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McCarter - 2010 Year In Review

McCarter's 2010 Look Back
Another year gone, another on the way. As always, ups and downs, but never a dull moment.
K&J2010
It is a common truth that as we mature, time passage get faster and faster. This year was no exception. It saw the passing of some iconic heroes, loved ones and beloved pets. Changes in our lifestyle brought about by health concerns bring new energy to various family members and to Jim and Kelley directly. Our lives are always colored by new technology, local development, and economic roller coastering. Below is the abbreviated review of 2010 from the jmac and kmac POV.
FAMILY MATTERS

Jim's mom (and Aunt Pat) tackled her cancer from last year and remains in good health. She was our delightful house guest in August. At this writing, she's off on another cruise, this one to the Amazon! We'll be seeing much of the McCarter family at the annual Florida rendezvous for Christmas.

Kelley's mother successfully downsized a large household then listed and sold her home in only 3 weeks! Her new home in the north side of Richmond is cozy and she's had great adventures getting to know her new neighbors and neighborhood. The McCarters stayed close to the entire effort of transporting furniture, cleaning, packing, and helping with the move. Monthly visits to Richmond throughout the year were more fun than ever.

Julie's visit

Kelley & Jennie in Kershaw



PROFESSIONAL PURSUITS

Both Jim and Kelley had challenging work schedules in 2010. Business travel included Madison, WI; Columbia, SC; and all corners of North Carolina. Jim continues research projects for several universities, guest lectures at NCSU, and workshops/conferences for FEOP. Kelley's office was split into two work areas in late spring, giving her new supervisory responsibilities for temp and/or grad student assistant. Just as in 2009, the economic conditions in natural resources translate into much more work in all three sectors; teaching, research and extension.
GEEK-N-SPEAK
This section of our year in review may not be appropriate for those averse to geek speak and all things tech. Reader descretion is advised.

2010 saw some significant upgrades to the McCarter's technology, software, and automated processes. To the left is a list of these items. For those in the know, no explanation is needed (have fun).
  • Windows 7 Upgrades Work&Home
  • Notebook Dual Boots Windows 7 64 bit and Vista 64 bit, upgraded to 8 GB RAM and 750 GB disk (two drives inside)
  • Home Office upgraded to Gigabit network
  • Music CD ripping/archival project
  • Family slide scanning/archival project
  • Nelnet Quikpay for FEOP
  • GoToMeeting/GoToWebinar
  • MIE Summit Central
  • Summit Event Management Pro
  • Cloud computing: Dropbox, Google Docs, Sharepoint, Sugarsync, etc.
  • Acer 10.2" - mobile computing for Kelley
  • Seagate Black Armour server
  • iPad 32 GB
  • Netflix (streaming to iPad&sPC)
HEARTH AND HOME

Household projects kept us active all spring and summer like roof repair, air duct bird-proffing, ceiling fan upgrades, deck furnishings, boosting living room decor, and improvements to our home gym. Outdoor work resulted in a new look for our perennial corner, our first raised bed vegetable garden, an increase in our naturalized area, and Jim's hops experiment.

raised bed image

home improvements
HEALTHY CHANGES

Kelley was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in June. It was a scary time, one of reflection and major behavior modification. In order to stay off prescription medications, Kelley made the commitment to aggressively manage her diabetes through lifestyle changes. She had 6 months to prove to her doctor and to herself this could be done. Diabetes is not a family trait for Kelley, she did this to herself from years of overachieving in her work and placing herself at the very bottom of her priorities. She now has quite a different daily routine and personal goals. It's still a struggle, but her 6-month check up in October showed all lab tests back in the "normal" range and in all cases these results are better than at any time in her adult life. There is no cure for diabetes, but if Kelley stays true to her new priorities, the disease will be a footnote in her life, and that's her overarching goal.

In support of Kelley, and for his own satisfaction, Jim has begun use of the Livestrong.com health maintenance service. This is an offshoot of Lance Armstrong's Livestrong.org non-profit devoted to cancer research (and avoiding cancer all together). Jim is quite literally shrinking and having fun tracking his success and finding old cloths that suddenly fit like new. It's making a difference in both our lives.
PERSONNEL FILE

Myrtle Beach at Easter
Our second year for Myrtle Beach at Easter with Stuart and Brenda. Not only is it a great way to shake off the winter doldrums, but a cheap escape to an ocean sunrise. We continued our goal of playing every miniature golf course in the resort (23 more to go). 

Visit from B&S and Durham Bulls
Friends Brenda and Stuart were our guests during the weekend of Kelley's 52nd birthday this summer. Among the fun excursions was treating Stuart to his first ever baseball game. Go Bulls!

New hangout in Cleveland
We've had some sort of restaurant haunt no matter where we have lived. When in Seattle it was Sunflour Bakery. In the Cleveland area of Garner, NC it's now TerraFin Station (www.terrafinstation.com). You can find us there every Sunday during NFL season, and at least one night during the work week. Coming to know the owners and chef, and their families has enriched our lives. It's also been stepping stone in our healthier lifestyle, both for good food and fellowship.


Myrtle mini golf

Bulls game

salmon at TerraFin 
Got hitched:
  • Nate and Katherine
  • James and Grizel

Came from heaven:

  • Sidney Rose of Seattle

Went to heaven:
  • Janice Gregory
  • Carolyn Moffett
  • Danny Sawyer
  • Ron Santo
  • Bob Feller
  • Shamus
  • Sookie Lou
Happy Holidays and a Healthy and Blessed New Year to us All!
Jim and Kelley McCarter
   
Last Updated: December 20, 2010 8:43 PM