Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve written here! I’ve been busy with social media and blog posts on my other two sites: ShorelineDigitalMarketing.com and our newly launched site OneHandOneGlove.com. One Hand / One Glove is our site set up to connect one handed athletes and gloves. I’ve got to find a home for all of these brand new left-handed extra large gloves! Check out the site and please share on social media. The more gloves, the merrier!
One of the things I’ve been wanting to put down on proverbial paper is the journey of our travels this past year. It was a whirlwind year spent with a lot of traveling, celebrations and family time.
The most monumental event of the summer was our engagement. I couldn’t imagine my life without Robin and I look forward to continuing our journey in life together. (By the way, Robin is the inspiration behind One Hand / One Glove.) I am truly a blessed woman!
The rest of the year was spent crisscrossing the country it seems. I was fortunate to be invited back to the US Masters Waterski and Wakeboard tournament over Memorial Day weekend in Pine Mountain, Georgia. That’s always a tremendous honor to be a part of. I haven’t been as involved with waterskiing as in years past, but still have some cherished ties with the skiing community. Robin was able to join me – after coming straight over from Maui. His daughter Kennadee graduated from high school in Maui so that wasn’t to be missed either. Can you say frequent flier miles?
My cousin Teresa and I have taken over the annual trip to the Cocoa Beach, Florida condo that my dad and our Uncle Joe used to make each Spring. There’s always a project there too and it was fun to share it with her. It also gives me a chance to spend some time with my dear friend Heidi who lives there.
Another big event in our year was our three week road trip to Minnesota. We had a blast coming and going – seeing new sites, adventuring around the countryside. It was awesome!
The original intent of the trip was to pick up my Uncle Joe’s canoe and bring it back to Big Bear. (Yes we drove to Minnesota for a canoe.) Well earlier in the year, after getting into DNA and ancestry research, we learned that we had another cousin who lived in New York. This was big news for all of us as we’re a close knit family. The timing worked out for most of the family to gather together while we were up there. We got to meet our “new” cousin Ray and his family who traveled all the way from New York to join us. A very happy occasion!
The rest of the Summer and Fall included the wedding of Robin’s niece back in Texas. We unfortunately missed the wedding of his nephew because we were on our trip to Minnesota. We also made another trip back to Texas for the Brown family Halloween extravaganza. If you ever wonder where all the trick-or-treaters have gone, look no further than Panhandle, Texas!
Finally we celebrated with my parents as they were honored with a lifetime achievement award at their parish for their nearly 50 years of service to the community. We’re very proud of them.
So I finally added up the number of states traveled to in the past year: 15! I’m hoping to dial it back a little this year, but we seem to be really good at filling up our social calendar. Thank goodness for mobile hotspots and a man that likes to drive. It enables me to keep up with my work while we’re traveling.
I guess I’ve rambled on like one of those Christmas letters, sorry about that. The thing that really resonated for us this past year is the importance of family. Be thankful for those people in your life, be it life-long friends or new-found family members. And despite the negativity surrounding us these days, be kind to one another. We don’t have to agree, but we need to be nice. I saw a great quote the other day on Facebook that read – “We need to recognize that the right wing and the left wing belong to the same bird.”
Cheers,
Laura
