The year, 2009

A rundown of last year. Not sorry it has ended. Wishing for better times in 2010. The details of the year are mostly included in previous posts.

January
Pete and I went to Cancun! I won the tickets, we took an inexpensive hotel and got a great package of amenities from a hotel that wanted to sell us a timeshare.

February
We attended a big birthday party on LI for my brother, Phil, for his 50th.
Pete was chosen to attend a prestigious leadership program at Yale. On his way home, we all met up in NYC for the weekend.

March
Mostly the normal routine: Skating, Tae Kwon Do, art class, friends, meetings, work, scouts.
We were planning to go on our year-long RV trip around the country, but it was around this time that the economic outlook and business potential for Pete on our return started to look very difficult. We decided to cancel the trip and find other alternatives.

April
Attended more Park Days, which are nice for Zack and me, but really not that interesting for Katie.
The highlight of the month was heading to Boston to join Team Lazy in MS Walk Boston. The team raised lots of money for a great cause ($4,000?) and also had a great time.

May
I worked the WGBH events at PBS Showcase in Baltimore. My parents came up to pick up the kids and bring them back to NC for the week. After the event, I went to NC for a few days. I am now very grateful for that trip because the kids got some good time with my dad. He was undergoing radiation at that time, but was not uncomfortable from it.
Later in the month we headed to Boston to celebrate my in-laws' 50th anniversary. My folks came to this party as well and I'm again grateful we got to see them, although my dad's knee was hurting a lot, he did get to dance with Katie.

June
This moth was pretty chill, with the normal routine. Zack took his last belt test, his next will be his black belt.

July
Zack went to Boy Scout Camp where he had a great time and decided to stick with scouts for another year.
We went to Hershey Park and this time made it a two-day trip. Very worth it, since we had never been to the water park section. We all had a great time and Pete and Zack get some good alone time riding all the scary rides that Katie and I don't do.
Later in the month, the kids and I went to NC to visit G'ma and G'pa. So glad we had this time. Dad's knee was on the mend and radiation was over. He was feeling pretty well and even took the kids to the beach the day before we left. I am glad they have that memory! It was just a few days later that his colon gave out. We would never had expected or guessed when we waved goodbye in the driveway that the rest of the year would take such a terrible turn.

August
A lot of this month was spent in preparation for our planned 5 week trip around the west. Lots of doctor and dentist appointments, laundry, travel book reading, list making and packing.
We also met my brother in NC to celebrate my dad's 75th birthday. This trip had been planned as a surprise before he fell ill but was well-timed as it ended up falling between his operations. I'm glad we were all together.
The last weekend of the month we headed to SF.

September
Spent in San Francisco, down the West Coast on the PCH, Palm desert and, finally the Grand Canyon. Still need to recap the really fine trip we were having as a memory for K&Z. Really will do that soon. Jeannie and Johno joined us in SF and were excellent travel companions.
Talked to mom about every other day and dad, maybe every two-three days. He sounded like himself that first week or so but then was very eager to get off the phone. I remember asking Pete to try to keep him on the phone next time they spoke. I was on my cell with Pete while we were at the Getty Center in LA. I spoke to dad last on 9/16 from Palm Desert before we headed out to Joshua Tree...
9/18 we got the news of dad's death and made the trip back to NC. No words for how this all felt, but the response from my parents' friends was overwhelming and I am so very grateful for all the support and prayers from all my friends and family that held me up--and continues to hold me up.

October
Kind of a blur to tell you the truth. Pete took the kids to Boston for a week and I went back down to NC to lend a hand to mom and also to see and say goodbye to my aunt Gloria. She got her diagnosis of lung cancer in August and was fading rapidly. She had a really good day that day and it was nice to see her in such good spirits and able to chit chat.
Halloween we got together with friends which helped me make it a nice holiday for the kids despite feeling like I was walking through jello the whole month.

November
My least favorite month of any year. I have disliked Thanksgiving since childhood and always anticipate November with dread. This year, it was just another dreadful month since Sept, so I guess that lessened the particular dread for it this year. Maybe.
Pete was on tour with The Jet Age for most of the month. His last out of town gig of the tour was in Durham, NC, so the kids and I stopped in with mom for a few days, then met up with Pete in Durham. The club allowed the kids to see the show and they rocked! Celebrated mom's birthday while with her with A Christmas Carol 3-D and Mexican food.
Thanksgiving was spent with mom coming here for a few days and we had a very nice day with the Griski/Grace clan. So wonderful to be around friends who are really family.
Sadly, just after Thanksgiving we lost my aunt Glo. She was such a wonderful character. We'll miss her a lot.

December
How did the end of the year get here so fast? And how could things have changed so very much, so very quickly?
Katie is now sporting braces and looking more like a teen than my little girl. Zack is training to be a black belt and is beginning to actually take care of that long hair he is sporting. I've also noticed in the last week that his voice is beginning to crack!
Mom came again to spend Christmas, then went to LI and came back for New Years. We did some things differently this year including not leaving cookies and carrots for Santa and the reindeer. (sigh)

Good to get the whole year down and note that there was a lot of good before all the really bad. Life happens. Grateful for friends, family and healthy wonderful miraculous children. Here's to 2010 and all the life it has in store for us.

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