Saying goodbye to 2017

Today's New Years Eve. The high here is supposed to be 15 degrees. Let's just say it's cold enough for some hot tea. :) What does everyone do on the last day of the year? They look back and look forward. I thought I'd take a look back at the year from my perspective.

I started 2017 looking at breast surgery to remove some abnormal cells. Not a great start to the year since I've never had surgery in my life. But all went well even if I did have to survive a wire sticking out of my breast for an hour or more. That's the big thing I remember.

January also included more fun; girls trip to Downstream Casino! This was the first time I got to see the hotel rooms, which are very nice. And if I remember correctly, I came home with extra moolah.

During winter I had to find more indoor pursuits of fun. Some of which included light sabers with my son. I'm a homebody most of the time, so you'd think winter would suit me, but I'm also prone to cabin fever myself. So work keeps me sane during the long winter season.

My granddaughter, Charlotte made a trip down south and I got to see her. Babies grow so darn fast. She'll be dancing around the room before the end of the year.

My niece and nephew stayed a week down here and boy did we have fun. It seems every time I see them they've grown. And they know how to keep their grandma and aunt busy.

In late April I had the honor of attending the wedding of my co worker's daughter. Let me preface that by saying, her daughter could have been a former student of mine, but I've had so many students over the past 20 years, I can't remember if she was in my class or not. The photo is my principal enjoying a few minutes playing with her sons. It was such a sweet moment, I couldn't help but take some photos.

May brought the end of the school year. This meant saying goodbye to my principal and another science teacher. I don't like change much at all and this was pretty sad. But I did get to see the ABBA tribute concert at Downstream Casino. They did a great job and I met a new friend, Terri.

After school I made my trip out to Pueblo, Colorado. I love getting away from home and spend time with my brother and my aunt. And boy when Allen comes over and has a fish fry it is GOOD. Allen is acting like an old man in the photo, but that guy knows how to fish. I think David and I tried out a new batter, instead of using Aunt Jemima's pancake mix and it was much better.

I went up for Charlotte's 1st birthday party. She was so sweet. I really was impressed how she shared her toys with all the other kids.

Summer also brought a trip to Dauphin Island, Alabama. It was so much fun to frolic in the ocean and search for shells and crabs with Mom, Amanda, Rob and the kids. We visited a museum, gift shops, walked and played in the water. A couple highlights were when our neighbor caught a baby shark and Amanda, Megan and I went swimming with a snake. Crazy times! :)

July also brought a get together with my former co worker and friend Lory. We ate lunch, shopped and made plans to attend a fashion show. We also had a nice visit in December. I have to remember to get her back to Aurora for a visit in 2018.

I also have to mention camping at the lake with some friends. This is where the big idea began to rent a beach house for summer 2018. This type of camping was awesome because my friend, Loralee has an RV. That's my kind of camping!

School started in August and not soon after we had an amazing experience. The entire school gathered at the football field to watch the solar eclipse. It was neat to see everyone, everywhere watching the sun together. I still have my solar eclipse glasses.

She had to cancel once, but finally Olivia Newton John made it to Springfield. It was a great concert. My friends and I had great seats.

Now that fall arrived, Mom and I took a trip to the lake to walk around and enjoy nature. I can't remember why, but Branson traffic was crazy that day.

When Thanksgiving came around Mom, Amanda and the kids visited for our feast. Later we decorated my tree and shot off bottle rockets because the cows were gone from out back. We may have taken it a little far with the ground flowers since my grass caught on fire. We managed to contain it, though. During their visit Amanda and I got some great deals at the Mall on Black Friday. We also played in the leaves at Mom's house and decorated Christmas cookies.

The beginning of December brought a trip to Park Central Square where we enjoyed Christmas music played on ukuleles and other fun adventures in town.

I love sunrises and sunsets and this year was no exception. Even in the cold months, the sun never ceases to amaze me. I hope I'm not the only one.

For the first time, I attended a craft party. My childhood friend, Debbie had several of us over to make crafts. It was really fun. We ate, drank and made some neat Christmas crafts. The next week she had her annual Christmas party. And that was fun, too.

Christmas eve was spent at Mom's house. Nick came down that evening after we drove around looking at Christmas lights. Christmas morning we watched Charlotte open presents and opened our own presents. We even got to watch David open his presents via Google video chat.

And now it's New Year's Eve. I thought I'd end with something a friend shared on facebook. It's nice to look back, but let's remember the future is ours. What are we going to do with it? I've got things I'd like to give up and things I'd like to do. I think those need to be kept continually on our mind during the upcoming year. You're never too old or too young to go toward your dreams.