2017 began as a very traumatic year. The New Year came a few days after my brother, Tom, died. Perhaps that set the tone for most of the year, or perhaps it just needed to be such a year. I'm not sure, but there were a LOT of major changes in my life in 2017. Here are some of the things I need to remember. It was a very full year and I'm sure I'll forget to mention many things. I'll apologize in advance just in case I forget to mention you as I write this tonight.
January 2017
January began with high hopes and fireworks in my neighborhood like many other Januarys before it. In the beginning it was nice. My friend, Boo, visited from Indiana and a bunch of us friends all got together at Pam's house on January 6th. It was a fun evening.
But January took a turn for the worst. A couple of weeks into the year, my dear friend and pottery teacher, Kris, took his own life. I'm still shaken by this because Kris was one of the people in my life that I considered stable. Dependable.
Kris and I lived only a few blocks apart and we were both the proud parents of two fur children, so we saw each other at the local dog parks often. It was always good to see him.
Kris's memorial was held at the Ackermann Dog Park in Charleston, SC. Many friends, both human and canine, gathered for the memorial, and the couple who adopted Kris's dogs brought them to visit us for a last time.
It was a bittersweet day with high emotions. So many people loved Kris and his dogs.
While we were there at the memorial that day, my male dog ended up in a dog fight over a dog treat someone brought, and I fell and tore the meniscus in my knee trying to break up the fight. At first they thought it was the medial collateral tendon, but whichever it was, it ended up costing me a LOT of money. I had to be in physical therapy from January until July this year to avoid surgery. It was not fun.
(NOTE: Please NEVER bring treats to a dog park.)
Kris's dogs are pictured above with their new parents.
Toward the end of January some my friends from my hometown showed up for the Annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival. We got together a couple of times while they were in Charleston, SC. It was great to see them!
The last week of January I found a deer tick in my hair after a trip to James Island County park with my dogs. -shudder- No Lyme Disease symptoms so far. -knock on wood-
January was a struggle in 2017.
February 2017
In February I made a quick dash to Kings Mountain, NC to pick up my son, Eric, who lived with me from February until April while he attended Miller Motte Technical College's truck driving school in North Charleston, SC.
I admit I LOVED having Eric stay with me a few months. I will always miss my sons until I die. Maybe longer.
I also had a quick visit with my eldest son and both my granddaughters while I was in Kings Mountain, NC. I love them.
These are my beautiful teenage granddaughters.
March 2017
March was spent working, making sure my son made his classes and had a way home, and painting painting painting in preparation of putting my house on the market come June.
Above: The newly painted bedroom in my West Ashley house in Charleston, SC, March 2017.
April 2017
April was a blast! It started with my friend, Sarah's retirement party. What fun!
You go Sarah!!
These are wild women!! Old friends. So much fun!
I was still painting in April. I LOVED the way my front door turned out!
My son, Eric, celebrated his birthday by testing for his CDL license. He passed!!! We celebrated by going out for pizza and then had birthday cake at home. It was a BIG HAPPY DAY! I'm so very proud of my son, Eric.
Sadly, a few short days later his trucking job in Atlanta started and he moved away to do the over the road leg of his training with an experienced truck driver. He received his own truck after a few weeks of that training and has been driving ever since.
The key words in that last paragraph are "moved away." -sigh- Story of my life, but I'm happy to have had him with me a little part of this year.
Easter came and went. Church was beautiful, as always. Eric and I visited my sister-in-law and her family. It was bittersweet without my brother there. I spent a lot of time missing my brothers this year.
My beautiful granddaughter, Paige, celebrated her Sweet 16th Birthday (pictured above) in mid-April! Eric and I drove up to Kings Mountain, NC to celebrate with her. I took her shopping and told her she could have anything she wanted as a gift. She wanted a new game controller, so that is what she got from me! She loved it.
My male dog, Stark, pulled me down while we were walking and I skinned myself up pretty badly. Skinned my leg and my hand. Thank goodness I didn't hurt my knee again. That boy dog is dangerous! He never means to hurt me, but I get hurt all the same.
April ended on a high note. It was the Huguenot Society's Annual Meeting held at Charles Towne Landing this year. I had the BEST time, as always.
At the French Huguenot Society Meeting with Huguenot friends, April 2017.
May 2017
May was a whirlwind. I was still painting the inside of my house. Finished painting the kitchen in May, but I hired the outside painted. They did a great job!
Here is the before and after:
It was extremely hot outside in Charleston, SC in May.
A can fell out of my Walmart cart and broke my toe.
My beautiful granddaughter, Sharon, attended her Junior Prom this month. I didn't get to see her in her dress, but I enjoyed the photos she sent me.
We celebrated my friend Linda's birthday at the Joe watching the Riverdogs play. It was very hot, but we always have a good time together.
They recognized my retirement at Dean Larry Daniel's annual end-of-the-year party at his house and gave me gifts! It was great!! Dr. Daniel's wife, Caren, is always such a good hostess. I really enjoyed myself!
At the end of May, my son, Eric, got his own truck and a few days off. This Mama was sure proud of her son when he showed up driving that big transfer truck! He worked so hard to get his CDL. He deserves his success!
June 2017
Wow. What a month!
On June 6, 2017 I put my house on the market.
The rest of the month was spent working, cleaning out my office, and preparing for my retirement.
At the end of June 2017, I celebrated my 62nd birthday and I RETIRED!!!
Leaving The Citadel after 17 years was so bittersweet. I miss a lot of the people, but honestly, I do not miss working at all!
Hmm...it seems I'm using the word "bittersweet" a lot to describe this year. It fits.
July 2017
July was spent cleaning my house so the realtors could show my house, putting both myself and the dogs in my car and driving around or parking nearby until the showing(s) were finished...over and over and over and over.
The only good part was getting to spend time visiting with my neighbor and friend, Norma, on her porch some days while they were showing my house.
August 2017
August was spent the same as July, but I did take the dogs to the groomers that month. Look how beautiful they are!
There was also a solar eclipse in August 2017. Charleston, SC was in the path of totality. My neighbors and I watched it from their yard. Fascinating.
Toward the end of August I reduced the price for my Charleston house and received multiple offers. I accepted one of them! SOLD! The closing was set for October.
After that the rest of August was inspections inspections inspections. Ugh.
August 2017 was stress incarnate. After all the inspections, those days (and nights!) were spent packing and house hunting in earnest. My Charleston house was in escrow and I needed a place to live after the closing.
September 2017
September 1st dawned with a new house popping up for sale in Spartanburg, SC. It was perfect. I called my Upstate SC realtor, grabbed my purse and drove to Spartanburg.
I loved the house, met the neighbors, put an offer on the house, and got approved for financing over the phone, all while standing in the driveway in Spartanburg that afternoon.
The Spartanburg house ended up with multiple offers, but mine was accepted. I had a house that I loved and could afford! Whew! What a relief...until all the inspections and finance paperwork, etc. but that's okay.
Hurricane Irma came to visit and caused record flooding. The Folly Boat floated away! But the flood water did not get deep enough in my neighborhood to get inside my Charleston house. Thank goodness for that!
The rest of the month was spent mostly packing, but I also took some time to visit with friends to say my good-byes. Even though I sure hope to see them all again at times, I know it will never be the same as living close where we could get together anytime.
I drove up to Murrels Inlet to visit with my friend Jennifer and her son, Ashu. We went out to lunch and had a wonderful visit. I hadn't seen her in years, since she moved away from the Charleston area. That was a great September day!
There was a music concert in Allen Park in front of my friend, Margaret's house. We all gathered on Margaret's front porch to listen to the music and enjoy each other's company. That was a good night.
My friend Kathy and I visited our friend, Dan, in Mt. Pleasant. Wow. You should see Dan's house. He has everything, and he even baked us some homemade sour dough bread! We all went out for lunch. It was such a good day.
My friends, Judy, Linda and I finally got around to celebrating my birthday with a day trip! We went to Blackville, SC to eat at the Mennonite Restaurant, Miller's Bread Basket (YUM!!) and drink water from the Healing Springs. We also did a little antique shopping in a nearby town and stopped in Branchville, SC for ice cream. It was a great day!
October 2017
In October my friend, Karen and I went to the SC Aquarium to celebrate her birthday. It was so good!
But, honestly, almost all of October was nothing put packing and house closing stress.
Finally the day came to load up the moving truck. The movers couldn't get everything to fit, so I had to leave some things behind, but almost everything did fit.
My good neighbor Isabella helped me get even more things loaded up after the movers left.
The dogs and I were the last things loaded. My male dog, Stark, accidentally broke my finger, and Isabella gave me a bandaid for the bleeding. Poor Stark. He was a rescue. I fear the last time he saw a big moving truck his owners left him at the SPCA when he was 3 years old. The truck really freaked him out.
I drove the truck pulling my car to my nephew's house in Moncks Corner. His wife, Cindy, let the dogs and I stay with her for a few days until both houses closed.
Thank God for Cindy! I don't know what I would have done without her.
The Charleston house closed the next day and I was homeless for a couple of days until the Spartanburg house closed and I drove everything up to Spartanburg for the Upstate movers to unload, which they did. Four hours late, but they finally showed up that night.
My son, Dave, came and helped me take the U-Haul truck back, and then he helped me get my bed set up so I would have a place to sleep that night. Thank goodness for that!
Then the unpacking started. I'm still not finished, but I am working on it.
The first order of business the next morning was to get the new dog door installed into the kitchen door that goes into the fenced backyard. It took a long time, but I got it installed.
I had my new washer and dryer delivered the next day so I could start all the washing before putting things away.
I met more of my neighbors and liked them all. They are so nice!
It was Autumn in the Upstate and so beautiful. My nephew and his wife brought my older sister to visit and we all went to Hendersonville, NC to buy some fresh-picked apples and see the beautiful leaves. We ate at a great Thai restaurant downtown and did a little shopping. Then we shopped for farm fresh apples. YUM!! It was very cold that day. There was actually a snow flurry while we were there! Beautiful, but it didn't stick. It was a great day!
At the Thai Restaurant in Hendersonville, NC with my sister, Miniver.
My granddaughter, Sharon, celebrated her 18th birthday! My son, my granddaughters and I all went out to lunch together that day. I was so glad to get to see her for her 18th birthday. That's a big deal!
My granddaughters and me on Sharon's 18th birthday!
I didn't have any Trick-or-Treaters for Halloween 2017, but that is okay. I was just happy to have a wonderful house I can afford that is near most of my family and especially my older sister!!
November 2017
Autumn! After 22 years away, I finally get to see Autumn everyday! This is my neighbor's house across the street.
I figured out how to light my gas fireplace! That was good.
My nephew and his wife took my sweet sister, Miniver, and me to Asheville one weekend this month. We had lunch, went to the Farmer's Market, and took a ride on the Blueridge Parkway to see the gorgeous Autumn leaves. It was a great day, and I bought some Amish butter that was sooooo good!
I bought some beautiful used chairs for my dining room on Craigslist and got a great deal! I LOVE them!
My friends Sarah and Lorna stopped by for a quick visit and lunch one day when they were on their way back to Charleston, SC from the mountains. It was so good to see them!
My nephew, Chris, and his wife, Debbie, put my awning up for me over my back door one rainy November 2017 day.
My childhood friend, Marilyn, came to see me and we went to lunch at Wade's Restaurant in Spartanburg. It was so good to see her. Such a great day!
I went out for dinner in my hometown with a group of my high school friends from my hometown. So much fun to see everyone!
I found some good hiking trails and took the dogs for long walks.
My son, Dave, brought his girlfriend, Sarena, to meet me. We had Thanksgiving lunch together and visited most of the afternoon. It was a good day!
I joined a Meetup group called The Spartanburg Walkers and took a couple of walks with them. We walked in downtown Spartanburg and then went to the Spartanburg Christmas Tree lighting. Fun!
December 2017
My old and dear childhood friend, Ruth, came to see me! We were once best friends when we were young, and the years just fell away that day. We went out to lunch and went to the SPCA to look at the dogs and talked and talked and had the best time. It was a great day!
It snowed!! The photo was taken when it first started, but it ended up being 4 or 5 inches deep. Notice my swing that I bought. I put it together myself in November! This is my backyard.
I went to visit my son, Dave, and we went out to breakfast in Shelby, NC for his birthday. Then we drove to Lake Wylie and I got to see his girlfriend's house.
My friend, Terry, invited me to my lifelong friend, Sudie's surprise birthday party! It was a good time! I got to see Sudie's children and her sister, Annie Laura and her husband, Joe D.
My lifelong friends, Janice and Sudie.
I went to the Blacksburg Oyster Roast and saw a lot of people I haven't seen in over 20 years!
Dave's girlfriend, Sarena, became his fiance, and I met her children when they came and brought my granddaughter, Paige, to help me decorate my Christmas tree.
The dogs and I explored more great hiking and walking areas!
Christmas came and went. My son, Marcus, and his wife Anne, sent me the small version of an Instant Pot that I have been wanting! So good! Other family gave me too many things. I ate too much and laughed too much, and generally had a great Christmas season.
My son, Eric, came to see my house the day after Christmas in his big red truck (just the cab, no trailer attached). It was so good to see him!
My friends Carol and Karen from Charleston and Bonnie from Spartanburg came to see me one day. We had lunch together and just a great visit! It was so good to see them!
All in all it has been a wonderful year. Bittersweet, yes, but wonderful all the same. It has had its ups and downs. Good and bad times, like most years, but this particular year is a year to remember. I absolutely love being retired and I LOVE my new house. I LOVE getting to see my sweet older sister every week too. I'm enjoying settling into life here in Spartanburg as 2017 comes to a close, and have high hopes for 2018!
If you are still reading, you are a real trooper! All the best to you and yours. May love and joy come to you in the New Year!
HAPPY 2018!!
