My year in Rome (Georgia, that is)

I never expected to visit, and definitely never thought I’d live in the South. 
What an incredible experience it has been!  During this past year I:

• made friends ranging in age from 26-79
• became the steward of the historic “Lester-Harbin” home at 309 East Third Street, built in the 1880s, and
• was so lovingly welcomed into the Gilbert/Harbin clan
• learned to say a passable y’all
• started to love eating grits, especially when made with cheddar and jalapenos
• finally seen the Chihuli exhibit (at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens)
• kayaked on the Etowah River (in a bright pink rented kayak)
• spent time in Chattanooga, TN – just 75 minutes from my home
• enjoyed a weekend in Nashville where we heard local singer-songwriters, went to the Grand Ole Opry and during a backstage tour saw where my favorite show “Nashville” shoots scenes and even stood on the circle in the middle of the stage
• finally read “Gone with the Wind” and recognized places mentioned
• joined a small Reform synagogue where I was able to be a congregant for the first time in 11 years and since I lived 2 blocks away, walked “to shul”
• created two websites from scratch
• started and began to build my private practice as an eating psychology coach
• taken road trips to the beach, including falling in love with “the redneck Riviera”
• had the pleasure of living walking distance to downtown – and learned that by being on foot, you really do have the opportunity to “stop and smell the roses” and meet neighbors and see what is blooming at various times throughout the year
• climbed to the top of the historic Rome Clock Tower at the summer gathering of the folks who live “between the rivers”
• went trick-or-treating with my 10-year-old friend and godson Guy
• watched the zombie run from the bottom of Myrtle Hill Cemetery
• went to the opening of The River Dog Outpost on Christmas Eve 2015
• attended the Rome Shakespeare Festival’s (first season) performance of Midsummer Night’s Dream
• found my yoga “tribe” at the YMCA and actually attended classes regularly and without reluctance
• kept a small garden alive
• explored the stunning beautiful campus of Berry College by bike and foot
• said a poignant farewell to the patriarch of my husband’s family, his dad James (Jim) L. Mousseau – a funny, caring, loving, irreverent and incredible father, father-in-law, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather…

 
For all these experiences and friendships and so much more, I am deeply humbled and very grateful.