December 01, 2010—
Today your Great-Grandma Beatrice ("Gaga," my Mom's Mom) would have been 107 years old. She was quite the artist! Happy Birthday GaGa! |
| |
|
|
November 30, 2010—
Ten years ago this morning I got up, got ready for work, and headed off to the Life Technologies “palace” just off of Shady Grove Road. As I recall, I had a series of new cloning vectors due for product release that day and I was busy running around from one office to another trying to get all of the final signatures. This started to be difficult as the morning progressed—as folks were getting laid off! Naturally—I was completely clueless that this was going on—perhaps I was bit too focused on the job at hand!
Anyway—I had no idea that this would be my last day after twenty-one plus years! Thursday, November 30, 2000 was thee day when the folks that purchased Life Technologies several months earlier laid off hundreds of us—just three and a half weeks before Christmas! Merry Christmas, indeed!
And so began a journey that would lead me to The CDM Group—where I learned about the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and how to build Web sites—and to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) where I got to try my hand at managing the development of an alternate smallpox vaccine. While I have missed my beloved Life Technologies and the very special folks that worked there, I must say that—overall I have come out on the plus side of things!
Perhaps it is the Universe displaying some of its ironic sense of humor (or not), but it just so happens that I came into this world 20,000 days ago today! How’s that for a weird numerical harmonic convergence! If you do the math, you can calculate when you will celebrate your 10,000th day of life!
Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and that you are getting geared up for the coming Holidays! Be good! |
| |
|
|
November 29, 2010—
Today is my 19,999th day of life. Remind me some day to tell you why I know this! Love ya! |
| |
|
|
November 25, 2010—
I'm thinking on you this Thanksgiving Day! Be grateful for all you have and all you are! Much love to you! |
| |
|
|
November 15, 2010—
Today your Great-Grandma Gail (my Dad's Mom) would have been 110 years old if she were still alive. She was a wonderful person! Happy Birthday Grandma Gail! |
| |
|
|
August 07, 2010—
Today is your Grandma Wilkie's seventy-ninth birthday! She is spending this week down at High Rock Lake, North Carolina at the home of a family friend—whose place is right on the water! I had a big bouquet of flowers waiting for her when she got there. The friends are taking her out for a big dinner this evening. Happy Birthday, Mom!
And I am always mindful that your Mom and I were married on this day—now twenty-eight years ago. I honor the event because without that day, you and your sister would not be on this Earth. I will always feel as though you are one of the greatest blessings in my life! Hope that you are having a great day! Love ya! |
| |
|
|
June 20, 2010—
It is difficult for me to believe that this will be my fifth Father's Day without my Dad. Because I cannot be with my Dad physically on this special day, I will share it with him in other ways. I will visit him at Arlington National Cemetery in the morning and then head over to Nationals Park to watch the Washington Nationals play the Chicago White Sox. Ironically, the last baseball my Dad and I watched together was between the White Sox and the California Angels! Oh, how appropriate!
Much love to you on this Father's Day! |
| |
April 27, 2010—
A quick note to say that I am going to pick up a brand new hammer dulcimer that I bought at the House of Musical Traditions in Takoma Park. If you ever get a chance to visit the store, do it! It's a really neat place! I am getting psyched!
|
| |
April 26, 2010—
Today is your 25th birthday! I hope that you have something special planned to mark the occasion! It is hard for me to believe that it has been 25 years since your Mom and I became parents—and 25 years since our parents became grandparents! My oh my—time certainly does fly by!
My mother was out helping your cousin, Samantha, buy her first car today. She reminded Samantha that her eldest cousin was having a very special birthday. Samantha and Melodi both send their best to you and your sister!
Have an awesome birthday! Savour the day! |
| |
February 28, 2010—
Today is your sister's birthday! I hope that you have something special planned for her today! |
| |
February 27, 2010—
Today is my birthday and like all previous birthdays for the last eighteen years, my thoughts are with you and your sister. If I could ask the GOOD LORD for any present, it would be to spend a little bit of time with the two of you. I would so very much like to have the opportunity to apologize to you for all my mistakes and to ask for your forgiveness. May you find it in your heart to one day reach out.
All of my love to you, dear daughter ... |
| |
February 14, 2010—
Hope you survived the blizzards! I have shoveled more snow than I care to think about! My driveway, my Mom's driveway, and my neighbor's double-wide driveway! My neighbors picked a great time to take an extended vacation! Oh, well—beats going to the gym! |
| |
January 12, 2010—
Your cousin Melodi turns twenty-three years old today! Melodi just returned from a trip to Texas (with her boyfriend, Trey) and watched the Navy Midshipment win their bowl game! She now has a brief break before starting her second semester at Towson University. She did very well in her first semester and is enjoying the psychology program there. Happy Birthday, Melodi! |
