Comments:
Craaaap!
How did 45 years go by? I was gonna be somebody! And where did these extra pounds come from? One or two pounds a yr? Again, Craaaap.
I couldn't wait to get going! I went to WSU for 3 1/2 yrs but ultimately decided that art was not going to be my profession. Moved to Dallas and attended Dallas Fashion Merchandising College and stayed after graduation and worked at Sanger Harris. Went to lease an apartment and was hired by the manager to be her leasing agent, which started a fun and diverse 33 yr career in property management. I worked my way up to Regional Manager, then Portfolio Manager with a major developer(s) and earned my Certified Property Manager designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management. I have managed apartments, retail centers, office buildings, etc, all over the US. And did way too much traveling. I met my husband Ed on a blind date in 1972 and we were married in 1975. Ed started a business in Dallas in 1990 which he sold a portion of in 2001, one month before 9/11. We still own the smaller company in Dallas with 7 employees and Ed's brother running the day-to-day operations. I never made time to have children, but did always enjoy my stepdaughter who moved in with us in 1989...she is like my own. I attempted to retire in 1999 but had a friend who approached me to become her partner in writing procedure manuals for the real estate industry. We did that until 2004 when Ed and I moved to Ruidoso, a long-time dream of his. ( Not so much mine but I went along with him. I am, after all, a city girl.) I realized several years ago that I should have combined my art with real estate and worked toward becoming an interior decorator. Oh well.
I have enjoyed, over the last 10 yrs or so, re-connecting with old friends. I have stayed in touch with a sorority sister (Debbie Wells Lawson in Wichita) and she put me in touch with another sorority sister now living in Carlsbad. Nancy Kroeker Booth found me when she attended my youngest brother Jon's memorial service in 2007. That was a delightful surprise since Nancy was my best friend in grade school. Then I solved the mystery of what happened to my best friend in high school, Janice Rittenoure, when my parents told me that her stepfather had passed away and I researched the obit, which listed a stepdaughter named Willow Allen living in Vadito, NM. New Mexico? Don't tell me she is living only 4 1/2 hrs away! I finally called her a yr and a half ago and we have been emailing since. We took a trip to Taos and had lunch with her two weeks ago.
I am very, very lucky to still have my parents (in Wichita). Ed and I moved them into an assisted living condo last year and they are doing well. We will celebrate their 87th and 88th birthdays this next week on the 29th. I also am very lucky to have a surviving younger brother, Roger and two delightful but trying teenage nieces. They live in Houston. Roger and I have always been close but we have become even closer since our brother passed away. By the way, if anyone goes to the Rockwell Wichita Library branch, look for a memorial bench/sculpture in memory of Jon Aksamit. Roger, Ed and I bought the sculpture as a gift for our parents and donated it to the library. Jon was cremated so does not have a gravesite. That was the most gratifying gift I have ever given.
On the lighter side, life is good in Ruidoso. After a horrible 2008 when Ed was diagnosed with a skin and muscle disease (incurable autoimune disease) all of the PT and meds have gotten him almost back to normal...at least good enough to play some rounds of golf. I am back painting, both watercolor and oils and we have an active social neighborhood. We have put our house on the market thinking of moving closer to good medical, probably Georgetown, TX (Sun City). We need a smaller, more manageable house in case Ed has a relapse.
And you know what, I guess I am somebody...I am Ed's wife, Michele's stepmom, Joe and Izzy's grandma, Frank and Becky's daughter, Roger's sister, little Becky and Lizzy's tia, and friend to many.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone. We can show each other grandkid photos, compare our blood-pressure readings, prescription meds, and discuss the latest, greatest herbal suplements.
Or maybe we want to step back in time and enjoy golden oldies and try some old dance moves? Craaap! At 63 those old dance moves may not be possible.
OH WELL,
See y'all!
