Start of another year!

Yesterday was my birthday! Thanks to all my family I had a great celebration and a great year. I look back on the year and very grateful for my children. Cody and his family moved back to Chandler, Gretchen seems settled in her new job at Phoenix Children's Hospital and Chelsea and Stephen sent last child Tatum off to Kindergarten. So, my babysitting duty has been drastically reduced to just picking up Chandler, Cooper and Tatum after school several days a week.

I have kept busy with pilate classes twice a week and a drawing class at Chandler-Gilbert Community College that I find very satisfying.  I have tried to renew my interest in cooking but have found that has been a slow process of regaining those cooking skills I once had and loved to use.

I am thankful for Alvin. He is such a great provider and works way too many hours but he is doing what he loves. We were able to take some fun trips this past year and do so many fun things together. We spent a week in Seattle at the ceramics convention, a week in fun New York and three weeks in Newport Beach. We also purchased season tickets to the Arizona Diamondbacks game and that we really enjoyed. The girls and I drove to Long Beach for a weekend to explore flee markets.

We were all proud of Alvin's birthday planning for me this year. He just gets better in all that he does every year. He came home with flowers.

And, my gift.

Let me explain! He gave me a baseball mitt and ball and tickets to Diamondback games for next season. When those fly balls came our way last seaon I would always said I needed a glove.

The little ceramic birds represent the birds I just lost in my backyard cage. We are thinging the neighbor cat must have been responsible.

We had dinner at one of our favorite places House of Tricks. It is a fun, romantic and beautiful. And, if that wasn't enough we went to CGCC for a student Jazz concert. A great night - thanks Alvin for the memories.