"Like a kid at Christmas"

I don't think I ever really understood that phrase until this year.  Madison is at such a great age.  She gets it!!
She's so excited about Christmas!  She's really excited to see family and spend time with them (we live over an hour away from my side) and don't see Ryan's extended family all that often either... so she's really excited about that part.  She knows that it is Jesus' birthday but of course, people don't ask if she's excited for that part, they ask if she's excited for Santa... which she is... of course she is.

We've been singing so many Christmas songs together and her memory blows me away... I figured that she'd learn "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" but today we were in Target finishing up some last minute shopping when I hear her singing, "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart... and the very next day, you gave it away... this year.... la la la tears... I'll give it to someone special"... pretty darn good, I think!!!

Its just so funny, last year (and the year before, obviously) we could buy her presents when she was with us... she'd actually play with them in the cart and then forget about them... but not this year.  You can't get anything by her!!  However, she does understand secrets...We told her that the only secrets she can keep from Mommy and Daddy are presents... and Ryan took her shopping for all gifts this year and she keeps telling me, "Mumma, no peeking, and its a secret, so you wont know until Christmas"...

I love it.  I love her excitement and innocence.  I love that she only asked Santa for M&M's when she met him... I forgot to blog about that experience. 

We went to the Swansea Mall (which is a pretty po-dunk mall, but I figured it wouldn't be crowded and I was just wasting time while Ryan was helping his dad rake leaves a few weeks ago)... so up until now, she hasn't wanted to speak to santa or anything... We saw him and she said, "Mumma, can I go say hi to Santa?"
"Sure Maddie... lets go."
So we walk up there (I wasn't sure they'd let you just go say hi without a picture, but they did)..
Here's how the conversation went:

"Hi Little girl, what's your name"
"Madison."
"Oh that's a nice name. What would you like for Christmas?"
"M&M's please"
"Just M&M's?  You don't want a doll or a dress or nothing?" -yes, he said it just like that... I really think they pulled this man off the streets for the sole reason that he had a real beard... he was very trashy (with a yellow beard from smoking I'm sure and grammar that was embarrassing...)
"Nope, Just M&M's"
"Oh, ok.  Do you want to sit on my lap?"
without missing a beat and with a very dirty look, "WHY?"
"I don't know, to tell me what you want for Christmas"
"I just told you, just M&M's"
"Ok, well, I think you've been a good girl, so I think I could do M&M's this year"
"Ok Santa, thank you"

And that was it.

I can not wait to see her face on Christmas Morning... I can't wait to share the traditions that Ryan and I have already started with her... I feel like its her first Christmas... it's not, but its the first one that I think she'll remember... and the first that she really can express her excitement.

I'll do my best to take pictures but our camera stinks and we're not very good at remembering to take them!!!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that this house about a mile an a half from us does this awesome display of lights and we just heard about it... We went tonight and it was fantastic!!  You pay a donation to walk around and the guy donates all the donations to charity... what a great idea!!  There's actually a website about it and I think its great what they're doing!  Maddie just loved it!  We got her dressed up in pajamas and boots with her hat, coat and mittens and didn't tell her where we were going, just said we were going on an adventure... she loved it!! :)

http://www.bridgewaterfestivaloflights.com/

Why did I click that button???

Ok, so we "Elf Yourself"ed our family and it was hysterical!! I loved it!  We kept taking different pictures with the webcam and having them dance.
That was great.

Maddie loved it.  Kept asking to watch the different dances.  Then I clicked on the JibJab website where you can watch little videos and send personalized cards.  Maddie kept saying, "can we watch that one, and that one, and that one?"  So of course, we watched just about every one....

Then, I didn't look at the title because I was just clicking every video on the site... and there it happened... I've corrupted my poor 2 year old...

"Mumma, can we watch the stinky one again?!?!?"  She laughs almost uncontrollably at this... belly laughs... laughs so hard she can barely breathe...


Here it is... for your viewing pleasure... but please don't judge me, I'm usually a much better mother than this... I USUALLY monitor everything she sees and don't even have the news on when she's in the room because I want her to only see positive images in media - but I have lost it! 


http://sendables.jibjab.com/holidays/sendables/225/farting_elves

 Oh my...  I'm sorry, in advance!!!

Updates

Well, I do have an update...

They've posted the job that I wrote about in an earlier post.  They restructured and turned it into an Assistant Director position.  This is what I really want.  I do know that!
I get almost giddy thinking about it...

I just really pray that I am able to present myself in a way (throughout the interview process and until then) that shows my dedication and passion and that I deserve and will do a great job with this job!  They just received the approval to post the position, but it hasn't quite posted yet. 
I'm beefing up and fine tuning my resume - which by the way is harder than I had planned.  I haven't touched it in the three years since I started here at BSU.  So it is now three pages long and my cover letter is packed!!

If you pray, please say a prayer for us.  I say us because Ryan and I go into these things together.  He's just as nervous and excited as I am.  We're totally trying to think positive - like I will get the job (because I don't like to be negative and I really want it, so why not!!)
We have no idea what our living arrangements will be if I get this job.  I'm not sure how much time will be allotted for me to find a place.  Would they let me stay as the East Hall RD for the next semester while adjusting to the new role?  Or will I move right out and they hire someone new so I am left looking for either an apartment or a house.

And a house?!? Seriously?  I don't know if we can afford a house right now?  But I've lived on for so long, how do I really know?  I want a house, so badly I want a house!  But those that I want, my goodness, I don't think we could afford and if we could, we couldn't afford to heat it or eat!! 

Oy vey... so clearly I need some prayers!!  I know that the Lord guides me in each of my endeavors and I know that He is watching over me with this whole process and whatever is in His plan will be what happens, it's just tough being patient and letting my faith calm me down enough to remind myself that God is in charge!

So that's the update!

Funny stuff my kid says!

For a while now, people have been telling me to blog about funny or just stuff that Madison says.
She is pretty funny sometimes...
So, this is a very quick blog post (because I have 10 minutes before I have to leave for a meeting) but here are a few things... I'm also blogging so that I don't forget about them, cause she's cute!

The other day when Ryan got home..
Ryan:  "Madison, you look beautiful today, I like your shoes"
Madison: "oh, you noticed?  thanks Dad"

Yesterday a country song came on that had the word Alabama in it and she heard me earlier in the day tell my mother in law that my parents are in Alabama with their motorhome...
Madison:  Mom, you know who's in Alabama... (pause)... Mimi and Bampa...
Me:  Yes, that's right hunny...
Madison:  Mom, what's Alabama?
Me:  Well, it's a state?
Madison:  A state?  So like, they're visiting Alabama?
Me:  Yes, they're visiting Alabama.
Madison:  Well, what does she look like?
Me:  Who?
Madison:  Alabama, the one they're visiting?
Me:  Oh, no Maddie, Alabama is not a person they're visiting, its a place.  A State.
Madison:  Oh.  Alabama is a state.
Me:  Yes, a state, you know how we live in Massachusetts?  Well, Massachusetts is the state that we live in... there are a lot of people in this world, and some live in Massachusetts like us, but some live in other states, like Alabama....
Madison:   Mom, where does the sun go when it goes to sleep?
Me:  Well, you know how around lunchtime the sun is way up high in the sky?
Madison: Yep.
Me:  Ok, well as the day goes on, the sun moves further and further down (I used my hands for this part even though we were in the car headed to Target)... and then when it goes to sleep it goes way down to the other side of the world.
Madison:  Oh, so does it go to Alabama when it goes to sleep?
Me:  Umm... well...
Madison:  Or behind Target?


I'll continue a few as I remember them... I had just recounted the Target trip to Ryan and he agreed that I should be documenting some of this stuff!!  So there you have it...

at a loss for words....

... not because something bad happened (which is usually why someone says that phrase), but because every time I have a chance to blog, I can not for the life of me think of things to blog about.  However, when I am going through my every day life, I will do something or see someone and think, "that would make a great blog entry". 

A few things are going on lately that I'm apprehensive about.  Mostly with my work.  As you've noticed, I love my job.  I love most of the people that I work with, and I love working at this school and with this department.  Ryan is in a good school system and there is potential for him to stay there and continue moving up.  Madison is in a school system that so far (its only been a few weeks) she loves.  I don't want to have to introduce her to a new system when she's in second or third grade.  I always felt so bad for those kids in school...

So, two years ago, while the Housing Operations Coordinator was out on maternity leave, I got to do her job as an interim position.  I loved it.  I continuously joked that if she ever left, I'd jump at the chance to do her job.  I knew, though, that she'd never leave.  Her husband also works for BSU and they just bought a house in the area. 

However, she just gave her two week notice last week and accepted a job with a software company.  As you can imagine my heart started beating wildly when I heard this!!  seriously, is this a possibility??  Would I even be considered to apply for this job?  I really want that job.  I loved it so much when I did it when she was on maternity leave... LOVED IT! 
all these thoughts run through my head... wait, am I ready to move up, well, I know I am, but do my supervisors feel that I am?  Have I done enough to prove myself to the people that matter?  More importantly and really more the issue: am I ready to move off.  Currently, although I don't get paid much more than peanuts, I don't have to pay rent, utilities, internet fees, cable, ANYTHING... it's all included.... SO really, wherever I move, if I do go off, will result in a technical pay cut.  Something that is not going to be easy.  We're currently living paycheck to paycheck as it is.

There are so many what ifs that still surround this whole thing...

Firstly, they might be reorganizing the whole department because of this vacancy now... If they do that and create an assistant director position, I'd want to go for that job too.  If I did that, would it be summer conferences?  Does that mean I can't take a vacation in the summer?  I do live for my summer trips... however, not vacationing in the summer would save us money... I did a great job at the summer conference portion of my job; in fact, there were many times last summer that I had to pick up the slack for others and I did that pretty well too!  I don't mind that stuff, when I know what I'm doing, I like to do it!

Then again, they're not sure if they'll reorg the department so if they don't, will they increase the current salary for that position?  If not, can I afford to go for the job.  I've figured out a certain amount that we can live off of, and the current salary is not it!  And... all of this is so uncertain!! I haven't even heard formally what they're doing, if they're doing anything, and actually, I haven't heard from her mouth that she's leaving... just rumors....

So yes, there's a lot on my mind lately.  Mentally, I am very ready to move up.  I'm ready to supervise professional staff members and not students.  I like working with students, but I am definitely feeling the age difference when supervising them. 

I'm ready to move up.  I'm ready for new challenges.  I'm ready for the Lord to direct me where He wants me to go.  I'm listening Lord...

Creepy Crawly....

So my friend Kate wrote about her adventure with a cricket, which inspired me to recount our adventure last Sunday.

As Ryan and I were sitting on the couch at about 10pm, our cat, Jezzy jumped off the couch and ran over to the side of the TV.  (The TV is up agains a half wall that is right behind the stairs that lead to outside)....
Jezzy jumped forward and then quickly learched backwards and her tail poofed out like it only does when she's freaked out!

Immediately, I looked at Ryan and said, "What is she freaking out about?"

"I don't know, think it's fly?"  He asked....

"no way, she doesn't do that for a fly... I bet its another freaking spider!!"

(You must understand that over the past three months we found two huge spiders  in the apartment, the first being in Madison's bed!!!   The second in the living room!  They looked much like this: )

Then I get up to go check it out.  Behind the TV, Ryan has his work bag and a few wiffle ball bats and a baseball bat.  So I start pulling that stuff out out while Ryan is standing behind me and suddenly he starts screaming,

"OH MY GOD!! HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT!!!"

At this point, I can't see what he's screaming about and for a second I wonder, "Is he trying to freak me out, but wait, he wouldn't scream that loud if he was, he's going to wake up Maddie".... and then he screams,

"ITS A SNAKE!!!!!!"


At that moment, he grabs the baseball bat and starts slamming it on the floor...

BLUDGEONING THE SNAKE!!!!!!!!


And as soon as he realized what he was doing, he dropped (or threw) the bat and ran out of the room.... Did I mention my husband is petrified of snakes?  I mean seriously petrified!

So then I look down and see that this said snake is not coiled up anymore like it was when he first stopped beating it, instead it had uncoiled and was moving!!!

I picked up the bat and continued beating it!!!

I realized that there was blood all over the bat and the rug...  and there was a terrible smell, and the fricken snake was STILL moving!!!

So I beat it a few more times, and Ryan crouched in the corner watching as I grabbed a paper towel and put it in a large ziplock bag (because I wanted our facilities manager to see it and tell me that it's friends and family would not be coming back! - and it's protocol around here that if you find a bug or something you're supposed to save it so they can identify and spray or whatever they need to do to make sure its friends don't come around...)

As I was carrying the bag (btw I double bagged it) to Joe (our Facilites Manager's office) I realized the damn thing was still moving!!! GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!

I've done my best to identify what type of a snake it was, and it was NOT an innocent garter snake, as many would assume!! 

This is the best picture we have of what it looked like: 



We also are not positive how it got in the apartment, other than a carpenter coming to look at our door (which until the other day had a small hole at the bottom of the door sweep) who thinks that is how it and the large spiders got in....

Ryan was so freaked out all night long... when I came back from bringing the bludgeoned snake to Joe's office, Ryan was sitting on the edge of the couch staring at the corner of the room where the snake was....
He said, "You need to job search - we can't stay here"

I reminded him that once at RIC when I lived there, Jezzy caught and killed a small garter snake while I was away one night... so really, this could happen anywhere we live....

Either way, it was disgusting, we still freak anytime Jezzy jumps up to go look at something... and we're pretty proud of our white furball for saving our lives!!!

First Day of Preschool

I was so not prepared...

People asked me, "you think you'll cry?"

"Cry for what?"

I had no idea!

Last night as I was labeling all of her things (a rule at the preschool - not me being my OCD self)... I starting thinking about how long 8:30-3:30 really is.  How she hasn't really used the bathroom for anyone other than Me, Ryan, or my Mother -in-law, how she has no idea that we're not going to be with her for the entire day, and getting really nervous for how she'd react.

But when she woke up, we said, "Happy school day Maddie" and she was very excited.    All morning, she was excited to get dressed, and excited to let me french braid her hair, excited about carrying her lunch box (which was "very heavy") and so excited walking into her school!

Of course, we took a few pictures before we left the house:

When Ryan and I went to leave her, she looked up at us with a brave smile (a little sad) and said, "ok, I'll see you later".

Ryan called at lunchtime and apparently she had a breakdown and cried for about 5 minutes this morning, but at the time he called she was working in a small group carving pumpkins and having a good time.

I go to pick her up in 20 minutes and am sitting on the edge of my seat, I can not wait to go get her!!

I did NOT think I would be like this at all... I am not sappy or into the whole, "my baby isn't a baby anymore" mentality... I am so happy that she's growing up, I love to watch her grow and to be completely honest, I don't miss her as a baby... it was not an easy time... she was not an easy or happy baby.

I just hate that lonely feeling and knowing that the other kids all know each other, I don't want her to feel left out if they're all friends and she's just starting today...

I'll update on how she did tomorrow....

Christmas Already?

People who have already started their Christmas Shopping amaze me and intimidate me!!
We are not really last minute people, but I need to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving first before I can think Christmas!!

However, I am thinking about our cards early!!  Since we had Madison, we've been sending our Christmas cards as pictures of her.  For the past two years, we've used Shutterfly and couldn't be happier with their greeting card selection.  And this year, we're doing the same!!  Their designs are so cute, and we were able to put two or three of our favorite picture on each one... So far, this year, I think we're going with either one of these:

I love how you can have multiple pictures.  I love that they let you add your own words and I really love that its not generic "happy holidays"... Christmas is so much more than a holiday for me, so being able to break out of the PC wording is important for me!!


The best part about ordering from shutterfly this year is that I found this:

“Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards”

They always have great sales and coupons!!  And... if you're a blogger, you can get 50 free Shutterfly cards... See my Facebook and Twitter to see how!!!

And no, I'm not getting paid anything for this,  I just love Shutterfly like you all probably so, so I want to spread the word and get my 50 free holiday cards from them too!!!

SO what are you waiting for... go order your cards!!!  And get Christmas Shopping while you're at it!!!

Tick tock...

Sometimes I feel like there is certainly not enough time in a day for me.  I get up at 6:50am, Maddie is up five minutes later.  I change into my running clothes, get her breakfast and set her up to entertain herself while I'm running.  (I let Ryan sleep in during the week and he does the same for me on the weekends!)
Then I go out for my 3-5 mile run.  I come back with just about 45 minutes to get showered and dressed for work.

I get to work, and work a 9-5 day on Mondays Tuesdays and Fridays.  On Wednesdays and Thursdays I work about 9am-7pm. 

I get home for dinner, every other night we bathe the Maditude and then get her to bed.  By 8:30pm, I am beat!

On the weekends, I feel like thats really the only time I have to spend with Ryan and Maddie. 

What a hard life right? No, I'm not saying its hard, I am just saying that I do love my life, however, I wish I had more time for social and fun and friends.  I have a good friend that I work with This is her Blog and she's fun to hang out with - she asks me to shop and do fun things with her a lot but I always have to pass!  It stinks!  I usually really want to go with her and shop or do fun stuff (except for Friday, we were going to go to Providence place, but I was beat and my foot was killing me - not sure why!  So I skipped that but on my own accord), but if I do, I feel really guilty for going because it usually takes away from the little time in the week that I have with Ry and Maddie!  Uggh! 

Luckily for me, Erin understands my issues with guilt and being a wife/mom/friend/sister/coworker, etc. and she's been awesome!  SO, thanks Erin!

And... this week, I'm on duty Monday and Tuesday nights, so when I get called, I really am not home.

It does remind me how blessed I am to have such a great husband.  He makes dinner just about every night, has my coffee in a travel mug by the door each morning (and many times my breakfast in a to-go container if I want it) and takes over completely when I'm working or on call or whatever... he's pretty incredible and I don't know how I got so blessed!!

So, if I haven't been all that attentive lately, which, I stink at calling family and friends, and my poor sister is having a terrible time lately, and I haven't been there for her as much as I should... but please know it's not because I don't think of you or want to be, I just can't seem to fit it all in!

SURPRISE!!

I've wanted to blog about this for over a month, but my parents read this, so I couldn't...

Back in June, after my father's birthday, Becky and I started talking about my parents next anniversary.  December 26th will mark 40 years for them.  We knew we wanted to celebrate in a fun way.  For their 25th anniversary, we had a small gathering at their favorite restaurant (at the time - the Lafayette House in Foxboro)... Everyone paid for their meals and I think Becky and I paid for Mom and Dad's meal... It was small, maybe 10 people or so. 

We didn't want to do something huge, because my mom is not a showey person, doesn't like to be the center of a lot of attention, but they both love their friends and family and really love time with them.  So, we decided we would do a dinner for them and invite their closest family and friends... Where do you cut the line when you're inviting a bunch of people?  Well, we decided, friends that they had hung out with over the past three or so months and then all the family that is within driving distance. 

Then we talked about when and where to have it.   Mom and Dad are close with their longtime friends the Bilodeaus (I was the flower-girl in this couple's wedding about 25 years ago and mom and dad have stayed friends with them ever since)... They bought a restaurant The Sagamore Inn about three years ago, and mom and dad have eaten there almost once a week since!! They really enjoy it and we knew it would be very easy to get them there without suspecting anything at all.

Then we knew they were heading to Alabama on a trip in their motor home in the middle of October.  They haven't set a date to come home, and they're having the motor home worked on while they're out there.  So, really, not knowing how late they'd be coming home, we knew we needed to do something before they left.
Next weekend we're heading to NH with them, so this weekend was the perfect date. 

Sometime in June, I stopped in to the Sagamore Inn to talk to Suzanne and ask if she'd be cool with us having the party there.  She was very willing and quite accommodating for what we needed.  We wanted to be able to afford the whole thing without having people pay and Suzanne helped us with that.   Back in August, we sent out the invitations, inviting about 40 people and making sure the invite let them know it was a surprise.

Thirty of the forty invited guests RSVP'd which we were expecting (the room we were in wouldn't have been very comfortable with more than 30 people!) At first, we were hoping that Mom and Dad's best friends (Carol and Ron) would be able to just invite them to dinner at the Sagamore Inn, but they had a vacation away planned and weren't able to make it to the party.  Then we had to do some improvising.

We didn't want to plan anything too early with them, and have them wondering... So I sent them an email about a week in advance (I couldn't do it in person or on the phone - I can't lie to my parents... but the only way I could was to do it through email!)
We use the same financial advisor as Mom and Dad and that was our alibi!  His office is less than a mile from the Sagamore Inn.  So, I emailed Dad and said, "hey, we've been trying to set up an appointment with Rich... when we do, would you like to meet for lunch or dinner at the Sagamore Inn?"
Knowing darn well, they wouldn't pass up a meal with us at their favorite restaurant.  It was a bit scary at first because Dad responded with: "Sure, lunch would be better..." 
So then, we had to come up with a reason that we couldn't do lunch before our non-existent appointment.

This is where my job comes in handy sometimes!!! ON DUTY!! Yes, we'll say I'm on duty and can't get anyone to cover until 3pm.  That way we can't get to the "appointment" until 4pm so we'll have to do dinner.

Perfect. 

In planning the timing of the party, we figured that we'd tell mom and dad (at this time, we thought we'd have Carol and Ron telling them that they'd meet for dinner at 6pm)... and knowing my parents are obnoxiously early to everything, they'd get there at 5:45pm; so we put 5:15 on the invite for guests to arrive.

Once we had the scam set up, I emailed Dad again (on the Monday before the party) and said, "hey, we finally got an appointment with Rich.  He can do this Saturday.  I have to stay on campus on duty until 3, however, so our appointment is at 4pm. Rich said to plan on an hour and a half, so why don't we meet for dinner at 6pm." 

Dad emailed back a day later (four days before the party) and said, sounds like a plan, I'll check with mom, but it should be fine.

Phew... (mom wouldn't say no to dinner with us!!)

On Thursday, Dad called my phone to talk about something else (I was having a hard time talking to them and keeping a secret, so I let the call go to voicemail) and his message said, "We're looking forward to Saturday, we'll probably get there around 5:30pm... if you're not there, we'll just go in and socialize for a while"...
PANIC!

5:30pm?!?  That only gives guests 15 minutes to get in and not be seen!!  Ahhh...
I quickly sent an email and facebook message to all guests and said, "if you can get there at 5, please do so, Mom and Dad are going to be earlier than expected!!"

We had worked out some details during the weeks prior:  decorations, centerpieces, favors, cake, etc.  The decorations were minimal: balloons, 40 signs, a Happy Anniversary banner.  The centerpieces were red roses in square vases on each table.  (40 is ruby, so we went with the red theme).  The cake was great!  Becky made a replica of their wedding cake and it came out great!!
The favors, we tied into things that mom and dad love: wine, peanut M&M's and popcorn...
We did wine glasses filled with a bag of microwave popcorn and the M&Ms...

So all was set to go...

As if I wasn't a nervous wreck already, the night before the party, our babysitter found out that her grandfather (who had been sick for almost a year) was actively dying and would probably die within the next day or two.  She told us, "I'm not really sure what's going on, but I'm still hoping to be able to babysit tomorrow."
We didn't have a plan B.  Everyone we trust with Maddie and that Maddie knows was going to be at the party... Ahhh... We had also already told our cousins that it was an adult only party (not the easiest conversation or feeling at all... but I didn't want to show up with my 2 year old after I told them they couldn't bring their kids!!
So we prayed, selfishly, that her grandfather made it!!  And he did... until just after the party!  Phew... thank you God!!

We got to the Sagamore Inn at 4pm to set up.  We decorated, got the favors ready, got the cake put together, centerpieces on the table, got dressed and all the guests (with the exception of one couple that was late and another that was sick and couldn't make it) arrived with plenty of time!!

They were having a good time mingling for about 20-30 minutes before Doyle (Becky's Boyfriend) announced, "they just pulled in". 

Suzanne (the owner) was waitressing that night and agreed to meet them at the door and tell them that she had put us in the back room and walk them in...

As they walked in, they only saw Ryan and Me sitting at the table and Mom looked so happy to see us.  Then she looked to her left and realized that she knew everyone at the same time as everyone yelled "Happy Anniversary!!"
Dad's face was a little bit of "what the hell is going on" and "wait, who's fricken anniversary?"  (Remember, this is 2.5 months before their actual anniversary!!)

I immediately hugged mom and said, "you're leaving soon, we wanted to celebrate before you leave!!"

 Mom had a look of terror and then disbelief!!

Dad is almost always in control, so for him to have NO IDEA was incredible and must have been a very surreal experience for him!!

All night long, Dad had that, "wait a second, how did I not know about this" look on his face!!

A few times, he got up to thank people for coming and explaining how important everyone in the room is to both Mom and Dad...




Becky and I gave a toast to their 40 years together and specifically highlighted what we've learned from their marriage over the years. 

This is going to be a very long post, but I'll include the Toast Here:  We highlighted our parts and went back and forth!

Anniversary Toast

Becky:  As a toast to Mom and Dad, we wanted to share some things we’ve learned over the years from their marriage.

As you all know, it’s not only impressive for a couple to stay married for 40 years, but it’s more so impressive for them to still like each other and enjoy each other’s company after all those years.  But Mom and Dad do.  SO much so that they can spend weeks at a time in a motor home and not need a break from each other.

We consider ourselves very blessed to have this marriage as our example. 

Amanda: We’ve learned from mom and dad what a happy and loving marriage should be and what it shouldn’t be. 

When mom and dad took their vows, I’m sure they had no idea that the better or worse might mean staying by each other through some really tough times…  Supporting me through all that comes with nine surgeries to correct a birth defect and loving me through losing a child and learning to love myself, finally… They certainly have had their share of challenges.   Through each and every challenge, they are able to find God and look for His purpose in each situation.   Something we try to emulate.

Amanda: No one could have imagined that in sickness and in health would mean multiple hernia surgeries, gallbladder removals,  back surgeries, knee replacements, heart surgeries, cancer and carpel tunnel issues (and that was just years 36-40!)  We’re all proud of mom that she didn’t trade him in for a newer model! 

And no one could have imagined that for richer or poorer would entail saving and investing so that their dream of living on the cape and traveling the country in a motor home could actually happen.  Or  that they might be trading that three month old motor home because the oven wasn’t big enough to fit a turkey.   Or it might mean going in for an oil change and coming home with a new vehicle. 

Becky: You’ve all hung out with mom and dad, so you all know a few things are inevitable when you’re with them… if you go to their home, you’re sure to be offered a glass of wine (or a whole bottle, in some cases).    If you’re at their house during lunch, they’ll have a huge spread or at least a bag of microwave popcorn, mom’s favorite.  And if you’ve got a sweet tooth, we’re sure you’d be able to find one of dad’s stashes of Peanut M&M’s…  Oh, that reminds me, don’t forget to grab a favor before you leave.

Amanda: But back to the point: We’re all here to celebrate mom and dad and recognize their forty years together… The couple that would drop what they’re doing to help you out.  The couple that always has a place at their dinner table or the spare bedroom, or the pull out in the motor home for you.  The couple that would help counsel you through any problem that you’re going through but be sure to pray for you while you’re going through it.  They’re the couple that doesn’t miss a Sunday of church (or a Wednesday or Thursday at church, for that matter!)  They’re always up for a dinner out or sharing a meal at their home. 

Becky: We’ve learned a great deal from mom and dad and by watching their marriage over the years.  A few themes play out over and over.  We’ve narrowed them down to a top five.

Have Patience – with each other and with the Lord’s timing.

Amanda: Choose your Battles – Mom, you’re the pro at this.

Becky: A sense of Humor is a necessity – Laughter can make even the toughest situations a little better.

Amanda: Life’s too short to sweat the small stuff – Why wait to celebrate 50 years when 40 is a huge accomplishment!

Becky: And the number one thing we’ve all learned from mom and dad:

Both:  God is Good, Always

Mom and Dad cut the replica cake as we sang to them... So cute.

As Dad and Mom went around the room thanking guests and saying hello, Becky and I were reveling in our success!!

We had the waitress take a group picture (and a group silly picture) and then the night was over... just like that!!!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!  Thank you for the great example you set for us!!! I love you!

Sports

Last week was all about sports!  Our best friends Matt and Teresa had two extra tickets to the Red Sox for Wednesday night... well, here's the long story:
Matt's parents (My Aunt Wendy and Uncle Art - they're honorary Aunt and Uncles, close enough!) both have cancer.  His mom is doing quite well right now after going through rough chemo but his dad has been feeling pretty lousy lately.  So on Monday morning, Matt called and basically said, "my dad isn't sure he'll be well enough to go on Wednesday night, so if he isn't, could you guys get a sitter to go?"
Well, we have this great friend, she's actually a resident in my building and my office assistant, who is so good with Maddie and is great with last minute sitting... so I asked her and she could if we needed her!
I told Matt to wait until the last possible moment and then have his dad decide, because I didn't want him to give us the tickets and then feel good enough to go...

Well, Wednesday morning, Matt let us know that his dad was still not up for going - which was bitter sweet, for obvious reasons... so that afternoon Matt and Teresa came here and we headed into Boston.

We ate some greasy food outside of Fenway and then headed inside.  After getting some Octoberfest *my favorite* we headed in to find our seats.  We were on the left field near third base... So we headed up... only to find out that the lettered seats are down towards the field... and we kept walking and walking until we were at the second row from the field!! Best seats we've ever had!!

And what a night.  Matt and Teresa are those friends that know so much about you, love being silly and don't care if you look stupid... they just have so much fun with us... so the night was incredible!

Here are a few pics from the evening:

after the game... so happy!

Ryan's Heaven

Matt and Teresa

me showing that I'm ready for a foul ball to come our way!

group pic in front of our seats!

when he's happy, I'm happy!

so close to a win...

what d'ya want for a self take?

from our seats

This was Ryan's Birthday gift.... from his loving wife! :)

Then, Ryan's parents bought us Patriots tickets for this Sunday.  And, again, Kristy (the resident babysitter) saved the day and stayed with Maddie while we headed to Gillette Stadium!
Unforuntely, although we left with three hours to spare, we got there 20 minutes before the game due to horrendous traffic!!  We had tons of stuff to tailgate (with his friends from work) but couldn't until after the game.  So, once we parked, we downed a few beers and basically ran to the gates!!
Again, grabbed a few Octoberfests and headed to our seats.

The view from our seats.

We were high up, but it was so much fun.  I just have the hardest time staying focused when we're actually there for a game!!

It was pretty windy, but this is us... 

We did get to tailgate afterwards... and my great buy:  the disposable grill that I got made fun of for buying worked out great!!!

We had a few dogs and burgers, a few more beers, and headed home! (Don't worry, I was sober by then and drove while Ryan had a few beers with his coworkers!  My mom reads this so I don't want her thinking I was drinking and driving... )

Oh, and the best part about both games:  WE WON!!  So, I have deduced, I need to be present at all the games so that we can win all the time!!

Personal Assistant

I could totally use one!  If for nothing else, just to keep up with my email, twitter, facebook and this blog!

The housework and bills at home, I can handle those! 

Things are quite busy here, obviously, I haven't blogged in a month!  School started back up and my 300 students are all moved back into my building.  Ryan's brother got married (again) during opening weekend, which was poor timing for me, but I figured, "hey, at least I got an invite to this one!"  His first wedding... I wasn't invited to.  His first wife told me point blank, "I have enough friends, I don't need you or Scott's mother as friends" and then proceeded to leave me off the shower invite list as well as the wedding invite list.  Oh well, I didn't lose sleep over it!

This wedding was... interesting... I'll recap with a few highlights:
No music during Holly's walk down the hill towards Scott, so her step-father sang "da, na, na, na.... da, na, na ,na..." while walking with her...
The 'ceremony' took place in a gazebo, which was pretty.  Until a little dog ran in and around the gazebo through the whole thing!
The "bridesmaids" attire was interesting - one wore an 80s small prom dress in purple and the other wore a sundress with black/white and red in it.  
After the wedding, while Holly and Scott were over taking pictures, Holly's mother shouts to all the guests, "Ladies, if you need to use the bathroom, you can use the camper (there was a camper set up near the food) and guys, well you know where you can go (and pointed to the woods)"...
People were asked to "bring a dish to share" making this the first potluck wedding I've been to... but they did have steak tips and chicken.  However, the bare-chested man with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth that was grilling contributed to the fact that I did not eat much that day!
My sister made the cake, that had (as requested) candy skull heads on it.  She did a nice job.
And, unfortunately I forgot my bathing-suit because, the pool was a huge attraction!

I'll attach some pictures for your viewing pleasure: however, right now the picture button is not working, so you'll just have to wait!



As far as running goes, I'm getting my groove back!
When we were in MB I ran every other day practically, but once we got back I was slacking... and it was just so hard to start back up!
But I've been going at least three, mostly four, times a week for the past three weeks and I run 3 miles each time.  I have a 5K coming up in October, which, I'm ready for! 
I was going to train for another Half with a co-worker, but I just couldn't afford or justify paying for the $55 registration fee right now.





Anyways, that's my quick update.  When I can, I'll get the pics updated!!

Camping

I really don't feel like I worked much this summer.  Three weeks vacation was splendid!!

We usually take a week in August and go to NH camping with my parents and sister and her family.   My aunt and uncle have a house in Seabrook, so their whole family (3 cousins and their families) all go to the beach house and we camp nearby.  Then we spend days at the beach and nights having dinner and playing games/drinking/having a blast together.

This year, my work schedule screwed everything up.  But my parents are awesome and just said that they'd go up whenever Ryan and I could even if our cousins couldn't go that week.  The cousins (all except for one, Kathy and her son) went the week after us.  And Becky picked up a full time baking job so she couldn't go anyways.

Cooking Pancakes on the fire!  Our site setup!

Anyways... We went up on August 6th, Friday and set up our campsite.  We camp in a pretty decent tent and have a screen-house for our eating area.  We have a queen sized Aerobed and a twin Aerobed too, so it's very comfortable.

This is what the inside of my parents motorhome looks like!

My parents camped in their motorhome in the site next to us.  We had a blast.  We got to see my Aunt and Uncle and cousin three times, which was great, and had three days at the beach.  We went to this pizza place in Portsmouth for lunch one day that Ryan and my dad just love!  We spent two nights in Newburyport walking around... Maddie was fantastic!!  She rarely was moody, barely had a meltdown, and made friends with the little kids that camped next to us the first weekend.

This isn't their exact one, but about the same!

It was really nice to just sit and be bored.  My mind didn't have to worry about work drama, we don't have much family drama now that the brother-in-law is an ex, and Ryan and I really enjoyed just being...

I'll post later about our late night hysterical night!  For now, its back to work!!

Updates

I said I'd update on my Myrtle Beach trip and that was now one month ago.
I can't believe it!

Well, we left here on July 3rd at 9:30am.  We had a great 10 hours in the car and arrived in Springfield VA at 7pm.  We found this great restaurant down the street, Mike's. 

The food was incredible and they had Yuengling which is Ryan's favorite beer (but not sold north of NY)!
Maddie slept great until about 4am on the sleep sofa, and then ended up in our King Bed. 

We left on July 4th after a continential breakfast and a stop at dunks and after 8 hours arrived at Uncle Dana's house in Myrtle Beach at about 6pm.  We went with Uncle Dana to a Chinese Buffet that had so much food and was wonderful!
He took us on a quick drive so we could see his beach (Myrtle Beach State Park) and the local shopping areas as well as his great neighborhood.

(this is us walking the beach that first day!)


That night, after unpacking and settling into our rooms at UD's house; we had glasses of wine and heard fireworks.  So we ran outside and saw fireworks right from the front yard!  Maddie's first firework experience!! She loved them.

Monday morning Uncle Dana golfed (he golfs EVERY morning at 6am) and we packed up and headed to the beach.  So lovely!!  We packed lunches and Uncle Dana met us there after his golf game.

In the afternoon we let Maddie nap and then went grocery shopping.  We decided that we'd do two or three nights out to dinner and most lunches we'd make and go to the beach.  This was the plan... didn't exactly happen that way!
That night we made spaghetti and meatballs and Uncle Dana enjoyed with us.  I just love that he drinks a glass of wine before bed!! (I love a bottle glass of wine before bed too!)

Tuesday, we went to Broadway on the Beach which is a great shopping area where there are bridges in between with huge fish that you can feed and they're enormous!  We had lunch there at the Liberty Brew House which is one of our favorites! Then we went to the Myrtle Beach Pelican's Game (they're a AAA Atlanta Braves Affiliate Baseball team) and UD came with us.  Maddie was super excited because he bought her Ice Cream!

Wednesday we were back to the Beach and we made Pulled Pork for dinner.  It came out great!

Thursday we went to the Ripleys Believe it or Not Aquarium.  The only thing I didn't believe was how crowded it was there and how hot it was outside.  The aquarium was nice, but so busy that we didn't get to see the show.

Down the street from UD's house is a park area with a pond and ducks.  It has a running/walking path around the pond that was perfect for my 3 mile runs.  (yes, I ran four times during that week!)  We fed the ducks and played on the playground and just loved this little park!!

These little exercise stations were positioned all around the pond

Friday we were back at the beach and I think we went out to dinner that night too, but I can't remember where! 


Then it was time to leave Uncle Dana :(
We really had such a great time with him.  Each night, after we put Maddie to bed, the three of us would sit in the living room (with our beer and wine) watching TV and just chatting.  Uncle Dana told us stories of when he was young and before he was a christian.  Then he shared stories of his early marriage years with Aunt Marsha.  We learned so much and were so happy to share Maddie with him and have her know and love him like we do. 

Saturday we set off to North Myrtle Beach - Little River where the condo was.  We enjoyed the pool at the condo and had dinner out the first night and did another grocery shopping trip.

Sunday, the in-laws arrived at the condo.  This condo- was - great!!  Ryan's dad works with someone who in February sent out an email that said, "hey all, I have a condo in Myrtle Beach and if you want to stay there, it's just $85 a week"... so we jumped at the chance!!  Figuring is was a dinky barebones condo, we didn't even care!  But this was no dinky barebones condo!  It was great!  It had a breakfast bar, washer/dryer, dishwasher, pool, (two pools actually) and two large bedrooms and two full sized bathrooms with a screened in porch.  Heaven!!

Maddie didn't know that her Grandpa and Mena were coming, so when they showed up she was elated!!

We did a few things with the in-laws but were still able to have time alone.  In fact, they watched Maddie one night while Ryan and I went and had a date night. 

Our favorite thing about South Carolina:  HAPPY HOUR!!  Beers are $2.50 and appetizers are half off!! Needless to say, date night turned into drunk night!  But oh so fun!!

(this was us... haven't sat at a bar together in over 3 years!!)

We spent a lot of time at the beach and went back to Broadway at the Beach to go on the splash pad and Merry Go Round (Maddie's first experience on the Merry-go-round and she loved it!!)

My parents have friends that live in NC, the Burneys.  They used to live in Attleboro and go to our church.  We made plans to go to dinner with them on Wednesday night and I'm so glad we did.  They're so sweet and they brought their grandson, Tripp who is about the same age as Maddie.  They were so cute together.  Somehow we didn't get a group pic, but we did get a few of the kids and one family one!

On Saturday, we headed home.  After 10 hours, we hit Springfield VA and went to Mike's again for dinner... YUM!
Then after a Dunks run, we traveled another 10 hours and arrived in MA at about 7 pm.

Maddie was hysterical when we got home.  It was like she had completely forgotten all about her toys at home... She kept running from room to room shouting, "Oh, my Kitchen is in here"   "Oh, my baby is in here" "Mumma, my crayons!!"

Overall, it was an incredible two weeks.  We will never ever forget the quality time we spent with Uncle Dana, the great conversations we had with him and the hospitality he showed towards us.

Our time with the in-laws was great too!  They were very generous and gave us some great time together.

stay tuned for our camping trip...