All but December of 2010

The year 2010 was definitely not a boring year. It began cold and on the 7th of January we got our first bad winter storm. On the 8th, I was home waiting for my new washer and dryer to be delivered. I went outside and stepped on a patch of snow that was hiding ice underneath. Next thing I knew I was on the ground with a horrible pain in my left ankle. I'd find out a few hours later it was broken. On the 21st I had surgery to put plates and screws in it.

My parents drove up from FL to help me out, arriving just before my surgery and staying for several weeks afterwards. I'm so glad they were able to do this. I felt very much alone until the walked into the house. But I had lots of other company as I recovered from the surgery and worked from home. See here three of my home supervisors.
In the spring, the termites came back. I'd paid a buttload of money the previous summer/fall for termite treatment after they chewed through some drywall in the bathroom. This new damage appeared in March. I was seeing swarms in the area at that time. The termites are gone now. I hope they stay gone. Which reminds me I need to call about renewing my termite bond....
In August, I turned the big 40. I had a great celebration at work thanks to my wonderful manager and co-workers. 40 pink flamingos greeted me the Friday before my birthday (I was on vacation the week of my birthday so the celebrating started early). My parents came back to celebrate. Sadly their visit was interrupted by the death of my great-Uncle Jim. He'd fought valiantly for years against the cancer that eventually claimed his life the day after my birthday. It's still hard to believe he's gone. It's been years since I've seen him and I'm sorry so much time passed without getting in touch again. While my parents went up to VA for Uncle Jim's funeral, I stayed home and began getting the house ready for the demolition of the old floors and the placement of new floors. This meant I had to move a lot of crap out in the garage. But it was worth the effort. The wood and tile floors turned out great and I had money left over from the refinance cash out that paid for the floors to also get new living room furniture. My first new furniture in more than 10 years. All the carpet and vinyl is gone!
In October I had a great weekend here with a visit from Donna and Sandra. We don't get enough time together and I'm so glad everyone was able to squeeze out a weekend. They decided Pete the Plecostamus didn't have enough room in the 20 gallon tank I had (I agree) and so between the three of us we got a whole new setup for a 40 gallon tank and stand. The stand required some assembly. Let's just say it took a few tries to get it assembled right and I had to be creative putting the doors on. I apparently don't interrupt directions well to others. And they'll never let me forget it :) After about 40 trips back and forth to the kitchen sink with water (we took turns), the tank sat for a few days and then Pete and friends moved into their new home. And they love it! So do I. You can see Pete in the small cave on the right. He share the 40 gallons with Kate the large gold fish, Nimsy a small red cap (white body) gold fish, 6 neon tetras, a beautiful blue Betta boy named Orion, and George the African clawed frog. I haven't really named the tetras because they all look alike. Other fish and a frog have shared the water, but went to the big fish pond in the sky.
In November I went on my long awaited Cruise on the Ruby Princess. Our intinerary started in Fort Lauderdale with a day at sea then a stop at Princess Cay, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk then another day at sea before docking back in Fort Lauderdale. We skipped Princess Cay due to rough seas thanks to the remains of Hurricane Tomas. Weather was iffy at times, but we still had fun. Here I am glad to be back on land after 2 days at sea standing on the rocks of St. Maarten with the Ruby Princess (right) and Carnival Dream in the background. I left several hundred dollars there in exchange for a pretty ruby & diamond ring. After last year's fiasco with the opal ring, I was really looking forward to shopping this time.I'm sure I've left things out over the year. I know I've left one thing out that's still in the works and will be revealed in January I hope. It's been a wild year. Lots of ups and some downs. I'm just happy to still be enjoying it as we countdown to Christmas (23 days now as it's just after midnight on Dec 2) and 2011. Time sure does fly!