"Still hanging, addicted as ever but somewhat humbled"

Greetings fellow collectors. I have been absent from the journal arena for some time but have tried to keep up with the "goings on" by reading all the inspiring and educational posts by the rest of you. First of all, congratulations to all the registry award winners as they did not win them without earning them. I am so thankful to be in the collective collecting community of this forum. Each and every one of you has taught me so much and I hope all of you have a safe and blessed year going forward.

I have had one of the things happen to me that we all have gone thru or that we will go thru at some point in our life and that is the failed health of a loved one. In the fall my father, who will be 81 next month God willing had a stroke. I have been very busy attempting to help him regain his strength which with him as stubborn as he is, is no small task. My business has suffered and of course the coin buying has slowed but I have found that reading about others and their achievments is the next best thing to being there. I have spent most of the last few months either in the hospital with my dad or at his home and then driving back and forth the eighty plus miles back to my home to have my two boys every other weekend. But I was able to bring him to my home for Christmas where he, my two boys and even had my daughter home from law school (she is in her second year at the home of the recently crowned "National Champion" Florida Gators) Having said all that, I am very grateful that 2009 has started off as good as it has. I even have a six coin submission in Quality Control as I write.

Looking back on numismatics for 2008 I can not beleive how "all over the place" I have been in my collection. I have jumped from one set to another and then to yet another. I have a strange relationship with my coins but at this point I feel like a whore jumping from one to another and another and so on and so on... I was able to complete my silver eagles in proof (except the 95-W which I will never own in this lifetime) and lack only the 1998 in the mint state set. I also got on a one tenth oz. gold eagle kick that I was attempting to assemble in MS 70. That is 'til I saw what the '91 was going to set me back so I changed my tune and will gladly settle for 69's on several in that set. I also got on a Morgan dollar craze, a set I swore I would never attempt with the "zillion" differant vam's, not to mention the length of the run. Then there was the Mercury dimes and other pre 1933 gold ect. ect. ect. See what I mean, do I sound like a tramp addict or what?

Anyway I think I am forced to go into hibernation mode due to things that are out of my control or should I say that I am out of control. I really feel that gold is where to be in 2009 and going forward if it's not yellow, I will try to pass, even if that means I only get one or two coins this year. It's funny how things change but yet remain the same. I am going to blame this long post on Revenant who touched on my whereabouts. Again congrats to you and neverman and all you other winners. In fact even if you didn't win, you're all winners in my book in this great "Hobby of Kings" we all hold so dear. In closing jayh749 had a great idea about as many of us that can, try to get to Orlando Fl. for next years Fun show. None of us are getting any younger and it would be nice to "lay an eyeball" on a few of you that all we get to do is read about. Until then,

Happy Collecting to all of you! Kerry