wow, what a week!

okay, i know i’m not supposed to write anything Real on this blog, for fear of offending…but but but…i really want to tell you how completely my world has changed due to events of the past week.  so i won’t say HOW:  i quit my job up at church.  i’m moving into a whole new season!!!

i’m stunned at how fast things progressed, but i’ve honestly been trying to quit since december.  i kept thinking i was sooo essential, but really i’m not.  it feels great to let go.  i know trinity will be fine–even better–without me.

what’s next?  i’ve signed up to take  sharon sorensen’s birding class again.  we’ve got twice as many birds feeding here than when she got me started a couple of years ago.  i can hardly wait to learn more.

it’s seed-starting time and i’m ready to Try Try Again.   i’m going to be brave and try tomatoes and peppers, herbs and some vines.  i ought to do something easy like zinnias just to bolster my success rate.  my amaryllis and paperwhites aren’t setting any records, but they’re coming along…how are yours doing?

anyway, ive been on such an emotional rollercoaster that  i haven’t had much time to think about my grand-daughters’ birthdays, though i did send them off some books.   wish i could have been at the party!!!

hopefully, i’ll have more time to blog…i know you’ll be waiting and watching for the next installment.

mlk holiday

i don’t have anything too terribly pithy to write about rev. king, but have spent a bit of time today reading some of his memorable, motivating words.  i was a high school senior before our schools were actually integrated and the 90-some-odd african-americans who were bussed to harrison walked out in protest when administrators refused to have a martin luther king, jr. assembly.  ultimately, they got their assembly.   now we all have a day to celebrate a Great man whose message and example still resonates within those of us who believe we are more the same than different.

although….i can’t believe i’m already so sick of politics, debates, primaries and the general ugliness of our system.    it’s difficult to find a true person out there, isn’t it?  for certain, skin color is no indication of anything…

tomorrow i’m starting piano lessons with 3 of the pastor’s kids.  i’ve been reviewing chords and scales and i’ll probably learn as much as they do!

i’ll spare you the details, but i have definitely been binging without purging this week-end…i hope i can still walk by the time i make it to the Y…

have a great week…

the 5-minute post…

first week of 2012 has flown by…. it’s been so spring-ish-esque that the daffodils are trying to raise up, but winter should be returning soon.  at school the kids managed to fall in every kind of muddy place they could find and i was challenged to find them dry, clean clothes to wear—so most of them walked around in their gym clothes after lunch recess.

like every obese amurrican, i’ve trimmed back my calories and started walking 3x weekly…i’ll have to join the Y as usual since i spend too much $$ when i walk the mall…

i Love my nook tablet, but i’m reading a Real book that i received from my daughter:  Then Again by diane keaton.  since daughter stole 2 books she had given me earlier, i figured i’d better get this one read before she returns.

we’re planning our WDW trip for late June and that’s the bright spot that will shine through any dark winter days…and they will be here, you know.

time’s up…

3 days, filled to the brim and spilling over

3pm thursday…the jose’ family arrives to complete our circle.  we opened up some presents and had a big lasagna with garlic bread.  the fun had begun…

emma and olivia

emma, eric, eliza and melissa

on friday, we continued our tradition, welcoming steffanie and ray motz, kristi and marvin guilfoyle to feast with us.  kristi brought her grandchildren, sophie and silas, and the kids had fun and music.

eric, eliza, ray and sophie

do those phone games twist kids' faces?

kristi and silas at the piano, sophie, eliza and eric

kristi, melissa, steffanie

saturday, the sweetest twins ever, fiona (with eric) and archer (on his mom jesska’s lap) swooped in and charmed the crowd.

at the same time, my lovely nieces, lauren and ali, graced us with their presence and that of their kids.  more fun and music…

briley, eliza, berkeley

alex holding eliza, berkeley, lauren, ali

noah

sammy and ben

after church today, the kids packed and loaded up the car (while i slept it off on the couch with eliza), driving off at around 1:30p.  just before they left, we got some swing pictures.

happy

christmas at sonnystone

the casey jrs were here for dinner on Christmas Eve—roast beast, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans and giant crescent rolls—and olivia opened her presents from us.

after stuffing and opening, we headed over to barnes&noble to redeem some coupons i had… i was driving michael, jess, and olivia and didn’t really look behind me as i backed out of the garage.   i crashed into michael’s driver-side door, crunching my back bumper, as well.  geesh.   casey came out and shook his head, pronouncing that i’d done an excellent job of using up our automobile insurance deductible….   these accidents happen so quickly, i was just stunned by my stupidity.   but we soldiered on after casey wired my bumper back up (it pays to have a touch of trash in your blood), and i managed to get my new nook tablet!!!   i’ve felt so guilty about the money drain that i just opened it and started charging it about an hour ago, though.

every year casey and i agree to not buy each other gifts.  every year i believe him…i Really do.  he’s very convincing, but every year he sneaks in a gift.   the kids say i should Know that he’s going to renege on the promise, but i’m Serious—he Agreed to No Gifts…  well, at least i keep my part of the bargain >sigh<   this year, he really was sweet:  he found a new Mr&Mrs Claus for my collection.  i’d prowled every antique store around without success, but he managed to find a pair in a bowl up at haubstadt.  they’re plastic with round bottoms, so he made a little board for them to sit up on.  well-worn, they are a beautiful addition to the mantel display.

it’s been a great season up at church, too.  the choir and handbells added so much to our liturgy and you could feel the Spirit throughout our services.

so we move into the post-christmas festivities, awaiting the arrival of the jose’ family so we can repeat the gift-giving and stomach-stuffing….stay tuned for details.

truly hoping that your Christmas was as joyous as ours.

christmas in nyc

in case you hadn’t noticed, this last visit to the jose’ casa was the Best Yet…Emma and Eliza, Eric and Melissa are all i need for a good time, but with the addition of St. Joseph School’s Christmas program, 4th row seats to Patti and Mandy (eye-contact, i’m tellin’ ya), the rockettes and the Real santa claus, my cup runs over…

so i got back home thursday afternoon, napped, cleaned up and made it up to darmstadt for choir practice…Thud back into Reality…  but it Really was a Great Trip…  Thanks, New York!  Gracias, Jose’ Family!  See you soon!

celebrate!

it’s melissa’s 37th birthday—how can that be?  where has the time gone?  wasn’t it just yesterday that she was eliza’s age?  and why is she older than me, anyway???

we’re headed to the show shortly, so i don’t have time to craft the perfect tribute.   if you know me well, you know how it is with us, anyway.  so here’s a toast to the gal who amazes and awes me…i love you more than words can say.   happy happy happy always and forever.

on my way

i’m leaving right now for nashville and a noon flight to new york….it’s going to be quite a festive occasion in the Big City:  Melissa’s birthday is tomorrow and we’ll be celebrating at the Mandy Patinkin/Patti Lupone performance–premium seats via eric jose’, thank-you;  wednesday is emma’s school christmas program in the morning, radio city music hall christmas spectacular featuring the rockettes at five.   then i’ll fly back home thursday morning in time for the choir rehearsal and the final push through the season.

here’s some shots of last week:

3 kids at school baked me a scrumptious red velvet cake…it was delicious and even better as the thought and work that went into it is unusual in this age group….

erik, justice, and dru with my cake

olivia was actually in 2 christmas programs this week, first at pre-school, then at church, making her a veteran angel…

olivia's pre-school program

after the church program

i love christmas!!   hope you’re enjoying it, too!

go, go, go…

christmas, christmas, christmas….full of fun, occasionally frantic.   along with the usual all-out preparation that goes with putting up trees and lights, practicing multiple musical selections, and purchasing presents, we had a little head-lice problem at school.   actually, i never found nit one, but i had to check a bunch of adolescent scalps when there was a report of infestation by a parent.   then there was the “day of bad romance” when i had to calm the aching hearts of several teen-agers (mostly boys, believe it or not) and referee a little mean-girl dispute.  throughout it all, i managed to catch a little streptococcal bug right after slaying the rhinovirus.

but it’s all good…i’m feeling mostly back to human again…and we’re moving right along.

 

happy birthday, casey…

it’s not too late to whip up a quick tribute to my husband, casey dad grandpa casey.  today he crossed off 57 years and started #58—still not even close to catching up with me, just ambling along behind.

he’s my rock, my confidant, my lover and best friend (sorry, kids, about that l- part).  truly, i love him beyond words…  i’m so glad he was born, 11/30/54, and even happier that we are together.