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28 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Winter 2018 - 2019 “I enjoy the time with them individually because I get to see the dynamics of each of them and to get to really know them. It’s just so interesting to learn the uniqueness about each one,” she explained. She has been to North Carolina and the surrounding area three times including a trip to the Smoky Mountains. She’s taken two cruises, one to Mexico and another to the Bahamas. She has been to Natchez, MS, about which she said “I thoroughly enjoyed”. The trip to Natchez was to see the hot air balloon festival and she had hopes to find someone who might let her climb aboard for a journey. You see, when Kathleen and Randy went on that date and saw the movie “Around the World in 80 Days”, she had always wanted to experience a trip in a hot air balloon. Her husband Randy al- ways said to her jokingly “We will go only if I can drive it!”. After all these years, she just re- cently got to go up in a hot air balloon. When she and her son Randy Robert and his wife Bonnie went to Natchez, they arrived later than planned and missed the balloons flying, but Kathleen was determined to inquire about getting a ride in a balloon. A gentleman they knew had a friend in Hancock County that eventually made her longtime desire happen just a few weeks ago. “It was so much fun and a great experience. The friend of a friend needed a crew and it all worked out. We went up for an hour and forty minutes. But before that happened, we had to be the chase crew for the balloon for a couple who went first, and then they were the chase crew for us while we were up. We had a ball! It was a great experience and reminded me of sailing which Randy (husband) and I loved while in Panama City,” Kathleen said. In January, she will be going to the Orlando, FL, area, but not to see what most people go there to see. In fact, this will be her second trip for a particular purpose. The first one she took with her grandson Garrett for this same purpose was to Las Vegas. “He is into the positioning of car washes and it’s quite fascinat- ing once you understand the way it works. He takes online data about the number of cars that pass by a particular location and does some analysis on what the most strategic location would be if not the current location. It’s really interesting to me to learn all of this and realize how this is all used for where to build one,“ she said with a wide-eyed expression. While on the trip to Las Vegas, they also continued on to the Northwest to see Mount McKinley. In March, she is going to Hawaii with her son Randy and his wife Bonnie. As she is getting older, Kathleen is currently engaged as being “the box, the bag, and the stack lady” as she described herself in her own words. This is a journey for herself and she has told the family she does not want any assistance. Kathleen said she is going through all of her things, some of which go all the way back to her great-grandparents, as well as the mountain of books that she and her husband Randy had accumulated. “Randy and I liked to read and we have tons of books, so that will take some time. I’m going through everything I own and asking the children and grandchildren if they want this or that, and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, and what to put in my two booths at Lynn’s (Barze’ Place Antique & Collectives Mall in Picayune). It’s something that I have to do,” she said with conviction. Kathleen believes in education. While Randy was finishing up at Washington University, she was attending Webster College. When they were in Panama City, she attended Gulf Coast Community College. But she also sees the impor- tance of education well beyond just schools and classrooms. “As I’ve said before to many people, we have so many ways for people to learn. I think that’s why I believe in what libraries can do for people,” Holland said. Before his death, Kathleen and her husband Randy made a donation to make sure the circulation desk at Margaret Reed Crosby Library in Picayune is handicap accessible. Others have contributed as well, and it makes her feel good that so many people care. “Randy and I have always believed that the mission of the library is for everyone, “ Kathleen stated. On that note, if you get a chance to sit down and have a conversation with Kathleen, it’s a must as she is a fun person to sit and talk to about just about anything. She is fascinating with her broad knowledge of topics and areas and you’ll learn something as she shares stories and her life experiences. She’s an educator at heart and mind. And Kathleen Holland is a treasure. S