Easter

Happy Easter to all!!

" The great gift of Easter is hope - Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake."

~ Basil Hume

Easter Eggs

Only 2 people coloring eggs this year.  I will be sad when there is no one here to color them.  I will have to adopt somebody.  These family traditions are what make family life special!

"Happiness is only real when shared"

~Jon Krakauer

Siblings

Cara is home!!  And she is being a true 'annoying sister" and getting in Alex's face while he's trying to accomplish something!  Ahhh!! Sibling love!!  It warms the heart!! So glad to have 2 out of 3 home this weekend.

" He's my brother. my blood.  He annoys the hell out of me most of the time, but when it comes right down to it I want to see him graduate frome college and have little annoying mini-Alexes.....running around in the future."

~Simone Elkeles

Please???????

I ran across this photo the other day.  I just love it!!  This was in August 2006.  I received on my cell phone 6 voicemail messages that were a series of the kids kissing up to me...telling me what a great mom I was, flattering me, singing to me about how beautiful I was.  They were trying to butter me up for the BIG question they were planning on asking when I got home.  The question was....could they adopt the stray cat that Cara's friend had found.  That cat was Poochie...little did we know that the poor sick stray kitty would end up ruling the land around here.  I am not sorry that I said yes, even though he can be a pain in the you-know-where sometimes.

And here is a PS to the story...I saved those messages for 6 years on my voice mail system through verizon. The same voice mail just got transferred from phone to phone.  Until this summer when I got an iphone.  So I found a place that would make a CD of your voice mails.  I now have those precious voice mails saved on CD!

"There's nothing that makes you more insane than family. Or more happy. Or more exasperated.  Or more...secure."

~Jim Butcher

Free time....

This is where Alex has spent the majority of his Spring Break. I pull him away for brief periods of time, but a magnetic force just pulls him back to it.  Who wants to come over and keep me company?

" There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

~Bill Watterson

You are the answer

"Life has no meaning.  Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life.  It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer."

~Joseph Campbell

remembering

Remembering times gone by and dear friends that we just don't get to see much anymore.

" What I like about photographs is that they capture a moment that's gone forever, impossible to reproduce."

~ Karl Lagerfeld

The winds of change...

This is my church.  I am fairly new here, having been at my former church for about 21 years.  I have only been a member of this church for about 2 1/2 years.  We came as guests of a friend.....and never left.  What struck me about this church, is how healthy it seemed...I looked at all the programs and people...and especially programs for my kids.  The once thriving church that I had been a member of for so long, was ill...and though I had tried my best to be part of the healing process....the winds of change told me on that first visit....that it was time for a change. Without a word, I was being nudged in this direction by some unexplainable force that I could not really put words to.

Many people might find this hard to believe....but it takes me awhile to warm up, to share my true self, to be me.  It was nice for awhile to just sit and be fed and be anonymous.  Slowly, I have started to get involved...start to make connections.

Today, it was announced that the Pastor Bob and his wife Frances, who have served the church for 16 years will be moving and a new pastor will be brought in.  I have lived through this.  I watched as people grieved. I watched people console each other.  I, too, am saddened.  My daughter says this is the only pastor in her life that has ever touched her with his preaching...and who she has gotten so much from.  But we didn't come only for Pastor Bob.  He was certainly an influence on our decision.  It was not one person that beckoned us.  It was everyone doing their part.  Though his departure will leave a void for awhile.  I know that everyone will gather together and move forward.  This is our church now, our home and I am honored to be going through this change with all these wonderful people.

The winds of change are blowing...and they are blowing change over the Poughkeepsie United Methodist Church.  There will be goodbyes and there will be sadness and there will be welcoming and transitions.  They will all get through it.  If I have learned anything, I have learned that life is constantly changing and evolving.  We will turn and look behind us at was with a sentimental longing...and then we will face the future with a happy heart full of resolve and willingness to change and we will move forward...because that is how life is.  I will be praying for all the people and all the process to be full of peace, hope and love.

"Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge."

~ Eckhart Tolle

The beginning...

This was the beginning of a special friendship.  Poochie was given to us by a friend of Cara's that found him as a stray.  He was a sick little kitty when we got him.  We nursed him back to health and Cara and Poochie are best friends to this day.  I am always pretty sure she is more upset about saying  "goodbye" to him than she is to us.  Little did I know when this picture was taken that he would turn out to be the ruler of the house.  Even Allie Cat is scared of him.  But in spite of his alpha male attitude...we all love him...and always will.

"Time spent with a cat is never wasted."

~Colette

Live entertainment

If everyone had the opportunity to have Alyssa in their home "entertaining" them whenever the mood hit her...all of hollywood would be out of business. Nothing quite like live entertainment.

"THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones that have gone over."

~ Hunter S. Thompson

Nancy 5.5

Well here I am! With God's grace I have made it through another year.  I have really not been a fan of my birthday the last few years.  The growing number that each year brings causes me a good measure of consternation.   This year I have come to a place of peace about it...for the most part....that number does bother me though.

There have been times that  I have felt a little beaten and bruised along life's path...often I have felt tired and uncertain.  But Nancy version 5.5 has come to a new place.  A place of hope and joy and looking for the bright side.  I am a work in progress and always will be...but I am in a pretty good place right now...and from here I hope to move forward. I certainly have things I still need to accomplish.  I have struggles, but I always try to maintain an attitude of grattitude.  I always try to be mindful of my blessings....even amidst times that appear to be a somewhat dark.....and somehow it sheds a light on those times.  It is the glow coming from the light  within...that I so often forget about.

Math was always my worst subject.  .So I have been concentrating the wrong number....If this birthday has shown me anything...it has shown me that the number that I should be most concerned with is the number of blessings I have....My children, my furry family, my family, my friends, my coworkers...who truly make life worthwhile.  . that's the number that I choose to focus on. That's the number that is truly important.

So here is to the next year. To looking on the bright side.  To making the decision to have a good and happy life..... to living....to loving....to being present....to being a blessing!

"Count your age by friends, not years.  Count your life by smiles, not tears

~ John Lennon

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,

Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear,

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,

How do you measure, measure a year?

In  daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee?

In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife,

In five hundred twenty five thousand six hunded minutes

How do you measure a year in the life?

How about love?

Measure in love

~ Jonathan Larson, Seasons of Love

Allie Cat

It was one year ago today that Allie Cat first arrived as part of our family.  There have been plenty of times, that I have felt that I am in over my head with her.  Training a dog takes so much work.  But when it comes right down to it.  She just wants to love and be loved.....just like most of us.  We just need to teach her the proper etiquette...and sometimes restraint.  Looking at these pictures I just marvel over how she has grown in this past year.We both look forward to Spring, warm weather, playing outside, walks on the rail trail and learning to pass another dog without going absolutely nuts.  We also look forward to a day someday soon...where dogs and cats can live and play together in perfect harmony.

"The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants."

~ Johnny Depp

Spring!

Spring officially starts tomorrow at 7:02 a.m.  I prefer to think of March 21st as the first day of Spring, for obvious reasons, but I am ready for it whenever it begins.  I long for the smell of spring in the air, the flowers blooming, the light continuing later, walks outside with the puppy, the windows open with a cat in each one.  Bring on Spring!!

" Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world"

~ Virgil Kraft

Marissa

I have known this beauty ever since she was a little girl.  I have worked with her parents and known them all for about 17 years.  She and her family feel like family to us.  I have been thinking about her a lot lately because she is getting married!!!!  I can't even believe that.  I am so proud of her and all that she has accomplished and become.  I have so many great memories of time spent together with her as she was growing up. We made this pact with each other once...that when we were just done with what life was handing us we were going to buy one way tickets to Bora Bora.  I am thinking I am now going to have to find a different Bora Bora buddy.  I am also hoping when she settles in to being an old married person...I will be able to see a little more of her.  I miss her!!

"I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them and, let them fight for you.  Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted.  Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together.  Powerful stuff."

~ Jon Katz

Dear Ones minus 3

The best friends are the ones that feel like family.  We are missing three of the gang here, but it was so nice to see those that were there.  It was like wrapping ourselves in a soft warm blanket.....so comforting and happy to see them and catch up with them again!!

"We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.

Even longer,' Pooh answered."

~ A.A. Milne

Talent

We went to watch the Arlington Color Guard perform their amazing show "Linescapes".  It was a phenomenal show and an evening well spent with some dear friends.   These kids always amaze me with their talent and all the hard work and dedication and perseverance they demonstrate by putting together a complex show like this.  I know from Alyssa's days in guard that it is hard work, and often times she felt defeated like it wasn't worth it.  In the end she was always glad she stuck with it.  It changed her life and made her a better person.  Sometimes it doesn't seem like people are willing to really work at things anymore....they want everything to be handed to them.  That is what I hear about our youth,  Then I see talented youg kids...working so hard to take their raw talent and refine it into something beautiful...into art.  And then I know that even though it often seems like the world is headed in the wrong direction, after a night like tonight, seeing what these kids have done...my faith in the future is restored.

" But talent - if you don't encourage it , if you don't train it, it dies.  It might run wild for a little while, but it will never mean anything.  Like a wild horse.  If you don't tame it and teach it to run on track, to pace itself and bear a rider, it doesn't matter how fast it is.  It's useless."

~ Elizabeth Hand

Amazing Pops Concert

We are so blessed with the music department at Arlington. Alyssa went back to the Pops concert as an alumni tonight and was filled with joy and pride at what she has been a part of for so many years.  The quality of music that is performed there is awe inspiring,  We are so fortunate to have such a gold mine ...filled with such sparkling treasures....wonderful, talented, dedicated, passionate music teachers and students. Bravo!!

"Music is exciting.  It is thrilling to be sitting in a group of musicians playing (more or less) the same piece of music.  You are part of a great, powerful vibrant entity.  And nothing beats the feeling you get when you've practiced a difficult section over and over and finally get it right.......Music is important. It says things your heart can't say any other way, in a language every one speaks.  Music crosses borders, turns smiles into frowns and vice versa."

~ Dan Rather  

She's home!!

Yay! She's home!! So excited to have Alyssa home for a week!!

"The ache for home lives in all of us.  The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."\

~ Maya Angelou.

Dance

As I think about Alyssa and how she is enjoying dance at college, I think about her dance and colorguard years. I have always loved to watch her dance.  I don't have a graceful bone in my body, but Alyssa truly possesses such grace.  I hope she continues to dance for many years to come.  For through her movements...my soul soars...  So proud of my girl.

"You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching.

Love like you'll never be hurt,

Sing like there's nobody listening,

And live like it's heaven on earth."

~ William W. Purkey  

Embarass Yourself Tuesday (?)

This will be short as I am exhausted and I haven't even gotten to Wednesday yet.  One of my younger coworkers.....they are all younger than me these days it seems..... was asking, with some amusement about when I was young.  So here I am sometime in high school.... Enjoy!

" There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time.  Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless."

~ Milan Kundera

Wasn't it yesterday....

"Is this the little girl I carried?

 Is this the little boy at play?

 I don't remember growing older

 When did they?

 When did she get to be a beauty?

 When did he grow to be so tall?

Wasn't it yesterday 

 When they were small?"

~ Sheldon Harnick

One day at a time

Just a few quick words...as it has been a busy day....and not over yet.  Here you see pictures from my driveway at around the same time of day for 3 days in a row.  What a difference a day makes!!  Friday was cold and snowy and hopeless.....and then each day brought change.  I have quite a week ahead of me.  I tire even thinking of it.  There are a few things I would like to just not to participate in.  But I must.  I will take it one day at a time...one step at a time...one moment at a time.  I will deal with it all as it comes...and not forget to smile and be a blessing along the way.....that's the plan.  And....my reward at the end of a long and tiring week...is the gift of Alyssa coming home for a week...my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow! So hold on...this week is going to be a wild ride.

"Life is like an ice cream cone, you have to lick it one day at a time."

~Charles M. Schultz

We'll get there

I took a walk down to the pond today to photograph these ducks.  It was a beautiful day and it was just so nice to be able to get outside for a bit.  I stood there at the pond and watched them for a bit.  Sometimes it would be quiet...and they would all be floating along...usually with friends nearby.  Every once in awhile they would start making a ruckus and seemed to be bothered about something...and the possibility exists that it was me. One duck flew into the air and over to some friends making a big squawking fuss about something...and there was a lot of discussion all over the pond...and then they settled down and continued the business of floating quietly about.

It got me to thinking about myself and the times that I get stressed or anxious about something.   Initially I become very anxious, but then I just settle down and get to the business at hand....and it all seems to work itself out as it is supposed to.  One of my staff said to me this week, as I was expressing anxiety about something, "This is always your first reaction, but then you always adapt, and you'll adapt this time too."   I found it to be an interesting observation...and reassuring at the same time.

Step by step, day by day.....that is how I need to take things.  I need to believe that it will all work out.  Certainly worrying and squawking about it doesn't get me anywhere...except to cause a lot of nonsensical squawking around me.  If we try to take things as they come and dwell in the present...with no worries of the future....or thoughts of the past...I think we really get to experience life...minus all of the stresses that we ourselves add into the mix.

Yesterday was winter..but today it felt like spring.  Today I went for a walk with Allie Cat on the rail trail and she did so much better than last year...still interested in everyone that approaches, still very exciteable about every other dog we met...but in general....so much better, and I found that, instead of being stressful, I really enjoyed our walk today.  One day at a time, one step at a time...relax, enjoy...we'll all get there...

"Rivers know this: there is no hurry.  We shall get there someday."

~ A. A. Milne

13 days 'til spring

I believe that despite the events of today.....spring really is just around the corner.

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring"

~ Ben Williams

Kitty cat love

" The only escape from the miseries of life are music and cats..."

~ Albert Schweitzer

Live!

It is late and I thought that I would go along with the Embarass-ourself-Wednesday theme.  So I was looking
through old photo's and I found this one.  Then I thought of the perfect quote to go with it.  I guess there is a message there.

I am not a daredevil.  It takes me a long time to get my feet wet.  I 'play it safe'.  I probably have a few too many regrets.  Things that I really wanted to do, but didn't have the nerve, or didn't have the time, or didn't have the money...  Some opportunities are lost.  I didn't dwell in possibilties...but played it safe...cautious...  Not that safe and cautions isn't the right choice quite a bit of the time....but sometimes I wish I had gone with my gut and just made it happen...or took a deep breath and just did it...what ever it happened to be...

Many times, we went out with a friend on  his boat.  Everyone else took turns tubing...but something always held me back...until this day...when I finally got up the nerve and had a blast....until I fell under trying to get back in the boat (physical coordination...has never been one of my gifts).

You only live once...and within reason, we need to go on little adventures, we need to experience life...we need to live.  This is a lesson that I need to continually teach myself.  I hope I will continue to not let those nagging doubts stop me.

" Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!"

~Hunter S. Thompson

Hold onto each other

I love to fool around with photo editing...especially when it's a photo that I just love....as in this one of my niece Elizabeth and Alyssa.  It reminds me how important our connections with each other are...and how important it is to not take the people in your life for granted.  It reminds me to go out of my way for people.  It reminds me to support and encourage the people that I love.  It reminds me to do everything in my power to preserve and nurture the relationships with friends and family.  It reminds me of my priorities in life.  It reminds me how very much I am blessed.  It reminds me.....of the true meaning of life.

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile"

~Albert Einstein

Make sure it's worth watching

I went to a funeral today for someone that I loved and admired.  She was a good person.  She had a wacky sense of humor....she was a character....she was real.  She was herself, and was not trying to fit into some mold and be someone else.  Those are my favorite type of people.

As I listened to some stories about her and thought of my own memories, I  thought about her beautiful and colorful life and all those left behind who will miss her.  Her life has inspired me to strive to live the best life I can, filled with colorful characters and positive energy.  Her life has inspired me to make the most out of what I have.  I know she made mistakes, had regrets. So, too, will I.  I hope I will not dwell on them, or let them consume me.  But rather learn whatever lessons they teach and move on.  I hope that I am able to keep things in perspective...and move on and be a blessing to those in my life. I want to enjoy my life and the people in it.

This photo was taken when Alyssa was in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat as a senior in Arlington High School.  I decided to put it up today, because it is one of my favorites...and because it shows joy... and colorful characters...and that is what I want my life filled with...and for some inexplicable reason, it reminds me of Grandma Jean, and her love of life, her love of friends and family and her colorful sense of humor and personality.

I hope and pray that I am able to live the remainder of my life in the way that Grandma Jean lived hers.

"One day your life will flash before your eyes.  Make sure it's worth watching."

~ Gerard Way

Rooting for each other

My beautiful children all reunited for a brief time this weekend to support Alex in his role of the Wizard of Oz.  The girls are always so excited for Alex and encourage him in his love of  theatre.  I love that about my kids...that they truly care about one another and are always front and center rooting for each other.  When we were discussing this weekend a couple of months ago...I wasn't sure if it was going to be possible to bring Alyssa back for this. I thought to myself...it's just a middle school production......not a huge deal.  She protested, however, truly wanting to come and be there for Alex.  So happy we were able to work it out.  Alyssa and I got to see him on stage as well as with his friends.  I sometimes think it gives us....his family a new perspective to see him with his friends.  We were all able to see one of his shows together and share a quick dinner before the girls headed out.

It was a whirlwind weekend, but so glad to have all my babies together under one roof. They were only here for the blink of an eye...but I always feel that all is right with my world when they are all here.  Now, both girls are back at their prospective 'homes' safe and sound....and our lives will all go back to 'normal' tomorrow.  But the memories will live on....and the kids will continue to encourage each other in all the important areas in their lives.  I don't know if it had anything to do with my parenting...or if that is just the way they are.  I truly hope and pray they will always be there for each other...as they embark upon their own lives, and don't have the opportunity to reunite at home quite as often.  I hope they always carry a little piece of each other in their hearts...and are always there for each other to support and encourage each other on the yellow brick road of life...which as you may recall, was sometimes happy and sometimes frightening.

" This is part of what a family is about, not just love.  It's knowing that your family will be there watching out for you.  Nothing else will give you that.  Not money.  Not fame.  Not work."

~ Mitch Albom

The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz

Alex performed in his middle school musical this weekend as the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.  It is such a joy to watch him on stage.  We never quite know what to expect out of him and are always pleasantly surprised.  Last year, Alex was in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Arlington High School.  We had to nudge him a little to audition......but he loved it, and then decided to audition at his middle school for their production of Annie.  We were surprised and delighted when he got the role of Rooster.  We were even more surprised and delighted when we saw him perform.  He did such a wonderful job.

Alex really enjoys acting in the plays and musicals that he has been fortunate to be in.  Joining the drama club, however, has been so much more for him than just showing up on stage in some role and costume.  It has shaped him and improved him and enriched his life.  Alex has found his niche.  He has found his friends, He has found a good measure of self -assuredness, self-concept and sense of self in the drama club at LMS. He has become confident.  He has begun to refine his personality and explore parts of himself that he didn't know were there.  He has become secure in who he is.  He has found great friends who accept him....and in turn, he has learned to be accepting and to be a friend.

I am not quite sure that any other activity could have done that for him.  He has never been a sports kid.  Drama has really helped him become a part of something bigger than himself, where everyone works together to contribute their little piece to make something bigger...the end products are great....but what is so much more important is the process that got them there.

So I am a proud Mama tonight.  Alex still proves to be a challenging kid to raise, especially during these middle school years...but I am so happy with the direction in which he is moving....and I am thankful to drama for helping him get there.

"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable" ~ Wizard

~ L. Frank Baum

Grandma Jean

She did not really belong to us....we adopted her.  She was a ray of sunshine.  She always made us feel loved.  We always felt warmed by her spirit.  She always encouraged us just when we needed it most.  We are better people for having had her in our life.

"To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die"

~ Thomas Campbell