I'm Sorry, It's Almost Like A Christmas Newsletter

I swore that I would never, ever write one of those obnoxious year-end recaps that people tend to send out ("Biff was promoted at work, Biff, Jr. is the President of the Debate Club, and our little Muffy is at the top of her class") but as I reread this post I realize that I've done just that.  It's just that 2011 was a big year for the Payton's and the Spurr's.  Lots of change - most of it good, some of it bad but overall it was a good year for us.  As Jack and I talked over our coffee this morning we agreed that we were very, very lucky in 2011.

For us, 2011 started off on a high note.  On December 31, 2010 we were celebrating the wedding of Heather Meszaros and Juan Aleman and the party lasted until the wee hours of January 1st.  Their wedding was such fun.  My brother-in-law and sister, Bob and Deb Meszaros, Heather, Juan and our nephew Craig Meszaros put on an awesome party.  Best New Year's Eve ever!

In April, we sold our home in one week (thanks to our wonderful realtor, Jeff Gregory at Realty Executives) which was unexpected and miraculous.  Although Jack and I had been planning our road trip adventure for several years we just didn't think that things would move so quickly and it took some quick readjusting.  We loved our little house and it was a bittersweet thing to walk away from the home where we shared so many good times with our family and friends. 

On August 20, 2011 our daughter Kathryn Spurr married Ben Loeffler and and Jack and I had two special events to celebrate that day.  What a gift that our daughter was happy and marrying such a terrific guy, and that we had all 6 of our children together under one roof.  It had been almost 10 years since the last time everyone was together.  Such a happy day!  Good food, good booze and the people you love most in the world.  Life doesn't get much better than that.

  

The happy times of 2011 helped us get through the challenging times.  Jack somehow developed a herniated disc (could it have been all of that snow shoveling????) and he suffered with back and leg pain for most of the year as he tried to avoid surgery.  Shots, pills, chiropractics, and yoga were not able to take away the pain and in September, Jack had surgery which was successful.  He is now pain free.  My Dad used to say, "As long as you have your health you have everything." and I would think to myself, "Yeah, yeah but I need a bigger house."  I think that you don't really appreciate the gift of good health (and the simple joy of being able to sit and stand pain free) until it's taken away by injury or ill health. 

In November we packed up our car and our little dog and set out to have the adventure of our dreams - visiting all of our children across the country and seeing the places we've always dreamed of seeing.  We arrived in New York City and shared a happy Thanksgiving celebration with our girls and their guys, pinching ourselves and unable to believe our good fortune.  Oh the plans I had for shopping, sightseeing, and blogging! The following week our 29 year old daughter, Emily Spurr was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and my plans

changed to doctor visits, medical tests and post surgery recovery.  We were (and are) so grateful to be here to provide moral support and to take care of our girl.  Never have I enjoyed fluffing pillows, washing dishes or cooking more!  It was a scary time for all of us but again, we feel very, very lucky.  Emily's cancer was caught early (a miracle with ovarian cancer) and was categorized low malignancy.  She is cancer free and requires no radiation or chemotherapy. 

As we close out 2011 and look toward 2012, Jack and I have a lot of uncertainty about what life will bring in the coming year but we're o.k. with that. (As much as a control-freak/planner can be) We've been reminded that each day is a gift and each day with family and friends is the best gift of all.  Everything else is just extra.  Happy New Year!