Happy New Year 2014!

We seldom have a “normal” year, unless “unpredictable” is normal, in which case 2013 was a normal year.

As many of you know, my Mother, Chris Withrow, moved to Colorado in 2008 when she was 88. Her health began to decline in 2012, and she died on the 13^th of January 2013. During her last, difficult weeks and months, each of my sisters came for a visit, spending special time with her and being a great comfort and help to me as well. We buried her in Teague, the little Texas town where she was born, in the family plot next to my father. What a rich life she lived!

So now George and I are retired! We are willing to continue working, but jobs are hard to come by these days, especially when some people consider you to be a senior citizen (gulp, really?). So we decided to make the best of our new freedom and do some traveling.

In March we spent a few days in San Francisco with Daniel and Tien. Some highlights of the trip were the Bay Cruise on a sunny day, exploring the city, and being able to watch the ocean from their apartment, as it looks west across the sand dunes to the Pacific Ocean. We had a memorable train ride back through the Sierras and the Rockies. 

In June we flew to Louisville, KY, to visit my sister Jill and her fiancé Lee Pennington. We were there to attend a special event at the University of Louisville – the opening of the Lee & Joy Pennington Cultural Heritage Gallery (Lee’s wife, Joy, died of cancer a couple years ago). We had a delightful time with Lee and Jill, met many of their interesting friends, and took a leisurely ride on the paddle-wheel riverboat, the Belle of Louisville.

Over the summer we took trips around Colorado to Ouray, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Leadville, and Grand Lake. Our son Kit went with us; he had never seen most of these places and discovered new areas of Colorado he wants to explore some more. 

We also spent relaxed days on our land in South Park, enjoying our view of the vast valley with 100 miles of mountain peaks rimming the western edge.

We added a puppy to our household -- Rita, a chiweenie (chihuahua-dachshound mix). She's a perfect fit for us and loves being the center of attention.

The year was not without it challenges, and these came mostly in the area of our health. As senior adults, we’re dealing with some of the usual aging issues. George now wears a hearing aid and he had cataract surgery. I have heart problems, and must now take medicine for that.

Our year ended with a wonderful Christmas. Daniel and Tien (who are expecting their first baby in May) flew out from California, so, along with Julie’s family and Kit, all of our family (11 of us) came together at our house. 

With 2013 behind us, George and I are feeling very blessed and are anticipating more good days in 2014.