Airline Travel – some people love it, and some can’t stand it. Me? I’m mostly closer to the love it side, especially when everything goes perfectly. I recently flew from Santa Fe through Denver to Oklahoma City. Both flights were on time, and I even arrived 15 minutes early in OK City, as flight attendants love to say, even though no one that actually lives there calls it that. Both flights were uneventful, including the people I sat by who didn’t engage in any conversation. I was preparing to facilitate two board retreats and I welcomed the opportunity and silence so I could finalize my presentations.

Sunday morning, it was time to head back to the Oklahoma City airport for my return flights through Denver. I made it through the enhanced TSA pre-check area at Will Rogers and even had time for coffee before boarding. And then it happened. A mechanical issue with the plane. The captain was going to delay our departure until the team had a chance to check some things. As they say, better safe than sorry. And the airline brought out a cart of snacks for passengers to enjoy while waiting. Healthy Cheetos???? I said no thank you.

I got in a few steps and then was standing near the gate when a younger woman, dressed professionally and with impeccable taste, asked me if I knew what was happening with the plane. Obviously, I look like I always know what’s going on. (haha) As we were chatting, we learned a bit about each other. She was flying to California for a job interview. I was flying home after doing some consulting work in the metro area. She told me she and her partner are visiting Santa Fe for the first time in a month. I then had to share some favorites and she started taking notes on her phone. We immediately bonded. Turns out her name was Deanna and she lived in Italy for two years. We gushed about our favorite travels. She gave me some tips on visiting Spain, which Tim and I hope to do in 2024. I only wished we could have sat together on the flight. (United, not Southwest.) After over an hour delay, it was time to board, and we said our goodbyes and how lovely it was to meet each other.

For my flight to Denver, my seat, changed by the airline, was the very back row of the plane. A woman about 10 to 15 years older than me was my seat mate. We were both becoming stressed about not making our connecting flights. She was heading to Great Falls, Montana then driving to her home in Helena. There was also condensation and it started pouring water on me from the space above my seat. She helped me with napkins and getting dried off.

She is an artist and started showing me photos on her phone of the paintings she had done. Incredible! She had just been in London and Amsterdam with her niece and was anxious to get home and “start life again.” Her husband passed away from Covid two years ago. Her husband of over 50 years. Her husband who had a kidney transplant ten years before his death because of Polycystic Kidney Disease. We found so many things we had in common and talked throughout the entire flight. We both missed our connections and had to book other flights. Her name was also Deanna.

Now I’m sitting in the Denver airport for four hours before my flight. I just enjoyed a single dip of coffee chip ice cream that cost $6.79. Don’t quarts cost less than that at the grocery store? Quite the splurge and a nice way to celebrate the two new friends named Deanna that God placed in my path today. It was a reminder that we are called to live in community and if we just take the time to get to know others, our world, and airline travel, can be a lot better. So here’s to the friendly skies!

Moving to a new place provides so many opportunities to enjoy discoveries. Among them includes discovering things about myself. I’ve rediscovered the joy of reading for fun. I’ve had great recommendations from a FaceBook group, my brother Dennis and my retired librarian friend Deanna. It’s great to share excitement and reflection about books we’ve read together. It might surprise you to learn I’ve never been in a book club. It seems whenever I was invited to join one, timing with being a full-time working mom just didn’t work. So it took me roughly three seconds to say yes when my neighbor and new friend, Nancy, invited me to be a guest at her book club in our neighborhood. I didn’t have time to read the book selected for the April meeting but attended anyway to get a feel for the group.

I’ve talked to enough friends who are in book clubs to learn each has different rules, expectations and ways they organize. Some sound a lot more like a wine club or hen party than an intellectual exchange. No judgement because I enjoy and appreciate lots of different types of organized social interactions. Here’s how My First Book Club works. We meet monthly on the second Tuesday in the afternoon for a couple of hours. We rotate to different homes and the hostess selects the book for us to read. For May, our hostess Vivian (my youngest granddaughter’s name too) chose the book Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have read this book if it weren’t for the book club. I am so glad I did though. There were many deep and thought provoking message, I learned a lot and truly enjoyed this virtual trip to the outback of Australia.

This new experience is definitely rewarding and I learned last week it’s more about the relationships I’m making than about the books. There are 12 of us in the group. I am the youngest, probably by 10 years, or maybe more. There are two salty and sage women who are in their 80s. Members have moved to Santa Fe from all across the country including California and New York. There’s a college professor in the group who is still teaching at the nearby community college and the others are all retired. One is an incredible artist who does basket weaving. One used to own a balloongram/belly dancing business here in Santa Fe. I loved hearing the story about the delivery of the bellygram to Lou Diamond Phillips for his birthday 20+ years ago. There are moms, grandmas, great grandmas, aunts and dog moms. Two are cousins. All have been friends for years and are becoming my new friends.

(These bracelets were gifts from friends while I was going through breast cancer treatment. Wearing them reminds me of the value of both new and old friendships.)

One of the challenges I’ve faced and continue to grapple with in my new home is if I’m doing enough to help others. Community involvement defined me when I lived in Norman. I’ve been struggling with what that could look like here until it came to me during the May meeting. Marcia is the oldest member and during the discussion of one of the main themes in the book, she shared how she is worried she will die alone when her time comes. Like a lot of older people, she experiences loneliness. God revealed to me in that moment how I can make a difference in my own neighborhood by setting up regular coffee and lunch dates with her. Marcia is wise and I know I can learn a great deal from her too about life. We can both thrive in this discovery of a new friendship. My grandson, Arthur, and her great grandson, Luke, are the same age and we’ve already shared photos of them and laughed about how they look like twins.

Unexpected gifts can come to those who are open, not closed. And as my dear friend, Ted Lasso, once said, “be curious, not judgmental.” My new life in Santa Fe has made me more grateful. The beauty of this world was created for our enjoyment. What are you waiting for?

(On Mother’s Day, God gave me the gift of the most perfect rainbow!)

I have had my original-equipment, native kidneys removed. So now I have only one, the kidney donated by my friend Dana Anderson in 2019. 

Diana and I are staying during my initial recovery at the home of friends in OKC near the hospital; they’re away this month helping to welcome their newest grandchild. 

Surgery was quite invasive and I was in the hospital 4 days and 4 nights. Recovery got off to a rough start with uncontrolled pain for some 12 hours. But my Transplant Team at Integris Medical Center in OKC rallied to my aid, and now I’m sitting in the living room of some incredibly generous people and watching college basketball on TV. 

I couldn’t be more grateful, and I’ve been assured by my medical team that within three weeks, I’ll be glad I did this. For now, I’ll be seeking to strike the delicate balance between rest and activity. 

We’ll be in OKC and Norman for a couple more weeks before I get my 37 incision staples removed. Then, my driver, nurse and basketball-watching buddy, Diana, will take me home to Old Santa Fe.

Being able to spend this time in private, in the homes of loving friends, is truly a blessing. Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you. It’s true!

Hereditary Polycystic Kidney Disease runs strong in my family; my brother and his daughter have been through this before me. The cysts never stop forming, and the kidneys never stop growing, even after they’ve stopped working. Eventually the abdominal crowding can become the problem, and in my case those football-sized kidneys had to come out. 

We’ve been asked why they weren’t removed at the time of transplant. Now I really know: Having recovered 3 years ago from the transplant and now doing this, It’s quite difficult to imagine attempting both at the same time.

Meanwhile, my (Dana’s) kidney continues to extend my life, day by day. She is doing fine on only one kidney, and so am I. We’ll see Dana and Chuck sometime during this trip to Oklahoma, like we always do. 

My family — Diana, Tyler and Elyse, Sarah and Nathan, and grandchildren Mary Emma, Vivian and Arthur — bring me indescribable joy, on a scale that no one, myself in particular, could possibly deserve. My cup runneth over.

Everyone is in a position to help this happen for someone else. Just make sure that little heart is lit up on your driver’s license. There’s no telling how many people will be glad you did. Declare that you’ll become an organ donor. Donate Life!

In all things, it helps me to remember the message of the prophet Isaiah, coming from above:

Fear Not, for I am With You.

Amen!

His song Amarillo by Morning has always been a favorite. In my own head, I believe I can sing it almost as well as he does. After all, I do know the lyrics and am particularly fond of that one line “broke my leg in Santa Fe.” Almost none of the other lines pertain to me or my life but this one took on new meaning for me on this date exactly ten years ago. I did indeed break my leg in Santa Fe at SkiSantaFe. 

Two rides I’ll never forget – being taken down the ski run on a stretcher and riding down the mountain road in the ambulance. It has been said life is about enjoying the journey and not just the destination. Some journeys are rough though and the pain of a broken tibia plateau was a 10+ at times. When God wants my attention, it obviously takes grand gestures. 

For the first time, I had to be totally dependent on others. That wasn’t easy for me but I learned how important it is to let people help you. I like to be in control. Nothing humbles you more and reminds you you’re not in control then being helpless. And just when I thought I could manage, I was overdoing it (shocker) and fell backwards out of a chair. I had to call a friend to rescue me because I really had fallen and couldn’t get up! 

Back to the journey, ten years later and I’m continuing to use the lessons learned on that mountain and throughout the six weeks of recovery.

Don’t Look Back

I learned to ski when I was 12. Tim learned to ski on our honeymoon when he was 23. On this ski trip he was skiing faster than me and often waiting for me at the bottom of runs. I couldn’t believe he was beating me and I decided I had to keep up with him, no, I had to beat him. I finally was ahead of him and made the mistake of looking back over my shoulder to see how far ahead of him I was. To this day, I still don’t know exactly what happened to put me at the base of that tree but there I laid, helpless and unable to stand. How often do we waste time and energy looking back instead of living in the moment? 

Don’t Turn Down Help

We couldn’t manage by ourselves. Thankfully we didn’t have to. Incredible support during two surgeries and nine hospitalization days in Norman. Friends driving me to physical therapy. Visits while I was at home, stuck on the couch, needing social contact. We were meant to live in community because we want to help others and we need to let them help us. My youngest granddaughter was ready to get out of the bath this morning and said “Help Me.”

Don’t Quit

When I was talking to my son from the emergency room, he said “mom, don’t be one of those people who says they’ll never ski again.” One year later, on March 2, 2014, I skied that same run and have continued to enjoy the sport I so love. It would have been easy to hang it up but I was determined not to quit. I was scared, nervous and teary. I did it though. Sometimes you just have to dig deep and lead with courage. 

It’s hard to believe ten years have passed. What isn’t hard to believe is how that accident changed me. It taught me to live in the moment instead of the past, that relationships keep us connected and to never stop doing what you love. 

By the way, we did make it to Amarillo by morning because my husband drove through the inky black of night. I rode in the backseat in an air cast and arrived in Norman later that morning and was taken to surgery in the afternoon. My surgeon’s name was Moses and when he asked if he could pray before surgery, I knew everything would be okay.

What To Expect When You’re Expecting was the go-to book for parents in the 80s and 90s. It was useful in preparing me for the physical changes my body would experience during my two pregnancies. I dog-eared pages and highlighted key sections. It was my favorite resource. Fast forward to 2018 when my son and daughter-in-law had our first grandchild. No book prepares you for what it’s like to become a grandparent. Sure, there are online sites as well as coffee mugs, t-shirts and bumper stickers touting it but until you experience it yourself, it’s almost impossible to describe. Tears flowed when I saw my son hold his daughter for the first time and say, “hello sweetheart.” And just a few days ago, our daughter gave birth to our grandson, and we were able to greet him in the delivery room.

As I was anticipating Arthur’s arrival, I spent time praying for patience and listening. What I heard wasn’t exactly what I expected. My mind kept going back to memories and stories of my own grandparents. This was when I had one of my AHA moments. Perhaps the reason I love being a grandmother so much to my three little ones is because my Grandma Cheney passed away when I was only six months old. I was born in October of 1961, and she suffered a heart attack and died in April of 1962 at the age of 68. 

Growing up I never really gave it much thought and didn’t realize how much I had missed. That is until I attended a women’s retreat at my church in 2001. The speaker asked us to share in our small groups about our relationship with our grandmothers. As I listened to the stories, I began crying. No, more like sobbing. After that experience, I called my mom and asked her to write a letter to me describing my grandma. I still have that six-page letter written in my mom’s cursive handwriting and consider it one of my most precious belongings. She told me she was surprised but happy that I wanted to know more about the kind of person Carrie Belle Bushman Cheney was. 

Here are some of the things my mom included in the letter:

“You know God makes some very special people in this world and your grandmother Carrie was one of them. She was special to everyone who knew her and loved her.”

“She was a very frugal person, never wanting things for herself and doing without a lot. Her family, husband and children came first. She loved God and read her Bible nearly every day. She had a clean mind and never said a cuss word in her life. Oh, Sugar was what she would say when she was upset.”

“Grandma Carrie was a very humble person. Always conscious of and wanting to help people with disabilities or in need. She was always giving a lot when she didn’t have much and needed it herself.”

Unlike her, I do cuss but maybe I’ll adopt “Oh, Sugar” as my new phrase instead. Perhaps her desire to help people is the seed that was planted in me all those years ago that led to my work in the nonprofit sector. It makes me so emotional all these years later to think of her. And more than ever now that I’m a grandmother. I was fortunate enough to know my Grandpa Cheney for a few years before he passed away in 1968, when I was just six years old. I do have wonderful memories of him playing the harmonica while he held me on his feet so we could dance together. He also used to give me sips of beer just to get a rise out of my mom. His home in Braman, Oklahoma was such a happy place. Christmas each year included his grandkids sitting around in a circle as he handed out those red mesh stockings filled with candy, nuts, fruit and money. His love is still with me all these years later. I like to think I got my sense of humor from him along with my competitive spirit and sassy attitude. 

I could write a book about what to expect when you become a grandparent but it’s different for each person. And I’ve learned no matter how you become a grandparent, whether it’s familial or because you choose to take on that role for a child, it’s simple. The book just needs one word – LOVE. Oh, and like the Grinch, be prepared because your heart will grow many times bigger.

What to do with boxes of old photos and stacks of photo albums? They’re stored in the garage and in an old travel trunk. I decided I should scan the best of the best so I would at least have digital images. This task has been on my to-do list since our move and I knew it would take days and days of sorting, scanning and editing. I finally finished it this week! 

I came across photos I had forgotten about and many I didn’t realize I even had. But what I was most surprised by and didn’t expect, were the emotions I experienced from recalling all the memories. I admit I’m extremely emotional right now and a bit on edge as I await the arrival of our first grandson. I thought the distraction of this project would help. It might have done the opposite. Seeing pictures of my grandparents, parents and in-laws with their grandchildren, made me even more impatient. 

There’s nothing quite like holding a printed photo in your hands and remembering the story behind it. I think the cameras on our phones are great but I know I’ve missed being able to touch the photos and fear we’re losing something quite special from our past. For now, I’ll keep the boxes of photos and the albums and also cherish the digital archives. I invite you to travel down a tiny portion of my memory lane with a few of my favorite photos.

My grandpa Cheney passed away in 1968, when I was just six years old. My earliest memories are of him playing his harmonica and sneaking me a sip of his homemade beer. He had 21 grandchildren, and I was his youngest. I don’t remember a lot about him, but I know we adored each other for our short time together. 

One of the greatest gifts I got from my dad was his love of the outdoors. My dad worked to live, and his favorite leisure activity was fishing. Just about every summer we would make the drive to Colorado to my Aunt Rowena and Uncle Howard’s cabin north of Ward. This Polaroid photo was taken in 1977 after we had both caught our limit of trout. Nothings tastes quite as good as a freshly caught trout, fried in a cast iron skillet outside on a Coleman camping stove and served with love by my mom. 

Oklahoma can get some major winter snowstorms. This photo was taken of my niece, Jessa, and daughter, Sarah, one Christmas when the snowfall at our family farm was absolutely gorgeous and a huge snowball war ensued. Our family still owns a portion of land my Busch great-grandparents claimed in the Oklahoma Land Run.

My Party Pics from college brought back so many memories of what were the most carefree and fun times. Although I’ve stayed in touch with many of my sorority sisters, I had lost touch with a couple of my favorites. This photo with Tara Elam sent me on a quest to find her. And I did. We’ve now traded messages and caught up on each other’s lives. She has lived ion England since graduating from OU and worked in education during her career supporting high school students with anything from dyslexia to autism. I always knew she had a heart of gold, or should I say silver and bordeaux?

Three generations of Hartleys captured with a Polaroid camera in 1989, when Tyler was born. And now we excitedly wait for another generation of a Hartley/Pigott son to arrive.

Perhaps this photo best represents why Santa Fe has always captured my heart. My kids hiking where they both learned to ski at Ski Santa Fe. It was a favorite vacation destination of our family and now we get to live here. Every time I hike or ski right where this photo was taken, I remember just how special times were with our younger kids and how many more memories we are creating now with our grown children and their families.

I invite you to take your own stroll down memory lane. I think you’ll be surprised what you find and how many emotions you will discover.

With every new year comes resolutions. Not me! Not this year! And I didn’t eat any black-eyed peas either. I decided it’s time for a different approach. In years past I’ve had themes but I’m going with the KISS method for 2023 – keep it simple sweetie and selecting one word to focus on.

As someone who is quite skilled at talking, it’s time to lock my jaws and use my ears, brain and heart more. Our new home is in a quiet neighborhood giving me unlimited opportunities each day to be still and listen. I’ve changed my morning routine to include devotionals, reading the Bible and praying, really praying. And all of this happens before I “Wordle.”  

Want to know what I’ve heard as January comes to a close? 

Relationships matter more than anything else. This may sound simple, and it can be. But it can also be one of the most difficult parts of our lives to navigate. It takes a high level of self-awareness including understanding our own strengths and weaknesses so we can relate better to friends and family. 

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in relationships. Shocker – I’ve said things I’ve later regretted. I haven’t reached out when I should have. I’ve let my feelings get hurt. I’ve unintentionally hurt others. So, as I’ve been listening more, reading more and being still, I know I need to and can make necessary changes to build, strengthen and restore meaningful connection with people who are important to me. 

During the last five months, I have truly been blessed by so many who have given me their support and prayers. In many ways, I believe my cancer has been a gift. It has also given me the gift of clarity about just how powerful friendship can be. I’ve learned distance doesn’t matter. Mutual trust, emotional connection and deep bonds can overcome just about anything. 

As I’ve been open about my cancer journey and sharing my story on social media, I’ve enjoyed reading comments and reflecting on how I first met someone – my hometown of Cushing; Alpha Phi Sorority; the University of Oklahoma as a student and employee; Norman, my home during college and for the last 34 years before moving to Santa Fe; First Presbyterian Church; my Sheros group; co-workers and other professional/personal friends; students; lots of cousins from my Cheney and Busch families; many others who have come into my life during different phases or seasons. 

This time of listening has made me realize we choose our friends based on how they make us feel, if we can trust each other and if we go out of our way to support each other. I’ve had beloved friends do these things for me and now it’s my turn to make certain I’m that kind of friend to others.

I am far from perfect. I’m thankful I have friends who know this and still walk beside me. I choose friends who look past my mistakes and find a way to forgive me instead of passing judgement. They understand when I need space. And even if we go long periods of time without being in contact or seeing each other, we pick up right where we left off. I hope we all understand how truly valuable meaningful friendships are and that they are worth striving to protect, no matter the cost. 

Changing our address from Norman, Oklahoma to Santa Fe, New Mexico was a choice we made for several reasons – weather, outdoor activities, culture, food, mountains, more food. I knew I would have to be intentional about my relationships and not let the distance negatively affect them. This change also gave me the opportunity to make new friends. It’s more challenging when you’re 61 than when you’re in elementary school. But God again has blessed me with new friends, some are neighbors, some I’ve met through small group activities, and some are what I call God winks. People placed in my path at the right time for the right reason. 

Cancer was a gift. (Past tense – yay!!!!)  Relationships are gifts. Every day is a gift and if I had made a resolution for the new year, it would be what one of my favorite writers said so perfectly.

I’ve always been a risk taker. It could have something to do with having three older brothers. Or it could just be the spirt of adventure I’ve had since I was a toddler. My mom would tell stories about me climbing to the top of cabinets in our kitchen with no fear and that one time when I was run over by a riding lawn mower. Thankfully the blade wasn’t engaged. Wherever it came from, I’m thankful to have the desire to discover planted deep inside me. It came in handy during my radiation treatment. 

With 19 treatments scheduled between December 19 and January 16, I decided each one would be rewarded with a new discovery in the City Different where we now live. I started my list and it quickly ballooned to over 50 restaurants, shops, galleries, hiking trails, neighborhoods and experiences.

It’s easy to settle into our usual routines like ordering the same item at our favorite restaurant. We can find just about anything we need, or want, on Amazon. (Shop Local!) During the pandemic, we got used to staying at home and our best friend became Netflix. I decided this is not how I want to live, and this was the best time to make the changes.

I won’t bore you with my lengthy list, but I will share some of my favorite highlights. 

Since our Christmas plans were changed, we embraced it. We went to afternoon mass on Christmas Eve at St. Francis Basilica with the most incredible children’s choir. Then we joined thousands on the stroll along Canyon Road for the Farolito Walk. On Christmas Day, our immediate family had a FaceTime celebration and then we shared a meal with seven of our neighbors. It was a different and yet truly magical experience.

One of the best things about living in Santa Fe is that it is a vacation destination. The week between Christmas and New Year brought some dear friends here and we combined time with them and trying out restaurants on my list. Horno and Luminaria were both great choices and we look forward to return visits. We love visitors and spending time with friends here. Make sure you hit us up if you’re in the area. 

NOTE: In case you don’t know it, Santa Fe has over 350 non-chain restaurants. And to make it even worse, I’m part of a Facebook group called Santa Fe Foodies, where they post photos of food, share tips on great restaurants and dishes, and are determined to make my jeans fit tighter, and tighter, and tighter.

Our home is in a planned community with miles of walking and biking trails, and views of four mountain ranges. Almost daily we head out for walks right out our front door. But the discovery theme pushed me to find some new places including the Galisteo Basin Preserve. It’s located south of Santa Fe just across the highway from Lamy, home of our Amtrak station. Wow!!! What a great place to hike with incredible views and moderate terrain. We hiked for two hours and covered four miles. We are already talking about going back and discovering more of the trails.

My final highlight to share might sound silly but we had a blast. Whole Foods here has a bar, the Pinon Bar, where they have a great selection of 24 beers on tap and 20+ wines. Here’s the real reason to go there – on Friday afternoons they have fresh East Coast oysters shucked and served right to you. And you can also go pick up any groceries you need, and they’ll just add them to your tab. It’s truly a locals place. While we were there, we ran into our favorite golf pro who we took lessons from last May. We loved spending time in community with her and celebrating life.  

I made a total of 24 discoveries with the best adventure partner, my hubby. We’ve added more places to our list, which is now over 30, and we keep getting more tips. Obviously, I had some unusual motivation to embark on these adventures. My goal is to continue moving out of my comfort zone, leaving my couch and fully embracing the joy of discovering new stuff. Join me and share what you’ve discovered.

It is widely agreed that the Covid-19 pandemic impaired our ability to track the passage of time. Well, here’s proof: I haven’t posted to this blog since, um, ’19, after Tim’s kidney transplant. Lots of life has been lived since then, so it’s time to bring you up to date with a few highlights.

Tim continues to rock right along with his new kidney. And our friend Dana, the living donor, is doing great too.

Covid happened, and is still happening. We both made it until mid-2022 before testing positive. We’ve had our vaccines and multiple boosters so our symptoms were mild and recovery swift. We continue to be cautious and wear masks in situations that look and feel risky.

We both had major career changes in 2021. After almost ten years with Devon Energy, Tim said goodbye in July of 2021 and hasn’t looked back. His transition from working full-time for 38 years was smooth. He is enjoying reading for pleasure and has started writing some stories for his grandkids. I said goodbye to the classroom I loved for 9 1/2 years at OU and scaled way back on consulting. I’m still doing what I call “light” consulting with a few clients/missions that bring me joy and keep me sharp.

As we were anticipating these career changes in 2021, we sold our home and sold or donated about 80% of all our stuff. We walked through every room and did our best Marie Kondo. We found that the majority of things didn’t bring us joy, so onto new adventures. We went from two cars to one mid-size SUV, rented the smallest storage unit for the things we wanted to keep, and started on a journey to find our next home, wherever the wind took us. I like themes and titles so we decided to call this next phase in our lives “The Aspen Project,” knowing we would likely end up living in the U.S. Mountain West, where aspen trees grow.

After a few days of celebrating and saying “so long for now,” we made our way to Santa Fe. We’ve spent countless long weekends and vacations here through the years and thought this would be the perfect first stop for two weeks. Then we would spend time in the areas of Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Breckenridge to see if anything stuck. You’ve probably heard that saying abou making plans so God can show you who is really in charge.

On our second morning here, our son called to share the news that our granddaughter, 2 1/2 years old at the time, had been diagnosed with kidney cancer and they were leaving for St. Jude in Memphis. With Covid, we couldn’t be with them as Mary Emma had surgery so we finished our time in Santa Fe and then headed to Missouri to meet them when they arrived back home.

UPDATE: Mary Emma is doing great. She turned four on October 13 and is making a return visit to St. Jude next week for a check-up. Also, Mary Emma has a sister! Vivian Grace Hartley was born during the time warp, December 2020. She is 2! What a blessing those precious girls are to our family!

Time-traveling back to 2021, we came to the decision that Santa Fe is where we wanted to be. Our Realtor ramped up our search, and it took us to an area we didn’t even know existed. On our first visit to the Rancho Viejo neighborhood at the southern edge of Santa Fe, we fell in love with the stunning vistas of four mountain ranges, miles of paved trails for walking and biking, and low-maintenance properties that make it easy to “lock and leave” as we travel. It’s all in the classic adobe Pueblo style, yet also in a planned neighborhood that isn’t typical of what we call “Scruffy Old Santa Fe.” We downsized in square footage but totally upsized in lifestyle.

We closed on our new home, a townhouse, on October 5, 2021, and then pulled up with a moving truck the night of October 14. It took a while to truly get settled and make it feel like home. We had two of our bathrooms remodeled in early 2022 along with some kitchen upgrades. We continue to tweak things but now can say it is our home. We’ve had lots of friends and family visit and look forward to hosting more.

2022 was definitely a year of travel, especially for Covid-delayed weddings. We happily celebrated five couples from Houston to Olympia, WA to Tulsa to Charlottesville, VA. Bonus: A destination wedding came here to Old Santa Fe!

We bought new skis, boots and season passes, and picked our spots to enjoy the best sun-and-snow days with the smallest mid-week crowds at Ski Santa Fe. We had ski trips to Utah and Colorado, too. Life is good!

As we begin 2023, our biggest news is that our daughter is expecting. Our grandson should make his arrival in early February and we are all excited.

That pretty much catches you up on all the exciting things to date. Our plan is to start posting on a regular basis and invite friends and family to follow our adventures.