At the end of November, I mentioned that I had a heck of a December coming… lots of travel, lots of events, and just a TON on my plate.
As a result, I’ve taken a step back from my regular blogging schedule to keep up with all the craziness that’s been going on. Today, I’m going to give you a little peek into my crazy month…
Grandpa’s 90th Birthday
I kicked off the month with a trip to Ohio. While I lived in Tennessee the longest and tend to associate Nashville with home, I was born and lived the first part of my life in a tiny town just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. To this day, most of my aunts and uncles, cousins, and my grandpa still live up in that part of the country.
2014 marked a tremendous landmark birthday for my grandpa, and I couldn’t resist flying up to Ohio to celebrate with the whole family. It’s not often that we all get together, nor that my dad travels from Florida to Ohio in December! So great to see him too!
My Gramps turned 90 this week!! I can’t even imagine all the changes he’s seen through his lifetime, and I hope I’m as lucky as he is to be in good health at such an age.
This visit was particularly great for me. The last time I saw him a few years ago, I was startled by how much he had aged. Not physically, but his mind. My grandpa has lost all of his short term memory, and it devastated me the last time I saw him. I was literally fighting back tears the whole trip, for example.
This trip, my Grandpa was doing SO MUCH better! And, by better, I don’t mean that his memory has come back, because that’s certainly not the case. Instead, his progress has come in the form of him living in an assisted living community and being able to socialize with so many others on a daily basis. Last time I saw him, he just seemed lonely and sad… this time, he seemed like his old self!
While he may not be able to recall what he had for breakfast, he can tell you about his time in the navy, tell stories about my dad as a kid, and still gives the greatest hugs. So thankful to have spent this weekend with him!!!
My brother, Beth, and the kiddos also traveled to Ohio for the festivities, so I also got to snuggle up with these two! They are getting so grown up… and the “little” one on the left is 11 going on 24… seriously, what a difference a year makes!
Day Trip to Cali
You might remember my amazing summer, when I won the Rockstar contest for work. Well, my Rockstar reign is coming to a close, as the 2015 competition kicks off in January.
To promote the new competition, I needed to be in California this week for a videoshoot. Um, who gets to say that?
To keep things interesting, they only needed me for about an hour. So, I packed up my backpack with a few different clothing options… and caught my early morning flight to Cali.
My video shoot took a whole 30 minutes. Who knows what the final product will look like, but it was awesome to represent my team and our region in this video. And, finishing early made it possible for me to grab a quick lunch with my friend Crystal!
Crystal works close to our area office, so she was able to swing by and pick me up for a quick lunch before I had to head back to Denver. It was so great to catch up with this lady, even if it was just for about an hour!
With that, she dropped me off at the airport and I flew home! Beautiful (and exhausting!) day to say the least… but a great one!
I’m gearing up for my next trip next weekend… This one is a totally fun, friend-filled trip. Can’t wait to share the details!
How’s your December?