don't let your life pass you by

this week began like any other.  cursing monday we woke up, went through our chaotic morning routine, and i got gobbles to daycare and made it into work just a few minutes late - as usual.  after going through my email and handling any urgent issues, i settled in to read the local news.  the headline referring to a local swimmer dying in an international competition piqued my attention. 

intrigued, i delved deeper into the story and was saddened to learn the details surrounding the tragedy.  for some reason the feeling stayed with me all day.  having competed in a few open water swims for triathlons, i understand the tangle of arms and legs that is the race start. and that getting kicked in the head as you try to navigate the murky water is par for the course.  but for a professional swimmer to lose his life while competing in what he lives for is unimaginable.

that evening i chatted with my husband about it, lamenting the lack of emergency officials at a race with 80+ degree water.  i don't care what country it is, at a regulated event safety should always come first.  he wondered why i felt so attached to this story, having never met or hearing of this person before.  i couldn't explain it, but from time to time i just become attached to certain things i hear in the news, feeling sympathetic for all involved but at the same time thanking god that all of my loved ones are safe and sound.

the next day came and my mind moved on, all but forgetting about the news story until last night when i was on the phone with my mother. we talked about the week past and the weekend ahead, the usual.  she brought up that she may be going to a funeral on saturday.  who died? i asked.  she seemed surprised i didn't know.  oh, it's so sad, my friend patty's son was a professional swimmer, it was on the news...  

"wait, what?  you're friends with them?"

we used to have a house together when i lived at the shore for the summers - she was in my wedding!  daddy used to do their taxes for them... but i haven't seen her in about 15 years since we went out to dinner, and prior to that i'm sure it had been years as well.  after we all had kids, we just got so busy that we kind of lost touch.  hmmm, maybe i shouldn't even go, maybe i should just send her a card.

as i heard my mother recount stories about her friendship with this woman, a woman whom with she was so close she stood in my parents' wedding, my heart began to ache.  i'm sure a lot of it was that i began to imagine the pain from a mothers' perspective of losing her only son, but for some reason i really just felt awful for the fact that they fell out of such a close friendship, for no other reason than life getting in the way.

i'm shocked to still be thinking about this the next day, but the thought of not being close with my girls years from now scares the hell out of me, especially because lately i have already felt the tug.  we're all in different places right now - different professions, different neighborhoods, different types of husbands, boyfriends, etc, and different views on family.  it makes me sad to think that soon enough the only thing we'll have in common is our past.  will that really be enough to keep us getting together when we're in our 40s and beyond?

the lack of irish weekend this year, our annual girls' getaway, was the first sign that things have changed.  some people went, but brought their men and a different group, some of us had other obligations, but no one really brought up alternate means of getting together - a new date, different place, or a simple dinner. 

we have worked hard to get our girl time despite all the changes - we used to have monthly ladies' dinners at a random chain restaurant, but for some reason that stopped.  we tried starting a book club, which fizzled after 3 meetings due to lack of attendance.  we have an email list that thrives and falters, but only a handful of people check it anyway.

it saddens me to think that someday i might be in the same situation as my mom was today- reading about an old friend in the news, and debating whether to even show up for them even though we were once close enough to call ourselves 'girls'.  because of this, i'm going to put forth a more concentrated effort to get out there, make time despite having none.   time to plan a good old fashioned foodfest or something...

just as soon as i get around to cleaning this house...

pumpkin season

I love everything about the fall.  the colored leaves, the brisk weather, the return of soccer Sundays (aka two hours every WEEK for me time), and most importantly, the pumpkins.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin ale.  I actually said to my husband last night as I polished off my second that i missed the stuff so much during my 9 months of sobriety last year that maybe I should plan my next pregnancy so that I'm not pregnant in the fall.  He reminded me that I'm trying to plan the next one so I'm on maternity leave in good weather, and that I'd likely be breastfeeding in the fall anyway, so to suck it up and just enjoy my dogfishhead punkin now while I can.  Moving on...

C'mooon - let's talk about where we're going...

Last weekend we took our first new family trip to an old family favorite, Linvilla Orchards.  It's amazing how much smaller it seems now from the perspective of an adult.  When I used to go as a child it felt like pumpkins lined up as far as the eye could see.  This time it was like a sea of minivans.  Then I remembered that it really doesn't matter what I see - what my little boy gleans from his surroundings is all that matters.


Are we there yet??

Gobbles' first stop was a pony ride.  Sure, the lady looked at me like I was nuts, but I know he really did enjoy it.  No fussing, no fur pulling, and most importantly, no falling off.  All in all a successful little moment.  

Really mommy - this is my "i'm having fun" face??

Well mommy, now that you've had your fun, can we get off now?

After that we moved on to the train.  He pretty much couldn't have cared less about this, I'm not even sure he realized we were going anywhere.

All that riding made us pretty hungry, so it was time for a lunch break, where I discovered one of the greatest inventions known to man - pumpkin funnel cake.  Complete with giant dollop of vanilla icing!  It was fantabulous and worth every weight watchers point.  Seriously, my leader always says "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels".  I respectfully disagree.  Not that I've ever felt thin, but I'm pretty sure it can't compare to the deep fried powdered sugary with just a touch of pumpkin-y spice goodness that was this funnel cake.  It was scarfed down so quickly we didn't even think of getting a picture.  Even Gobbles loved it.

Got my momma's taste buds,that's fo sho!

Do I have funnel cake on my head??

High on pumpkin, we moved onto none other than the pumpkin patch.   Knowing full well I was only getting a baby pumpkin (or 4) for the step, we still stopped at every oversized, odd-looking, or giant pile of pumpkins.  Photo-ops galore.

How 'bout this one?



This one has a good beat!

Yumm, I bet they used this one in the funnel cake.  Oh, we're done talking about that?

A little help here?

Lumberjack man!

Seriously?  All these pumpkins around and you give me this tiny one to hold?

Well forget it, I'm tossin it!

I'm going to play with this piece of hay instead.

Yup, and now i'm done looking at the camera too!

Sooo, just to spite me you get this one that I threw to take home?  Well I guess it's ok - I can learn to love my Gobbles-sized Pumpkin!!!

Of Late

My blogging has been extremely sporadic lately, not due to lack of inspiration, but simply out of pure exhaustion.  If I do get a minute to it down to write, my mind seems to go blank, or I realize that the pictures I want to upload are still on the camera, or a puppy throws up, or the laundry is done, or the baby starts fighting off the sleep into which he was so peacefully settling moments before.

Now that Gobbles is a crawling, eating, stair climbing, split-second standing, cruising machine, every minute he's awake there is something to do.  Whether it's explore the ball pit, throw the ball back and forth, push the dinosaur around the room, or just read a book, the little man always wants to be entertained.

I feel half guilty / half relieved that he has not noticed the giant television in the room yet.  Guilty because I know the reason he hasn't noticed it is that we haven't had children's programming on for more than a few minutes at a time.  Relieved because he has his whole life to watch tv, the longer we can put it off the better.

As far as food goes, he can be the pickiest eater one day, and just a piggy the next.  It comes and goes, but we all know that my son will eventually know that we live to eat, not the other way around.  Lately the Gobbles favorites are cheerios, mini pancakes, veggie puffs, sweet potato fries, and trusty rice cereal.  We're still working on cheese, pizza, apples, and pasta.  They're coming though, just a little slower than expected. 

There it goes again, I know I had a whole lot more to say, but hubs just distracted me by laughing at something on the tv and I'm completely hopeless - it's way past my bedtime.

Uploading pictures is much easier than trying to catch my train of thought.  So until next time...


I LOVE to make music with my macaroni rattle! My favorite toy is a free toy!

 

I also like to make music with my Daddy and his guitar....

 

And I like to sing and flash my rock star smile to the camera

But when the music stops, I like to settle in with a good book

I'd rather look through my bowl than eat my macaroni!

No bib is a match for the way I eat!



He seems to like that toy - let me see what it does!



well if we just work our way around here then we can push through this gate and get up the stairs!

What?  You've never tried to drink bath water?  Don't knock it til you've tried it!

I like to hang out in the yard with Mommy while Daddy grills and they both drink out of those brown bottles. 



Despite the dark background, it's not really that late - see - i'm not tired yet!  But I think mommy is!

Another Brother

I just gained my second brother-in-law in two weeks, and I couldn't be happier.  My big sister is now a married woman off on her honeymoon having a blast with her new husband.

The wedding itself will definitely be a memorable one to all who attended, and I hope now that the nerves have shaken off and we've had our fill of champagne, we can all look back and laugh... I know I'm already starting to crack a smile. 

Starting with the ceremony, which was performed by one of those priests who is the reason so many people have turned away from the Catholic church.  Besides yelling at the congregation to stand long before the bridal march, forgetting to pronounce them man and wife, and forgetting the kiss until the very end "Simon says kiss", this man actually threw a centipede at the bride.  No, it's not a new custom, it's a dirty old man who saw a bug crawling on his sleeve when he raised his arm to bless them, and shook it off so that it scampered underneath the bridal gown.  The bride held her composure beautifully, and a few moments later during the kiss of peace I grabbed the gown and shook it furiously to make sure only the groom would be touching that garter (which later ended up on my dad's head, but that's a different story altogether!).  My other sister soon pointed out that the bug was still up at the alter, and we were safe.

Next, on the ride to the reception site (thankfully the floodwaters from the previous day had receded), my own advice to only have champagne and light colored beer (Stella) in the limo paid off for, well, myself!  The driver took off rather quickly and I slid off the seat splashing champagne all over the gorgeous white clouds of bridal gown.  Somehow, everything turned out ok and it all wiped off, but boy I was nervous that I'd ruined something!

Cut to the reception, where the DJ had a slip of the tongue and actually said the wrong name for the bride.  This, coupled with a groomsman falling off the head table platform (and taking part of the table with him), was just the icing on the cake. - which was delicious, and I don't think anybody but us noticed when the flowers fell down the side causing those imperfections in the icing! 

Despite all of this, my sister had a beautiful day, an unforgettable reception - who else busts into 'My Sharona' during the middle of 'Daddy's little girl'?   Everyone ate fabulous food, danced until their feet hurt, and drank until they couldn't remember anything (or was that just me?).  And if they didn't get enough beer, they just grabbed enough at last call to hide in the bushes until later :)

And my apologies to anyone who attended at the length of my matron of honor speech, I hope I didn't cut into too much dancing time!

T, the last thing you said to me 5 years ago when you stood in this spot and I yours was “I hope someday I’ll find someone who can make me as happy as M makes you”. Well, little did we know that he was sitting a few feet away and that your "someday" would come immediately.


I didn’t pay much attention that night to T and J hanging out that night, but a couple days later, as my cell phone picked up reception while the cruise ship was rolling into port in St Thomas, it starting beeping like crazy with a text message. Oh - did I mention it was the crack of dawn on my Honeymoon??? So - you may want to put your phone on silent next week ;)

T’s text was something to the effect of – “I know I had it but I lost it – what was jeremy’s phone number again?” Excited and elated that she wanted to see him, I rushed to find a computer and email her. When I logged in, I found an email “nevermind that text I sent you last night, HE called ME. We went out for happy hour, which turned into 6 happy hours.”

After hearing that, I spent much of the remainder of the week fantasizing about giving this very speech. So after 5 years of wishing and hoping, here we are!

When I first met Jeremy, he was an 18 year old kid wearing a big black hoodie, fresh and stinky from a Phish concert and visiting M at school. Louis, as his friends cal him, soon became a staple of my hazleton visits. He'd have the crowd at Hoops in hysterics over his latest Chappelle impression. When the late would become early morning, J's sweet and caring side woud take over as he would invite us back to his parents house so he could cook up some 3am grilled cheese sandwiches.

It was these nights I knew J would make someone very happy someday.

T was always more than just a sister to me. Growing up, I hero-worshipped her, trying to imitate everything she did without her seeing me, because man did it piss her off! Eventually I found myself but a little part of me looking up to her always remained. When we became closer, and she started hanging out with my friends, they would be like "omg, we get to hang out with T N! she is SO cool". I felt proud and even a bit smug, thinking "yes, that's MY sister".

I knew it would take someone very special to deserve you.

When fate stepped in five years ago and brought you two together, the change I saw in each of you was unmistakeable. J - besides the fun-loving sweetie that I've always known, you now seemed complete, confident, and utterly happy. T - besides the successful, independent trendsetter I adore, you have become fulfilled, softer, and more romantic. When you talk about J, it's written all over your face and is even evident in your voice that you are completely in love.


They always say that a girl should marry someone just like her father. Beside my dad, J is the only man I know who can be as meticulous about his car one second and slide across the dance floor on his knees the next. J, you have always been like a brother to me, now I am happy it's been made official.

I wish you two all the love and happiness in the world, I love you guys.