Autumn in New England

---

Where do I start? It's been a tough year... we lost our beloved Scaredy cat in March.... then Keith passed suddenly which threw us for a loop….and then the sweetest dog on Earth, my Simon, passed away just last month. September was the saddest month of my life thus far. I can still barely talk about losing Simon. I miss him almost every day. It's like a suffocating lump in your throat that doesn't go away.

In other news, the St Louis Cardinals had a great year. I've always loved baseball and at some point in my life I switched from backing the KC Royals to the STL Cardinals. This year, with Simon being sick and blind, he couldn't do much.. he would whine if I didn't stay near him....so I would sit with him after work or on my days off and watch baseball. After spending most of July and August on the couch watching a game every night after work, baseball became my comfort zone. I haven't missed a game since at least mid-July. The Cardinals did not disappoint. Won their Division and won the NLDS. The Cardinals became 1 of 4 teams playing for a spot in the World Series. Despite losing to the Washington Nationals in the NLCS, I am proud of them and looking forward to Spring 2020.

October also means it's vacation time. We skipped Alaska in May (WHEN are we actually going to see Alaska???) and instead, booked a 10-day New England cruise. We'll be flying to New Jersey next week and then cruising up the east coast... up to Canada ….and back to Jersey. Lots of things about this long cruise make me smile.... it's a giant Royal Caribbean boat (8th largest in the world) with tons of cool things to do ...the weather will be nice and cool …and with 3 days at sea... there will be plenty of time to sit on our balcony and read a good book or two. It might be cold and I might need to be in a hoodie, sweats, thick socks, and hot tea in my hand while I'm reading my book but bring it on....I'm ready for relaxing in the cool air. I'll try to write a small blog or post pics daily. We are not going to have our phones turned-on... they'll be powered off and locked in our cabin safe. Vacation time is unwind time for us. This year, we need it more than ever.

A preview of this trip....St Louis.... New Jersey (with a trip to Carlo's Bakery)…. Boston, Massachusetts.... Portland, Maine (we'll be going out on a small, private lobstering boat)…. Bar Harbor, Maine.... Halifax and Saint John Canada. Lots of chances to see the beautiful fall trees, Kamie plans on eating at least two lobster dinners, Halloween on the boat (we are taking costumes), and Kamie's Birthday while we are onboard. Stay Tuned!

---

Comments

[Stacy]

I can empathize with your recent losses all too well. Super sad for you all.

[Eeda and Jahn]

Thanks Stacy
We have been talking about you this trip.., praying your surgery has gone well. Kamie just told me about “second” mother passing. So sorry to hear... you’ve definitely had a rough year too. :(

[Stacy]

Yes, almost a year ago.... Nov 18 my mother in law fell down the stairs. We spent 2 months either at work on hospital or nursing home and then she was gone. We just couldn't believe it. His dad is sick too. Then everything at work happened. One surgery down and one more needed but work comp makes everything difficult. Then my mom was in the hospital for a week in full renal failure. I have spent the last week taking her to various Dr. follow ups. This has been our worst year by far. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and keep em coming.

[Eeda and Jahn]

Oh my goodness!
Geez Stacy you have had a tough year! I don’t even think Kamie knows all that (?) or maybe he didn’t share. You and your family are definitely added to my prayer list! As for worker comp.. I can only imagine the nightmare it is dealing with all that mess! The state doesn’t tend to take the easy route! ?