Memory Monday

First up, because she's been on my mind lately, is my only girl cousin, Audrey.

My pseudo-sister.

One of my best friends.  And, easily, one of my favorite people in the world.

Audrey always epitomized "cool".

Where I always looked up to my sisters, I also resented them in a lot of ways.  They were the competition.  They were "better" or "prettier" or "cooler".  I couldn't keep up, couldn't match up.  But with Audrey, I never had to.  She was my friend.  She accepted me, she loved me and she liked hanging out with me.  Even though she was way cooler & almost 5 years older than me.

We shared clothes (the ones I could squeeze into, she always let me borrow!), we had great times out at the movies and, eventually, the bars.

I have so many great memories of fun bars, crazy people, fast food and late nights.  But my memory to share today is the night we went to some bar in Long Island.  Z-100 was there.  There were like, a dozen dance floors. 

We were not sober.  I'll leave it at that, although I will caveat with the "we were not driving" bit - because we really weren't.

Audrey had just started dating Kenny so Dori and I were essentially each other's dates.  Ironic, considering that years later, Dori came out of the closet.  But that's cool.

We danced, drank and had so much fun.  I remember dancing like I was being paid to do it.

Imagine - at the same place as Z-100!  If that means anything to you...  considering how far from NY I have come.

Kenny got all bent out of shape because we ran into some ex-boyfriend of Audrey's that we were so excited to see (primarily Auds, since I don't think Kenny really cared that I was happy to see him).

We woke up around 4:00 in the afternoon the next day with the giggles.  Still.

What an awesome night.

Seriously.  I could do an "Audrey" Memory Monday every other week and have a good one.

I love that girl.

Dear Hebron BOE-

Insanity: 

doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

What part of 

"lack of communication" or 

"can't approve if I don't know what it is" or 

"FAILED AGAIN" 

do you not understand?

How do expect that holding a Press Conference to announce that you are not telling anyone anything will yield different results than the first two times that your budget failed at referendum?

You have gone from a 3% increase to a 1.5% increase and are now being asked to deliver a 0% budget.  After failing to deliver your message the first two times (what will be cut, how will X be in implemented, what about next year, why now) you have officially announced that you will once again, fail to deliver your message.

Why on Earth do you think that will work?

I support you.  I support our schools and our kids.  I love our town.  

I know that our school system is all we have to brag about in Hebron.  People do not move their young families to this town for Ted's or the shiny new Xtra Mart.

 

I voted yes twice already.  This time, I am not sure what to do.

  What difference will it make?  

How will voting NO (as you are hoping I will) get my message across now?  

Do you really think that after losing to people who DON'T want to add money to our school budgets you can sway the minority that do and THEN some this time around and win?

You have lost twice already.

You have lost again already.  

This entire process was handled so badly it is mind boggling and here you are again, 

completely befuddling the public with your "good intentions" and utter lack of a plan.

Ridiculous.

Ellington, here we come.

I spent the morning in Abby's classroom today.  It is one of the simplest pleasures of being mommy.  Abby was over the moon excited that I was going to walk with her into her classroom and stay the whole time to "help".
{I did help - I put together a project for tomorrow and took down a whole season's worth of artwork on the big bulletin board!  It was nice to be a help.  But that Abby was setting me up for it was the best part.}
I haven't been in to volunteer since Christmastime.  I can't bring Wyatt and finding a sitter for a weekday morning is near impossible.  Now that Stina is done with school I can squeeze in a couple of mornings before the school year ends and that's cool.
I haven't publicly adored her teachers enough.  I try to tell them, acknowledge them, thank them but I haven't done so publicly.  Mostly because I don't really know if it's ok to talk about them (names, pictures) in a public domain like this.  But today I brought my camera into the classroom and was given full permission to shoot pictures, informed "we've all signed the release form" so I feel fine about it now.
Abby absolutely adores her teachers.  Her Pre-K teacher is "Mrs. M".  She is polite and kind and warm without being that high-pitched, overly-touchy-feely sort of preschool teacher that makes you wonder about their actual credentials.
I don't mind admitting that her professionalism sometimes makes me feel like a boar.  I tend to over-do and over-say things at times (no, really!) and she seems to remain calm and collected at all times.  People that stay that rational make me nervous.
This is about the kid, though, so let me go on.

She misses Mrs. M by Sunday night.
She teaches Wyatt how to share, how to read and how to use his "inside voice" by quoting Mrs. M and showing him what Mrs. M shows her.
She clearly loves and respects her teacher.
And she can draw people with head, arms, body, legs and faces; she can write her name as well as a few other words and most of her letters;  she can count to 30; she knows all of her shapes; she knows the days of the week, the month we're in, the date and the seasons.  I did not teach her most of that.  And as much as I encourage her to go watch Nick Jr. while I play on Facebook & this Blog ("it's like preschool on tv!") I know that Moose E Moose did not teach her how to write.

What she's learned from and because of Mrs. M is so much more than what I could describe here.  It is not only curriculum.  It is emotional, physical, mental and so, so special.
She has done amazingly well in school this year and I am eternally grateful to Mrs. M for that.

In addition to Mrs. M, the Para-Professional in the classroom is "Mrs. C".  If I try to explain to you what her actual duties are in the classroom I will minimalize it.  (I just realized that "minimalize" is not an actual word but too bad.)
But she basically keeps the ship moving while Mrs. M directs the course.  She is the second set of eyes and ears and HANDS! that are so necessary when dealing with twelve 4-year-olds.
She does not have a teaching degree but she has her BA and she has kids in the school system.  She stayed home until both kids were in school all day and now she works in that same school.  She's great.
When Abby needs a band-aid she'll tell me to put it on "as soft as the air, like Mrs. C".  She tells me that Mrs. C goes to the beach and Mrs. C has kids, too.  She wants to go play at Mrs. C's house and have a playdate with her kids.
She loves to hug her, loves to tell stories about her (even if they are completely fictional), draws pictures for her and clearly thrives by the balance she and Mrs. M give her in that classroom 4 mornings a week.

I have come to appreciate these two women more than I think I can express to them.  For me to let my baby girl go each day that I do, if I didn't know that she was absolutely in wonderful hands, I wouldn't do it.
She loves her school, loves her teachers, loves her "little friends" - and that is made possible by those two fabulous women.

I am so blessed and humbled for their effort and hard work and huge hearts.
Our whole family is.

Coincidentally, Abby was "Special Helper" today.  

Here she is counting the calendar days to put today's date in the pocket.  

She also told the class what today's weather was and then escorted me to the office to "deliver the mail".  

She was quite proud to show me where the office was!

Four happy faces at the Water Table!

Here is Mrs. C hard at work making Turtles with Abby & Joey.  

I'm sorry that I have yet to get a cute picture of just the 2 of them.

Look at that concentration!

On Sunday we gathered with some of our closest friends and family to celebrate Jay's college graduation.  I think I covered my sentiment when he and I celebrated a couple of weeks back, so I will spare you that again.

I do want to add, though, that my mother-in-law said it best when she congratulated Jay on completing his commitment, regardless of how many years it took, with his own hardwork and determination at a time in his life that made it far more difficult than had he whipped it out in his late teens/early twenties.  I mean, seriously, it's not like the guy had nothing else to do this time around.
Anyway.
Jay covered his sentiment very well in his post, which also included pictures, so I'll skip those as well.

Whenever we host a birthday party or a barbecue at the house, I am always overwhelmed with the hosting.  I tend toward the side of...  well, bitch...  in my quest to make the perfect party.  I am difficult to deal with in the days leading up to the event and I am often too busy during the party to really sit back and enjoy our guests.
I'm working on that and I do think that I (we) throw a really great party, but this time I decided to step away from the grueling and step up to the simple, check-writing type of party hosting that included choosing a menu, writing a check and sitting back to enjoy the event with everyone else.
The fact is, if you tally up the trip to the package store, the multiple trips to the grocery stores and party store - add time for clean up and set up - hosting at a facility (assuming it's a nice one that has a great atmosphere and delicious food like Blackledge does!) is close in price and far easier on the hosts.

Jay and I were able to mingle.  The kids were contained and had plenty of room to run and play.  There were no dogs to worry about or for Uncle Mike to be allergic to.
There were plenty of chairs, plenty of food - all served at the same time and hot!
We didn't have to make or buy ice and no one had to bring anything but their lovely selves.

Having a party at a place is not a replacement to hosting in the comfort of your home.  I love having everyone in the house.  I love the warmth I feel, love the pride.  But this was a lovely break.
And everyone had a great time.  It wasn't stuffy or uncomfortable.  Erik, the Banquet Manager at Blackledge, was on top of every detail without being annoying or demanding.  He was laid back enough to keep things light but he didn't miss a thing.

The main reason I wanted to revisit Sunday's festivities is to thank our friends and family.  As I sat down to eat with my family (imagine that!  at a party I was hosting!) I looked around at the collection of people in the room.  I kept it "small" because it was a Sunday, Jay didn't want "a big deal" and it's either "small" or "huge" with our families.  So, I kept it to immediate family, best friends and local extended's...  which basically means we had 30 adults plus kids instead of 50.  Real small, right?  And "plus kids" adds 10 - 5 of which were 2 year old boys, how cute is that?!
So, as I was looking around, I realized that the room held the most important people in my life (save for a few, obviously).  The room was so full of love, friendship and peace, it was truly awesome.  We have a great family.  I am so grateful to our parents for their support and friendship.  I am so proud of my relationship with my sister(s) and her family.  I really can't imagine hosting something that the Considines were not a part of.  It would feel incomplete. 

And our friends.  Our friends are amazing.  It's not common to find people in your adult life that you're not related and that you love and love you, that you can be yourself with, you can be honest and not have to put anything "on" to spend time with. 
And we are so very blessed with several. 
Our friendships span years (decades!).  So many life experiences (too many to list).  Our kids will grow up like cousins (kissing cousins, no doubt!) and the memories we make and the great times we have together are absolutely priceless. 
Let this be my big, fat Thank You.  You know who you are. 
Please know that we love and appreciate you all so much and look forward to growing old together and watching our kids grow together. 
Cheers!

Memory Monday?

Been thinking of a way to re-invent "Way Back Wednesday" which eventually faded away because you can only go back so far with limited photos and only 33 years on the Earth, really.
So - it occurred to me that we often spend Christmas time sharing memories, emotions and love with our friends and family that we hold back on the rest of the year.

Thus - I present to you - "Memory Monday".
Now, feel free to suggest a better name - even if it means changing the day of the week.  I know it's weak.
But the idea is good.
I am going to choose my friends and family, one at a time, and share a story - a meaningful memory - that I have of or with them.
A salute, a thank you, a joke - whatever strikes me at the time.  We'll have to wait and see who and what comes to me each Sunday.

So, stay tuned - "Memory Monday" will begin next week.  And if you are my friend of family - you're fair game.  Consider yourself warned.

These are pictures from our "last official beach day" last summer.

We are only weeks, perhaps days, away from Summer Vacation 2010.  June 15th is Abby's last day of school.
Abby's first official summer vacation and my first as a mama.  Our first of many.
I am giddy with anticipation.
I cannot wait to have entire days of nothing to do.  Entire days to pack lunch, hit the beach, get home and eat dinner.
Nothing to be responsible for other than my family and our home.

Beautiful weather.
The beach.

Rainy or chilly?  Hit the movies, the mall or just veg in our jammies all day.

Nothing to do but enjoy my kids and our life.
I love summer more than I have ever loved it before.  I can't wait for June 16th!!!!

Wyatt is barefoot all the time.  When Dink & I were little the old man at Marshall's Shoe Shop (Mr. Marshall, perhaps?) used to say that all that "barefoot country living" was making our feet really big.  And we did (still do) have really big feet.  Wyatt, on the other hand, is barefoot at all times - save when a store manager actually admonishes his delinquent mother - and his little feet don't seem to grow at all.  They are fat.  Practically cubes.  They bring to mind Barney Rubble or perhaps more accurately when discussing Wywy - Bam Bam.
He is a charming little booger, too.
The other day he was doing something he should not have been doing (imagine that) and I gave him "the look"  (you know the look, we all have one).  That boy looked right at me, smiled his cheesiest little grin and said "You so bootiful, mama."
Did I stand my ground?  Did I remind him of his misbehavior?  Did I follow through with a warning or explanation?
Nope.
I scooped him up and kissed him about 5,000 times.
Will that come back to bite me in the ass?  Maybe.
But, honestly - I am a pretty good mom.  Not a perfect one.  Not always right, not always wrong.  But always me.  And I think, after their years here, "under my roof", if they can walk into their lives knowing that I gave them the best I could without sacrificing myself in the meantime, then I did my job.

When we first bought this house, I was amazed at the enormous closets, the hardwood floors, the fireplace, the 5+acres, the laundry-off-the-kitchen, the huge finished basement, the 2-car garage.  I felt like we hit the jackpot.  We got a great house, in a great neighborhood, for a great price.
We are so far set back that we weren't worried about being bothered.  Weren't worried about the dogs' craziness being an issue.  We loved that we had this house, in this neighborhood but were able to maintain our privacy and keep to ourselves.

Now, 6 years and 2 kids later, our needs have changed.
We actually have a desire to be involved in our neighborhood and community, with our kids' friends' families and school activities.  A difficult desire to fulfill while living 325 feet down the hill from this "Desirable Neighborhood" we occupy.
We can't see anyone or be seen.
We feel isolated and uninvolved.  Our property is large and beautiful.  And if it were flat we might go out and play some ball on it or teach our daughter how to ride a bike on it.

I had an epiphany the other day when my friend was talking about replacing her carpet with a wood laminate in her basement.   I suggested avoiding "Pergo" and opting for a lesser brand for price reasons.  She rebuked my advice even after I reminded her of the 2 basements I had floored in my homeowner-ship stating "I'm in this house forever. I'm not cutting corners, I am never leaving."
Rather than snort and roll my eyes I felt sad.  I have yet to feel that way about a house.

I want to feel that way about my home. 

I want to "wait" on a project until we have enough time and money to do it "right" rather than rush through it or cancel it, hoping to find what I want in "the next house".
I want to plant perennials and trees that actually mature while I'm around rather than wonder about stuff I planted years later.
I want to invest in White Resin Picket Fence rather than Natural Wood because "who gives a shit about 5 years from now".
I want the house that my nieces and nephews will know the smell and feel of when they visit, like a second home, consistent and comfortable, like 28th Ave was for us growing up.
I want my kids to have "the house they grew up in", one home for all of our memories and traditions to live.  A place to come home to.  After school, after vacation, after dates and home from college on breaks.
I want to plant roots in a small, country town with integrity and character.  I want real community and school pride because our inevitable move is no longer in the back of my mind at the Board of Ed meetings.

My next house does not need to be a McMansion.  It does not have to be new construction.
It has to have good bones.

Because our next house is going to be our home.  We will find The One this time.  And when our needs or wants change, let their be room for growth and change within our home because I won't move again until we downsize as Empty-Nesters.  (And chase our children to wherever they end up because I can't stand to be away from them more than an overnight never mind let them leave me forever!)

Last night I took my husband out on a date.  It was a celebration of his accompolishment.  After 3 years of hard work, he finished his Bachelor's Degree.
He managed his career (upwards), his family and his personal life while managing to fit class after class after class into the mix.  Not to mention paying tuition out of his own pocket at the same time.
It took sacrifice on his, on our, part.  We had to think of the financial aspect of it, the stress aspect and the time aspect.
There were often nights that we didn't see Daddy.  He had work then he had schoolwork.  He also needed time to relax - don't we all - and let it all slide off him.  We worked around him.  We supported him.  We loved and cheered him.  But, ultimately, he did the work and he earned the degree.
I couldn't be prouder of him, of his determination, his perseverance and his good old-fashioned work ethic.
These are qualities I have admired in him for all of the years I have known him.  These are the qualities that have brought us to where we were (broke twenty-somethings living on ramen noodles and canned beer) to where we are...  which is a much better place.

So, I took my man out for a decadent evening.
We started at the Raw Bar where we drank pints and sucked oysters out of their shells.
Then, we sat in our romantic booth where we were greeted by my (previously arranged) gift of chilled champagne.
Our waiter, Carrig, popped the cork and wished us well.  We toasted, drank and chatted through the bottle.

Our first courses were, for me, an Iceberg Wedge with Blue Cheese & Tomatoes (I opted out of the bacon) and, for Jay, Lobster Bisque.
My salad was crisp, cold but not too cold, and loaded with creamy, delicious blue cheese dressing.  Jay's soup was hot, creamy and loaded with lobster chunks. 
We already had the raw bar and were almost through our champagne so this really would have been enough.
But we marched on!

Jay ordered the Soft Shelled Crab and I had the Filet Mignon.  Both dinners were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  Served hot and perfect, exactly as we ordered them.  The timing was perfect, as well.  We were neither rushed nor left without.  As waiters walked by our table, they poured our champagne for us.  A separate server brought our Raw Bar, our appetizers and still another came by with well-wishes from Brian, the manager that I had arranged the reservation with that morning.  We were treated like special guests with plenty of attention without being made to feel overwhelmed.

On my plate with my filet was wilted spinach with garlic and just a touch of salt.  And a "baked potato with gorgonzola & bacon".  Let me tell you about this "baked potato".
It was, by FAR, the most amazing potato dish I have ever put into my mouth.
I am having trouble finding the words to describe to you how amazingly, mouth watering, extravagant-ly delicious it was.  I gushed on and on to Carrig about it as he smiled knowingly.
It was sort of shaped like a muffin.  It must have been baked in a cup of some sort.  It wasn't your traditional baked potato it was simply potato that had been baked.  But first it was mashed, creamed and had garlic, gorgonzola and bacon mixed into it.  Then it was brushed with butter or something equally delicious that made a slight crust around the cup shaped potato.  When I put my fork into it, it oozed like lava cake.  I couldn't eat it as fast as I wanted to because it was so hot.  Really, I could have stripped naked and rolled around in it - it was that good.

We chose Max Fish because as far as restaurants go in this great state, you can not go wrong when you choose a Max.
The service is always impeccable, the food is always impressive, the atmosphere always welcoming and classy.
When I look back at my career in Sales, the one and only thing I will ever admit to missing is the dinners, drinks and social hours.  And Max played a huge part in that.

So, we chose wisely, but to say we were not disappointed is the understatement of the year.
From the Raw Bar to the Irish Coffees and the unbelievable "Hot Fudge to the Max" dessert, this visit was Legendary.

Rachel got married yesterday.

I know it's blurry but this is Rachel and her husband, Angelo and the other picture is my kids - completely mesmerized by the Bride and Groom's first dance.  They were totally awestruck.

This was my kids' first wedding.  They were beyond excited.  

I don't think they had any idea what it would entail but they knew that mommy & daddy had gone to a few without them and that they were included in this one was a thrilling adventure.

I love that it was Rachel's wedding that they saw their first bride, their first groom, their first wedding cake, their first dance floor with loud music.  They loved every minute of it.

When we sat down in the church (the packed-standing-room-only-church that was about 400 degrees) Abby was perfectly up straight, hands in lap, waiting patiently.  Wyatt was hopping from my lap to Granbear's lap and stage-whispering "Where's Wachel?  I can't see Wachel!"

They sat still for about half the ceremony and we went to the back of the church with about a dozen other little kids and crying infants for the last half.

It was beautiful and meaningful and all that, but kids in hot churches aren't always the best pew-mates.

Rachel was a beautiful bride.  Absolutely stunning, really.  

And how many people do we say that about and actually mean it?  

A beautiful bride is a beautiful bride.  

You take a pretty girl and dress her to the nines, mix in some bliss and voila - a beautiful bride.

But Rachel is an absolutely beautiful woman in jeans, t-shirt and no makeup.  

She doesn't even need to shower to look hot.

So, add a bridal gown that accentuated her amazing body, throw some makeup on an already ravishing face and add in the most joy I have ever seen in that woman's face - and voila - a beautiful bride like you have never witnessed.

Compounded by the fact that Rachel was still Rachel, not a Bridezilla.

She laughed at herself and her father and her groom on the altar.  She welcomed and loved, hugged and was genuinely thrilled to see every single person at the wedding.  

She was herself, magnified.  She was magnificent.

And her groom wasn't too shabby, either.  He is a very handsome guy, a very loving guy and he, too, was surrounded by his loving, doting family and friends.  

And considering the two have known each other his entire life, the whole party was basically a family reunion of friends, family and every person that they love.

We were seated with some high school friends.  Women that I see now and then at showers, weddings and the like.  I always love to see them, we always have a great time and last night we joked that we'd see each other "next year at Rachel's Baby Shower". 

That may or may not come to fruition but it's fun to think about.

The other thing that our table and some others (there were close to 300 people there at my estimation) made me think of is this - Rachel is a good friend.  She has good friends.  

Friends that came from far and near to celebrate her day with her.  Friends that absolutely love and adore her.  

And the reason is that she gives of herself, everything she has and is, without asking for anything in return.  

She has character.  Integrity.  She is forgiving, understanding and loyal.  

Rachel epitomizes Grace.

And as I watched her become Mrs. Sarna yesterday, I cried.

I cried because in the 20+ years we have been friends, we have seen so much.  We have seen each other through so many experiences.  The ups and downs, the joy and pain of our lives as young women.  

And now, I see my friend with a man that loves her so much.  A man that will protect her, comfort her and love her as unconditionally as she will love him back.  

I am grateful to Angelo for that.  

Congratulations.