2019 was one of my most amazing years, and I’ve had a lot of really amazing years so far! Here are some highlights. (There are about 4 pages of photos – use the NEXT button to view more. Below the Slideshow is a text description!)
- Brad Sumpter, my lover, moved to Pagosa in February! He was born and raised in Denver and lived near his parents so leaving the city was a big deal. Brad is a super-nerd who loves to clean and cook and help others. Who would have thought I’d find a guy who loves the same PBS shows as me, eats the same foods, and likes many of the same activities! We definitely have differences (if you’ve seen my housekeeping skills you’ll know that!) and pull each other in new directions. I hadn’t lived with a man in the house since 2006 so having him move in was a huge change for me, but one we both enjoy together. Brad is a professional musician in a country band based in Wisconsin; he travels to gigs with them about every 6 weeks. He’s also an acoustic engineer and partners in an audio production company that works festivals from May to August. Since I can work from anywhere I was able to go to several of his events and helped with setting up the stages and watching them produce the show, including the event where we first met 7 years ago – Rhythms on the Rio in South Fork, about an hour from Pagosa (I was a backstage volunteer and his company did the sound every year). In 2019 we flew to Vegas with the girls in January for my mom’s 70th birthday and visited a brothel with my cousin, attended our 2nd Bach music festival, picked plums and peaches in northern Colorado, visited the lowest spot in North America (Death Valley), and watched the final Star Wars movie on opening day! Brad also owns a bathtub refinishing company that he worked at with his dad for 25 years. He still manages contracts in Denver and brought a work van to Pagosa. Without advertising, people have learned he can make an old fiberglass shower enclosure look like new (you should see what he did to my 20-year-old one!) and he’s been getting local work fixing chips, cracks, dings and stains in tubs. (PorcelainRefinishingCO.com)
- Ivory Jane is a Junior, turned 16 in June, and got her driver’s license! She was fortunate to find a perfect car – a 2005 Subaru Legacy with 52,000 miles and driven by Brad’s aunt in Denver. She paid for it herself with money saved from working as a busser the past 2 summers. She has yet to get a B on her report card – even an A is rare among all of the A+s. She’s in the National Junior Honor Society, volunteers with me at many events, and has lettered in Cross Country, Track, Swimming, and Academics. She has a boyfriend who we’ve known since he was born. After breaking up with him for the summer (she just wanted to read books!), he worked with her sister to win her back and with a Taylor Swift inspired Homecoming proposal she said yes and they started dating again. With all of her seriousness and drive to succeed, she is also an amazing artist who creates beautiful and unique art pieces.
- Beatrice Mary, our “little” Bea, is a Freshman and turned 14 in February. She’s over 6’2″ tall and plays volleyball and basketball. She embraces her height and stands straight and tall. Bea follows in her sister’s footsteps academically and strives to succeed, but she maintains a healthy youthfulness that brings silliness and laughter to everyone around her. She’s loving, kind, smart, witty, and always looks out for her momma. (And she still lets me rub her back and sing goodnight songs each night!) Both Bea and Ivory work as bussers at Pagosa Brewing and Grill during the summers and holidays.
- As for me, 2019 was the year of change. Brad helped me get rid of a lot of old junk in the house and get things tidy and clean. He built a lot of new shelving since our house is sorely lacking in storage. We re-financed the house and were able to build a 12×15 storage shed-with-attic in our half-acre yard, which allowed us to tidy the half-garage and other rooms of the house that were acting as storage areas. We also built a 6-foot privacy fence around the back and side of the house, which really defines our yard space and is wonderful for Brad’s two rescue Pit Bulls. In late 2018 a developer colleague connected me with a company in Salt Lake City he was working for and I stopped doing web development and went back to IT consulting on a large database system (NetSuite) that I had worked with for seven years with a company here in Pagosa. Through that company, I reconnected with another friend who also did NetSuite work and we formed a collaboration of database consultants. I work from my home office for different companies and really enjoy the challenge of projects and consulting solutions. Brad is a road cyclist and had an old bike that fits me so I tried a new sport and we’ve gone on several adventures. He does things like ride up Wolf Creek Pass (4 times in 2019!); I’m shuttle-girl for his big climbs, but we’ve done rides in Death Valley, Red Rocks State Park (Vegas), and other flatter rides in Denver and around Pagosa. We wear the same size so he shared his bike clothing, as you can see in a few of the photos! One of our friends became partners in a cannabis farm near Pagosa – Los Pinos Cannabis Farm. Brad has experience in horticulture (he grew us tomatoes and basil this summer!) and the farm needed a website so we took a road trip to Grand Junction to get our badges from the State of Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division – yes, we DO need stinkin’ badges in order to be on the premises of a cannabis farm. It was really interesting to learn the inside workings of a marijuana business. Other than road trips, bike rides, construction projects, new clients, trips to Denver with Brad, adventures and fun with my daughters, a visit from my son Dylan Kai (who lives in Grover Beach in central CA, near Pismo Beach, and is 25 years old!), house renovations (new windows to replace broken ones, new screen door, lots of stuff to the thrift store), I’ve made time to play guitar on the porch with Brad and in 2020 we’ll be performing as The Jorgensons, an acoustic guitar duo! Brad makes my basic strumming sound amazing with his lead guitar (he’s classically trained and plays Bach!). He brought some of his production gear to Pagosa and is able to set up sound for parties, weddings, etc. at small venues around the area.
I can’t believe it’s already 2020, but when I look back at all the things we did in 2019, it makes sense.