Life is a roller coaster. Yet, it is important to stay positive, because everything is temporary, and new opportunities arise with every sunrise.
2024 is coming to an end, and despite all the “adventures” Roger and I went through, we are thankful to have our beautiful home, our health, and our family.
Our new home continues to be our sweet oasis, and, at times, a challenge…
Last year, we dealt with the fact that the ceilings in our entire house were not installed properly and could have collapsed at any moment. We lived in a construction site for several months. We are glad that all that is behind us!
This year we had several issues. From a scary “microburst” resulting in several trees falling and one large branch crashing down on the roof of our house, to having to remove twelve trees (yes, you heard correctly, twelve trees), to yellowjackets getting inside the siding (and eventually some inside the house), to Tabitha having incontinence issues, to Shadow being constantly nervous and making Tabitha behave even worse… I could go on.
I guess we don’t want to admit that the kitties are getting older, and health issues are the norm. Despite all this, they are finally settled in our new home, and they love it! Shadow runs up and down the stairs like a tornado, and Tabitha is more like a bunny, jumping and hopping slowly from one step to the next.
Tabitha and Shadow!
Home Sweet Home!
Now, let’s review our year:
In January, we had snow—it was so beautiful to see our home covered in it!
But Mother Nature was not done impressing us. We have a very small creek behind our home. Most of the time it has no water. On January 10, it rained so much that the water from the creek came within about 30–40 feet of our house. The next morning, it was all gone! Crazy weather we had…
February marked 35 years since I left Portugal to be with the love of my life, Roger. It was a difficult decision at the time, but I would do it again without hesitating. Life with Roger has been a dream come true. I am one of the lucky ones. <3
Winter Wonderland!
The not-so-wonderland… You can see the light from our house in the distance.
35 Years Ago…
February continued with a trip to Richmond to see a stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird starring Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch. It was a powerful and memorable performance, and the rest of the cast was also fantastic! How we have missed seeing live theater. We plan to see more plays in the future.
The beautiful Altria Theater in Richmond, VA
In March, Roger’s sister Iris appeared on Jeopardy! Like her brother, who was on Wheel of Fortune, Iris showed talent and skill at the game. In December, she was chosen to return as part of the Second Chance Tournament, and she did very well! Congrats to my beautiful sister-in-law!
In April, Roger and I drove to Aurora, Ohio, to see the total eclipse! At first, I was skeptical and not particularly excited about this adventure, but I quickly changed my mind. The eclipse was magical and a phenomenon that we will remember forever.
In May, we had family visiting us. We toured the Civil War memorials and learned more about the land where our home is located. So much history… We now have a real appreciation and respect for the piece of land that we own.
In June, we watched beautiful sunsets, hummingbirds, deer, and rainbows in the sky. We spend many hours contemplating nature and sipping cold beer on our front porch—we are becoming country folks! 😉
July, we celebrated Roger’s birthday and saw James Taylor live at the Wolf Trap—what a treat! We also celebrated 34 years marriage—what a beautiful life…🥰
August was all about the beach. Last summer, we discovered that the beach was just one hour away from our home. So, of course, we went to the beach! It was the best therapy ever. The feeling of the warm sun on our faces, the soft sand under our feet, and the beautiful water sparkling under the sunlight were the perfect medicine we needed. We loved it so much that we went back two weeks in a row. The second time we had the beach to ourselves. It was magical!
In September, we danced the 2024 International West Coast Swing Flashmob / Rally at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC! Every year for the last ten years, Roger and I have organized and taught the flashmob in the DMV area. We had such a wonderful group of dancers this year! We had so much laughter, made new friendships, and rekindled old ones.
Roger and I were interviewed by Jimmy Alexander for WTOP, and we appeared live on Fox 5 DC’s Live Zone, where we were interviewed by Guy Lambert! It was so much fun—we can’t wait to do it all again in 2025!
Washington, DC International Flashmob Rally West Coast Swing 2024
Here is a link to a video of the story:
Transcript:
Roger and Mané met while working as professional ballet dancers.
“When we got a little older and we couldn’t dance ballet anymore, we found West Coast Swing and we fell in love with it,” said Mané.
Roger described the style as “a social dance, a partner dance that was derived from Lindy Hop, but much smoother.”
The roughly 20 dancers who took part in the flash mob are all amateurs. The group sported matching red shirts.
“The fun thing is that everyone is at different levels,” said Mané. “I love that there are no restrictions. Everybody’s so happy dancing together, regardless of age or gender.”
“It’s just a group of people that love this dance and thought it would be fun to do a flash mob,” Roger added.
The couple told WTOP that there’s a big community of dancers in the D.C. area who dance West Coast Swing.
“We have people from Virginia, D.C., and Maryland. There is a dance every single week,” Roger said. “On Fridays, you’ll see up to three hundred people dancing West Coast Swing in a ballroom.”
–Jimmy Alexander
(Jimmy Alexander has been a part of the D.C. media scene as a reporter for DC News Now and a long-standing voice on the Jack Diamond Morning Show. Now, Alexander brings those years spent interviewing newsmakers like President Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney, and Sean Connery to the WTOP Newsroom.)
To read the full article from Jimmy Alexander of WTOP, click on this link:
We were interviewed by Guy Lambert of Fox 5 DC’s Live Zone about the 2024 Washington, DC West Coast Swing Flashmob / Rally. Such a nice interviewer!
Another September event was Roger’s visit to New York City for the opening of the Joffrey + Ballet exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The day included a Joffrey alumni reunion organized by the Gerald Arpino Foundation. Roger had a great time touring the exhibition, learning more about the history of the company, and spending time with old friends!
October was a special month. I celebrated my 60th birthday. I am thankful for all the love I received from many friends and family, and I’m grateful to have celebrated such a milestone. We were also lucky to see the Northern lights near our home—magic truly happened in the sky! What a memorable moment!
The Northern Lights
The presidential elections happened in November. In addition to doing our civic duty, we wrote 250 postcards to prospective voters. Tabitha and Shadow helped, as they constantly lay down on top of the pile, slowing us down but making us laugh!
And, for more laughter, Roger taught Tabitha and Shadow to high-five for treats—how about that? 😊
Here we are now in December. The end of the year has arrived, and our hopes and dreams continue to inspire us to move ahead with love, understanding, and wishes for a peaceful New Year.
As 2024 ends and 2025 nears, we wish you all love, laughter, health, and happiness.
Happy Holidays to you and your family!!!
With love, Mané, Roger, Tabitha, and Shadow.
Some random favorite photos! 😊
Designing a Good Life:
I am so thankful that you follow my blog and for your support of my journey! Have a beautiful day, and remember to create a Good Life! Much love, Mané
