Anne Valdespino

Following your bliss is part of finding fulfillment after working years are done. Chocolate is definitely the answer for some, as this woman’s T-shirt says at the Reform Temple of Laguna Woods’ Death by Chocolate extravaganza Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Clubhouse 1. (Photo by Mark Rabinowitch)

7 things I’ve learned about how to live happily in retirement

December 4, 2023 at 2:21 p.m.

As retirement loomed, I wondered, what would I do with myself when I was off deadline once and for all?

Heather Manning created a mid-century modern, “more Palm Springs and less tiki,” bar that she tucked in the corner of her Fountain Valley dining room. She used foil wall decals, and vintage glasses and bottles she found in flea markets and antique stores to add to the 1960s vibe in her Fountain Valley home. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Happy hour at home: How to create a cocktail corner for entertaining

July 24, 2023 at 11:31 a.m.

For a special dinner party or simply a sweet retreat for your daily happy hour, why not carve out a pop-up (or permanent) spot to perch for cocktails?

Marcy Carriker Smothers holds on to her book, ‘Eat Like Walt’ a new nostalgia book about Walt Disney’s eating habits and his approach to food for the park in Anaheim. - Jeff Gritchen — Southern California News Group

Disneyland’s food was shaped by Walt Disney’s simple tastes

August 23, 2018 at 12:00 a.m.

Forgive Marcy Carriker Smothers if tears well up when she reminisces about her first visits to Disneyland as a girl growing up in the San Fernando Valley. “I remember vividly...

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