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JILL SCHMELZER Amherst Reporter

+ VACATION PARADISE - I'm back. My family and I drove to the Outer Banks, N.C., this past week for some much-needed rest and relaxation. My mom, dad, sister, brother, nephew, grandmother, grandfather, aunt and I crammed into two vehicles and drove for two days to our favorite vacation destination. We arrived late Saturday afternoon to a quaint house which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. After many trips to unload the car, I sat on the porch swing and gazed out at the magnificent beach view. I was in heaven.

The week consisted of morning fishing, lying out on the beach, swimming and eating. For the past 20 years we have ventured to Southern Shores, N.C., but this was my favorite year. We had beautiful weather, the fish were biting and the dolphins were playing.

On the final day, the dolphins swam so close to shore that I could feel the spray from their flippers as they jumped out of and into the water. It was surreal. It was as if they were putting on a show for all the beachgoers with their flipping and splashing.

Being secluded with my family, away from work, personal stress and emotional frustrations, helped me see the big picture - life's too short to sweat the small stuff.

Now that I am back, I feel refreshed. I needed this getaway to gather my thoughts, so that I can focus my energies on providing the best writing possible for you, the readers, to enjoy.

 JEWISH STUDIES - The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School is geared toward men and women wanting to enrich their lives with Jewish studies. The school was created by philanthropist Florence Melton and has grown to more than 65 sites in six countries.

The program is designed to give Jewish adults a broad spectrum curriculum integrating Jewish practices, history, ethics, ideas and values using primary texts in English. The courses are interactive.

Classes meet once a week for 28 sessions, with discussions led by teachers from the community: Dr. Gerald Berkowitz, Rabbi Mordechai Friedfertig and Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld. There are no prerequisites, exams or homework. The program is sponsored by the Bureau of Jewish Education. For more information, call Ethel Melzer at 689-8844.

by MATT KRUEGER Reporter

 SAYING GOODBYE - A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at Elmwood-Franklin School for Nicole Mariconda, 25, of Amherst, who died July 23 in her sleep.

Nicole was a friend of mine, even though I did not know her very long. From the moment I met her, I was impressed with her ability to speak openly and frankly about her fight with cancer and her stubbornness to lead as normal a life as she could.

Since she was a movie buff like me, we spent nights crashed on my couch, watching our favorite films. She could roll off movie line after movie line with the best of them. So much for that being a guy trait. I think she even had me beat, and that's saying something.

I had promised Nicole I would do the Gelatin Splash and Ride for Roswell with her next year, helping to raise money for cancer treatment and research. I will still follow through on my promise, but I'll miss not having her next to me.