Cinderella: "Life as a housewife-princess"

Happy Birthday, Star Wars Michael.

2009-07-01T07:02:00.001-07:00

This is my friend, Jenn, and her son, Michael. On a very happy day one Christmas season about four years ago. I snapped this photo of them while we were at a cookie decorating party. Just one picture of many that I would take that day. Our kids were smaller then, and we had just begun our friendship. I couldn't have known at the time how much this girl would come to mean to me and couldn't have know that our boys would become good friends, too. I had never heard of hypoplastic right heart syndrome at the time. I didn't know that much about them, meeting Jenn and Michael through our mutual friend, Kim. But over time, we developed a friendship of our own and I learned through his mother about Michael's condition. It was always so amazing to me that Michael was just Michael and you couldn't ever tell that he had a "syndrome." He was just a normal kid. And very funny. Quirky. Creative. Like his Mom. He and Jack had a lot in common. Big imaginations, those two. Lots of creative play. Unstructured and all in their minds. When we spent some alone time together with them last summer and the summer before I thought it was really great how compatible they were. So great, because I enjoyed Jenn so much. We would scrap book, the boys would play...Legos, Star Wars, Bakugon and army men (Jack reminds me as he looks over my shoulder and interjects as I'm typing). The last time we saw them was in February. The four of us met for breakfast. The boys brought their toys. We ate, they played. We laughed about them, they were very into their "game." I think the army men and the Bakugon were at war that morning. Michael was the picture of health. We had a great visit. And then we left.

My step-son is named Michael, too. And we would always get confused between the two Michaels so at one point when I said, "which Michael?" Jack said, "you know...Star Wars Michael!" And so the nickname stuck.

Star Wars Michael died this year on April 9th due to complications associated with hypoplastic right heart syndrome. And today is his tenth birthday. Today I am consumed with sadness for my friend. And for her family. For her loss. A loss I cannot begin to imagine. A loss I have to watch her experience, with little opportunity to provide any kind of true comfort. I am grieving today for her and for all that she will not share in the future with this little boy whom she loved so much. Today, I woke up and thought, "Well here it is. 7/1." And I prayed for Jenn.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-20T20:09:00.001-07:00

To one of the greatest Fathers that I know. Michael and Jack are lucky that God chose you just for them. If they were blogging, and old enough to appreciate you...I think this is what they would say:

1. Thanks for teaching us how to play baseball.

2. Thanks for always playing HORSE in the driveway.

3. Thanks for being at all our ball games.

4. Thanks for coaching.

5. Thanks for being the "cool" Dad.

6. Thanks for snuggling on the sofa.

7. Thanks for wanting to spend time with us.

8. Thanks for making us a priority.

9. Thanks for supporting us financially.

10. Thanks for demonstrating to us what a strong work ethic is.

11. Thanks for being at our school functions.

12. Thanks for tucking us in at night.

13. Thanks for being a Godly example to us.

14. Thanks for playing family games with us.

15. Thanks for helping to make our home a happy place.

16. Thanks for your unconditional love.

17. Thanks for being patient with us.

18. Thanks for teaching us how to ride our bikes, to fish, to shoot a shotgun, to swing a golf club, to play fair, to throw a punch, to drive a car.

19. Thanks for teaching us about Jesus.

20. Thanks for being a great Dad.

The 80s

2009-06-09T05:40:00.001-07:00

The temperature at the beach has been warm, but not hot. And the breeze has kept it just right. I guess it's been in the low 80s but it feels much cooler because of the delicious breeze. Another thing in the 80s is my parents. Dad will be 82 in October and Mom turned 80 earlier this year. Our beach house is about 6 hours from their home in Brooksville (that's about 9 hours in Sr. Citizen driving time) so they don't come often. Mom has been here two or three times and this is Dad's first time. We spent a great day on the beach yesterday and then went to Seaside for the outdoor theatre performance last night. A few things that I realize as I watch my parents age: 1) You can't have enough bathrooms. Seriously. These people pee like, 20 times a day. 2) You have to be able to get to the store often. For Tums. For straw hats that were forgotten at home. For various and sundry personal hygiene items. Must be near stores. Or at least near a Wal-Mart. 3) Eating is a project. What we eat. How we eat. How much we eat. When we eat. It's a big "food frenzy thing." Must plan the meals. 4) They have more patience with Jack than I can ever muster. Yesterday they played Apples to Apples for 2 and a half hours. 2 and a half hours! I'm done after 15 minutes. And I had to break it up so we could get going to the beach. They would have kept playing. Been playing still, had I not intervened. They love playing with him. It's awesome. 5) They are tired. Of course they are. They are 80, right? Why does this make me so sad? They are tired, they are older. They need more sleep. Somehow, though, it makes me sad. Not sure why. 6) They are such great folks. Love them. Can't believe how lucky I was to have such amazing parents and such an amazing childhood. Sure, my Mom drives me crazy NOW, from time to time (okay, she mostly drives me crazy all of the time but I keep the tequila close at hand) but for the most part they are a pleasure to be with and no trouble at all. They are just happy to be with us, no matter what we are doing. Beachin' it or playing hours and hours of games. Love these sweet parents of mine. What a blessing they have been to me.

Ladyfish (and Ladies)

2009-06-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

One of the things that Mommy doesn't do well that Daddy does very well is teach Jack how to do what I call "boy things." Because I am a girlie-girl (lady) there are just some things that I would prefer not to be a part of. Fishing is one of them. Camping. He can have yard work, too. Basically, anything that's outdoor-sy where wild animals are involved (we have pygmy rattlesnakes in our yard at home, so, yes, yard work qualifies). Vic is Master of the "Outdoor Domain" and I'm totally good with that! So, here at the beach...the boys fish. And I do girl things: I sleep in. Go for a run. Read. Give myself a pedicure. But I don't really join them in their manly outdoor activities. Don't want to risk messing up their testosterone mojo. Okay, who are we kidding, I don't want to risk getting fish slime or bait goopy on my manicured hands. Anyway, on this particular morning, they begged and pleaded for an audience so off to the beach I went - camera, video cam, granola bar, fresh fruit, lip balm (a lady can't have dry lips at the beach, now can she?) and water bottle in hand. I was prepared! And it was a treat, I must say, because the fish were biting and in the hour or so that I spent out there w/them, they caught a total of nine ladyfish! It was so much fun to watch. (WATCH, mind you.) Jack is casting the adult rod like a pro, thanks to Daddy's tutorials and he caught and reeled in his very first fish on this day. I thought we had already crossed that one off of Jack's "boy things to do" list, but Vic explained that because the CATCHING was done by Jack but the REELING IN was done by him, it didn't actually qualify (how do the men keep up with all of this stuff, I mean, really? Who cares who reeled the fish in? Whatever.) So on this day, Jack CAUGHT and REELED IN his own fish. Yay, Jack! PS - You can't eat ladyfish, so they went right back into the water. And I didn't have to touch anything:-D Yay, again!

A Different Kind of Whore

2009-06-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

Piqued your interest, didn't I? Hmmm. Not even sure I can say "whore" on a blog, can I? I hope so. Anyway, what I'm wondering is why I become such a book whore in the summer months? All I want to do is read. I get caught up in a great novel, or in a book series and that's it - I'm done. My family becomes invisible. Eating becomes optional. I tend not to pick up the phone at all. Here's how it goes: "Sure, Jack, you can watch another 6 episodes of Sponge Bob! No problem!" And my poor husband...(lights are on at 3am) "Honey, are you okay? Why don't you come to bed?" "Yes, I'm fine, just let me finish this last chapter..." And so it goes. I just finished a lovely book called The Innocent. It is the first in a series of three (thank goodness I have two more to savor) and very similar to the Bolyen series that Phillipa Gregory wrote. I'm all about the historical fiction - love me some Queens, Kings and star-crossed lovers! What are you reading this summer? I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl.

2009-01-10T19:52:00.001-08:00

Nina Grace Tolbert: 1/11/00.

Always in my heart and always on my mind.

Thinking of you tonight with a heavy heart, sweet girl.

Wondering what you would be like at nine years old.

Trying not to be sad about all the things that I have missed doing with you and all of the things that we will not experience together.

Finding comfort from God's promise that all will be perfect when I meet you again in heaven.

Until then -

Mommy loves you.

Charlotte

2008-08-28T09:38:00.001-07:00

This little friend was perfectly positioned directly outside of Jack's bedroom window. It became our end of summer science project; observing her as she spun her web, captured insects and wrapped them up for dinner and re-built sections of the web when we had a particularly windy or stormy day. Unfortunately for us, the rain and wind we experienced from Tropical Storm Fay was too much for her web to handle. We woke up one morning, opened up the blinds, and Poof! our little friend was gone.

First day blues...

2008-08-27T03:59:00.001-07:00

My poor baby, was pushed in PE and fractured his hand on the first day of school. He never cried and was a total brave boy. We are dissapointed that he'll have to miss fall baseball, piano lessons, PE and playground at school for 6 weeks. Total bummer. For us, that is. He has the best attitude about it. And is so proud of his bright blue cast...

OPI Cajun Shrimp

2008-08-15T04:48:00.000-07:00

Could there be anything that looks better on your toes in the summertime??? Seriously. It's my absolute fave. This color rocks the casbah.

Ode to The Victim as he turns 46

2008-08-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

So I thought it would be nice, since today is my husband's birthday, to steal my friend Kim's idea and acknowledge all the things that I love and appreciate most about Vic (nicknamed "The Victim" many years ago by my BFF, Karen) . So here goes:
1. He is a great dad.
2. He has a tremendous work ethic.
3. He has his priorities in the right order.
4. He is very handsome.
5. He has a good moral compass.
5. He is funny and makes me laugh.
6. He is a great provider.
7. He is laid back.
8. He is reliable.
9. He is punctual so we always arrive on time.
10. He always agrees to spend time with Jack so I can go off and do all my "stuff".
11. He never gets tired of playing Uno, Skipbo and Texas Hold 'Em with us.
12. He loves his family.
13. He is willing to ask for help when needed.
14. He has patience when teaching Jack something new.
15. He has interests of his own.
16. He can roll his tongue.
17. He looks amazing in a suit and tie.
18. He looks amazing in a golf shirt and shorts.
19. He looks amazing in a t-shirt and jeans.
20. He watches "So You Think You Can Dance" and "American Idol" with me when he doesn't really want to.
21. He is the best dancer, ever. Seriously. He can dance like Justin Timberlake. It's sick.
22. He always knows the name of the band that sang a certain song.
23. He was a rock climber and "bivwacked" off the side at night. Very "Indiana Jones".
24. He never expects me to help with the yard work.
25. He likes being at home and hanging around the house together.
26. He doesn't check out other women when we are out together.
27. He let's me be in charge of the checkbook.
28. He doesn't make me feel bad about spending money on things.
29. He asks for my advice about work-related issues and really seems to value my opinions.
30. He doesn't complain if I sing "over" a song that's playing.
And Jack's list...
31. He plays games with me.
32. He hits golf balls with me.
33. He's nice.
34. He taught me how to ride my bike.
35. He taught me how to play baseball.
36. He makes me "Daddy's Famous Oatmeal" for breakfast.
37. He goes fishing with me.
38. He wrestles with me.
39. He let's me eat in my room or on the floor in front of the tv when Mom's not home.
40. He watches sports with me.
41. He reads to me.
42. He calls me to talk when he's traveling away from home.
43. He leaves me notes when he leaves to go out of town.
44. He makes me laugh.
45. He sings, "Moe's for dinner".
46. He let's me drive the golf cart.
Happy Birthday, Vic! We love you! 46 looks good on you;-)

Houston, we have lift off!

2008-08-09T06:02:00.001-07:00

Finally!!! Our little buddy is riding his bike. On his own! We are so proud. It took some time, some coaxing, a bribe or two and a definitely a few tears but Jack has conquered the beast! Now all he wants to do is ride, ride, ride. You go, BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

The Vampires are taking over...

2008-08-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

Our book club read, Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. We all LOVED it and most of us have gone on to read the rest of the series. (Scroll below to a previous post for the link to the Twilight website). We met last Sunday and were asked by our hostess to dress in our best vampire/goth outfit. It was hysterical. We all had fangs, lipstick bites on our necks and we drank Bloody Mary's, and talked for hours about Edward, Bella, Jacob and all of the gang from Forks, WA. So much fun!
This is my friend, Kristi, dressed up as a "Matrix" Vampire. (Look at that coat!)
Here are Kim, Myself and Amanda (our hostess with the mostess).
And a group of us showing off our vampire teeth. Hey: make us mad and we'll bite 'cha!
If you haven't read this series that begins with Twilight, I really recommend it. It is just a great love story with a happy ending. So awesome.

Three things that make me smile...

2008-08-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

1. Jack on his boogie board! This was a first for him, he wasn't so "all about the water" until this year. His Dad taught him how to catch the waves before they broke and he was hooked. He spent a lot of time this summer on his boogie board.

2. Beach house baseball! Jack is really into baseball right now. We met a lovely family at the beach this summer who have a boy the same age as Jack. They became fast friends as they were into all of the same things...baseball, boogie boarding, netting minnows at the lake, swimming, etc. They had a total blast together.

3. Kurt! And here he is: what a great kid. Everytime I see his picture it makes me smile. He was such a fun little boy. Total southern drawl and "Yes, Ma'm" everything. Cracked me up. Anyway, this is a family that we will definitely stay in touch with. (His Mom, Jamie, makes the best margaritas.) They don't live to far from us at home, so we may even hook up with them away from the beach, too.

How we roll...

2008-08-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

This was the transportation of choice at the beach all summer. We had a great time with the bikes. It was the first time that we explored our beach area this way and it was very fun riding to Starbucks, riding to dinner or over to Seaside for the activities of the day. At this point, my not-so-little guy had not yet learned to ride a bike on his own, so the tandem bike was the way to go.

Signs of summer

2008-07-16T19:35:00.001-07:00

I must admit, it really has been great fun being over here this summer. There is so much to do...or not. The flags at the beach have been flying yellow and purple for three weeks now: algae and jellyfish - yuck! But it's still so beautiful despite the little creatures that show up in the sand. Hub taught the little guy how to boogie board, which is a new adventure for the boy this year. The water is warm and the beach has lifeguards for the first time, so it's been less of a worry for us when we're in the water and the waves are kickin'. Truth be told, we don't make it down to the beach everyday like we would if we were here on a week's vacation. We've got this whole other "now we live here" sort of vibe going on and it's kinda cool. Getting to know the local shop owners and getting to know where to go for what. Feeling very blessed to have the opportunity to spend this much time over here in this beautiful place.

Love me some Edward Cullen

2008-07-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'm reading like a total freak this summer. I have been devouring books. Whenever I get on a kick like this nothing makes me happier than finding an author that I can get hung up on. A few years ago it was Phillipa Gregory, author of The Other Boleyn Girl. I read everything that she wrote and became a huge fan of historical fiction, which had not been a genre that I had read much of prior to reading Ms. Gregory's books. When I had my abdominal surgery a few years ago a friend of mine gave me all of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. I read the whole series in the two weeks that I was recovering. Loved them, trashy and mindless though they were! This summer, my book club chose Stephenie Meyer's Twilight as our summer read. When our friend, Amanda, presented it to our group as "a Jr. Adult Fiction book about vampires" I was resigned to read it but not overly excited. Yeah, that was then. Let's just say that NOW I am completely hooked. There are three in the series and I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed these books. To distraction. Seriously. Reading while brushing teeth, reading while cooking dinner, reading while driving (gasp!), could not get through them quickly enough. I was riveted!!! The last book in the series will hit the book stores on August 2nd and the Twilight movie is wrapped and will be in theaters in early December '08. Don't know anyone who has not loved these books, so if you haven't ventured into the world of Forks, Washington and met Bella, The Cullen family and our canine friend, Jacob, you must do so!!! Check the books out here on the author's website: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilightseries.html and let me know what you think if you do have a chance to read one or all of them.

Always a bridesmaid...

2008-07-12T06:04:00.001-07:00

My tennis partner and I and a few of our tennis team buddies played in a tennis tournament last month. It was a great experience, a fund-raiser for breast cancer awareness, called the R.I.T.A. Check it out here:http://www.the-rita-foundation.org/aboutRita.htm

Anyway, who ever would have guessed that Sue and I would have ended up playing in the final for the Championship? Too fun! It was very exciting and an absolute great experience playing such competitive matches all weekend. We lost in the final, however, 6-1, 6-4. It's okay...the girls we played were like, 25 years old and less than 100 pounds each. Total tennis barbie dolls (in a good way) and in great shape. We hated them (just kidding). Plus they were the winners of the tournament the previous year. Whatever. We were just glad to be there!!! After licking our wounds following our loss, we have decided to play in another tennis tournament in the fall:

The SENIOR-R.I.T.A.! It's put on by the same fundraising group but is for women who are 40+ years of age. Yeah, I like our chances against the older ladies. Since we are older ladies! Older, wiser, more assets, less fit. I'll let you know how we do.

First Communion

2008-07-12T05:51:00.001-07:00

My goddaughter, Elena, made her first communion last month. She is pictured here in traditional "first communion garb" looking like a mini bride...so adorable. We had a fun visit to Orlando to hang out with Elena and her family to celebrate her special day. Does anyone remember their first communion??? I totally remember mine even though it was light years ago. My hair was super long at the time so my Mom (Mrs. High Maintenance herself) had to take me for an up-do at the local salon where her friend "Heidi the Horoscope Hairdresser" was put to work on creating something fabulous for my hair that would work perfectly with my veil. I had this whole Princess Laya braided hair thing going on. Very early-seventies. Interesting that my most vivid memory of the day revolves around my up-do. I guess I have always been all about the hair...

Glad grad!

2008-07-12T05:41:00.001-07:00

So here he is, the high school graduate. He was very excited and so were we (relieved!). He is now the proud owner of a Macbook, his graduation gift from us. Yes, it's sad but true: I have total laptop envy and I'm not afraid to admit it. I'm often found looking longingly across the family room as he types away. It's killing me. Dying for a Macbook of my own. Love me some Steve Jobs. So anyway, he's with us for the summer, working in his Dad's warehouse and saving money to move out on his own in the fall. He looks so handsome and grown up in this pic, doesn't he?

Mixed doubles: Not cocktails...Tennis!

2008-04-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

So my hub and I have joined a mixed doubles tennis league and we play our first match this weekend. We went out to hit with some friends earlier this evening. They killed us. My hub hasn't played in five or six years so this was his first time on the court in a while. We had a great time playing together and I can actually see us being a really good team...eventually.
We decided to join this league because tennis is a sport that we both enjoy and we have both played doubles before in league play but just not together. We thought it would be fun to have a hobby in common. Something for the two of us to enjoy doing together. Kind of like a date night, but with perspiration and exersize involved. We'll see how it goes...

Bausch and Lomb Tennis Tournament

2008-04-13T03:52:00.000-07:00

Went with a few tennis friends up to Amelia Island yesterday. What a blast! We were disappointed that Lindsey Davenport pulled out due to illness so we didn't get to see any "big name" players but we did see the other semi-finals singles match and a fantastic doubles match later in the afternoon. The weather was great, our seats were great and the tournament was extremely well-done, a total blast! Click here to check it out...http://www.blchamps.com/

Love these girls.

2008-04-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little pressure from the girls to 'get back on the blogging trail'. I'm happy to do so, but must begin with the sad update that the New Year's weight loss goal was not only not reached but I may have gained a little weight these past few weeks. Bummer. Oh, well, there are always bigger pants to buy...

I made a trip back "home" this past weekend to do a bit of scrap booking and hanging out with my old posse of girlfriends (second photo). I really miss these gals and we have an awesome time together. I was trying to figure out on the way back to Jax whether or not I was sad that I didn't live in Tally anymore when I realized that with true friends you just pick right up where you left off. Physical proximity does not really factor in to the friendship. I talk to at least one of these gals every single day on the phone even though we are now talking long distance. That thought made me smile as I turned off the interstate and mozied on down to my "new" home.

The first photo is of a couple of the new friends that I have made since the move. Love these girls, too. It has been fun making new friends and doing different things with different people. These two gals live right down the street from me and I see them or at the very least talk to them every day. It makes for a fast friendship. So, in some ways, physical proximity can be a real bonus when you are the "newbie" and trying to establish relationships.

New friends, old friends. Grateful for them all...each and every one.

Down two...!

2008-01-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so not a huge milestone but at least it's a little progress. I had to weigh on Thursday, instead of Friday bcz of our Disney trip. 162 isn't bad for the first week. I'm exersizing (can never spell that word correctly) like a freak, but really enjoying it. My friend Renee aka The Queen of Everything (no, really, she IS the queen of everything) is my inspiration. She is my height and has been the same size (very appropriately thin, but in a totally fit, healthy, athletic way) since high school. Hate her. Well, love her, but hate her for being so darn self-disciplined because I am not. Anyway, I'll keep posting about my progress. Food choices are going well, also:-)'
On another note, Disney/MGM was just okay. Great to see the fab friends but not my favorite park. Plus I'm Mom to the kid who is anti-rides. How did this happen? My cousins and I used to ride the rides until our parents dragged us, kicking and screaming with what voices we had left, back home. Cannot figure out how I ended up with a kid who will not ride rides. Mystifying. Good news is that my dear friend, Carmelita, met her goal for the Disney half-marathon. She finished in 2:21!!! Way to go, girl! I'm so proud of her. She has worked so hard, for so long (literally, for like, 18 months) preparing for this. She's da bomb! Yay, Carm!

Pressure...and pounds.

2008-01-05T08:26:00.000-08:00

Okay, so all my girls are back on the blogging trail, so here I am, too! Never one to have a mind of her own lest I be left out of the "in" group (I'm so kidding!), I was reading Jenn, Kim and Liz's blogs and thought, "Hey, I don't have to have a picture or a clever thought, I'll just give myself permission to rant and rave about whatever strikes my fancy. It is MY blog, after all!". Anyway, rather than catch everybody up on everything (you'll have to call me LIVE LINE if you want any holiday scoop) I thought that I would blog about one of my NY resolutions. Okay, it's my ONLY New Year's resolution. But I'm not fininshed thinking about it yet, so there may be more, later. Anyway, here goes: I have given myself 15 weeks to lose 30 pounds. My deadline is April 16th. I am starting out at 164 pounds. Not ashamed to say it, and I'm hoping that putting it out there will help me to keep myself in check as the weeks progress. I had a big surgery last February, then found out about our move. Things started to snowball from there and before you know it, I've gained nine more pounds since June. Listen, I know there are no excuses (that haven't been blogged about before...!), but I am going to give it my best shot (despite hormone replacement therapy) and see what happens. Fingers crossed and mouth closed when it comes to fatty, unhealthy foods. I know that this is the most boring, cliche, over-promised/under-delivered NY resolution in all of the world but I'm at that critical point where it is just time to loose this weight. For health reasons as well as for vanity reasons. So, thanks in advance for your encouragement and support. Please...don't ask me to lunch! (Coffee is fine, and I'd love to meet you at the gym for a spin class, but food = evil). I've just finished week one of exersize, good food choices and portion control. I didn't weigh before I started, but weighed yesterday so I'll post on Fridays to let you know how I do! Good luck to all who are battling the belly fat, too!

Tagged

2007-08-06T03:45:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by my friend Kim. Can't get the actual picture of the tag to post on here, but here are my answers.

Four jobs that I have had:
Advertising sales rep for a newspaper
Advertising sales rep for a radio station
Pharmaceutical sales rep
Mother

Four films I could watch over and over:
My Best Friend's Wedding
The Godfather ("One", as Tony Soprano would say)
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Lord of the Rings Trilogy (does that count as three???)

Four places that I have lived:
Buffalo, NY
Tampa, FL
Tallahassee, FL
Jacksonville, FL

Four favorite TV shows:
Seinfeld
The Sopranos
Grey's Anatomy
Friends

Four favorite foods:
Home made guacamole
Parmagiano Reggiano cheese
My mother's eggplant parmagiana
Brenda's lemonade cake

Websites I visit everyday:
My blog
Kim's blog
Jenn's blog (post something, would you!)
Art and soul

Four Places I love to be:
In Manhattan
In Italy
In the Napa Valley
Blue Mountain Beach

I'm tagging:
Renee, John, Anne-Marie, Nina

Lazy Sunday afternoons

2007-07-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Just finished a class of Cabernet Sauvignon, some cheese and crackers and a glimpse through two of my favorite (scrapbooking) magazines out on our lanai. It is cooler this evening because it is cloudy out...so I lit a candle that my friend Cori bought for me and had some chill time. Hub and little guy were watching Discovery Channel and I was so excited to carve out a little time to decompress before the activity of our week begins again. Hope that where ever you are you are enjoying some time for yourself, chilling, and resting and re-charging on this Sunday evening. I'm off to finish my "gravy" (the word we use in my Italian family for home made spaghetti sauce), boil up some pasta and feed my family. There's nothing like the smell of an Italian home on a Sunday afternoon...

Happy Birthday, dear friend! And good luck!

2007-07-27T04:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, so not the greatest picture (my camera shutter wouldn't open at the time and we had to prop it with a fork...) but wanted to send out a happy bday wish to my great friend, "Auntie Tray". And I wanted to brag about her a bit. Coz she'll never give herself any credit for all that she does and for all that she means to others. This gal is so amazing. She is a mother of two young children, a wife, a physician who works full time+ (full time plus = her days start at 5:30 or 6am and she doesn't get home in the evenings until after 7pm, she is on her feet all day and has the compression hose to prove it, and then she works every other weekend to pay off the family van) she cleans her own house, doesn't own a dishwasher (what's up with that, anyway) because she prefers to wash her own dishes. She makes chocolate chip cookies from scratch every weekend with her oldest daughter so that they'll have fresh cookies to eat all week. She has been the homeroom mom at her daughter's school. Okay, her hub helps out with the school stuff, but still, she volunteers to help despite not having much time to spare! She is medical director of her practice, and has been or is presently chair/president of several professional organizations. She is a caring, loving and interesting friend who always makes time for others. She is studying for her boards (in her spare time) and making some time to travel with her family this week. There isn't another person I know who has the schedule that this lady has. And she honors all of her commitments. She is not a canceller. She is there when she says she will be there and follows through on everything she commits to. I am proud to know her and she has been a role model to me in many ways. She is a great lady and I love her with all of my heart. So...Happy Bday, Trace. I'm thinking of you as you approach your "birthday and boards" week. And thanking God this morning for the gift of your friendship.

Loving all this stuff...

2007-07-23T04:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, so what do you think? The boys rooms are brown, very rich and suede-ish looking. A great neutral color. Very of the moment. But not a color I would have selected without Renee's help. She gets the props. Check her out at: http://www.oabydesign.com/ (And my friend, Afflack, helped, too! Thanks, Kim.) And "Dan the Painter Man" did a fabulous job. No tape. He cut in. Not one bit of taping-off. So awesome. He is my painting idol. Anyway, I love it! Thanks Renee and Dan! And I love the way the front door and shutters turned out. We had a black front door at our old house and we love the sophisticated look of black. And, just for fun, I had to included a photo of the new zebra rug from Pottery Barn. How much do I love this rug? Mucho. Grande mucho. Beaucoup mucho (a little mix of French and Spanish there!). The zebra rug makes me smile. A lot. So...how many more times can I say "love" in this post? Must find another word. More pics to come, stay tuned. PS: spent more money on furniture than I could possibly ever imagine. Most of it won't arrive until the end of October. Total buzz-kill, but it's all gonna rock when it's finished. Can't wait. Loving (whoops, there we go again) our new casa.

The Painter is "in da house"

2007-07-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

So excited that our painter is here. (Our decorator) chose a brownish-tan for the boys rooms, a color called "peanut shell" for the sink bath area and a muted grey-blue (to appease Jack who wanted turquoise on his bedroom walls-gasp!) for the shower area. This guy is Speedy Gonzalez. He had one room done, first coat, in one and a half hours. He should have everything finished today! Too excited and had to share. I'll post pics when he's done. And the piece-de-resistance...the new black glossy front door. Can't wait. It's a surprise for my hub, he doesn't know that we are changing the shutters and front door. Although mostly everything was fabu when we moved in, I'm loving the chance to make my own choices on some of the items in my new home. Yay! I'm off to hang some shelves.

Which are more wild...these animals or our boys???

2007-07-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Our buddies came for a visit and we took them to the zoo. Jacksonville has a fabulous zoo. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, I suggest making the Jax Zoo a top priority. One of the highlights of this visit was feeding the birds. We purchased nectar in little plastic cups and then entered the aviary where these Lorikeets (?) and Lories were. The birds will drink from the cup and lick the sides of it. They come right up to your hand! So fun to be so close to these otherwise timid birds. Our boys really got a kick out of it. And how amazing are these giraffes? Love these gentle giants. We had a great time with our friends. Packed a lot into our visit. Our boys drove us absolutely crazy, but they had fun and got along well. The water photos were also taken at the zoo. There is a water "park" where the kids can play and run around in the water. Nice treat when it's 90+ degrees. Look at our little guys: riding the carousel, hanging out in the splash park, feeding the birds...looks like they are so happy and relaxed, doesn't it? You would never know how much we had to yell at them for being so wild and crazy. And whiney. And loud. Truly. We almost put them in one of the cages at the zoo and left them there! They would have fit right in!!!

Sweet Pea

2007-07-02T06:57:00.001-07:00

Michael is my 17 year old step-son. I nicknamed him "sweet pea" when he was just a toddler because he was the most gentle, sweet, easy going kid you could ever hope to meet. Over the years his nick name was cut short and now I just call him "pea". He is coming over to spend another week with us for summer visitation. He is basically a really good kid, but we have had a tough year with him. It is true that once your kids get their driver's liscences you never see them at all anymore. They sort of drop in and out of your house at meal times and bed time. It has been tough on all of us as we adjust to his freedom and he adjusts to our rules. We never really had to worry about "house rules" before because he was always either with us or at school. But there is a certain freedom that comes with driving. I remember it well. A feeling of independence and of being in charge of your own schedule and how you spend your time. Then throw a girlfriend or boyfriend into the mix, a part time job into the mix, an after-school sport into the mix and HOCUS POCUS, your kid disappears. We have some fun plans for his visit. Hoping to get to the beach one day, cook out on the fourth and then the big boys will play golf one day. He's giving us attitude about coming over because he wanted to bring a friend and we said no. It's not because we don't like his friend or because we are opposed to him bringing someone over. It's just because we don't get to see him as much since we moved and we just wanted some family time to hang out together. Plus, having a friend = disappearing act. We'd never see them. And we miss him when he's not here. So, my little pea, you are stuck with us for the week. Get over it. We can't help it if we love you.

So this is where we hang...

2007-07-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

We are having too much fun in our new 'hood. We can swim at either the front pool or the back pool which has the two rocking water slides you see above. One of them is a tunnel-like slide that is so fast it takes my breath away! And I'm always afraid of getting a water-wedgie or loosing my bathing suit top (a scary, scary prospect for those who might catch a glimpse) on the tunnel one. Jack opts for the safety of the other one, as well, so it's usually our guests who brave the "tunnel of terror" as we have now named it. The pools are managed by the YMCA so they provide the lifeguards. There are some rules, which I'm okay with because I'm all about the rules when it comes to water, and the life guards swim-test every child who comes through the gates. Then, depending on how well you did on the test, they give you neck band to wear; green for complete access, yellow for partial access and red for must be with a parent at all times. That is the system that the life guards use to keep track of the kids when they are in the water. Love it. Love the safety aspect of managing such a large group of children whose parents may or may not be as responsible as they should be. You know the ones I'm talking about...the mom has like, three kids all under the age of five and she's sitting in a lounge chair reading the latest issue of Cosmo and talking on her cell phone while her kids are (potentially) drowning in the pool so you end up watching them because you don't want her kids to drown. And she's usually skinny and has had some sort of cosmetic surgery that allows her to lounge at the pool in a BIKINI (gasp!). Yeah, that makes me crazy. Hate her. So anyway, that's why I'm all about the rules at the pool. If you come visit, maybe we'll take you there! And maybe, just maybe, you'll be brave enough to take on the tunnel of terror. Once. We'll see...

Welcome!

2007-06-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

So this is our new front door! Happy to say that we have had three of the greatest friends come to town to spend time with us already. Can't wait for more of the good buddies to pass through this door. C'mon, ya'll! Had a great time with Cori and Cade despite almost constant rain. Cori got to go to Sephora so I know she left us happy with lots of good cosmetics in hand. So what do you think: should we paint the door black? I'm just not "feeling" the jewel-toned green. There are two sets of shutters, so no biggie if we decided to change. A painter is coming to paint the boys rooms (which are now yellow, since the previous owners had girls) so he can just do me a little facade make-over (kinda like a trip to Sephora for the front door of my house!). What do you think? I'm thinking black. Mmm-hmm, love me some black.

Cutest kid in the kingdom

2007-06-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

Here he is...my sweet baby boy. Not so much a baby anymore, though, much to my dismay. He lost his first tooth shortly after his sixth birthday and just before we moved, so this pic is about three weeks old. The other front bottom tooth is now loose and at five bucks a pop, the tooth fairy is going to have to start cutting back on those Starbucks lattes for sure. Should be cutting back on them anyway, due to the muffin top that is peaking out over my favorite summer jean capris. Going to start exersizing next week. Fo' shizzle.

399

2007-05-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

So how odd is it now that my entire life (the "stuff" part, not the people part) is packed up, neatly labeled, wrapped in packing paper and on a moving van being stored somewhere in North Carolina? Very odd. And who would have thought that we would have been able to put our entire life's contents in three hundred ninety-nine boxes? Geez, my life feels much bigger than that! 399? That's weak. I was thinking a minimum of 657 boxes. Maybe 7oo-something boxes. But 399? That seems totally lame. Anyway, it occurs to me this morning that I'm kinda worried about my stuff. I like my stuff. I hope my stuff is doing okay up there on the Carolina coast. Do you think my stuff is missing me? (Kidding.) We are at the beach while we are in transition, waiting to close on our new house this coming Thursday. The beach is exquisite this time of year: emerald green water, sugar white sand, cool mornings, warm (but not too hot) days. We are relaxing and resting and reading and exercising and chillin'. It has been a glorious break. And it has us thinking...we should totally keep this place. Why not? We love it over here. This is a fantastic place for our family to spend time. Vic decompresses here. Jack plays and digs and builds sand castles and gets to see live alligators at Fudpuckers. And even I feel less pressure to be a human "doing" and become more of a human "being" while we are spending time here. It's a glorious place. And five hours is not a long drive. We're talking about keeping it. We're thinking about it while we're drinking about it (oooh, those left over Mike's Hard Lemonades are disappearing quickly). We'll see...

Calm before the storm

2007-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:00

We have a routine on most Saturday mornings. Vic gets up with Jack and I sleep in a bit. Usually I need the extra sleep because I have had to evacuate the bedroom in the middle of the night due to my hub's snoring. And his twitching. Then I have to settle in in another bedroom in our house and it takes me a while to fall back to sleep. When I finally get up Jack is usually in his playroom working on his latest Lego creation and Vic is usually in front of the TV doing "finger homework" (I'll have to blog about that later). With Jack occupied, and after I make the beds, start the laundry, etc. Vic and I usually chill in front of the television for a while. It's a quiet time of the week when we don't have to rush around as a family getting ready to go somewhere. I really love our Saturday mornings with nothing to do and no where to go. It's the only time during the week that is totally unplanned and unscheduled. I was thinking this morning that today was our last "chill" Saturday morning in our home. Kinda freaked me out. Movers come on Wednesday to start packing us up and then we officially vacate on Friday. Big hectic week coming up. Oh, and did I mention that this is also the last week of Kindergarten for my boy? Yeah, I'm freaking out on many different levels. Hard to believe my baby is almost officially done with his first year of school. Again with the sniff, sniff. Anyway, I'm just enjoying this quiet time on Saturday before all heck breaks loose in a few days. Just chillin'. Feels good.

People make the place

2007-05-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

My hub and I are in the process of relocating to another city. As Martha would say, it's a "good thing" for our family and we are all very excited about our upcoming move. But with that change comes good-byes. Today was a day of good-byes which got me to thinking about how difficult it is going to be for me to leave my home of the past 13 years. This realization kind of took me by suprise. You see, there was a time in my life when I couldn't wait for this day to arrive. I'm a city girl at heart and there were just not enough skyscrapers or options for me in this town. As our demographics changed, as we became parents, as I began the transition from career woman to at-home mom I began to settle into this place. You know what I mean-I became friends with the shoe cobbler, I am on a first name basis with the grocery store cashier, I know all of the shortcuts around town, the best place to go for sushi, etc, etc. You get the picture. And in the process, I made the most amazing friends. Somehow, over time, this place became my home. So now, just one week from the day that movers will come and start packing my life into boxes, I'm waxing a little poetic. Sure, I'll find a new favorite shoe cobbler. I'll learn to navigate my way around our new city. And it might only take me a couple of weeks before I memorize the name of the grocery store cashier at my new Publix (yeah, I'm a Publix girl, no Winn-Dixie for me). But what's hanging heavy on my heart tonight is the separation from my friends. Sure, I'll make new friends. I know that. But you know what? There's nothing like an old friend. Old friends that know all your history. And you know theirs. Old friends that keep your secrets. Old friends that know all of the bad stuff about, say, your husband, and can still be nice to him. Old friends that are always on your side. Old friends that you can call at any time to talk you down from the ledge. I had to say good-bye to two of my closest friends today (sniff, sniff). But, hey...three hours is not too far to drive. And these girls WILL travel. Some of these girls will be over to see me before we can actually, really start missing one another. But still...it's not the same as being right there. And I'm just used to all of us just being right HERE. For a quick run to Starbucks, for a last minute lunch at Hopkins, for a "please come over and help me with this project I'm working on", for a "can I come over and see your new outfit?". So, while I'm very optimistic and excited about the novelty and discovery surrounding this move I'm feeling the first bit of blue about leaving the people of this place. My peeps. You know, "my girls". After all, skyscrapers are nice to look at and it's going to be so much fun to have lots and lots of dining, shopping and entertainment options but it's the people in a place that really count. It's the relationships that you have that help to give your life substance. It's the friendships that you make that help to make "a place" your home. So, tonight, I'm feeling a little homesick. You know...feeling a little blue. Really, truly going to miss the people of this place. This place I call home.