Hello December

I've been told that I need to write here more often. To think that someone else in the world is actually interested in what I have to say... (thanks, mom). This year, Thanksgiving was celebrated with Tim, but without Anna. Seems like our table has been short two years in a row. I wonder if we'll ever be six again. The food was delicious, the weather was almost warm, and the football game was fast & furious, as the crowd who joins us gets bigger every year. We enjoyed a nightcap with our friends down the street, and we shared the news with friends and family that this may be our last Thanksgiving in Allentown.


Casey's company has agreed to let Casey do his job (which, by the way, he loves) from Washington. What this means for us is that we can move "home". After 9 years. Bittersweet. It's what we've wanted since we arrived. Or, maybe it was just me. There's much to do to get ready to move. For now, we plan, dream, and make lists. Lots of lists.

As we move into December, my plan is to simply enjoy the holiday. To take each day, savoring the little things I enjoy about this place and storing them away in my memory. My 25 Days of Christmas album will help me to keep track - I'll try to post pictures as I go.

Outside my window... grey skies, geese flying overhead
I am thankful for... Casey's employer, who allows us great opportunities.
I'm wearing... a black sweater, jeans and my crocs
From the kitchen... Cheetos.
I am creating... 25 Days of Christmas Album
I am going... to take Cailin to the doctor in Bethlehem after school today.
I am reading... Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz.
I am hoping... Peace in the Valley.
I am hearing... Pat rummaging through the fridge for a snack.
Around the house.... Kids coming home from school.
One of my favorite things... grilled cheese sammies
A few plans for the rest of the week... getting ready for a Weisel Weekend with the girls.
A Picture for today: No photos today / Computer cranky.

Finished Project

A group of us have decided to try out swapping ATCs. If you don't already know, ATC stands for Artist Trading Cards. They're a 2.5 x 3.5 inch card, much like a baseball card, that you can dress up any way you like. Then you trade them... silly, I know. But what fun is it to play with paper/paint/stuff on a small space, pleasing no one but yourself? Our first theme is "Art". Here's my take:

I used scraps of things I had on hand. I think the only thing I bought was a gel medium to get the paint to dry slower, so I could play with it a little. The paper towel that I used to wipe my paintbrush on as I worked wound up being the background for the card on the left.... funny. I really liked how the colors blended. Fun, Fun project. I can't wait for the next theme.

Outside my window... falling leaves, yellow & green

I am thankful for... Days home from work.

I'm wearing... a black sweater, jeans and my Keens

From the kitchen... diet coke.

I am creating... 52 Qs (Getting caught up).

I am going... to take Cailin to the doctor in Bethlehem after school today.

I am reading... Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

I am hoping... for good news.

I am hearing... the dog molesting the cat.

Around the house.... kids at school, Casey's at work, I'm just putzing around.

One of my favorite things... facebook (for now)

A few plans for the rest of the week... Work. Start on my hand-made Christmas Gifts

A Picture for today: Have you ever seen a green Moose?

Cool Autumn

Today, Casey put out the Halloween decorations. It's official. Fall is here. The leaves are falling, and the rest are about seventy kinds of orange & yellow. The air is crisp and it smells like a bonfire outside. Hot cider, warm socks, sweatshirts and the smell of cinnamon. This is my favorite time of year.


I walked the Women's 5k Classic in Allentown yesterday. It was raining, cold & muddy. But I was glad to be there. So many women I know have been affected by cancer. If walking (and encouraging others to join along) helps in some miniscule way, then I'm all for it. We walked together: Team HEALTHWORKS. One of our Doctors was recently diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer. The news has hit us all pretty hard. It brought us together for this walk. What I didn't know until yesterday was that her time with us is limited. I had no idea. I can't imagine this world without her in it. She's funny and honest, she's a mother and a friend to many. I had been talking about survival rates & how successful treatment is now. My Aunt, my cousin & my mother are all survivors. In my complacency, I completely forgot that some aren't so lucky. I was ashamed for not considering that fact & overwhelmed by the reality of it.

Love

Sunday Evening

One of Casey's clients gave us tickets to the US Open Tennis tournament Quarter-finals on Friday. Although none of us can claim to know much about tennis, we had a really great time out as a family. As we watched the little yellow ball go back and forth, back and forth, we actually started catching on.... it's a very polite game. Unless, of course, your Serina Williams. Oh, but that came two days later.

Anna is already homesick. I hope it passes as time goes on, because it breaks my heart to be so far from her when she's feeling this sad. I just know that things will get better for her and she will laugh when she looks back on these first few weeks of school.

Cailin is in love. Well, no, she's in Like. Lots of Like. And I can't really talk about it because he's a former crush of Anna's and the budding relationship has caused some real pain between my daughters. I don't know where it's going. I don't know how to help. I can only watch & see. And be there with a box of kleenex for whoever needs it.

The leaves are turning.
It's a quiet kind of sorrow, seeing their lush fullness give way to crinkly leaves. It would be my favorite time of year if only winter weren't on it's heels.

Looking for a Break in the Weather

9:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Just took Cailin to work for her Orientation @ Red Robin. She'll be hostessing. I think she's pretty excited about the whole thing. Lord knows, she really needed a job.

Tim, my firstborn, my baby, turned twenty-one yesterday. Where did the years go? Wasn't it just yesterday we were tying a cape around his neck so he could save the world? I swear to God, I blinked and here we are, loading boxes into the van so he can move into his own apartment. We're taking him out for a beer. Man. He's enjoying being on his own - - sort of. It took them nearly two weeks to get internet access. It was nearly a deal breaker for Tim, really. The kid spent nearly two weeks with no TV and no internet access. His room is spotless and his laundry is caught up.... Hey, I think we should have removed TV and internet from our home YEARS ago. I would most definately have more productive children.

Anna is moved into her dorm. She's been away a week now. She seems to be settling in nicely - except for the tearful phone call when her cell phone stopped working. Crying not because she missed her mommy, but because her cell phone was on the blink. (again, are we seeing a technological trend here?) I knew she would just love the college life. So far, so good.

I never did get to take the photo journaling class with Cathleen. My schedule at work got rearranged, and there was no chance of me actually making a 5pm class - ever. It would have been a waste of a spot in the class. So disappointed. It turns out that my First Strides is headed in the same direction. It's on Wednesdays at 6pm and - almost every single Wednesday through October, I'm either closing Allentown @ 7 or Bethlehem @ 6. I'm really hating these hours. I want to be one of the chosen ones who gets to dictate her own schedule.

So, Today:

Outside my window... fog and dripping trees.

I am thankful for... a chance to visit with my sister/mom/Carmine/Derek.

I am wearing... a black t-shirt, jeans and crocs.

From the kitchen... a cup of steaming hot tea.

I am creating... a list of things to do.

I am going... to pick up Cailin from work and head out to Shippinsberg to the Corn Festival & to see my dad. It's been a long time.

I am reading... The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall.

I am hoping... for some financial relief.

I am hearing... silence.

Around the house.... everyone is asleep.

One of my favorite things... kettle corn - gonna get some today! Yum.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Work. Clean my scrap room. Maybe get a little crafty.

Tuesday.

Here we are, the first week of August nearly behind us... So hard to believe that the summer is winding down. This week, Anna turns 18. My God. When did that happen? She's off to college next week. So far from home. A young woman. wow.

Tim is packing to move into an apartment in Millersville. Having problems finding his (very necessary) 3rd roommate. Ugh. It's been a terrible year for him. I just wish he'd get a break. Somewhere.

Cailin goes on Friday for her Driver's License test. She's still figuring out how to parrallel park. I'm not exactly the best teacher - I'll drive around the block forty-seven times before I'll parallel park. Hopefully, Casey will be home from Myrtle Beach in time to give her a couple of hours behind the wheel before her test.

Paddy is gearing up for fall soccer. So relieved that he can play. Not weirded out about the whole helmet thing. As a matter of fact, he kind of likes being the "kid in the helmet". That and those green shoes... he's a rockstar.

Monday, I start a photo-journaling class with Cathleen (my friend who lives across the street). I'm so looking forward to learning how to take really great pictures. That, and the fact that I'll get to spend time with a friend who, while she lives a stones throw away, I never get to see any more.

Finding peace. Staying in the moment. Keeping Track. Putting things into perspective. Working on it. Every day.

Drinking a cup of cold tea.
Getting ready to start the day.
Thinking about the kids going off to college.
I'm a little sad.
Melancholy.
The sun is shining.
I will probably hang a load of wash outside.
Going to the SB store today to help out.
Love the SB store.
Lost four pounds last week.

I saw a man the other day, picking daisies in his yard. He had a whole fistful of them. I knew - I just knew - they had to be for his wife. I envied her.