Enjoy.
10. The first anniversary of my marriage was way back
in January (01/11/11 – not too shabby all those 1’s) and though Steve and I
still don’t have wedding bands to show for it outside my engagement ring, all
is well. I delight in saying “my husband” when I tell others about him –
strangers, coworkers (who might as well be strangers!), friends.
9. Our new house. We quietly packed up our things and
left our old house – a mere 7 or so blocks away – to a slightly bigger,
Spanish-style home. The new kitchen is a place where two adults, one
rambunctious toddler, and two big dogs can “be” without bumping into each
other, cupboards or appliances. There’s a swimming pool out back.
There’s a working fireplace (and unfortunately a very warm winter thus
far). Life is good on O, our street.
8. George (not that he ranks #8, but I’m doing this
both chronologically and from memory). He was a crawling drooling little
chub in January and still very much a baby. By his first birthday in
June, he was walking. Now he is running, talking and loves spending time
with his books, tools, dogs (the cats get chased; sorry cats), and being
outdoors, collecting sticks, pine cones and pointing out the dog poop we’ve
missed. UH-OH! POOPOO! He has a sweetness and tenderness about him
that is genuine; a concern for others that I learn from. Ooof, I love my
baby.
7. When George turned 1, my mom came to town.
She was able to spend some quality 1-on-1 time with George and I’m grateful for
every ounce of it. In August, my dad, little sister and again, mom
came. I always struggle with missing my family – it’s like an illness
that I manage without prescription drugs. They are so freaking far
away! My husband(!) always buys vehicles with 4-wheel drive.
Recently I asked him why that was; we live in Florida and there’s really little
need for it. “You never know when we are going to move to Oregon.”
6. There was a family reunion to Captiva, a gorgeous
barrier island on Florida’s Gulf, in August. Captiva is paradise.
We stayed in a cottage right on the beach. Food, family, fun. After
the festivities, we drove through Sanibel, vowing to come back soon. Are
you reading this Steve.
5. While not a highlight by any measure for good
reasons, one of Steve’s uncles unexpectedly passed away and we went to north
Florida for his funeral. North Florida is completely different from South
Florida – up there, it is the South. There are hills and thick
accents. We went up to his uncle’s property after the funeral – acres of
shaded land – and though I never met the man, there was a very welcoming
presence. You could feel the love. I met some of Steve’s family I’d
never met. It was a nice coming together, even though it was a sad
time.
4. In September we went to Montana, and though it was
something I was openly dreading, it was not a half-bad trip. George met
the mountains, and if he had his way, he’d never have left all that fresh air
and open space. I predict the boy will move out West if we do not.
He covered more ground than I knew possible.
3. Shortly after Montana, we went to Portland. George
met extended family and a couple close, dear friends I’ve known all my life.
It was an incredible time. George was happiest exploring the great outdoors
or snuggling with his aunts or playing with my parents. We went throughout Portland and though it was
brief, I inhaled enough of its air to keep me happy until…spring? Summer?
2. Return to reading and listening. What? I
didn’t do so well with my reading this year and the past few years I’ve all but
neglected music. Both broke my
heart. In October, I decided to do
something about it. Reading requires
time, and I’m able to listen to a lot of books on my commutes which can
sometimes take 2 hours of my day. I
check out the physical copy of the same book I’m listening to so that I can
read when time permits. I also turned to
the library’s music collection to reintroduce myself to music from 2009—present. Working off Best-Of lists from NPR Music and
Rolling Stone, I’ve been able to add quite a few albums to my collection. It feels good.
1. This.
Out of 2500 applicants, 50-odd people were chosen to
participate, and Steve is one of them (see second 38). The juror, Todd Hido, has been an idol of his
for a long time. Steve said to me “just
to have my photos in front of him was enough.”
Well, and there you have it.
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