The Year In Review

With all the excitement surrounding the birth of Callum, I failed to mention that goldsmith5 has celebrated its 1st anniversary (and then some) Our first post was June 17th of last year, and today marks the 288th post! Businesses talk about their fiscal year, schools talk about their calendar year, etc. Well, here are the highlights of the "blog year."

What are your memories that I may have forgotten?

• not even thinking about children, to thinking about children, to trying to have children, to being pregnant, to starting to raise our son


• countless paddles on "scamper the camper," our LL Bean canoe


• Trips to Mass, CT, New Jersey,


• complaining about just about everything in existence, via my "Meanderings" sections


• Going from being on "non speaking" terms with certain individuals, to becoming closer with them than ever before


• Renovations to our home, including a new driveway, new furnace, new wood stove, breezeway enclosure, newly painted and remodeled nursery, etc.


• Landscaping projects like new flower and herb beds and trees


• LOTS of splitting and stacking wood (which is still one of my favorite things to do)


• OCCASIONALLY the mention of food items . . .


• Dealing with one of the toughest (and awesomest) winters on record, and shovelling our driveway just about each day . . .


• Blog wars between anonymous, karen, jared, anonymous, and "just saying"


• The solid knowledge that New Jerseyans secretly (well, actually, NOT so secretly) want to live in Maine, near Amanda


• My ability to piss off just about all my friends, family, and colleagues with my political views, educational philosophies, general opinions, and restaurant choices


• Having Emma not even acknowledge my existence as a carbon based organism, to having trouble keeping her off my lap so we can read stories, practice writing, and do workbooks together while she is up or we are down in NJ


• Canoe trips and other outdoor adventures with Dave


• The birth of SEVERAL babies via our close friends: Jaxson Longyear, Kylian Babik, Aiden Hargrove, Liam Pelotte, (and soon to be Baby-Girl Reynolds)


• A wonderful trip as the "49th kid" in Washington DC with MET, and a bunch of my seniors


• The resounding reassurance that Thomas is the best pet anyone could ever ask for


• My mom beating breast cancer


• Me dealing with my own mild retardation


• Grandmom beating . . .well . . .the laws of physics, medicine, and gravity


• goldsmith5.blogspot.com going GLOBAL! Here are FOUR examples:

1. When I first posted a blog about getting my road bike and trying to train for things like the TREK, and the MS ride, and the "Beach to Beacon," I was able to reach one of the sponsors of one of the races, who commented with a question

2. I have reviewed several restaurants on this blog. A few weeks ago, we were out at CANCUN getting some Mexican food, when all of the sudden the owner of the restaurant comes up to us and says "hello Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith." We looked surprised that he would know us. "You are probably wondering how I know who you are," he said, "well, I read your gracious review of our restaurant on-line . . .thank you!"

3. After Karl Andresen's 65th birthday party, I got a comment (with an email address) inquiring into whether this was THE Karl Andresen who inspired her, 50 years ago, to go into teaching herself. She went on to explain how she had been trying to find Karl for years, and thanks to our blog, she found him. The woman now lives out west in Washington or someplace. Just ONE MORE piece of good-will brought to you by goldsmith5 . . .

4. In addition to food, I have also reviewed beer, giving high accolades to the Kennebec River Brewing Company up in The Forks (George had some of their IPA last night, and I definitely enjoyed one . . .delicious). The president of Northern Outdoors contacted me to thank me for my kind words about the beer, and sent me a free T-Shirt and the offer of a free beer next time I was up --just as a thank you for mentioning his company

• a reason to get up and do some WRITING each day--as you might be able to tell, I love to be creative, I love to think, (I love to complain), and I love to write. This blog gives me the opportunity to not only practice my craft each day, but also to share our lives with all of you: our dear family and friends. Thanks for reading and putting up with me. The best is yet to come . . .

Jared, Amanda, and Callum