Friends we've never met

Just wanted to post a little something here about two people I've never met, but consider good friends. I'm not going to name any names but they know who they are: H & F.

Now H has a blog that I read every day (well, every day she posts something!). I can't even remember how I found her blog, but I'm so glad I did. She and her husband F are wonderful people. They love God, their family, their friends and their country. They have values, wonderful values that permeate their lives and they are raising their children to have the same values and morals. Together they make up a family I would be proud to be a part of and they are a family I am so happy to know, even though we've never met.

But we have blogged, and texted, and IM'd and telephoned. Even though I haven't met them, I've tried to support them any way I can, with words and thoughts and prayers. I sent them a selection of books when they had to deal with something new, books I thought might help them help their son. And being the kind of people they are, they passed those books along to other families dealing with the same issues - paying it forward, so to speak.

Well, F is retiring after many years in the Navy. Their family is in the midst of some (thank God!) relatively minor health issues. F is looking for a new job, they will have to relocate who-knows-where (well, by now they might know!) and they will have to uproot their family and start again somewhere new. And we'll be there, at the other end of the Internet, cheering and clapping and supporting them and hoping it's a little closer to NJ!!!

So what made me start this post? Guess what I got in the mail the other day? An invitation to F's retirement ceremony. They don't know us! But they know us enough and care enough about us to invite us to join them on what is a very special day in their lives and I just wanted to share that with the world.

I want to tell them both, you are two very special people and we, Jack and I, are proud and happy to call you friends, and we really can't wait to meet you both! (Even though it might be a while 'cause we're unfortunately not going to be able to make it to GA for the party!)

I'll be thinking of you, F, on September 18th. And I'll be clapping wildly as you're recognized for your service to this country and for your dedication to this country, and I'll be cheering you and your family on as you start this new part of your lives! I know everything will be just wonderful - you deserve it!!!

$40 - back and forth

So we have some dear friends who live in Hoboken. Jack and G have worked together on Special Olympics for oh, I don't know, 20 years or so! We grew closer still when Jack was nominated for the position on the Credit Union's Board of Directors and G's husband M is the treasurer.

We love going out to dinner together and when the check arrives, it's always a toss-up as to who's going to grab it first. So we try to alternate paying for dinner; it seems the fairest thing to do and avoids fisticuffs and tug-of-war at the table!

Well, Jack's been spending some time at their house this summer, helping M remodel his bathroom. (A story for another time - suffice it to say they paid for a new bathroom less than two years ago but M had to tear it out and start from scratch 'cause of leaking behind the walls and in the shower floor, to say nothing of the popping floor tiles...) There were a couple of nights here and there where we went out to eat after I got off work. The usual check fights took place. One night they ordered in, paid for it all, and sent leftovers home with us, enough for three days (!) 'cause "M doesn't do Chinese leftovers." They wouldn't take any money.

Well, a couple of weeks ago we got take out again. I tried to pay and was, of course, beaten to a pulp and told my money wasn't any good there! So before we left, I put $40 and a note reading "Dinner's on us!" under someone's car keys on the end table in the parlor. And Jack and I giggled like schoolchildren all the way home 'cause we got one over on G&M!

We got home and the phone rang around midnight. G cussed us out something fierce! How dare we leave money?! She's going to get even!! Jack helped M so much feeding us is the least they can do!! Blah, blah, blah. Let her rant. Who cares? I left them $40 so all was well in our world!

A week or so later she sent home a newspaper with Jack, the local rag I don't usually get a chance to read, but G knows I'm nosy and I like to keep up with what's going on in town. Well, I carried it around for another week, 4 days at least, and almost threw it out more than once.

You know where I'm going with this, don't you, you smart readers, you?

I finally decided to skim the paper here at work before I tossed it. And what was stapled to page 6, with a note that read, "Love you guys!"

Yes.

$40.

Two twenties.

So now it's up to me to get that $40 back to them without being caught. I'm planning feverishly. Perhaps I hide it under her pillow. Or in the fridge when I get another iced tea the next time I'm there. Or I mail it to her anonymously. I thought about asking them to deposit it in her checking account at the credit union but aside from that being illegal (I think!), I'd go nuts if I couldn't balance my checkbook and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone, so I gave up on that one... Maybe I could tape it to the inside of their new shower stall, or on the toilet tank in the bathroom on the first floor, the one she doesn't use unless she goes in to clean it...

The mind is just humming away, trying to come up with something clever and funny.

Any ideas?

Less than two hours and counting...

I'm leaving work early today to take a long weekend with my hubby.

Next week is his last week of summer vacation. For the first time in 36 years he's starting school in August! August 31st, to be exact, but that's still August! AND they've taken away his winter break, so now he only has a November break, a Christmas break, and a spring break - no week off in February. Boo hoo!

Now personally I LIKED it when he had off 'cause we got to go away every other year or so with the Credit Union for a work seminar - work for him, play for me!

And I succumbed to my addiction and bought another pocketbook online. It's bad. I really do have to win the Megamillions lottery tonight! $207 million dollars. Can you even imagine??? $207 million! That number seems almost incomprehensible to me, although I'd give it my best shot comprehending it first hand!!!

So what would I do if I won???

I'd have to figure out what's better, a lump sum payout or a payout over the next 20 years. God willing, I'll still be around for the next 20 years, so it's not like I'm 95 and might not live to collect. Although we all know I could get hit by a speeding police car just stepping out my front door!! (Long story...)

I'd first of all cash the first check. Then I'd spend some of my money fixing up my mom's house, giving both my sisters some money to help with their bills and so that they have some to put away for a rainy day, and then I'd book a vacation to Disney World.

After that I'd sit down, do some digging to find a good, reliable financial advisor, and then I'd buy some furniture! Oh, almost forgot! I'd give a little bit to a dear friend to help her pay off some debt she's struggling with, and I'd hire a maid.

Oh! And I'd quit my job, or turn it into part time, if they'd be willing, and I'd CLEAN.MY.HOUSE.

And I'd buy a laptop.

That's all. Then Jack and I would just live our lives. Together. As usual.

Hmmm... So much going on, so little time to catch you up...

Wedding plans.
Wedding conflicts.
Wedding expenses.
Wedding headaches.
Lovin' it all!

My daughter is planning her wedding. Her description of her perfect day? "A beautiful wedding with a Halloween twist!" My stomach is in knots, picturing pumpkins and spider webs and candy, instead of flowers and pretty dresses and happy people... But it's her day, not mine, I know. No need to remind me!

But seriously, so far here's what's going on...

The wedding will be in her mom's backyard.
Outside.
On Halloween, 2010.
That's October 31st, for those of you who don't know.
I can't remember the last Halloween day we had that wasn't cold and miserable.

Her original thought was no jackets for the guys. On October 31st.
What could be next? Spaghetti straps for the girls? With no jackets?!

Now it's orange and purple lights, with jack-o-lanterns and invitations that are Halloween-themed. But still wedding invitations.

And a dress. Not a gown. 'Cause she's "not a foo-foo sort of person."

And her friend was taking photos for her. Nope. We told her we're getting a photographer for her.

And we'd like to pay for her gown.

And we'll pay for her wedding cake.

Her mom is paying for the tents and the catering, last I heard. Which I interpret to mean we don't stand a chance getting the extra guests we want - we have 13 out of 130. Yes, I feel a bit penalized 'cause we have a smallish family... Something else to deal with...

I'll keep you posted!

A Tragic Accident on the Hudson River

I'm really glad I wasn't in the office on Saturday. My office windows look right out onto the Hudson River, exactly in the spot that helicopter and plane collided just before noon on Saturday. 9 people died in this crash. Such a tragically different outcome than just 7 months ago when that jet crash-landed in the river and all survived.

I've been glued to news reports. The older I get, the more I watch the news, and the less I watch for entertainment (although I will admit to a couple of sitcom and drama addictions). As I post this entry, I can see several police boats and divers going in and coming out of the water, searching for the last two bodies and the mangled wreckage of the Piper.

My heart goes out to the families of those who died. What a sad, sad thing.

Someone needs your prayers

I have been keeping up with The Vedra Family these past two years. Their beautiful baby Ellie was born in 2007 with a rare, unknown neurological disorder. This beautiful family has simply gone on, blessed by God with a strength born of love, to care for this extremely disabled baby.

She is absolutely beautiful.

Her mama got pregnant again. They asked for prayers that their new baby would be healthy.

Hannah Grace was born at 12:06 this morning. It appears she suffers from the same debilitating disorder that her older sister does. She was rushed into the NICU immediately.

I don't know Emily and Adam, or their older sons, Noah and Seth. But what I do know from reading their blog is that this family, in the face of such extreme disappointment and worry - this family is consumed by love and patience and grace. This young couple has made a wonderful home for their children, for all four of them, and I pray, and ask you to pray also, that God continues to help them through whatever it is that faces them.

Take a few moments and browse through their blog: The Vedra Family. You will come away with a new appreciation for your own health and your family's, as well as a broken heart, that two such beautiful little angels face this long road. They are lucky to have the family they have.

Still fuming...

Took the train in to work this morning. As I was boarding, my phone rang and it was my friend G. We started talking and since we were talking about my daughter and potential wedding plans/issues/problems, I was specifically talking in a lower voice 'cause I was referring to people by name, and you never know who's sitting behind/next/in front of you...

We went through the 3rd stop and some guy walked over to me, leaned in and asked me, really nastily, if I was intending to keep talking on the phone all the way to Hoboken.

My response? "As a matter of fact, yes. You're just not as entertaining as I'd hoped so I'm going to stay on the phone!"

Now, had I been speaking or laughing loudly, I'd have apologized and lowered my voice to be a bit quieter, but G was repeatedly asking me, "What did you say? I couldn't hear you!" I was consciously being careful not to talk very loudly so I know for a fact that I wasn't one of those rude people who just scream into the phone with no consideration for their surroundings...

What nerve! I'm still ticked at that guy!

Vacation Photos...

A pretty sunset - but please don't ask me what night this was taken or where we were - I have no idea!

Jack en route back to our ship after a rainy morning on Grand Turk.

Leaving the city - one of the most beautiful sights I'll ever see. It never fails to move me to tears. We were standing next to a man who was with his 15- or 16-old daughter. As we passed Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, he told her that her grandmother had come through Ellis Island in 1895. She kept asking him questions like, "Was the Statue of Liberty there then? How old was Grandma? Does she remember what it was like going through immigration on Ellis Island?" I was so moved that he knew enough about his family history that he could teach it to his daughter and that she was so interested...

My first lunch on the ship, before we even left! Mozzarella, roasted peppers and tomato on an Italian roll, with pesto. Mmmm!!!

Waiting in the terminal in NYC to board the ship - SO impatient to get our vacation started!

The last towel animal our cabin steward left for us (and my favorite!).

Can't go anywhere without stopping into a bookstore!

This photo was taken from the tender returning us to our ship; we'd spent the morning and early afternoon on Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private island in the Bahamas.

What beautiful shades of blue! They really, really looked this wonderful! (the beach at Half Moon Cay)

Sitting by the pool on board the ship - not our best photo, but we were having fun!

The pool at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, on Grand Turk. All cruiseship passengers were allowed to use the pool at no charge. It's the largest pool on the island (it totals three pools, each this size, connected at the far end, to make one giant pool).

Our first Cruise Elegant night; another passenger offered to take a photo of the two of us. (I look thinner when my legs are showing!)

"To your muster station!!!" (lifeboat drill before we left NYC)

A hallway off one of the bars on deck 3, I believe. That's Jack in the red shirt, off in the distance.

Darling Daughter Is Engaged!!!

It just happened last night!!!
A romantic proposal, Mr. Right-for-Her, and the rest is history!
Suffice it to say that his proposal made her forget they had to leave the Mets game - her first at CitiField! - early!
He faked being sick, took her to a hotel on the NJ waterfront, overlooking the Manhattan skyline, had arranged for a a table-for-two to be set up on an outside terrace, complete with 2 dozen roses and a bunch of candles - and the ring!
A beautiful diamond solitaire, set in platinum.
We're very happy for our girl, but I must say, here where it's only you and me, that Dad is having a bit of a hard time dealing with his baby girl getting - gulp! married!

More about the engagement (and our vacation!) later this week!

A picture is worth...

Mom and me at the wedding reception...

My darling daughter and her beau...

Hubby and me, enjoying ourselves immensely! (this was at the end of the evening, so tie is askew, hair is a bit flat... sorry!)The GORGEOUS bride and groom - what a lovely couple!

At church, after the wedding, before the reception...

The wedding is here and gone...

And MAN-O-MAN, was the bride gorgeous! (I will download some photos later on - I'm at work with no access to my photos on my home PC...)

My daughter described it perfectly: "She looks like she's wearing a cupcake!" And if you know my niece, that's an incredibly apt description! The gown was strapless, the softest, whitest white you could imagine, with crystals on the body of the dress, a basic A-line but with a crinoline underneath that just ballooned it out, gathered with fabric roses scattered across the skirt. It bustled up underneath so the look of the skirt wasn't compromised once it was danceable! She had a removable cathedral length veil, edged in crystals and a shorter one that stayed attached to her tiara. Her hair was just GORGEOUS! Curls on top of softer curls...

To backtrack a bit... awesome appetizers at Gianna's, where the rehearsal dinner was held.

Wedding cocktail hour? O.M.G. A recap: fajita bar, grilled vegetables bar, antipasto bar, salad bar, fruit and cheese bar, pasta station (cheese or lobster-filled ravioli, with your choice of red seafood sauce or alfredo), carving station (turkey, lamb, pork, prime rib), raw bar, seafood bar, sushi bar, hot appetizers (shrimp scampi, shrimp w/ peppers, steak tips, stuff I never even looked at 'cause I was stuffed to the gills!), mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes served in footed sundae glasses, waiters circulating with mini stuffed pizza appetizers and bruschetta, and there was a martini bar, too.

Entree choices: stuffed chicken breast, chilean sea bass, chateaubriand.

Open bar.

Wedding cake and Venetian table, with chocolate fountain, ice cream sundae bar, Italian pastries, fresh zeppolis and canolis, espresso and cappucino bar, and coffee bar with your choice of liqueurs.

I starved myself to fit into my gown and I must have really outdone myself 'cause everyone told me how beautiful I looked. What? I look like a dog every other day of the year??? My hair looked so nice that even Jack offered to try to help me blow it out like that more often - when I told him it took my hairdresser 1/2 an hour to blow it out and my hair isn't even shoulder length, well, he didn't withdraw the offer but he stopped mentioning it....

Come back tomorrow or the next day to see some photos...

Win an Elisa Lou bag!!!

Melissa at The Inspired Room is giving away an Elisa Lou bag!
OMG! The colors! The design! The bag!
Go leave her a comment - maybe you'll win!!!
(But if you don't, I hope I do!!!)

Oops, I missed it!

I missed 04:05:06 on 07/08/09.
And there were two of them, AM and PM.
And I missed them both.
I also missed 07/08/09 @ 10:11:12.
Again, missed 'em both, AM and PM.
Oh, well.
Saw a challenge on Liz Kartchner's blog Just Us and thought, "Cool! I can do that!"
But I didn't.
Par for the course.

Michael Jackson Memorial

I thought it was tasteful and a lovely couple of hours.

EXCEPT for the couple of speakers who insisted on politicizing the event. When Al Sharpton walked on stage, I took my earphones out, and went back to work, only checking every few moments to see if he was done yet. I refused to watch him. But unfortunately I did turn back in time to hear him tell those beautiful, grieving children (paraphrasing here) that they shouldn't believe every awful thing they hear about their daddy.

WTF???

This was their father's memorial service! Don't you think that with all the trouble MJ took to protect his children from the public and from the media that perhaps they might not know all the gory details of his life??? So you bring it up at his memorial service??? AS is an ASS.

I'm not a huge fan of Michael Jackson. But as is almost always the case, I can certainly go back and appreciate his work post-mortem, which is a real shame. I knew he was talented while he was still alive, but admittedly I sometimes got distracted by what others called his odd persona. Brooke Shields' eulogy was lovely - she briefly mentioned that others might have called him "odd" but to him he was just her friend. She truly humanized him in a way no one else did, until his beautiful daughter got up on stage, took a deep breath, and told the world just how much she loved her daddy.

And that's when I cried. That's when the loss of his great talent, this man who really did mean so much to so many - that's when it hit me. And that's when I cried.

Better Late Than Never

I was sans computer for the whole weekend (definitely need to buy a laptop post cruise!)...

Happy 4th of July!! And a special thanks to the military, active and retired!

Had a lovely weekend - for a change, the bulk of the long weekend was without rain. It seems as though it's been raining here in NJ for months; actually it's only been one month...

Here's the story of the weekend: Daughter and her boyfriend and a girlfriend came up on Saturday, and I picked Mom up so she could celebrate the 4th with us. We sunbathed, ate, sunbathed some more.

In between sunbathing and eating, hubby and daughter's boyfriend decided to take the paddleboat out into the lake. A little while later, my daughter asked me where they were. We looked up and saw them waaaaay out on the other side of the lake. "Oh," she said, "there they are." I looked up a minute or two later and saw a cabin cruiser passing in the general area where the men were, then I kept reading my book.

All of a sudden daughter says, "Hey, what are they doing? Are they standing up?"

It turns out they were standing up, to put on their life jackets! That cabin cruiser swamped the little paddleboat and they were submerged for a moment, then they were really low in the water! And they started bailing with their hands! Several boats passed them; the one that caused it didn't even stop! Eventually a party boat stopped, offered them a cup to bail with, then offered to tow them home!

So they got towed home by three young 20-somethings, each drinking a beer, and 4 dogs!

It was better than TV!!!

Thank goodness of course that no one was drowned or panicked out there in the water, but from shore? How funny!!!!

My answer is...

"Yes, and what's wrong with that???!!!"

Click on this link to see what I'm talking about!!!

http://www.snotr.com/video/2630

Finally Scrap Creative!

So finally, I created some cards and I'm posting them here! I took a class with the very talented Lisa T (her blog is called Stamp with Lisa T). There were only two of us there with her; our 3rd classmate took sick (feel better, Jo'Anne!).

Lisa cut and scored all the paper for us, so we were able to jump right in! She's a great instructor - she had a finished set there for reference and is a big help when you get stuck! The great thing is that this project will make an awesome gift for someone! And I almost always need an awesome gift for someone, and I never have one home! [So I suppose I should take this home and not leave it on my desk at work...]

The colors are so soft and complement each other so well. And I got to practice my blender pen technique, and I used some SU Crystal Effects (which I've bought but never used! Now I'm hooked!), and I like the 3-D effect of cutting out and raising some of the flowers...

I know this isn't the best picture, but... no one ever said photography was my thang!!!

Rest in peace, Michael

Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest yesterday.

This shocked me. He was 50. He would have turned 51 in August.

This man, this boy, I'm almost at a loss for words.

He was not one of my favorites, but I did admire his talent. He was bigger than life, he created that image for himself, and he created, in my humble opinion, all of the bad press he got, too.

I don't know if he really did all of the terrible things that hit the newspapers, but I can say I did sympathize with him, to a degree.

I went to college at age 16-1/2, after my junior year in high school. It was a Freshman Honors Program at the University of Delaware, and the group of us, 133 in all (I think) were housed on the campus of Wesley College, a small nursing college in Dover, DE. We were a group of strange children, some of us very bright, some of us bright enough, some of us struggling to find out who we were, some of us convinced we were "different." Some of us were on the straight and narrow path, some strayed and experimented with drugs and alcohol. Some of us tried suicide, some of us quit the program, some of us stayed and succeeded and moved through the rest of our college years.

I liken us to the kids in The Breakfast Club, a small group of misfits, all of us very different, each in their own way. And we had to learn, about ourselves, about each other, about life.

Michael Jackson reminded me almost of an amalgamation of a bunch of my classmates. You could describe him as shy, retiring, reclusive, smart, bright, a genius, talented, kind-hearted, big-hearted, generous, easy to take advantage of, unaware of the real world, protected, sheltered...

I don't know if I believe he did those horrible things; I wouldn't be surprised to find that he just didn't think things could be misinterpreted, that his intentions were not criminal or sick, that he just had a big heart and couldn't say no to children.

I could be wrong: he could have been all of those terrible things of which he was accused.

I just don't know.

I do know that he was very talented, whether I personally liked his style or not, and there's just no one around to take his place. I did like some of his work, and always admired his abilities.

If it turns out he was abusing drugs, with or without the enabling of his family and friends and medical staff, well then, I'm sorry for that. Ultimately it's always our own responsibility. But that won't take away from his legacy.

Rest in peace, Farrah

How very sad. Farrah Fawcett passed away today.

Cancer sucks.

No one is safe.

Every time I hear about another loss, it brings it all home again. I suffer all over again. I feel the pain all over again. I feel the loss all over again.

I didn't know her. But I truly feel a loss with her passing. Seems a bit strange, even to me, but over the past few years, since she announced that she was suffering from anal cancer, she did what she could to raise awareness. She released a video she filmed while taking treatments, while suffering. She did this to help others. She proved herself to be a strong, wonderful, passionate fighter.

She was more than just Jill Munroe from Charlie's Angels.

Rest in peace, Farrah.

Whatever happened to polite?

I found this blog entry at Ordinary Courage. All I can say is "thank you" to Brene! Thank you for speaking so eloquently to this very real lack of respect that is permeating society today.

Is it really so hard to be polite? To say "thanks" or "you're welcome" or "excuse me"??? She was prompted to write about the rudeness of people on cell phones, how self-absorbed some of these people are, how they ignore everyone around them, how they ignore others and treat them as if they're not even there, how rude and ignorant they are to those who are working for them or doing something for them...

One of my pet peeves, and, yes, it's one of many and it's not going to save the world... one of my pet peeves is when I drive through a tollbooth and I hand that person my hard-earned money (we don't have an EZ-Pass), 9 times out of 10 they don't say thank you. Now I know they're getting paid to be there, and I know that I'm not giving them money out of the kindness of my heart (I sort of have to, if I want to go any further on the road!), but would it kill them to say "thanks" or "have a nice day" - especially when I say (and I don't know why I do this!) thanks to them (for taking my money????)? This will ALWAYS prompt me to make a nasty little comment like, "How RUDE!" as I drive off to finish my trip.

I hope I remember to always be polite and considerate and not take anyone for granted. And please, remind me I said this if you see me treat someone like the dirt on the bottom of my shoe!!!