It’s here! Our 20th wedding anniversary. Amazing if you ask me and I’m proud of us. Its been a ton of trust, love and a lot of prayer. I give half the credit to my wonderful husband, Tommy.. He’s taught me so much over the years. And as a result I like to think I’m a better person because of him. My husband is a very warm, thoughtful, giving, smart and handsome man. We were fortunate to have met when we were very young. We met for the first time at age 15. We became friends at first and then did the whole “…but I don’t want to mess everything up if we get together…” dance. Turned out we didn’t mess everything up. We started dating around age 17 and had many a teen angst argument/breakup/get back together scene through the years. But somehow we always found ourselves back together. I do believe he is my soul mate. He’s called me his best friend many times over the years and every time he says it, it’s like hearing him say it for the first time. I consider myself lucky to be called his best friend.

There were many difficult times over the past 20 years especially when it came to raising Thomas. Being Thomas’ mother made me grow in a way I never thought I was capable of growing. But God had his plans and as the vine dresser He shaped me and encouraged growth for me to become a tenacious mother. Tommy allowed my role to flourish by trusting me in locating doctors, therapists, psychologists, neurologists, support people and anyone else I recruited to help us help our son. It was not an easy time. We made decisions no parent should have to make for their child. Medications, hospitalizations, dealing with disbelieving professionals, residential school. Not an easy road and I know there are parents out there who have had an even more difficult time than us.

I love to remember our honeymoon and us laying on the beach trying to imagine what we would be like at our 10th anniversary. 10 years seemed so far away. We knew I was pregnant so trying to picture us with a 10 year old was next to impossible. We then told each other how great it would be to return to Hawaii on our 20th anniversary. Again, something that was so difficult to imagine. If you had told me then what my life would be like I’d think you were crazed. I was going to have a perfectly healthy and typical baby and our life was going to go as planned as anyone else’s.

Even with all the ups and downs and sideways turns I couldn’t imagine the past 20 years with anyone else besides my husband. He’s been there for me through very thick and very thin. Through the house moves and hair color changes.  He is my lifeline and I look forward to the next 20 years with him with as much optimism as I had 20 years ago.

My son called the other day. I hadn’t spoken to him since this past Saturday when we all attended his school’s annual family day picnic. He was so sweet. I loved listening to him talk. Thomas is speech impaired but many times it’s not too difficult to understand him. Curse words for whatever reason come out crystal clear and there is no misunderstanding ;). Since Thomas doesn’t live at home I love when he calls us. And this past phone call I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him just say, “Mom…” That word that I’ve heard more or less for the past 17-18 years. There have been variations, “Mama, Mommy, Mom, Ma, Mo-oooom!!” Every mother has heard them all and then some. Sometimes accompanied by laughter, sometimes  crying; the best times are when there’s excitement to be had like good news.

Today Alyssa texted me, “Guess what?” That was pretty cool. She had exciting news about an article she wrote last year and this year her teacher submitted the article to a journalism contest. Alyssa has a good chance of winning according to her journalism teacher. If she wins at the citywide level she’ll then be competing at the state wide level. Very exciting news and I’m glad she took the time out of her day to share that with me.

“Mom…” That’s how my son addresses me. With a pause after saying Mom. When he was talking to me the other night I felt so blessed to be called “Mom” by this young man. After all we’ve been through especially the past 4 years with him being unable to continue living at home. I think of the time before things became tough. We were having a nice time with Thomas. He was stable on his meds, I was thrilled with his school and their staff, and Thomas was involved with a recreation program run by an agency that specializes in special needs. Their staff is also amazing. Oh and we had a woman coming to the house a few times during the week who worked with Thomas doing life skills such as walking to the store and buying small things and walking around the neighborhood, to the park, etc… Life was good and it was predictable which was nice. Its funny though because I don’t recall many conversations between Thomas and I during that time. I remember almost all of our conversations these days mainly because they’re not full of distractions or other people interrupting us. It’s just him and I on the phone. And its nice. “Mom…”

I sit here waiting for some extraordinary words of wisdom to flow from my brain to my fingertips to be furiously typed up. But…nope no words of wisdom, just my thoughts of the day. Which may or may not be “wise”. I went to church yesterday. I’m glad I went. Our Pastor is leaving and we’re in a state of transition right now while the church searches for a replacement. I really enjoy and like our Pastor and I wish he wasn’t leaving. Pastor Eddie makes you want to learn more about the bible, he’s inspiring and he also teaches while he preaches so it’s never dull. However, I do understand that people need to move on to a higher calling they have and I wish him and his family all the best. God has already chosen our next Pastor we just haven’t met him yet.

I’m attending bible study on Tuesdays nights and it’s going well. It’s taught by one of our Pastors and his wife, Cheryl. Cheryl has been a wonderful friend to me. She’s the one who came to the meetings with me when Thomas was in the psych hospital. She gave up her day just to help me and we didn’t even know each other that well at that time. Talk about a Godsend. I have no doubt God had his hand in, orchestrating our friendship. Anyway I’m really glad to be in bible study with her and her husband.  It’s a nice group, very diverse in age and culture. I’ve become friendly with another woman. She’s been charged with creating a prayer list for the group and I offered to help her. I’m not sure what that entails but I’m sure I’ll find out. I really enjoy her company. She is definitely walking with the Lord and I enjoy talking with her. Funny enough I’ve run into her once in a while at the ferry terminal. The last time I saw her we took the boat in together and she told me about her job. This past Tuesday, after bible study we talked quite a bit also. It was nice. New friendships are nice.

I’ve been selling somethings on Ebay. It’s been going well. I did a pretty decent clean out of my closets… shoes included (gasp!). But there were many clothes and bags that were too nice to donate but I wasn’t wearing or using for one reason or another. I’m hoping things continue to run smooth for me there.

This new school year begins a new season of sorts. Gone are the lazy days of summer; the long daylight hours and the unstructured scheduled days. I’ll miss it. I had a really nice summer with my girls. Alyssa was working most of the time, Daniella kept herself busy with her friends for the most part and I managed to keep Samantha entertained with trips here and there to Chuckie Cheese and the new trampoline park that opened.

We’ve sort of eased into our new schedule. My kids haven’t had a full week of a school yet due to the observance of the Jewish holidays. I’m not complaining I’ve enjoyed the extra time off and continuing our unstructured days. I do wish however that the days stayed long. I’m worried about the depression rearing its ugly head due to the days being shorter. Seasonal affective disorder it’s called and its real.

So I’ve made an appointment with my physician to discuss and see what he says. He has a new office on 14th st at Union Square. Coincidentally there is a Nordstrom Rack store at Union square. Very cool, IMO anyway.

I’ve found another good thrift store in Manhattan. On 23rd st not far from where I work. I went yesterday after I finished with my one client of the day. It felt good to be wandering around the city with a cool destination in mind. I love Manhattan and all the crowds. Yesterday in the middle of the afternoon there were a ton of people bustling to various places they had to be. I love to people watch so it was nice to take note of what people were wearing, what’s now and “in”.

I found a couple of things at the thrift. A nice t shirt and a straw Michael Kors bag. A nice score and worth the walk.

Recently I had a routine screening mammogram done. It was supposed to be uneventful. Instead, two days later I received a phone call from the imagining center telling me I needed to make another appointment because, “The radiologist needs further images.” Great. Just what one wants to hear while watching one’s 9 year old daughter jump around at one of those indoor trampoline parks. I listened to the woman on the other end of the phone, made the new appointment and wrote down exactly what needed to be written on the new prescription for the follow up mammogram.

I then went home and hunted down the report that was sent to my midwife. I use a midwife for well woman care. She wasn’t in the office but thankfully the physician she works with was. He must have took pity on me because he got on the phone right away to tell me what the report said. It said I had “multiple masses”. The doctor was very kind and encouraged me to not worry too much due to the vagueness of the report. But of course to follow up and have the second mammogram. I thanked him and promptly told my husband what was up.

I then did what I do during times of great stress:  I went on my computer and looked up designer handbags. For me there is no other way to deal.  I stumbled upon this bag by Dooney and Bourke that I’d been eyeing for a couple of years now but just never pulled the trigger. http://www.dooney.com/florentine-small-satchel/8L980.html this is the bag. Not wanting to pay retail of course I then scoured the internet for a less expensive seller of said bag. I struck gold on ebay and found a seller with this bag for sale for a substantial amount lower than retail. After consulting with my soul sister Jackie it was decided that I needed to buy this bag. So one evening I did it, I hit the “buy it now” button and completed the transaction.

Now I had something else to obsess about other than this follow up mammogram. The seller sent me tracking info and I stalked the Fed ex website looking for updates. I was informed that the bag was to arrive on Saturday (today), perfect! The seller was requesting signature confirmation~no problem!  Tommy was supposed to be home Saturday as was Alyssa in case the bag arrived while I was at work.

All I had to do then was have the second mammogram Friday morning. I arrived and was taken pretty quickly. While I was there my husband texted me that our air conditioning compressor had broken down, we needed a new one. This information didn’t scare me as my husband is an air conditioning mechanic, it’s what he does for a living among other things. So on to the mammogram. The first screening mammogram was nothing, it didn’t hurt but was merely uncomfortable. The technician was very nice. This second mammogram hurt! I had a wonderful technician who tried to be as gentle as possible but comfort and “diagnostic mammogram” are two words that do not belong in the same sentence. After the mammogram I had to have a sonogram which was fine not uncomfortable at all. After all was said and done the radiologist came to speak to me. Turns out I have a bunch of cysts which is not uncommon and is not dangerous or cancerous. Bottom line: I’m fine.  Who hoo!!   I almost skipped to my car and quickly texted my husband and Jackie that I am fine.

Fast forward to this morning (Saturday) as my husband is replacing our a/c compressor Fed Ex shows up!  Happy day! The bag arrived before I left for work so I was promptly able to move right in and enjoy her right away. My moral of the story? Buy a new bag to keep your mind occupied 😉

Vacation is almost over and it has been a wonderful week. Great friends, great weather, and a pool and beach that did not disappoint.
I’m tanned and a bit sunburnt (even with sunscreen SPF 30 at least). I miss my dogs and cats and my own bed. I also miss my house. I will however miss my housemates that I just spent a full week with. There was no fighting, no getting on each other’s nerves. Just a wonderful week with friends.

The pool here was glorious. I haven’t spent a whole day at the pool since I was 16-17 years old. I lounged on my chair with my water and awesome book (The Time Traveler’s Wife, I strongly recommend it). Soaking up the rays and dipping in the pool when I got too hot. It sounds relaxing and really was.

I also enjoyed some shopping of course. There is a wonderful quaint shopping center in town that I enjoyed walking around in. One day my friend Bill and I went to visit the site of The Lost Colony. My understand is that the site was host to explorers from England led by John White who settled in Roanoke Island, North Carolina in 1587. John White left to go back to England and when he returned to Roanoke Island 3 years later all the settlers had disappeared. There were no bodies or graves or any word that they moved on to another land. It is truly a mystery. Bill and I happened to be there the exact day of the baptism of the first child who was born on American soil (Virginia Dare born August 18,1587). Baptised August 20, 1587. It was really interesting to be there.

So tomorrow we will begin the journey home and it will be back to reality with vacation memories to keep and reflect upon.

That’s what we had for dinner last night. It was chicken legs coated in seasoned breading and baked. It was really good.

Yesterday I was chatting with one of my housemates about church. He asked why I chose the church I belong to. He assumed it was the people because my church has a reputation of having really nice people in attendance. I told him it was the devotionals that took place during half time at the church basketball games my girls played. The name of the league is Upward and you can read more about them at Upward.org.

Anyway about the devotionals. They were given by church members, staff members, pastors, and coaches. It was always a Gospel centered message and exactly what I needed to hear week after week during the basketball season. I started thinking about what I wanted and I definitely wanted a relationship with Christ.

We started attending church and our older girls became involved with the church youth groups. I accepted Christ as my saviour and on June 27, 2011 I was baptised. A couple of years later Alyssa, Daniella and Samantha were also baptized. I love the journey God has taken my family that has lead us to Him. It’s not an easy walk but I’d rather walk with the Lord than anyone else.

So while I’m on vacation I check my email and a different company that I applied for that also does flu shot clinics emailed me to let me know they were interested in hiring me per diem starting this September. The flu shot season is busiest in September, October and November.

They will be emailing me soon with access to their scheduling and I’ll be able to accept assignments. I’m excited to earn extra money and to do something different than I’m doing now.

It’s funny, Tommy and I were just talking about job opportunities for me and he was so encouraging saying that things were going to turn around and I was going to be offered another job as soon as the month of August was over.

We’re having a great time here at the beach. The weather has been nice and our friends that we are sharing the house with have been wonderful. It’s nice to be away from home for a little while.

Vacation time has finally arrived! It’s wonderful to be with great friends, a great house and at the beach… We drove here yesterday and I have to say I’m really enjoying this “my kids are older” stage of our life. No frequent potty breaks, no calling for me, “mommy, mommy, mommy” every 5 minutes from the back seat and minimal fighting from them. I dare say the 8 hour ride was quite pleasant.

We spent all of last night eating and drinking and talking and laughing. Perfect. Today will be a beach day. Hoping the water will be relatively calm. We all took a walk on the beach last night and saw the most amazing sand crabs. Tommy thought ahead and brought this really bright flash light. The sand crabs were totally hysterical the way they move so fast and the little baby ones were ridiculously fast.

It’s early morning here and I’m the only one up. I’m sure that will change rather quickly.