Merry Christmas To All!

     We were lucky to escape the freezing weather in Illinois (driving the first two hours in terrible ice and snow) to the balmy state of Florida for Christmas. More importantly, I am getting to spend time with my daughter, finalizing wedding plans and actually getting a wedding gown. After 8 months without seeing her, I know I can never let that happen again. 

     Before leaving home, we were blessed to spend a little time with our grandsons. They are really growing up way too fast. 

We have taken some time to enjoy 

the beauty of Christmas at WDW.

We listened to the Disney Choir (my daughter is a member) 

sing beautiful Christmas hymns and carols.

The Christmas Story was narrated by Edward James Olmos. 

     I was also blessed to spend some precious time with my Daddy. We had him with us here for 5 days and then we put him on the plane to my sister's home for Christmas. 

     My wish for each and every one of you is a Merry Christmas and only the best of health, love and joy for the coming New Year. 

Where do the years go?

 

     Today is my daughter's birthday! I posted this picture of her early this morning on Facebook with a birthday greeting. I should have known she would have an interesting response. I was almost immediately sent a text of the picture below...

 

 

I have no idea where the 29 years

have gone, but we are certainly blessed!

 

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

 

 

Bits and Pieces & Luke Update

A fall wreath is in the planning stages.

 

 

     It seems as if I have been busier than usual lately. Since my kids left home, I tend to have one or two things a week to do and pretty much stay on schedule...the past couple of weeks have been hectic and this week will be the same I think. I thought I would do one of those posts that answers a few questions I've been asked recently and I also have a "public service announcement"!

 

     Yesterday, we went to a "Thank You" party that was put on by our little friend Luke's parents. He has continued to have cancer-free, excellent check-ups since the bone marrow transplant and is once again a thriving little boy. Their family is building a beautiful new home and other than frequent check-ups, things are getting back to normal for this wonderful young family.

 

Luke leading the pack at his party yesterday.

 

     I have been asked how my dad is doing. He is great. In fact, he is on a road trip to my part of the world right now. He was here on his way to Wisconsin weekend before last and will be here for a few days this week. He turned 87 this month, so part of me really worries about him taking a 2000 mile plus trip, but a) he wouldn't listen to me if I told him not to; b) they seem to enjoy themselves and c) if something is going to happen to him, I'd rather have it happen when he is having fun rather than sitting in a rocking chair! I truly think he has more energy than I do. I only hope that I inherited a bit of what he has.

 

     I was told that I needed to update the progress my daughter and I have made with our "new lifestyle" of eating and exercising. We are both doing very well. I reached a place that felt comfortable for me and so I have spent the past few weeks trying to adjust to maintaining the progress I made. I still work out 5 days a week most of the time, I still hate it. I have continued to log in what I eat, even if I have a day where I eat things that aren't good for me. I also still weigh daily. That is what works for me. I am usually up a pound or so after a weekend, but I go right back to it on Monday and so far so good. My daughter continues to lose weight. It is a slow process right now for her because she doesn't have much to lose and she is so busy at work. She is almost at 50 pounds off and is certainly working on her last 10 pound goal. It really has become a way of life for both of us (my husband too). We all 3 feel better, look better and notice now just how awful we feel if we have a high fat or greasy meal. That doesn't mean we don't do it now and then, but we pay for it!

 

     Last week was doctor week for me. I know I'm getting old when I make several appointments at once. I had an eye appointment (new frames-fun), a dentist appointment (no cavities-yay) and an appointment with the dermatologist (this one has the public service announcement). Sometime around Christmas, I noticed I had a spot on my chest that itched. It was a tiny little red spot and I didn't worry about it. When it was still itching in February, I called my dermatologist. I couldn't get in to see her for months, so I saw a nurse practitioner. I spent much of my youth in the sun, so I have a yearly screening and because my dad has had melanoma as well as both other skin cancers, I watch very carefully for anything unusual.

 

     The nurse practitioner said she thought it might be a pre-cancer and she froze the spot. I waited several weeks and it was still itching, although it didn't look like much of anything...just a tiny red spot. I went back in July, again I couldn't see my doctor and the nurse practitioner said it was fine. I knew it wasn't. I thought it was a rash or something. So, I called again and told them I would wait until I could see my doctor to come in and guess what, they got me in. Now, months after the first pre-cancer suggestion, it has had time to become skin cancer. It is a basal cell carcinoma, which isn't all that serious and I'm not freaking out about it at all. However, it looks like nothing. I have always watched for brown spots, changing moles etc. This doesn't look like anything even now except maybe a flat red mosquito bite, I can barely feel it and no one would even notice it, except it itches! I am on a 6 week treatment with a cream and then wait 6 more weeks for a re-check to see if it is gone or if I have to have it cut out.

 

    I am only discussing this because many of my readers probably also have a bit of sun damage, often on our chests. Many of us were in the sun long before SPF 30 existed! If I had listened to the "this is nothing" appointment and not pushed to see my doctor, this would only have gotten worse. As it is, I wasted several months by not getting to see my doctor. So, please, be aware that something very tiny, red and itchy can be skin cancer. I didn't know, now you do!

 

     We were shopping on Saturday and fall has hit the stores. I am going to try to decorate with things I already have this year, with a few small exceptions. Fall is my favorite season, I love the weather and I love the clothes. I only wish the longer daylight hours would last as well. It won't be long before it is time for jeans, sweaters and boots! It is time to savor the long, hot days of summer before they are gone!

 





Another May 13th

 

     It was 3 years ago today, May 13, 2010, that I lost my mom. It was 47 years ago, May 13, 1966 that she lost her mother, my grandmother. May 13th, Mother's Day, they always come together and I remember that Mother's Day was always bittersweet for my mom. I get it now, I wish I could tell her that.

 

     In many ways it seems as if she has been gone forever and sometimes it seems as if those 3 months from a healthy, happy mom to losing her, just happened yesterday. I'm still using a bottle of her perfume and it hasn't been long enough that the bottle is empty yet. There are so many things I wish I could ask her and so much that I would love to tell her.

 

     She lost her mother very suddenly when she was 36, with 2 little girls at home to raise. She never faltered. I never saw her cry although my dad said that she did often. She was the type of woman who protected her children from seeing her pain. I was only 11, so I had no idea what she was going through. I lost her at 55. I cried every day for the first year and some days I thought I wouldn't survive without her here. I wasn't stoic like she was, I called my daughter in tears many times and she was there for me in ways that I only wish I could have been for my mom.  

 

     Mom absolutely lived for her grandkids. She would hate this picture...but, you can see the love as she held my son for the first time. She is younger in both of these pictures with my babies than I am now. From that moment on, they shared a very special bond.

 

My daughter, a vision in pink on the way home

 from the hospital, also captured her heart.

 

     In the 3 years she has been gone, there have been so many changes in our family. My sister has had two daughters get married, I have one engaged. She would have been so happy for our girls and as wonderful as these moments are...something is just missing without her there. Some of her 6 grands have really thrived in the past 3 years, others have struggled and her youngest...is now 17, driving, going to prom and growing into a beautiful young lady.

 

     Mom was our rock, the glue that held our family together. She was the one that we could talk to, who never minced words with us. When we spoke, she really listened and our kids had a respect for her opinions that they have never had for ours.

 

     Life does go on and it certainly has in our family. Some wonderful things have happened since she left us and some not so great. We have had to adjust to things that are painful and difficult and yet we have survived. My sister and I are closer than ever, my daughter has really tried to step up and fill the void left by my mom, even though I tell her it isn't her job to "mother" me. People say it gets easier, and it does. The pain is no longer acute. I no longer wake up crying in the night and when I think of mom, I smile. The missing her, never gets better. She is with me every day of my life...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

     So, is May 13th a day of sorrow for me? Not really. I don't miss her more today than any other day, every other day. Is it jinxed that her mother died on May 13th and so did my Mom? I could think that (and I probably wouldn't go sky-diving today), or I could remember what someone wise told me...it is a special day. It is the day my Mom got to see her Mom again, after a long separation. I think that is a much better way to think of it. Love you Mom.

 

Our last "3 generation" picture.

Once Upon A Time...

     Once upon a time in a land far away...well, okay it was about 25 miles away from where I sit now...a very young couple was married. The year was 1947, she was 18 and he was 20, and they were very much in love and beginning a new adventure. The adventure would take them to several homes, jobs, joys and problems and bless them with 2 daughters, 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.

     On their 50th wedding anniversary, the did what was unusual for most, but typical for them. They treated their family to a few days at a beach house in Vero Beach, Florida. It was surprise when the printed invitations arrived in the mail months ahead of the trip. It was a surprise when they presented my sister and I with a gift for their wedding anniversary and it was a wild, crazy trip. I'd love to tell you that it all went perfectly, but it didn't. The youngest, my niece was a year old and never stopped screaming. My sister was stressed about it and it showed. I was angry at her for being so stressed out and the weather wouldn't work with us at all. We had a family picture taken in rain and terrible wind that made us all look like ghosts in the white shorts and t-shirts my mom made us all wear. The kids were 15, 14, 13, 12, 9 and 1. You can imagine the chaos and craziness, and yet we all look back on that trip and smile now. It was fun even if it was crazy. It created memories, funny stories and while it wasn't as blissful as my mom planned, she loved having all her "chicks" together. She always said we would do it again on their 65th anniversary.

     As my loyal readers know, my mom died 2 years ago just days before their 63rd wedding anniversary. Many things have changed since she died, in truth, everything has changed. However, my dad still wanted to take the trip that they planned for all of us and this was the year we returned to Vero Beach. We opted to stay at the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa rather than the resort where we stayed 15 years ago. Our kids no longer were of an age to all sleep all over the place and we could have two, 2-bedroom suites and make it work. We were missing 3 of the grandchildren, who couldn't get away from work, but my niece blessed us with a new son-in-law in the family. This trip was very different than 15 years ago. The weather was perfect. I think we got a fairly good picture (I don't have my copy yet) and we had a great time being together at such an amazing hotel.

    

Dad's bedroom

     My husband and I were the first to arrive and from the minute we pulled up, we were treated like royalty. Check-in was easy and within the first 24 hours we were being greeted by name when we walked in and out of the hotel. My husband, daughter and my dad shared one of the suites. The staff knew why we were there and within the first hour the concierge came to room to greet us and brought my dad a bottle of wine, a cheese and fruit platter and a lovely card. I thought it was so thoughtful because an anniversary celebration without mom was truly bittersweet for him.

Living room, fold-out sofa for my daughter, wet-bar.

     We were impressed when we first saw the hotel and entering our suites we were thrilled. The gentleman who brought up the bags was more than helpful. He told us about area shops, the best restaurants and arranged for us to have an extra mini-frig in the room. 

Our bedroom

Large bath, walk in shower and soaker tub

Look at the robes!

The view from our balcony

     I had to take a picture of the morning coffee service for all the bloggers reading this. I loved the way they labeled the cream, milk etc. How cute is that? They also had complinmentary water with oranges in it in both the lobby and at the pool. In the afternoon they would put out freshly baked cookies and at 5, wine, rum punch and an appetizer.

     The private beach was perfect. It was the first vacation I've had in a long time that we spent hours sitting on the beach and by the pool. Waiters appeared frequently to take drink orders, the restaurant at the pool had great food and snacks and the sun was shining all week. Perfect! The guys spent some time golfing and we had some girl time sipping cold drinks and catching up with our feet in the sand.

     The White Orchid Spa is part of the Vero Beach Hotel. I don't normally allow myself such a luxury, but my sister insisted we were getting massages and she informed me of what time I was going. Bliss. I didn't take any pictures inside the spa, but it was beautiful and so peaceful. My sister and my youngest niece (the one who cried the entire trip 15 years ago) each had wonderful massages. I also came home with one of the candles they had burning in the spa. It smells better than any I've ever had and makes my house smell amazing even when it isn't burning. It is Soy Delicious, Island Mango. If you can find it somewhere, buy it!

The pool area.

The water side of the hotel.

The firepit.

Outdoor Dining at Cobalt.

     We had two meals at the hotel's main restaurant, Cobalt. We had one dinner and one breakfast and both were excellent. We had snacks and the Sunday BBQ at the pool restaurant, Heaton's Bar and Grill. Again, the food was delicious. We also ate at a few other delicious places while in Vero Beach and I'll share some food pictures in a later post.



We also celebrated my dad's birthday at dinner one night.

                         

     We spent our days in the sun and our evenings, eating, visiting and watching old home movies. My dad was playing in the ocean on a boogie board the way he did when we were kids! It was fun, sun and family. The Vero Beach Hotel and Spa is my new favorite place. In fact I'm trying to figure out how to spend a couple of days there when we are in Orlando in December. It is truly hotel perfection...and I'm very picky.

     My dad made a toast to my mom and while it breaks my heart that she didn't get to be there with us, I have no doubt she was there in spirit. I think she would be proud of all of us for following through with her dream of this trip and of the way we have only tightened our family bonds without her. Cheers mom! You taught us well!

    

The Perfect Wedding

     It will be weeks before the professional photos are ready from my niece's weekend wedding, but I couldn't wait to share a few of my own photos. The above photo will be my favorite, no matter what the photographer does because Jenny looked at me and grinned after the ceremony and it looks "so Jenny" that I just love it!

     This was by far my favorite wedding, ever. I would say the same thing if I hadn't been related to the bride. Our family tends to do things slightly non-traditional and this wedding was the perfect blend of fun, fabulous, silly and elegant. It took place at the Adler Planetarium on the lakefront in Chicago, at sunset. The view was stunning even though the temperatures were a little warmer than we expected.

My dad walking my sister (the mother-of-the-bride) to her seat.

     There were 7 bridesmaids, the dresses were these deep teal and navy. The two above just happen to be the bride's sisters, my nieces. Aren't they all just gorgeous? The guys all wore gray suits of their own choosing, with matching plaid ties.

    Jenny and her dad entered from the upper level down two flights of stairs. There was no traditional Wedding March. Our Jenny came down the aisle to Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine. I loved it!

     The service was really personal. Jenny and Jerry asked their very good friend Chris to be ordained so he could marry them. He was friends with Jenny long before Jerry came into the picture and as he said during the ceremony, he was there after their first date when Jenny came home floating on air. His service was a mix of humor, memories and a few tears. Above you see that they asked my dad for a few words of advice about having a long marriage. He talked to them about a few things he and my mom did to remind each other of their love and then he read from the Book of Ruth, which was very special to my parents. There wasn't a dry eye in our family when he was speaking. The bride and groom also included a memorial section on the program that included my mom, Jenny's other grandparents and two of Jerry's friends.

     We had cocktails and a large variety of appetizers out on the terraces before dinner was served. They had a mac and cheese "tini" bar set up. A large chafing dish of macaroni and cheese (with truffle oil) to be spooned into martini glasses and topped with everything from sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and blue cheese. So clever.

The flower of the day was the pink peony.

     You can't share a blog post without showing the food. We had the choice of salmon (mine-above), chicken (my husband's below) or a vegetarian dish. I don't know who catered this wedding but they did it very well.

     Another thing that I loved was they didn't have a cake. In fact at one point my niece said, "we are going to cut the beignet" and that is what they did! There was a beignet dessert bar. Servers would fill the beignet with either chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or lemon cream and then serve them with ice cream, hot fudge sauce and a fruit selection. Coffee and tea were served with chocolate spoons and optional Bailey's. 

     The DJ was great and the dance floor was packed all night long. There is nothing quite like dancing to Katy Perry singing Firework while the fireworks are going off right outside the window.

Of course being in a planetarium added a few

decorations that one doesn't normally have at a wedding!

     My niece is as sweet as she is beautiful. My sister and I are really close and our kids are also very close, so I couldn't be happier if this was one of my kids. What makes it even better is that her new husband Jerry is such a great guy. He not only worships her, he fits in very well with our family and after meeting his parents and grandparents over the weekend, I can see why he is so special.

     It is rare these days when everything comes together perfectly, when everyone is happy and healthy and when everyone has a wonderful time. We were all very blessed that our first family wedding was absolute perfection! They are currently taking a 3 week tour of Italy, France and London. Bliss!

Oh No You Didn't!

     Oh yes, I did! Do you see this copy of Midwest Living that came in the mail on Friday? I was thumbing through it Friday evening while my husband and son were gone picking up our grandsons for the weekend.

     I've been eating healthy foods for the past few weeks, but when I got to this page...I just had to stop and see where this place was located! It was meant to be. Incredibly Delicious is located in Springfield, IL and we already had a road trip planned to Springfield with the boys on Saturday! I knew that I was taking a healthy food break and it was worth every bite!

     See this? This is the most delicious Flourless Chocolate Cake that I have ever tasted. I tried many in my day, I've even made a few and never have I had one with this texture. So many times flourless chocolate cake has a very thick texture that almost gets stuck in your throat. This melted, made me purr with joy and I had no trouble eating every bite. It was chocolate perfection and believe me, after spending the entire day with my husband, my son and my two grandsons...I needed a chocolate fix.

     This piece of deliciousness was what my husband brought home with him. Loaded with apples, blueberries and we think cherries...he said it was the perfect mix of sweet, tart and crumbly.

     Of course we had to have a little snack while we were there. The guys all had cookies, but after reading the article...I had this glorious chocolate croissant. Oh yes...crispy with just the right amount of chocolate. Yummy!

     Incredibly Delicious is located on the main floor of an 1845 Italianate mansion in Springfield's Aristocracy Hill, near Abraham Lincoln's home and historic area. It is owned by Patrick Groth, who is also the chef. He and his family live above the bakery.  

     They also have a daily lunch menu, which on Saturday looked simply amazing. It just wasn't what two little guys 3 and 5 had in mind. I wanted everything on the menu!

     As you enter the building, you place your order for either lunch or pastries. You then take your lunch to one of the rooms in the house to eat. We just carried out our treats. There was a line, but it moved quickly and I would wait in a much longer line to be so rewarded.

     The real reason we went to Springfield was to take the boys to the Scheel's Sporting Goods store. It is really the largest store I've ever seen. My guys all are sports nuts (see why I was so excited about the bakery) and I'm not. I will say that even I was impressed with this store. When you walk in the door, you first notice the large ferris wheel.

You also can't miss the beautiful aquarium,

which is formed into an archway to walk under.

     The store has several Audio-Animatronic displays of presidents that speak, an airplane hanging from the ceiling, race cars you can drive, bowling, golf and every brand of clothing and shoe you could possible want.

They also have a restaurant, Starbucks,

homemade fudge, ice cream and gelato.

     Our youngest grandson and my son had a wonderful time on the ferris wheel, our older grandson is 5 and he was scared to death to even have his dad ride it. The guys all loved the store, I found a bench and dreamed of the flourless chocolate cake I would have when I got home!

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