2001

We left on a Wednesday evening out of the Columbus Airport -- our destination, Tuscon, where our friends and former neighbors, Kevin and Arlene Clements, now lived. On one of the days Kevin and I payed golf, and on another we went across the border into Mexico. This place was nice, but there were so many parts I could not bear to see, mainly all of the small children wandering the streets begging for money. Not a fan of the begging, for sure.

September 6, 2001 -- If nothing else, it was 15 hours of CLE credit. But the 2-day Collaborative Law training turned out to be so mu...h more than a way to satisfy my education requirement. It reminded me of how smart and creative good lawyers are, and actually made me proud to be a divorce lawyer. The general idea was not to get down in the mud with our clients so that everyone was filthy dirty, but instead to lift them out and show them how to resolve conflict -- not just be part of it. I was blown away by the whole experience, and John McElwee became my personal guru.

Five days later, the world exploded in a much different way.

November 19, 2001 -- This may be the most iconic photograph in Kirby family history, with all of us in Disney World. We were all in Florida to be part of the Norm Schlicklin memorial service, but since we were already in Sarasota, the decision was made for all of us to go to Disney World in Orland, too. As much as Dad loved the place, I'm glad we got to share this experience with him.