I went platinum/very light blonde over a month ago. That look is pretty high maintenance for me anyway. I’ve been looking at various colors online. I really like a couple but today decided on “Intense red copper.”  I’m back to coloring my hair myself for no other reason than I don’t like paying for something I can do easily myself. When I decide to do a more complicated color scheme I’ll have my stylist do it.

Ive been coloring my hair since I was 16 years old. I remember my own hair color to be a very dark blonde/light brown. I also remember that I didn’t like it at all. I wanted to be blonde in the worst way, so my mom made it happen. Since then my hair has been just about every color of the hair rainbow with the exception of black or very dark brown. Those are too dark for my complexion.

I’m envious of people who pick a hair color and stay with it for the long haul. I get bored way too easily and the next thing I know I’m off searching for the next color. My hair is short so it can handle all the colors I put it through. If the ends get damaged it’s usually taken care of by the next haircut.

I cleared out my shoe closet!  That sentence deserves an exclamation point due to the sheer volume of shoes I have in my possession. I am a self admitted shoe and bag whore. There are a “ton” of shoes I am donating because I’m not wearing them anymore. Alyssa feels I should sell them but I don’t have the patience to keep taking up that much room in my closet. Besides it’s good thrifting karma to donate nice things. I won’t donate things with holes or rips/tears or simply in bad condition. I see things like that all the time at the Sal Val. I don’t understand why people think that other people want their damaged belongings. It’s rude and thoughtless. If a shirt has stains for goodness sake throw it away, don’t donate it.

So my hair came out more on the warm pinkish side than red. Go figure. All is well it’s only hair it can be colored again.

 

 

 

School officially began yesterday, Thursday September 5th. There weren’t as many students in attendance as I though there would be. Only 1 of my 5 students who need nursing services showed up. One student that is “mine” was here but had no doctor’s orders for me to carry out her care so she had to be picked up.

Today, the second day of school was busy, not physically busy as most of my students were absent again but paper work busy. My head hurts from transferring paper work onto the computer. These past couple of days do have their bright spots. I was able to see a lot of staff who didn’t work the summer program and I missed quite a few of them; and I was able to catch up with the staff I did work with over the summer. What we all did after the summer program ended. It was nice.

I believe this coming Monday will be very busy physically because I predict most of my students will be attending school and I have a full assignment of both students who receive care daily on a schedule and also students who receive care on an as needed basis. I think a lot of parents couldn’t be bothered to send their child in to school for 2 days then be off the weekend. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the Dept of education’s rational for when they chose days to start a new school year.

I miss my students who haven’t been to school. I love my job which is primarily providing care for those that aren’t able to care for themselves. I do not work in a bubble, there are a lot of paraprofessionals at my school who do more physical work than I do and for them I am very grateful. The teachers at my school are also top notch. They are very dedicated to the students and strive to bring out the best in their students.

I really do love my school. I can’t imagine working anywhere else at this point in time and I so thankful I was able to get this position here, 15 minutes from where I live. When I was hired by the DOE I was supposed to be placed in a school in Manhattan, with a population much like the one at my school. Things turned quickly when I was training at Hungerford and the principal discovered my Thomas used to attend Hungerford at this very site. She said she wanted a Hungerford mom and bingo, there I was. I know I was destined to be a district 75 (medically fragile population) nurse. There are no coincidences and God plans it all. I’ll never forget praying after my hiring interview; I said, “God, if this is where you want me to be, if this is the  direction I’m supposed to take I will follow you. My life is in your hands I surrender.” Next thing I knew I was being congratulated for being hired and being led to meet the supervisor for all of District 75. I’m living proof that prayer works and surrendering  and trusting in The Lord is the only way to serve Him. God loves you.

September 3 is my dad’s birthday. I forget how old he would have been, don’t shame me, I’ve never been able to remember my dad’s age.  What I don’t forget is that date. From June 16-August 1 it seems we have birthdays every week in my family. It begins with my sister and mother and ends with Samantha. We had a month’s reprieve from birthday celebrations until daddy’s birthday on September 3.

We always celebrated his birthday on Labor Day weekend, makes sense since that’s when the 3rd usually fell. When my parents moved to NJ we always celebrated the Sunday of the weekend to avoid coming home in holiday traffic on the Monday. Today, my Facebook feed had a picture of my dad and me from 6 years ago celebrating his birthday. He looked so happy and healthy. It’s a great picture but I didn’t share it. It’s difficult. I miss him. I miss everything about him. His laugh, the way he would have a story for every situation in life, how proud he was of just about everything we did; even my thrift finds. My dad’s mother was of Scottish background and daddy used to say he was “frugal” (aka: cheap) because of her and the way he was raised and of course his Scottish heritage. I wish I could tell him about us going to Sanibel Island with my mom. He would have gotten a kick out of us all in that condo. While at Sanibel my mom and I spent a lot of time in the water which was the Gulf of Mexico. The water was so warm it was unreal, the closer you were to the shore the warmer it was, like bath water. My dad used to like the watch the pelicans in Sanibel. They would fly very close to the top of the Gulf then dive head first in the water to catch a fish. They were extremely graceful believe it or not. We saw so many of them, I do believe we were in a way watching my dad who is now able to do whatever he wants even fly.

My dad is now with the Heavenly Father watching us. I know he sees everything but I still miss talking to him and having him here. I think the worst thing about someone passing over is not them actually dying. When they pass on it’s to be celebrated as they’re now with God the Father, living in the Heavenly kingdom for eternity. I love Billy Graham’s quote, “Our last breath on earth is followed by our first breath in Heaven.” I think that image is just beautiful. The worst thing about a loved one passing on is the day to day living without them. The permanency  That’s when the tears come; for me anyway.

So in 2 days it will be September 3. And we’ll remember daddy in our own ways and even have a laugh or two.

I’m off from work until September 3. Yesterday I had an appointment on the upper West side so of course I hit the thrifts in that area. I did so well!  It was definitely worth the extra time I put in to get to the city earlier than my appointment and then time spent after said appointment. Early in the day I went to the Salvation Army and scored some interesting, unique clothes that I won’t see myself coming and going in while at work or anywhere else for that matter. That’s what I love about thrifting, there are so many times that what you find; well there isn’t any others floating around, and if it’s a designer item you pay a very low amount of money for it compared to retail. You have to know your brands though.

I do have certain rules that I won’t break concerning thrift shopping. I don’t buy inexpensive clothes like from Forever 21 or H and M. I was educated by my daughter that those retailers are considered “fast fashion” and the clothes aren’t made to really last more than a season; trend wise and construction wise. I typically only buy things I other wise wouldn’t pay retail for such as designer denim and tops. I love, love scoring Current Elliot, Fidelity, or Seven for all Mankind jeans at the thrift, it’s totally the thrill of the hunt for me. I won’t purchase undergarments or bathing suits…ick, enough said. Shoes have to be same as clothes, meaning shoes I wouldn’t have paid retail for and they must be in very good to excellent condition. Yesterday I scored an awesome pair of suede loafers by Tods and a (new) pair of sneakers from a brand called Linder=never heard of them, I heart google.

I know thrifting isn’t for everyone. Some people don’t have the patience, time and/or are skeeved out by it, and that’s ok: more for the rest of us! I grew up going to yard sales and small obscure stores in Manhattan with my grandfather. We always had a great time with him. Those were the days you could take your car on the ferry and you were then free to explore downtown in your own vehicle. Today: I think not. I was taught by one of the best. My other thrifting mentor wasn’t Aunt Marge, my mom’s sister. She lived 4 hours away Upstate and every time we visited we had to hit the thrift store and yard sales of course. Aunt Marge had a gift for finding gold and sterling silver jewelry, like she could spot a 14k gold chain at 40 paces it was crazy! I did not inherit that gift lol. I remember going to yard sales with Thomas years ago and then calling Aunt Marge on the cell to make sure I was getting a good deal, it was a lot of fun. I’m convinced that Aunt Marge was right that we’re all supposed to find what we find, you can’t be all envious of a fellow shopper’s finds. Because those things weren’t meant for you to find. Today the girl behind me in line found a beautiful Fendi bag that she showed me, I was so happy for her and told her so. It’s bad personally to be all envious/jealous. You find what you find.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Lelly has officially moved into her dorm today. Tommy and I and her boyfriend, Viyath took the ride into Manhattan with all her “stuff” to move her in. It went very smooth I must say and I didn’t cry once. I’m glad I went up with her and all her things, that I was able to see the actual dorm room. It’s actually the size of a studio apartment with an area for 2 beds, 2 desks, 2 free standing closets, small kitchen area and their own bathroom.

I think I’d she were further away than Manhattan I would be upset and miss her terribly. But knowing how close she is geographically to us and that Tommy works literally blocks away makes me feel better. The ride home I was thinking back to when Lelly was a toddler. I used to sit out front with the kids when they were all small and they would play or ride their bikes up and down the block. Not Lelly, she would run as fast as she could down to the corner and I would be fast on her heels terrified that she would run into the street; catch her; being her back to the house and minutes later start the whole thing over until I was tired of chasing her and take everyone back in the house. When she learned to ride a tricycle she would ride as fast as those little legs could peddle. One neighbor remarked that Lelly learned how to ride a tricycle so she could get from here to there faster because running had become too slow for her.

When Lelly was born she was my smallest baby at 7.5 pounds. Thomas couldn’t say Daniella, it came out Da-lella and somehow morphed into Lelly. Because she was smaller at birth than Alyssa and Thomas we called her Lelly-bird. Sometimes referring to her as simply “the bird”. Well my bird has wings and I’m happy for her. I am going to miss her living here but I know I will see her often. I guess it’s the best of both worlds for all of us.

 

 

 

Today is our last day on this beach paradise, Sanibel Island. The beach is spotless and the water so clear, it reminds me of the Outer Banks in North Carolina but quieter. I like the quiet. This town is very quiet, like there is no “town” just a strip/street leading through to stores and restaurants. Yesterday we visited a sea shell store which was very expensive, IMO anyway. The shells were gorgeous and some huge but not my cup of tea. We then found this hole in the wall antique shop that was amazing. It was wall after wall and room after room of amazing finds. You name it and his shop had it. A whole wall of antique medicine remedies, like God knows what the ingredients were in those days lol!  I found a really nice pair of black stone earrings, I was looking for antique nursing  memorabilia but they didn’t have any.

This morning we hit the outlets again. I wasn’t thrilled with the bag I bought the other day, and had my eye on another that came straight from the retail store. It is gorgeous, it’s a light beige/nude color with burgundy suede interior. The model is called the “rogue”. Beautiful. I also scored a very thoughtful, perfect gift for our good friend Brant who helped us out with taking care of our animals. After the repeat trip to the outlets we were ready to return to the condo and sort out boarding passes for the flight home. I’m a bit excited to go home, I find a week away is enough for me. Plus I have another week off before school starts again in September. I really don’t miss work all too much. I’m glad I worked the summer don’t get me wrong but it’s nice to have downtime and do things you ordinarily wouldn’t do, like go to the beach everyday and spend quality time with your husband. I will be sad to leave Sanibel.

 

 

 

So silly to get excited about outlet malls, we just had one open where we live but I’ve only been there once. It is really nice and it’s a great place to shop if you’re taking a ferry ride over and are looking to do something before heading back to Manhattan or home if you live in the island.

So last night Tommy, Samantha, Alyssa, my mom and me headed out to a really nice outdoor outlet mall about 40 minutes away. We drove through one of South Florida’s infamous rain storms and even got caught in one while shopping. Of course if you know me that isn’t a big enough deterrent to stop me from shopping. Ha! Some rain…bring it on!

Earlier in the week mom, Alyssa, Samantha and me went to a smaller outlet mall where Samantha scored clothes for school @ Nike and I resisted temptation at the Coach outlet and didn’t buy a bag. Amazing restraint I tell you. Amazing.  Fast forward to last night and all restraint was gone. I saw the Coach store and couldn’t help but go in to see if this store had the bag I was looking at. They did. I had to buy it! Had to. So I did. I crumbled. I have little to nothing that holds me back when it comes to bags. Now before anyone decides to get all better than thou; remember we all have our “thing(s)”that we either spend our money on our time on.

After my score at the Coach store I was happily surprised to see a store who’s clothes I love called Desigual. We don’t have one where I live, only in Manhattan, not sure about Jersey. I practically skipped  into that store and almost fell over when the salesperson informed us that half of the whole store was 70% off!  Score!  I found 3 tops that I love on sale and mom scored a blouse that looked like it was made for her. Happy times! Who doesn’t love a good outlet score?

 

I haven’t been on vacation with my family in about 10 years. When my mom retired she took us all to Disney in Florida. It was a great vacation filled with wonderful memories. My dad was still with us then and I’m so, so glad to have those memories of him.  Since that trip our summer vacations have been with other families, friends of ours. Renting very large beach houses or most recent, last summer we rented a large house in the Lake George area, more precise; Loon Lake. Those vacations were each wonderful, we had really great times with all the families. We had but one rule: we all were able to decide what each of us wanted to do, no trying to talk someone into doing something they didn’t want to do or get mad if the answer was no when asked if they wanted to do/go somewhere. It has worked out better than I could have ever imagined. No one’s feelings are hurt because you had to return to “the rule” when/if you were rebuked or refused.

This vacation we decided to spend with my mom and 2 nephews, William 24 yrs and Jacob almost 12 yrs at my mom’s timeshare at Sanibel Island, Florida. I asked her back in March how many people the condo would fit and turned out we all would fit yay!

I have to say I’m glad I’ve had this opportunity to vacation with my mom.  My mom is easy going and so are my nephews. Grocery shopping which can sometimes be a chore ended up being fun. Going out to dinner has been great; not one complaint about anything and everyone well behaved. Tonight we’ll be having dinner at the condo, we have a lot of food to go through. That’s ok sometimes you get tired of eating out all the time, I know I do. Maybe I’ll score a trip to the outlets after dinner…

Current situation; residing in a beach condo steps from the actual beach and views to make your jaw drop. On this gorgeous beach are an amazing assortment of shells that I haven’t seen in any of my previous beach house vacations. Not to say this is a better vacation than those in the past, just different. I’ve never stayed on the beach like this. It is really nice. Oh and we have a screened in patio with which to take in those awesome views of the beach. It’s so nice here.

The condo is my mom’s time share. Her and my dad bought it about 10 years ago after spending  time here with friends. This is our first time here and it’s beautiful. If one doesn’t care for the beach there’s a pool to go. Samantha and my nephew Jacob made great use of the pool so far. Today I hit the beach and it was glorious! The only exception was this large amount of seaweed present, but we got around it by going further in the water. Oh and we saw a dolphin!  Tommy and I first saw it’s fun and we were like, “oh shit!” And we turned to walk quickly out of the water which is not easy to do. Then we saw it’s tail, whew!!  of course we thought it was the greatest thing ever after that.

After the beach we hit the local outlets, yay shopping!  I didn’t get much just some clothes at the Gap. I was very tempted at the Coach outlet though but I resisted and all was well. I have my new “I worked this summer and this is the bag I bought bag” sitting at home so I really have no business buying yet another bag. Sounds so logical, haha.

Vacation is awesome. You forget what day it is until it’s almost time to go home, shopping is awesome, and there’s the beach!  I could just sit there and watch the water all day and smell that great beach smell.

 

My last day of summer session was yesterday. Before we left the office we had to unplug all the electronics including the phones and take almost everything off the floor including computers, printers, etc…in order for the custodians to wax the floor. It was bittersweet in a way. The office is pretty organized for our day to day working environment, and to see it with everything piled on top of our desks was like ugh it looked so messy.

I’m so glad to finally be off. I know I shouldn’t complain I’m on the same schedule as the NYC school year and I get plenty of time off during the year. But summer is different. I work summers because I like my job and I really don’t mind being there. But to see beach pics on social media…well that’s the kicker. We’re allowed 2 sick days for working the summer. Last year I didn’t take either, it seemed like an unspoken agreeement between the 3 of us working that no one would take a day and that was cool, the summer was pretty mellow last year. This year however we had 2 extra nurses and the summer was not all that mellow. There was plenty of down time but when something was happening with one of the students it was something that had to be dealt with seriously. 911 seriously.

So this morning I slept in to the late hour of 7:30am. I know I’m out of control. It’s all good though, I don’t mind getting up early to start my day. This morning I’m heading to the Sal Val for some thrifting, I hope it’s a shopper’s sky!