Anniversary Reaction

The last few weeks have been interesting for me.  

Perhaps it is the fact that winter has been excruciating in Kentucky for those of us who dislike the season making me more 'blue' than usual, or perhaps because I am "midlife", or perhaps it is just normal to react to something incredibly defining-- for whatever reason, I found myself reflecting more than usual about the anniversary of my being diagnosed with cancer.
Each year I 'think' about it but mostly just to say to myself, "its been X years since that time".  Then my mind usually wanders down the path of reassurance and comfort, telling me "well, if its been that long, perhaps it really never will return".
This year was different.  I don't know how long it has been since I let myself replay the whole day but this year, I vividly remembered...the words of Dr. Donaldson, the shock, the fear, the sadness, the smell of the office, the confusion of treatments and drugs I didn't comprehend, the insanity of the industry that thrives on cancer diagnosis, the web of miracles that God pieced together to bring me to the place, the soul searching, the personal growth, the peace that passes understanding, the omnipresence of God, the realization that I am not in control, that my husband, kids, family and friends are most cherished, and on and on.  I even spoke it aloud this year, announcing "10 years ago today was the day of the diagnosis"...I don't think I had ever spoken of the anniversary before and not sure why it was so vivid this year.
My hope is that again on March 1, I will wake with another mental reaction to the 10th anniversary of the news that the staging was miscalculated and there would be no need for chemo to begin on March 2!  I hope I will also continue to contemplate what I could and should do with the extension of health and time I have been blessed to have.

Each year on Feb.13, we celebrate our wedding anniversary, which we have been doing now for 26 years.  The past couple of years, we have opted to celebrate with a winter vacation to somewhere tropical for a week or more.  This year we decided to keep it low key. Well, I decided.  Randy was all for going somewhere warm so that maybe my mood would improve but I insisted that a short break would only make me want more warmth and getting through the rest of winter would be harder.  Neither of us needed to be away for an extended period of time, I reasoned, so we decided to go down to Gatlinburg for a few days.  I psyched myself up saying, "It will be nice to be away together, just the two of us" and that is very true but I was not that excited about Gatlinburg.  It's not warm and I am not a fan of the freaky tourist activities and trinket shops, however, Randy promised to go hiking so I knew I would enjoy that.  I wished for snow so that the pictures I would take would be prettier.  But honestly, I wasn't expecting to be wowed in any sort of way...just warmed by some good snuggling, good food and sightseeing together.
Randy made reservations at a couple of places for dinner, the Melting Pot (which I love) and a place called the Lodge at Buckberry Creek.
On Feb. 12, Gatlinburg was under a winter storm warning with several inches of snow expected.  We left on Thursday, Feb. 13 and drove down that morning.  Around noon, the snow stopped and by the time we arrived in Gatlinburg around 3 p.m., the clouds were breaking and the sun was shining through.  At the same time, we decided to see if we could find the Lodge at Buckberry Creek and determine if the roads were in condition for us to drive up the mountain to its location.  Roads were amazingly good.  Freshly plowed.  When we arrived, we parked and walked onto the veranda.

...this was the breathtaking view.  Suddenly, I had an epiphany.  After all these years and all the times I have been to the Smokies, never has it been this spectacular....could it be that after all these years, never could my marriage be better?  Maybe it has to do with the vantage point.  Maybe even something we've experienced so many times can be experienced differently.  Maybe I should expect to be wowed.  Adding white to the canvas (like we both are) and reflecting the right light (of Goodness) can change the perception completely!
It was awesome!
And....the Lodge at Buckberry Creek was exquisite.  The building, furnishings, ambiance, service, food -- excellent!  One of the best anniversary outings we've had!  Who would have thought?
We can't wait to go back for an entire weekend at the Lodge.

Entry at Lodge at Buckberry Creek

Styled after the Adirondack lodges in upstate New York, artisans have payed close attention to detail.  Birch bark is used for trim, antiques abound including furniture, books, accessories. Massive fireplaces warm the areas.  The food is exceptionally well prepared and the service impeccable.  I can't say enough good things.

We spent much of the daylight hours on Friday and Saturday walking along snow covered trails and driving to snowy mountain vistas.  We shopped some, ate well, and attended the Smoky Mtn. Opry before making the trip back home on Sunday.  

The entire weekend was an unexpected, very pleasant surprise.

Scenes from hiking and sight seeing....

My handsome hubby by the creek....see what I mean about 'a little white on the canvas and the proper light'?

Here's to us...
May there be 26 more years to discover the unexpected from the ordinary and wow ourselves along the way!

So Far in Twenty-Fourteen

 I still think "20" anything sounds strange since I was technically born in another CENTURY!!!  I grew up in a house about 100 yards from a cemetery so I would often walk the solemn paths beneath old oaks and pines.  I remember thinking as I walked by stones with dates marked born 18xx that those people must have been ancient!  Even now, the 1900's seem so long ago to the 20 somethings.  And....the pronunciation of 2014 as "twenty-fourteen" reminds me of a child learning to count and getting the numbers out of order!

  Madison got a new vehicle.  I left off the 2013 blog catch up post with the news that she crashed her Honda Civic.  Of course, she is now at a much different time in her life than when she bought the sporty 2-door civic, so she opted to replace it with a Honda CRV.

  The winter weather has been unseasonably cold and snowy.  Just what those of us who suffer from winter blah need!  We had several snows in January.  The kids only went to school 8 total school days in January!  We have had snow covering the ground for the first 17 days in February.  Will Spring ever come?

  To relieve cabin fever and feed my need for adventure, we recently made a visit to an old-fashioned soda fountain for lunch.  I had read about the place in Kentucky Monthly and it sparked my interest as it is located in Wilmore, a whole 5 minutes from our house!  Just like Duncan Drugs from my childhood, the soda fountain was located inside a pharmacy built in the 1940's.  Many of the antiques inside were original.  Lunch was average.  The girls and Randy had cheeseburgers and fries.  I had chicken salad.  The big winner at the table was Randy's chocolate malt.  Randy worked at a similar establishment in McMinnville, TN when he was in high school.  I have heard countless times about how good the chocolate malts were at that drug store.   He has tried countless times to find a malt that matches the ones of his youth but nothing ever measured up....until now. 

To our family and friends...may the sun shine steadily on all of us very soon and may our paths be decorated with blossoms!  Oh how I long for warmer days and color in my world.

Saying Goodbye to 2013

Well, I intended to update this blog this year and so now is the imperative moment since there are only a few short hours left in the entire year of 2013!

For better or worse, it's been a fast and CRAZY year.  I was counting up the number of residences someone in our home actually owned or occupied this year...yes, that's right...I said "counting up".  There were 7.  We owned our home in Monticello (50 Turner Road) until April 2013.  Shortly after the sale of that home, we purchased 5 acres of property on Keene/Troy Pike between Nicholasville and Versailles.  After meeting with three builders, we decided we might be making a better investment if we purchased a home since the market was still down rather then build a custom home - since the price of building materials was up!!  So, in June, we purchased another house at 114 Middle Creek Dr.  Our residence during this time was 424 Juniper Drive in Nicholasville.  I had to sign the papers remotely for the 114 Middle Creek house while I was residing for the month of July at Aldea Mar in Venice, Florida! Earlier in the year, Madison studied abroad and rented an apartment in Madrid, Spain.   In addition, Madison decided to spend six weeks this summer in Washington, DC, so yes...we also rented a studio apartment there!  In October, we sold the 424 Juniper property and moved into our home at 114 Middle Creek and we are all much happier out in the country and with more space.  We feel really blessed to have been able to sell two homes this year!  Hopefully in 2014, the perfect buyer will fall in love with our acreage on Keene/Troy!

Other important memorable moments for 2013:

January - McKayla taught McKenzie to play guitar.

 Madison returned home from a semester of study abroad and some time spent traveling throughout Europe.
 
February --  Randy and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by taking a week long cruise.  It was the perfect getaway to review our lives and contemplate what the future might be like.  When we returned home, our families hosted a surprise reception where we reconnected with friends we hadn't seen in years.    

March
So happy that both our family and the Yates family found time to meet up for a fun weekend in Pigeon Forge.  We've come a long way from the play dates with strollers and we all still love each other!  Cousins.

April, May and June were spent moving the remainder of our "stuff" out of the house at 50 Turner Road, readying the Juniper house for sale, meeting with builders and looking at possible homes on the market. Somewhere during this time, Madison was inducted into the Gatton Business Honor society.   We were all blessed to be able to spend Father's Day with our dads in June.

 McKenzie and McKayla actually spent most of the month of June in Monticello with Nana and Papa.
Needless to say, we were all ready for July to arrive!

July - 31 Wonderful Days by the Sea.
I thought of taking our vacation west this year but the girls really wanted to return to Venice to hang out with the friends they have made there.  And...truly, I love the friends I have made there too so we came away very thankful that we returned to the same place for the third July in a row!  An added blessing this year - MORE FRIENDS!!

I did finally get to see a sea turtle make a nest and lay her eggs. Actually on July 28 at around 1 a.m. I sat on the beach in the darkness as she made her pit, laid her eggs and then lumbered her way back into the sea. It was the most surreal experience.  The entire 31 day experience in Venice renews me.  It revives my hope in humanity, strengthens my faith in God as creator, fulfills my need for simple, slow and quiet time. I am so thankful for the time I get to spend there with my family and friends.

In August, my sister gave birth to a baby girl, Mae Iris.  I celebrated my 48th birthday.  McKenzie and McKayla began their sophomore year of high school and Madison returned home from Washington, DC to begin her final year of undergraduate study.  

The Medlins are some of our favorite people so Labor Day weekend was a real treat when we got to spend it together with them at the farm.  (We did miss Clint.)

On September 23, Madison turned 21!  Not quite sure how many days and ways she celebrated, but here Nannie baked her a cake!  We went to Cosa Cosina for dinner.

October treats:

I got to travel to Boston to visit my sister and her family and meet Miss Mae.  I loved spending time with everyone.  

McKenzie got to see her current fav band:  Florida Georgia Line!  

We also moved in October.  It was actually such a crazy month that I didn't even buy a pumpkin this year!  

November came and we had my parents over for Thanksgiving...in addition, we went to the farm for a couple of days.

December has been busy but seems to have slowed down a little as I have taken a short break from work to spend some time with my family.  We celebrated Christmas Eve by attending our church service; spent Christmas day at home; then traveled to Monticello and to McMinnville to celebrate with family.  

The girls are all smiles as the gifts they prefer now seem so "grown up".  

Still, the real joy is in the giving and seeing them happy.  

I thought about not mentioning this but...on Dec. 23, Madison wrecked and totaled her car.  While no-one likes to be involved in an accident, how blessed she was to walk away without a scratch.  

We believe there are angels among us.  We pray they watch over us and guide us during 2014, as well as, all our family and friends.

Goodbye 2013.  Hello 2014!

Fall Break - Visiting Family in Boston

We were blessed to be able to fly up to Boston for a few days over Fall Break in October. It's hard to believe my little sister is completely grown up with her own family and established life in Boston! She, Abe and Mira are gracious hosts and spent time showing us all about their town. (Above) Boston skyline from the St. Charles River Bridge.

• Walking along the well-restored neighborhoods of Boston. I hope the girls can appreciate all the city can offer and at the same time, realize the different kind of blessings they might have in the country. Most of all though, I hope they learn to respect everyone's choices about where they live.

• I thought this window box was absolutely gorgeous. This will be my inspiration for next fall!!

Awe.....I wonder if this look is "code" for "Do you think my family stands out in the city?" Interesting artwork on MIT campus....
The hallowed halls of Harvard..... Isn't this precious? Notice the older couple reminiscing on the park bench as the current students mill about....How things change yet stay the same... The girls first t-train experience!! On our way to the skywalk.... Views of Boston and Cambridge from the Skywalk. Boston/Cambridge are neat cities. There are numerous neighborhood parks, coffee shops, restaurants, and interesting places to pop into. The environment is very walk/bike friendly. (Above) One of my favorite photos! Taken outside a coffee shop...great for vocabulary building! Hilarious!

• Thanks to my sister sharing my admiration for the seashore, she drove us the 45 minutes (I am so jealous) to Crane Beach. The drive was populated with scenery of Cape Cod houses, perfect New England small towns and incredible fall foliage.

Crane Beach...Plum Island in the distance. Having never seen a seashore I didn't like, New England didn't disappoint. The field grass and goldenrod grew right down to the sand. It was beautiful.

• Sand angels....I like them much better than snow angels. Thanks for sharing, Mira!!

• A couple of other interesting discoveries during the trip included:

Candlepin Bowling.... And.. Spindrift....A locally produced bottled beverage that McKenzie & McKayla couldn't get enough of. And my final photo of this post says so much more than it appears to say. It was taken the morning we were leaving for the airport. Mira wasn't sure about "the leaving" and neither was I. I enjoyed spending time with Misty, Abe and Mira at their home and in their locale. I think Mira's expression reflects the pain of parting. We all paint on the smile and say how nice it was to visit. We are all ready to get back to our own places and routines but we know before the first utterance of goodbye that we are sad. We already miss each other. Can you see the "glad you came", "I will miss you", have a safe trip home", "til next time" ? And if you look closely, you will also see the "I'm sad-I don't want you to go" part that we never really say.

• It has been sweet to look back at the photos and choose the ones for this post. So many memories are encased inside each one. Thank you so much, Ojure family! We had a great time. We enjoyed your hospitality. We love you. We miss you. We did want to go home to our place and our other family members...but we also didn't want to leave you!

• May we all cherish our families and the time we get to spend together. The world spins so fast and people go in every direction. Time is so fragmented. Family is forever.

God bless you all.