenda Went to Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Her major was in Special Education. She spent 35 years at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities serving as a teacher and an Outreach Worker.

We both had part-time jobs at a local mall to make money after college to supplement our incomes. Actually, Mike's mother worked at the store Brenda was in and he would stop by and visit. We had our wedding in Cincinatti where Brenda's family was from.

We are retired but Mike does substitute and Brenda works for the Board of Elections during election periods, often here at Shearwater.

Both of our children went into the healthcare field. Our daughter is an occupational therapist in Pittsburgh and works in a school with children with autism. Our son works at Mayo and is a nurse anesthetist.

We don't have pets but we do have some grand pets that visit us.

We can't always all be together on the actual holiday but we gather with all who are present. The Pittsburgh family has been down here for part of their vacation right after Christmas every year. We try to always get to Saint Augustine to enjoy the Holidays Lights. We try to do a lot of family trips together as often as possible. We have taken the whole group to Mexico at least 3 times which we always have fun doing. We have also gone to the Mountains a number of times in the summer.

We like to eat out. We have some favorite places, often Mexican but we like to try new places also. We have become season ticket members at The Alhambra Dinner Theatre last year and for the season that started in January. We have always enjoyed plays and we were season ticket holders at Playhouse Square for many years. 

We do a lot of activities here at Shearwater. Brenda is a member of the Senior Ladies Coffee and from that group we have spun off too many activities such as Bunko, Wine and Cheese parties, Bible Study, card groups, walking groups. Brenda does the book club and Mike did have a Spanish conversation group for awhile. We like to go to the Coffee and Conversation and we enjoy the Curiosity U at the Clubhouse. We try to get to many of the Shearwater sponsored events when possible.

We have met so many wonderful friends at the coffee groups at the clubhouse. It is so nice to have friends so close and often ready to get together and do something even at the last minute. We like being able to get out every day and walk or ride bikes. Mike does 10 miles, 5 days a week. Brenda has a group of fellow walkers, now starting back to covid and still going strong either walking or going to the Y.

Mexico has been our most visited spot but we have done about 5-6 cruises over the years which are also nice.