I put my own hobbies on the back burner since opening our winery in 2021. After a four year sabbatical, I'm taking the time now to get back to what I love doing. Reading, genealogy, traveling, and dollhouses.
I've had the time this past fall to craft other other items as gifts and I enjoyed trying something new. But my time on earth is getting shorter, which means I need to leave behind only what truly brings me joy. I recently filled the back of my 2000 Isuzu Rodeo with donations for a local charity. It's a start. I hope what I leave behind will fit in the backseat.
While I have read only a few books last year, I think this year I will only set a goal to read one book a quarter. My genealogy projects get deeper and deeper and since September I have been working every Tuesday on finding new information and collecting documents. While I am sure my family doesn't care where their family came from, getting to know the struggles each family was faced with, and history of their journeys, brings me comfort in my our journey in life.
It has been some time since I've traveled. I had traveled to New Orleans almost every year to visit with family since moving to Virginia. After my father passed away in 2002 and my mother in 2006, my visits were spent with my mother's brother and sister each fall. Each winter my aunt and I would meet in Las Vegas for a dollhouse convention, yes, there is such a thing. In her last few years of life, I met her in New Orleans and we flew together. Now my uncle too has passed away at 93 this past May, I as much as I enjoyed my time with them, New Orleans isn't that same city that I grew up in.
Hopefully I made a well-balanced schedule that will be a great blend of personal development, social engagement and business management.
Wish me luck!
Mary Beth
