The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Okay, six months of living has stirred up a lot of frenetic activity and whatnots...where to begin?

The Good:

1. Olive's toe cancer is "gone". No more treatments or doctor's appointments.
2. I got my first passport ever! A trip to the Galapagos that Karin and I fantasized about last year is happening in a month!
3. Bev is doing great, as usual. She's making daily sandwiches for the contractor and crew who are doing some remodeling for us on the hill in Laguna.
4. I optomistically started a corporation to accomodate a new business idea, a mainland shopping service for islanders called Best of Overtown. I can hardly wait to actually run this business.
5. After almost forty years, Sheryl quit smoking in June.
6. My nephew, Sam, who has been on the "list" for a kidney for eight years, received a kidney transplant yesterday! He looks great, according to Jillian, who flew up last night to see him.
7. Bev got a new deck, Scott's house got a new kitchen and deck.
8. We're remodeling the Descanso duplex (on the island).
9. Construction, er...destruction has begun on the big house on the island. Construction to follow shortly.
10. Scott is learning to use Mass Transit! He took the bus from L.A. to Orange County, with a few mishaps, but eventual success.
11. The fire on the island destroyed very little of the city of Avalon.
12. Our faith in hard work and honesty was validated by the successful operation of the island store we were trying to help/save, by two locals who had no experience running a store. They were amazing and resilient and successful.
    

The Bad:

1. Like an idiot, in May, I optimistically tried to launch a business without any real quality time to do so.
2. Sheryl had a heart attack in June.
3. Sheryl has gallbladder issues as well.
4. Johnny left for Iraq again this week. He is expected to stay for 13 months this time, but we're hoping for an earlier return.
5. Scott's mother had a stroke, was hospitalized for two weeks, but is recovering nicely, though shaken by the "mortality factor".
6. As of the last few weeks, the stock market is very volatile and unpredictable...very stressful for Scott. But that item should really be put under The Good too, because it works both ways.
7. The reality of disrespectful, bigoted, selfish and dishonest types revealed itself while trying to do something good... Scott's mantra, "Err on the side of kindness" was very difficult to maintain at times. Six months of another hard lesson learned.

The Ugly:

1. In August, a long-time family friend was "abducted" by "friends of his", consuming months of time and energy with court matters. His trust protected him, but it took our personal money in legal fees, hassle with court dates, as well as a lot of emotional damage just to protect him.