In January Rich and I took off on a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona. Something on Rich's bucket list has been to attend a Barrett Jackson Auto Auction. He crossed that one off while in Phoenix. We didn't make the actual auction but we did get to the first preview day and saw all the beautiful antique cars that were for sale. 
Another item on his list from as far back as childhood was to go to Carlsbad Caverns. He got to check that one off too.
We took a day trip to one of our favorite places, Sedona, Arizona. We also had two days in Tuscon where were able to visit an old friend.
In February I came to the realization that I was old enough to join the Southlake Senior Citizen Center. It was strange being there since my mom was a long-time member and some of her old friends are still there. I got brave and joined their Tai Chi class. My first class was pitiful! I was so out of balance, mostly due to my fake knees, that I had to hold on to something for most of the one hour and had to sit and rest frequently, Much to the shock of the other students and instructors I returned and every week got better and better, So much so that after about 4 classes I was standing and participating in the whole class without sitting. Rich decided to join and today we are still going every week and loving every class. My role model is our 77 year old Chinese instructor.
In June we checked off another item on that bucket list - a two week land/sea trip to Alaska. We went with good friends who were celebrating their recent retirement. We flew into Fairbanks where we spent the first two days on our own prior to the tour. The tour began in Fairbanks followed by a glass-top train trip and an overnight stay in Denali. Then a bus trip to Anchorage for a day continuing to Seward to get on the Norwegian Sun. The second week was spent eating and relaxing on the ship while seeing some of the most beautiful sights in the world including the Hubbard Glacier. We had stops in Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan. After we got off the trip we stayed in Vancouver for 2 days before returning home, It was the trip of a lifetime!
Now here is where the change part comes into play. James made the realization at his work that things were not looking good for his future there and decided after 10 years it was time to look for another job. Good jobs in his field of aircraft maintenance management were not very plentiful in our area so he started to broaden his horizon. He ended up accepting a Director of Maintenance job with a company in Delaware. Which of course meant uprooting his family to the East Coast. It was exciting for them to move to a new part of the country but devastating for the family they left behind.
Having grown up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania Rich and I knew we would not be moving back to the cold weather. So late last summer we had a very tearful goodbye.
Some of you may or may may not know that our oldest daughter Cindy has suffered with the disease of alcoholism for many years. Late in 2015 she was arrested for her 3rd Texas DUI which is a felony. She was in jail then miraculously was sent to a wonderful women's recovery center instead of a long jail sentence. She has been there for 5 months and faces at least another 4 or 5 months before beginning a long probation term. And also as some of you may not know, our youngest grandaughter Daphne was born to Cindy who was not able to care for her. Jennifer and James have been raising her since she was 7 months old. Lovingly Cindy signed over her rights so Jenn and James were able to adopt Daphne. The final adoption took place in November and they are now officially her family.
In October Rich and I took another trip, this time to Palm Springs, California. We both love that part of the country and enjoyed 5 days of total relaxation in the sun. About 3 weeks after returning from CA we embarked on a 3500 mile road trip to see the kids for Thanksgiving. We spent night one in Vicksburg, Mississippi before traveling to our first main stop of 4 days in Destin Florida. We had heard a lot about Destin but had never been there. We loved the white sand and blue water. We left there for one night in Lumberton, NC. From there we went to Burke, Virginia where we spent 2 nights with my cousin Kathy and her husband Linwood. I am an only child and consider Kathy to be my sister. We had a great visit and got to see her daughters and their 3 kids. We left them on the final leg to Pennsylvania to spend a week with Jenn and family. We loved where they live - right in the heart of Amish country. The rolling hills and farmland were just what we remembered from living in PA. But the cold was a little to much for our liking. We had a great visit and a wonderful Thanksgiving. Kathy and Linwood were also able to make it for dinner. We had our Christmas with the kids since we knew we wouldn't be seeing them. We again tearfully left them for a long 2 day ride home.
As soon as we got home it was time to decorate for Christmas. It was a little difficult knowing it would only be the two of us. It was sad without the kids, Cindy being away and my mom no longer here. But I love Christmas and all the decorations and refuse to let the sadness ruin that. So I put up 3 trees, a multitude of decorations and Rich lit up the outside of the house. Christmas is a time to celebrate and be happy and not a time to feel sorry for myself.
A few weeks after arriving home we were able to have our first and second visits with Cindy which went very well. She is doing well, looking good and hopeful for the future. We just want the best life for her.
A week before Christmas we had a party for the members of our antique Ford car club. I cooked for a week and had quite the spread. That is something I really enjoy doing but don't get to do often. We had about 15 people attend and had a great time. We have been blessed to have found such a wonderful group of friends.
Rich and I were slated to usher at the 4:00 service at church on Christmas Eve. As I was handing out bulletins to people coming in I started to get visions of black spider webs in my eyes. We decided to leave church and go to the ER to be on the safe side. After a battery of tests to rule out a mini stroke and a day and a half in the hospital I was finally released late Christmas Day. Some of the webs are still there and I will be seeing my opthomologist ASAP. I came home and between the two of us we cooked our prime rib and Yorkshire Pudding dinner and were able to relax for our late Christmas celebration and dinner.
We always stay at home on New Year's Eve and this year will be no different. It will be a time to look ahead at our new adventures for next year. Right now we have one Carribbean cruise planned and undoubtedly a we will take number of trips to PA (not by car!). We are in the beginning stages of planning another bucket list trip for 2018 - a week on the Big Island in Hawaii continuing on for another week in Tahiti and Bora Bora to stay in a glass floored hut. We have to continue to check off that bucket list while we still can. One never knows what the future will bring. We will continue to take our Tai Chi classes and will try to get more physically active (on my part).
I hope all of you have had a great year and wish you nothing but the best for the coming year. Happy New Year!
