Friday, February 7, 2014

Christmas 2009 Wyoming Travel and Game Warden Training and Chorus and Publishing

Merry Christmas and May 2010 be a wonderful year!


     2009.  Wow!  As I sit here, I can see the sunset making my Maple tree, and the few leaves that have already scattered themselves on the green grass, glow like stained glass – I can’t believe how fast the years have flown by.
25 years ago in May – a couple of skinny, red-haired kids stood in front of the justice of the peace in Cody, Wyoming and swore that we were ready to promise to love each other, “Til Death do us part.”
     Were we CRAZY?  What did we know of Death, Life or anything?  But Because Greg is the best man ever, here we still are.
    It has been a wild ride, a crazy Quarter Century.  We have lived in Wyoming; Custer state park in South Dakota; Ashland, Oregon; Beijing, China; and after 13 moves in 12 years, we’ve lived in this old logging house in Crescent City, California for another 13 years.
     When we got married there were 16 people in our combined families.  Now, Death and Birth and Marriage have changed those numbers to 26 people.  The faces shift and the roles and places alter but the core is still a group of people who may not have chosen each other, but will open the door if we show up.  I have been so rich in love my whole life.
                             2009
     I admit I was delighted to see the end of the Bush years in the White House.  Ready for a change.  I don’t know if the choice was a wise one, only time will tell- but I do know 
Americans – and people all over the world – need to be wise now.
     “It is too late to confine loyalty within National Boundaries.  Loyalty to all humanity is now absolutely essential.”  Ikeda
      This year Austin got his real driver’s license and Emerson is studying to get his permit.  I know it will be less and less often that I have them both with me – more and more that they will be steering their own way into their own future.  It scares me but when I look at them – I see strong, caring young men, with a lot of the energy and compassion and courage that I was hoping they would develop. I am so proud of them both.
      Austin had a lot going on in 2009.  He turned 16, got a driver’s license, traveled with the band to Reno, and to LA to perform in Disneyland.  Suffered headaches and memory loss from a concussion in football.  Started going into training to become a game warden by doing ride-alongs.  
Checking fishing on the Klamath

Officer Weldon and Austin

Austin with Game Warden

Went duck and deer hunting, came down with mono, became a high school Junior, met some of his birth family at his great grandparents home.
Emerson is starting to learn to drive, dropped the violin and joined a college choir with Greg, 
At Immigrant Lake

With Uncle Lance and Cousin Lacy

Love that smile

Crescent City Community Choir

turned 15 and became a sophomore, started psychology class and thinks he found his career path there, mastered the art of cooking spaghetti my way,  is learning German, and loves to play World-of-warcraft in his free time while on the phone at the same time.
Mom and I on Chief Joseph Highway
     As usual we put in a lot of miles.  Over 5,000 this summer, visiting family in Wyoming doing some camping and trying to help while Greg’s Mom has been very sick.  Most of the year saw her in three hospital, in Wyoming, South Dakota and Colorado, but I’m happy to report that a brain surgery and a hip replacement finally seem to be allowing her to recover.
     I took the month of November, to write my second NaNoWriMo novel, and that was a blast.  It is a sequel to the fantasy novel I wrote about 5 years ago, and very different from the Oregon trail one I wrote for national novel Writing month last year.  With 3 novels sitting here in manuscript form, I have also been researching publishing options.  It has been my “When I win the lottery dream” for so long, but now it’s time to do the work to see if I can make it happen.
   I also took on a week long Sub Job at the end of October, that stretched to last at least through Jan. 6th and maybe longer.  The Severely handicapped, middle school class had a new teacher, and she shattered her ankle when her dog knocked her off her deck.
     Greg’s job changed this year, from choir at the middle and high school in Brookings, Oregon – to Band and Choir at the high school only.  That means most nights and weekends he has to perform with one group or fund raise with another at city council meetings and football games etc.  He seems to thrive on demanding schedules, but with this and the worry about his mom, and trying to get enough college credits to renew his Oregon teacher’s credential, he has been having a stressful year. 
Father's Day
Mimi and Harvey
     I am so glad that I have the opportunity each year, to go through my address book and the cards from last year and remember all the people who are important to me.  I’m so happy to have you in my life!
     My computer has helped me stay in touch more.  So I have to say, my email address is dixiedoodle44@charter.net    and I am on facebook as Dixie_Miller_Goode  and on twitter as pandorasecho. Plus I usually leave a note every morning on the backpacker.com forum as echo on the good morning thread.  I also post photographs on redgage as Echo and started a blog called “echo’s Voice” at http://echo-echosvoice.blogspot.com/  That on-line community has led me to declutter my home with flylady.com, and to start exercising and lose 20 pounds with Jonathan Roche’s No excuse workouts, and to renew friendships and make new ones as well as motivating me to write my novels.  I hadn’t realized what a great tool it would be for changing my life in positive ways.  Before this, we were not online and I just used our 1996 computer as a word processor.
Merry Christmas,

lovely Bison and calves
Dixie, Greg and Austin and Emerson









Gotta remember, my Dad's favorite STEELERS won their 6th Superbowl on the 12th Anniversary of Dad's Death!  Yeah!

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