Karen Meyer Bird: "Isn't life something?"

Karen Meyer Bird just checked in with a note wondering why it took her so long to do this. She added some kind words for the Trailboss and then gave a recap of what's been going on with her during the past 15 years. Thanks for the great bio and positive outlook, Karen, you've given us a lift going into the weekend. -- Trailboss

I’ve lived in Prior Lake for the last 16 years, a suburb that still has that small-town feel despite lots of growth. It’s a great place to relax, catch a bunch of sunfish, enjoy a sunset, putz in my yard, or cruise the lake. Last year I discovered the joys of jetskiing. Herdan’s right - it’s a lot of fun, and you’re never too old to have fun.
I’m also into traveling and have had some great road trips to the east and west coasts, camping trips to Banff and Glacier, beach time in Mexico and Florida, and recently spent 10 days along the California coast from Tijuana (wild -- they mix a margarita in your mouth there, stand behind you and shake your head) up to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and points in between. In September, I leave for a 2-week tour of Italy. I am so excited I can hardly wait. In the interim, I’m taking a class in conversational Italian so I’ll be able to read a menu, find my way to "il bagno", etc.

Life is busy and good
I’ve been divorced for many years and have just one son, Michael, age 25. He’s a computer tech working for Bloomington schools. He’s still single -- so no hope of grandchildren for a while. I’m lucky to have family fairly close by -- Mike in White Bear Lake, Mom and Dad in Alex, my sister DiAnn in Big Lake, and my brother Randy in Mankato. I have good friends and neighbors, and I belong to a wonderful book club. After three years, we still are all reading the books and having great discussions and laughs. Life is busy and good.
I’ve been a DBA for the Star Tribune in downtown Minneapolis (a mere 26-mile commute each way) for the last 9 years. For you non-geeks, that means I design, build, performance tune, and monitor the databases that support the newspaper’s business, and also make sure we can recover quickly from hardware or software problems. Unfortunately, that involves 24x7 on-call support one week out of three for me. Because we have complex systems and technology changes so quickly, the work is always challenging. But, hey, time flies when you’re busy, I work with some great people, and I love it.

That perfect loaf of bread
Yet, I look forward to retirement at 62. I could get used to kicking back on a full-time basis, cruisin’ the lake like Tom Obert, playing golf like Sara Smith Sevey and gang (of course, I’d have to learn first), becoming a master gardener like Lorlee, or enjoying the grandchildren like a lot of the rest of you. I’d love to have more time to read, fish, travel, hang out with my friends, and learn to bake that perfect loaf of bread.
I want all of you to know how much I’ve enjoyed reading your updates. I was touched by Betty’s grace in describing life before and after her husband’s stroke and then acceptance and blessings. Sue tickled me with her tongue-in-cheek honesty about family life. I love Lorlee’s attitude and new hairdo. I could totally relate to Rick and Barb’s pleasure that the kids have finally moved out and are self-supporting but, darn it, taking their time starting their families.
The pictures of everyone’s grandchildren make me yearn for some of my own. I’d never have pegged John Herdan as a jetski maniac (obviously, I didn’t know him that well), or Kathy Josephs (whom I did) and Ruth Helie as wild about fishing -- but you go, kids. Many of you spoke of your lake places -- they sound wonderful -- there’s nothing like water to ground you. For those of you who are active in spiritual, health, environmental or political arenas, thank you for working to bring about a better world for all of us. Isn’t life something -- joys, tragedies, challenges, hope! Thank you for sharing yours with us.
I’ll be at the Corral on the 6th, and I hope a lot of the other "kids" get on the ball and commit to coming. It’ll be great to see you all. Feel free to email me at kbird@startribune.com .
Happy trails,
Karen (Meyer) Bird