Updates Galore

Let's fire up the old tin Lizzie and go for another spin.

Yes, I have said I was going to start posting in the past...and yes, I haven't.  But this time I *really* mean it.  Really.

I think it would be best to start off with a series of updates on where I have been, what has happened, and what has kept me so busy.  Some of these things happened while I was away...some right before I stopped posting.  This is not an all-encompassing list:

1. 2 of my kids graduated from college.  2 are currently attending college.  1 will be a senior in high school this fall.  Yes, I have no money...but my grocery bill has started creeping back down in to the "normal" zone.  For example, I no longer have to buy 10 gallons of milk a week.
2. We moved from a very small town (3,000) to a medium small town (150,000).  
3. We lost both Spike the dog, and Cash the cat.  We did pick up Goldie, the insane dog.   You will learn more about her in future posts.
4. Still work at the same company.  Next year I will celebrate my 35th anniversary there.  
5. While some of the people I work with have changed, a few remain the same.  And, as you could probably figure out by the anniversary number, I continue to work with wonderful, fun people.
6. I officially crossed the first line in the retirement marathon.  Double nickels last year.  If only the math would say I could retire early (even though I like the people I work with, retirement sounds really good).
7. I have quite a bit less hair.  And the hair that decided to stick around has chosen gray as its preferred color.
8. Celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary.  Proof my wife is a patient person who has a high level of tolerance for large kids who refuse to mature.
9. Still have swimmers in the family
10. My family has endured (and continues to endure) a few health battles.  Not unlike just about any family on the planet.
11. I can still be found on social media.  My favorites are Twitter and Instagram.
12. I have made several trips (some for work, some personal).  Destinations have included:

• Orlando/Winter Haven
• Dallas
• Phoenix
• Galena, IL
• Indianapolis
• San Diego (My favorite place)
• Chicago
• Bakersfield
• Pleasant Prairie, WI
• South Bend, IN
• Louisville, KY
• Cleveland, MS
• Crawfordsville/Rockville, IN
• West Lafayette, IN
• Urbana, IL
• Bloomington, IN 

So, to sum it up...I have been busy, experienced some big changes/also seen many things remain the same; life has been good to me.

I have started a couple draft posts to follow this one, so hopefully that will keep me true to the promise to post with some regularity.

I will leave you with a wonderful joke I once read on the wall of a boy's bathroom in a high school for which I was the janitor:

Q: What do the Starship Enterprise and toilet paper have in common?

A: They both wipe the klingons off Uranus.

Brilliant