September 1

Happy birthday me!

Blogs are all about the person writing them---so here we go.

I am definitely the baby of my family---I like to entertain, I like to get commended for doing a good job and I like people to like me.

This year has been a delightful, frustrating and surprising year.

Might as well sum it up in a blog post/journal entry?

On the plus:

My financial life has improved significantly--mostly due to...

My new fancy job! I dress up, I travel, I take clients out to fancy places, I sell a bunch of fancy products and get to be a bit enterpreunerial (sp?)

Montgomery and Cooke grew and grew and grew this year! We hosted a show and booked the acts and performed all sorts of new material this winter. I loved loved it---even having to perform on Friday nights.

Beka and Scott's wedding! What a delightful time that was down in texas.

LA in February---what a delight! We got to go to musical theatre camp---and I totally geeked out. And I hiked a fancy la canyon with Johanna Smith, Andy and Amy! I mean, come on!

Jar jar introduce me to Hall and Oates station on Pandora. I can't get enough of it.

Amy and I are re-working the new play. I love writing with her---she really makes me laugh.

But for this summer, we declared it the summer of FAB! Sting concerts in limos! Lake house trips! 20th high school reunions! Drinks on decks! Good food, good friends and good weather.

Oh! I want to Florida in Tampa to see my mom and dad and the Canadians. We played golf, ate out and had cocktails.

Christmas was really great this year---one sibling picked me up with two kids, and the other dropped me off.

Andy was gone for spring/summer---so I had an ass ton of family visits---The Eldridge girls! Beth and Matt and Tad and Ben! Beth and Jayna and Allie! Mom and Dad! Mom and Dad came with Seth last year, too---that was super fun.

I've been swimming and sunning on the shore of Lake Michigan and am as tan as I could ever hope to be. I know, we're not supposed to want that anymore but I jumped on the tanwagon super late in life, so there.

I've been running and biking and walking, even when my job has been busy. Gotta keep that up.

I feel closer to my high school gals, my college friends, my family and Chicago pals then I felt a year ago. And for that I am very grateful.

My dad and brother stayed healthy this year---no cancer! Phew!

In the "needs improvement" section--I'd have to say the hardest thing this year was the death of my uncle. It still brings tears to my eyes...and it just happened so so fast. He was my dad's only sibling, and the last of the Eldridge clan (outside of my dad---who is just fine). He was a cheerful, optimistic, loving and highly intelligent uncle. As Kit say "He amazes me".

In a circle the wagons move, he had a lot of visitors and we all got to laugh, reminisce and enjoy our time with him so so much. As Beth says, the holidays are going to be tough this year without him---but I know he's going to enjoy hanging out with his mom and dad and maybe Mimi will stop by. He always talked about heaven so know he gets to check it out himself.

phew. Enough of that.

Work can be tough. Some early bumps in the road seem to have smoothed out so I am looking towards the future and keeping my head to the ground.

I hope that next year I get to find more time to play cards, scrabble, write more of the play, perform with Montgomery and Cooke, keep working at this job, find a bit of romance, see my family more, revisit Italia, go on hikes, figure out what to do with this condo, maybe go horseback riding and listen to the Hall and Oates station more on Pandora.