This was the year Kim turned 50, Chloe turned 16, and Adam turned into a California resident. We were in Vegas and Minnesota and Norris Lake, with all sorts of parties in between. How did we ever find time to work?
February 12-13, 2011 -- There Is Always Hope
Charlie McMahan called me on Tuesday morning, out of the blue, wondering if I would speak that weekend on a topic of conflict resolution -- something he knows is right down my alley. Of course. So I quickly jotted down some notes on what I should say.
In the end, I didn't have any notes with me. Charlie asked me questions, and I took it from there. Being up there with him made it one of the easiest speaking engagements I've ever had.
There's always hope, I said. Provided the conversations go the correct way.
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March 24-29, 2011 -- Vegas, Baby
We stayed at the MGM Grand, which was incredible. We ate at nice restaurants and saw a couple of good shows, and gambled a little. I remember my brother John (the comedian) saying before we went, "Watch out for some of the machines; they are scams. I put four quarters in one of them and all I got was a Coke." I'm not sure where we were exactly, but below may well be one of my all-time favorite photographs of Kim and Chloe.
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May 24, 2011 -- The Worst Day Ever
A wedding, of course, is a happy occasion, and I performed one on Saturday, May 25, 2011. But the day before may well have been one of the worst days I can ever remember.
First, Julie had back surgery and it did not go well. Very painful. Second, I had an objection hearing with Judge Oliver in a high-conflict case and he rendered a verdict that was almost impossible to repeat back to my client. Third, Chloe found out the results of cheerleader tryouts, and after being a varsity basketball cheerleader as a sophomore, she was relegated to JV football only as a junior. To a soon-to-be 16-year-old girl, it was a crushing blow.
