January

I was headed to OBX, Daniel was there for his NPS volunteer job which gave him, and soon the both of us, housing until March.  We made the decision to start traveling together, we were not sure where we would be travel, but we knew it would be together.  To add excitement to this month, Daniel asked me AGAIN to tell him my ring size – I was excited.

February

Buxton, NC – Living with someone again! A hermit, nomad man no less! Are there blankets, towels, face cloths? One each, Argh! But also, lots of laughs and jokes and talks and someone to snuggle with at night. More towels can be bought, not a friend and partner (for life?). One thing the Outer Banks is loaded with is shells, so many, many, many shells! It became a hunt and a passion, especially after discovering that some are quite rare. Challenge accepted! Turns out it was good practice; a new target was about to appear – pinecones. Time was running out, we were only there till the end of the month, and ‘something’ hadn’t happened yet…  I had brought my bicycle, long rides on sunny days were amazing for February. After one of these, sticky and stinky I stopped to visit Daniel, and wouldn’t you know? We went for a walk on the grounds, talking about nothing in particular, I looked away and when I turned back, he was on one knee! YES!

March

After a quick stop in DC to see the condo and sights, we arrive in Massachusetts for my carpel tunnel surgery – both hands.  One surgery is great, the second one is not – both hands are better, neither are what I would say are cured.  One cool thing – I have learned how to remove my own stitches – I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR.  Plus, engagement pictures and I bought my wedding dress!!! Shouts to my cousin Nancy Ellen – she dropped everything to come see the dress before I bought it – and Kara Fleming Sullivan for all the professional quality shots – – so KIND.

April

The only thing I avoided more than falling in love again was, NEVER EVER EVER going back to Seattle – – never say never. I voluntarily flew into Seattle, and it was not so bad. Needing to be back in Massachusetts in May, we flew to Washington for a change of scenery and a dog sit in East Wenatchee. Olympic NP – Giant moss-covered trees! Forks, WA – no vampires sighted (Twilight). ENORMOUS trees washed up on the beaches, peeled silky smooth by the ocean. So many of them and Daniel only called them ‘driftwood’. And Kenny, the Aussie Shepard, tireless in his pursuit of the hurled squeaky ball.

May

Back in New England for a very personal sit, doggy nephew Cooper! He needed some extra TLC as he had surgery coming up to mend his poor hips. He took his role as foreman very seriously, supervising our yard work and painting. Also in animal world news, an emergency rescue attempt for Cinnamon, the cat! The poor kitty was chased up a tree by some no good varmint during the night and couldn’t get down. After a few hair-raising attempts, the pros were called in and the Sherborn Fire Dept. came to the rescue. We also had a novel idea this month, let’s take dance lessons as we travel. A three pack ($100) of lessons here and there would pay off nicely come November! Turns out, it is a blast! One last dog sit for the month in North Hampton for darling Sweet Pea and Daniel bought his suit for our wedding!!

June

June in the Midwest. Ever wonder where bales of hay come from? This is the time and place to find out! Time and labor intensive now but happy cows and goats come Winter. The first part of the month we stayed with some of Daniel’s family on their farm and saw it happen, also found a great dance instructor and firmed up agreements with our wedding vendors. Caterer tasting, Yum! Later in the month, a pet sit in Madison, WI. This one was two full size collies, a little moppet of fur and two chickens. Daniel handled chicken duty, nasty creatures. State capital and college town, Madison is nice. Has a great farmers market and a special cheese vendor we will be tracking down again. We were able to self tour the capitol building and saw protesters parading about, not sure what they were protesting though. Shrug. We stayed here through the 4^th of July and then made a bee line East.

July

Sweet Pea again! Always nice to be asked to come back for a repeat pet sit, it actually happens more than we are available to do. But further east we need to go, a quick hike in Purgatory Chasm, through Rhode Island to say Hi to Cooper again and then on down to Fairfax, VA to visit friends. Now we need a drum roll here, this is when we found our VAN! The right make, model, year and windows we had been looking for. The thing was, it’s behind us – upstate New York. So, what do two wanderers do? Full reverse up to Lake George area. We already have plans with an upfitting company in Massachusetts to build out our cargo van, hopefully in three weeks. The dream of a camper van is starting to come true! (more on this in another post) A back and forth whirlwind of a month is capped off with a troll hunt in Vermont. A giant, hidden in the woods and made of scrap wood. If you look hard enough, you really can find the darnedest things! 

August

We haven’t mentioned Ziggy yet, and he is NOT one to be left out. We stayed with him back in chilly March and are back to spend a good chunk of August with him too. What a rascal! Not the best fetch-er but let any rabbits beware, he will chase you to the ends of the Earth. Ziggy’s parents have a lovely home on the Charles River and were open to us having some friends over, even a mini-Bachelorette, Woo-Hoo! If you were there, you know. If you weren’t, let’s just say no police were involved. One awesome friend, and fellow skinny dipper, agreed to sing at our wedding and another dear one joined the bridal party that weekend. Someone (unnamed) may have also fallen asleep with Ziggy in the backyard. Who would do something like that??  Were pinecones mentioned earlier? A spark of an idea from February is now in full flame. From all across the country, we have been collecting and preserving them, they are our decorating theme for The Big Day in November. Many will be given over to our décor designer, but we start to get our hands in it too, along with some special guest volunteers that came to visit, thank you Suzanne and Julia! Pinecones, wire, twine and effort can make anything. August ends with two more bigs, meeting the newest member of the Rizzo clan, daughter of Greg and Ashley, Evelyn! And sunset dancing like lovebirds next to the Reflecting Pond on the National Mall.

September

An early September bonfire in Rhode Island, an opportunity to reflect, remember, cherish and move forward. Long held and painful memories, trapped on paper, consigned to the flames with love. It was cathartic, it would have been nice to do it years ago – but alas, the time was not right until it was right.  As a reminder – Daniel and I first met on the OBX, we kept in touch for a bit until joining up again months later in York Beach, ME.  Having the time and wanting to stay in the northeast, we made a long weekend return visit to York Beach. I satisfied my urge for a dip in the saltwater, Daniel had his pancake itch scratched at the Goldenrod and we relaxed on the oceanside front porch. No Skee-Ball this time, the Fun-O-Rama was closed for the season.  Our next stopping points was Concord, MA. Historical sites to see – Daniel received a summary of Little Women while we sat on a bench at the Louisa May Alcott house, close enough for a hair appointment (testing extensions) and best of all, the Hellers’ were in town! A great thing about living on the road is stopping in to see friends, and there is a flip side. When they are on the move and in our area, it’s an easy meet up. Daniel got to meet them for the first time in person, and received the long-promised hug from Tammy, our soon to be wedding officiant! Next up, back to the Midwest!

October

Weddings, weddings and very soon OUR WEDDING. Good things come in threes, save the best for last – – all true, Natch. First up and first of the month was Daniel’s nephew Van and his glowing bride Tess. A rooftop ceremony with Milwaukee, WI as the backdrop. A beautiful day capping off a weekend of fun. Then some final details for our own – the last walk through of the venue with the vendors, plans and diagrams made, remaining payments due.  We are SET for launch! Back to Massachusetts for wedding #2, Lexa and Justin. The bride is the daughter of Joanne and Jimmy, my college roommate and her husband – I have known and loved them all for 30+ years – – but I still have no idea how Lexa is old enough to get married when we are only 25.  Now back to Illinois for a little business and all the last-minute preparations for our big day! With three vehicles, it’s time to make some decisions. The Subaru and the truck are out, but what will replace them? This last trip was also a test drive of an SUV but neither of us were thrilled. Next try was the winner, Toyota 4Runner, super dependable and able to take us into the wilds. We close the month at the AirBnB that is to be Wedding Basecamp. The kid gloves are off, it is GO time!

November

All the preparations, decorations, the people working and coming together, the food and drinks, music and dancing — what a day we spent with our family and friends!! A separate installment will be coming soon dedicated to Our Wedding, but it can truly be said that We had the most fun of anyone there and are so grateful and happy that so many were able to make the trip and join us. What were our honeymoon plans, you may ask? A cross country drive, of course! Our next big stop was Thanksgiving in Santa Fe, NM with the Rizzo cousins and we had plenty of time to get there. We headed west, slow and steady. The plaines states in winter are beautiful, not everyone might think so, but we do. The crops are done, the earth is resting, the animals grazing on whatever they can find – it’s very peaceful, calm. Turning south from Denver we found some fun hiking up to partially frozen Zapata Falls and driving through Great Sand Dunes NP. From there it was a small highway shot into our first dog sit as a properly married couple! Four labs, one house. Intimidating at first, we warmed up to the four boys instantly and if you’ve never cuddled with four large dogs before, you don’t know what you are missing! The timing and location was perfect. We were able to go to Cousin Matt and Lori’s house every afternoon and stay for dinner and games. Turkey, stuffing and cranberry thrown in too? Amazing! November ends with us hiding out and taking a few days all alone, Glenwood Springs, CO. Right off I-70 as you cross over the Rockies, nice little town with something special to offer, hot springs! For us, two pools right across from the hotel – one huge and warm, the other somewhat smaller but hot. Ahhh. We had found a little bit of honeymoon heaven after all. Because up next was road tripping back to Boston the long way around!

December

Rather than backtrack toward Denver, we kept going through the mountains and up the other side to Wyoming. The annual baking extravaganza with Cooper’s mom in Rhode Island was approaching and we did not want to be late! It was time to consolidate, when you don’t have a basement or an attic, where does all the stuff go? With no finished van yet in sight, we had a small storage locker in Illinois and were about to take it all back to MA with us. The smallest U-haul trailer can hold a lot! My first time ever driving with a trailer was not a bad experience, just need to think more about turns and go a little slower. Christmastime in New England! An afternoon matinée of the Holiday Boston Pops brought back some happy memories, stopping to see those we could, and baking! Daniel didn’t know what he was in for, a long weekend of pandemonium. Cookies, candy, Chex mix and more, always sticky and sneezing flour. Then the packing up, shipping out and deliveries. Exhausting but with Terry and I already planning next year. Christmas Day – Family and beef roast, catching up and playing games. Perfect! It has always been hard to leave after the holidays, so we set a hard date – 12/26. Besides we needed to get back out West, AGAIN! (Big switch in van plan, more to come) The weather cooperates, a side stop to see some huge chalk towers in Kansas and then NYE with loved ones in Denver.

What a year!