Saturday, September 30, 2006

Hey girls!!


Finally opened up the picture CD Lori gave me at the last lake party .... Thanks, Lori :-) I really loved this picture and had to print it out. It is from that "Big John" winery where we made the poor guy take picture after picture. I think it was worth his while, however, as we bought more wine there than anywhere else!

I have been saving up all my personal days at work in the hope of being invited to Murphy's in December.

Hope you are all well!

Love, Nancy

Sunday, September 24, 2006

A Chair



This is a picture of my Granny. I don't know when it was taken or who is in the photo with her, but it's one of my favorite pictures of her.

I have such wonderful childhood memories of Granny. She was a huge influence in my life... and remains to be even today.

Yesterday, I went to visit my Dad's cousin, Dolores, and she gave me my Granny's little wooden rocking chair. I haven't been able to take my eyes off of it since I brought it home. I feel all warm and comforted just by having it here in my house. My sweet Mark is going to clean it up and repaint it for me, then it will go in the corner of my scrapbooking room. I am thinking of rebacking one of the quilts Granny sewed to drape over the back.

Thank you, Dolores.... for the chair and the visit. Little by little I feel more re-connected to this new place I am living.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The best show ever.....


So I know I have blogged before about my favorite TV shows, but in honor of the Grey's Anatomy premiere tomorrow night (in about 25 hours and 30 minutes!!!!) I just had to make a comment.....

I love Grey's Anatomy.... It makes me laugh and cry and think about my life. It makes me appreciate what I have and push myself to grow......

Now this may seem a little weird for a TV show, but it's the truth. I look forward to each episode as I would a night out with the girls. It truly is the best TV I've seen in a really long time.....

Some favorite moments:

Bailey, "Quit looking at my Vajayjay!"

When Alex scoops Izzy off of Denny's bed and carries her away..... (these two take me back to the days of Doug Ross and Carol on ER)

"Pick ME, choose ME, love ME" (this is what we all want to say, and don't have the nerve.)

Christina and Burke dancing in kitchen (I should do that once in a while!)

Izzy and Meredith and George laying under the Christmas tree, looking up at the lights (I do this every year)

The entire bomb episode (OMG!)

When the intern, Marshall, apologizes to the giant contry-fied dad of the pregnant woman who died, and you think he's going to throttle him, and he comforts him instead.... (instant tears)

Can't wait for tomorrow night...... only 25 hours, 18 minutes to go!!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Such a bummer

So, the MRI showed that Mason has cracked his femur right above the knee, and there will be no more football for the year. We are all broken hearted.........

Monday, September 11, 2006

9.11.01

Every generation has events that stick in their minds as a collective shock.... a change to their perception of the world. The first for me was the Challenger disaster in the 80's. The second, and by far more profound was 9.11. I remember the details of the day very clearly. I was driving to work with the radio on B93.1 when Angie Good and Tammy Cruise started talking about what was happening. They announced the first 2 plane crashes.... then the 3rd into the pentagon. Later I almost had to pull over as the World Trade Center collapsed. Then their was the final plane in Pennsylvania. It was just too much to wrap your brain around. These kinds of things don't happen in the USA. The entire week I was in a state of shock. I taught my class from a distance... trying to come to terms with the information flooding in while also trying to calm the fears of 20 five year olds who had seen horrible scenes on the television that they couldn't comprehend.

In later years, my partner teachers and I tried to keep the memory of that day alive in Kindergarten by planting red, white and blue flowers with paper pieced flags in memory of the victims and heroes, but last year as I was trying to discuss "Patriot's Day" with my class, not a single one had any idea of what I was talking about. It was then that I realized they had been 1 year old at the time of the incident. So, I have decided to keep the memory in my private life and not to commemorate it at school. I am not sure if this is the right decision, but it is what feels right to me. I just don't think a short chat by the teacher can convey the importance, yet a more in depth discussion could prove to scary for them to process. That seems more appropriate at home.

Whatever you are doing today, I hope you took time to remember.......

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Game Day


This is the look of the boy whose team won their first game 35-13, but he didn't get to play. You see, he has a knee injury, so he hasn't been allowed to put on pads or hit anyone or run or go for a sack or even block for the last two weeks. And all of those things are what makes him happy.... you know, that giddy kind of happy that is so obvious even the dense mother can see joy on her son's face.

So tomorrow we go for an MRI, and I really hope that they say this boy is ready to suit up and throw some blocks. He could really use an adrenaline rush right about now!!

Friday, September 08, 2006

Love this......

A quote from Brian Andreas.... whose books I love...... who inspires me to live a better life....

Thursday, September 07, 2006

My friend.....

This is my sweet friend, Danette. We have known each other since first grade.... not long after this picture was taken. That's 32 or so years of shared memories. We have watched each other grow and change and pursue our dreams. We have had more sleep overs than I can count. We have been through braces (hers at 13, mine at 35), boyfriends and bad choices together.... but I wouldn't change a thing!!

Thanks so much for the walk today, Danette.... It was great to catch up!! I am looking forward to many more days like today in my new hometown.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Books, books, books

Ever since I was a weeeeeee little girl ( I am reading and re-reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears to my class this week) I have loved books. My mom swears that I was reading by the time I was 3 years old. I remember the pleasure of sitting on my Granny's lap and being read to when I was tiny. I remember (VIVIDLY) reading the Janet and Mark books in first grade. I started chapter books in second and was engulfed in the worlds of Charlotte's Web and Little House in the Big Woods. I think I read 90% of the novels in the Scotia School library. One of the highlights of my week was when the Book Mobile parked itself in the clearing of my tiny little hometown (population 34) and I got to pick a book.

So I'm wondering why I haven't blogged about what I'm reading or what I've read and loved or what I'd like to read.......

Currently I am reading Lipstick Jihad. It is a memoir written by an Iranian American journalist. Being that I generally ignore politics, and recall almost no history, I've found it to be very informative. It's not really what I'd call riveting, however, I have almost no desire to pick it up.

The last GREAT book I read was called The Life of Pi. It is about a 16 year old Indian boy whose family is immigrating to Canada with a variety of animals from the zoo they have recently sold. The boat they are on sinks and Pi finds himself on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a tiger. I found it in the airport and read it while on vacation in Australia this summer. Several friends of mine were less than impressed by it, but, to me, it was FABULOUS. I loved the discussion of various religions in the beginning of the story, and the section while Pi is on the boat kept me in stitches. And the interview at the end was extremely thought provoking. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

So, tell me, what are you reading?

Monday, September 04, 2006

Babies


It has been such a long time since I was the mom of babies....
It is hard to remember the waking up every 3 hours, the tiny sweet giggles, the tickling of their toes, washing their hair for them in the bath, getting to pick out their clothes. And look at those faces.... are they not the most adorable things you've seen all day?

I miss being the mom of babies.... especially on the days when new backpacks are being demanded.... when most of what comes out of their mouths is sarcastic or whiny....

Of course, I also love the freedom I have now. I don't have to make anyone's lunch except my own.... I don't clean anyone else's bedroom.... I get to assign chores and leave them home alone. I can even have interesting conversations that don't include color names or rhyming words or potty talk (well, most of the time!)

But, even with all the advantages of being the mom of older kids, for tonight, I miss my babies.......