Bring on the new year … please!

I’m an admitted cock-eyed optimist by nature, but as 2018 ended I found myself looking back thinking, “What the heck was THAT?”

It’s hard to recall a year that was personally more challenging and difficult. In January I found myself enmeshed in what would just last week be designated No. 2 in the Top 10 stories of the year by the Coeur d’Alene Press. I had a child who was going through difficulties and needed me to be present and supportive, like mamas do no matter the age of our children. Professionally, it was a transitional year that was not all rainbows and unicorns. Simply as an act of self-preservation, I found myself retreating emotionally and literally from drama that was overwhelming.

But if I were to put the list of incredible experiences for 2018 side-by-side with the challenges, I’d come out a winner.

There was the 2018 Academy Awards red carpet adventure, welcoming audiences to three months of performances of live musical theater by Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, a visit with three generations of my baby sister Ronna’s family when they came “home” to Coeur d’Alene, squeezing in lake time with girlfriends, numerous trips to L.A., soaking up some Phoenix sunshine, spending three days with iconic actor Ed Asner when he performed a show at NIC, a week in Amsterdam falling in love with the Dutch, a train trip with my husband over Thanksgiving to visit family and experience the sleeper car for the first time. And then Christmas with more family here for the holiday. Far more smiles and laughs than tears in the past 12 months.

I’ll take the lessons learned into the new year … I’m stronger than I knew, family is everything, real friends are a gift and there are far more kind people than hateful people. I’m ready for 2019, happy New Year to all!

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I’m often asked how to have a name appear in Main Street birthdays. What started as an occasional birthday shout-out a couple of decades ago has grown to include nearly two thousand best wishes annually to the newly-arrived, centenarians and everyone of every age in-between.

I’ve collected birthdays through the years that people send to me or tell me about and the sheer volume is sometimes staggering, even with the help of an electronic birthday reminder program, and in recent years, the addition of Facebook.

Something that wouldn’t occur to readers is that I also routinely look through obituaries to see if someone who’s been included in the Main Street birthdays has passed away. Sometimes a family member will contact me but more often than not, it’s caught in the perusal of the newspaper’s published obituaries. Not a foolproof, method as once or twice a year I wish a happy birthday to someone who’s no longer living.

If you’d like to add birthdays to this column for 2019, the best way is via email: mainstreet@cdapress.com. Similarly, if you’d like to remove a birthday, same method. Online, add your birthday directly to my calendar reminder at https://birthdayalarm.com/bd4/89b3xmi2/Kerri-Thoreson

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Linda and Bob Davis win the Grandparents of Christmas 2018 Award. They are the parents to 10, and their grandchildren number 40! Six years ago they began a very special Christmas treat for all. Beginning at the end of November, Linda and Bob treat individual family groups of their children, their spouses and the grandchildren to a visit to Dockside at The Coeur d’Alene Resort for “gooey” desserts. That’s a lot of ice cream over the course of a month! I love that it makes a special Christmas memory for each family with Grandma and Grandpa Davis.

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Last Thursday morning a couple of enterprising young boys from down the block came to the door with snow shovels and asked if we’d like them to shovel our sidewalk and driveway. I asked how much they charged. They replied that they were just helping out in the neighborhood and their mom told them not to ask for money.

The pair did a really good job so I went out and handed them each several dollars and some Christmas cookies. I told them it was a tip and thanked them for being hard workers. I also asked them to tell their mom thank you for raising such good sons. Nicolas and Caleb made my day!

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When the snow arrived the day after Christmas my brother-in-law — visiting from North Dakota — was enjoying the view. He remarked that he doesn’t see snow like ours very often. I asked how Idaho snow was different from North Dakota snow. “Ours blows sideways, yours falls straight down,” he replied.

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Happy birthday today to Bob McIlvenna, Cindy Warren, Nicole Barnes, Jerry Roth (70!) and Dion Unruh. Tomorrow Harvey Dougall, Katie Soy, Jeff Block and Erika Umphenour celebrate. On Friday Darrell Whitesitt, Debbie Ferguson, Andrew Hansen, Norman Tucker, Bert Storlie and Brandon Sutich blow out their candles. Wish a happy birthday on Saturday to Marty Hayes, Jamie Lynn Morgan, Sherri Patton, Phil Eager, Thad Bolek, Timothy Barrett, Andrew Hansen (18!), Dirk Darrow, Rick Gunther, Shaina Nomee and Debbie Raeon. On Sunday Gary (GA) Allen, Colton Peugh, Bobby Wilhelm, Kris Cederburg, Kim Dennison, Griffin McAndrew, Christina Sedgwick, Will Moore, Robert Green, Dale Kreager, Judi Caceres and Kellie McCracken share a birthday. Katie Marmon, Dale Kreager and Sydne Watson will make a wish on Monday. Jerry Sparling, Donna Trueblood, Sandy Wendell, Fondra McGee, Marc Kroetch and Rebecca Mort add another candle to their cake on Monday. Dan Ryan, Robert Coles, Ed Anderson, Cristy Bauer, Avery Hunt, Pat Mitchell, Sandy Emerson, Jennifer King, Patricia Lozano, Cathy Evjen and Esther Webb will do the birthday dance on Jan. 8.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.