The Future Looks Bright

     We just had our HUGE "Rewirement Party" at our house yesterday.  I took multiple pictures with my new Canon Elph camera that I earned with bonus points from Scholastic Book Clubs.  It was a great excuse to get everyone's picture taken.  Belinda and I are officially retired from the Aztec Municipal Schools, and we are on to future endeavors.  First, we will head out to Baltimore on this Tuesday, June 2nd for my First Tee training to become a Level 1 coach.  Afterwards, we will stay and visit with Guy, Annmarie, and ShyShay for a few extra nights, and we are even squeezing in a visit with Bev and our cousin Adrienne.  If the future includes my going and doing and/or attending trainings and then staying for some vacation, the future looks so bright, we'll have to wear shades.

Here are the two most recent birdies I have earned...

Aztec Municipal Golf Course-Hole #1-Birdie #15 of 2015

    This drive went well to the right, so far right that it ended up on #5’s fairway.  My 21 degree utility club straightened things out a bit, but my ball ended up...

A Cruel Irony

Written on 5-28-15.

    This is different.  I am writing this from the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque.  I’ve found a shady spot at a table just off the big park area where we will all meet in about 46 minutes for lunch.
    I have so many things to write, so I’ll get right to it.  First, some sad and bad news about Belinda.  My wife and partner for life has been officially diagnosed (twice now) with M.S. or Multiple Sclerosis.  I think she may have had it for three or more years now.  Who knows?  She has always talked about foot pain and switched out shoes to find a more comfortable pair, but I brushed that off as a hereditary problem.  Jess has had surgery on her feet, that’s how terrible they were.  She still has problems.
    It went down like this.

The Changes...They Are Beginning

Written on 5-15-15.

    I chose to stop writing that night in exchange for sleep.  It was a wise choice.
    Well, it’s now the Friday I wrote about from before, the one where James would be flying off to New Zealand.  Danielle, Belinda and I are on our way home (we are just outside of Bloomfield now) after dropping him off at the airport.  Belinda just announced that he has landed at LAX. He is using some of the cash the Edgertons gave him to buy a drink, and then he’ll wait until 10:30 to catch his next flight to Australia. 
    Danielle has already interviewed for, and received, the job as crew leader for the YCC, so everything is lining up nicely for the summer.  I need to get the dates set for my golf clinics and my technology trainings in Santa Fe this weekend.  Before summer arrives, though, we have to finalize things at school for our last year…ever.  We have our retirement parties this Monday, but for some odd reason they have been scheduled at the exact same time.  I don’t know who planned that, but it’s really poor planning.  Did they not think we would want to attend each others' parties?  I am going to leave mine for the first half hour or so to go to Belinda’s.  Good grief!
    In some discouraging news, Reilly had a collapsed lung on Thursday.  He and Diane went to Denver right away.  Bruce followed and went there today.  C.J. said the lung is inflated again, but I am concerned.

Three Prepare to Fly From the Nest Again, But One Will Stay

Written on 5-11-15.

    It’s really rare to write on a Monday night, but I chose not to work out, so to help my guilt I am writing instead.  Shame on me, but at least I’m getting something done. 
    Our children are home!  Sadly, it’s only for this week.  On Thursday night, we are all driving to Albuquerque to spend the night and then James flies to New Zealand on Friday.  It’s approximately a 24-hour flight.  He’ll fly to LAX first, and then on to Australia.  After that, it’s one last leg to New Zealand.  What he will be doing is studying abroad.  Not studying a broad, but studying abroad.  I forgot who originally said that, but it’s hilarious.  Knowing James, he’ll be doing both anyway.  He got an internship at...