It’s time for Project 52, Week 51!
51 weeks ago, on my 52nd birthday, I began Project 52. Since there are 52 weeks in a year, each week I’m taking one year of my life and blogging about it. This week, I’m covering the year I was 51 — June 14, 2015, to June 14, 2016. I’m almost done!
This week, so far I covered my West Coast vacation, summer at home, and my November trip to Oregon. That got me to the middle of November.
It was good to pick up Tim for one last Thanksgiving Break from William and Mary. I say in my five-year journal that we talked all the way home. I think that was the trip when he explained a complicated theorem he had to try to prove in a computer science class – and we talked a long time about it – and I figured out the solution the next morning when I was taking a shower. Yes! I do still have a mathematical brain! (When Tim took it back to class, he did give me credit. I was proud.) I don’t remember the problem except that it was very cool and required a whole lot of thought. My solution did work!
On Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner at Darlene’s house. After eating, we taught Darlene and her kids Michelle and Ryan how to play P.I. (It’s like Clue, but better.)
During Thanksgiving break, the late fall lake was still beautiful.
At that time, I started planning a blanket for the next niece due to be born (though I didn’t know the gender yet). Inspired by my Fibonacci Clock, I thought I’d make a golden rectangle Fibonacci Blanket. I started with a Fibonacci Swatchy. (For a math explanation, follow the link!)
I was so happy to have Tim home!
I wrote in my quiet time journal that weekend:
I realized though? That nice feeling I had this weekend and I also had in Portland staying with Jade?
That’s the feeling of being in a home with someone you love with all your heart. Combined with delight at being reminded they’re just as wonderful as You remember them.
Yeah, okay, the Empty Nest was hard at times. But it was nice to have Tim home for almost a week. Then I took him back to William & Mary for his last few weeks of his last semester of college.
And I still had my great job! I was branching out with some TechShop programs.
On December 3rd, we did another Computer Deconstruction program, run by Tech Shop. This time I took pictures! And my friend Darlene’s son Ryan and my friend Alexis’s son Robert both attended.
Here’s a pretty December sunrise from out my bedroom window.
I was getting lots of picture books sent for Cybils judging. A fun thing was sending a big box of picture books to each of my nieces for Christmas – and also some to my Mom. Her Alzheimer’s continued to progress. At one point, she’d read her books over and over because she couldn’t remember she’d read them before. At this point, all she could handle was picture books.
And on December 16, 2015, Tim had finished college! I picked him up at William and Mary one last time. There was no traffic, and it was so warm, we actually ate outside! One last time with food from the Cheese Shop and a super spicy Blenheim Ginger Ale. We talked all the way home again. I was so happy to have him home.
Though – since Jade currently didn’t have a job, nor did anyone living in his house, I didn’t want Tim to pursue his original plan of moving to Portland and living in Jade’s house and looking for a job. I said that somebody needed to have a job first. Tim could look for a job from Virginia. And if Jade found a job, that would change things, too.
So – my nest didn’t actually empty out until the following August. That was long enough that both Tim and I were ready for him to move out! But even then, it was bittersweet. Because the truth is, it’s nice to have someone you love with all your heart living in your home.
On Christmas Eve, after the Christmas Eve service, we went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 3D.
Did you know that you can cut Fun Size Nestle Crunch bars so that they say INCH and measure one inch? I’m not sure where I learned about that, but we used stocking candy to do this on Christmas Day.
We also played a game of Castles of Burgundy. (I miss having Tim around to play games with! We played a lot of games together the next 8 months.)
On New Year’s Eve a pair of swans-a-swimmin’ visited my lake! They never came again, but they were beautiful to watch that day.
We finished up the calendar year with another New Year’s Eve party with games at the home of Trisha and Phil Sallee. I have a note that I played Splendor and Apples to Apples – and got beaten by Barsottis all three times! (That’s Kathe’s family – It was her husband and son Tim who beat me.) It was a lot of fun. And I even got to talk with Jade that night.
But now – I’m going to have to stop writing for the night. Can I finish Week 51 before the week is done? It’s looking doubtful… After all this time, will I fail to keep it within a week at the very end? Stay tuned….