web1_bbq1_faa.jpg

Police K-9 unit fundraiser a popular event Sunday in Wilkes-Barre

web1_Wilkes-Barre-City-Police.jpg

Police: Suspect apprehended after attempting to elude police

<p>Last week found me driving to the Philadelphia International Airport after midnight to pick up my daughter, Caitlyn, after a trip to California.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t sure I could do it.</p><p>I was driving my other daughter&#8217;s van, much bigger than my Kia sedan. The Northeast Extension of the Turnpike was filled with construction that made the lanes narrow, I didn&#8217;t know where I should park when I arrived at the airport.</p><p>I was torn between excitement at seeing my daughter again and fear that I wouldn&#8217;t return.</p><p>So, I did what I usually do when I need direction: I posted to Facebook asking where I should park upon reaching my destination.</p><p>Several friends responded, &#8220;Park at the cell phone lot, it&#8217;s wonderful.&#8221;</p><p>A cell phone lot? What did that even mean?</p><p>My GPS provided me with directions to the airport, and specifically to the lot, where I could wait for my daughter.</p><p>Not only that, I was able to successfully pick her up and get us both safely home.</p><p>At 53, I had done a new thing and I plan to continue to seek out new experiences.</p><p>For example, last week, my son and my son-in-law disappeared from a family gathering on bicycles that were way too little for them.</p><p>When I asked my daughter where they went, she said, &#8220;To the gym; they&#8217;ll be back in 20 minutes.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;To the gym,&#8221; I thought. &#8220;They&#8217;ll be back in 20 minutes? How could that be?&#8221;</p><p>I learned later that day that the two had not been to a gym to lift weights or to run around a track, but to a virtual gym to fight Pokemon characters.</p><p>I admit that, at first, because I didn&#8217;t understand the game, I was a bit wary.</p><p>Why were people running around town looking at their phones? Why had they developed a whole new set of vocabulary that seemed difficult to learn? Why is there always something new coming down the pike that requires my focused attention?</p><p>I felt like a first grader as I clumsily downloaded the app, entered my information and looked at the screen.</p><p>But, still, something inside me was driving me forward to learn something.</p><p>When challenged, I tend to insist on pushing the limits, trying a new thing, doing it a new way.</p><p>When an editor emailed me later in the week to tell me that I would be covering a Pokemon event, I&#8217;d be lying if I said I was totally prepared.</p><p>But, as I made my way to the square, ready to both livestream (also a new skill that I&#8217;ve learned) and play a bit of Pokemon before interviewing for the story, my adrenalin kicked in and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about something that didn&#8217;t even exist a month ago.</p><p>As I walked back to the Times Leader building (I admit, I was still looking for Pokemon characters after having captured a &#8220;squirtle&#8221;), I was thinking about how much better my life has been because I&#8217;ve been willing to grow and change.</p><p>I held on to my flip phone until my children insisted I get a smartphone, and now I do everything on it, from watching movies to reporting back to the newsroom to shooting some video for the paper.</p><p>Over 15 years ago, when two of my sons dragged in a treadmill a neighbor had offered them, I ordered them to get rid of it immediately.</p><p>Then I got on it.</p><p>&#8220;Not so fast,&#8221; I thought. &#8220;I think I like walking on this thing.&#8221;</p><p>Now all these years and one new treadmill later, I walk on my treadmill almost everyday.</p><p>On days when I am particularly motivated, I watch an entire episode of &#8220;Murder, She Wrote,&#8221; while walking several miles.</p><p>Still, I thought I had hit my &#8220;try a new thing&#8221; limit when, on a recent night, I went to trade cars with my son Nate so he could take mine on vacation, and he said, &#8220;I&#8217;ll just go get the dog.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Just go get the dog?&#8221; I said.</p><p>&#8220;Yes, Zack (my younger son) said you guys would watch the dog for the weekend,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;Wait,&#8221; I said, still hopeful I might be able to talk him out of it. &#8220;I&#8217;ve never watched a dog. What about the cat? Does he go to the bathroom in the house?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll figure it out,&#8221; he said, handing me dog food, a leash and some treats.</p><p>And I did.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Gibbons.cmyk_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Geri Gibbons Beyond the Byline </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_Gibbons.cmyk_.jpg</photo0><caption0>Geri Gibbons Beyond the Byline </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_13694241_10209410159548024_704055031_o.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jagger with his toy pig during my first experience dogsitting. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_13694241_10209410159548024_704055031_o.jpg</photo1><caption1>Jagger with his toy pig during my first experience dogsitting. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: A van, a dog and a cellphone game were my newest challenges