HAPPY NEW YEAR! Recap 2022

 Shiloh, IL (Hi 52  Lo 43)   

Happy New Year to everyone!  2023 will be better for all of us. Look on the bright side, if your on this side of the ground, you're good. 😃

This blog is the recap highlights of 2022.  It was not an easy year. I still feel lost and trying to find my way through a barrage of things to learn and do. I call companies or get help whenever I can for problems along the way that I've never had to attend to, Jim did. 

I bought my first guitar in January 2022. I still pick at it and trying to memorize the chords. The fingers sometimes don't reach but I play at it. I haven't played in the last part of the year, I've been busy with the crocheting orders, that comes first.  I love the guitars, both the acoustic and the electric. 

February 2022 was the Olympics. It's seems long ago then just one year. Somethings are a blur and other things seems like it happened yesterday. 

 March of 2022, I signed a lease for two years. I wanted to keep the same rate and not have it go up till I knew I was going to be here permanently. My hope is to get back to Florida at some point. There's a two month rent if I break the , but it's worth it to keep the same rent amount. 

April 2022 was our oldest son Frank's 50th birthday.  Angie (his wife) and I planned a surprise party for him. We pulled it off he didn't know a thing about it. It was great!  I'm feeling so old. I also went to a Blues Music Museum which is downtown St Louis with Frank.  I also went to a Bluegrass Competition in O'Fallon with friend Ruth,  which was a lot of fun listening to beginners playing fiddle, violins and guitars. 

May 2022, is when I bought the electric guitar. It's easier to play and now I have both to work on.  This month was the hardest. It was one year that Jim couldn't speak and at the end of May he was in ER. The rest is history, but when it got to the end of May I was really feeling the loss. I did have a great Mother's day and I went to the Art Festival in Belleville. There's streets blocked off for vendors, very upscale art. 

June 2022, I started my summer travels. A trip to Pennsylvania was a few days.. I went with my friend Ruth who was checking family genealogy. It was a great week traveling all over to find cemeteries and info at the libaries for her family. 

July 2022, Our oldest grandson, Kyle and wife Holly has started a yearly get together for family get togethers on July 4. We all met in Peoria, IL for a picnic. It was great meeting everyone from Holly's family. I flew to Florida to meet with the GBM Never Alone gal, Roberta,  who started the zoom and the organization to help widows who lost their husbands to GBM. (Brain cancer), It was a great week with her. It was also great being back in Florida. 

August 2022, I went to Chicago to spend some time with my younger son Rick for grandson Jack's birthday. I also was with Tammy, Evan and Luke, Rick's girlfriend and her boys. I had a grand time. I stopped also in Carlinville on the way home to see Ken and Cindy.  

September 2022,  I went with Ruth to the O'Fallon band competition at the high school.  I love those and it brings back memories of the kids being in band. I also did another trip to my nephew, Dave and wife Tina in Niles, MI.  They had a table at a flea market and statues all around town that looked like real people. On the way back home, I stopped in Indy to visit someone I only met in the GBM zoom, Grace. We had a great time and I'm hoping to go see her again at some point.   I made this trip all by myself and without getting lost. It was quite a challenge and I know now I can travel alone.

October 2022, The big trip of the year was Albuquerque, NM for the balloon festival. It was fabulous when it wasn't raining. The bucket list is done.  The weekend that we got back  was the big craft fair I was preparing for all year. I was training to take over for next year, but it's not going to work out so I backed out. The fair is decent size and lots of work. 

November 2022, I watched the storm chasers all year with tornadoes and even snow storms. November had more then it's share of tornadoes so most days I was clued to the TV. The O'Fallon high school craft fair is the biggest in this part of the country. I went with Ruth and we spent the whole day there. I also went to my sister, Doris for a week. We did shopping and had sister time. I have to mention that the Artemis Launch was this month. It was an unmanned launch to the moon and back. They're getting ready for the moon landings then to Mars. That will not be in my lifetime. 

That brings me to December 2022, I went to the dirt track race in the St Louis Dome with Frank. That was so fun and I would like to do it again. We both love racing and they have several types of racing in St Louis area. We had below zero temperatures with well below zero chill factor. St Louis hit -22 for a few days. We also had four inches of snow. Christmas this year was a great one. We had 14 for dinner and lots of laughs.  This week I crocheted some more and finished a puzzle. I did this one in four hours. 

                                            A puppy for an order. 

That brings me to New Year's Eve. I should have some great news in the next blog. I'm sure 2023 will be excellent and I'm looking forward to it. Happy New Year to all my readers. It's nice to know you're out there.