Twenty Years Ago

Twenty years ago today Steven & I went on our first date. It wasn't planned as such, but it ended up being that. In Worcester on Friday nights, there used to be a thing called Friday Night Cruisin'. It's where local hot rod enthusiasts could get together and show off their cars. It was a cheap night out. A bunch of us went, Keith, Di, little Kevin (driving his Mustang convertible), Steve & myself. Keith & Di ditched us to go say good-bye to a friend who was leaving for the summer. Steve, Kev & I decided to go to the movies and see Dragnet--the Tom Hanks/Dan Ackroyd version. After seeing a late show, we ended up at Harry's diner in Westboro for shakes & mozzarella sticks. Mmm..... By then though, I was flat broke and Steve paid for my snacks. He & I had driven around together all night and there was that spark that was the beginning of love. The next morning, we headed to the Cape to see my grandparents and aunt. Upon our return on Sunday, Steve called me to see if I wanted to go to the Beach Boys concert at the then named Great Woods, down in Mansfield, the next night. I was over the moon. And here we are twenty years later, married for fifteen of those years, more in love than every. Life is good.

Schools Out for Summer!!!

Yesterday was the last day of first grade. So not only am I the mother of a seven-year-old, but said child is now officially a second grader! Man oh man! That is exciting stuff.

Second grade for me was one of my favorite school years. I had a wonderful teacher Mrs. St. Andre. She looked out for me from being teased by the other children. When I was having a tough day, she would remind me how special I was and remind me of my strengths such as reading and writing. Second grade was also the year that I had to take remedial gym. Yes, you read that correctly, there is such a thing as remedial gym, I am living proof of that. I was so uncoordinated, I couldn't even jump rope like a normal little girl. Ironically, by the end of the year on field day, I came in first place with my friend Jean Cripe in the three-legged race. Second grade was the year I learned how to write in cursive handwriting. To this day, my writing is far from perfect, but it is unique to me.

Surrounded by Color

I LOVE COLOR!

I've always been drawn to color. Whether it was a box of 64 Crayola crayons, fun pens that I found while on shopping expeditions with Val-Val, or just walking into a scrapbooking store where racks of Bazzill beckon me. I know you can never truly remember a color, but I've got a knack for being pretty darn close. I love colors and certain colors are just me. Brights and soft pastels surprisingly get to me the most. I'm not one for dark or muted colors. Browns & yellows are my least favorite, despite the fact that we painted our bedroom yellow this year--it's a lovely, cheery tropical yellow.

My Baby Really Isn't A Baby Anymore

J technically does not turn 7 until 2:34PM today, but my baby is 7 years old today. I'm having a hard time with 7. I think it's because 7 years ago I had put the final touches on the Winnie-the-Pooh nursery. I had carefully collected all the Classic Pooh characters. In the last few days before his arrival, I had managed to find Kanga & Owl. It was a lovely feeling to have all those "friends" to look over my sweet baby. We transitioned the room a little bit a few years ago to Thomas the Tank Engine curtains and comforter, along with ALL the Thomas toys known to mankind. Now the train table and Thomas toy box are gone. The Pooh characters are all packed up in a box downstairs to someday be passed along to a grandson or granddaughter. The space theme border is sitting in my office ready to cover up the Pooh border and the fabric I bought from my quilt lady is ready to be turned into curtains.

He's so grown up to me, even with the missing front teeth. He reads, he's really good at math (thank goodness he inherited that from Steven), he is passionate about Pokemon, he holds a blue belt in karate and he's just a funny, funny kid.

Seven years ago I was not a mummy yet. Now I am mummy to a wonderful boy.

Public Service Announcement: Air Travel

We just came back from eight days in Florida. This required round trip air travel. The following is a Public Service Announcement:

• When you are waiting in the terminal for your flight and are unable to control your multitude of children, it really is not necessary to screech their names 75 times each. If you can't control them, please don't fly.
• Again, when waiting in the terminal that has too few seats in the waiting area, it is not necessary for you to spread all your carry-on crap over multiple chairs, one chair per person
• Regarding personal hygeine, it is a delicate balance. While it is nice to your fellow passengers to actually you know, bathe before traveling, it is not necessary to dump the entire bottle of cologne or perfume on yourself before you leave home or freshen it up in close proximity to everyone else.
• Once you've boarded the plane and before you depart the gate, I realize that cell phones are still allowed to be used, but is it really necessary for you to call every one of your business contacts and tell them all about Phase 2 of your latest project, interjecting the words "Phase two" every third word? You really aren't all that important in the grand scheme of things and no one around you cares about how important you think you are.
• While on the plane, the people around you don't really want to hear about how your friend is taking flying lessons and survived a crash landing. Really, they don't.
• Your fellow passengers, many of whom are children on their way to Disney World (the Happiest Place on Earth), don't need to hear racist jokes. And there is no need to be offended when one of your fellow passengers tells you to shut up because clearly, if you are telling racist jokes, you are an idiot.
• While in flight, if the seat belt sign is on and there is turbulence, the pilot and flight attendants really do want you to be sitting in your seat with your seat belt fastened. This is not the time to wander around the plane to talk to your friend who is not sitting with you because you boarded the plane at the last minute. And when the flight attendant politely asks you to take your seat, an eye roll & sigh in reply is not necessary. Really, it isn't.

Okaaaay....

It's been ages since I've blogged. Imagine the chuckle I just gave myself over my previous post. Yes folks, you have my official permission to smack me silly next time you see me. At the Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet I agreed to lead the scout den again next year. I called my Aunt Mary when we got home and gave her a good laugh about it. Her words, "See, I told you that you'd be in it until he's an Eagle Scout." Well, that is a long way off, but oh good grief!

Smack Me Silly If Next Year....

....I agree to be the Den Mother for J's Cub Scout den. Currently, I'm the Tiger Cub mummy. Including J, there are 8 boys total. Fortunately, because of cold & flu season, we've not had a full house in a couple of months. Yeah, yeah, you gasp in horror as I am glad for plague & pestulance on small children, you too would wish it too if you were dealing with eight 6/7-year-olds. Trust me, I know of what I speak. Don't get me wrong, I am the first one cheering when one of them earns a belt loop or a badge, but they can suck the life out of me faster than you can say "Pinewood Derby". The first thing I did when I walked in the door was to pull out the ice cube tray and cocktail shaker.

It's been a long night, and my glass is almost empty. Got to rectify that situation right now!

What's gone on with my blog? With my life?

Sad to say, I have lapsed sorely in my blogging duties. Truly pathetic I know. So, you ask, what the hell have you been doing since the end of August?

Cliff Notes version:

September:

• Sent my J off to first grade with a big grin on his face, only to have that grin change when he lost one of his upper teeth.
• Got to go behind the scenes at the NASCAR race in Loudon, NH--stood within feet of Kevin Harvick, the Cat in the Hat, and Benny Parsons (rest in peace BP, who passed away on the 16th of this month).
• Became the den mum for J's Tiger Cub Scout den--Lord help me!

October:

• Steven & I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary quietly--hopefully our 15th will be rockin' in Vegas baby!
• Visited my aunts down in Connecticut and shopped while down there for quilt fabrics for J's quilt.

November:

• Both J & I tested for karate belts. We both earned our yellow major stripe. Only accomplished one board break with my foot and possibly broke a few bones in my fingers (too stubborn to actually go find out since there would be nothing they could do for that anyway).
• Spent Thanksgiving week in Florida at my in-laws new house with the whole fam damnily! You know I need to escape when on Thanksgiving I took the car and went to Wal-Mart for peace & quiet. No. I'm not kidding.
• While in Florida, lived a life dream by going to the Kennedy Space Center. One of the few times in my life I felt tiny in the universe while standing under a Saturn V rocket.

December:

• Steven finally painted our bedroom a beautiful yellow (Benjamin Moore Mellow Yellow #2020-50)! Can't wait to finish decorating it!

January:

• Tested for and earned my blue belt in karate. Accomplished both board breaks for the first time (I RULE!). Took a nasty, uncontrolled kick in the abdomen from an opponent during sparring. Stupid git never apologized.

• Partied last night with the karate chicks.

There! Almost five months of catching up in one post! What's next?

Finally!

It's taken 8 months, 3 karate tests (should have been 4) and LOTS of sore muscles, but I FINALLY broke a board during Saturday's karate test for my yellow belt! Sensei had me start back at the beginning of board break testing, Hammer Fist Vertical strike. It took 3 times, but that third time was a charm and I did it! I doubt that I will have any more problems with that again!

My Quilt!

Last Friday I picked up my finished quilt. My first quilt (and most likely, not my last!).

What started out as this was magically transformed into this:






Suffice to say I am thrilled that I could make a nice quilt.

It's Awful to Say, But Thank Goodness....

Last Friday there was an incredible thunder & lightning storm here in central Massachusetts. After it passed my parents called to say they were okay, but a tree in their next door neighbor's house was hit by lightning and they went out of their chairs when they heard it. The problem was it was a 90' tree and could fall on either it's owners house or my parents. Dad spoke with his neighbor and the neighbor said not only were they dealing with that, but all the electronics in their house had blown out when the lightning struck and their TV set had blown up. Yikes! But he promised he'd have the tree taken out. This morning Mum & Dad noticed that a tree company was over giving it all a once over for an estimate. This afternoon, a wind struck up and my parents heard another loud noise. They looked out the window to see most of the tree had fallen on the neighbor's roofline and most of his back deck.

Naturally, being curious creatures, we rushed right over. I couldn't help but stand there and think, "Thank goodness the wind was not blowing towards my parents house, otherwise it could have been their master bedroom anihilated by that pine tree." Then we talked with the neighbors parents who are visiting from Canada. She said another half an hour and her son would have been out on the deck grilling up their dinner. Instead, they were looking to get take-out for the night.

And Now For The Utterly Inane

J spent the last 2 weeks taking daily swim lessons at the local YMCA. It's a half hour long class and since I'm not a member, I can't go walk the track or on the treadmill. Thus I am forced to sit in the lobby and listen to the inane chatter around me. If there was ever something that would send me over the edge to start binge drinking it might be if I had to spend more than a half hour sitting there listening the most ridiculous of conversations and observing the sociology class that is a typical soccer/swim mom and her offspring.

There is so much fodder in my brain on this, I may have to select just my favorites and reserve the rest for another time.

Musing #1: It doesn't matter how sing-songy you make your voice towards your darling little cherub as they are beating another child over the head. They aren't going to listen to you if you make it sound like Mary Poppins singing "A Spoonful of Sugar". Trust me, they will continue to bludgeon their playmate.

Musing #2: After dropping off your child at the swimming pool, you are supposed to exit the area via one of the locker rooms, not the emergency exit with the sign telling you exit via the emergency exit. Ergo, you have NO RIGHT to complain that the chlorine has corroded the metal door and that you'll get rust smears on your white pants as you butt your way out the door to herd your other children out of the pool area.

Musing #3: The lifeguard is really serious when he tells you to stop your child while they are running around the pool area, despite the numerous signs that clearly state in large red letters, "NO RUNNING!"

Musing #4: The whole lobby does not need to hear how you and your diet buddy are doing eating 2 ounces of chicken, a quarter of a potato and a HUMONGOUS salad for dinner and then wonder why half an hour later you are starving and wanting to eat all the ice cream treats you bought for the kids. And further more, it is amazing how a grown woman can make herself look utterly ridiculous wearing a cropped Hello Kitty shirt with her hair in two on-top-of-the-head pony tails and her yoga pants because "she's going to go work out on the treadmill for two hours" while her kids are in the Child Watch.

All that said, I'm off to the YMCA to sign J up for day camp for a week next month. The one saving grace, I can drop him at 9AM and leave the facility until 4PM. The inane is avoidable.

Happy Independence Day!

Thank you to all of our American servicemen and servicewomen, whether you are stationed abroad or here at home. You are all wonderful, valuable people. Thank you for loving your country enough to protect it. God Bless you all for protecting our independence.

The UPS Man is My New Best Friend

Today was just one of those great days to see Big Brown pull up outside Casa de Owen. Not only did he have my Stampin' Up! 2006-2007 Catalog & Idea Books, but also my SU order for my June hostess club and the books that I ordered. Suffice to say, it was a good day and I gave the UPS guy the biggest smile he'd seen today (he said so!). Now I'm in that post-catalog-review haze. My brain is swirling with ideas. I'm trying to figure out what I want to order on Saturday when I can place an order. Oh such a dilemma to have (and Steve & J will be off getting J a haircut, so I'll have the house to myself when I place my order!!!)!!!!!!

Aghast

My in-laws keep their boat in a boatyard in Tiverton, RI during the winter. It's taken out of the water and shrink wrapped for the winter, then put back in the water for the spring. Once it goes in the water, they keep it at that marina for a couple of weeks for repairs, cleaning, etc. Once the nice weather comes, they cross the Narragansett Bay to their home marina in Wickford. This year, they were in a slip next to a sailboat named Free Spirit. Aboard were four people, three Englishmen and a young woman we would find out was from Newport, RI. Jonathan had fun talking with Molly and Jack (one of the younger men). The spent time talking with him and told him about their world trip that would continue as the better weather arrived. That was early May. This past Friday we had the noon news on when we heard about a sailboat that had left Newport only days before was being searched for by the Coast Guard. Steven & I looked at each other and said, "Naw. It couldn't be those people." Sadly it has turned out to be the very ones. Jonathan told us after we left that day back in May, that he had a crush on Molly because she was pretty and nice.

Apparently the Free Spirit was caught up in the stormy waters that Tropical Depression Alberto had created in the Atlantic Ocean, as it came north. The captain called his step-daughter on the satellite phone to say they needed help. That was Wednesday and the search began with U.S. and Canadian coast guards. This afternoon, the rescue search was called off after no sign of the Free Spirit or her crew.

We're aghast at the realization that we met these people, spent an afternoon chatting with them and now they are all gone at Mother Nature's hands.

Rest in peace
Molly Finn, 19
Jack Bielecki, 19
Jacek Bielecki, 56
Richard White, 34

Your families and friends are in our thoughts and prayers.

An ACK! And a mea culpa!!!!

As my dear friend Kathy just pointed out to me, I have forgotten my favorite Irishman! So he gets a blog entry all his own. Please forgive me U2 frontman!

BONO

I am a bad, bad party girl.

The Fantasy Men

There are too many of them to be on my "List" a la Friends, but here's my list (in the only fair way I can think of, so no one man is slighted over another, alphabetically) of gorgeous men that I wouldn't throw out of bed for eating crackers:

• Christian Bale
• Benjamin Bratt
  
• Don Cheadle
• Sean Connery
• John Cusack
  
• Patrick Dempsey
• Johnny Depp
• Hugh Jackman
• Jesse L. Martin
• Matthew McConnaghey
• Brad Pitt
• Keanu Reeves
• Rick Springfield
• Patrick Stewart
• Jason Thompson
• Chow Yun-Fat
  

Monday Musings

• School is almost out.
• The once sunny day is clouding up.
• I'm getting through all the laundry.
• I saw an awesome picture of Brad Pitt today.
• Tomorrow night I'm going to the movies with my friend Trish to see X-Men 3 (again).
• We saw Cars at the movies yesterday (go see it!).
• We had a wonderful rib dinner at a friend's house last night with ice cream sandwiches for dessert.
• Another week and I'll be back at my karate classes.
• Sudoku rules!
• Five album covers at Goldstamp to be embossed.
• Bottles of Prima flowers lined up on my shelves make me happy.
  

The Fireflies

I like children. And sometimes I don't like them so much. Imagine my surprise as I volunteered every week in J's kindergarten class this school year, that I love being a part of the teaching system. With budget cutbacks, there is not enough in the budget to cover assistant teachers every day. So they have relied more heavily than ever on volunteers. I've truly loved working with these 19 children. As the school year comes to a close, I'm realizing that experience is about to end. I've got one more day in the classroom with them and that's it. I'm feeling a bit sad about that. They are all wonderful little kids, each different in their own way. Some I will cross paths with in the new school, but most I won't. I hope the Fireflies all enjoy their future school experiences as much as I've enjoyed this year.

Life is for the Living

This weekend was a crazy one, yet despite the pressures to put on a kindergarten and a separate family/friends birthday party, it was all good.

My friend Kim spent the weekend with us because of family circumstances. Kim is the one whose daughter, Meggie died 18 months ago. Despite it, Kim is a tower of strength. She is now a child safety advocate and is trying to get a bill passed in the U.S. House (H.R. 1861 The Katie Elise and Meghan Agnes Act). Her outlook on daily living is so different from what it once was, understandably so. We spent much of our time laughing and giggling about silly things, but we also talked about Meggie. Kim shared things with me about the day Meggie died that I never asked about, but was always curious. Kim also spent time talking with my son, who turned 6 on Sunday. He was only 4-1/2 when Meggie died and he's never truly understood what it means when a friend dies. They apparently had a really good talk about it all. Saturday night after a long day of birthday parties and he was in bed, we talked about Meggie and all that has happened as a result. Kim told me every detail of that horrible day in their lives. I sat and cried as she spoke. At one point she asked me if it was too hard for me to hear and I said no. It was hard, but I needed to hear it. As her friend and as a mother, I needed to understand her pain.

Before we went to bed in the early morning hours we hugged one last time. She is one of my oldest friends and we've both had our ups and downs with our relationship--as can be the case with any friendship. What a blessing that some twenty-three years, marriages, children, the death of one of those children, we are still together. What a gift life is that we can enjoy it together. Life truly is for the living through happiness and sadness.