A few days ago I took the time to look back at 2011. The year was full and there were a lot of events that shaped the year. Here are some highlights from 2011:
Pottery Classes
I took pottery classes taught by my friend Tim Vetters. I enjoyed them enough to take two sessions. I am not sure that I got in touch with my artistic self but it was well worth the time. Working with clay is a humbling experience. I was never able to get the hang of centering on the wheel.
Neighborhood Transition
We are surrounded by a number of rental properties, many of which are occupied by seminary families. We have gotten to know many of them and close friendships have developed. Asbury Theological Seminary completed the construction of 100 family housing units early in 2011. As a result, our seminary neighbor families moved into the new housing. It was very good for them but it was sad to not have them close by. The vacancies around us have filled and we are looking forward to getting to know our new neighbors. The continual turnover of neighbors is always a good opportunity to get to know new people.
Toward the end of the year our street was closed to through traffic as a result of the construction of single student housing by the seminary at the east end of our street. This has temporarily impeded the flow of people past our house. I miss the front porch interactions but I am looking forward to this fall when the street will be reopened and I expect there will more people passing than before.
Pleasantview House
We had a very successful year with our guest house. We had 180+ guests from 19 different states and Canada. It was rented 142 days, way beyond our goal for our first full year. It has really been a pleasure to meet and get to know so many different people. We are gaining a number of returning guests. Ann and I really enjoy being hosts.
Health
2011 was a very interesting year for me health wise. I had more issues and opportunities than the previous ten years combined. I will not elaborate on the details but I do know that I have a greater awareness of my health status and the responses necessary to continue enjoy the life style that I have enjoyed in the past few years.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Tanya received her Master’s degree as a Nurse Practitioner from Vanderbilt University. Although I am geriatric rather than pediatric, I am very fortunate to have a medical advocate at my disposal. She keeps a close eye on me.
MLB
2011 could be described as the year of baseball. Ann and I have come to enjoy Cincinnati Reds baseball. I attended opening day and we took in several games together. We had a special family day with the Gabeharts and Crocketts. It was a great ball game and much fun.
Fellowship Group
My seminarian friend Mark, invited me to his Thursday night fellowship with other seminary students. I have found it be a very rewarding experience. I have met and gotten to know several men from a wide array of nationalities and cultures. Our conversations provided me with a deeper understanding of the scope of the kingdom of God. I continue to be impressed with the faith and passion of the seminary families.
Remodeling Projects
Ann and I took on some remodeling projects at our house. We added a new bathroom and reconfigured our mud/laundry room. That allowed us to reconfigure our existing bathroom. Lots of work but it has turned out to be very nice. We also re-tiled the fireplace in our living room. Ann painted our kitchen and will be painting other rooms.
Cats
Earlier this year I determined to catch a number of feral cats that were hanging out in our neighborhood. They were multiplying rapidly and action was required. I managed to catch three and have them spayed and neutered. They were off-spring of mother and daddy feral cats. It was not long before kittens began to appear. Ann I spotted there hang put and managed to capture 5 of them along with the mother. They were all taken to the animal shelter. Only daddy cat remained but he is very wary. Thankfully, since he has no mate, he doesn’t appear around here much and there are no additional cats. The three cats that were fixed have become fixtures. Ann has adopted them and feeds and waters them. They enjoy our front porch but will not allow us to get near them except for a few rare occasions.
Travel/Visits
Although we did not go to Florida in Jan – Feb, we had several trips and visits this past year. Carter and Lori and Clark and Vanessa both moved in 2011. Carter and Lori moved from Birmingham, AL to Dallas, Texas. We were able to visit them in Birmingham in May. Carter and I went bass fishing and had a great time. We got to visit them in Dallas on our way to Abilene and see their new home located in the downtown area of Dallas. They will be experiencing urban living for the first time. Clark and Vanessa moved from Burlington, IA to Racine, WI. We traveled to Racine and enjoyed visiting for a few days. It was our visit time in the area and we enjoyed it very much. Clark and I did some “urban” fishing. We caught several nice salmon.
In February we went to Memphis to celebrate Neyland and Turner’s first birthday at Scott and Allison’s. It was a grand time. They came to visit us for their first time in August.We also got to spend some time with them in the fall on our way to Texas. They are great kids.
In September, Ann and I flew to New Mexico and met our friends Ron and Jean Like and toured northeast New Mexico for several days. We enjoyed it very much and hope to return in the near future.
There were many other enjoyable times. As I reflect on the year, it becomes more and more obvious how blessed we are. I look forward to 2012 with deep gratitude for our lives and circumstances.
