WOW! I happened to run across my blog I created so long ago and then apparently completely forgot about it due to my workload. Even though I retired in February of 2019 I never seemed to stumble upon the site until today (Saturday, December 20, 2025), quite by accident. I am SO glad I did. It was great looking back at the whopping 12 posts I made during that time; I just wish I had found the time to keep it up.
I missed keeping up with posts about my youngest grandson's (Tyler) scare with cancer and the relief to find out it was Lyme's Disease...while that wasn't pleasant, it was definitely better than having a cancer diagnosis.
A lot has changed in the past 10 years...Justin's dad passed away on June 3rd of 2017, just a few days shy of his 61st birthday; I regret not being able to talk to him one last time before he died (Justin actually found his obituary online - that's how we found out about his death); my favorite cousin (FM) passed away on March 23, 2018; my oldest grandson (Dakota) graduated in 2018; I retired in 2019 and Justin (youngest son with Down syndrome) moved back home - his group-home staff SUCKED and I couldn't wait to get him out of there; COVID happened shortly thereafter and the entire world seemed to shut down overnight!; spent a couple of months after retiring to help my brother clean up parents house to sell; however, no one else seemed interested, so I quit; my youngest grandson graduated in 2020 and thanks to COVID he was not able to have a prom, or graduation events...it really just sucked for everyone, especially him; my cousin Ken was in and out of the hospital for his back issues and 1 quack started to perform surgery saying he could fix it without messing up his spina bifida, well, he couldn't, and just ended up sewing him right back up without doing diddly squat! He was released and sent home several times before the technician who did his MRI discovered what he thought was cancer along his spine; although they were treating him for an INFECTION at the hospital. He was eventually sent to a nursing home where they continued to treat him for the "infection" before the doctor pronounced that he had cancer that had metastasized; the nursing home couldn't give him his pain medication until Hospice stepped in and by then he couldn't be moved because he had already lost the use of his legs. Bless his heart though, he always kept up his sense of humor. Ken passed away at the age of 57 on March 29, 2024; his mom (Reba) passed away from cancer on September 10, 2021; shortly before Reba died we lost another cousin (Tex) on August 4, 2021, just shy of his 78th birthday; and yet another cousin (Robert/Robbie) passed away at the age of 55 on May 1, 2024 after a lengthy battle with brain tumors / cancer.
On the plus, or less depressing side: My cousin Hailey had her first daughter (Chloee) on June 5, 2016; her 2nd daughter (Cora) on January 24, 2018; 3rd daughter (Camilla) on July 8, 2019; and her 4th and final daughter (Molly) on December 3, 2021.
Ken hosted his mom's 81st Birthday Party at the Clubhouse where they lived (Palm Cay Oasis) on July 10, 2021; that was lots of fun, but also sad because we all knew it would be her last...she was dying from cancer.
I threw a great Halloween Party on my 67th birthday - even had the food catered. I'll have to share that separately later on...the theme was Beetlejuice. It was THE BEST BIRTHDAY I've ever had!
My son and his wife celebrated their Silver Anniversary (25 years) on October 28, 2025! I would have loved to have thrown a party for them but their family trip to Scotland threw everything off and made it too difficult to plan. I don't know 35 years is or if I'll still be around, but maybe we can plan something then.
I know a LOT more has happened over the last 10 years, but these are the only things that come to mind right now and give me some kind of idea of things that I can make posts of as time allows, which may or may not happen. At any rate, I hope to do better in the near future to keep up.
In the meantime I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and I hope that everyone has a happy, healthy, prosperous, and safe New Year! Here's to 2026 being a MUCH better year for everyone.
Hoping Hailey gets married in 2026...Ashley gets her medical degree, and we have more get togethers in 2026!
Also want to give my oldest grandson a HUGE SHOUTOUT...so proud of him and his life changes for the better, as well as his recent promotion to Assistant Project Superintendent!! 💖💖
