2014 ... Here comes Maggie
The highlight of the year: Margaret Alice Rees checked in just after midnight on October 1. She weighed 7 pounds - 15 ounces. She was 19.5 inches long. Hannah and Christopher are the proud parents & of course Betsy is her big sister! They call her Maggie.
September in Perkasie ... when we found out Nick was performing with his Second City gang in September near Perkasie, Andy and I travelled to Perkasie to see him and visit with Christopher, Hannah, and Betsy. Andy and I arrived on the 12th - Chris, Andy, and I caught up with Nick and his show on the 14th. There were play times with Betsy who was the life of our visit, familiy meals, and just down times of talk and sharing. Catching up ... making new memories. Just enjoying each other - the four boys and two girls.
Christopher has become quite the disc golf enthusiast so we hit the "links" the morning after we arrived. Andy picked it up right away (although he did bury a disc in a pond) - I on the other hand was terrible and tried to damage my shoulder in the process. After we caught up with Nick, he - too - got into the hang of disc golf. It went by all too quickly. Andy, Nick, and I left on the 16th.
This year, I'm not writing a mammoth essay - just the birth, the visit, and a bullet list of highlights:
- My brother Dave and I still watch Steeler games together - me in my chair in Lamoni / him in his chair in Pittsvurgh. We alternate calling back and forth on Steeler scores. This year we got them to the playoffs!
- Working out at the Fitz (except when it's too cold, and I don't feel like going out) still trying to become a hunk, though I know it's never going to come true.
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Jim Jones and I try to play racquetball at least once a week at the Bethany Rec center. - I'm still working with a community group to imlement timeBanking/Lamoni. Find out more at timeBanking/Lamoni
- I continue to work at Liberty Hall.
- I'm still writing gobs of press releases for community groups.
- Another course at GU in the Spring - this one was on documentaries. I watched an entire semester of documentaries and dicuscussed them. Loved it!
- I'm still Chair of the trails Commission - and logged 2,238 miles on my bike on the trails (I don't know if that qualifies me for the chair - but it was sure a challenge).
- Again, March marked the annual duel between Darrel Baker, my good friend from Sioux City, and me for March Madness supremacy. He killed me this year!
- A visit to Sioux City with the Mathews and Bakers. The Bakers are moving to Rapid City - I hope I'll see them again.
- I did some volunteer work for Civil War Days this year.
- The Fall semester at GU was the start of my graphics career. I can't believe how talented these "kids" are (and how untalented I am).
- For my birthday and Christmas, my brother sent me Isley's chipped ham which I turned into barbecue's just like mum used to make. YUM!
We're all where we were last year. Chris, Hannah, Betsy, and - now - Maggie are in Perkasie, PA. Chris is still with the Bucks County District Attorney's office as an Assitant DA. Hannah is the Catering Manager at Rodale Catering and Events. Andy is in Scottsdale, AZ, where he works in medical sales with SureTek Medical. Nick is in Chicago with the Second City Touring Company (GreenCo) and Editor-in-Chief at Freelance Writer. Katie is an analyst. Both are raising their two dogs - Sammie and Bennie. And then there's me and - of course - Whizzer, my cat still in Lamoni, Iowa.
Not an eventful year - not an uneventful year. Maybe ... just OK.
Family is the greatest gift! |