We had a busy year this year with lots of ups and downs.
January:
We went to Tampa, Florida and camped at MacDill Air Force Base
with Don’s sister Nancy and her husband, Ray. It was a wonderful two weeks!
While in Tampa, we met up with my high school best friend, Bunny. It was the
first time I’d seen her in about forty years! What a wonderful reconnection.
Now we stay in touch weekly.
February:
We went to Myrtle Beach to the SCCEC conference. I hold the
policy panel every year there and my guest panelists were the Director of the Office
of Special Education Services and the Deputy General Counsel for the South
Carolina Department of Education. It was a good conference.
March:
Don and I had a Spinning exhibit at Devil’s Fork State Park
during Bellfest (celebrating the Oconee Bells). There was a great turn out and
our exhibit was well liked.
April:
We did some camping in the Smokies which we always love. We
also had the big tree between our house and the neighbor’s house cut down. One
of the limbs fell and broke their window. The tree was dying and limbs would
keep falling so we didn’t want it to hurt anyone. It took 2 days to cut the
tree down and the big equipment trucks really messed up our front yard.
May:
We flew to Copenhagen, Denmark and spent a week there. Then
we boarded the HAL Zuiderdam for a 24 day cruise. We went to Estonia, Russia,
Finland, Sweden, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Holland and Norway. It
was a fantastic trip!
June:
When we got home from our trip, we found out my stepmom,
Marge was in a coma and then passed away on June 6. At that point, my father
was admitted to the VA Hospice Unit in West Palm Beach. We were able to spend
the whole month with him while he was there and I’m so thankful for this time
with him. My cousin Wayne and his family
were so supportive of us during this time and Wayne was there every day with
us. My cousins Angela, Becky, and Liam also came down from Merritt Island to
visit with my father while we were there. My book, The Successful Teacher’s
Handbook was also published this month.
July:
We had to return to South Carolina so I could teach my
graduate course for Furman that I teach every year. The class went well. Then
on July 11 we got the call that my father passed away. I’m so thankful that his
last day was spent with Wayne, Carol, Becky, and Liam. He even visited the
beautiful garden areas twice during the day. He passed away in the middle of
the night and the nurse said was never in any pain. In fact, she was surprised
how suddenly he passed because there were none of the usual signs that his passing
was going to happen. As usual, my father did things on his terms and I’m glad.
.
August:
I was involved in setting up a Furman course online, so this
involved several meetings. This took a lot of time this month.
September:
We returned to Florida to bury my father and Marge at the National
Cemetery in Lake Worth. It was a beautiful ceremony. We worked on their house
and cleared a lot of things out. We spent a lot of time dealing with probate
issues. Then we took another cruise to the Caribbean on the MSC Seaside.
October:
We returned home for the Furman homecoming. I also had my
first book signing which went well.
November:
We returned to Florida to work on my parent’s house some
more. We also went on two cruises since we were down there. We went on the MSC
Meragvilia and I was able to see my friend, Guglielmo who was Director of Hotel
Services. We had a nice time on it. Then we got off that ship and three days
later we got on the HAL Koningsdam. It was a nice cruise also! Then we returned
to the Florida house and worked some more.
December:
We decided to stay in Florida and keep working on the house
since the warm weather is much easier on Don’s back.
So, this year had many ups and downs but I’m so thankful for
all the good times we had! I hope this year has been good to you!
May you have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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