Our Golden Connection: Jennifer & Carol

Carol

Where are you from? I was born in Seattle and moved to Raleigh with my mother and sister in 1957. We lived in downtown Raleigh, where I went to elementary, middle, and high school. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in French from ECU and then my Master’s Degree in Library Science from UNC. My husband and I lived in North Raleigh until he passed away, after which I moved to WaltonWood Lake Boone Retirement Community and then to The Templeton in Cary in 2023.

What was your favorite job? Managing The Information and Referral center at Wake County Public Libraries. I worked at the public library from 1970 to 1992, and I also had some favorite times at Wake County Human Services. I transferred there in ’92 and worked there for 7 years. It was different because I was around social service health, mental health, and so on.

What about favorite travel? Well, all of it was with the Friendship Force, an international cultural organization, and my husband and I traveled with them to many countries, starting in 1990.  I continued to travel even after he died, and really enjoyed it. My last trip out of the country was to South Africa in 2016. It was a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime trip, one that I never would have thought of taking if it hadn’t been with the Friendship Force. All of our travels were unique experiences, and in some cases, we made lifelong friends, many of whom I am still in touch with.

What has led you to your current situation? I’m at the Templeton retirement community, and I moved here in 2023 to find a new place to retire after living at WaltonWood Lake Boone. After my husband passed away, I realized taking care of our home was becoming too much. I’ve really enjoyed meeting new people, but I also cherish staying in touch with old friends who live here too. There’s so much to do here that I can hardly keep up! Plus, I still get to keep up with my card-making hobby. So, this has been a wonderful place for me.

What’s your favorite thing to do when Jennifer visits? When Jennifer comes to visit, we always enjoy just chatting and catching up on everything we’ve been doing since we last saw each other, which usually isn’t long as we’re together 2 to 3 days a week, and sometimes more! We’ve been working together for over four years, and we’ve become great friends.

We also always have a great time going to the NC Symphony together. It’s something we can do as friends, but also as a Golden Harmony client, because I still need to get there! Jennifer is also my tech guru, having invented or fixed things that I couldn’t have done without her help.

Please share a few things you feel grateful or thankful for. I’m grateful to be here at the Templeton. I’m always thankful for having lifelong friends and new ones, for having Golden Harmony companions, both old and new, and for just having a wonderful life.

Why would you recommend Golden Harmony? Because I’m a satisfied customer! I recommend Golden Harmony without hesitation, whether people have mentioned it or not. They might not even realize they need the types of services Golden Harmony offers, but I’ll still recommend them anyway. Or at least, I’ll plant the seed so that if they realize later that they might need services, they’ll at least think about it. I’ve had many other wonderful companions in addition to Jennifer.  It’s been a great experience for me since 2019. So, apparently, I’m one of the oldie, original clients.

Jennifer

What did you do before working at Golden Harmony? I’ve worn many hats through the years, but my main career was as a Desktop Publisher and Graphic Designer, where I designed and made newsletters, training manuals and slideshows, etc., for various government contractors in Washington, DC.  After my husband and I moved to NC and had kids, I got to use my skills at their elementary school. I produced a bi-weekly “broadcast” with a morning show vibe, newsletters, and websites, and eventually taught the Technology and STEM class. It was a huge blessing because I could be on their schedule and didn’t have to worry about childcare when they were little. Plus, it gave me time to volunteer for their activities and the PTA’s Book Fair.

What do you like to do when you visit clients? I really enjoy getting to know my clients personally, where they’re from, about their families, what their life has been like, and what they’re interested in. It really helps me connect with them. I’m also a bit of a task-master, so I love helping them tick off their to-do lists or find ways to make their daily lives easier, from organizing their calendars to their closets!

Do you have any pets? Tell us a bit about your family. We’ve had two wonderful chocolate labs through the years, and we miss them so much every day. My husband and I are planning to get two more once we’re closer to retirement, and I’m hoping to train one of them to be a therapy dog that I can take to retirement communities or schools.

We’ve been married for 32 years. We moved from Northern Virginia to Holly Springs in 1997 when it had maybe 4500 people and only one stoplight! He works for a very large General Contractor and has been the lead Superintendent on many buildings in the Raleigh area, from the EPA Headquarters in RTP, quite a few WCPSS High Schools, and now on the NC Education Complex in downtown Raleigh.

We have two sons and a daughter-in-law. Plus, we have two grand-dogs and a grand-kitty! Andrew is a Mechanical Engineer (Go PACK!), and Matthew is a Paralegal (Go CATS!). We’re so proud of them, but we miss all the days spent running around between soccer, baseball, Boy Scouts, Marching Band, and Robotics. It was such a blast watching them from the stands and tailgating when they were in Marching Band in college!! They live nearby, so we get to see them often for dinner and game nights.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? I’m a big fan of physical fitness, so you can usually find me most mornings in a dance or strength/balance/cardio class. I also love playing games, and I’ve recently learned to play MahJongg with a group of my girlfriends, which we do weekly. My husband and I also love taking long weekend trips, especially to the coast to visit his sister and cousin. Our most recent big trip was to Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks — you absolutely have to go if you can!!

Tell me about a special moment or memory from working with older adults? I have many fond memories of volunteering and working with older adults, but my best memories are the time I spent with my little Italian grandmother, whom everyone called Nonna. She moved here from Italy after my parents married and never left! Mom needed help with the six of us! She and I were very close and spent a lot of time together. When I was very young, I’d crawl into bed with her in the mornings, she would take me to play BINGO on Sunday evenings at the local community center, and always slip me a few dollars here and there as a teenager. It’s because of her and our relationship that I decided to start working with older adults.