My Year that Was - 2022

I finished writing last January.

I've been writing about 'my weeks' since mid-January nearly five years ago.  This is the first time I've attempted to write a year in review post.

 

January 2022 I finished writing about my life, which was a gift from our kids at Christmas in 2020.  My wife wrote her own book.  Each week we had a different topic, I finished the final chapter the last week of 2021, then spent three weeks reviewing and editing.  

 

We ordered four books of each story, then received them in late spring.  They are part of the gifts we gave to family.  It was a big investment of time.  I'm glad I did it and was glad to finish.

 

In February, I spent several days in Milwaukee at the ALDE Faith and Fundraising Conference.  It was the first big, in-person, professional event I'd attended since 2019.  There was a sense of joy and happiness to be together face to face instead of looking at faces on screens.

 

In terms of blog posts, I was pleasantly surprised by the views my post published February 8 received.  What Curling can Teach Baseball was the third most-viewed post of 2022.

I met Bango at ALDE

 March was the two-year mark in the Covid-19 pandemic.  At work, employees still wear masks in common areas and with residents.  Residents are encouraged but not required to mask.  There are occasional cases on campus but precautions by residents and staff have kept Oakwood largely Covid-free.

 In April I had my first paid gig as a professional speaker, hosting the local Young Life fundraising trivia contest.  It was a lot of fun. Since the event, the organization has changed so I'm not sure if there is an event planned in 2023.

 May took us to Grand Rapids, Michigan to see the Whites covered bridge which was rebuilt after an arson fire several years earlier.  We also checked out the tulips during the festival in nearby Holland and I rode some of the bike trails in Grand Rapids while my wife shopped several of her favorite quilt shops.

Rapids on the Grand River.

June marked another return to normal as society learned how to live with Covid as the Dairy Breakfasts returned to Wisconsin.  I ran into several people I knew at the breakfast northwest of Madison while enjoying the Dairyland breakfast combination of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and ice cream!

In July, we were in Iowa to attend my father-in-law's funeral. Our stay in Cedar Rapids uncovered a few remaining Donutland shops.  Donutland had a store in Janesville for years and was where Dad and I picked up breakfast for the family on Saturdays.  It was fun to re-live the memory and thanks to you it became one of the most popular posts in Pointdexter history.

Later that month, Matthew and I flew to Boston to watch the Brewers play the Red Sox in historic Fenway Park.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the legendary ballpark and a fun experience as we took in as many sites as possible, including Boston Common, Cheers, and the JFK Library.

At the finish, 8/21/2022

 You've read a lot of bike riding blogs over the years and one of my favorite organized rides in the past six years is the Ride Across Wisconsin. Since I first did it the Wisconsin Bike Federation uses its route for two years then plots another course.  This year's route started in La Crosse and followed state bike trails for half of the 235 mile course.  It was a challenge that felt great to accomplish.

 

 The family tradition of attending the Wisconsin State Fair continued as I joined our youngest son and his wife for a day in West Allis.

 

 In September, my wife and I enjoyed a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where we started in Marquette then drove west along Lake Superior, ending the week with three nights in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

 

 The lighthouses were the focus of the trip but we enjoyed the sites along the way and especially enjoyed a couple nights in Ironwood where I had another once-in-a-lifetime experience by climbing to the top of Copper Peak.  It was such a big moment it took two days to describe it.

 

The Red Mill bridge near Waupaca. 11/12/22

October is the best month to live in Wisconsin.  Leaves are turning and many days are sunny and warm.  We finally visited the Oakwood Fruit Farm and it was worth the trip.  The nice weather also helped me reach 1,000 bike miles for the first time in two years.

November is often where fall and winter collide.  It was nice early in the month, so I took advantage with
a day trip to Waupaca where I photographed two more Wisconsin bridges.

December was busy at work with literally a couple hundred phone calls made before the year ended.  

 

There was also an unexpected trip to the Emergency Room with a nasty bout of the flu, thankfully I received the help I needed and made a quick recovery.

2022 was a blessing and adventure.  Praise God for His blessings.  I hope you have a happy and healthy 2023.