Looking Back at 2012

One of my new traditions, since retirement, has been to create a annual photo book to summarize the year. The process of putting it together allows me to meander through my collection of photos to select the best representations of places and events throughout the past months. It used to be common to lovingly put together photo albums to keep memories. Now, with digital photography, too many of our favorite photos hide in our computers where we just don't see them that often. That's a bit of a shame. Hence my photo books, which frequently get plucked off an occasional table for re-review.

Construction of the book has the welcome side effect of stimulating remembrance. I smile and chuckle as I see pictures I had forgotten, recollecting conversations and visual snippets of activity. It all is a reminder of the abundance of happiness and love in our lives today.

2012 was a crazy busy year for us.

We packed up our urban condo life to move everything to our ranch cottage in Prescott. Then we worked like dogs to clean and paint the place to prepare it for renters. Closing that chapter was challenging and very bittersweet. Eventually we will sell the place in Chicago, when market conditions so allow. For now, we are fortunate to have found a very nice couple to live there and take care of it.

The happy highlight of our year was our trip to England with friends. There are so many special memories from our tour around southern England that I had to make a photo book for just that trip, a copy of which I gifted to our dear friends and travel companions for Christmas.

Summer in Prescott in our Talking Rock community was a giddy whirlwind of golf, parties, club events, and more golf. It was fun and exhilirating and, somehow, relaxing at the same time. It was a period of recovery from the stress of moving, and truly established us as full time residents in Arizona.

October took us to New Hampshire for my mother's open heart surgery. We were so thankful that Mom made it through the main event with flying colors. Two and a half months later she continues to struggle some through her recovery, and we are concerned about several after effects. But we are amazed by Mom's courage and grit, and thankful for the care provided by my sister Althea and the visiting nurses. Our hopes are high for continued improvement.

As this year winds down and I sift through my photos and memories - I am grateful for so much. We have wonderful, generous friends, a beautiful place to live, many things to keep us busy, and the health to allow us to keep on truckin'. We love our family and hope to see more of them in the new year.

Happy New Year to All! Let's make it a good one.

Holidays Here and There

We are barreling into the holiday season and getting ready to wrap up 2011.  At the same time, I’m staring at the calendar for 2012 and trying to figure out how to manage the permanent transition from Chicago to Prescott.  There are so many moving parts; the very thought of it stresses me out.  The work starts now, but the move is some months away – so I’d rather focus on the near term activities and fun.

Thanksgiving will be spent with generous friends here in Talking Rock.  We’ll contribute a few things, like Ron’s Oyster Casserole (oysters, butter, heavy cream, and crackers) and my homemade Bailey’s Baileys Irish Cream (try this and I predict you’ll never drink the non-dairy version again).  I anticipate a great day of eating, drinking and laughing. 

On December 1^st, we’ll be back at home in Chicago to enjoy Ron’s mid-month birthday and all the trappings of our last Christmas in the big city – decking the halls in the condo, shopping, lunch in festive locales, a holiday stage show, watching the skaters in Millenium Park, and snowy views out our front windows.  Christmas Eve and Morning we have our own traditions at home as a couple, but we’ll join family in Evanston in the afternoon for a buffet lunch.

By New Year’s Eve we’ll be back in Prescott to usher in 2012 at Talking Rock, among friends, wined and dined by our marvelous Chef Richard Saldivar, within a safe walking distance of home (just in case we have too much fun).  Last year’s party was a blast.  Who remembers tearing up the dance floor to “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction”?  If I had any pride, I would be embarrassed at the memory.

The hectic and exhausting process of preparing the condo for sale or rent will be dealt with in the spring.  After that, I’ll gird my loins for the big move.  Three and a half years after our retirement, we find ourselves on the home stretch before the next big chapter in our lives.  I can do this.

Enjoy the season, one and all.

Ready for 2010

I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions, per se. But we do like to talk about our plans for the coming year, and set some broad goals. Otherwise, the years just zip by, while we are left saying, “I meant to…” and “Maybe next year we’ll…”. The older we get, the more diligent we need to be at making the most of time and opportunity.

For me, 2009 was a year for reconnecting with friends. I joined Facebook, which turned out to be an unexpected delight. Technology has truly enabled a social revolution. With friends spread all over, our contact is no longer limited to the occasional email or the annual Christmas card. LinkedIn has also provided some surprises, by helping me expand my professional network and resulting in stimulating new contacts and a little bit of consulting work. Of course, reconnecting wasn’t all done online. We made a point of having family here to visit, and traveled to visit friends and family too. It’s been a treat to have the time to do it.

Our other 2009 goal was to focus on continuing to improve our health. We have stuck to our low-carb lifestyle (with only occasional lapses), allowing us to maintain last year’s weight loss. The Man Cave has been outfitted as a retreat and workout room; and the elliptical has been an important part of our workout routines (especially in the cold weather). We visited the doctor and dentist to take care of things, and found health care plans for our post-COBRA life. Lots of progress made.

Tonight – New Year’s Eve – Ron and I will spend part of the evening talking about plans for 2010. My thoughts, going into that conversation, are revolving around a few ideas. I want to pursue another level of fitness; losing another 15 stubborn pounds. There are a few final home decorating projects I would like to complete, including a tile backsplash in the kitchen, and a paint job in the master bath. Finally, although we’ve already been in Chicago for a year and a half, we have a long list of things to do and places to see to fully explore the city.

I’m looking forward to tonight, when we’ll review 2009 and (loosely) plan 2010. New Year’s Eve is a time for nostalgia and excitement about the future. Embrace the opportunity full on.