Carole

I'll start this blog with me. (Actually, I started it with Taylor, then realized it put the newest one first. What can I say - my first attempt at something like this.) I'm doing very well, enjoying life and surving the "empty nest" which as you'll see from this picture, isn't very empty. These are my helpers while I created this blog. Fletch is the beautiful yellow cat on the left, Goofy is on the computer (and the one who really likes to help the most - not!) and old (11 years) faithful Abby is on the floor. Abby was diagnosed with diabetes this year and now has caratacts so when we walk, I'm her seeing eye person. It's quite funny, actually! They are wonderful company, though and as you can see, are never very far from me.

At the bottom of this blog is a video of the Great Reno Balloon Race. Due to my involvement with the Balloon Race Scholarship Committee at the University, I've become the liaison to the balloon races from the university since the university is a trustee and needs a representative. This fall I was elected as Secretary of the Executive Board which means even more involvement, which I really enjoy. In fact, by being this involved, I've also gotten to know some local area balloon pilots and finally I'm able to crew for balloons other then during the Great Reno Balloon Race. Both last year and this year, our university pilot gave me a ride. This year I talked my niece, Erin, who teaches school at So. Lake Tahoe to come down and she got a ride too. See?

To all my Colorado friends - how about those Rockies!!! I was so thrilled. My friend Elaine and I try to drive to San Francisco at least once a summer to see a Rockies/Giants game and thanks to my niece, Kristin I will be decked out in appropriate Rockies World Series gear when I go this year. It was so much fun to watch "my team" be in the World Series this year and I know they'll be there again. Here's a picture from our seats in San Francisco during the Giants/Yankees game.

Work is going well. With Taylor on campus and being involved in school, we often run into each other and he's meeting lots of people that I know or have had in my classes. That's so fun and I'm so proud of him.

Outside of work I keep busy going to Jazzercise, book club, and university sport events such as football, men's and women's basketball and baseball. I've gotten involved in politics this year, doing some training for the Democratic Party as Nevada prepares for its first ever caucus. The training I do is to facilitate mock caucuses to teach people here what will happen on January 19th when we have our caucus. It's been fun and I've even gotten to see some of the candidates since they come here frequently. Enough of politics!

I haven't done too much traveling due to the difficulty of leaving Abby these days. I did drive to Boise, ID last New Year's Eve to see our football team play against Maimi at the Bowl Game at Boise State with three friends. It was mighty cold there! Saw the Giants twice in San Francisco; once against the Rockies and then again when they played the Yankees.

I'm always open to visitors if you're in the area. My high school best friend from NH, Penny and her sister Midge, came for 10 days and we had a great time. Mom should be out in May and then we'll be driving to Monterey Bay to attend my nephew Matt's wedding. Otherwise, I'll be sticking close to home.