This has been a fun-filled year for us, with gardening and home improvement projects galore. I’ve been bitten by the gardening bug, having planted at least four times as many flowers as last year, and over 150 bulbs in October and November. We also completed a tile backsplash on 3 walls in our kitchen, painted 2 walls a very bold mahogany color, and acquired two new pieces of artwork. I also started Creative Memories (or as my friend’s husband calls it, “Creative Larceny”) and have been enjoying that for many months--archiving our family photographs and having a ball in the process.
We rang in the new year modestly in 2001, toasting Dick Clark with raspberry bottled water in champagne flutes at midnight. We were both asleep by 12:15. Derek spent over half of January in Kentucky at a pool tournament with lots of big shots. He’s looking forward to the same tournament in early 2002, followed by visits to friends in Atlanta, Montgomery, and finally his folks in Bradenton, Florida. Now more afraid to fly than ever and unable to take enough time from work to drive, I will not be making the southward journey with him this year (sad to say).
The
ACUI Intercollegiate Recreation tournament at Wayne State University in February
was a big success for me. It was a
LOT of work (particularly considering it was a “volunteer” position), but
the dramatically increased participation and happy faces of the kids who played,
made it more than worthwhile. In
March I hit Toronto for a national conference of college professionals (the same
one that sent me to NYC last year). March
was also a good month for Derek, as he was able to finish work on the $4 million
home that caused him problems for so many months.
In
April, I served on a committee for the first annual Intercollegiate Poetry Slam,
welcoming students from all over the country for a competition in performance
poetry. I know *nothing* about poetry, but I had a fabulous time that
weekend and met some extremely talented individuals. The experience changed my life.
It made me realize the importance of having a creative outlet in one’s
life--be it singing, dancing, painting, poetry, gardening--whatever.
We all need to create. Whether
it was related to this revelation about expression or not, some strange kind of
“I’m 30 now dammit” attitude kicked in that month, making me no longer
wary of interpersonal conflict. Suddenly
I became “SuperBetz,” aka, The Queen of Confrontation. I resolved some
uncomfortable conflicts that I’d been avoiding, and even ousted a few
individuals who weren’t pulling their weight.
Hiring and firing is a normal part of my job, but I’ll be the first to
admit I was a pushover. But not
anymore, thanks to SuperBetz!!!! Derek
spent a lot of time at the Motor City Casino that month, capitalizing on a slot
machine secret he learned from his friend.
After a lengthy search, we thought we’d found our perfect match for a
new Director of Arts & Programs (my boss) in mid-May.
She was to start June 25, but called on June 18 to say she could not find
“suitable housing” for her family. Translation:
Sticker shock. The housing market in Ann Arbor is pretty daunting,
particularly for someone who was coming from Kansas.
Derek and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary on April 24 at Cousin’s
in Dexter, a Victorian home that has been converted to a French restaurant.
It was one of the most memorable meals we’ve ever had.
May
was a VERY remarkable month for my family, as the 19th was the day
that my little brother married his longtime sweetheart, Celina.
It was an absolutely unforgettable day.
Celina was a beautiful, glowing bride, and my brother…well, I just
can’t believe he’s so GROWN UP!!!! They
and their dog, Jumper, now live in Ironwood, where Sean is a Corrections
Officer. He’s hoping to transfer
closer to home in 2002. Mom looked
glorious (and way too young to be the mother of the groom!) in the black
dress that she sewed herself. I was
one of their bridesmaids, and Derek was an usher.
My good friend, Katie, who’d never been to the UP before, went along
with us for a vacation. She also
completed the balloon arrangements for the wedding reception so the wedding
party wouldn’t have to worry about it. We
had a wonderful time touring the great north and soaking in Mother Nature.
The best part about the whole event was that almost everyone in our
family was there to share in the joy and love that Sean and Celina proclaimed
that day.
Only
4 days after we returned from the wedding, Derek had Lasik surgery on both of
his eyes. Within 24 hours, he was
80% recovered, and a week later was seeing 20/20 in one eye.
He is simply thrilled to have had this done.
In his words, “It’s the best $2000 I ever spent.”
(If your vision isn’t bad, it’s a lot less!
Prior to the surgery, his was 20/400 in one eye!!!)
We
discovered a cool website in June, and splurged on about a dozen 11X17” framed
photographs of famous actors and actresses playing pool.
We got them up just in time for Derek’s “annual” 40th
birthday party in June. Derek also
played in the City of Ann Arbor golf tournament that month.
He didn’t play as well as he’d hoped, but he had a fabulous time.
We visited Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks on Independence Day
weekend. That is an experience NOT
to be missed if you’re ever in Northern Michigan.
Derek’s
dump truck upgrade (bigger and better) arrived in August, much to his delight. Since the truck immediately started earning him money, he
says that his buyer’s remorse was minimal at best.
My new department director, Alana, (discovered during the course of a job
search for a *different* position in our department) also started in August.
We get along wonderfully as co-workers and are becoming great friends.
I enjoyed a visit to the zoo with my 2 best buds, Angela and Katie, late
that month. We had a great day
frolicking with the animals, despite high humidity and frequent downpours.
In
the summer, deciding I had had enough of the 60-hour weeks for 40-hour
paychecks, I launched a job search. The building director was more than happy to keep me as long
as I wanted to stay, so if my job search got lengthy, I would still have a job.
I got a few good leads, but my dream job--a position as a Technical
Writer--was closed in July when the company imposed a hiring freeze.
In early September, the director granted me a substantial raise and made
several other concessions, so I called off the search until at least next
summer. The best thing is that they approved my budget for a
permanent part-time assistant manager for the Billiards Room. Red tape and a severe shortage of time have prolonged the
appointment of that person, but just yesterday I made the offer to our best
candidate, and she accepted. She
begins January 7. I can’t WAIT to
start working with her!
The
tragic attacks of September 11 hit fairly close to home.
Two of my students had close calls; one had flown home to NYC for the
election, and one was bound for Washington DC that morning.
Fortunately, Eric was working the polls in Brooklyn, and Katie’s plane
was grounded in plenty of time, so they are both safe and sound.
Derek
and I joined a pool league with some of the guys on his roofing crew in
September. I like it because it
forces me to play pool at least once a week; Derek likes it because he gets to
show off! It’s been a great
chance for us to do something together every week that we both enjoy, and as of
this week, our team is in first place in the league!
Playoffs begin in February.
Derek’s
parents left for sunny Florida in early November.
We had an early non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner at Kristin’s house
before they left. We celebrated
Thanksgiving again when Mom came for a visit in the end of November. Also at the table that day were my Student Manager, Janelle,
and her friend Cory from North Dakota. We
did lots of shopping that weekend, probably more than Derek or I have done the
rest of the year combined. Derek
surprised mom and me with Red Wings tickets, a gift from the company his parent
company for an
especially hard week. Unfortunately,
mom got sick and decided to drive home before the game.
Instead, Derek and I went to the game, a first for both of us.
It was a blast!!! As
exciting as it is to watch on TV, it’s 5 times as good live.
We
had friends over for another party (combination Birthday/Xmas) on December 1st,
which was also heaps of fun. Those
who weren’t into playing pool, stayed with me upstairs and made angel
ornaments out of pasta. The rest,
mostly “the boys,” stayed downstairs and whittled the night away on the two
pool tables, chess table, and backgammon boards.
The
latest notable event is Derek’s new “baby.”
He just got the car he’s been dreaming about for months--a sporty Acura
3.2 CL--last week. Ever the
worry-wart, I tried to talk him out of it because of economic fears.
But he’s very happy with it, and so far he hasn’t felt the impact of
a droopy economy, so my fears are brushed aside at least for now.
It’s a gorgeous piece of automobile.
I even convinced him to break stride and get a red car (his last 3 have
been gold). He also bought a lathe,
so he can begin learning how to make cues.
I can foresee many late nights in the basement for him in the next few
months.
In a few days, we head to the UP for one of my favorite events of the year: Christmas Eve with our extended family. We’ll join most of mom’s siblings and their spouses and kids to celebrate Christmas and two family birthdays. After that, we look forward to lots of new adventures in 2002. Above all, we wish you and your family a happy, healthy, prosperous year!