Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So, a few updates...

The other night, Rod and Daniel went to a Patriots-Colts game. I had bought them tickets maybe 6 months ago and the game was on the Sunday the 21st. They left at 12pm and the game was supposed to start at 4:15pm. They called me at 2pm to say that they'd just gotten to the stadium and realized they forgot the tickets! So, I had to drive ALL the way to Foxboro and got there about five minutes before the game started. It was either that or they drove home and missed the game altogether, or they went in and tried to buy tickets and then the $500 I spent on the original tickets would be for nothing.

Right now I'm sitting here doing this because I'm waiting for my clothes to dry. I put them in at least an hour ago to wash and did a "quick wash" which, according to our washer, is 33 minutes, but really it's about 45. Then I put them in the dryer and checked them a minute ago and they're still wet. I was supposed to be at my parents' house right now. They said between 3 and 3:30, and it's exactly 3 right now. So, hopefully I can leave soon! Because I'm going Black Friday shopping with my friend H tonight, I have to leave my parents' house at 8:30. So it's not like I'll be there very long anyway.

Rod's grandfather was in the hospital for a hip replacement about a week ago and he's doing great. The surgery went very smoothly and his recovery was just as smooth. He'd been in a nursing home type facility for the last few days and today Daniel picked him up and is bringing him to his house and then to my parents' house.

Last night, I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready and I heard Rod get on the phone with someone. By his tone of voice, I figured it must be his brother. All I could tell was they were discussing what was going on for Thanksgiving, and I suddenly felt the need to run in there and tell him something about what to wear over to my parents' house... I grabbed the phone and said:

"Hey, love muffin!" (I thought this would make him laugh.)

Well, it would have been nice... IF IT HAD BEEN HIM ON THE PHONE. I heard chuckling on the other end - it was Rod's grandfather.

Luckily, he's an understanding guy. But I felt like a weirdo for a few hours.

Anyway, we'll be taking lots of pictures tonight, hopefully. If my clothes ever dry so I can leave.

Back from the island

(the Maine one) and missing it and everyone like crazy already...



We spread Sharon's ashes in various places... (Just realized this post was drafted and never finished! Oops!)

My memories of Gran

About holidays and happenings:

* The boys watching football in the library
* The smells of Gran's house
* Jenga
* Friends/neighbors just walking in the front door any time
* Climbing onto the shed roof
* Aunt Irene's purple dessert
* The little fort against the side fence with the table and chairs
* The sandbox
* The branch on the tree out front
* The fort under the front closet
* The piano
* The typewriter
* Watching movies/tv in the library
* Sitting at the kitchen counter eating egg salad/tuna fish and tomato soup
* Elise and other fancy dolls
* The attic...looking at all our parents' old stuff
* Place cards
* Candle snuffing
* Pictures on the fridge
* Pictures on the kitchen island (specifically one of Ruth I remember...and the 4 sisters in the pool)
* Electric blankets
* Goat farm
* Picking up sticks around the yard and putting them in the pile next to the big tree in front
* Playing Barbies on the upstairs twin beds and in the front stairway/landing
* Cranberry juice/ginger ale in the kitchen pantry
* The small space between the dining room table and the breakfront
* Drawing pictures at the kitchen table
* Dad's funny stories at the table
* Sunken gray couch in the kitchen
* Pool down the street with the stone patio
* Library to sort books for the book fair
* Sitting in lawn hairs on the side of the house with Gran and everyone walking by and talking to us
* Riding bikes on the sidewalks along Fair/Broad Street and the one part of the sidewalk with the roots that you'd have jump over
* Lucy Ferrar's dogs
* Gran's scalloped potatoes
* Aunt Con's chocolate cream pie
* Sitting around the fire, talking
* The coffee table in the living room with the wings
* Trivial Pursuit
* The metal toy with the ball you had to get from one end to the other without it falling through
* Holding hands, grace, "ah people" instead of "amen" and kissing around the table
* Walking on the green - specifically the big statue(s)
* Fonicellos
* Casual clothing until dinner, then change into fancy
* "Repairing" old bikes in the garage (scraping off rust)
* Jungle green Subaru station wagon
* Stony Creek market
* Small grocery store on the green
* Yoga mats and ironing boards in upstairs landing
* Strange orange and black painting with man riding horse? something like that
* BLTs
* Frayed oriental rugs in living room, worn out from the footsteps of so many people I love!
* Referencing a dictionary at least once per meal
* Putting electric candles in every window at holiday time
* Driving around looking at Christmas lights
* Wondering who the people were who lived in the big fancy house on other side of fence
* Big tree out from with walnuts all over ground
* White picket fence
* Worrying about falling backwards on the steep stairway
* Falling asleep listening to the cars going by on Fair/Broad Street and the lights from them on the walls
* The doll house
* Old fashioned Barbies
* Opera music

More specifically about Gran herself:

* How her feet arched so far upward in the middle
* How she always scolded me whenever she suspected I wasn't being 100% respectful to my mother
* How she was SO strong and independent
* How, at 83 years old, she would stand on a chair and replace lightbulbs in the kitchen by prying open the light covers with a KNIFE...and would insist on this until someone practically yelled at her to get down
* How she volunteered to help with so many things around town from church sales to book sales to other library things to repairing and cleaning up an ancient red house (all into the last couple of years of her life
* Memories of going to the library to help her volunteer with calling people whose books were in
* Sam
* So many dinners with both her and my dad's parents at my parents' house
* Our trip out west and "Vortex"
* "Dran"
* Going to the Taste Bud (is that the name of it?)
* Going to the thrift/consignment shop next to Taste Bud (or whatever the name is)
* Buying mini brussel sprouts for me after I told her how much I loved them
* Buying me a strawberry rhubarb pie after I told her how much I loved it
* How she took me to a farm that happened to have chickens and eggs, and I subtly implied that I'd love to take home an egg - little did she know, I wanted the egg so I could try and hatch it (I really thought I could), and I went into Aunt Sarah's bedroom and held it under the lamp and rubbed it to keep it warm and she was supportive of this clueless attempt but also warned me it might not happen
* Letting me read through and even keep some of the things I found in the drawers I organized for her - from newspaper clippings from her school days to love letters, etc.
* Her writing! Especially one particular play about a woman whose husband was away at war
* Bathing cap she wore while swimming
* How everyone in Guilford knew her so well and raved about how wonderful she was
* Her voice, I still remember it
* Her love for pets, no matter how crazy they were (like Toby, she always wanted my mom to bring Toby over, even though he's nuts)
* How she got scammed by those chimney cleaners because she's so kind
* "Arsom Grissom"
* Song paradies and endless poems
* Red snowflake candle holders I got for her that she thought were truly amazing (or so she said) but were truly very tacky :)

Last but not least... how much my mom is just like her, and how I am more and more like them both every day...

(I will most likely continually update this list)

Red cardinal & memories

Today is Gran's birthday.

This morning, when I got into work, my boss said to me, "Oh, you wouldn't believe it- this morning, I saw the most beautiful red cardinal right out in back of the office. I grabbed my camera, but by the time I was able to get the flash working, it had flown away. It was a really magnificent one, too."

What does this have to do with my grandmother? She LOVED birds and when she passed away, my mom and Aunt Sarah were sitting in Gran's kitchen silently, staring out the window Gran used to watch birds from, and out of nowhere, a gust of wind whizzed by and with it flew a red cardinal. They took it as a sign of her spirit departing.

It was just really neat that there was a red cardinal "experience" this morning (even though I missed it, it still presented itself to me in the form of my boss telling me about it) on her birthday.

Because it's the holidays - specifically Thanksgiving time - along with her birthday, my family and I have been doing lots of reminiscing about Gran, her house and the holidays we all spent together while she was alive. My cousin Ben sent us all a sweet e-mail yesterday:

"Dear family,

With the holiday season nearly upon us, I am reminded of the Thanksgivings past. I have so many vivid memories of this particular holiday at Gran's house and I wanted to share them with you all. I hope that you do not find sadness in this, but rather take joy in remembering the many traditions and moments that we have shared together. As Elizabeth and I begin a new journey of family holidays and tradition, I am honored to be carrying forward this uniquely Mermann history.

Here they are, in no particular order. It will become apparent that many of these are from when I was a kid. Feel free to share your own memories if you like, and forward this on to anyone you like.

Assembling a cornucopia with old, wrinkly fruit
Putting leaves in the table
Lugging in fire wood
Making fire and standing on the hearth for hours
Old, strange people at the table
Seat assignments and place cards
Setting the table
"Ah-people"
Wearing nice clothes
Commotion
Peas
Ice cream
Candle snuffing
Bob's breakfast with no kid friendly food and other old, strange people
Watching the parade and football in a cold library
Perusing magical Christmas catalogs that only Gran received
After dinner discussion and couch time - perhaps the best part?

Love to all
Ben"

It made me smile, for sure. I called my mom shortly afterward and we talked a bit about our memories. Later, I sent this e-mail (copied to everyone):

"Ben-
Thank you so much for this! I just spent the last 1/2 hour writing down a lot of my general memories of Gran/6 Fair Street. I don't know if I have many other Thanksgiving-specific memories than the ones you mentioned (most of which resonate with me as well), they sort of blend in a lot with my other memories of Gran/the house... see below for my unorganized/incomplete list if you're interested... I'm sure many of them you can relate to. :)
Love,
Annie"

(I'm going to make my memories of Gran and her house my next post so that it's its own separate thing, and I'll probably add to it again and again in the future as I think of things and want to remember them. To those who aren't part of our family, they probably won't make any sense, so it's more for my own record-keeping!)

I have received e-mails from other family members. Aunt Sarah responded with:

"Dear Ben and Annie,

Thanks so much for these memories. Not only is Thanksgiving upon us, but with tomorrow being Gran's birthday, you've evoked many wonderful things. Made us laugh, too.

Love,
Sarah"

From Uncle Willie:

"Ben and Annie- love this- now here are some additions from the parent perspective

Cooler full of Rolling Rock on the back steps and always some excuse to crack one @ noon
taking out a wasp nest from my car after it stung many of the children
checking the batteries in the smoke detectors I installed for Gran
the back room woodstove ALWAYS smoking
scratchy volume control on the back room stereo
Crab cakes and ham @ Bob's- yummy adult food
Round of golf day after t-giving with uncle steve that included scrambled eggs before with of course turkey in them
shoot the moon game
skittles game that included mens tournaments that included beers
cleaning up after thanksgiving which included Sandy and I "picking" at the turkey in the kitchen
raking tons of leaves
gran always finding a pool for us to swim in somewhere in Guilford
stay tuned for more- much love uncle wiggly( ha,ha)-"

From Rachel:

"What wonderful memories to share and keep the spirit of Gran and 6 Fair Street alive. Here are some that came to mind for me (aside from many of those previously mentioned).

Love to all,
Rach

Standing over the heat vent in the living room
Eating breakfast with Gran in the kitchen by the window
Trying to find a place to put your chair on the uneven patio
The rug near the porch door that was liable to kill someone
Visiting the yacht club (rocks, picnics, the piano, ice cream sandwiches)
The tiny rocking chair in the back room [We now have this in our guest ("family") room]
Playing the out of tune piano (singing, poor lighting)
The ottoman in the library
Lighting the candelabra over the back room table
Decorating tiny Christmas trees (and the Santa on the top)
Cocktail napkins & coasters in the living room
Toasts at dinner
Crab apples
Accompanying Gran to the late service at church on Christmas Eve
Hors d'eourves
Fighting over who would clean up after dinner
Gran's hair appointments"

Glad I don't live in California..

According to Forbes.com, 7 out of 10 of the dirtiest cities in America are in California! Ranked from least to most dirty, here are the top 10:

1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2. Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, California/Nevada
3. Modesto, California
4. Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, Alabama
5. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona
6. Hanford-Concoran, California
7. Visalia-Porterville, California
8. Fresno-Madera, California
9. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, California
10. Bakersfield, California

These are ranked due to the worst particle pollution and ozone pollution. Yuck!

Raising a teenager

It's tough. I'm only 24 and I'm raising an almost-18-year-old. He lives with his step-dad but Rod's his guardian. Unfortunately, neither Dan nor Rod want anything to do with disciplining. Dan's not sure how and just wants to remain on Daniel's good side and be buddies, and Rod feels as long as Daniel's not flunking out of school or doing drugs, nothing else matters.

He gets a speeding ticket... no punishment. He ignores his chores... no punishment. He stays up all hours playing video games and neglecting homework... no punishment. Somehow, because the high school's curriculum is what it is, he's able to do all of his schoolwork in study hall and in class and after school.

He is a terrific kid, so it's hard to be mad at him. He does all the right things, mostly. He plays sports, he gets good grades. He's applying to colleges (with my help). But certain things are just not okay.

I remember when I met him, he couldn't lie. He'd look you in the eyes and start smiling. Now, he's lying without flinching and making it so believable. I've caught him on a lot of these lies recently.

I know I should be thankful he's doing as well as he is. He's polite, he's kind, he has good friends (I think) and stays out of *big* trouble. But I want him to have more structure and discipline, and yet I'm not in much of a place to give him this because 1) I don't live with him and 2) I have no legal authority over him, only his brother does (although I'm his wife... how confusing is that logic?).

Tonight we're celebrating Dan's birthday, which Dan is completely and utterly depressed about. (He is a week younger than my mom, whose birthday we celebrated last week.) Dan doesn't like to celebrate his birthday because it reminds him that he hasn't accomplished all that he could have in his life so far; which is totally absurd as he has a loving family and is very talented in his career - see this post. I just got off the phone with him and he's not thrilled about going out tonight.

We're meeting at Rod's grandfather's house for gifts before going to a hibachi for dinner. I think he'll like his gifts. We got him a puzzle with pictures of Sharon and the family, and then some ceramic knives he'd mentioned he wanted.

Hopefully we can have fun tonight and urge him out of his funk.

Then I have to come home tonight and write an 8 page paper I haven't really started. :)

Veterans Day

Deepest thanks to all of our veterans.

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone!

I Write Like...

Apparently...

I write like
Kurt Vonnegut

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Someone told me about this site that analyzes your writing style instantly and tells you who you write like. I don't know how accurate or reliable it is, but decided to try it anyway. I copied and pasted a paragraph from the story I posted in a previous post, and got these results!

Famous Chef Dan!

Something exciting happened recently.

My father-in-law, Dan, is the head chef at an old farm that was turned into a beautiful banquet hall that does weddings and other events. A wedding that was scheduled back in September was for a couple who had signed up to be in an episode of the show "Four Weddings" on TLC. The show is about four different brides who each go to each others' weddings and rate them on 1) overall experience, 2) wedding gown, 3) venue and 4) food.

So, of course, Dan was having a conniption because he knew he was responsible for the food ratings for this wedding. He stressed about it for several weeks until the wedding took place, and then we had to wait another month before the episode aired on TV to find out the results (the owner of Dan's facility was the only person who knew beforehand if they won or not).

And... THEY DID WIN!

Not only did they win, they won mainly because of the FOOD! It was awesome. We all watched the episode (twice) and of course we weren't surprised - we know how amazing Dan's food is.

Here's an article from a local newspaper about it:

Wedding gets national audience
Pair compete for free trip on TLC show
By Emily Groves, Norwich Bulletin
Posted Oct 20, 2010

New and helpful OB/GYN

A while ago, I had a bad experience with a new gynecologist. She was rude about my weight (not in a helpful way), practically threatened that I get back on BC, and had no interest in discussing how to resolve my apparent anovulation until we were "officially" trying to conceive. I never went back.

Even my general practitioner was more helpful. He ordered and ultrasound and sent me for minimal blood work, which was all "unremarkable". Of course, I still needed an OB/GYN specifically to help me more. Even though Rod and I aren't actively "trying," we're not "trying not to" and have not been preventing pregnancy for the last 2 years, with no pregnancies resulting.

Then, my mom went to her GYN who, remembering I'd gotten married two years ago, asked if my mom was expecting any grandbabies. My mom told her no and that she was concerned we'd have trouble conceiving because I don't ever have periods, and have always been irregular in the past. Her GYN said, "Oh, we can help her with that, no problem!" So, she was able to get me in!

I had my first appointment today, and already I feel hopeful. The doctor was much more helpful, is sending me for more specific blood work (prolactin, HCG, glucose, testosterone, a bunch of other things I don't remember), requesting previous records and even started discussing options with me for the future, describing the steps we should take in my specific situation.

I'm so thrilled!

I know we're still not "officially" trying yet, but doesn't it make good sense to know what's going on and have it resolved sooner than later so that we don't have to wait longer when we're actively pursuing a pregnancy? We would be more than happy to get pregnant now, but we're not going to put all our energy into trying hard until we're close to finishing school, several months from now.

Anyway, just wanted to give a little background because I am sure this will be a topic I will updating about in the near future. Wish us luck!

Maybe I should write more often

I received a letter today that read:

"Dear Anne Constance, It is my pleasure to tell you that your entry, Tradition and Family, has been awarded 14th place in Inspirational Writing category of the 79th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. You will receive your Certificate of Achievement which honors your accomplishment in the near future. Finishing among the top 100 entries is an accomplishment you can be proud of. Your success in the face of such formidable competition speaks highly of your writing talent, and should be a source of great pride as you continue in your writing career. All 1,001 winners will be listed at www.writersdigest.com after the December issue is published."

I am overly excited! Here's the story for those who are interested (I can't seem to fix the formatting to make paragraphs...oh well):

Tradition and Family

You should know that I don't often find myself at a loss for words.
Until recently, I considered myself full of answers and endless insight; an open book just waiting to be picked up and read. Little did I know, I still had plenty to learn before understanding the moral of my own story.
This year was the first year I spent Thanksgiving in a restaurant and not in my Aunt Linda's dining room. My cousin, Pete, had come down with a rotten case of influenza and my parents had been offered a deal on airplane tickets to Egypt that nothing -- not even breaking a twenty-five year tradition -- could stop them from accepting.
In the end, Aunt Linda canceled dinner.
I slumped down onto a bar stool at Rita's Tavern that holiday evening and, choking down dry stuffing and canned cranberry jelly, got to discussing tradition with some of the other folks.
Joel came to Rita's every year to avoid his roommate's heavy drinking. Luiz was from Brazil and didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, and Jackie didn't understand why the holiday was such a big deal in the first place.
The three of them could see that I was in a funk. Explaining that I normally enjoyed Thanksgiving at a family gathering led to a question by Luiz that completely threw me off guard:
"So, you come from a traditional family, then?"
Let's start with 'come from.' Maybe others are able to say with confidence that they 'come from' their mother's womb, a province in Italy, or God's creation, for example. I, myself, sat struggling with how I 'came from' anything or anyone in particular. Should I focus on the physical aspects of my coming into being, or describe the wishes and hopes in my parents' hearts that helped place me into their lives?
What about the word 'traditional?' What is a 'traditional family', anyhow? If I had to guess, I would assume that it means a mom, dad and children; the parents were married before they got pregnant, and both children shared their DNA.
If that was the case, could I just answer that no, I didn't 'come from' a 'traditional family?' Would I have to explain how I didn't 'come from' a 'traditional family'?
Would I have to describe all three of them: Gina, the woman who created me in her body; and Karen and Deirdre, the two women who created me in their hearts? If I left out any one of them, my story wouldn't be complete.
I supposed I could start by describing how Gina shared my blood but ironically, looks nothing like me. She has olive skin; large brown eyes and lots of thick, dark brown -- almost black -- hair. She had an Italian mother whose parents came from Sicily just before the turn of the century. Her father was a mixture of many European heritages including English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish.
At the same time, everyone says I look just like Karen and Deirdre, who have fair complexions and light hair and eyes. The difference is in our figures. Karen and Deirdre are both slim and athletic; I have always been hefty and sluggish.
When Gina was twenty-five years old, she and her boyfriend of eight years, Sam, discovered she was pregnant. Gina was an independent, career-minded woman who had no intention of every marrying Sam. She decided to put the baby up for adoption through a local adoption agency.
This devastated my biological father, who ultimately moved to Louisiana in an attempt to escape the emotional turmoil.
Meanwhile, only thirty minutes away, two women had been in love for ten years and were desperately wishing to start a family. They were unable to get married let alone conceive children, so their options were scarce. They had been working with a local adoption agency for four years with no luck.
No expectant mother wanted to place her child with two women; an non-traditional couple.
That is, no expectant mother until Gina. Karen and Deirdre were just who she was looking for to raise me, and I have to say that was the best choice she ever made.
Scanning the bright, eager, waiting faces around the table, I could tell they were all curious as to the intricate processes occurring in my mind at that moment. I decided I should answer.
"Traditional family? Nah," I finally eased out in response. "Loving family that cherishes each other and their traditions? Yes."

Obviously, this is only based on a true story. A lot of the facts and descriptions were altered for various reasons.

I think I should start writing more. I decided, when I won a place in a writingroom.com competition and got my "Skipping Stone" story published in one of their anthologies, that I would then try for a Writer's Digest competition, and then try to get something small published.

So, maybe I should try for an article in a newspaper or magazine now. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Success as a substitute parent

From: Daniel
ik ur driving right now but i want to thank u, whenever im having trouble being hheard or understood u always seem to be the only one i can turn to. love.
Oct 6, 5:20 pm

Casino fireworks

AWESOME fireworks at the casino last night (with even awesomer friends).

Good husbands

Long day at work... so the sweet husband of mine is making dinner. So exciting! :)

Refinancing

Refinancing the mortgage... yay for being true homeowners by the time we're 40! :)

Our original mortgage is 30 years, with around a 6.5% interest rate. The one we're applying for now is a 15 year with around a 3% interest rate! Basically, we're going to save thousands and thousands of dollars in the long run, with almost the same monthly payment.

Dreaming of Africa...

I can't explain it... I just want to go to Africa!

My green thumb

Some recent pictures of my plants 'n things. My Aunt Con came over one day and brought some plants from her gardens (she lives in upstate NY on a beautiful farm).

Insurance woes

Why don't BCBSMA and Express Scripts communicate with one another?! If you hire an outside company to do your work for you, at least be on the same page, right? How many times will Express Scripts tell me they don't have a record of our patients' prior auth, and BCBSMA say they do? And then no one calls me back? Now I see why we don't take insurance... UGH!

"Australia"

We watched Australia last night. It is quite possibly my favorite movie now...

2 Years Today!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary to us! ♥

Engagement party in VT

My cousin Rachel is getting married! This past weekend we went to her and her fiance's new house in Vermont for their engagement party. It's such a gorgeous house and town, and it was so nice to see all the extended family on my mom's side!

(Click on a picture to view it larger.)

Fresh veggies

Mmm...fresh grown veggies! Thanks to Jim & Cheryl!

One of the herd

Today we went to the Southwick Zoo in Massachusetts with our friends H and W and their kids. Here's Roddy feeding the deer, and Rod and W together on the ride that takes you on an aerial tour of the zoo.

Castle repelling

Little D is in Wales today. Guess he's done repelling down castles in Scotland! We're here babysitting R, transferring our butterfly tree because it's in the way of where our new CENTRAL AIR is going... hooray... visiting Grandma and Grandpa and then making dinner for mom tonight! School work? Ehh, it can wait.

Chef Annie

My first Rachael Ray 30-minute meal :) pomegranate/vinegar chicken with arugala and fig salad and pancetta hash....OH, and homemade, freshly squeezed lemon and EVOO salad dressing! mmm...I am really a housewife now! ;)

Grace Elisabeth

Welcome to the outside world (finally!) Grace Elisabeth! Congratulations Kaley & Billy and big brother Noah! :)

France & Maui

Danie's in France... Dad's in Maui... we're in Connecticut... hmm, what's wrong with this picture? :)

Bound for Europe

Little D leaves for Europe with People to People tomorrow... very jealous... and a little nervous.

Spring cleaning or...

...summer rearranging? Here's the before shot:

After:

and later, making a nice dinner :)

Hot tub is working!

We now have electricity in the hot tub! Woot woot!

By the way, we're not using chlorine or bromine. We're using a special, natural chemical that we buy from the same pool/spa store we would if we were using chlorine. It's a substance similar to peroxide that is odor-free, safer to swallow and be on your skin, and it's so natural you can even water your flowers with the water from the tub. I highly recommend this option, as it is just as effective as a harsh chemical to keep the water clean.

The fuzzballs

Some pictures of our cutie-pies from recently. :)

Dining room dinners

Having dinner in the dining room most nights instead of the living room in front of the TV can TRULY make a good marriage GREAT. :)

Need some air

Air-conditionless upstairs = 90 degrees. Air-conditioned downstairs = 68 degrees. Ahhh. This week would be the PERFECT time to install central air.

One estimate down, two to go...

Researching geneology

So my mom and dad have the same great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather! Good thing I was adopted. ;)

Sweet boy

I got this text from Daniel shortly after resolving an incident where I got involved with Dan's lack of discipline but complete and utter exhaustion with Daniel's teenager-ness, and it made Daniel angry, saying that it should have just been between him and Dan (which offended me for some reason at the time):

From: Daniel
just want u to no that never once liked arguing or being angry with u, u mean to much for me that and it wont ever change u mean the world to this family and i would never even think of treating u as if u werent part of the family. love
June 6, 8:15 pm

Heartbreaking

Heartbreaking. "This photo of a bird on the beach at East Grand Terre Island, LA yesterday is hard to look at. But we have to face where our addiction to oil has taken us - and this photo brings that home. Share with your friends, and sign the petition to Congress and the White House today: http://bit.ly/aiuz.Fz

that just happened.

Who's that stud?

Rod went to one of Daniel's tennis matches the other day. Here he is - he's such a good player, there are articles in the local newspaper about him all the time. I'll have to find one of them soon and link it here.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to all service members. ♥

Today I learned a lot about the history of Colchester, as well as its military. Here are some pictures from the parade and ceremony on the green.