It's that time of year, where all the best-of lists come out...and, of course, it's time for my personal tradition of sharing my best moments of 2024. Let's get started, shall we?
A Moment of Bucket List Joy
I mean, everyone knows by now that I got to hold a kangaroo joey in Australia. That's been a Bucket List item for a few years now, since I discovered Kangaroo Sanctuary of Alice Springs on Instagram. Australia itself has been on the Bucket List even longer--I've always wanted to see it, and the opportunity to go to Sydney was just too good. Making a trip-within-a-trip to Alice Springs was icing on the cake.
I've had some wonderful moments this year, and this one is, hands-down, one of the coolest. Kangaroos are such unique beings, and cute at a ridiculous level. To have a chance to walk among a herd of them, petting the friendly ones, and holding a tiny joey that barely leaves her little pillow case pouch yet, was a dream.
And so was Australia itself. I can't wait to go back to see more of that magnificent island Down Under.
A Moment to Honor
At the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, a Facebook group popped up, and people I knew from high school started to share it.
The group was to secretly plan to honor our soon-to-retire high school music teacher, Curtis Gaesser. After nearly 40 years of teaching he was set to hang up his baton, and this is not a man that can cruise quietly into retirement.
See, Gaesser (sans the Mr., we all seem to end up calling him that), was not just a teacher or band director. He was a true Music Man, guiding kids through his various highly-respected music groups as well as the ups and downs of high school. He believed in kids who didn't believe in themselves, and he knew more about us than any of us could have known.
A plan was set in motion. Alumni from his nationally-renowned jazz program would reunite at his last jazz concert in May, and surprise him with a special performance. As an alumni of the jazz choir, I was bursting to be part of this.
And what an evening! People came from out of state (and one from out of country!) to be involved. As his co-director laid out the surprise, and we all started getting up in the audience and walking up to the stage, Gaesser's face lit up. He greeted each and every one of us with his famous bear hug, shaking his head in wonder.
I don't have a picture from that night, but it deserves a spot in my annual post. Curtis Gaesser saved kids' lives throughout his career, giving them the gift of music as an outlet to things that might have made them quit school. Careers were launched--my own included--due to his influence.
A Moment to Show Respect
In February, I spent my annual Cheap Europe Week (President's Week Break) in Prague, Czech Republic. I had heard many good things about Prague, and indeed, it's a beautiful city, with wonderful food, amazing history. I was very charmed by it.
While there, I had to take a short day trip to Terezin, a former Jewish ghetto that served as a holding place for Jewish people during the Nazi reign of World War II. While not a concentration camp, the town of Terezin was also not a happy place, particularly for the children.
However, in a show of resistance and the power of human spirit, brave adults held school with the children, including art and drawing classes. The art and poetry produced by these children shows tremendous maturity. The poetry is remembered in a book named for one of the poems, "I Never Saw Another Butterfly."
In my Chico days, my choir sang "Songs for Children," which were composed using several of these poems as lyrics. It was an incredibly moving experience to share these songs, and I wanted to visit Terezin--the town and the prison on its outskirts--to learn more and to pay my respects to those long-ago children and their memory.
The tour was exceptional. Our guide at the prison did not hold back on the grimness of the history of the place, but his explanations were not gratuitous. It's hard to explain how I was...happy...to see the place. Not happy in a "going to Disneyland" kind of way, but rather, happy that I could finally see this place and pay my respects to the people and history.
A Moment to Reclaim My Strength
My gym habits have been topsy-turvy for several years, and part of that was the inevitable stress of Mom's illness and death, and so many other life changes. After the pandemic lifted, I made an effort to go back to 24 Hour Fitness, my gym of choice for almost 25 years.
But 24 Hour is...not great anymore. It was never the fanciest gym, but I could get the job done. I had fantastic trainers. Now, the trainer pool at all gyms is diminished, the clubs are run-down, and it just isn't very nice to go there. Equipment stays broken for months, weights go missing, no one cleans up after themselves.
In July, I found a new gym--small, privately owned--near me that fit my needs perfectly. I could build a small fitness community there, and I loved the classes. I was getting my groove back and feeling great.
And then he had to close.
Still unwilling to return to 24 Hour, I looked around and found Iron Addiction, a small gym a few miles from me, easy to access on my way home from work. At $59 a month, it's affordable, and it is a true GYM. The place is spotless. The equipment is top-notch, in great working order, and I haven't encountered anyone skeezy yet. Mostly, people keep to themselves, though I'm noticing that other regulars are seeing me as a regular now, and I get the "head-jerk" hello or an actual hello. A trainer there has started recognizing my hard work, and we chat sometimes about what I'm working on. I never have to wait for someone to stop messing around on their phone while hogging a machine. People wipe stuff down when they sweat on it.
It's the anti-24 Hour.
I'm rebuilding my gym habit and seeing some really great returns in how I feel.
Several Moments of Blissfully Nerded-Out Joy in the Month of September
Or, to be more succinct: Keane was in town.
Keane's world tour to celebrate 20 years of their first album, Hopes and Fears, was announced over a year before they would land in San Francisco to start their trek across these United States. I quickly set up to go to three concerts (yes, three) and then got back in the business of having a life, a job, etc.
By the time September rolled around this year, I was a few weeks into a busy new school year, so I was excited, but still too busy to really nerd out. I almost decided to skip the Berkeley gig because it was on a school night, and that's a 90-minute drive.
Then they posted on social media. I know that stupid baggage carousel. I've likely had my own suitcase ride around on it at some point or another. As I drove along Interstate 80, blasting Keane songs in the car, I couldn't contain my excitement. I was within 100 miles of my favorite band.
Needless to say, the concert was incredible--two hours of Keane's music gloriously performed. I sang pretty much every word, nearly cried during Somewhere Only We Know, and left by 10:00 to make it home before midnight. I was tired the next day, but also kind of floating on air.
That was a Wednesday. On Friday, I flew to San Diego to see them there. The original plan was to see them with Summer but she couldn't make it, so I was on my own, wandering around the area of the venue, when I saw two familiar figures walking towards me on the sidewalk.
Oh, you know, it's just Richard (drummer) and Jesse (bassist). And Richard recognized me from years of Twitter friendship. I got to chat with those lovely guys for a few minutes--they are so lovely to fans. After another amazing show, I got to get a picture with Richard.
And then, because I hadn't had enough nerdy joy already, a week later, I flew to Atlanta to see Maayan, and so we could see Keane together there. After a whirlwind weekend, I had the absolute joy of seeing Keane live with my longest Keane friend, for the very first time. Magic.
A Pacific Moment, Upside-Down and Backwards
If you've known me for any length of time, you know I love the ocean, and I'm particularly fond of the wild and rugged Pacific along California's northern coastline. I didn't really get out that way much in 2024, but I did get to see the greater Pacific from the East Coast of Australia. To my surprise, it bears a lot of similarities to California's coast, albeit with some slightly different flora and fauna.
It is, of course, endlessly beautiful and powerful. Even if I was "upside down and backwards" in the Southern Hemisphere. 😉
As I mentioned above, Australia was truly beautiful, and I'm so glad I got to visit.
A Moment of Summer Fun
Of course, I've had a lot of fun moments with Sarah this year, but among some of the most fun was a simple local baseball game on a too-hot-to-believe evening. The Lincoln Potters games are a great slice of Americana--baseball, sno-cones, and families root-root-root-ing for the home team.
Sarah knows more about baseball than I do, so her explanations are helpful.
Even though we were sticking to our seats, we had a game to watch, great company, and massive sno-cones to help us through.
A Moment to Age Grace--Ha.
I turned 46 this year. I used to think getting older would be a drag, but honestly, it's just...life. I refuse to give up on the bits of whimsy that make me happy (Snoopy, for example), and I refuse to twist myself into knots trying to be whatever it is society expects a 46-year-old single woman to be. I'm not unhappy in my singleness, I very much do not regret being without children, and yes, I had Leatherby's for lunch on with my dad. As one does.
Every tiny encroaching sign of aging reminds me that I'm enjoying the ride, and I'm lucky to still be riding it.
That said, my highlights need touching up, because I'm not ready to fully show off the grays yet.
Age is a number. While I'm starting to eye my career future (read: I'd like to retire in 15-18 years), I'm also determined to act my shoe size. Which is 8.
A Moment of Beauty Before Another Busy Day
It was an early morning in December--my busy month at school, what with all the Winter Celebration performances. I was leaving a bit earlier than usual, and rain was in the forecast. Sometimes, though, it just pays to slow down for a moment. As I threw my work bag and gym bag in the trunk of my car, I looked up and knew I needed to capture this moment. Later in the day I'd be up to my eyeballs in Stuff To Do, but for this one small moment, I could op and take in Mother Nature's little morning gift.
My humble condo complex can be a place of beauty, too.
A Moment of My Favorite Veteran
Disclaimer: I did not take this picture. Dad sent it to me after his annual Veteran's Day ceremony, which I did not attend this year. He still has his dress blues, and he can wear them. He wore them for this year's ceremony, and I love this picture so much.
As I love the veteran in it. When dads were assigned, I hit the jackpot.
A Moment of Peace and Rest
December was a chaotic cap to another busy year. Putting on four Winter Celebration performances is a lot of work--joyful work, and work I'm good at, but it's exhausting. By the time the last notes were sung and the last dance was danced, I was ready for my winter break.
My bosses were so excited by the performances, and my colleagues were 100% helpful and supportive. The kids sang their hearts out and made us all proud. I was riding high...but my feet were hurting.
So I spent that first weekend of my break doing a whole lot of absolutely nothing. I slept 10 solid hours that first night, and spent Saturday on the couch with a book. I had stocked my fridge with all I would need for a good few days of hibernation, so I was set. The most taxing thing that needed doing all weekend was litter box scooping.
Speaking of litter box scooping, my home would not be complete without my sweet dudes, with whom I recently celebrated eight years of love and tuna breath. It's hard to believe they'll be 10 this year. Though Archie's had a few minor health issues recently, they're both the same sweet, playful, and food-motivated dudes we've all come to know and love. And every night, they curl up with me while I read in bed, trusting me to keep them safe. In turn, they give me peace and rest like nothing else can.
A Moment to Face Forward
And just like that, 2024 is coming to a close. I'm wary of 2025 because I fear for the future of the US with another Trump term...but I'm trying to keep the faith that love and sanity will eventually prevail. It's difficult, but what other choice do I have?
I have things to look forward to--I'm going back to my beloved England in February (all those places I could choose for Cheap Europe Week and my heart told me, "Go see your people!!"). I have a new principal at my school, and I'm really hopeful that he'll take us in a new, happy direction.
There are friends to spend time with, piano pieces to learn, books to read, and cats to feed...when I'm not burning down the patriarchy.
Roll on, 2025.
