Still kicking

If anyone out there still remembers me and cares, I AM still alive.

Since we last spoke:

• I've been at the new job for nearly a year. Still VERY happy there.
• STILL trying to sell my home to move a little closer to both the new job (about a 1.25 hour commute) and Paul (about a 55-minute drive). "Closer to Paul" being the more critical of the two goals.
• My daughter turned 21 two weeks ago. Threw her a massive party, hiring a DJ I'd used way back when for my retro parties. Party was a huge success. I'm now broke.
• Speaking of broke, I lost a fortune in my retirement savings and 401K. I actually liquidated a whole bunch of stuff yesterday, which makes me single-handedly responsible for the enormous GAINS Wall Street saw today. I can't win!
• Paul and I took a cruise on Royal Caribbean in March 2008 - my seventh cruise, but my first on Royal Caribbean. I'm a convert. Love it! Love it! Love it! Our next cruise on Royal Caribbean will be in January 2009, followed by one we've already planned for March of 2010! (Did you forget that I'm a compulsive planner?)
• My oldest son is still in the army, stationed in Italy. He was in Georgia (no, the OTHER Georgia) when Russia invaded and therefore was not able to come home on leave. I haven't seen him in TWO YEARS! I'm hoping he'll be home for the holidays this year. I sent him my "Easy Button" to use on the folks who authorize leave. "That was easy."
• My youngest son just turned 15 and is a good four inches taller than me now. When the heck did THAT happen?
• Paul and I returned to Vegas, opting to go there rather than our traditional New Hampshire trip for our anniversary this August. (3 years) We got an amazing package deal, probably because no one in his right mind travels to the Nevada desert in August. We had a great time and met some new friends. They will be attending our annual Halloween party this coming weekend. Cool, huh?
• We did NO gambling while in Vegas, which was probably a wise move given my luck on Wall Street!
• I did manage to get to the White Mountains of New Hampshire this year, just not with Paul. My youngest son (15, remember?) and I took a weekend trip there in late June. We went kayaking on the river just days after they experienced a tornado in the area. Water was rough...we had a BLAST! Now I want to try white water kayaking. What a rush!

That's about it. A year in a nutshell. Boy, kinda boring huh? Now you understand why I stayed away so long. Not a lot to say!!

This is one of Paul's new Vegas friends. This friend, however, is not, however, planning to attend our Halloween party this weekend.

My daughter's 21st birthday party was a Luau theme. Great photo backdrop, huh?

Paul and I in Senor Frogs in Aruba on our March 2008 cruise. It used to be Carlos & Charlies before Natalie disappeared.

PacMan kayaking in New Hampshire.