What Happened Last Summer

The start of Duck Hunting season marks fall at my house, a date of much anticipation and focused preparation, especially when you own a black lab specifically trained for the task. As I was reflecting on the fact that summer is truly over and this is "opening weekend", I feel compelled to share that I have had a really lousy summer. Let's go there first...

The highlights always include the 4th of July, without family this year, but our annual backyard party is always a fun mix. We were all worried this would be the last year of the city's firework's show due to budget constraints they are facing. I also saw my first Wagnerian opera, took a 10-day a trip to Honolulu with my niece, Rachel, and got to visit much renown NoCal coastal town, Mendocino, for my birthday. The downers were being responsible for the opera's annual fundraiser, running for president of the board and losing, and knee surgery. Yep, that pretty much sums it up my summer. Not so bad in retrospect.

Now, the silver lining is that I raised $7,000 for opera (net, and that was 2K more than this event had ever done previously), I am now vice president (next in line Baby!) with much less responsibility, and I am looking forward to regaining my strength and balance so I can play some golf and be able go hiking with my dog and husband again. In my recovery from the surgery, I was telling anyone who would listen that "I don't just want to walk again, I want to tango!" I even got my husband to agree to take lessons with me. This really helped motivate me to do my therapies and exercises. Now, I am dreaming that we can both be free of our work obligations and join his siblings on a Mexican cruise for New Year's Eve. That would be a nice way to end the year. Last year, I worked a show and didn't get a break the entire evening (poor planning on my part).

Tom and I are looking forward to a visit from pretend sister Yuka, who will be joining us for Thanksgiving all the way from Palm Beach (well, Japan really).

How was your summer?