When Michael and I moved to South Carolina, we decided we would start writing a yearly missive to go in our Christmas cards.  I was unwilling to add to the pre-Christmas stress, so I agreed to it only if we could send it out AFTER the holiday…and so it began.  I struggled a lot with writing the missive for 2013.  The way I write it is to re-read all of my letters for the year.  So, I read and read this year and basically, Michael golfs and paints, and I sew and cook and knit….pretty boring, right?  I mean, we think we have a FABULOUS life, but writing about those hobbies just doesn’t cut it.  I thought that for 2014, at the end of every month I should do the write up, and then by Christmas I would be all done.  But I decided that that wasn’t a good way to go about it.  Re-reading all of the letters for 2013 gave me a chance to remember things I had forgotten and to reflect on things we had done.  As one of my friend recently said ‘very few people take the time to reflect on their lives’ and I agree…we’re so busy living them that we don’t take the time to figure out if this is what we really want to be doing.  The leader of my Thursday quilt group does a really cool thing every January.  She hands out pieces of paper for all of the quilters to write down something they want to accomplish during the new year.  Then you fold the paper and put your name on the outside.  She collects them, and hands them back to you a year later.  The point is not to chastise or embarrass anyone, since no one sees the paper you write on except you…but it really points up the fact that something you really wanted to accomplish a year ago…you either did…or didn’t.  I remember when I was in Connecticut, working at Travelers, there was a man in a department peripherally related to mine, and we had the same birthday.  We would go out to lunch on that day every year…that was pretty much the only time we saw one another.  It was interesting to see if we were complaining about the same things a year later, or how our lives had changed.  It was a good marker to see if we were progressing towards whatever it was we thought was important.  I feel like those missives have done that for me.  As much as we love our lives here, and enjoy the freedom to do whatever we want when we get up in the morning…I don’t want all of the days to slip by, only to look back and say ‘how did I get here…and is this where I wanted to be 1 year ago, or 5 years ago, or even 10’.  I think this is why people make resolutions….maybe they should be called goals instead, but whatever you call them, you’re talking to yourself to change your life in some way.  Most of my friends know I make resolutions every year…and am very good about keeping them.  The difference is…I only make 1 or 2 resolutions and I never resolve to lose weight or exercise (although I definitely should J).  Instead, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I really want to change over the next year…and I make my goals easily achievable, instead of jumping to a ‘pie in the sky would this be great…but I know I’ll never keep it up’ thing.  Anyway….just my random thoughts about things…and I thought I’d post the missive…in case you didn’t see it in a belated Christmas card….

In January I made my first attempt at challah bread (thanks to a tested recipe from BG) and it turned out great.  I was glad I made it, because I ended up giving it as gifts to several Jewish friends throughout the rest of the year.

Michael has always loved Les Misarables, and so was thrilled to introduce me to it (in movie form) in February.  Speaking of introductions, it was also Cookie’s first introduction to snow…and she had a ball.  We both tried out, and got parts in BECKY”S NEW CAR…the latest play at our favorite local theatre.

In March we once again hosted Daniel, a young golfer on the Carolinas “E” tour.  The rest of the month was taken up with lots of rehearsals for the play, and working on cast gifts (embroidered tote bags).  We did have our first driveway party of the year….that always signals the start of the warm season here in South Carolina.

The beginning of April heralded the Fiber Floozie retreat in Pennsylvania….and it was heaven…5 days together, eating drinking, sewing, laughing and shopping…what’’s not to like?  The only down side was that BG couldn’t be there due to her stepdad’s health problems….but that will make the next retreat all the sweeter.  Our play (BECKY”S NEW CAR) came up at the end of April to much laughter from our friends and neighbors.

Seems like May was a month of celebrations….I celebrated the second anniversary of my blog, Michael celebrated his team’s first place finish in a local golf tournament, and we broke out the champagne for our 8 year wedding anniversary at the end of the month.

In June Michael finally got me out of my comfort zone and we headed off to Vegas….baby!  It was certainly an assault on the senses, both indoors and out.  When you are inside you are generally walking through or near a casino and the noise is deafening.  Outside the heat was not-to-be-believed.  Plus, Vegas certainly seems to be the place where everyone lets everything ‘all hang out’….whether it should be hanging out or not (if you know what I mean J).  Luckily, we were there for the shows not the gambling, and both were terrific….a Cirque du Soliel with a Beatles theme, and  Chris Angel Mind Freak (an illusionist).  I got to see the Grand Canyon for the first time…once from our helicopter ride, later from a boat on the Colorado River, and finally walking the cantilevered bridge on the western rim (which was totally mind blowing).  We headed off to Zion National Park for some hiking, and took a tour at Glen Canyon Dam.  Then it was on to Sunset Crater, Sedona and the meteor crater.  At the end of the month I was totally excited to finish my (over a year in the making) entrelac sweater, and to post pictures on RAVELRY.  And Michael was excited to start harvesting blueberries from our bushes.

July was all about Michael and Marc’s golfing trip to Scotland.  It was the trip of a lifetime (including their first experience being first class passengers!); # 1 on Michael’s bucket list…bonding with Marc and playing the ‘old course’ along with Carnoustie and Glen Eagles.  The weather was unprecedented…..in the 80’s and no rain…that was totally a bonus for the trip.  They liked it so much that they have decided to have a Pebble Beach vacation in 2015. 

August was all about peaches (I bought 25 pounds of peaches at the farmer’s market for making jam, and cobbler and pies) and golfing and harvesting lots of plum tomatoes from our garden.

The biggest news for the beginning of September was that our Connecticut financial planner Al, and his #1 sidekick Lynn, rented a house in Sun City and stayed for the month.  They were checking out the possibility of a satellite office in the south.  Although they were working, we did get to see them a time or 2 and we had lots of fun and food while we were together.  Michael tried out for, and got a part in Arsenic & Old Lace at Theatre Charlotte.  The other big news was that BG came for a visit!  As usual, we were both very productive in the sewing department while she was here.  I got back to soap making at the end of the month (we were almost out) and ended up selling quite a bit of it.

I’m sure Michael would say the most significant event for October would be the 76 (lowest score of his life) that he shot on our Sun City golf course J.  His play (Arsenic & Old Lace) also opened, despite many health problems for the cast and back stage crew.

November brought a Bat Mitzvah for one of our SCCL friends.  When she started 2 years ago, Evelyn didn’t even read Hebrew…what an incredible accomplishment for someone in their 70’s.  And thank goodness for BG’s challah recipe, as that is what I made for a small gift for Evelyn.  At a special screening in November, many people at Sun City got to see a sneak peak of the movie SAVING MR BANKS and Michael and I both loved it…we highly recommend it.  We had a local zip lining adventure near the end of the month, and celebrated Thanksgiving with our friends Gale & Phil.  The most traumatic event for me personally was losing my oven the day after Thanksgiving…I tried to make bread, but it would never heat up!   I was without an oven for 5 days….so that kind of put the kibosh on getting a jump on my Christmas cookies.

December was an orgy of candy making and cookie baking, along with my first ever trip to IKEA.  I’m already ready to go again J.  I think the highlight for Michael was buying a new driver (which seems to be serving him quite well in his golfing efforts).

Once again, 2013 was a year filled with golfing and theatre (both community and professional) and new recipes, weaving (but only a tiny bit L) and quilting and lots of visits and dinners with friends.  We are glad to still be (relatively) healthy and happy and we’re definitely looking forward to what 2014 brings.  We still feel so fortunate to be living here and we try to be grateful every day for all of the wonderful things that have happened over this past year.

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New Year’s Day!  What a lovely, peaceful day it was.  We slept in a little, sat and read our books most of the day…just getting up occasionally to put chairs away, or tray tables or some other little thing to get our house back to normal.  I finished THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY by Louise Penny.  If you haven’t read any of her books, you really need to start, STILL LIFE is the first one.  They need to be read in order….how she makes you care SO MUCH about the people in the story, I can’t imagine, but my heart was breaking at the end of this one and I can’t wait to read HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, which is next in the series…and which I already have from the library.  I also got to have 2 LONG calls from Janice and Mary Jo.

Thursday (1/2) morning Michael left for golf at Springfield at 9:30….shortly after I left for quilting.  I took ham/cheese crescents (that I put together Wednesday night) along with dipped oreos…and both seemed to be a big hit!  Within minutes of getting home, a friend called and asked me to come over for a visit.  Sally and I spent a couple of hours drinking tea and talking, and I came home at 5 when Jimmy and the kids returned from his chemo treatment.  Michael was on his own for dinner since I was still full from our quilting luncheon and I read for a bit in the evening before bed.