Three month update

It has been a busy 3+ months.  I spent the first two months after Stu’s passing in Sun City getting some things in order.  The BIG things were easy. Only one loose end in the paperwork department.  Over Easter weekend, we held a Celebration of Life gathering for Stu in Sun City.  Stu’s daughter Sarah, her husband Ed, and Stu’s first wife Pat flew in and my sister Jenny and her son Slade flew in as well.  Stu’s best friend Kermit and his wife, Cheryl, drove in from Los Angeles and Stu’s cousin Betty flew in from San Francisco.  The rest of the folks attending were family and friends from the Sun City area.  There were about 30 people in attendance.  It was a joyful celebration of Stu’s life.

The Monday after the gathering my sister Jenny and I drove to Texas which began a series of visits with my siblings over a five-week period.  It started off in New Braunfels with a small dinner to honor Stu, some of our NB friends and of course, my sister, Jenny attended.  I spent about 10 days in NB. While in NB,  I had  nice visits with Jenny and my good friends David, Dan, Joe, and Sara,  as well as my cousin Mary B., Cindy & Dennis,  and some other fun people.   I spent a couple of nights at my brother Bill’s house in Georgetown and as usually Sandy, his wife, out did herself with good food and hospitality.  It was a short visit but that is the only time Bill could fit me in...he’s retired you know...and consulting and on the road regularly.

When I left Bill’s I headed to Pearland, TX (south of Houston) to spend a week with sister Margo and her husband Tom.  Margo made sure I saw all the wonderful places in her part of town in case I am persuaded by her to move to that area.  I also got to spend time with Holly (my niece Margo’s daughter), Brian (husband), and Alicia (their daughter).  I got to see Alicia play soccer and perform in her gymnastics class.  Margo and I also made it to Galveston.  I was there right after the hurricane but had not seen all the changes on the island.  It was quite an improvement.

After the week in Pearland, I took the hour drive to Conroe, TX (north of Houston) to my sister Mary Lou’s and her husband David.  Her son Steve convinced me to come the week before Mother’s Day to help at the flower shop Mary still owns and operates.  I coordinated the deliveries, and the cooler, and I took pictures of most of the arrangements that were prepared, so Steve can put pics on the internet.   It was a fun week and I enjoyed the visit with Mary & Dave.   Believe me it was a busy week.  On Saturday of that week, I attended my niece Jenna’s graduation from Texas A&M.  On Sunday, I ended  the week with another Celebration of Life gathering for Stu at Steve (nephew) and Donna’s (wife) house.  Lots of family attended including the newest member of the clan, Tristan, and our good friend Wade.  There were about 25 people in attendance and it was a very nice gathering to honor Stu. Thanks again Steve and Donna.  For those of you who did not get to attend one of the gatherings, I put together a wonderful slide show of Stu’s life.  Stu got to enjoy seeing it several times last Fall.  It is in my Picasa albums and a link is included if you are interested:   

Stu’s slideshow

The Monday after Mother’s Day  I took Slade (nephew) to the Houston airport and headed back to NB where I was leaving my van.  Thanks to my good friend, Joe,  the van will be inside in one of his barns until I return in the Fall.   Jenny got me to the San Antonio airport on Monday very early (she had a job in SA) but we had to figure out how to get to SA on the back roads because the traffic was backed up to NB.  We made it just fine and no wrong turns...my Dad would be proud.

I spent a week back in Sun City getting ready for my summer in Logan, Utah. Stu and I spent a couple of summers at the Utah State Summer Citizens program and  I decided to return to Logan for the summer.  I still know quite a few people from SC who enjoy their summers here including my very good friend Valerie.  I caravanned from SC to Logan with another friend, Darlene,  and her daughter. We arrived in Logan on Wednesday of this week and I am glad to say it was a safe, uneventful trip.  I have a three bedroom apartment on campus all to myself and I have already invited many of you to join me.  I have been here a few days and I am finally getting the apartment set up and stocked the way I want.  You should have seen all the stuff I hauled up here from SC.  Most of that will stay in storage in Utah over the winter.  They have some nice people who pick up your boxes and then bring them back to your apartment the next year.

My plans for the summer are to relax and enjoy myself.  Also, I  have set as my intention to create and design what I want to do with the rest of my life and to have that be a true expression of who I am and what is important to me.  Stu and I believed/believe that you can create and design your future so these things are top on my list to accomplish.   Stu helped me start this process when he was still alive.  We also believed that having people know about and listen to what you are up to creates the result (the listening creates the speaking).   So I am asking each of you to stand with and for me in accomplishing these goals and to listen powerfully to help me create my path forward.  I also request that you  listen to me and what I am up to and share with me your comments, advice, concerns etc.