Well we've settled into our new lifestyle of Connie living in Huntsville Alabama, Meade in Hernando Mississippi and Lee in Orlando Florida. It's been just over a year since Connie moved to Huntsville on November 14,2010. Overall, it has been a successful move. Connie really likes her new job and it seems to be secure. Meade and Connie get together at least three weekends a month. The fourth weekend a month is what's called our solo weekends and Connie usually goes for a massage or a facial or visits the US Space and Rocket Center. Unfortunately, we don't get to see Lee often but Connie bugs him via phone once a week unless he calls her first. But overall especially considering how the job situation in Orlando with SAIC has gone recently it was a very good decision to make this move.
The best news of the year is that we finally sold the house in Waterford Lakes in Orlando. It certainly wasn't for the price we had hoped and it took over a year on the market. We had to get a home equity loan on the house in Orlando where Lee is living to make up the difference. We made money from when we bought it 17 years ago but only an increase of 1.5% a year which was much less than we'd always been lead to expect on real estate. Since we refinanced to buy the house in Mississippi for cash we ended up not making enough on the sale. Luckily since we've always been pretty conservative financially we could take care of this without a short sale or worse.
There were two bad things that happened this year. One was Meade's mom dying March 27th. It wasn't a big surprise since she was over 80 years old and has not been healthy for the last few years. She was cremated and her ashes buried in her church's memory garden. Then less than three months later Connie's sister Stephanie died at 51 years old on June 12th after a long battle with cancer. The last few months were especially horrible. So bad that Connie finally asked via her prayer request list for people to pray that the end would finally come. We don't know how Stephanie's husband David was able to survive those last few months. Stephanie was also cremated. There was a really well attended memorial service in Pennsylvania on July 23rd and the a small group of family and friends took her ashes out off of Brevard County and sprinkled her ashes in the ocean on July 28th.
The fun highlight of the year was Connie and Meade's cruise of the year. This time they sailed out of Mobile Alabama on the Carnival Elation. It stopped in Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Cozumel. The highlight was Connie's shore excursion with the Stingrays.
Other fun activities included staying at the hot tub room at the Tunica Sheraton several times this year. We're both still playing poker. Connie played in two at work and they both have played with some guys from Connie's office at the boss' house. Meade played in a WSOP tournament in Tunica and won over $500. All three of us are still playing World of Warcraft. Meade and Lee are both playing Skyrim on the Playstation 3. Connie went to a Rodney Atkins concert in Tunica and a Keith Urban concert in Tupelo. She thoroughly enjoyed both of them. She also went to see Soul Surfer with some friends at work. I know it sounds strange but that was the only movie either Connie or Meade went to all year. Connie enjoys getting her biweekly movies from Netflix but we just don't go to the movie theatre. Connie also went to a Huntsville Havoc hockey game. She's planning on going to more of them this year. Connie has also started doing yoga. She does a 20 minute routine with a DVD most weekday mornings and attends a class with girlfriends from work once a week.
Two of the more exciting events of the year were the tornados that hit Huntsville. There was no damage at Connie's apartment or work but she spent the night of the tornados in the closet just in case. Her office was closed for the entire week due to power problems so she went to Hernando to spend the week. Luckily, she had enough gas to get to a station with power in Muscle Shoals.
The other exciting event was Connie attending a Wheel of Fortune contestant call in June. There were a few thousand people there and she did manage to get on the stage to audition. Although she solved the puzzle she didn't get selected to go to the final tryouts in August. But she hasn't given up on the hope of being on the show and is practicing solving puzzles on facebook and filling in an online contestant form every day.
Lee has a new girlfriend. They are crazy about each other. Her name is Jessi and she is younger than he is. She is also tiny, a size zero ! They make a really cute couple.
Connie's brother Marcus got married this summer.
Well I think that about does it for our 2011. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and a great 2012.
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