• 12 – days that Sherman accompanied Denise for her three industry conferences. We decided that these trips to Long Beach, Phoenix, Atlanta would be a good warm-up to eventual retirement travel. We learned that Phoenix in August cheaper for a reason (scorching temperatures), and in Atlanta we can add new bucket list items like Presidential Libraries; there's a Passport for these just like for National Park. When asked at the conferences if Sherman is a peer of Denise's colleagues, we learned a new phrase for his role as guest: "arm candy."
• 11th day of June, when we welcomed a cat to our home after 10 pet-less months. Poké Cat is a lynx point Siamese (1.5 years) who was abandoned in Chico, California and delivered by a close friend who moved cross-country from there to Iowa. The grandsons love him and proclaim “Poké Cat is the best cat” and loudly restate that even when we remind them that they have two cats of their own at home.
• 10 – years in a decade - as in Denise completing her second decade of owning/running a business focused on organization/productivity for the student, home or small business AND helping folks as they enter their senior/retirement years AND guiding individuals/families with logistics after the death of a loved one. Much more than just a job or career, her business is a calling, and she finds much satisfaction in helping all her clients.
• 9 – September is Sherman’s birth month, and he officially announced retirement from corporate life. Eventually there will be more travel; for now, there is better sleep, more exercise (including the new hobby of pickleball), more time with the grandchildren, flexibility to visit extended family, and finding new ways to give to the community.
• 8 – Average number of miles from our daughter's homes, and we're grateful to be so close. We're confident that we would be in touch even if the geographical distance were greater. To be able to pop by and help with the grandkids or bring soup if someone's under the weather – that's quite special, and something we didn't grow up with.
• 7 – The number of Denise’s Scout camping trips this year. Much like running her business, her dedication and commitment to Scouting is a calling and she is grateful to give to the community in this way.
• 6 – total number of conferences for Sherman, with the other three being church related. Corporate retirement enables him to attend more of these and be more mindful of them. One of these is for Crossings, where Sherman continues to serve as Executive Director and finds joy in that ministry and having weekly structure.
• 5 – number of soap dispensers Sherman installed at church (because refills are no longer manufactured for the previous model of dispensers). Another benefit of corporate retirement is more time for volunteering and learning new skills that can be leveraged at home, like drilling through tile/brick/concrete.
• 4, 3, 2, 1 – For four months, the 3- and 2-year-old grandsons, Graham and Sully, asked us, “Are you coming to our Halloween Party?” because it’s such a big event. As that party ended, Amy mentioned that with trick-or-treating out of the way, it was time to start getting ready for Christmas. Graham, eyes like the proverbial saucers exclaimed, “Christmas is coming again?!?” Yes, indeed it is. Christmas is coming again as we await the birth of The One…
Sherman/Denise, Amy/Drew/Graham/Sully, Cass/Evan, Poké Cat
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