May 26, 2023

It's not a surprise to find myself here, 50 years after saying "I do" to Charles. We both went into the marriage understanding the seriousness of our commitment to one another. But promising to share you life with someone, "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part" contains an unknown number of surprises! Surprises that, somehow have to be navigated through and managed together. There were times when we were tested but endured.

Charles has been steadfast. Providing me and our family with unconditional love and consistently, with a quiet confidence that I've admired and relied upon. I have so much to be grateful for, and it all began with Charles and the promise we gave to one another. This life that we have shared is worthy of a memorable celebration!

 I admit to feeling the weight of time passing and the sense that opportunities to create lasting memories together won't always be there for us. This may well be the last opportunity to build some memories while we are all remain healthy and able to travel.  The grandchildren will all scatter. They will go off to college, graduate, find jobs and begin families of their own. 

A year ago we started planning such a celebration with our daughters and their families. Eighteen of us, in all! We had to take into account work and school commitments and needed them all to agree to the plan. In July we will all fly to Rome, Italy where we will spend a few days before boarding a Royal Caribbean Cruise that will take us to Salerno, Sicily, Santorini, Ephesus, Mykonos and finally Athens, Greece. We are all looking forward to it and I can hardly wait!

 

 

2022

Merry Christmas to Friends and Family Everywhere!

It is always fun to reflect on the year that is passing. Why we ever expect the coming year to unfold according to plan is a mystery. Thankfully, we are both in good health and enjoying the roller-coaster ride. May you all have a wonderful holiday season and happiness in the new year.

You might remember that Meg, Jason, and Morgan had moved in with us late last year while their new home was under construction in Lincolnton, NC. We already had Nate living with us while he finished up high school.  Meg and Jason closed on their new home in February. Nate graduated from Fort Mill HS in late May and headed off to Catawba College this past August. Thanks to COVID, Nate’s senior year at Fort Mill was really the first experience of “in-person” high school here in the US. Outside the classroom, Nate pursued an interest in music with guitar, keyboard, and singing lessons. Nate worked the lighting and sound crew for Mama Mia, experienced “prom night”, and survived an actual paying job at Wendy’s. To celebrate high school graduation, Nate flew to Scotland in July and spent time with friends. It was fun for us to share those experiences and to help Nate explore his college options.  Now, we once again have an “empty nest”, and our guest rooms are available for friends and family who might be visiting the Charlotte area.

We found multiple opportunities to travel throughout the year. In February we spent a little time in nearby Charleston, SC with Charles’ sister Susan who was visiting her son Jeremy and his wife Stephanie. We were able see some of Jeremy’s latest paintings and to enjoy a marvelous dinner together. Kathy then flew to Boulder, CO to celebrate granddaughter Maya’s 11^th birthday and to see the progress our daughter Erin was making in renovating her new home. Charles got to checkout Erin’s carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and painting skills when we both visited in late August.  That trip gave Charles a chance to visit grandson Xander’s Ju jitsu training class and to see his rather amazing skill.

Our daughter Jess just happened to be in the Boulder area that same week, and we were able to meet her for lunch with Erin.  Jess continues to work as the Director of Operational Excellence for WestRock in Winston-Salem. She’s also working towards her MBA through Emory University. Husband Shane works as an analyst for TNTP.  Jess and Shane traveled to Spain this year and Shane later made a visit to Cuba.

We enjoy trips with our Notre Dame friends of 50 years. Eight couples made the trip into Las Vegas in October this year for the “Catholics versus Mormons in Sin City” ND football game against BYU. We spent time exploring paleolithic rock etchings in the Painted Desert. We lifted a few pints in an Irish pub and ate very well. There might also have been a little gambling.

2022 was the year that Charles got serious about golf. Who knew that you could lose almost as many golf balls per round as there are holes on the course. The turtles dive quickly when he tees off over a water hazard, and the deer gather to laugh at him when he plays the tree lined fairways here in Tega Cay. His old college friends are trying to help him with his game; they even purchased a new driver for him to see if that would help. The guys played together this year in Myrtle Beach and Lake of the Ozarks. Notre Dame’s game against Cal this fall was an excuse for more golf in Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri. His game might not be getting any better, but at least he’s having fun.

Coordinating our visits with grandchildren with their school and social schedules is becoming more and more challenging. Erin brought Xander and Maya to South Carolina in March to spend a little time with their cousin Morgan. The kids had such a good time at the National Whitewater Center that Erin and Meghan enrolled the boys in a week-long camp in June.  Katie’s kids had their spring break a few weeks later; so, in April we drove up to Virginia Beach with Meg for a few crazy days of ocean fun with the Kaufmans. Ella quickly proved expert in capturing crabs skittering about the sand. Morgan organized Dungeons and Dragons and various board games. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the excellent aquarium where we were mesmerized by sea turtles, sharks, and a couple of Komodo dragons.  Kate, Ella, and Jacob were able to take the Corning shuttle flight down to Charlotte in August.  Kate and Jacob returned to Corning a few days later leaving Ella to enjoy some extra time with us. Grandpa and Ella spent many hours fishing together. We swam, kayaked, and enjoyed some special time with our now 13-year-old granddaughter.

Kathy continues to work part-time for the Blumenthal Theaters in nearby Charlotte. As always, we’ve experienced some wonderful musical and theatrical presentations this year.  We enjoyed “Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations”, the Charlotte Ballet’s “Innovative Works”, “Squawks”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Mean Girls”, “Hadestown”, “Jagged little Pill”, and “Tina the Musical”. We celebrated our 49^th wedding anniversary this May with a few days at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston. We especially enjoyed a spectacular new opera “Omar” featuring the autobiography of an enslaved African written in Arabic. The Dock Street Theater’s presentations of chamber music with Lebanese American tenor Karim Sulayman was so amazing that we went back a second time.

We followed up Spoleto with a brief “cruise to nowhere” out of Charleston’s harbor. The ship sailed down into the Mexican Riviera, but we were aboard simply to enjoy sun, ocean breezes, and quiet time together. There are always a few surprises in traveling. Charles came down with Covid near the end of the cruise and we spent our “quiet time” quarantined in our state room. Departure from the ship proved interesting. Once all other passengers were off-loaded, we were escorted down the gangplank by security and let out through a normally locked gate directly to the parking lot. We are not quite certain whether we are even legally in the country since we did not go through the normal customs and immigration checks.

Our daughters all came together in October to celebrate Kathy’s 70^th birthday with a girls-only weekend near Staunton, VA.  Charles went golfing with Jason.

Our health is remarkably good. We both did suffered from mild cases of Covid but at different times.  Kathy had successful cataract surgery late this year, but we’ve avoided anything major. Charles still walks to Lake Wylie most days and plays golf regularly. Kathy does her aerobic exercises in the pool as well as doing yoga at the YMCA. We both swim throughout the summer and kayak when we can find time. Both of us enjoy active part-time employment, Kathy at the Blumenthal Theaters and Charles at the local Catholic high school.  For Kathy there is bridge and Mahjong a couple times each week. For Charles there is always some new HOA issue or one of the grandchildren’s algebra problems to challenge him. It is a good life.

 

2022

Merry Christmas to Friends and Family Everywhere!

It is always fun to reflect on the year that is passing. Why we ever expect the coming year to unfold according to plan is a mystery. Thankfully, we are both in good health and enjoying the roller-coaster ride. May you all have a wonderful holiday season and happiness in the new year.

You might remember that Meg, Jason, and Morgan had moved in with us late last year while their new home was under construction in Lincolnton, NC. We already had Nate living with us while he finished up high school.  Meg and Jason closed on their new home in February. Nate graduated from Fort Mill HS in late May and headed off to Catawba College this past August. Thanks to Covid, Nate’s senior year at Fort Mill was really the first experience of “in-person” high school here in the US. Outside the classroom, Nate pursued an interest in music with guitar, keyboard, and singing lessons. Nate worked the lighting and sound crew for Mama Mia, experienced “prom night”, and survived an actual paying job at Wendy’s. To celebrate high school graduation, Nate flew to Scotland in July and spent time with friends. It was fun for us to share those experiences and to help Nate explore his college options.  Now, we once again have an “empty nest”, and our guest rooms are available for friends and family who might be visiting the Charlotte area.

We found multiple opportunities to travel throughout the year. In February we spent a little time in nearby Charleston, SC with Charles’ sister Susan who was visiting her son Jeremy and his wife Stephanie. We were able see some of Jeremy’s latest paintings and to enjoy a marvelous dinner together. Kathy then flew to Boulder, CO to celebrate granddaughter Maya’s 11^th birthday and to see the progress our daughter Erin was making in renovating her new home. Charles got to checkout Erin’s carpentry, masonry, plumbing, and painting skills when we both visited in late August.  That trip gave Charles a chance to visit grandson Xander’s Ju jitsu training class and to see his rather amazing skill.

Our daughter Jess just happened to be in the Boulder area that same week, and we were able to meet her for lunch with Erin.  Jess continues to work as the Director of Operational Excellence for WestRock in Winston-Salem. She’s also working towards her MBA through Emory University. Husband Shane works as an analyst for TNTP.  Jess and Shane traveled to Spain this year and Shane later made a visit to Cuba.

We enjoy trips with our Notre Dame friends of 50 years. Eight couples made the trip into Las Vegas in October this year for the “Catholics versus Mormons in Sin City” ND football game against BYU. We spent time exploring paleolithic rock etchings in the Painted Desert. We lifted a few pints in an Irish pub and ate very well. There might also have been a little gambling.

2022 was the year that Charles got serious about golf. Who knew that you could lose almost as many golf balls per round as there are holes on the course. The turtles dive quickly when he tees off over a water hazard, and the deer gather to laugh at him when he plays the tree lined fairways here in Tega Cay. His old college friends are trying to help him with his game; they even purchased a new driver for him to see if that would help. The guys played together this year in Myrtle Beach and Lake of the Ozarks. Notre Dame’s game against Cal this fall was an excuse for more golf in Indiana, Michigan, and Missouri. His game might not be getting any better, but at least he’s having fun.

Coordinating our visits with grandchildren with their school and social schedules is becoming more and more challenging. Erin brought Xander and Maya to South Carolina in March to spend a little time with their cousin Morgan. The kids had such a good time at the National Whitewater Center that Erin and Meghan enrolled the boys in a week-long camp in June.  Katie’s kids had their spring break a few weeks later; so, in April we drove up to Virginia Beach with Meg for a few crazy days of ocean fun with the Kaufmans. Ella quickly proved expert in capturing crabs skittering about the sand. Morgan organized Dungeons and Dragons and various board games. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the excellent aquarium where we were mesmerized by sea turtles, sharks, and a couple of Komodo dragons.  Kate, Ella, and Jacob were able to take the Corning shuttle flight down to Charlotte in August.  Kate and Jacob returned to Corning a few days later leaving Ella to enjoy some extra time with us. Grandpa and Ella spent many hours fishing together. We swam, kayaked, and enjoyed some special time with our now 13-year-old granddaughter.

Kathy continues to work part-time for the Blumenthal Theaters in nearby Charlotte. As always, we’ve experienced some wonderful musical and theatrical presentations this year.  We enjoyed “Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations”, the Charlotte Ballet’s “Innovative Works”, “Squawks”, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, “Mean Girls”, “Hadestown”, “Jagged little Pill”, and “Tina the Musical”. We celebrated our 49^th wedding anniversary this May with a few days at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston. We especially enjoyed a spectacular new opera “Omar” featuring the autobiography of an enslaved African written in Arabic. The Dock Street Theater’s presentations of chamber music with Lebanese American tenor Karim Sulayman was so amazing that we went back a second time.

We followed up Spoleto with a brief “cruise to nowhere” out of Charleston’s harbor. The ship sailed down into the Mexican Riviera, but we were aboard simply to enjoy sun, ocean breezes, and quiet time together. There are always a few surprises in traveling. Charles came down with Covid near the end of the cruise and we spent our “quiet time” quarantined in our state room. Departure from the ship proved interesting. Once all other passengers were off-loaded, we were escorted down the gangplank by security and let out through a normally locked gate directly to the parking lot. We are not quite certain whether we are even legally in the country since we did not go through the normal customs and immigration checks.

Our daughters all came together in October to celebrate Kathy’s 70^th birthday with a girls-only weekend near Staunton, VA.  Charles went golfing with Jason.

Our health is remarkably good. We both did suffered from mild cases of Covid but at different times.  Kathy had successful cataract surgery late this year, but we’ve avoided anything major. Charles still walks to Lake Wylie most days and plays golf regularly. Kathy does her aerobic exercises in the pool as well as doing yoga at the YMCA. We both swim throughout the summer and kayak when we can find time. Both of us enjoy active part-time employment, Kathy at the Blumenthal Theaters and Charles at the local Catholic high school.  For Kathy there is bridge and Mahjong a couple times each week. For Charles there is always some new HOA issue or one of the grandchildren’s algebra problems to challenge him. It is a good life.

There was one trip this year we would happily have postponed. Charles’ 87-year-old aunt Pat Murphy Pat had poured herself a glass of wine and settled into a favorite chair one evening in November and passed gently. While we enjoyed the few days visiting Katie, George, and their kids as well as the rare opportunity to see so many from Charles extended family, Pat’s death marks the end of an era. She will be missed.

Merry Christmas!