Our Exciting Journey!
Keeping things chronological, last Thanksgiving Jim and I finally made it to Charlotte, NC, to visit son Jeff and family. It was wonderful after the times we couldn’t get out of Colorado due to blizzards and cancelled flights. We had a great visit!
We followed that up with Ron and family coming here at Christmas. It was so much fun to have them all here for games, hot springs, dinners etc. etc. Our grandkids are growing up so fast, adults already. Sigh….
And that visit was immediately followed by Jill and Chet and kids. The lake had frozen enough to allow for a lot of fun with sleds and their Golden, Jaxon. Then in February Laura and Taylor drove down from Denver for a few days with their dog and guinea pig! Gary was swamped with work and couldn’t make it. Son Tom has had back issues and couldn’t go anywhere!
Life was so busy overall that Christmas cards never got written. Sorry about that but will have lots of news for next year! I’ve been lazy as far as marketing my latest book, “Ageless Never too Old, Never too Late.” It’s non-fiction and has won two awards…Finalist in the International Book Awards, and Winner in the health section of e-books. Hopefully it’s helping some people laugh and appreciate their lives by making changes.
And that brings me to my own life which I nearly lost in January. Had a pulmonary embolism, a big one in the “saddle” blocking both lungs. Being a stubborn, tough female of Yankee heritage, I made it…after an ambulance ride to Mercy Hospital in Durango, 5 days in ICU…”do not even put a leg over the side of the bed!” At the time I had no idea how serious this was but I do thank God daily for helping me survive along with blood thinners.
The whole thing (acknowledging that I may not be “Ageless” forever!) prompted us to decide to move to a lower altitude while we have the strength to do it! Everything has fallen into place so far. We got financial pre-approval, took a short trip to Grass Valley in California, found the right house with a view and trees… and bought it that day. Then we sold our vacant property here, and Jim is very excited about year-round golf. It’s a fun town, decent sized and friendly.
We now need to find the perfect buyer for our amazing home in Pagosa Springs. We have the best view in town with the lake and mountains, and, well, I could go on. We’ll try to sell it ourselves for a while, then turn it over to a realtor, but we intend to stay here until it sells. In the meantime, we’ve been “decluttering.” Our grandson Brandon from LA, flew up to help us pack up a U-Haul with heavy cartons, hard to ship stuff, and he and Jim made the two day road trip to Grass Valley. It’s now unloaded and they’re testing out a golf course.
Brandon cheers…”We Made It!”
Jim will be setting up a landscaper, plumber, handyman etc. for small things that need to be done this week. Brandon flies home Monday and Jim’s BFF Tom Doak is flying to GV Friday for some golf and bonding. Hopefully Jim will get back here by the 28th. Anybody interested in a snow blower, lawn mower, garden tools, treadmill, etc.? Just not needed when we get there.
Unfortunately Jim had a close encounter with a big deer at 5:15 in the morning on the way to the airport a couple of weeks ago. Insurance totaled his BMW…a surprise since Jim is just fine, thank God. That led to a trip to Durango and the purchase of an absolutely gorgeous MKC Lincoln, now called “Blue Thunder.” Everything but the kitchen sink is in it, another computer on wheels. It arrived Friday. I’m happy to say I finally figured out how to start it! Have now studied the book and made it to the mailbox. Tomorrow I’ll learn how to start it from in the house using a keyless system. Maybe. I may be getting too old for this kind of thing!
So, summing it all up…Jim is in fantastic shape (14,000 steps today!), I’m doing great although now experiencing hot flashes and night sweats since I had to give up estrogen…but I’m alive, just a bit cranky at times! We’re excited about the move, meeting new friends, decorating, being able to see more of our kids and grandkids, and visiting old friends in Reno once again. The hardest part will be missing our dear friends in Pagosa. We’ve been here 18 years and there are many wonderful memories we’ll take with us.
I’ll keep you posted on the new adventure!
Read Judith’s latest book…
So fabulous, Judy! The adventure keeps taking you forward. I love and am inspired by your positive and engaged relationship with it all. I’m sure NorCal is a huge change from Colorado, but I hope you are building a new and strong community there.
Judy: I just returned home to South Dakota after a three week vacation in Colorado–two of which were in Pagosa Springs. That’s where I found your book, Ageless. It came into my hands at just the right time in my life. I’m celebrating my 72nd birthday this month and was beginning to become a little down in that I was feeling that I should be “acting” my age and become resigned to “life as an elder”, which to me meant cutting out things I like to do and not attempting anything new. Now I am going to re-read the book, slower so that I can really take it all in! But before I do I simply want to say THANK YOU–for sharing your heart and your wisdom! Namaste, Anita
Hi Anita! We just returned from Maine, Bailey Island, where we had a wonderful family reunion and way too much tasty seafood! It was so uplifting to get your message…thank you for writing it! And good for you to read it again. At 72 or any age, we should do what feels right to us. I’ve put on some “miles” so to speak since then and plan on writing some more encouragement…or whatever goes through my fingers to the next page. Please stay in touch and let me know how you’re doing!
Hugs to you, Judy