The year was 1965. The occasion – a family trip to the New York World’s fair. Since we lived only about three hours north of New York City, everyone we knew – family and friends alike – were all planning trips down to the Big Apple to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime event.

July 1995 - Picture this – a beautiful night in July 1995. A business trip had taken me to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. By my third day, the meetings were over and I had three days of pure vacation left to explore Victoria and its surrounding island. After a quiet dinner on that first night of ‘R & R’ time, I just wanted to relax and read a book for pure pleasure…I was burned out on the ‘technical reading & writing’ that had dominated the trip thus far! Unfortunately, I realized I hadn’t packed a pleasure read...how did I mess that up?

There’s something about the Christmas season that puts me in a “domestic diva” frame of mind. That’s how I felt this morning – thinking about baking some cookies, putting up a few decorations, and making a comfort food crock-pot of my famous chili (at least famous to my family…).

It started on a cold New England day in December about five years ago. The last grade was entered, the Christmas shopping was done, and the decorations were up. Feeling relieved at this, trust me, not a normal turn of events, I decided that I could take a few days off and enjoy the holidays before thinking of the next semester’s grind.