Fun
& Frivolity
Top
10 of 2013
10. Since changing jobs and moving, my travel has been sharply curtailed. I went from traveling virtually every other
week to just twice in 2013 – and both trips were to San Francisco. Luckily, San Fran is one of my favorite
cities (tied with Washington, DC) so it was a pretty good experience. I’ve been there several times now but on
these two trips I did a couple things I hadn’t in the past: had dinner in Chinatown (YUM!) and perused
the Ferry Building. The Ferry Building
is like a huge indoor farmer’s market with little independent shops. I had the BEST grilled cheese of my LIFE
there, too, at the Cowgirl Creamery. And
of course, when in SF, you MUST have a Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae, which I
did (both times!)
9. On my birthday this year, I started volunteering at one of the local nursing homes,
doing crafts with the residents. Thank
heavens for Pinterest! I know the folks
really look forward to my monthly visits and I try to ensure that the crafts I
choose are not only fun but able to be completed by various levels of
dexterity. I’ve got several ladies with
very bad arthritis or tremors who can’t really craft but they so love coming
that I just “help” them make theirs.
I’ve been so blessed by this time but also by rediscovering my inner
crafter. I’ve found that I like
“flipping” furniture as well; I tiled a
$10 table I picked up at the Salvation Army and then caught the bug. I rehabbed a nightstand and a small table as
well and actually SOLD them to a shop in town!
I’ve got two chairs to work on next!
8. I spent Thanksgiving
with newlywed friends and had a wonderful time. Their place is only
about a 3 hour drive from me and I was blessed to have them come visit me a
couple times this summer as well.
7. Speaking of which, I am so thankful for the
friends who made the journey down to visit me this year. The winter was a pretty lonely and boring
time because I didn’t really know anyone here and I was so glad when spring
sprung and suddenly, people were able to
visit! I hope everyone who came had
as great of a time as I did experiencing all the beauty and fun to be had
here.
6. I’ve really spent the last year learning not only about where I work, but also about my town in general. This area was home to several former presidents! I’ve visited all and I’ve learned so much history.
5. One of my visits took place earlier
this month. A friend in Indiana had put
out a request on Facebook for people to take a paper gingerbread man that her
kindergartener made in school and take photos of him around your town. (If you are familiar with Flat Stanley, it is
the same concept.) I was ALL OVER that
idea! “Indy”, as I named him, journeyed with me for Thanksgiving, with a quick stopover in Colonial
Williamsburg, and then visited Thomas Jefferson's Monticello with me during a holiday open
house. Mr. Jefferson himself was on hand for that event and I was able to
get a photo of Indy & I with TJ! So
exciting.
4. In a stunning development, I signed up to
train for the local 4-Miler
this summer. The 4-Miler raises money
for the cancer programs at the local hospital. A
dear friend from high school was fighting breast cancer, so I decided to train
and walk in the 4-Miler in honor of her (as well as my aunt and another friend
who beat breast cancer.) I was up at
6:30 AM every Saturday from June through August to train and was so thrilled
when I completed the race on the first Saturday in September! This was a huge accomplishment for the girl with
chronic pain issues and a rod in her spine and who used every excuse in the
book to skip gym class growing up!
3. When I returned from visiting friends & family last Christmas, I
was about at my wits end with regards to meeting people here. In the short months I had been here, I had
tried just about everything I could think of but to no avail. I kept looking for a book club, thinking that
I would find like-minded folks there, but everyone I tried was a bit of a
letdown…so I started my own! We had our first meeting in February. Of
all the things I’ve done here, I have to say that THIS was the one that helped
turn the tide. The folks who come out
are so nice and we have so much fun. I
really enjoy our monthly discussions!
And we meet at a different restaurant each month, so that’s been fun as
well.
2. And I’ve met
some really great gals to hang out with!
We’ve watched polo (seriously!
And it was fun as heck!), done wine tastings (there are about 30
wineries within 20 minutes of me – and that is no exaggeration!), done beer
tastings, had lunch and just generally had a good time. I’m thankful for the “Sunday Fundays” we’ve been having and am looking forward to more in
2014.
1. By far the coolest thing I’ve done since
moving here was to train for and become a CASA. I was having
difficulty connecting with the kids in the youth ministry at my church here and
was feeling very discouraged and disappointed.
Then I saw an ad in the weekly newspaper about CASA! CASA is an organization that trains Court Appointed Special Advocates, who work one-on-one with abused and endangered children to assist the courts in determining the best environment to ensure each child's safety and well-being. In some cases, the CASAs may be the only voice that can truly speak for these children. After 30 hours of intensive training, 2 hours of court observation, 3 interviews, and being evaluated on writing a sample court report, I was sworn in as a CASA on October 15. I know the work will be challenging, but I believe this will be one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.
So that's my year in a nutshell! I want to say thank you to every one of you who has prayed and offered your support during my first full year of this transition. It certainly has not been easy (and it's still ongoing!) but I can honestly say, brighter days have come and I'm looking forward to what's ahead.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a fantabulous 2014!
So that's my year in a nutshell! I want to say thank you to every one of you who has prayed and offered your support during my first full year of this transition. It certainly has not been easy (and it's still ongoing!) but I can honestly say, brighter days have come and I'm looking forward to what's ahead.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a fantabulous 2014!
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