Blogs from Florida, United States, North America - page 544

As a result of my Dad's death in August, and being short staffed in my office at NATO, where some days I was expected to be in three meetings at once, in November 1988 I had a panic attack for the first time. I thought I was having a heart attack, but the doctor in the emergency room assured me that I was fine. However, for the next six months I was on a minimum dose of Xanax. Four days after the attack, the first reinforcements arrived in the form of Mike and Betty, our friends from Germany. Mike had been hired to take my place on the Infrastructure Payments and Progress Committee when I moved up to the Infrastructure Committee. I was scheduled to attend an Executive Development Seminar held by the Office of Personnel ... read more

We flew back to the States on December 20th for Christmas in Lake Worth, Florida with my parents and sisters Sue, Judy and Carol, along with their families. My Dad was now on dialysis since October. He seemed to be doing well although his diet was restricted, and had to follow a rigid schedule. This was the first Christmas, or any other holiday for that matter, that the whole family was together in many years. This was also the first opportunity for the family to see Rosanna, who was only two months old. We didn't go far from home; seeing the local sights like an animal safari park, canoeing at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, visiting the beaches at Singer Island and Jupiter Island, etc. We then flew to Pittsburgh, and drove to New Castle, Pennsylvania to ... read more