2005 is coming to a close and we find ourselves asking – “Didn’t we just celebrate the new millennium?” We hope this letter finds you healthy, happy and working towards your life goals. I’ve learned (the hard way) to celebrate successes along the way, no matter how small they seem. Please visit our website at www.BarronsPlace.com throughout the year for updates on our successes, our family and our diversions. If you are reading this online you can select the links to view the details of our year.
I spent SIGNIFICANT time in southwest Georgia this year updating the planning and scheduling application @ P&G’s plant in Anita’s home town of Albany, GA. I was fortunate to be able to stay with Anita’s parents who live 20 minutes from the plant on the family farm. It made for a very comfortable experience – staying at “home”, interacting with family and helping out when time permitted. There’s no place like home but when you’ve got to be away it’s sure nice to stay with family, thanx Louise & Sam!
Anita was able to sell four homes the first four months of 2005. It seemed that everyone was ready to cash out at the same time. She was forced to trade her real estate activities for home improvement activities due to some MAJOR construction at the Barron residence. The planning for removing and replacing all the concrete in the front of the house turned into a significant time commitment. Once the concrete was done (and after the lawn was destroyed) we discovered (by accident) that the cold water pipe wasn’t deep enough. After relocating the water main we had some trees removed, 60 cubic yards of top soil spread and the lawn reseeded. The process took much longer than expected and Anita found herself removing leaves from the yard by hand (now that’s dedication) until the new grass germinated. Fortunately (for me), I was out of town for major pieces of the work. Anita did a wonderful job planning and executing the upgrades – they look GREAT! I’m a bit behind getting the photos on the web site, keep coming back to www.barronsplace.com for updates.
Many of you know I bought my way out of my (first) mid-life crisis at the age of 29 – a 1968 Chevy Camaro Convertible. The original carpet was in need of a major face lift – no problem, right? When removing the passenger seat I discovered SEVERE damage to the seat belt anchor (Anita will barely ride in it now with lap belts). My friend Rich repaired the floor pan while I had the seats reupholstered. I also replaced the convertible top wiring harness, the rear wiring harness and updated the console. You guessed it, my “simple” project turned into a major time consumer and cost lots of money. On a final note, I cut the carpet incorrectly when installing it and will have to replace it AGAIN!!
Dad and Nancy left Miami and returned to the California Desert in November. He lost his job (that would have killed him) in the spring and entered the hospital for a “minor” heart procedure. Many months, lots of money and a few procedures later he’s doing very well. His care came to a head in May and Nancy asked that I come down to give her a hand. I spent nights in the hospital with Dad working and listening. Every time he made a move or a noise I’d ask myself, “Was he supposed to do that?”. It was great to see both of them but the circumstances left MUCH to be desired. We’re planning a Barron reunion in August of 2006 to unite everyone on a much happier note – more to come!
Anita and I returned to Vegas in July to attend a real estate event. The big news was the exchange of our Fairfield deed in Pagosa for one in Vegas, in theory, giving us better trading power with RCI. Do you really think they would let us do that without upgrading – absolutely not! We now have enough points with Fairfield to schedule a getaway EVERY month, EVERY year! So, if you’re interested in joining us, please let us know where we can meet you – the lodging is on us!
We returned to Pagosa Springs the week after Thanksgiving for a week of rest and relaxation – the town is VACANT after the holiday! We slept, worked out, watched movies, soaked in the springs, painted river rocks to look like insects and took a snowmobiling trip across the Continental Divide in the San Juan National Forest. It was one of the BEST vacations we’ve had in a long time (and I wasn’t underwater).
We did not get a chance to see Kevin, Kendra or Mom this year (another reason for the 2006 Barron reunion). I tried hard earlier this year to get them to move to Cincinnati – unsuccessfully! Kevin spends a bunch of time on the road with TrafficLand (why does he care which airport he uses?). Kendra and Eric could sell their home inHerndon and buy 3 houses in Cincinnati. Mom was let go from her job and would love to spend time with her grandchildren but loves her life in Laguna Beach. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful (this year) but time has a way of changing perspectives.
Mia is nine years old (how time flies). She’s still home schooling with her Grandma Gayle and did extremely well on her aptitude testing. We continue to ski in the winter (lessons start next week) and frequent Kings Island (coasters in the spring and fall and the water park in the summer). She’s started horseback riding and piano lessons (and loves them both), she loves her trampoline, swimming and being a nine year old girl (dolls, clothes, music, etc.).
We wish you all a happy, peaceful and productive 2006. We hope to meet each of you in Cincinnati or at a vacation destination soon.
With Love,
& 