Yes, I am blogging!

Here I am, blogging two weeks in a row or something like that.
It's Friday night and Winter Break '17 has officially begun. I can't even believe that it is already December 22nd.
Here I have to insert my usual grief-y thoughts...yesterday was the 6th anniversary of my mom's death and on the 26th is the 4th anniversary of Jack's mom death. Not to mention Jack's brother Mike's anniversary on the 12th.
Those grief-y thoughts always put everything into perspective as to what is important and what counts for eternity, but I still want to have gifts selected, purchased and wrapped and food ready to serve. It always gets done. I am glad we don't entertain here at our house during the Christmas season because it is a mess.
We had dinner with Jack's dad tonight, a little Home Run Inn pizza and split a bottle of Folie et Deux chardonnay. It is awesome to spend such meaningful time during Advent. Lots of good discussions and just being together.
Tomorrow is our annual get together with Chuck, Teri and family. It's one of my favorite nights of the year. So special to me in so many ways.

Am I blogging or not?

I have not blogged in over a month. What is up with that? Am I in or am I out?
I want to be in because I get so much out of reading posts from years past. It helps me process life.

It's almost mid-way through December. Less than two weeks til Christmas and less than 3 weeks til Lauren gets married! Such happy events! Even better, Jack's dad returned from Florida for these holidays. It is so good to have him back here.

Thanksgiving was lower key this year, but fun as always. Smaller crowd on Thanksgiving, then we celebrated again on Saturday with the Hall side. Staying flexible and always remembering that traditions are great but they are not obligations.




I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to have my health and to be surrounded by people who love me for who I am and encourage me through the ups and downs of life.

I love me some November

There is so much to like about November. It's not winter yet, it is a shorter work month for those of us in education, and there is Thanksgiving! Love love love Thanksgiving- maybe because I have so much to be thankful for.
Last weekend was full and totally out of the rut. I attended an all-day professional development training on Friday (Nov 3) about Narrative Language Measures, presented by Doug Petersen from Brigham Young. It was a worthwhile, productive day. Though I felt guilty not being in my two Friday ED classrooms, this training will so benefit those students. It was as if I was on vacation that day! The training started at a very reasonable 9am and the day flew by.

got my coffee and ready for the day

Doug Petersen was an excellent speaker

After work, I got a quick bite to eat with Sally and Ellie. Both Matt and Jack were out of town, both due in later that evening, so we met at Labriola for some soup and a sandwich. I always love to see Ellie and I am always impressed by her restaurant manners. At 2 years 2 months, she is a polite little diner, sitting in her high chair, keeping herself occupied (and no screens!). Granted we were only there for 45 minutes, but still. She is only 2! Impressive. Matt and Sally are doing a great job.

this girl loves her fries and ketchup!

I picked up Jack from the airport around 9, came home and processed the week over a glass (or two) of wine.
On Saturday, I met the Birthday Club girls for breakfast. We were supposed to go for a walk but it was storming so we ate instead. That was fine with me!
Jack and I  spent the afternoon buying new phones. Jack had already done all of the fact-finding and so it went smoothly. My iPhone 6 was almost 3 years old and kept shutting down, even though it said it had tons of battery left. I had been patient for almost 2 weeks and my patience was rewarded. I got an iPhone 7 plus. Even though it's kinda big, the camera is able to do lots of things that the regular 7 can't. We all know how much I love to take pictures! It has been almost a full time job to get my new phone up and running. Lots of details!
We baby sat for Ellie on Saturday night. Matt and Sally had a fund raiser for the beloved Jim Horan. It wasn't quite fair because they dropped off Ellie right before bedtime and then picked her up first thing in the morning, but we will take whatever we can get! There's nothing sweeter than when Ellie says "I love you, Grandpa Jack!" , followed by "Bye, Patty!". I love how genuine toddlers are!!!

I love their connection!

This weekend was far less social, but all good. Jack and Wayne had their yearly father-son outing. They spent the afternoon and evening together. Jack decided to spend the night in the city, which made it a bachelorette Saturday for me. I ended up meeting Jenny for a little walk and shopping in the afternoon (so fun) and then just hunkered down at home and started sorting through some of our boxes and boxes of pictures. I can't even believe how many pictures we have! I am trying to organize them and throw out ones that we don't need..it is an impossible task! It's hard to decide which pictures have value and will continue to have value to other people. At one point, I thought about just chucking them all, then I came across some gems. I will just keep on trying to pare down the collection.

Halloween 1985, love the faces of all!

Going through old pictures made me realize how many great people I have in my life and how many fun times we have shared. The pictures of Wayne and Sally through the years just reinforced the reality of how fast time flies. My babies are adults with babies of their own! In the blink of an eye it happened.
I will not even start with how much it made me miss my loved ones who are gone from this earth.
I am thankful I ever even had them in my life!

Tuesday Night Hot Date

Jack and I had our twice yearly hot date tonight- a visit to the dentist to get our teeth cleaned. So romantic, I know. I joke, but actually we are really thankful for decent dental insurance, one that covers our teeth cleaning twice a year. It makes it much easier to go and to get that maintenance done, knowing that it is covered. Our appointments were at 7:30 and 8:00pm and Jack and I are high-fiving each other that we were able to stay up that late AND are still awake at almost 10pm! #pullinganallnighter
In other news of this chilly fall Tuesday night, the Cubs are in the second round of the playoffs. They beat the Nationals in the first round and are down 2 games to none in this series against the Dodgers.
Everyone at the dentist office (well, except Dr. Larry, who is not much of a sports fan) wanted to get home to watch the game.
Other fall news is the repaving of our street, including new curbs and driveway aprons. It has been a little inconvenient the past few weeks and once again tonight we had to park a few blocks away. Totally first world problems and I am not complaining, just documenting because in a few years I will look back and read these words and remember just how I felt tonight. I know this because recently I got out my old journal, from back in the days when Jack and I got engaged and the next 6 years or so. I remember SO vividly those times because I took the time to document them (and my feelings, which can be a bit embarrassing!) I think that is why I love taking pictures so much. Pictures and writings bring back total sensory memories for me.
Happy Fall!

Ellie’s First Pony Ride- The Movie!

Ellie loves to watch videos of herself. As her dad says, “Ellie loves herself some Ellie”. And justifiably so! Check out this movie:

Rainbows and Blessings

The day before yesterday, Tuesday Oct 3, I stopped at Mariano’s on the way to work to pick up a few things. As I pulled out of the parking lot, I looked up in the western sky and there was one of the longest rainbows I had ever seen! It hadn’t even really rained. For the next mile I kept thinking I should pull over and take a picture. I was stopped by a train, pulled out my phone and snapped a quick picture. Moments later I crossed the tracks, looked up and it was gone. 

It was such a blessing, a promise from God. This was in addition to the piece of the big Host that both Jack and I got at communion last week. Lots of blessings, that is for certain. 

Thank You, Lord! 

Settling into Fall

It is officially fall, though it doesn't feel like it with temperatures in the 90s all week.
I finally feel like I have made the transition from summer to the new school year. I know how fortunate I am to have a job that I enjoy so much. I never dread going to work in the morning. The only part of my job that I don't enjoy is the paperwork and writing reports, but those are just part of the package.
Today we are having family pictures taken. It is my birthday present from the kids. It is hard to get a picture of the whole crew because it's hard to get us altogether at one time. Everyone has busy lives which is how it should be. We are having the pictures taken outside at a park today. I can't wait to see everyone!
Next weekend is Lauren's wedding shower. So excited to celebrate our sweetheart of a niece!

signs

This morning I announced to Jack that I am getting too old for my Friday job. I said this from a place of inadequacy. Monday through Thursday, I've got it. I know that I am doing a great job with the kids I work with. I have been well-trained (thank you, Barbara Hodson!) and understand the intricacies of improving the speech intelligibility of the children I work with. When I leave for work Mon-->Thurs, I look forward to my day.
On Fridays, it's different. I am "related services" to kids (mostly boys) who have a wide variety of speech and language needs. I am not an expert in all areas of communication needs and I do not like that feeling that I am not giving them all that they need. Plus I am not good at restraining anymore, except for a finger while my teammates are doing all the heavy work.
Then today, God gave me signs throughout the day that I was enough.
Not perfect, but enough.
I care and I am trying and that's enough.
The signs included a morning Social Skills group with full participation, productive individual speech sessions, a great afternoon with the middle school kids, including a surprise pop-in visit with a former student who is now a senior in high school and wants to join the Air Force next year, a quick visit with a former coworker who lost her dad recently (profound discussion about what matters in life).
God is so good. He had the perfect plan for my life and continues to guide my steps.

oh my goodness! I need to get back to my blog

I am in the limbo state with this blog. I have been unfaithful and have not made this blog a priority in my postings on social media platforms.
I apologize for the neglect.
It has been a fun August.
Ellie turned 2 on 8/25. So thankful for this girl!!! I don't even mind that she prefers Grandpa Jack to me. (it's true. When she facetimes with us, Ellie always asks for Jack!)
I started school with my sweet phono friends. What a gift to have the job I have!!! My Friday job is starting off well, too.
I just need to post more often on here. It helps me process life.

Florida Fun

Jack and I had a great visit with his dad this past weekend. Bucky is in Florida and we all miss him terribly. Jack's brother Paul lives in Florida too and we miss him, but we are used to not seeing Paul on a regular basis. Paul lives pretty close to Bucky and we were able to spend time with both of them.
Jack and I stayed at a beautiful hotel, The Alfond, which is only a few blocks away from Bucky's. That close proximity made things so convenient and gave use lots more flexibility with our schedule of events!

the view from our hotel room

the view from Bucky's front door

One of my favorite things to do at Bucky's is to sit at the round table by the window which overlooks a small lake. It is a beautiful view and we always have great conversations sitting around that table.

a panoramic shot of the view from the round table

Jack and I walked over to see Mike's bricks at the college.

There is nothing like family time. It's the best.

Bucky, Paul and Jack

Stormy Monday, Sunny Thursday

I was not feeling my usual chipper self on Monday. It started with feeling some sort of vague anxiety on Sunday then developed into a full-blown crabbiness, what's-it-all-about funk by Monday morning. It was storming when I woke up and that did not help my mood. I did not know why I was feeling so out of sorts and anxious and I still don't know for sure (no more worries than the usual ones). I don't experience those out-of-the-blue mood shifts anymore (a great thing about getting older!), so it surprised me to feel that way.

Jack was out of town from early Tuesday morning til late Thursday night. That was good timing as it spared him from having to deal with me. I did some private therapy and did 5 evals for work (one on Tuesday, 3 on Wednesday, one on Thursday), so I was busy. As I walked into work Tuesday at noon, it struck me how much better my mood was. I was looking forward to doing the group play-based assessments with awesome coworkers (most of them much younger than I am). I have come to the realization that I am much more of a social being than I thought I was!
I was back in my groove by Tuesday night, feeling more like myself. It helped that Sally and Ellie stopped by on Tuesday morning for a quick visit on their way to music class.

these two always make me smile!

 And by Thursday afternoon, I was back to my normal optimistic self. After I finished working, I went to the city to babysit Vivi while Wayne and Julie played in their co-ed recreational volleyball league. I left my house at 4:10 and didn't get to their place til 5:50! It's only 25 miles away, but it is that crazy traffic, especially at that time of day. My biggest concern about driving to their place was parking. I cannot parallel park and it's embarrassing. I said a few prayers, and thanks be to God (and I am not taking the Lord's name in vain, I really mean it), there was a spot directly in front of their place that I just slid right into. I had a lovely evening with my granddaughter. Vivi had changed so much in the 3 weeks since I last saw her!! I brought my selfie stick so I could document our evening.  

3 months old and totes adorbs

Vivi is really high strung! not

Vivi watching Vivi videos taken by youknowwho

I left Wayne and Julie's  around 9:30 to pick up Jack from the airport. We got home around 10:30 and had a glass of wine together and talked about our weeks.
The older I get, the more I realize that it's important to feel my feelings and reach out to people and stay in the game and know that the clouds will pass. The homily at mass last Sunday ended with the priest saying that "no matter what your week holds, there isn't anything that you and God can't handle together".
It's true, even if it's just a bad mood. 

Celebrating Lauren!

My niece Lauren just completed her MBA. 

No big deal.

Just kidding! It's huge! First of all, getting an MBA while working full time is quite an accomplishment, but then to get it from a top tier school like University of Chicago takes it to a whole new level. 

Her mom had a family dinner party at The Reel Club last Sunday to celebrate the occasion. It was the first time we had gotten together as family since Christmas and it was good to see everyone. It was also great to meet Lauren's future mother-in-law, Andrea. 

I am so proud of Lauren. She is the perfect blend of smart, high-achieving, loving and caring. This is a big year for her in all areas and our family couldn't be happier for her. 

Way to go, Laur! 

Your dad is smiling down on you, no doubt. 

Another video!

I have been  tinkering with the iPhone iMovie app. It's kinda fun. I took some little snippets of Ellie visiting Kramer's. She loves our neighborhood grocery store! There's a couple goldfish hanging from the ceiling and a train above the frozen food section (the same exact train that Jack's folks gave Wayne for his first Christmas!). I put a few of these video clips together in the iMovie app. Check out our enthusiastic Ellie! 

Lots of Light!

I think one of the best things about this time of year is the  light. 

There is the light as in daylight. I love that I can see where I am walking in the morning (plus I don't have to wear four layers of clothes!). I love that it's light til well after 8pm. I know that will change because yesterday was the summer solstice and now the days will start getting shorter again. I am not going to focus on that, though!

 

I love the light that comes in our living room around sunset. It's beautiful and comforting.

 

I love the lightness of summer schedules! I love my summer work and the structure it provides and how productive I feel. I need that structure. I also love the flexibility of my summer schedule. It allows for moments like this. 

 

Summertime and the living is easy!

I am soooo loving my summer break so far.
So far. I love that expression. I learned it from my Friday friends (e.g., "Student name is having a great day!" next thing you know that student is having a HORRIBLE day. So we always say "Student name is having a great day SO FAR"). It's a jinx thing. Not that I believe in jinxes but still....
So far my summer break has been a nice blend of work and getting caught up on my personal life.
On my first day of summer break, 6/6/17, I went on a little outing with Sally, Ellie, Beth, Abbie, Nina, Jenny, Charlie and Jake. We went to a fun park near Sally's and played, then went out for lunch afterwards at Houlihan's. As we left, our waitress commented on how well behaved all of the kids were. And they were.
 
On Wednesday, I had breakfast with my goddaughter Grace and her mom. Grace was home for a few days from her job as a sous chef in a high profile restaurant in Napa. She is extremely talented and passionate about what she does. It was pure joy to spend time with Grace and Teri.
 
We had a busy rest of the week, part of which we spent in the city. Jack and I went to Millenium Park, our first time there.
 
This week, I started my summer private therapy and also am facilitating another continuing education class. This class is on my favorite topic, Conscious Discipline. Google it and look at their website. It's such practical information and sooo helpful!

Pattycake with Vivi

Here's another video of our sweet smiley granddaughter, Vivi Marie. 

😍🤗😀

Breezy and Matt's wedding

Jack, Matt, Breezy and me

Sally's good friend/soulmate Breezy got married yesterday. Sally was a bridesmaid and Jack and I were thrilled to be invited to the wedding. We love Breezy for many reasons, not the least of which is that she was a true friend to Sally when they were studying abroad. Sally wrote a beautiful tribute to Breezy on Facebook/Instagram yesterday, trying to capture in words what a great friend Breezy has been to her. And wouldn't you know it? Breezy married an equally wonderful, kind, funny and caring guy. His name is Matt and we have loved him from the minute we met him.

There were many sweet and tender moments at the wedding, but one that really touched me was the blessing of the meal. It was a recording of Matt's father saying the blessing. He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and someone had the foresight to record him saying the prayer. It was touching and sweet and profound.
The wedding was a great chance to catch up with old friends. Two of Breezy's college roommates, twin sisters Maggie and Katie, were happy to see their friend Jack from Dad's Weekends at Illinois. #celebrity

 

Here's a selfie of me and my girl

 

We wish these two sweethearts all the best!

Jack's just wild about Vivi

Jack and I had the pleasure of spending time with Vivi last night. Vivi is such a sweetheart!! We are thrilled to have this smiley, chill, darling girl in our family. God is incredibly good to us. 

Ellie likes letters and numbers

Check out this cute video of Ellie with foam letters and numbers. I especially love her love of Elmo. It's even greater than her love of letters and numbers ❤️

Vivi in the house!

Tonight we have Vivi sleeping here in our house at the foot of our bed in her portable bassinet. Ellie was here earlier tonight to see her cousin. She liked Vivi just fine. She was not, however, pleased when Grandpa Jack was holding her. Ellie immediately came over to them and said "no no no all done!  By the end of the evening, Ellie warmed up to the idea of a little cousin and actually kissed Vivi on the top of the head (unsolicited!) and said Bye bye. Might've made a difference that I was holding Vivi! 

 

 

Relaxing Rainy Spring Saturday

It is nice to take a breather from the busyness of the week and relax and enjoy a Saturday.
Jack and I have had a productive and relaxing day so far.
We had lunch at the new food court at Oakbrook Mall. Sally and Matt turned us on to it and it is a great place. There is a fast track parking ramp up to this new area of the mall, which includes AMC movie theaters and several upscale fast food restaurants. We had Greek Kitchen gyros and they were delicious! I am picky about gyros, so that is quite an endorsement coming from me.
The rest of the day has been spent napping, cleaning out closets and getting schoolwork done.
It's pouring rain and about 40 degrees which makes it the perfect day to stay inside.
It is the simple things that bring joy!

Ellie, 20 months old

Speaking of joy, we got to spend some time with Ellie this past week. Beth went on a field trip with Abbie's class on Thursday, so Jack watched Ellie. Sally dropped her off around 6:45am so I got to spend some time with Ellie too. She is the sweetest little girl! Being 20 months old, everything is interesting to her, including the garbage trucks and trains and puzzles and songs and especially books. She LOVES her Grandpa Jack! I know she loves me too, but seriously? She has the most amazing bond with Jack. I love to watch them together. We are so looking forward to developing that relationship with Vivi. We still can't believe that we are so blessed to have 2 granddaughters. God is so good to us.

watching HoHo with Grandpa Jack

my favorite makeup consultant

Perfect Spring Weekend!

(Sunshine + tree blossoms + social time) - schoolwork = a great spring weekend

I am feeling the whole spring renewal, new life sort of feeling. I don't have a crazy beginning of the week at work which meant I was able to enjoy a beautiful spring weekend.

It started with a super fun Birthday Club happy hour at Jean's Friday afternoon. Jean invited the daughters and grandkids too. Sally and Ellie made an appearance and it was the best! Jean's daughters Deirdre and Grace were there and they were fabulous hostesses.

blossoms

Sally, Ellie, Grace and Deirdre

2 generations of Birthday Club girls

Easter 2017

We got to spend time today with both our granddaughters and their amazing parents. 

Matt, Sally and Ellie went to 7am mass with us then came back to our house for breakfast. 

 This afternoon, we stopped in Wayne and Julie's at the same time Lauren, Greg and Brendan were there. Super fun family time. No brunch or petting zoo like the Union League Club but there was an adorable 13 day old Vivian there. So blessed! 

 

 

Vivian Marie has arrived!

It's a girl!! Vivian Marie was born on Monday, April 3rd at 10:49am, weighing in at 9 lbs 14 oz, measuring 22 inches (the exact same as her father's birth stats!) Vivi (pronounced viv-ee) and Julie are doing well. Wayne is too!

 

It was an exciting day when Vivian was born. Jack was out of town all week for work and could not change that. Everyone understood. I used one of my personal days and took the day off work. I knew I would not be able to concentrate! Julie and Wayne were given the 4pm time slot for her c-section, but were told that it could possibly be earlier in the day. The night before, Julie found out that she would move up in the schedule, sometime between 10am and noon.
I fidgeted and tried to get some work done, but for the most part, I just stared at my phone, waiting for it to ring. Sally and Ellie came over after Sally got off of work so we could wait together.  We fed Ellie lunch and put her down for a nap around noon. At 12:27pm, we received the call! A girl!! And a big healthy one, praise God!!! Sally and I started making our plans. At around 2pm, we ran to Target and picked up some girly clothing for Vivi (forget newborn size! she is already 3 months!). While we were at Target, Wayne texted that Julie was having some blood pressure issues and was not out of recovery yet. We decided to head into the city with Ellie, with the hope that Julie would be feeling better, get settled in a room and be ready for visitors. It was a long slow drive into the city. It was raining and it was the early part of rush hour and we decided to get dinner at the hospital and wait to see how things were going with Julie. Ellie was a trooper, but it got to be 6pm and Wayne texted us an update that Julie's blood pressure still wasn't where it should be and they weren't sure when she would be moved. We felt so bad for Julie that she wasn't feeling great and decided the best idea was to head home. We were glad to have made the effort because we were so excited it was next to impossible to just sit at home!!! We made some great memories on Vivi's birth day. There are not many days like that in a person's life, the day a grandchild is born. 
I officially met Vivi on Tuesday night. Heaven! Amazing to hold my baby's baby!
They came home from the hospital on Friday, April 7th.  Wayne took two weeks off of work and the three of them have had a wonderful time learning how to be a family. Julie and Wayne are naturals!
Thank You, God for this precious new life!

 

Coming Soon! Baby Bear

I am finding it hard to concentrate on anything lately. It's for a good reason! Julie and Wayne's baby will be here within the next few days. Julie is having a planned c-section because the baby is breech.
Wayne called on his way home from work tonight and it was great to talk with him and hear what he and Julie are thinking and feeling.
It is just the most exciting time ever, waiting for this new family member to join us.
I cannot wait to see who it is!
Praying hard for Julie and Wayne and Baby Bear.
This morning, when I walked into Starbucks with Jean, the song "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn was playing. It is not a super mainstream song, so my heart warmed when I heard it. I felt like my brother Tom was reaching out to me, connecting with us with a song that brings back many great memories. Tom played that song often on one of our family Dallas trips. I have that whole body memory of being in his SUV with Jenny, Tom and the kids (Arne, Dane, Kjell, Wayne and Sally) with that volume cranked up and all of us belting out that song.
I imagine all of "our saints" (as Susie called them and now she is one) rejoicing that this baby is ready to join our family.
We are ready for you, Baby Bear!

Ellie at Kramer's

Spring Break 17! Woohoo!

We have been doing that "Spring break (insert year here)! Woohoo!" chant/rally cry for at least 14 years. I am pretty sure Sally started it. The first time that I truly remember us saying this was Spring Break 03. Kinda random memories, but strong ones. There was lots going on that year. My brother Tom had just been indicted and it wasn't clear how things were going to shake out. Plea bargain? Go to trial? Tom got permission to leave Colorado for a trip to St. Louis to visit Ann's daughter and son-in-law, Shannon and Jayson and their kids, Abby, Emma and Sam. Sally and I drove down to St. Louis to hang out with them. That was also the spring break when we were waiting to hear whether or not Wayne got into USC, It was kinda of a tense Spring Break, What I remember more than anything is the time with Tom. He made it fun.My family is always fun.I am not kidding when I say that. My family handles life's ups and downs like nobody's business. We make it work.
So then there was Spring Break 04 Woo Hoo! Jenny, Sue and I spent it in Colorado attending Tom's trial, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. I wouldn't say it was fun, but it was so incredibly profound. My brother was a defendant in a white collar criminal trial that was headlines in the Denver Post and daily AP stories. And all the while, Tom took such good care of us and set the tone. Wow.
Moving on to Spring Break 05 Woo Hoo! (Note: Tom's trial had ended in a mistrial after a 7 week trial with four defendants and NO ONE was convicted- and he ended up pleading guilty to a misdemeanor) Dane had just died four weeks before Spring Break. Sally and I had made plans to visit my friend Lynn in NYC (her husband was GM at a major hotel there). We went, we had fun, but we were changed. Raw.
Spring Break 06 Woohoo!? Oh yeah, also very memorable. Sue, Jenny, Sally and I went to Houston to hang with Tom and Ann while Tom was going through radiation for his GBM (very aggressive brain tumor). Again, Tom made it fun. He did. Always.
Spring Break 07 WooHOO! Tom's memorial service, which Jenny and I planned and executed. Oh my gosh!
I am not even going to go all the way back to Spring Break 97 which is when my dad called and told me he was in final stages of colon cancer.
I am getting a little dramatic here, right?
Geez.
So this is why I blog.
I did not set out to write this and did not know where I was going with the whole Spring break (year) Woo Hoo thing.
It does help to explain why I have been so emotional today, as Spring Break 17 begins.
I hope and pray that the tide is turning.
Two years ago we had the fabulous trip to Arizona with the kids. Last year, I got my new hip and this year we are waiting for the birth of a grandchild.
May Spring Break 17 be the best one ever! WOOHOO!

This is Us

Jack and I have been watching the NBC series This is Us, pretty much since it debuted last fall. I had heard about it and was intending to watch it, then I had dinner with Lynn K one night in Sept and she raved about it. I had only missed the first 2 episodes. I quickly caught up. 

I love this show because it explores such universal themes. The writing, the acting, the music are incredible. 

I love that Jack and I watch it together and I can (and need) to watch each episode more than once to absorb its brilliance. Family dynamics and relationships are complex and deep and the foundation of who we are. 

I want to be a better person. That's how This is Us makes me feel. 

February 25

We never know how to recognize this day, the anniversary of Dane's death. That was a traumatic and sad day for our whole family. Dane was fun, kind, athletic, artistic, had a quirky sense of humor and an overwhelming love for his family. We miss him everyday. There is a big hole in our lives since he left this earth.

Jack and I went out to lunch with Jenny this afternoon. We went to Gibson's and toasted to Danieboy. 

Family is everything.

 

Everyday I'm hustling

Well, kinda hustling! Busy times, but overall good times.
We have had beautiful February weatherwise. It is helpful not to have to worry about shoveling and bundling up. The snow and cold might return, but heck, it's almost March.
At work, I am facilitating a continuing education class on Conscious Discipline. It's a ton of time and energy, but worth the effort. It's topic I feel strongly about.
We also have had some fun social things going on.
The highlight was last weekend. Julie had a baby shower in Bay Village, a suburb of Cleveland. Julie's mother Marie, her sister Sarah and two friends, Gay and Jean hosted the shower in Gay's home. It was lovely! Julie and Wayne and their baby are blessed to have supportive friends and family. This baby is so loved already.

opening gifts

Marie, Sarah, Julie, Wayne, Gay and Jean

see ya later, January

Wow, we made it through another January. We were blessed with some great weather and it made life so much easier.
We had a nice balance of social activity and hunkering down. Last weekend was full of time with people we love.
Jack and I had dinner with Chuck and Teri on Friday to celebrate Chuck's birthday. We met at the Club after long days of work and it was the most relaxing evening. The conversation never lagged and the Chateaubriand for two dinners were an amazingly delicious bargain.

We had dinner at Matt's folks house on Saturday. Ellie was busy trying to figure out why both sets of grandparents and her parents were all there at one time. We always have a great time with these folks.
We had a delicious stuffed pork tenderloin roast and incredible Polish noodles, homemade by Bob. Yum


On Sunday, we helped celebrate Nina's eighth birthday. It was Abbie's idea to have a surprise family party and it was adorable! Nina was definitely surprised and we all enjoyed family time. It was the best!