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At least Jim stayed around the house this year and I journeyed. Travel took me to Texas, Chicago, Calgary, Washington DC and Waterloo Ontario. And that was just for meetings. I took to girls to their grandparents house, Niagara Falls, Florida and Disney World, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. We took weekends to Seattle and Vancouver, BC. Payback was wonderful. At times Jim stayed at home with the girls. One weekend, he even got my friends daughter for an overnight.
I threw a surprise 40th birthday party, not for me of course, but for my hubby who was completely fooled. Even the girls kept it a secret. While he is getting easier to fool, the girls are getting harder. Now, when we spell, they can sound out some of the words. I suppose this is the natural way. Maybe someday people will be able to fool me too - after 40.
In addition to presenting several papers, some were accepted for publication - a fairly major milestone.
I am not the least bit worried about Y2K since I received a quarter million dollar research grant from Allergan on Botulinum toxin use in orthopedics. This is one of the few years that my job has not been completely up in the air on January 1st while the Shrine scrounged around trying to find funding for my soft money position. Jim uses Botulinum toxin for his patients as well so we have something additional in common to chat about in the evenings. In fact, since he started doing research, we sit up evenings in bed discussing biostatistics - like any romantic couple would.
I developed some hip pain early this year. A visit to the orthopod and physical therapist failed to relieve the pain and I had to stop running. Later, I went to a dermatologist to get a little black spot removed from my thigh and the pain went away the next day. For about a week, the pain was replaced by the uncertainty that the spot was malignant. Fortunately, the pathologist finally decided that it was not, sparing me a larger operation and the pain remains gone. I am back in my running shoes.
Quilting has become my favorite hobby, next to being with the girls. Here are a few of the projects I made this year. With my handy quilter companion book, I now enjoy travelling with my explorer husband. I can find a quilt store almost anywhere. Its amazing how different fabrics each one carries, depending on the part of the country I am in.
I wonder if Jim is willing to stay around the house more now that he is an old man. (I do see a few gray ones.) I could get used to this life.
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