I did not send Christmas cards this year.
Parent and sibling exceptions. They got special cards.
Oh, I purchased them -- boxes of adorable sparkly cards at Target -- and I already had some that I've squirreled away for future use in a box at home, along with a cute package of make-your-own cards as well (mostly all purchased at some after-Christmas rock-bottom sale price). Oh, and some nice free cards that came in the mail from some organization or other.
I love getting cards, especially from friends and family, even those that are just pictures. I'm one of the last relics who also sends cards for birthdays and babies and sympathy and just because. Not many people reciprocate, but that's fine; I don't send cards in order to get more back. I like the old-fashioned and tactile nature of cards.
This year, the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak, and I was totally exhausted from the semester's end and still needed to do Christmas shopping. Something had to give, and cards were it. So here's the letter that would have gone out with the cards I did not send. Only, since it's online, I can include pictures too!
The Berrys wander through 2014
We rang in the new year on a train with contraband beer and hard cider somewhere between Chicago and Washington DC. We were supposed to be on a train between DC and Savannah, but due to the high volume of freight traffic on the Empire Builder line, we left Minneapolis 2 hours later than expected (not a bad thing, we got to sleep a little more), got into Chicago 6 hours later than expected, then got sent to the Swissotel downtown to spend the night in a king size bed with our own bathroom (a total luxury after spending so much time on a train. We'd left Savannah on December 16.) I won't bore you with more details because you can look back on the blog for pictures and more information.
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| Sunrise from the train, 1 January 2014 |
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| A rainbow over Love's Seafood, 11 January 2014 |
We got to spend New Year's day with Gary and Paula in DC (and although I felt like total crap, having picked up some nasty cold somewhere) as they picked us up at Union Station and took us for a marvelous meal at Founding Farmers. It was so good to spend time with them. We headed out for home 2 and a half hours later than expected (train travel is fun but not speedy) and spent the last 12 hours in coach, both of us now coughing and drugged up with antihistamines. We picked up my mom, who'd spent the last 16 days at our house caring for the grandpets: Shadow, Tyger, Lucky, Grafiti, and Greylegs, and headed off to breakfast.
The rest of January was a blur, with illness, a new semester, and a short trip to Jacksonville to visit Emily filling our time.
Highlights: a celebratory night downtown at the Inn at Ellis Square for our month-aversary and two old movies at the Lucas Theater. Also, a "snow day" after being sent home from work and a late start the following day....only in Savannah....no, we did not have any snow, or ice, or anything, just cold.
February brought binging on the Olympics and a visit from my dad and Elaine.
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| Ice on the camellias |
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| First blooms at the end of January |
March was a marvelous month, beginning with my mother-in-law's 88th birthday on the 1st. We met her friend Dixie for lunch at Sweet Potatoes and had a nice visit. Alzheimer's allowed her a semi-good day, and we are thankful for any time in her company. On the 11th, I was offered a full-time job for the following school year -- just a one-year position, but I was totally thrilled to accept it. On the 16th, Scott turned 54, and we celebrated by going to the gun range and then having dinner at Vincenzo's. My birthday, 44 on the 20th, was celebrated at Pearl's Saltwater Grille with the Beenes and the McCarthys and a marvelous chocolate mint torte from Lulu's. Also, a new macro lens for my camera. Friends from North Dakota arrived on the 22nd, my mom arrived on the 24th, and we ate out a lot and took in as many shows as possible during the Savannah Music Festival.
Highlights: Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, Kristina Train and Pokey Lafarge, Vince Gill, Asif Ali Khan, Ladies Sing the Blues with Catherine Russel and Charenee Wade, Avi Avital, and all the rest of the performers we saw during the most wonderful explosion of music every March/April in Savannah.
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| Smallest church in America, just off GA 17, taken in March |
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| Wisteria in March |
In April, we saw Nickel Creek and were visited by friends from Elmira who now live in Missouri. I finally ate at Lady and Sons. It was good, and I would eat there again, but I still like Johnny Harris's fried chicken better.
May began with girlfriends and a Mandisa/Brandon Heath concert at Calvary Baptist. We Presbyterians can get down. The spring semester ended with its usual mass grading and chaos, but we also took in a Sand Gnats ballgame (with Shadow....Bark in the Park) and spent our month-aversary at the Forsyth Park Inn.
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| Lucky awaits my mom's arrival on the freshly made guest bed. |
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| Iris from 23 May 2014 bouquet |
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| Courtyard cottage entrance at Forsythe Park Inn |
In June, Scott and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. Now, I know that's not a long time, but for two people who never expected to get married, it's a great milestone. We spent a few days out on Tybee Island, where we continue to make improvements to the apartment and make it more of a home away from home for us and any out-of-town guests.
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| Grafiti posing |
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| Fireworks at the Sand Gnats game |
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| Finale |
In July, I abandoned my husband for my annual road trip to Elmira, visiting with my Mom and Bob, seeing dear old friends, gathering beer to take home to Scott, eating King Kone and Pudgies and Elbow Room, and Southside Sub Shop (basically, ignoring all my good eating habits for a week). I kidnapped my mother and brought her south with me, stopping to visit Gary and Paula in DC and meandering our way through Virginia on the way home. Once back in Savannah, we all went to the ballpark again for the Gnats, this time for an Armstrong Alumni event and fireworks! The following week was Vacation Bible School where I told stories and floated around doing whatever else was needed. Sent my mom back home then took off with Scott for Asheville, NC. We had a lovely time there, including checking out a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives restaurant, the Beacon Drive in in Spartanburg, SC and a craft brew festival, as well as a lovely brunch with the Clan Marciniak, who drove all the way over from Charlotte to spend time with us! We left Asheville and took the Blue Ridge Parkway about 45 miles and found a gem in the woods, the Balsam Mountain Inn -- old school, historic charm, no phones, no internet, fantastic food, and one night turned into two as we completely relaxed.
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| Scott and Mom, drenched and waiting at AJ's Dockside on Tybee Island |
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| Scott in Asheville, co-operatively posing. |
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| Upstairs porch at Balsam Mountain Inn |
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| From the switchback driveway, Balsam Mountain Inn. |
August brought searing hot temperatures and lots of orientations and meetings for me as a new full-time employee at Armstrong State University -- my schedule ballooned to five classes with an overload and I braced for the onslaught. Whoo boy, what a semester. Work has basically consumed my life since then, with five classes, 90 students, 1200 essays and weekly writings and response papers to grade. Add to that the Common Read Committee, a Faculty learning community and a Faculty Book Club....and well....good thing Scott took up the laundry (or we'd not have had clean clothes) and the grocery shopping (or we'd not eat....) and was willing to eat out more than usual to pick up my slack -- oh, and of course I got sick too -- so did Scott, some sort of respiratory crud.
Highlights of the fourth quarter of the year: Clan Marciniak came to Tybee, I took an NRA pistol training course (birthday gift from my gun-loving husband), Lee Child at the Lucas Theater, Keb' Mo at the Lucas and graduation from the Savannah Presbytery's School of the Laity in October.
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| Most of the Clan Marcinak and us at Marlin Monroe's on Tybee |
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| Shadow waits patiently for a treat |
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| Lake at Unicoi State Park |
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| A foggy day in December, Tybee Island |
We spent the week of Thanksgiving (thankful for a full week off from classes) in a cabin in north Georgia at Unicoi State Park. On Christmas, we volunteered with the Trading Places project and served dinner the Union Mission in the afternoon and helped out at the Ronald McDonald House in the evening. We rang in this new year with a quiet dinner at Troy Restaurant, five minutes from our house, and vegetating in front of the television.
We lead a pretty quiet life, just us and the critters, and we consider our lives much blessed. "God has done great things for us, and we are glad" was the verse from Psalm 126 printed on our wedding invitation, and this year has been full of great things, from good meals to time with friends, laughter, great music, books, movies, and even television.
We look forward to hosting visitors in 2015, so y'all come :)
Much love to you all,
Renee (and Scott too)
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