WHAT A YEAR 2015 HAS BEEN. It started off AMAZINGLY well. We attended the NYE concert of The Avett Brothers, one of my favorite bands. They are from North Carolina and they've made it big and, well, we just love them. Ringing in the New Year rocking out to I and Love and You (which came after Auld Lang Syne) with my family and our friends the Marxes (one of my buddies from college) was super special. It was also the first time in about 12 years that we didn't have a New Year's Eve party. I hope our usual suspects weren't lost and forlorn with no place to go and no one to kiss at midnight. Maybe we'll have one this year. As usual, we will wait until about 4 days out to decide - "Do we really want to have a party? Oh what the hell. Let's do it." I might not this year, though. We'll see. But I digress...Back to the Avett Brothers. I am proud to say that one of the band members was a client, and one is a good friend of a client. Said good friend may be having a baby in the near future and I'm hoping that he will become my client. I have a not so secret crush on him so I may have to send someone else so I don't swoon the whole time. I seem to run into him fairly regularly out and about and when I do, I get all weird and can't speak to him. Celloooooo! No, I can't tell you who it is.
Speaking of clients, my business is going well. I have a dynamite team of doulas who work with me, and we have an excellent reputation in the community. We are truly baby whisperers. We get the most interesting clients from all kinds of places and with all kinds of backgrounds. 2015 was the year of TV news personalities. We had one meteorologist, one news anchor and one news reporter.
THE FAMILY
Olivia is in full college application mode. She is getting her acceptance letters, will weigh all her options, and make a decision by April. I think she is finally ready. For a while there, I didn't think she wanted to leave us. But now, not only is she decorating her dorm room in her head already but she's even applied to be a camp counselor this summer, which means she would leave us a full two months earlier than when she would for her freshman year of college. Jay and I will be alone, with Reuben, who we ALL love. Everyone. Even the people at the coffee drive-thru window who give him cups of whipped cream (called Pupaccinos) love Reuben. He's an awesome dog. He brings us joy everyday. But I digress... Olivia is the editor of her high school, award winning yearbook. Her theme was selected for this year's book. Her teacher has been on maternity leave and (during my newborn support consultations) has reported that Olivia is running the show. She's got a sharp eye, is good with a camera, and she likes bossing people around - which is critical for any good editor, I think. She’s also great with animals, and she’s the one who picked out Reuben. Sheesh, how did I get on that subject again?
Zach graduates in May. What?? Holy hell. Yeah he will be a college grad. I don't know what his plans are yet but he seems to find his way pretty well in the world. He is working in Charleston and is trying to work out a full time position after he graduates. We like that idea. Charleston is such a great city. We visited a couple of weeks ago and met his first real college girlfriend. She's a spitfire- she looks like Elaine from Seinfeld. I can't say if the relationship will last but she's easy to be around. I like a girlfriend who can be comfortable around and hold a regular conversation and who eats. (First girlfriend at the end of high school was gluten free dairy free and kind of shy so she didn't eat a damn thing even though I bought all kinds of GF/DF stuff. I said, you've got to be kidding me. That's enough of that. Don't bring anyone around here who can't eat. I want to be able to feed people in my home without sending them to the hospital.) But not this one. They are both foodies. In fact, I pointed out that they talk about food almost constantly. Apparently it's a Charleston thing. There is a plethora of top notch restaurants and bars - it becomes a lifestyle. And Zach cooks! Not just cooks, he chefs it up - all the time. He gets on a tangent and can't stop until he cooks the thing he's obsessing about. Like duck. Or, gourmet latkes. He could be building a great portfolio on what goes into his stomach. Sigh.
Jay is now Senior Sales Director at Netsertive. (I’m pretty sure that’s not in reference to his age, though he is one of the older ones in the company.) He loves his job and works his ass off. The company has been written up in Forbes and has won lots of local awards like best company to work for, fastest growing, etc. He has a great team of whippersnappers that he oversees and they seem to love him. He still plays squash each week (we enjoyed a visit from our Florida friends Taylor and Art and he and Art got to play again after many years) and he works out before he heads to the office several times a week. I’m glad he’s taking care of his heart.
I’ve been in clearing out mode. I want to get rid of STUFF. Less is more. Simplify. Let go… Easier said than done. I actually have unloaded a bunch of things - like kitchen stuff that seems to multiply and accumulate and reproduce - but as I look around my desk and office, you might find it difficult to believe. I have a ways to go. But the process is fun. I get such a sense of relief when I move stuff out. Need anything? Let me know, I might have it.
We are coming up on Dad’s would have been 83rd birthday next week. I miss him. I feel sad sometimes but I know that’s a part of grieving.
All in all, life is good. We feel blessed to have our health, to have children who are growing up and becoming real people in the world (Olivia is excited about getting to vote next election) and of course, for our wonderful extended family that includes the fantastic friends we have near and far. We wish you all a happy and healthy 2016.
Speaking of clients, my business is going well. I have a dynamite team of doulas who work with me, and we have an excellent reputation in the community. We are truly baby whisperers. We get the most interesting clients from all kinds of places and with all kinds of backgrounds. 2015 was the year of TV news personalities. We had one meteorologist, one news anchor and one news reporter.
THE FAMILY
Olivia is in full college application mode. She is getting her acceptance letters, will weigh all her options, and make a decision by April. I think she is finally ready. For a while there, I didn't think she wanted to leave us. But now, not only is she decorating her dorm room in her head already but she's even applied to be a camp counselor this summer, which means she would leave us a full two months earlier than when she would for her freshman year of college. Jay and I will be alone, with Reuben, who we ALL love. Everyone. Even the people at the coffee drive-thru window who give him cups of whipped cream (called Pupaccinos) love Reuben. He's an awesome dog. He brings us joy everyday. But I digress... Olivia is the editor of her high school, award winning yearbook. Her theme was selected for this year's book. Her teacher has been on maternity leave and (during my newborn support consultations) has reported that Olivia is running the show. She's got a sharp eye, is good with a camera, and she likes bossing people around - which is critical for any good editor, I think. She’s also great with animals, and she’s the one who picked out Reuben. Sheesh, how did I get on that subject again?
Zach graduates in May. What?? Holy hell. Yeah he will be a college grad. I don't know what his plans are yet but he seems to find his way pretty well in the world. He is working in Charleston and is trying to work out a full time position after he graduates. We like that idea. Charleston is such a great city. We visited a couple of weeks ago and met his first real college girlfriend. She's a spitfire- she looks like Elaine from Seinfeld. I can't say if the relationship will last but she's easy to be around. I like a girlfriend who can be comfortable around and hold a regular conversation and who eats. (First girlfriend at the end of high school was gluten free dairy free and kind of shy so she didn't eat a damn thing even though I bought all kinds of GF/DF stuff. I said, you've got to be kidding me. That's enough of that. Don't bring anyone around here who can't eat. I want to be able to feed people in my home without sending them to the hospital.) But not this one. They are both foodies. In fact, I pointed out that they talk about food almost constantly. Apparently it's a Charleston thing. There is a plethora of top notch restaurants and bars - it becomes a lifestyle. And Zach cooks! Not just cooks, he chefs it up - all the time. He gets on a tangent and can't stop until he cooks the thing he's obsessing about. Like duck. Or, gourmet latkes. He could be building a great portfolio on what goes into his stomach. Sigh.
Jay is now Senior Sales Director at Netsertive. (I’m pretty sure that’s not in reference to his age, though he is one of the older ones in the company.) He loves his job and works his ass off. The company has been written up in Forbes and has won lots of local awards like best company to work for, fastest growing, etc. He has a great team of whippersnappers that he oversees and they seem to love him. He still plays squash each week (we enjoyed a visit from our Florida friends Taylor and Art and he and Art got to play again after many years) and he works out before he heads to the office several times a week. I’m glad he’s taking care of his heart.
I’ve been in clearing out mode. I want to get rid of STUFF. Less is more. Simplify. Let go… Easier said than done. I actually have unloaded a bunch of things - like kitchen stuff that seems to multiply and accumulate and reproduce - but as I look around my desk and office, you might find it difficult to believe. I have a ways to go. But the process is fun. I get such a sense of relief when I move stuff out. Need anything? Let me know, I might have it.
We are coming up on Dad’s would have been 83rd birthday next week. I miss him. I feel sad sometimes but I know that’s a part of grieving.
All in all, life is good. We feel blessed to have our health, to have children who are growing up and becoming real people in the world (Olivia is excited about getting to vote next election) and of course, for our wonderful extended family that includes the fantastic friends we have near and far. We wish you all a happy and healthy 2016.