Overall it’s been a very good year especially because I found someone that has brought ample joy to my life.
1) Certificate in Gerontology – I completed my Graduate Certificate in Gerontology through Des Moines University, and to the best of my knowledge, I’m the only person who graduated with the certificate because the program was terminated and the other students were not disciplined enough to follow through with their projects.
2) Cindy & EJ Wedding/St. Louis – A dear friend from Drake was married in St. Louis, and Charlene and I attended the wedding. It was such a joyous occasion, and I met up with a number of Drake alum. It was definitely a most memorable weekend.
3) 30th Birthday celebration – I celebrated my 30th birthday celebration with some of the dearest and closest people in my life at a restaurant, and we all had a blast. In case you’re wondering, turning 30 is plain awesome!
4) Matt & Alisha Wedding – I was a groomsman for the very first time in my life at Matt Pokorny and Alisha Lundberg’s wedding. I’ve known the Pokorny family as long as I’ve been in DM, and it was an honor to be part of the wedding party. By the way, I looked pretty darn snazzy in pink!
5) Dan’s ordination – Dan Schuster was ordained a priest in Green Bay, WI and John, Carola and I attended his ordination. In some ways, I feel I had a role to play in his ordination because Dan and I talked a number of times when he was discerning the call to priesthood. He studied and graduated from Mundelein Seminary where I spent a year and a half discerning the priesthood.
6) 2008 Flood – Who could forget the Iowa floods of 2008? Our agency was affected by it, and I was very much involved with some aspect of the disaster relief. It was an interesting experience working with federal government employees to say the least.
7) Malaysia & Australia vacation – After six long years of being away, I finally made it back to Malaysia. That was one of the biggest highlights of the year. I caught up with friends, family and also got to visit my sister and her husband in Melbourne. Our family also vacationed in Sydney. One of these days, I’ll definitely return to Australia. It’s a gorgeous county. Oh, I stuffed myself silly too!
8) Anna – After being single for seven years, I would rank Anna as being the most important highlight of the year. Anna and I officially started dating in October, but we’ve known each other for at least ten years. She’s been active in the young adults group which I’m the coordinator, and that’s helped us discover more about each other. She has brought immeasurable joy to my life, and the journey has been a blast. I know we’re both definitely looking to what the future holds.
9) Barrack Obama – America elected its first African American president. It’s monumental to say the least. He has a tough road ahead of him, but something tells me he’s more than up for the challenge.
The economy has been unkind to very many people, and I know some people who have suffered tremendously because of it. My heart goes out to them. I’m just thankful that I still have a job, a roof over my head, and someone who loves me unconditionally.
Cheers to a bigger and much better year ahead for all of us! Let’s ring in 2009!!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Christmas Vacation
So, I should be writing quite a lot since I did not write anything all last week. The one big thing that took place last week was Anna’s Christmas party. She had invited a bunch of her friends to her annual Christmas party. One difference this year was that usually it’s Anna and Gretchen. Gretchen was not going to be able to make it to the party so Anna organized it. A couple of days earlier, Rob had called to say that he was heading through DM on his way back to Texas for Christmas and was wondering if we could meet up. We did meet up and he ended up coming to the party. Two of my friends came which was nice, but the rest of the people were pretty much Anna’s friends. It was my introduction to them and I think it went pretty well. They were all wonderful people. Oh, since Anna was leaving for Maple Grove, MN the day after the party, we had decided to exchange Christmas presents in the morning. I had gotten her a scrapbook since she’s really into scrapbooking, one of my all time favorite books which is the “Alchemist” by Paolo Coelho and the grand gift was season subscription to the rest of the DM Symphony. I managed to snag the single seat next to John and I. Yay! She enjoyed the gifts. For my presents, she had gotten me a gift certificate to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and two wine stoppers which were really nice. The third gift arrived after we came back from Maple Grove. More on that gift later. Her drive up was not too bad. She did say that there was quite a lot of blowing snow, but apart from that, the roads were fine.
I left for Maple Grove on Christmas Eve and apart from some slick and icy spots, the drive was fine. It took me roughly four hours to get to Heidi (Anna’s twin sister) and Mark’s place. They live in a very affluent suburb and have a beautiful house. The house has four bedrooms on the second floor and a fully finished basement which is where I slept since there was a bathroom and shower there. The living, dining room and kitchen is located on the main floor. I was reintroduced to her parents since I did meet them briefly at my 30th birthday party at the restaurant. Not too long after I arrived, Mark’s parents (Jack and Carol) arrived from Bismarck, ND. They too would be spending Christmas at Heidi and Mark’s. It was such a fun and relaxing time with everyone. For dinner, Carol made lasagna which was utterly delectable and decadent. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. It dawned on me that this was the first time in a good number of years I did not have steak on Christmas Eve which had been my personal tradition. That was fine by me. After dinner, it was time for everyone to open their presents. I had brought a bottle of wine for Heidi and Mark and gotten a pewter gift for Al and Karen (Anna’s parents). Unbeknownst to me, Al and Karen got me presents too. I got a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble and a wine that was produced by Anna’s cousin who is a winemaker out in Oregon. How thoughtful of them. Joel and I would most definitely be enjoying this bottle of wine. After opening the presents, we sang some carols and had some homemade alcohol beverages which was pretty potent. All of us then pretty much called it a night.
The weather was pretty darn beautiful on Christmas Day and we went to Mass that morning. I am used to going to Mass on Christmas Eve so that too was something new and different. The church that we went to was an amazing church. It was very contemporary and I liked it a lot. The musicians did a mighty fine job with the music and all in all it was a great celebration. We then went back to the house for brunch prepared by Anna’s mom. Everyone kind of sat around and just relaxed while eating brunch. We watched the movie version of Mamma Mia since most of the people had not seen it and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Once the movie was done, most everyone went for a nap. Al, Karen and I were the only ones who did not nap. So, the three of us ended up playing Rummikub which was a tile version of Gin Rummy. Al won almost all the games since he had a knack for playing the game. I just had fun learning a new game. That evening, we had dinner at Mark’s family in Edina, MN. The host family was such gracious people and there were quite a lot of people at the house. The meal was pretty simple, but it was very, very good. We had salad, wild rice, grass-fed beef and cheesecake for dessert. It was such a good meal all around. I got to meet Mark’s side of the family and were involved in a couple of really good conversations pertaining to my job and the future of the US health system. Everyone truly had a good time at the dinner. I even got to talk about wine with one of the guests which was pretty neat.
The day after Christmas was supposed to be a big day for various sales, but no one really needed or wanted to buy anything. Heidi, Mark, Anna and I did run some errands and in the midst of that did some shopping. Heidi was on the lookout for an artificial tree but did not find one to her liking. I was just content to tag along with them. Maple Grove is definitely a burgeoning suburb and I got to see a lot of it. After coming back, we hung out before going out for dinner at Bucca De Beppo where the Italian food is served family style. Anna and Gretchen’s childhood friend and her husband joined all of us at dinner and I got to meet her. Anna told me a little about her so it was nice to meet her in person. Everyone was more than stuffed at the end of the meal and dinner was on Al. He was just happy that he could spend time with everyone and that all of us had a grand time.
Anna and I drove back to DM on Saturday at around 11:30AM. Heidi had to work at 11AM and we left after she did. The drive was uneventful and we stopped at Albert Lea which is a pretty big truck stop just to stretch a little while Anna grabbed something to eat for the final leg. I could not believe how icy DM was. Her driveway was entirely covered in ice which made things pretty darn slick. We watched the movie, “Seven Pounds” starring Will Smith which was a very good movie. It was a very poignant drama and I can understand why it got rave reviews. After having such rich meals over Christmas, we settled for some very simple food for dinner which was just fine by me.
All in all, I had a very good time in Maple Grove and in many ways, spending time with Anna’s family reminded me of what Christmas at home was. Family got together and just shared a meal and lots of conversation. It’s the simplicity of Christmas that I treasure the most …not the presents and I’m glad I got to experience it this year.
I left for Maple Grove on Christmas Eve and apart from some slick and icy spots, the drive was fine. It took me roughly four hours to get to Heidi (Anna’s twin sister) and Mark’s place. They live in a very affluent suburb and have a beautiful house. The house has four bedrooms on the second floor and a fully finished basement which is where I slept since there was a bathroom and shower there. The living, dining room and kitchen is located on the main floor. I was reintroduced to her parents since I did meet them briefly at my 30th birthday party at the restaurant. Not too long after I arrived, Mark’s parents (Jack and Carol) arrived from Bismarck, ND. They too would be spending Christmas at Heidi and Mark’s. It was such a fun and relaxing time with everyone. For dinner, Carol made lasagna which was utterly delectable and decadent. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. It dawned on me that this was the first time in a good number of years I did not have steak on Christmas Eve which had been my personal tradition. That was fine by me. After dinner, it was time for everyone to open their presents. I had brought a bottle of wine for Heidi and Mark and gotten a pewter gift for Al and Karen (Anna’s parents). Unbeknownst to me, Al and Karen got me presents too. I got a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble and a wine that was produced by Anna’s cousin who is a winemaker out in Oregon. How thoughtful of them. Joel and I would most definitely be enjoying this bottle of wine. After opening the presents, we sang some carols and had some homemade alcohol beverages which was pretty potent. All of us then pretty much called it a night.
The weather was pretty darn beautiful on Christmas Day and we went to Mass that morning. I am used to going to Mass on Christmas Eve so that too was something new and different. The church that we went to was an amazing church. It was very contemporary and I liked it a lot. The musicians did a mighty fine job with the music and all in all it was a great celebration. We then went back to the house for brunch prepared by Anna’s mom. Everyone kind of sat around and just relaxed while eating brunch. We watched the movie version of Mamma Mia since most of the people had not seen it and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Once the movie was done, most everyone went for a nap. Al, Karen and I were the only ones who did not nap. So, the three of us ended up playing Rummikub which was a tile version of Gin Rummy. Al won almost all the games since he had a knack for playing the game. I just had fun learning a new game. That evening, we had dinner at Mark’s family in Edina, MN. The host family was such gracious people and there were quite a lot of people at the house. The meal was pretty simple, but it was very, very good. We had salad, wild rice, grass-fed beef and cheesecake for dessert. It was such a good meal all around. I got to meet Mark’s side of the family and were involved in a couple of really good conversations pertaining to my job and the future of the US health system. Everyone truly had a good time at the dinner. I even got to talk about wine with one of the guests which was pretty neat.
The day after Christmas was supposed to be a big day for various sales, but no one really needed or wanted to buy anything. Heidi, Mark, Anna and I did run some errands and in the midst of that did some shopping. Heidi was on the lookout for an artificial tree but did not find one to her liking. I was just content to tag along with them. Maple Grove is definitely a burgeoning suburb and I got to see a lot of it. After coming back, we hung out before going out for dinner at Bucca De Beppo where the Italian food is served family style. Anna and Gretchen’s childhood friend and her husband joined all of us at dinner and I got to meet her. Anna told me a little about her so it was nice to meet her in person. Everyone was more than stuffed at the end of the meal and dinner was on Al. He was just happy that he could spend time with everyone and that all of us had a grand time.
Anna and I drove back to DM on Saturday at around 11:30AM. Heidi had to work at 11AM and we left after she did. The drive was uneventful and we stopped at Albert Lea which is a pretty big truck stop just to stretch a little while Anna grabbed something to eat for the final leg. I could not believe how icy DM was. Her driveway was entirely covered in ice which made things pretty darn slick. We watched the movie, “Seven Pounds” starring Will Smith which was a very good movie. It was a very poignant drama and I can understand why it got rave reviews. After having such rich meals over Christmas, we settled for some very simple food for dinner which was just fine by me.
All in all, I had a very good time in Maple Grove and in many ways, spending time with Anna’s family reminded me of what Christmas at home was. Family got together and just shared a meal and lots of conversation. It’s the simplicity of Christmas that I treasure the most …not the presents and I’m glad I got to experience it this year.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas is right around the corner.
Can you believe that Christmas is right around the corner? That’s pretty scary! It’s a week from Thursday and I have a feeling that it really kind of snuck up on me. I had forgotten to mention that I’ll be spending Christmas with Anna and her family. No, I’m not headed up to Bismarck, ND. Her twin sister will be hosting so I’ll be driving up to Maple Grove, MN which is NW of the Twin Cities. Anna will be headed up there on Sunday while I’ll be driving on Christmas Eve. I took the day off from work. I’ll most probably be coming back on Sunday after Christmas. It should be a fun Christmas spent with someone else’s family. It’s too bad that I’ll miss Gretchen. She’ll be leaving the day I’m arriving. Shucks. While I’m up there, I’m sure we’ll spend some time visiting some of the area attractions.
This past weekend, not too much took place. On Saturday, Anna and I went to Ann’s place. I stayed for dinner and a conversation, but Anna could not stay for dinner since her band was performing that evening. She did manage to stay and chat for a while. Kathy and Donnie Sargent were there too. Everyone thoroughly loved Anna and thought she’s a really neat person. That’s good, right?! We had Harley’s stew for dinner and my oh my, it just hit the spot. It was oh so good. During the day, we ran a couple of errands which made for a nice, relaxing day.
After Mass on Sunday, Anna and I went to a coffee shop and had brunch. It was good to just sit and chat. The RCIA group no longer meets after Mass since we’ve moved on to Scripture discussion right after the homily. This pretty much meant that I have at least two hours after Mass to chill with Anna.
This weekend she’s having a Christmas party and a number of her friends will be there. Some of our friends from St. Kate’s will be there too. It should be a fun evening for all. That’s pretty much the week and weekend in a nutshell. Something tells me the week will go by pretty fast.
This past weekend, not too much took place. On Saturday, Anna and I went to Ann’s place. I stayed for dinner and a conversation, but Anna could not stay for dinner since her band was performing that evening. She did manage to stay and chat for a while. Kathy and Donnie Sargent were there too. Everyone thoroughly loved Anna and thought she’s a really neat person. That’s good, right?! We had Harley’s stew for dinner and my oh my, it just hit the spot. It was oh so good. During the day, we ran a couple of errands which made for a nice, relaxing day.
After Mass on Sunday, Anna and I went to a coffee shop and had brunch. It was good to just sit and chat. The RCIA group no longer meets after Mass since we’ve moved on to Scripture discussion right after the homily. This pretty much meant that I have at least two hours after Mass to chill with Anna.
This weekend she’s having a Christmas party and a number of her friends will be there. Some of our friends from St. Kate’s will be there too. It should be a fun evening for all. That’s pretty much the week and weekend in a nutshell. Something tells me the week will go by pretty fast.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Come to Jesus meeting.
Boy, talk about an interesting week/weekend last week. I had two come to Jesus meetings back to back days. On Thursday at the facility, we had the monthly mandatory meeting and I knew something was up when the CEO, CFO, HR etc were there. They never come to these meeting. What it basically came down to was the fact that some staff were not documenting properly. So, when the documenting is not correct, the agency does not get reimbursed for services rendered. The meeting itself was not bad because it helped clarify a number of things some staff had questions and concerns about. For me, the meeting gave me an opportunity to address something that has been on my mind for some time. A new assistant to the administrator was hired roughly a month ago and one of the things she has been doing is writing memos left and right in caps which pretty much means she’s yelling/shouting at us. Another thing pertains to cooking and how some of us are not following the menu. Needless to say her comments have not set down well with many of us and I figured Thursday would be a good time to bring it up which I did. She apologized to all of us saying she did not know that writing in caps meant that she was shouting and all of us had a very open communication pertaining to cooking and following the menu. I did meet with her one on one after the meeting to talk about more stuff and it was a very good and productive meeting.
On Friday, a facilitator was called in to assist with some issues a number of staff at Aging Resources have been dealing with. Long story short, a former colleague left the agency the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and prior to her leaving told everyone that she was going to spend time at home with her daughter who is autistic. We soon found out that she actually left to join an agency that was started by two former employees. Leaving to work for a competitor is fine – it happens all the time in every organization. However, she downright lied to everyone’s face and came up with this story about taking care of her daughter etc. Feelings of anger, betrayal, etc. are some of the stuff her co-workers are dealing with which is why this facilitator came in. Overall, it was a very good meeting for all who went. I did say a couple of things that kind of rubbed some people the wrong way, but that was not my intention. I was being brutally honest and some people just can’t take honesty and internalize it and also thing it’s a personal attack on them. We’ll see how long I’ll be given the cold shoulder by some of them. At the end of the day, it does not make one difference in my job whatsoever. I say let’s move on and focus on the real reason why we do what we do.
Later that evening, Anna and I had dinner at this wonderful restaurant called “Proof” which is a couple of blocks from where I live. It’s open for lunch Mon-Friday, and only open for dinner on Friday. This was my opportunity to have dinner. The food was amazingly wonderful and I think that’s where we’ll be having our New Year’s Eve dinner. The view from the restaurant could not be beat. After dinner, Anna’s band had a gig and I was off to the Civic Center for a concert by Jim Brickman. He’s a new age pianist whom I’ve followed for some time now and I just love his music. John was supposed to go with me, but he was down with the cold. Thank goodness Carola came with me. I warned her that it’s New Age piano music, not classical music but at the end of the show, she commented on how much she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I think it was a great concert and it definitely got me in the Christmas mood.
Saturday morning, I watching Liverpool live while Anna slept in. After she got up, we kind of drove around town and went shopping a little. At 3PM I was given tickets to the Drake Men’s basketball game and it was great to see the team play. The game was a blowout and Drake hit fifteen three pointers. We won by at least forty points. Talk about a fun game to attend. After the game, I cooked dinner for Anna. I made chicken satay, fish, egg and some sweet corn that was in my freezer. We had more than enough to eat, for sure. After dinner, we walked to the Civic Center to attend the Wartburg College Christmas Concert. A number of years ago, I went with Joel, Kathy and some people from St. Kate’s. We had a blast and the music was spectacular. Since Anna teaches vocal music, I figured she would enjoy it. The performance itself was fine, but nothing really wowed us. I remember when I went, there was always a song or two that would just wow you, but this year, nothing really stood out. However, it was still good to attend the performance and support the students.
Sunday was a regular day with nothing too exciting going on. Oh, we did have the Rite of Acceptance for my RCIA candidates. That was nice. The congregation got to meet them and they were formally “presented” to the community. Work at the facility was quiet to say the least and you won’t hear me complaining about that.
That’s all the news from me.
On Friday, a facilitator was called in to assist with some issues a number of staff at Aging Resources have been dealing with. Long story short, a former colleague left the agency the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and prior to her leaving told everyone that she was going to spend time at home with her daughter who is autistic. We soon found out that she actually left to join an agency that was started by two former employees. Leaving to work for a competitor is fine – it happens all the time in every organization. However, she downright lied to everyone’s face and came up with this story about taking care of her daughter etc. Feelings of anger, betrayal, etc. are some of the stuff her co-workers are dealing with which is why this facilitator came in. Overall, it was a very good meeting for all who went. I did say a couple of things that kind of rubbed some people the wrong way, but that was not my intention. I was being brutally honest and some people just can’t take honesty and internalize it and also thing it’s a personal attack on them. We’ll see how long I’ll be given the cold shoulder by some of them. At the end of the day, it does not make one difference in my job whatsoever. I say let’s move on and focus on the real reason why we do what we do.
Later that evening, Anna and I had dinner at this wonderful restaurant called “Proof” which is a couple of blocks from where I live. It’s open for lunch Mon-Friday, and only open for dinner on Friday. This was my opportunity to have dinner. The food was amazingly wonderful and I think that’s where we’ll be having our New Year’s Eve dinner. The view from the restaurant could not be beat. After dinner, Anna’s band had a gig and I was off to the Civic Center for a concert by Jim Brickman. He’s a new age pianist whom I’ve followed for some time now and I just love his music. John was supposed to go with me, but he was down with the cold. Thank goodness Carola came with me. I warned her that it’s New Age piano music, not classical music but at the end of the show, she commented on how much she thoroughly enjoyed herself. I think it was a great concert and it definitely got me in the Christmas mood.
Saturday morning, I watching Liverpool live while Anna slept in. After she got up, we kind of drove around town and went shopping a little. At 3PM I was given tickets to the Drake Men’s basketball game and it was great to see the team play. The game was a blowout and Drake hit fifteen three pointers. We won by at least forty points. Talk about a fun game to attend. After the game, I cooked dinner for Anna. I made chicken satay, fish, egg and some sweet corn that was in my freezer. We had more than enough to eat, for sure. After dinner, we walked to the Civic Center to attend the Wartburg College Christmas Concert. A number of years ago, I went with Joel, Kathy and some people from St. Kate’s. We had a blast and the music was spectacular. Since Anna teaches vocal music, I figured she would enjoy it. The performance itself was fine, but nothing really wowed us. I remember when I went, there was always a song or two that would just wow you, but this year, nothing really stood out. However, it was still good to attend the performance and support the students.
Sunday was a regular day with nothing too exciting going on. Oh, we did have the Rite of Acceptance for my RCIA candidates. That was nice. The congregation got to meet them and they were formally “presented” to the community. Work at the facility was quiet to say the least and you won’t hear me complaining about that.
That’s all the news from me.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thanksgiving weekend.
Last weekend was Thanksgiving and it was a pretty nice and relaxing weekend.
On Thursday, I coordinated the Thanksgiving meals and 52 meals came out of my site. Before the coordination, I met up with Charlene since it was her birthday. It was a nice way for her to start her birthday. Heath, Sarah’s boyfriend was preparing the Thanksgiving meal for a good number of people and Charlene was getting some items at the grocery store prior to meeting up with the rest of the family. We just had a nice breakfast before I had the coordinate the meals. I recognized a number of people who picked up the meals for delivery so that was nice. For my Thanksgiving meal, I ended up going to Eileen and Bernie’s for dinner. They are a wonderful couple from St. Catherine’s. Joel and Kathy were there too together with two other couples. We all knew one another so it meant a fun and joyful evening for all. We started at 2PM and I left their house at 7PM. Nothing was rushed and everyone had a good time. Oh, I’m not really a fan of turkey, but this turkey was delectable. It was a farm raised, free ranged organic turkey and my oh my, was it tasty.
I had no intention of shopping on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving which is the craziest shopping day of the entire year) so I had a leisurely morning. John had called to invite me over to visit his sister, Carol from Florida together with the rest of the Ludwig family. That’s kind of where I spent the morning – catching up with Carol and Warren and also just seeing the rest of the Ludwigs. Warren’s mother is in the early to middle stages of dementia so he had a number of questions for me especially since I work in the aging field. I felt I did my best to answer his questions. Later that afternoon, I worked at the facility and it was a real low key day. Some of the residents spent Thanksgiving with their family, but were just chilling the day after Thanksgiving.
Saturday morning, I spent a good portion of the day in the library since I knew there were not going to be a lot of people especially because of the amount of sales at the departmental stores. I borrowed a couple of cds to burn for my office computer and then went back to my apartment and read a book that I’ve been meaning to read for some time. Carola and I went to the Nutcracker Ballet performance at the Civic Center and I must say it was a wonderful experience. Carola insisted that the Nutcracker is one of those holiday traditions that I must experience once in my lifetime and I’m glad I did. There were so many dancers from so many age groups and dance schools. I think overall they all did a fine job. In the audience too, there were lots of kids especially girls all dressed to the nines excited about the performance. Anna came back from her Thanksgiving with her family and we met up with Charlene and family for dinner. They had prepared a meal for a number of international faculty and students at 2PM, but I told her I would not be able to make it until after the performance. I saw Sonia and Sarah too, so that was nice. There was more than enough food leftover for me and Anna. We helped clean a little but Charlene insisted we leave to do our own thing since we’ve not seen each other prior to Thanksgiving. After dinner, went to visit Paul and Heidi. Heidi gave birth to an adorable little baby girl named Catherine Elizabeth Kraus a week ago and we were both excited to see her. Paul and Heidi both belong to the young adults group and I’ve known Paul since my time at Drake. We graduated the same year at Drake. Talk about a great way to end the evening.
Sunday was pretty much the same stuff. Nothing too exciting happened. The residents all behaved themselves which meant that it was a quiet day.
This coming weekend will be packed with different activities going on and I’m looking forward to it. A number of my residents have fallen ill and I’m hoping and praying that I’m not going to. It is the season when people fall sick and that’s the last thing I need to have happen.
On Thursday, I coordinated the Thanksgiving meals and 52 meals came out of my site. Before the coordination, I met up with Charlene since it was her birthday. It was a nice way for her to start her birthday. Heath, Sarah’s boyfriend was preparing the Thanksgiving meal for a good number of people and Charlene was getting some items at the grocery store prior to meeting up with the rest of the family. We just had a nice breakfast before I had the coordinate the meals. I recognized a number of people who picked up the meals for delivery so that was nice. For my Thanksgiving meal, I ended up going to Eileen and Bernie’s for dinner. They are a wonderful couple from St. Catherine’s. Joel and Kathy were there too together with two other couples. We all knew one another so it meant a fun and joyful evening for all. We started at 2PM and I left their house at 7PM. Nothing was rushed and everyone had a good time. Oh, I’m not really a fan of turkey, but this turkey was delectable. It was a farm raised, free ranged organic turkey and my oh my, was it tasty.
I had no intention of shopping on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving which is the craziest shopping day of the entire year) so I had a leisurely morning. John had called to invite me over to visit his sister, Carol from Florida together with the rest of the Ludwig family. That’s kind of where I spent the morning – catching up with Carol and Warren and also just seeing the rest of the Ludwigs. Warren’s mother is in the early to middle stages of dementia so he had a number of questions for me especially since I work in the aging field. I felt I did my best to answer his questions. Later that afternoon, I worked at the facility and it was a real low key day. Some of the residents spent Thanksgiving with their family, but were just chilling the day after Thanksgiving.
Saturday morning, I spent a good portion of the day in the library since I knew there were not going to be a lot of people especially because of the amount of sales at the departmental stores. I borrowed a couple of cds to burn for my office computer and then went back to my apartment and read a book that I’ve been meaning to read for some time. Carola and I went to the Nutcracker Ballet performance at the Civic Center and I must say it was a wonderful experience. Carola insisted that the Nutcracker is one of those holiday traditions that I must experience once in my lifetime and I’m glad I did. There were so many dancers from so many age groups and dance schools. I think overall they all did a fine job. In the audience too, there were lots of kids especially girls all dressed to the nines excited about the performance. Anna came back from her Thanksgiving with her family and we met up with Charlene and family for dinner. They had prepared a meal for a number of international faculty and students at 2PM, but I told her I would not be able to make it until after the performance. I saw Sonia and Sarah too, so that was nice. There was more than enough food leftover for me and Anna. We helped clean a little but Charlene insisted we leave to do our own thing since we’ve not seen each other prior to Thanksgiving. After dinner, went to visit Paul and Heidi. Heidi gave birth to an adorable little baby girl named Catherine Elizabeth Kraus a week ago and we were both excited to see her. Paul and Heidi both belong to the young adults group and I’ve known Paul since my time at Drake. We graduated the same year at Drake. Talk about a great way to end the evening.
Sunday was pretty much the same stuff. Nothing too exciting happened. The residents all behaved themselves which meant that it was a quiet day.
This coming weekend will be packed with different activities going on and I’m looking forward to it. A number of my residents have fallen ill and I’m hoping and praying that I’m not going to. It is the season when people fall sick and that’s the last thing I need to have happen.
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