We recently changed cell phone providers and part of the deal was changing our television provider. So I quickly set up an appointment for the new installation and cancelled the old tv service for the following day. Efficient huh? Yeah. This was over 3 weeks ago. When the new service installer arrived he called me to tell me “the system is down so I can’t complete the installation.” Okay. I couldn’t get the previous provider to turn their service back on and I only have Alyssa home a day or two during the week for the new installer to come and finish the work. So we’ve been without television except for Netflix since then; 3 weeks now.

It’s not that big of a deal for the girls and I. I’m not a big TV person and the girls mainly watch Netflix or Hulu on their computers. It’s affected Tommy the most I’d say because he does like to watch television to relax especially before he goes to bed. I’ve gotten used to having the television on while going to sleep. So now it’s very quiet and dark when we go to bed…I’m thinking most people might say that is “normal”, but not for us.

So with all this quiet now before getting to sleep got me to thinking, “Why not pray?” God is so good! He created this situation so I would talk to him and pray. I never really had a set time I would pray; with the exception of being at church. If someone asked for prayer I usually drop everything and pray for them depending on the situation. Other times I would pray when I was thinking of a person or situation usually when I had some quiet time. These days God himself created “quiet time” or “time of prayer” for me.

You could say this could all change when our television service is back up and running this week. I don’t think so. I like that this time is carved out and devoted to Him and only Him. God gave us His best in sending His son to die for our sins while we were still sinners, the least we can do for Him is to pray and worship and let God know how much He really means to us.

Me. Not work. I’ve begun my journey towards my bachelor degree in nursing. It’s an online program not even a week in and already I’m a bit confused about handing in assignments. I’ve emailed the professor so hopefully she’ll email me back and the mystery will be over.

One of the requirements is to post on a discussion board and also post on 2 of your classmates discussion posts. That part was ok, you do have to site a resource when replying to someone else’s post. I didn’t find that to be too difficult; the internet is a wonderful thing. I am grateful for my Alyssa reminding me to copy and paste the link for the reference.

Of course I want to do well but I find it frustrating that my first course is one in writing. I know how to write properly. I know “they” don’t know that but I think there should have been some sort of writing test available to wean out those who can write and those who cannot.

I’m looking forward to getting this class over with and start the actual nursing classes. I could have taken more than one class to start but I was apprehensive as this is my first venture into online school and it’s been 20 years since I’ve taken a college course. I will feel more confident about knowing if I can handle more than one class at a time after this class is over. The class barely started and here I am wishing it were over…Tine to appreciate today and let tomorrow take care of itself.

 

I was given the choice of whether to work or not to work this past summer. I chose to work and make extra money in the meantime. Honestly the time passed pretty quickly and I still had a little less than 3 weeks (19 days but who was counting?) off between summer session ending and the new fall year beginning in September.

Around the 2nd week in August I decided to take the plunge and treat myself to a handbag I’d been lusting after for quite some time. A Louis Vuitton handbag. I called the store ahead of time (located in an upscale mall in NJ) to make sure they had the bag before I took a ride out there. They did not have the bag in stock so they ordered it for me and I chose to have the bag delivered to the store.

That Sunday we made plans to go to the mall to pick up my bag. I was so excited! We picked up Thomas and off we went. Tommy took off with Samantha and Thomas and I went to the LV store. I love shopping with Thomas, he’s a total enabler and will give you his opinion; not to mention he’s extremely polite to sales people.

Upon Thomas and my arrival to Louis Vuitton we were greeted by a very polite greeter type woman. I explained that I was there to pick up a bag that was ordered. She passed us off to a very snotty saleswoman. At first I thought she was like that because the store was busy. Nope she was just a snot. I watched as other shoppers were catered to while Thomas and I were told to wait while snotty saleswoman retrieved my bag.  About 10 minutes later she arrived with this huge box, within was my bag!  “I guess you want to see it? Said snotty woman”. “Of course I replied”. Thomas was awesome he ooohed and ahhed same as me. I told snotty woman that I was ready to leave and she had me sign for the bag. All the while Thomas, my sweet, well mannered son was looking her right in the face saying, “Thank you and have a nice day”. She didn’t reply much to my dissatisfaction. Thomas then got closer and again looked her right in the face and said, “Have a nice day.” Then she finally responded to him in a polite manner.

So much for luxury purchases and politeness. I’m so proud of Thomas, he has manners and didn’t back down in the face of snottiness.

I made another purchase with Louis Vuitton a couple of weeks later and chose instead to visit the boutique inside a major department store. There the sales associate was so so nice and professional. Again I brought Thomas and he was wonderful and of course polite. He was a great help when I had to make my final decision.  I mentioned to that saleswoman how nice they were in that small boutique compared to “outside in the mall.” She said she’d heard that before and smiled.

So…lesson learned; stay away from the first store and always bring Thomas.

You never think something is going to hit you hard until it actually happens and the next thing you know you’re sitting there with tears in your eyes completely taken off guard, like someone just punched you in the stomach.

That’s how I felt this morning when it totally hit me that today is Daddy’s birthday. The girls and I spent yesterday afternoon at my mom’s house. It was really nice we had a lot of laughs and great conversation. Of course I couldn’t help but think, “today we would have been celebrating daddy’s birthday,” and I held back tears for the first 10 minutes of the ride home wearing sunglasses so no one would see.

I can’t help but get weepy today. This morning I would have called daddy to wish him a happy birthday. We would have chatted a bit about anything that came to mind. I know he would’ve asked about my job and when was school starting? He would have gotten the biggest kick out of me taking Thomas to the Short Hills Mall (very upscale snooty mall in NJ) for a wallet shopping spree and how Thomas will talk politely to anyone; even snotty sales people.

He would have loved that Tommy bought a boat. I don’t know if he would’ve gone out on it but I think if Tommy mentioned fishing he would have said yes.

So here’s another happy birthday to my Dad who I can’t imagine missing him more than I do.

Labor Day Weekend has always been a really nice weekend for my family. Since my dad’s birthday is September 3, we always celebrated it with him during Labor Day Weekend, usually on the Saturday or Sunday to avoid holiday traffic.

Facebook posted a pic of daddy and I from 5 years ago on his birthday. This  was from 5 years ago, imagine that my hair was long and dark… haha.  I look at that picture and all I see is how much I love  him and miss him. It’s still so hard. 

If you notice in the picture I post of my dad, with the exception of being at a party he’s usually wearing some sort of t shirt with a saying on it. He had quite the collection of t shirts and hats. Daddy was mostly bald on top of his head so he was rarely without a hat. One time after coming here for dinner daddy showed me this order sheet for a hat that said, “And don’t forget my senior discount!”  I quickly ordered him that hat and gave it to daddy for Christmas. I loved that he wore it; a lot!

One of our pictures together on another birthday he was wearing a t shirt with minions on it and it said something about his mood. He was a character, my dad.

I scored yesterday at the thrift (after convincing Samantha to come with me.) Daddy would have gotten a kick out of me thrift shopping and Samantha sitting one one of the couches for sale waiting for me and playing on her phone. I know he would have made a joke about it and of course would have said it was a “shoppers sky!”

Lately I’ve been telling my girls about the various cars my sister and I drove when we were younger and before we had “real” jobs. God’s honest truth I never knew you had to have the car’s oil changed every 3 months or so. My mechanic/Dad never taught us that so we drove whatever car he got us into the ground and then he would get us another. One time with this one car. the ignition cylinder wasn’t working right and after you put the key in you had to pray it would turn so you could start the engine. Well after classes one day the key wouldn’t turn so I kicked the steering column and ignition cylinder; my foot slipped and the next thing I knew I cracked the windshield!  O.M.G. Was all I could think. Of course after that the key turned and I drove home and had to explain to daddy what happened. He did not bat an eye and was not mad. He was more curious of what did I think would happen after I kicked the cylinder?  I didn’t really have an answer.

He loved us his children. This I know with all my heart. And he got such a kick out of all his grandchildren. I know he was proud of the number of grandchildren he had, there are 11. I saw it in his face when people would ask him how many grandkids he had.  I have countless memories of him laughing at and with my kids. I also have a dear memory of him being as frustrated as I was when Thomas was off the wall behavior wise and no one had any answers for us so many years ago.

I know if they celebrate birthdays in heaven daddy is having a great one with everyone who had gone before him. No no more chemo, no more cancer. He’s cured. I just miss him so much.  Happy birthday Daddy.

We’re home again after spending a great week with great friends in a lake house in the Adirondack mountains. It was a fabulous week. For the past three years our vacation was spent in a beach house at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. While the beach house was really nice it was a big difference to be at a lake house. There were so many activities to do at the lake house. We rented a boat 3 out of the 7 days, went horseback riding, sunned ourselves on a couple of lake beaches, shopped at the outlets (of course), walked around town, and lest I forget swam in the clearest, cleanest lake water ever.

I’m a total beach gal. I love hearing the surf hit the sand, love swimming or getting tossed about in the ocean and just enjoy the sun and sand. But this week this beach gal loved being at the lake! The mountain air was so clean, there was little to no humidity and because we were a few hours upstate the temperature was cooler during the day. Not hot and sticky at all. The house we rented was awesome and even had the ultimate game room complete with pool table, ping pong and foos ball located on top of the massive 2 car garage.

I know I wouldn’t want to live up there though. Their winter season can be much harsher than ours. I’m already not a fan of winter, I loathe being cold. Plus deep down as much as I say I’m a beach gal I adore where I live which is not exactly the suburbs and not exactly the city. Manhattan is just a ferry or bus ride away and I love that closeness. Plus I love that in the area where I live. Here, you don’t necessarily need a car. Just around the corner is a deli, two Italian specialty stores, a cobbler, 2 dry cleaners and at least 3 nail salons. Oh I almost forgot the incredible bakeries and restaurants all within walking distance. The neighbors are wonderful and friendly. And… I live a 15 minute car ride from my job.

Yesterday after arriving home the girls and I got pedicures, then ate dinner, then Alyssa and I ran down to TJ Maxx 10 minutes down the main road from our house. I loved it. And today I get to pick up Thomas and go shopping again, lol! It’s so true; there’s no place like home!

Last night Tommy and the girls and I along with the other couple we’re vacationing with went to the village of Lake George which is in the area of where we are vacationing. The village is nice, it’s very clean and full of mostly souvenir shops, restaurants and ice cream shops much like any vacation destination. There was also a palm reader…

Back track; I saw the store front for the palm reader a day or two earlier when the girls and I were in the village.  I was so, so very curious but Alyssa and Lelly talked me out of seeing her.  Last night, I didn’t let them talk me out of it. I know as a Christian I’m not supposed to pay any attention to those who proclaim to know the future or can do “readings,” that they are not from God. But I have to admit my curiosity got the best of me and in I went.

I sat down and showed her my right palm. She said I was a very honest hard working woman and that I would live a long life. Ok; could apply to just about anyone.  She then said I am a person who helps others I’m always helping others and that I would do well in a supervised position or a supervisor position. She then asked me what I do for a living, I replied that I am a nurse, she nodded. Interesting.

She said I was destined to be a mother of 2 and asked me if I had any children I laughed a bit and said yes I have 4…She then asked if 2 were not with me or were taken or lost, I replied yes (I had 2 miscarriages before Samantha). Again, interesting. She said I’m the person people go to when they need someone they can depend on. She also said I was meant to be with Tommy and that I would have a really nice retirement. That part really struck me because Tommy often thinks about and talks of our retirement. And when I started my job with the board of Ed, Tommy was the one I called when I signed up for my tax deferred annuity and pension. So yes, retirement is talked about fairly often between Tommy and I.

I don’t know if I believe in people who do readings like the one I went to last night. There are many who live their lives according to what their “advisor” tells them to do. I was not told to do anything or that something bad would happen if I didn’t listen to her. It was interesting that she hit the nail on the head a couple of times. I didn’t feel unsafe or that I was in the presence of evil. But I guess the devil wouldn’t want me to feel unsafe if that is where this woman was from. I did pray last night for forgiveness. For my participation in something that according to the Bible is not from God.

Going to see this woman told me I must have even more faith. That God is indeed in control of my life and I must continue to submit to His will.

 

Vacationing with our girls has been so much fun. Lelly and Alyssa get along really well and at times Samantha will be able to keep up with them. You gotta be quick around Alyssa and Lelly, they each have a great sense of humor, with Lelly being a little faster with the comebacks. Being around Lelly you can’t help but want to laugh. She’s been like this since she was a baby. Always smiling. She was my smallest baby weighing in @ 7.5lbs. So we called her “The bird” which morphed into Lelly Bird when Thomas couldn’t pronounce Daniella; it came out Dalella and then Lelly.

We asked Thomas if he wanted to come with us this year. In fact Tommy invited  him three times and each time Thomas declined the invitation. He called me Sunday while we were at one of the lake beaches crying and telling me he wanted us to come pick him up. Oh my gosh he broke my heart. I quickly calmed him down and told him I couldn’t come get him. I also told him when we would be home and when I could come pick him up and then we would go shopping for a raincoat for him. Thomas was ok when he finally realized that we were in fact coming back. I wonder if he was afraid that we weren’t coming home at all? So now Thomas is calling me every evening confirming our arrival home date and that I am in fact picking him up the next day to go shopping. The thing is; Thomas wants to go home at a moments notice. When he comes over for dinner he’s ready to go home immediately after he’s finished eating. We were very worried that if he did say he would come with us, would he want to go home after a day or two? Plus Thomas does not like the water. I feel like we can’t win either way.

So we concentrate on having a good time with the girls while we can. There will be a day when both Lelly and Alyssa will either be working or too busy with friends or a boyfriend to want or be able to come away with us. We’ll still have Samantha with us for years to come though and that’s a good thing.

 

 

 

 

Our vacation this year is renting a lake house about a half hour from Lake George in upstate New York. The house itself is beautiful, plenty of bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms. It wasnt an easy search to find a house this big near the lake. The past 3 years we’ve rented in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. There the houses are built for multiple families to rent and most are huge. Renting a lake house that is meant for more than one family wasn’t that easy. Some houses had plenty of bedrooms yet one bathroom…no.

The only complaint I do have about this house is that it was listed and pictured as if it were on the lake. It’s not we are across the street from the lake, which is fine but we felt mislead when we arrived. Now that we’ve been here and see how easily accessible everything (except the local Walmart) is, the location really doesn’t matter as much. Yesterday we easily found the marina that serves this lake and rented a boat for a couple of hours. It was so much fun! We has this giant tube tethered to the back of the boat and just about everyone had a turn being pulled. Then we stopped in the middle of the lake and swam while the husbands fished off the other side. After swimming in the ocean for so many summers it was a nice change to swim in a lake, no crashing waves for better or worse and no undertow. Not to mention no jellyfish.

After we returned the boat we went ti the “beach” area of the lake. It was nice, very clean and looked like a little beach except there weren’t any waves. We set up our stuff and Samantha went right in the water. She loves the water! There was a floating deck to jump off of our where the water was about 6 feet deep. She loved that. Today we’re going to the beach at Lake George, that should be really nice as well.

Today I’m up early don’t ask. I can’t seem to sleep in lately. I guess I am “sleeping in” as my work wake up time is 5:30, and I’m up now at 6:30-7:00. It’s nice in a way to be up a bit earlier than everyone else. I make coffee and just take in the quiet. Same as I do at home when I’m up earlier than everyone else.

Lelly and I are trying to stay compliant to our Max challenge nutrition plan. It’s been a bit challenging because let’s face it we are on vacation. I do miss my protein powder fruit smoothies though. I didn’t bring the protein powder and we didn’t buy almond milk so I’m SOL on both sides there. I’ll live.

 

 

 

 

Alyssa has an appointment in Manhattan this afternoon so Lelly and I decided to tag along with her and made a day of it…well half day. We’re PT’ing (public transportation) it all the way. Getting there is half the fun.

It’s been months since I’ve been in Manhattan. I do miss it and I wonder what life would’ve been like if I wasn’t offered my job here in the borough where I live but instead commuting to Manhattan every day like it was originally planned. I can’t imagine how my first year would have went with completely different people in my work life. I’ve posted before about how much I really like my co workers. Not only the co workers that are nurses but I also am fortunate to work with outstanding teachers, therapists and paraprofessionals. I could go on… but I’ve said it all before.

We’re going to 14th St Union Square, or within a block there of. I love Union Square. There are so many stores and people and places to go.  The ferry is always an interesting place to people watch. Heck, my girls are interesting to watch all by themselves. Alyssa and Lelly really are best friends. Yes, they fight on occasion but rarely does it last very long nor do they hold grudges. And they each have their own style both in makeup and what they wear.

My relationships with Alyssa and Lelly are the same yet different because they are two different people with differing personalities and opinions of things.  I offer each my confidence and they both will confide in me things that are specific to that person. And usually what is confided are two completely different subjects. It’s funny.  I’d say Alyssa is more conservative than Lelly but I don’t think Lelly is a liberal. I’m cool with that. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

We walked all over 5th Avenue, went looking in Anthropology (so expensive!), bought shoes @ Nordstrom rack and managed to even find a thrift store; a Goodwill where I scored 2 pair of Citizens of Humanity denim, yes!  It was a shoppers sky!