Episode 72: October – December 2015

Highlights of the quarter:

• Farewell parties in Michigan;
• Tony and Julie visit Midland;
• Stephanie’s 50^th birthday celebrations – Viva Las Vegas style;
• Deb starts her new job in New York;
• Thanksgiving in Oklahoma;
• Deb’s weekend in London;
• Holidays in Australia (via Los Angeles).

October was a busy month saying our goodbyes to the amazing friends we’ve made in Michigan, wrapping up things at work, and getting ready for the big move east.  Dad and Julie came to visit through the month, and we spent the weekend exploring Midland like tourists, which was a lot of fun.  The farewell parties were plentiful, beginning with pasta night at Jane and Dean’s, which was messy and delicious.  Next came a slumber party with the girls at Paula’s, which included matching pajamas for all, a viewing of Magic Mike XXL, and staying up very late telling stories.  Another celebration involved a two-day winery trip around Traverse City, Michigan, and the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula.  It gave us the chance to tour one of our favorite parts of Michigan, trying out some great new wines while enjoying great company.  Our friends, Michelle and Ed, hosted a Big Apple themed farewell at their house, which saw us dancing and singing well into the late hours of the night.

My dear friend, Stephanie, celebrated her 50^th birthday with a girls’ long weekend in Las Vegas.  The highlight of the weekend was our very own lip sync competition, which I had been rehearsing for in the weeks leading up to it.  I settled on a mash-up of Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and Madonna’s “Vogue”, which was highly entertaining, if I do say so myself.  We also soaked in the sun at the MGM Grand hotel pool for a day and saw the amazing Cirque du Soleil “One” show that was a touching tribute to Michael Jackson.  Steph, Anna-Mary, and I saw the Celine Dion show – we couldn’t convince Lola and Michelle to join for that one.  Steph and I have wanted to see Celine in concert for years, and Celine definitely didn’t disappoint.  We capped off a terrific weekend with a beautiful dinner at Le Cirque.

On the work front, before I left Dow, I had the opportunity to visit the Australian ambassador’s home in Washington D.C. for a reception commemorating the 75^th anniversary of Australia and U.S. diplomatic relations.  I also attended the Fortune Magazine “Most Powerful Women” conference in Washington D.C., which was an impressive collection of accomplished women sharing success stories and tips, as well as sharing views about the political, economic, and social issues impacting business today.  The FLOTUS (First Lady of the U.S.), Michelle Obama, gave the keynote speech at one of the dinners and was even more impressive in person than she appears on television.  And back in Midland, I was also very humbled to receive the Junior Achievement “Rising Star” leadership award which I graciously accepted early in October.

We were fortunate to sell our house in Midland very quickly, and Neal spent a good part of November taking care of that as well as handling all the logistics associated with the move.  And at the end of the month, I waved a final goodbye to Dow and Michigan and boarded the plane with suitcases in tow to begin the next career and life chapter in New York.

The transition to my new company, Bunge, was quite the whirlwind.  In two months I had my first Board, Executive Committee, and global HR team meetings, met with at least 200 people, and visited our offices in Geneva, Brazil, and Argentina.  So far, I am having a great time.  At the same time, Neal was going through his own whirlwind – for about two weeks in December, he was locked down in New York City working on the Dow-Dupont mega-merger that got announced just before the holidays.

We were very grateful to be able to take a few days off together over the long Thanksgiving weekend, which we spent in Oklahoma with Surekha and Neal’s grandparents.  All are doing great, and besides the quality time we spent with the three of them, we also had the chance to catch up with family friends in Stillwater.  On our last day in Oklahoma, we were welcomed with a rare ice storm, which was incredible to witness.  The freezing rain left a thick coating of ice on all the trees, which is very beautiful to look at but certainly made walking and driving tricky.

For the majority of the quarter, Neal traveled back and forth between Michigan and New York.  We were not together much, but when we were both in New York, we managed to explore a little of our new surrounds, enjoy the Christmas atmosphere and amazing lights in New York City, and begin our search for an apartment.

During a business trip to Europe, I squeezed in a weekend in London and caught up with my sister, Carol, and her girlfriend, Sarah.  It was a great weekend of sightseeing and catching up.

We ended the year with a big trip to Australia.  After a long trip from New York to Los Angeles, we took a short break there to say Merry Christmas to Dad and Julie and see them one final time before they pack their bags in mid-January and permanently head back to Australia to begin retirement.  After a short break with them, we boarded the long flight to Melbourne where we spent Christmas and rang in the New Year.

We arrive in Melbourne on Christmas Eve and spent that day with extended family at Mum’s.  Christmas day was spent at a beachside café with Carol, Candace, Rohan, and Katja.  The following day we headed up to St. Leonards on the Bellarine Peninsula where we rented a holiday house for the week and welcomed many day and overnight guests to spend some of their Christmas break with us at the beach.  Surrounded by family and friends, this was where we welcomed the New Year.  We were so grateful to have ended the year surrounded by so many of our loved ones.  Those of you who weren’t with us in person were certainly with us in thought.

Here’s wishing you all good health, happiness, laughter, and success in 2016!