2001 with the Suddaths

It's been quite a year, to say the least, hasn't it? This one actually disappeared even faster than the last one, and I didn't think that was possible! We have a lot to be thankful for - just the fact that we are alive and well means a lot now. We can only hope that this condition lasts for as long as possible; we know that freedom will prevail!! As for the Suddaths, we remain busier than we ever thought we would be in our retirement - may we stay healthy enough to enjoy a few more years, and God bless all of us.

January:

We return from Florida, where we spent Christmas with Bob's dad, and the rest of the family as well. Sandy & George were "bumped" from their flight home, and received enough travel vouchers to last the whole year, and then some! We are pretty excited that our "new room" is finished! We had our porch enclosed - it's now actually a part of the main house, since we had the windows & door removed - now it is our "sunroom" and we practically live out there - don't know how we did without it! I still manage to work a day here and there, when they call me. Keeps the "travel fund" flush, and gets me out of the house, too.

February:

My friend Maureen comes for the weekend, from New Mexico (she is needed in the Denver school, so it gives us a chance to play). We have a "girls weekend" so we kick poor Bob out of the house, down to Colorado Springs to stay with Ed while Donna, Mo and I have fun. Later in the month, Donna has her "first" retirement party in the Springs - Bob & I are of course invited - glad she's finally doing it, although I will really miss her! Mike turns 28! He is still working too hard at Albertson's, going to school full time, and skiing whenever he can.

March:

It's time for Donna's "real" retirement party! We have a house full of people from NM & Chicago who have come to attend the party - had a great time with old friends! Donna & Ed move into their motor home and give up their apartment - soon they will head for Canada, and Donna's family. Kama has begun a 12-18 month clerkship with the chief justice of Arapahoe county - working part time till she graduates. She is working too hard, too - what can you do? We don't see a lot of her - haven't for the last 3 years - too much studying! But soon that will be over.

April:

Bob & I head back to Florida - this time we are meeting the "MA gang" in Panama City Beach - on the way there, we stop in NM to visit other friends that did not make it to CO last month. Panama City Beach is great, both weatherwise and funwise. We have two 2-bedroom apartments right on the beach, so we can swim, play cards, and goof off to our heart's content. After a few days there, we head down to Kissimmee, where we have rented a 4-bedroom house for the 8 of us - has its own pool which comes in very handy, cause it turns out to be really hot while we are there! Our biggest decision is where to have dinner each nite! Sounds pretty lazy, huh? We visited Sea World, Epcot, and The Holyland Experience, which is brand new and quite interesting. Easter Sunday was our last day together, and also Bob's dad's 89th birthday, so all 8 of us took him out to dinner after church - he thought that was pretty neat. Then we all headed home - Bob & I made a 2-nite stop in Nashville, where we had never visited - even went to the "Grand Ole Opry" and visited the "Opryland Hotel" which is really something to see!

May:

Kama has made it through law school!!(I never had any doubts) Practically the entire family comes to Colorado for the great event: graduation! We had such a great time, and we are all so proud of her, we just can't stand it. Graduation Day is brutally hot, and the ceremony is outside, but we don't care - in the evening we have a party which includes her friends and ours - it was a pretty great day. While Sandy & George are here, the 4 of us take off for Utah, which is a trip we had planned ever since Bob & Sandy's mom saw Utah, and told George all about it. We visit Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Las Vegas, and the Hoover Dam. It was a really fun trip, we took lots of pictures, and we really enjoy ourselves.

June:

Our "Avalanche" wins the Stanley Cup - how about that, sports fans! We watch the final game at Rob's 30th birthday party (a friend of Kama's forever) Now if only our Broncos could do as well..... Late in the month, we fly to Detroit, where Donna & Ed meet us and take us over the border to Winsor, Canada where they have their motorhome near Donna's sister. We spend about 10 days relaxing, shopping, visiting, and playing Mexican Train (our favorite game of dominoes). The weather was great, we had a campfire most every nite, and their sofa bed was quite comfortable! Lots of good places to eat in Canada, too! One day we traveled back into Illinois and visited the world's largest Christmas store - cannot describe how huge it was - this was a fun day - I do so love to shop! Course we had to borrow an extra bag to get all our goodies home!

July:

Kind of a quiet month - we needed it! We become pretty faithful with our workouts at the club, we venture downtown one nite to the theatre to see "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" which was pretty good, and I worked some, too. Had time to work on some of my crafty projects - never have enough time for that!

August:

We have a big disappointment when the "MA Gang" had to cancel their Colorado plans after our friend Rick had a minor heart attack. No worries - new plans for next year are in the works now! This month the 4 of us (Mike & Kama) went on the absolutely best trip of our lives!! And that, as you know, is saying something! We spent 10 days white-water rafting in the Grand Canyon. I'd have to write a book to describe this wonderful experience - we floated down 187 miles of the Colorado river, sleeping under the stars at nite beside the river, hiking to beautiful places down side canyons, enjoying fresh-cooked fantastic meals, meeting a bunch of great people, and surviving through seemingly hundreds of rapids, some rated "10". We have a million pictures, and are still hoping for more from some of our trip-mates. No, we are not crazy - one of our companions was a 75-year old man, traveling with his 3 sons - see, anyone can do this! Kama chose wisely when she asked for this trip for her graduation gift - totally unbelievable!!

September:

Donna & Ed arrive in their motorhome - and stay for 5 weeks! We play nonstop Mexican Train, go shopping, cook, watch football, visit with friends, and otherwise enjoy life .......until September 11..... What is there to say that hasn't already been said? We can only pray that our "war on terrorism" is successful, for the alternative is unthinkable. I for one have faith that life will go on, maybe not the same as before, but in the long run, hopefully better. The one constant must be our freedom - too much blood has been shed for that to be lost. Well, Donna's son Rick and his wife Rita came to visit towards the end of the month, and I had a "girl's get-together" while everyone was still in town - too soon we all go our separate ways!

October:

Donna, Ed, Bob and I are off to Albuquerque for our annual visit to the balloon fiesta - this year there are over 750 balloons, and the weather cooperates beautifully! We spent about a week there this year, since we stayed with friends and were having a good time. Then Donna & Ed headed off to California while Bob & I headed home - to pack for Florida - we were home less than 24 hours! We flew to Orlando, where we met Sandy, who had also flown in - we then spent the next several days packing up their dad's apartment - he decided it would be better for him to be in MA near Sandy and her family. Bob & I then drove the truck full of furniture up to MA and the family all helped to get his new, smaller place all set up (Sandy has all the leftovers in her basement, much to George's chagrin). Pop seems to be settling in, though - likes the food, and being near family. Bob & I then flew home - quite a trip, especially with all the goings on at airports now. Kama forgave us for missing her birthday (31) and her swearing in (she is now an official attorney, and we have been encouraged to address her as "esquire")

November:

We attend a Neil Diamond concert - he always puts on a great show, and this was no exception. Our first excursion to our new "Pepsi Center" where concerts are held - quite a place! Then we head off to Sedona, AZ for our timeshare week (all planned before we knew about our FL/MA trip) - our condo was beautiful, the scenery was spectacular, and shopping was plentiful - what more could you ask for? Oh, and the weather was great - mostly 70's. We managed to track down our "cruising buddies" who live in Phoenix, and went to dinner with them. We took a drive to the Grand Canyon one day - was fun to see a different perspective than the one from our rafting trip - visited some Indian ruins - took many more pictures, as usual - would definitely recommend this trip. Then came home to celebrate Bob's birthday with the kids ( I managed to be sick for a week ) - and then Thanksgiving is here! Just a quiet day with the kids - and the turkey!

December:

planning to spend most of the month getting ready for Christmas, doing all the usual things - we have a few parties to attend - presents to wrap & ship - I may even work a little, who knows? Right after Christmas comes my birthday, and then Bob & I will head to California to spend New Year's with Donna & Ed - we even have tickets to a Barry Manilow concert in Hollywood, how about that?

Right now we are very thankful that we are able to do all these things - who knows what the future holds? In 2002 we have a cruise planned in February with George & Sandy - their first! In May we are hoping for a visit from the "MA Gang", postponed from August - Rick is doing great! In September we will travel back east for our niece Lara's wedding, and probably make some other stops to see family along the way. Mike is due to graduate in December. Other than that, we hope to see a lot of our friends & family next year - and we hope that everyone remains healthy and happy - we will keep you all in our prayers - we love you!!

Barb & Bob