Life in the Fast Lane

I know it’s cliché but I am amazed just how fast time has moved forward. 2018 came and went before I could blink. In the last year we have lived so much–done so much, seen so much, experienced so very much. Considering I turned 50 this year I want to live it all I can!

Carolyn graduated high school & moved to Lawrence in the fall. Rock Chalk♥️💙
Nicole graduated middle school…and had her confirmation into the Catholic faith ⛪
We opened a restaurant! A quaint little Italian place in Bonner springs.
We hosted 3 Barn parties last year! 1)Tom’s dads 80th birthday party in May, 2)the harvest barn party (a church donation we’ve been doing annually), 3)our Halloween Spooktacular. That was quite an undertaking but was a highlight of the year!
Saw a few very fun shows at Kauffman center including Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban and Back to the Future.
Saw so many fun concerts and shows, including Fleetwood Mac, Hall & Oates, Bob Segar. Awesome 🎶. Then Cirque du soleil CRYSTAL. ✨ magical ✨
I turned 50!
We had our 22nd wedding anniversary
We traveled ✈️🚞🚙⛵️ a lot.

In February Tom and I spent a few days in NOLA with friends. 🎭

In March I drove 5 18-year old girls through Nashville to Destin for a fun-filled spring break….then raced home to get in a car with Nat and her teammate and drive to Indy for the Nike MEQ Volleyball tourney. I put in over 3,000 miles on the road that week, with two-thirds of that behind the wheel. It felt good to be home after all that.

For the summer we spent most weekends at what turns out to be our last summer at the lake house. Fun family time for sure 👩‍👧‍👦👨‍👧‍👧.

Then we rolled up our sleeves and worked all fall to get Billa’s off the ground. What an undertaking it is getting a restaurant business going.

Until-November. That’s when we spent a week sailing around St. Maarten, St. Barth and Anguilla 🇦🇮. Plus a few little mostly uninhabited islands near there. We chartered a 7-day cruise with Tradewinds on a 52′ catamaran named Philia.

A couple weeks later we attended a business function in Tampa, Florida before relaxing in Clearwater beach for the rest of the weekend.

Then to end the year on a high we met the rest of the family in Wichita for a little “family retreat” thanksgiving weekend. We always love those.

I can’t complain about our year, but I’m ready to catch my breath.

Hello 2019

The highlight of 2018: Here are a few of my favorite Caribbean pics…a little bit of peacefulness.

The sunsets were fantastic.

We sailed through a storm on our first afternoon at sea. That was an experience we won’t soon forget. I swear some of the waves were 10′ around us. Not sure how they didn’t crash over the rails!

I love the culture of the islands. The people are so friendly and welcoming…they go out of their way in kindness.

The islands are still showing signs of Irma. Luckily, you can tell they will not let that fact deter their welcoming spirit! Go if you can. Visit. Spend time. Take in the culture. You won’t be sorry.

There is so much rebuilding to do.

St Maarten was very impressive. With all the hurricane aftermath, it is alive! It is colorful! It will take your breath away.

The airport runway into St Barth…it looks just a little small for me. The nice thing is you can come in by ferry too.

Beautiful islands dot the sea around St. Maarten. There are some that are mostly uninhabited, only hermit crabs claim residence…allowing visitors like us to come to swim, hike, climb, or just laze about for an afternoon.