SAVORING A MOMENT IN TIME

A series of essays.....

FAIRY-TALE VERSION OF THE BILTMORE ESTATE AND GARDENS
ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA ~ 2017

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Upon returning from a long weekend in Western North Carolina, my reflection of time in this beloved space was duly noted in both words and pictures taken. 

VIEW FROM THE TOP OF OUR PROPERTY

Our purpose for being there was multi-layered. You see, we are landowners in WNC and if you travel on I-26, brushing the well known town of Asheville with your right shoulder and then take a westbound turn onto I-40 exiting at SR-19 near Waynesville and Maggie Valley, you would be very near our small mountain called Cansadie Top. More precisely, you would be in the small, unincorporated community in Haywood County, North Carolina known as Iron Duff. 

Our small, nearly three acre parcel of pines, rhododendrons, cedar trees, and low brush, merely scratches the side of Cansadie Top mountain and faces north towards the valley below and the winding Pigeon River then out to the mountains in the distance. It is a breathtaking spot. It’s where we’d hoped to spend many years together after retirement. 

This picturesque portion of WNC is snuggled within the heart of the Pisgah National Forest and just a mountain or two away from the Eastern Cherokee Reservation with its casino, several entrances to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and winter skiing fun ⛷ at the Cataloochee Ski Area just north of Maggie Valley. I love saying the word Pisgah and Chickasaw and Cataloochee. It intrigues me how the Native American names roll so nicely inside the mouth; feel so natural rolling off of the tongue and, eventually, burst forth from between the lips and out into the atmosphere like ancient wisdom to my ears... 

THE DRAGON COMES ALIVE!

As we gently rolled down Cansadie Top and into the valley heading westbound, I couldn’t help but notice what looked like smoky dragon’s breath emanating from the mountaintop in the distance. It was as if a tornado were whipping across the ridge dispersing tons of swirling snow in order to awaken the beast. In essence, it was. It only took us a few moments to realize that the Cataloochee Ski Area must have been making snow for its ski runs high above us. The dragon huffed and puffed its sultry breath all along the deep-blue ridge as if letting everyone know to pack-up their skies and poles; it was time to travel along the manicured pathways and slopes of its cold, rigid spine and ski your way downward into the valley below.

DAN IS PLACING A
STONE MARKER AT THE SPOT 

MY FAVORITE TREE JUST BELOW
OUR PROPERTY LINE

Sadly, while standing along the side of our own little mountain, moments before sighting our dragon in the distance, we employed a ritual that, if successful, will close this chapter of our hopes and dreams of residing along a mountainside in Western North Carolina. Our plans of building a Hearthstone log cabin on this site dissolved within a single dragon’s breath back in 2008 when the economic world went crazy and abrupt changes in our lives had to be implemented. Since 2006, when we purchased this ‘heavenly spot’ in the Pisgah Forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway, we imagined snowy Christmas celebrations and family get-togethers for years to come. Life has an interesting way of taking you down so many unimagined pathways with forks in the road at every turn. I really do believe that adapting to these various changes along the way is what makes us stronger, better individuals, and, eventually, happier souls.

IN FRONT OF OUR 'KATYDID' COTTAGE

This trip up to WNC found us snug and warm in our own little cabin up in the mountains near Candler and a stone’s throw away from the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. All dressed up for the Christmas 🎄 Holidays, the Biltmore Mansion did not disappoint us as we experienced over fifty-five beautifully decorated trees nestled among the splendid nooks and crannies of this magnificent estate home. Having visited Biltmore several occasions before during the warmer, summer months, this was the first time we were given an opportunity to see almost every room of this sprawling mansion. We crawled up flights of stairs to the guest quarters and then were swallowed-up and plunged into the bowels of the lower floors that included the kitchen, indoor pool, bowling alley, and the servant’s quarters.....among others. 

BILTMORE ESTATE ON A BEAUTIFUL CHRISTMAS EVE DAY
BUILT BY GEORGE AND EDITH VANDERBILT
~OPENED ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 1895~

Even though the weather was cold and dipped into the low thirties, not a wisp of snow graced our presence as we found our car and drove over to the Biltmore Estate Winery and Antler Hill Village for a wine tasting. Having fallen in love with Biltmore wines years ago, it is always such a pleasure to taste their various blends and this trip did not disappoint us. The limited release of their crisp, semi-sweet white and full-bodied red under the label of ‘Christmas at BILTMORE’ were phenomenal and several bottles now reside in our wine rack at home for future enjoyment.

CONSERVATORY ALL
DECKED OUT

DECORATIONS UP CLOSE

LIBRARY DOOR WITH WREATH

A TREE IN THE MIRROR IN
EDITH VANDERBILT'S BEDROOM

BANQUET HALL

The most fun we had together, and this may sound a bit corny to you, was leaving the Biltmore to shop at Ingle’s Market for Christmas dinner to be prepared in our cabin the next day. I can only describe the cabin as a ‘tiny home’ built into the side of the mountain overlooking the creek below. It is part of a group of structures that make-up the Mountain Springs Cabins that exist along South Hominy Creek and include exceptional mountain views as an added bonus! 

VIEW FROM OUR
DINING TABLE

LOOKING EAST FROM THE
MOUNTAIN SPRING CABINS

We decided an Italian menu was in order and made baked ziti in the amazingly tiny Tappan range/oven. This appliance was something I used to dream about having in the playhouse I wanted as a little girl. We served the hot, cheesy pasta with a fresh veggie and sweet berry laced spring-green salad and thick slices of buttered bread to soak up all of the spicy tomato sauce left on the plate. And, for dessert, a nutty, pumpkin cheesecake baked with love by an Ingle’s baker Christmas Eve Day!! We decided to pair our little feast with Biltmore’s Cardinal’s Crest Réserve 🍷 simply because it has always been our favorite Biltmore wine selection....made for almost any occasion.

Christmas Eve morning we spent Skyping with our youngest daughter and family as they opened the gifts we’d selected especially for them. The giggles of their excitement were like joyful carols to our ears and their faces sweet entertainment for our eyes. This was repeated when we experienced the reactions to the gifts we had sent up to our oldest daughter’s home while we were on FaceTime together Christmas morning. Not quite the same as being there, however, with Dan’s limited time off this Christmas, we made due with imagining the soft kisses and warm hugs of our five, favorite little people! 

OUR CHRISTMAS DINNER ~ 2017

Having almost adjusted to mountain walking once again, with its varying degrees of slopes and having to park our car at odd angles that made opening and closing its doors quite a challenge, we woke-up early Tuesday morning knowing that we must face the bumper to bumper traffic that was certain to greet us along South I-95. So, as usual, we tried to prolong our trip by stopping in Hendersonville, North Carolina at Mast’s General Store that offers a variety of items ranging from oaken barrels filled with penny candy to warm heather gray vests by brands such as North Face and Patagonia. 

While experiencing our mini-excursions, I try to ignore, for the most part, social media and concentrate on the task at hand....having fun! Being out of the loop for several days was just fine by us and upon pulling into our driveway around nine-thirty that night, nothing broke that spell as we unpacked and settled in for a good night’s sleep. 

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU, KID

As Dan completes his short week of work and we anticipate the passing of an old year (thank goodness!) and look forward to a new one beginning next Monday, I am making note of as many words as I can that might exemplify or sum up my current thoughts and feelings. So far, I’ve written down the three R’s, Resist, Replace, and Retirement. Not bad for starters. Then there’s this trio, Truth, Honesty, and Obligation to Mankind. But, wouldn’t it be easier to try to find one word, only one, that conjures up my exact feelings going into 2018? 

The word I used way up in the beginning of this piece seems to come to mind: Adapt. I don’t mean to accept, assume, or promise anything. I mean to adapt in terms of making changes happen, adjusting and harmonizing with said changes, and learning to acclimate myself to and accommodate my life with what I feel is happening (for the good) around me. 

BOYD'S MOUNTAIN CABINS
MAGGIE VALLEY, NORTH CAROLINA

You see, I know that change is coming. Whether this change is political or traditionally personal, it is going to happen and, in order to survive, I must learn how to adapt. Dan will be retiring and we will be listing our home for sale here in Orlando and packing-up our lives after living here for over twenty years. And, having to adapt to the cold, snowy climes of Michigan, once again, is going to happen, whether I’m ready for it or not!

So, adjust, prepare, and reconcile are added into the mix for good measure. 

However, if you know me at all by now, you will know that there is one human attribute that constantly engulfs my thoughts and never leaves my side simply because it represents the greatest truth of all. That attribute, of course, is the ability to Love. With Love 💕 in our hearts we are capable of adapting to any and all situations that life throws our way. So, with an abundance of Love within me, I will learn to adapt to whatever this new year has to offer and grow stronger and more enlightened because of it.

Happy New Year to each one of you! Please learn to use whichever new word you might employ, wisely. And, always fill your heart with an abundance of Love for ALL of the people who share this interesting time and magnificent world with you. May we all learn to look at the reality of life this new year with a wiser, more benevolent, and kinder eye.

WE WISH YOU A HAPPY AND
PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR ~ 2018!!!

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

Photo Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

HAVE YOU EVER....?

A series of essays.....

SAYING GOOD MORNING TO 
OUR LIVE OAK TREE THAT LIVES ON THE HILL

.....as seen through my eyes!






By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

A spider's web, much to my surprise, wrapped itself around my shoulders this morning! I was on a mission to capture the early morning light filtering through the tree limbs of the sole Live Oak tree that lives on the hill in our backyard. Thinking how snow will, more than likely, never caress the furrowed, gray bark of its sturdy trunk or the irregular bends of its thickening branches, I snapped its picture. Continuing to lightly brush my shoulder to release any remnants of the silky shawl I’d recently acquired, a few more pictures were taken and thoughts explored before entering the house through the sliding glass doors of the lanai.

Have you ever wondered about the nocturnal activity that surrounds you while you are sleeping all snuggled within the soft folds of bed linens and dreams of the past, present, and future? As crickets chirp and leaping frogs engage in suicide plummets from roofs and the frames of screen enclosures into the awaiting trees and shrubbery in order to feed.....on crickets? The artistic spider 🕷 weaves its smooth, glossy, and highly sophisticated tapestry of threads stretching from one ceramic pot to another; from one screen enclosure brace to the aluminum door frame of one of the two exits leading out to the tree on the hill. Walking through that delicate tapestry was like entering a new dimension in time and space; a porthole by which one transitions from the darkness of night into the morning’s light!

Have you ever taken the time to notice how truly delicate human life can be? Or, how often we take our lives for granted? We really do. Tony, our neighbor of over eighteen years, shuffled towards me two weeks ago, death grip on the bars of his walker and, Margarita, his wife, a shadow hovering close behind him. Slowly he made his way to my side and showed me the ‘industrial zipper’ of stitches that tracked down the back of his partially shaved head. Tony had been having bad headaches approaching Thanksgiving Day and had scheduled a doctor’s appointment for the following Tuesday. He slipped on the floor of the bathroom in the early morning hours of Friday and banged his head on the vanity before kissing the cold, dark tiles. Being a healthy, active man in his mid-fifties, he was allowed to return home on Sunday to recuperate from brain surgery performed in the wee hours of Saturday morning. They had removed a small tumor they’d picked up on during his MRI. He is doing quite well now, his doctors say. There is a good chance that if he’d waited until his Tuesday appointment...the outcome may not have been the same.

Have you ever looked into the depths of a child’s eyes (your grandchild's eyes, perhaps!) and felt you could dive into them as if they were bottomless pools of untapped knowledge, uncharted hope, and limitless love? 

Have you ever questioned yourself for any reason? From..”Should I have purchased that dress 👗 in navy blue instead of red?" To.. "Would working for the established lawyer in downtown Orlando be a more prudent job opportunity than working for an established builder in Celebration?” We make our choices along the way and to second guess them after the fact would be the imprudent thing to do. Acceptance of our personal selections in life and working hard to make them fit us comfortably has been the joy of living in a ‘free country’ awash with personal opportunities and benefits. But, what if the ideals behind the words free, opportunities, and benefits were stripped away from us? What if we were all made to wear navy blue with no other color choice to be had?

COOL BLUES AND PLAYING WITH REFLECTIONS

Have you ever thought about losing your freedom and the individual rights we share as citizens of the United States of America? Or, wondered about the wisdom of old men with shocks of white hair and harboring the need for greed? Especially, within the last year or so? I certainly have, and more often than I care to admit. I know that change can be counteracted by more change and good shall rise from the depths of evil and that it requires patience and lots of hard work to make that happen. If there are enough of us who care, we will make it happen. Most importantly, we must make it happen... 

Have you ever woken up in a place that was not your own bed or bedroom and wondered where in the world you were? Each day that goes by is prefaced by wondering what kind of a world are we living in today and questioning my grasp of ‘normalcy’ which has shifted from stability to trying to understand ‘jealous negativism’ on the part of an individual who should never have been allotted the power and trust of the highest office in the country. This is not the life I’d signed up for or expected for myself and my children. This is not the room I fell asleep in last night.

I keep my camera on the oak library table that stands tall against the flat wall nearest to the sliding glass doors. It’s easy and convenient to snag it on my way out the door on an early morning photo shoot. After embracing the warmth of the morning sun, walking through a spider’s web, and capturing my ‘snowless’ oak tree bathed in golden light, the refreshing blues of the swimming pool caught my attention. Like an Impressionistic painting by Claude Monet, the cool, colorful reflections of the world that surround me come to life and are captured within my camera....for the time being.

Finally, when the ‘cold light’ of a firefly enclosed within the laced fingers of our hands emits its surreal glow like minute rays of green-tinted sunshine for all to see, do we not wonder in amazement at how special this life is? 

PROTECTION OF THE GODS

Turning away from the living pool of water, I slowly turned into the sun that was now gently peaking out over the roofline. Resembling a magnificent palm frond, its rays seemed to be protecting our house like a giant gossamer curtain possibly spun by the same spider that impressed me only a few moments earlier. My heart was full; my soul appeased.

Have you ever felt so loved that you knew that everything would be okay; that it would be worth while giving ourselves and the future another chance at getting it right?

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

TRAVEL CAN MEAN FINDING YOUR OWN FRENCH COUNTRY BED & BREAKFAST

A series of essays.....

NAVIGATING FRANCE IN 1990 WITH CHARM AND GRACE ~
STILL POSSIBLE TODAY & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” Quote by Gustave Flaubert, born 12 December 1821, died 8 May 1880. 

If travel makes one modest then, in my humble opinion, travel planning can be a very fulfilling and gratifying experience that allows you to fit nicely within the vast world around you. Planning any trip, whether large or small, is the act of creating the skeletal structure that gives everything its shape, keeps things in place and running as smooth as possible. Good planning is equivalent to the solid outline of your soon to be written story and serves to guide you in the basic direction of theme, plot, and purpose of each character involved.

Where your story (trip) takes you from here, remains unwritten. Your yet to be discovered activities will lead you down small, cobbled streets, country roads, meeting new people who may speak different languages, and your imagination will guide you to just about anywhere you’d like to go; help you to experience just about anything you’d like to experience. What a beautiful thing!

Planning a trip from the beginning to the time you step off of a plane, train, ferry, or any other mode of transportation in order to arrive at your destination, is a challenge I willingly accept. I love it! For me, it’s like designing and building a ‘stick’ house and actually visualizing each separate room even before the sheet rock is installed and room demarcation is formally established. Sometimes, even at such an early point, I can decorate each room with distinct colors and have pictures up on the walls.....especially, if I am comfortable and familiar with whom the rooms are being, figuratively speaking, built for. 

Back in 1990, I recall sitting on the other side of the desk, the back of the computer, a wheezing, beige hulk of perforated plastic, glared at me while the travel agent looked-up the possible flights we could choose from for our first family excursion to Europe. I was frustrated. I knew that, given access to and the proper tools to look up the information on my own, I could do her job with gusto and aplomb. 

Needless to say, that was the last major trip we were required to have to use the services of a travel agent. And, having the tools right in front of me, on the screen of my own computer, worked right into my hands and vivid imagination. I knew that there would always be people and corporations that would require the important services provided by a travel agency. Like many services today, offering the convenience of supplying time and effort into something others do not have time to deal with or, when multiple people are engaged as a group and traveling at the same time, these services will always be a welcomed necessity.

I had the world all to myself! With the eventual added convenience of Websites and most accommodations relying upon a personal Website to advance their establishment’s information, how could I not imagine flirting with all of these worldly facts on my own? Everything was, conveniently, at my fingertips; at my disposal. 

"ALL ILLUSTRATED WITH
PEN-AND-INK SKETCHES"

I recall purchasing one of my first Bed & Breakfast books at the Michigan State University Book Store on Grand River Avenue in East Lansing. It was entitled, “Karen Brown’s French Country Bed & Breakfasts ~ A Travel Guide to the Charming Bed & Breakfasts of France with Descriptions of Over 160 inexpensive Places to Stay,” with a copyright dated 1989. It included small, pen and ink sketches of each property along with the names of the hosts, a short description of the place, directions, and their telephone number. That’s all I needed. 

Even though we required the agent to book our various flights to Munich, London, Dublin, Düsseldorf, and back home, once again...I dug deep into my resources and knowledge of the French language to pull together our twenty-day adventure. 

Knowing I needed to write in English to all of the German establishments I contacted, I truly did make an effort to write to the lovely places we stayed at in France en français which included a romantic manor home in Auxerre, a charming small hotel in the old town center (Centreville) of Strasbourg, and more. In return, I received amazing letters back, written in French and welcoming us to that country with open arms. It was a stimulating and adventurous endeavor on my part to make this all come together and work for us as a family. Eventually, our experiences in Europe were worth every word written and each agonizing week it took to hear back from the individual hosts in response to my inquiry.

The skeleton was established and the layers of work that compiled the ‘who, what, where’ and meat of this project began to form and take on a shape that was very satisfying and pleasantly doable. 

This inaugural trip to Europe in 1990 was a huge success for us. Since that time, I’ve put together quite a few visits back to different areas of France, several trips along the Wild Atlantic Way and the West Coast of Ireland, and I am in the midst of planning a brand new trip to Scotland, Wales, and Ireland scheduled for 2018. Dan and I will be traveling with our good friends and, coupled with the excitement of putting together some incredible memories along the way, writing about our adventures is something I am very much looking forward to!

Honoring a ‘right of passage,’ otherwise known as formal retirement, we will be like four ships passing through the territorial seas of foreign states and straits used for international navigation. Only our ship will be rental cars, mainly, with a ferry boat thrown in for good measure between Holyhead in Wales, U.K. and Dublin, Ireland!

As a travel writer today, I have to say that it’s with pure joy that I am fortunate enough to experience so many different places, points of interest, historical revelations, and innumerable local traditions. I believe that by listening to the lilt of a foreign language or a particular vernacular, the experience will sweep you into a different world; a new dimension in time and space. 

WISHING ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR IN 2018!!!

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved

TICKING ONE MORE ITEM OFF THE LIST: THE LAST COMPANY CHRISTMAS PARTY

A series of essays.....

THE INFAMOUS GIN AND TONIC
LOCATED SUSPICIOUSLY CLOSE TO THE COFFEE!

.....as seen through my eyes!

🎄 

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

The ‘good stuff’ was flowing....all evening long. A frosty glass tumbler consisting of ice, and equal portions of Tanqueray and tonic cooled my hand through its white cocktail napkin shawl. Best gin and tonic in town I thought, watching the juice and pulp from the manually squeezed citrus wedge intermingle with the tonic, the gin, and ice beneath its sinking, lime-green canoe. Free drinks always taste so good!

OUR HOSTS, ROGER B KENNEDY
AND HIS WIFE, LEIGH

Greeting us personally, only moments beforehand, our host wished us a delightful evening before handing us name tags the size of mini-billboards that were to be clipped to our apparel. Thoughts of, “Should I clip it to one earlobe, or turn it sideways attached to a sleeve?” went through my mind before finding an acceptable spot.

Having arrived fashionably late, more in terms of the punk rock band than by following any outdated social norm (discretion artfully employed), the other participants at this gig were already far beyond the ‘first gin and tonic’ stage. Remember, nothing but the very best flowing freely tonight!

TWO KIDS CELEBRATING
CHRISTMAS ~ 2017

Slithering our way through the masses towards the quintessential watering hole, and being reintroduced to people I had met for the first time last December, I was now being introduced to new employees and their spouses. While shaking outstretched hands and employing ‘barely there’ hugs, the thought of these being “once in a lifetime” greetings passed before me like the wisp of a ghostly shadow between each smile and jovial introduction. 

 Later in the evening, right before we were saying our good-byes to our host with sincere appreciation for the good food, drink, and hospitality, Ed was standing in the foyer. Newly married for one month, I’d met Ed and his charming girlfriend at the Christmas party last year. Recalling conversations about past travels and hopeful future travels, we hit-it-off as smoothly as freshly Zambonied ice between hockey periods. 

Born in South Africa thirty-something years ago, his family moved to the States where he, eventually, attended Northwestern University and somehow became a young Project Manager for ‘The Man’ here in Orlando. The sadness in his eyes frightened me. Why would this intelligent, young man be sad? And then he asked, “How many grandchildren do you and Dan have up in Michigan?” “Five,” was my reply. “How old are they?” Upon telling him, he stared at me and said, “Then five very solid reasons for retiring and heading to Michigan. As much as I will miss Dan, I know he’s doing what he needs to do.”

All through dinner, served with Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon at each table, and an open bar right up until the stroke of midnight, Dan was being cajoled into adding a year or more to his employment status by his co-workers who insisted he should not leave; he was too young and productive yet to retire. Dan has some ingrained personality trait embedded deep within him that usually endears him to most everyone he works with and for. I call it his ‘super care' trait. Quite often, he cares so much about others, he loses a small piece of himself in the process. 

RICH, DAN'S BOSS, JUST
BEING RICH!

After forty-seven years in the business, working in multiple states for various companies, and enjoying the camaraderie offered by office staff, sub-contractors, and his wide assortment of superintendents alike.....bidding adieu to the physicality of his job is going to be difficult. The mental process of it is what has helped him retain quick thinking and structure which has served him well throughout the years. Kept him young and on his toes. Brightened his mornings when things were going exceptionally well.

Given a problem to solve and walking himself through each twist and turn towards its inevitable solution has been his forte. He’s always been so good at it. Good enough to earn the nickname “Golden Boy” more often than I can remember. I always liked his “Golden Boy” image as it conjured up accolades and personal pride and possible rewards. As children with parents and parents with children...we know the benefits of offering appreciation and rewards for jobs well done. Productivity and self esteem levels rise and this can have such a positive effect on everyone around you.

Short-timer walking...

Last Christmas we weren’t absolutely sure about the longevity of his continuance as Project Manager with this particular company due to retirement and we glided through the evening like a stalwart ship sailing upon friendly, blue waters back then. We could afford to enjoy those ‘barely there’ hugs and dance our way into oblivion....at least, until the bewitching hour. I could tell it was different for him this year. There was sadness behind his blues eyes; a speeding sense of closure after a lifetime of career and genuine accomplishment. 

DAN WITH SHELDON,
ANOTHER 'SHORT-TIMER'

Forty-seven years of waking up each weekday morning like clockwork, so ingrained within his psyche that after a while an alarm clock is no longer required. Does that feeling ever go away? Should we even want it to?

He recently began his final building project and has written-up several of the contracts with subcontractors who will be working on his job located in Clermont, Florida. Up until the other day, he had been working on three large multi-family apartment complexes for three different owners and turned one over with a certificate of occupancy last Friday. He’s now down to two with this second to be completed early next year. Soon, the completion of the Clermont job will mark his retirement. Devoting one’s life to anything is a lifetime achievement and to watch the ‘end of an era’ finally approach can be a daunting experience. 

Short-timer walking...

Sitting here writing about my husband’s impending retirement plans with mixed feelings of my own, I can’t help but think back to an emotionally charged Christmas party in Heathrow, Florida last Saturday evening. With its fun, laughter, and thought provoking insights affecting our future, I see our friend Ed’s face staring back at me.  His youth and determined ambition reminds me of a younger Dan with the world his oyster and so many stories and accomplishments to look forward to. And it strikes me how refreshing and instinctual his questions were, especially after not seeing us for such a long while...

CLINT AND DAN, BOTH PROJECT
MANAGERS FOR KENNEDY CONSTRUCTION

“How many grandchildren do you have up in Michigan? How old are they now? As much as I will miss Dan, I know he is doing what he needs to do.” 

Dan may be close to being a ‘short-timer.' however, he knows that he is walking in the right direction, albeit a few years earlier than even he expected. Oh, how his eyes light-up when we mention their names! How both our hearts sing at the thought of being so close to the five little people who bring us such infinite amounts of Joy!

What a wild and wacky, chronically busy, and absolutely wonderful year 2018 promises to be!

Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes

All rights reserved