Happy Halloween!

This is all I have time for right now! More later, including some Halloween art, and pictures of the Cub Scout Halloween party!

How Many Have Your Name?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 79 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I resisted the urge to put in the name of every person I've ever known! This number is for Cindy; when I put in Cynthia, it was 193. Interestingly, my son's name came up 1 or fewer!

A New Variation

I should be cleaning the house but just needed to get this down while I remember it!

On the way to school this morning, Tucker was singing "The Ants Go Marching" (we've been reading a book with this song). Then he starts singing "The ghosts go flying 9 by 9, hoo-roo, hoo-roo(he says it exactly like this), the ghosts go flying 9 by 9 , hoo-roo-hoo-roo, the ghosts go flying 9 by 9, the little one stops to check the time, and they all go flying down to the town for some Halloween fun". He continued to try it with other numbers. I'm not sure if he learned it in school or if he made it up but either way, I thought it was pretty cute!

Senseless

I've been kinda out-of-sorts this week, with the anniversary of my dad's death probably adding to it. The only word I can come up with is senseless.

I'm referring of course to the horrible killings of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother which were so terrible but then they announced that they found her 7 year old nephew shot. Why? How does any of this make sense? Maybe I'm relating more because Tucker is around that age, maybe I'm just relating as a human being, either way, I feel pretty crummy inside.

I'm also feeling bad about the reporter, Anne Pressly, who was beaten so badly and died over the weekend. More so than ever it seems that the news is just bad. I was saying to my mom today that I wonder why I even watch it at night before going to bed because it's just all bad.

Probably the most heart sickening is the story of a CT boy, 8 years old, who went to a Gun Show with his dad over the weekend and shot himself with an Uzi. Apparently at Gun Shows in Massachusetts, children are allowed to shoot guns with their parent's permission and his dad, a doctor, who is the emergency room director at one of the local hospitals, felt that an Uzi was a "smaller weapon with less recoil". Uhh, hello? UZI?! That's why they are used in battlefields, birdbrain! He was reaching for his camera when his son fired the gun, the recoil of which caused the shot to go into the boy's head. It's horrible and awful and I cannot imagine having to live with the knowledge that he gave his son permission to fire that gun.

I'm not really sure how to end this post...I just needed to get these thoughts down.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today, Sunday October 26th. (I'll be working at the Book Fair at Tucker's school from 8:45am -3pm tomorrow so I wanted to get this done tonight!)

Outside my window...it is dark and cold.

I am thinking...that my hands are freezing, the heat isn't on down here because we've been upstairs all night.

I am thankful for...Tucker's non-stop imagination and curiosity.

From the kitchen...chicken and veggies in the crockpot for dinner tonight, yummy!
I plan to cook a butternut squash tomorrow night (my mom's neighbor gave it to me; Tucker and Michael don't like it so I plan to have a feast!)

I am creating...Tucker and I did some Halloween cards today. I did get some picture cropping done and my mom and I plan to scrapbook on Tues. Unfortunately, not much done with the Christmas gifts.

Around the house...our dishwasher isn't working so Michael has been trying to fix it; he now knows how to flush the hot water tank but hasn't figured out the dishwasher other than possibly narrowing it down to the water inlet valve...the battlefield has been set back up down here, particularly on the Thomas table for some reason...laundry is waiting to be folded and more to be washed.

I am wearing...jeans and a purple/gray striped hooded shirt.

I am reading...The Summer that I Dared by Barbara Delinsky. Finished Anne of Windy Poplars and read A Night to Remember by Walter Lord (about the Titanic). I picked up Anne and her House of Dreams at the library so that will be next. We're reading a Geronimo Stilton book with Tucker: The Case of a Mummy with No name . This week we read books about Halloween and fall.

I am hoping...the weather will be nice on Halloween for trick or treating.

I am hearing...Cold Case on TV, the fishtanks gurgling.

One of my favorite things...strawberry shortcake with fresh-picked strawberries and lots of Cool Whip!

A few plans for the rest of the week...Working at the book fair tomorrow, Thursday, and packing it up on Friday...spending the day with my mom Tues...a home visit on Wed...soccer practice on Thurs, game on Saturday...carving the pumpkins Tues or Wed...trick-or-treating at the mall Fri night and then with his friend Freddie in his neighborhood...trick-or-treating to our mom's houses Sunday.

A picture thought I am sharing with you...

I have this gadget on my igoogle page that shows pictures from National Parks. I thought this one was really neat...(there's already a label of what it is).

In Memory of My Dad, A.K.A Bubba

My dad was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in the right lower lobe of his lung in July 2001 (the same week I found out I was pregnant with Tucker). He had surgery to remove the right lower lobe in August. No chemo or radiation was recommended. In the summer of 2003, the cancer had returned in the upper lobe of his lung and was removed (again in August, almost 2 years to the day of the previous surgery). This time he did have chemo and radiation and lost all his hair. He did pretty well for awhile and even made it to the Women's Final Four in New Orleans with my mom and their friends. By this point he was on oxygen all the time but seemed to be doing pretty well. Sadly in October of 2004, he went into the hospital and they found the cancer had returned to his left lung and throughout his chest wall. Amazingly, he wanted to do more chemo. He also had tumors blocking his bronchial tubes, meaning he was not getting any air. They transferred him to St. Francis to use a laser treatment to literally blow-up the tumor so he could breathe more comfortably. Though I was initially against transferring him because he was so weak, the other option was to have him go home and he wasn't ready to give up yet. He spent a week at St. Francis and he was able to laugh and joke and was more like the dad I remembered, the same guy who told me jokes to take my mind off the contractions when I was having Tucker. He came home on a Saturday and was admitted to Hospice on Sunday. Monday I got a call at work from my mom and was told he was not expected to make it through the night. I went home, packed some clothes, and headed to my mom's. (Thankfully my m-i-l was watching Tucker and just took him home with her). My father had requested that just my mom and I be with him so that's exactly how it was as he slipped away at 4 AM on Tuesday, October 26th.

I've thought for awhile about what I would write here today. My dad was a wonderful man. He was always laughing and telling jokes. He was a fraternal twin and grew up in the same town I grew up in. He didn't complete high school but that didn't stop him from working hard. He loved the outdoors and was always the happiest walking in the woods or working in his garden. He was so happy when Tucker was born and it was Tucker that started calling him Bubba. (Other than me and Michael, my dad was the first person Tucker gave a name to, starting to call him Poppa and then somehow that became Bubba). Though Tucker was only 2 1/2 when my dad died, I hope he remembers him aside from the stories we tell. Tucker still sends all his balloons to Tucker and leaves a pinwheel for him on his birthday.

I miss my dad and wish he were here to watch Tucker grow up. I do believe he is watching from Heaven though and that does give me some peace.

I'm Officially (Re)Certified!

Last night I completed my re-certification class for CPR. I had originally become certified in CPR when I was pregnant with Tucker and have kept it up through my jobs ever since. (This time I actually got paid for it instead of having to pay for it which is also nice!) As part of the training, we also learned how to operate an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) which is a computerized medical device that can check a person's heart rhythm and let you know if a shock is needed. It also lets you know if a shock is not needed. There is a voice prompt that walks you through each step which makes it very easy to use! An interesting statistic the trainer told us: with only CPR, the survival rate is about 5%; with the use of the AED along with CPR, it jumps to 70%.

I'm Feeling So Domesticated Today!

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not known for my domestic abilities by any means! Well, today, I'm busy...chicken in the crock pot, bread baking in the bread machine (my first attempt at this!), dishes being cleaned in the dishwasher. Next up is the laundry into the washing machine and then I will be tackling the family room! (Of course, I am good at procrastinating that...I played on Facebook for a little while (as Julie from Winchester Academy will find out!) So now it's off to clean! I'll let you know how the bread turns out!

Corn Maze and Haunted Hayride

I was going to post this last night but it was taking too long to load the pictures. By the time I read to Tucker and got him to bed, I didn't have the energy to come back down. Ended up watching dancing with the stars and Samantha Who?

On our way home from picking up Tucker from my mom's on Sunday, we stopped at a Corn Maze. (My mom actually took Tucker to the same one last year). We wandered around the pumpkins, got our tickets and headed into the maze. We were supposed to find 15 numbered mailboxes and punch the little card as we found them. We started out trying to go in order but halfway through, we were so turned around that we just punched the number of whatever one we found! We spent almost two hours in there and still never found #12! (We weren't the only ones who couldn't find that one, though!) It turned out to be a really fun time and I think we will go back to this maze next year. Some more pictures:
Off to find mailboxes

Finding the mailboxes and punching the card


Still looking for more mailboxes

A new strategy (if you look closely, you'll see Tucker is on Mike's shoulders




After dinner, we headed out for a Haunted Hayride! (We went to the "early" one for "the young and weak at heart"). One of the firehouses in town sponsored it along with the Drama Club from a local high school. Tucker's friends Chase was there handing out tickets (his dad is an EMT for that fire department) and his mom asked if he could ride with us. It was actually his 3rd time going! It was a really great ride, with all kinds of creatures jumping out of the woods at us and two even chased us with chainsaws! We liked it so much we're planning to go back this Sunday after Cub Scouts!

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today...Monday, October 20, 2008

Outside my window...it is our first cold morning. The sun is out so there is some warmth!

I am thinking...I will make grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch.

I am thankful for...my son's laugh.

From the kitchen...it's Monday so nothing terribly ambitious for dinner because Michael's working. Probably an extra pizza night or scrambled eggs.

I am creating...nothing in the past week. I need to get started this week on Christmas presents.

I am wearing...black pants and a dark pink shirt (dressed-up more than usual because I had a home visit this morning and another one this afternoon).

We are reading...(I changed this one because I like to add what we're doing with Tucker). I finished Anne of the Island and am almost done with Anne of Windy Poplars. I started A Night to Remember (about the Titanic). Tucker continues to read nightly to us from the Reading Lab. This week we read to him about scarecrows, the moon (again, non-fiction--Tucker likes the moon and always has a lot of questions), an Arthur book, and some assorted Halloween books.

I am hoping...I find a job soon!

I am hearing...the news on TV, the fish tanks gurgling.

Around the house...laundry needs to be done (as usual), both the kitchen and dining room tables need to be cleaned off(both end up as the dumping place), the rest of the house is actually pretty neat.

One of my favorite things...chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven.

A few plans for the rest of the week...a home visit this afternoon...Halloween crafts and cards with Tucker...CPR certification class tomorrow night...going through the toys to get ready for Santa (one of the consignment stores takes just toys for November so I want to bring some there)...washing the kitchen floor...setting up the School Book Fair...working the Book Fair Friday...Cub Scout Halloween Party Friday night...soccer practice Thursday, game on Saturday...carving pumpkins on Sunday...Cub Scout meeting Sunday afternoon...maybe Haunted Hayride (again) on Sunday night.

A picture thought...

I found this Woolly Bear in our driveway Saturday! And since no one seemed to know what I was talking about when I mentioned it, I looked it up on the Internet (in case there's a more common name). I did find it under Woolly Bear. Also, according to coldspringschool.com, "Some people believe that the Woolly Bear can tell if the winter is going to be mild or rough. If the stripe on the woolly bear is narrow, it means the winter is going to be mild. If the stripe is wide, it means the winter is going to be be easy". (which seems like the same thing to me but that's what it said!)

Mystic Pizza Turns 20 today!

Today is the 20th anniversary of the release of Mystic Pizza, the movie that is said to have launched Julia Robert's movie career. (She did go on to win an award for Steel Magnolias the following year). Because it was filmed here in southeastern Connecticut. it's a pretty big deal and our local paper had a huge write-up on it over the weekend. A couple of things I didn't know: Vincent D'Onofrio played the groom who wanted to wait until after he gets married to Liv Taylor's character and Matt Damon had his screen debut as the younger brother of Charlie, Julia Robers' rich boyfriend. One of my friends' house was the house they used for Julia's home in the movie so that's pretty neat! It's also fun to watch the movie and see all the local places. I tried to rent it at the library yesterday but I guess everyone else must have had the same idea! I do want to watch it again! (And someday I plan to actually eat at Mystic Pizza!)

Soccer, CrackerBarrel, and Christmas Tree Shop

My mom came to Tucker's soccer game this morning. It was very cold! We had the first game today at 9am so there wasn't a chance for it to warm up even a little bit. His team ended up winning 1-0. She then took him for their busy day: cancer relay, pizza for lunch, haircut, some playtime at her house, a spaghetti supper, and then back to the relay for the luminaries. He'll be sleeping over and we'll get him tomorrow and go to a corn maze near her house.

Meanwhile, I headed to my friend Joan's. We get together 4-5x/year and it was actually her turn to come here but she has been having heart issues again (she's in her mid-60's and has had multiple issues for years). In June, my mom and I helped to move her to senior housing and this was my first time back to see it actually completed, pictures on the wall, etc. It's a nice, little place! We went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel which is always one of my favorites and then to the Christmas Tree Shop, another one of my favorites. We then wandered down to an antique consignment place neither of us had been to in years; always fun! On the way back to her apartment, we stopped again at the Cracker Barrel for dessert (we figured our food had settled enough by then!)

Seriously, does it get any better than both Cracker Barrel and Christmas Tree Shop in one day?!

Job Interview and Lunch with Tucker

Today I had a job interview at another home care agency that's looking for a per diem. I think it went really well. The other social worker is actually the same lady I worked with before I became full-time (In English, please...when I worked per diem for CT VNA, SE, she was the full-time social worker and I was the per diem. when she left I became full-time). Apparently, that may happen again as she is looking toward possible retirement but in the meantime, they are looking for someone to fill-in when there is an overflow of cases and/or she is on vacation.

I'll be starting at the Ledyard Senior Center on Nov 6th. I'll be there the first Thursday of every month from 9-12 to provide assistance with programs, help find services, etc. I did have 4 patients with them but as always in home care, it fluctuates: I discharged a lady this week and one went in the hospital and is going to a nursing home. So now I'm done to 2 cases. Hopefully it will pick up a little; I do like to keep busy.

My other event of the day was I went to lunch with Tucker at school! Friday is pizza day (the only day he gets hot lunch) so I joined him. It's all very structured and announced through a megaphone of all things which is kind of strange but I guess they think it's the only way to manage the kids. It actually wasn't that loud where we were but the 4th and 5th graders are loud. They certainly do move them right along!! But it was fun to sit with him and Chase (a friend from t-ball who is in his class). The pizza was actually half-way decent and we even had an ice cream dessert...yum!

In Case You Haven't Noticed...

I enjoy finding out about unusual holidays, in addition to the ones we all know about. I do it mostly to find interesting things to read about with Tucker. ( I also like to learn about new things!) So stay tuned...

Bluff Point

I'm a little behind in posting this...we went bike riding at a beautiful place called Bluff Point on Monday. It's a huge nature reserve that also has a salt marsh and when you go all the way to the end, there are beautiful views of Long Island Sound. It's an 8 mile hike/ride round trip and we all made it! Once we got to the point, we enjoyed a picnic lunch and found a letterbox! Then we went down and climbed on the rocks; well, Tucker did most of the climbing! It was a gorgeous day and so nice and peaceful out by the water! (We also tried finding two other letterboxes on the way out but couldn't find them---we'll try again another time!)

National Dessert Day

For just one day, forget about the calories and high fat content in many desserts. Then tomorrow you can go back to your diet. How about a dessert at every meal or for a meal?!

Columbus Day Art

After reading about Christopher Columbus, I found this coloring page for Tucker to color. I was hoping he'd get creative with the sails but he wanted gray since white wouldn't show up! We also attempted a pirate ship out of lemonade cartons but it really didn't work out; he ended up using them without decoration in the bathtub anyway.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Monday, October 13, 2008

Outside my window...the sun is shining brightly.

I am thinking...we have a busy week ahead!

I am thankful...Tucker still loves to cuddle and hug me so much; I know he won't always so I'll take it while I can get it!

From the kitchen...probably left-over pizza for breakfast, a picnic lunch while out riding our bikes, and I will be putting a chicken in the crockpot, making risotto, and mixed veggies for supper.

I am wearing...my nightgown. (wanted to get this done before we start the day)

I am reading...still working on Anne of the Island; Anne of Windy Poplars is waiting in the wings. Tucker continues to read to us nightly from his Reading Lab books. This week we read to him about Christopher Columbus, the moon (non-fiction), fires/firefighters (both fact and fiction), and some Halloween books.

I am hoping...we make it through our family day without any meltdowns/temper tantrums (on any of our parts LOL)

I am creating...not so much this past week but I do need to get working on the Christmas gifts.

I am hearing...Curious George on PBS, the fish tanks gurgling, as usual.

Around the house...as usual, there's laundry to be folded and more needing to be washed, the battlefield's been pretty much cleaned up down here and replaced by a construction crane, the house is actually pretty neat right now.

One of my favorite things...Amazing Race!! I love most of the reality shows but this one has always been my favorite and while I might miss episodes of other ones, I always make sure to watch this! right now, we tape it and watch it on Mondays because it's on at the same time as Extreme Home Makeover.

A few plans for the rest of the week...two different reading workshops for parents tomorrow, one in the morning regarding the Reading Lab specifically and then one at night regarding the new reading curriculum... PTO meeting tomorrow night...2 soccer practices Tues and Thurs, a game on Sat...2 home visits Wed...2 home visits Thurs...a Cub Scout Pack meeting on Thurs...Dinner with friends Fri night...lunch and a local art museum with a friend on Sat...Tucker to my mom's Sat after game...Tucker will do the cancer relay with my mom Sat and get his hair cut in the afternoon...we might go to a corn maze next Sun after we pick up Tucker if it doesn't rain.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...


We went to this playground after I got my hair cut on Tues. Tucker was really excited because after a few times, he was able to swing all the way around on this! He was so excited to show me the changes to this playground (he comes here sometimes with my mom) "and it's all wheelchair accessible, Mommy!"

Another Crazy-Busy Weekend

I don't know why it always seems to be so busy on the weekend! My mom did come over Fri night to watch Tucker while we went out for YUMMY dinner at Outback which is always a favorite of ours but expensive so we save it for special occasions. Then we went to Borders which to us is a treat because we both love to wander around. My mom spent the time playing games with Tucker (Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Hi-Ho Cherrio, etc). I'm glad I had the chance to vacuum the living room rug since that was where they sat! LOL She brought Wendy's for their dinner which is always a fun treat!

Saturday we had another tough soccer game that we won 1-0; the kids were EXHAUSTED! this is the only picture that really came out--Tucker is #4--I'll try to take more pictures another time!

Before we went to the game, we went to Target to pick up a present for the birthday party we were going to at night. After the game we came home, changed (both of us--it turned out to be a capri and t-shirt day instead of a jean and long-sleeve shirt day!), and went to a Fall Festival at one of the Garden Centers. They have really cool wooden playscapes that they let the kids play on (a castle, a pirate ship, plus variations of the basic kind). They also had a inflatable bouncer-thing and Tucker got to paint a pumpkin to take home:


It was a beautiful Fall day and I took some pictures to share of the gorgeous trees:


From there we headed to another Fall Festival in Groton down the street fromwhere the birthday party was going to be. It was at this park that they just finished renovating including a new playground. They had a Black Hawk helicopter in the middle of the field (it's also has a walking track and field where the town rec teams play soccer and football) that the kids could check out. However, Tucker was more interested in the playground. They just completed this playground and it is fantastic! This festival was the "unofficial" opening for it! Tucker had a great time running around and playing!

Next it was on to the birthday party which was being held at this really cool indoor miniature golf place called Monster mini-golf. It's all dark and has monsters everywhere. The kids think it's really cool! They also play music from the 80s which makes it fun for the adults! Javen was the birthday boy and he turned five. He's another one of Tucker's friends from daycare. I'm glad Tucker's still included in things like this because he really considers those kids his friends and misses the time he used to spend with them outside of school. His friend Andrew was there also so I got to spend a little time with his mom, Tracy so that was fun for me! they had pizza, cake, Javen opened his presents and then they got to play!

Today we went to my Uncle Joe's house to celebrate his birthday (it was actually last Monday, the same as my mother-in-law's). We get together about 4x/year to celebrate the birthdays in my mom's family. On the way there, we stopped and found a letterbox. (We actually haven't found any since Labor Day weekend--we had attempted to find 2 in September at a park but couldn't find either!) We had pizza and cake and played our usual game of Bingo which Tucker now calls for us--it's good practice for his numbers.

Tomorrow Tucker is off from school so Michael took the day off and we're going to go for a bike ride and do some letterboxing. I'll let you know how it goes!

Happy Birthday, Cassandra

Today is also our niece's 19th birthday. She was our flower girl and she turned 9 on the day we got married. (We had 2 date choices for the reception hall, either the 10th or Halloween. I love Halloween as much as the next person but didn't really want to have a wedding that day!) Cassandra is now 19 and it was been so wonderful watching her grow into the nice young woman that she has become.

Our Tenth Wedding Anniversary

Today is our tenth wedding anniversary and also the first time it has not rained on our anniversary since we got married! The day we got married, it poured!!! It was a beautiful day all around, though and we had to have our pictures taken in the church because of the rain, but even those came out nice because the church is so pretty! Our reception was a BLAST and people still talk about various parts of it all these years later! A lot has happened in 10 years together, both good and bad. But we've made it through everything and at the end of the day, can still say that we love each other, just as much, if not more. I've added some special songs to the playlist, I couldn't find the song we first danced to (I Know How The River Feels by Ty Herndon) but Annie's song was sung at our wedding and is probably more "our song" than any other. My mom is coming over tonight to watch Tucker while we go out to dinner.

Sleep-Over and Celebrating Birthdays

We had a busy weekend...we had the soccer game on Saturday (which we won 7-1; they were awesome! My camera battery needed to be charged so I didn't take pictures...if it doesn't rain this weekend, I'll take some pictures.

Tucker's friend William came over Saturday afternoon and spent the night. He is such a sweet little boy and they had a wonderful time! We went out to pizza for dinner and they were pretty busy the rest of the time:
Digging in the Construction Site

Playing Video Games

Eating Ice Cream

Playing Cards (War)

Wrestling

Practicing Good Oral Hygiene


On Sunday (after William left), we celebrated my mother-in-law and niece's birthdays. (I'll post Cassandra's picture on her birthday on Friday). Here are some pictures of Eileen and Cassandra opening their gifts and some cute pictures of Cassandra and Tucker. (You can also see that Tucker lost his other front tooth this week! The nice tooth fairy left a $1). I didn't get any pictures of it but we had the best time paying Uno Attack, which Cassandra got from her mom. It was really a lot of fun!!!

Happy Birthday, Gra Doyle

In our little world, "Gra" means Grandma. For some reason, this is what Tucker has chosen to call both of our mothers! Anyway, today is Eileen's birthday! She is a great lady and the best mother-in-law anyone could ever ask for!!

Have a great day, Eileen!

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Monday, October 6

Outside my window...the sun finally came out but it feels more like November than early October. It's also pretty breezy.

I am thinking...I need to put the propane on, my hands are freezing. (Okay I just did, much better!)

I am thankful...for the laughter of my son and the ongoing support from my family.

From the kitchen...Trying a new crock pot recipe from Diary of a Stay-A-Home Mom's blog: Parmesan Chicken & Rice. It sounded really yummy and I can usually do pretty good with the crock pot because I don't have to have anything to do with the food directly.

I am wearing...a long-sleeve black shirt and gray sweatpants.

I am reading...Just started Anne of the Island. Also read The Sandcastle by Rita Mae Brown and finished Cypress Point by Diane Chamberlain. Didn't start a Magic Tree House book yet but hoping to this week. Tucker reads a book to us from Reading Lab every night and then one of us reads two books to him, still on the fall theme. I also picked up some books about the Titanic and the biography of Molly Brown (we watched Titanic over the weekend).

I am hoping...I can sew the patches on Tucker's Cub Scout shirt in a half-way decent manner.

I am creating...still working on the Christmas presents!

I am hearing...my neighbor working on his roof. The fish tanks gurgling. The life story of Renee Zellwegar (sp?) on E! The dryer.

Around the house...the dishes need to be done, laundry being washed. The battlefield is still set up down here in the family room, also assorted other toys are out (Tucker had a friend over Sat night and I haven't straightened out).

A few plans for the week...a couple of home visits Wed and Thurs...speaking at a senior center with one of the nurses Wed...getting my hair cut tomorrow...soccer practice Thurs, game on Sat...hoping to volunteer some hours at Tucker's school library...out to dinner on Fri for our 10 year anniversary...a birthday party for Tucker's friend Javen at an indoor mini-golf place Sat night...maybe a Fall Festival on Sat if it's nice...celebrating my uncle's birthday at his house on Sun.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Okay so there are two thoughts today! These are the trees by Tucker's playground. Though technically our area's leaves are not supposed to be at "peak" until mid-October (according to the weathermen), some of the trees are already looking really pretty! Unfortunately, it's also been windy so the leaves are coming down fast!

Memory Lane

I've seen this on both Peter's Peapod and Winchester Academy. So now I'm going to give this a try...

15 Years Ago...I was 23 years old and living with Michael's Aunt Karen, cousins Mary, Carol & Micky (their boys were 5 and 2 with Carol due in November). Michael and I had been together almost a year and a half. I was working at my first job in a nursing home in West Haven. In October I moved to my own apartment in North Haven. I was taking classes towards getting into the Master's program at Southern.

10 Years Ago...I was 28 years old and we were planning our wedding in October. I was just entering my final year of the Master's program and would be graduating in the spring. When I look back I was crazy-busy: working 30 hours/week at an AIDS facility, doing 25 hours/week Internship at an inpatient Hospice facility, writing a thesis, taking three classes and oh yes, trying to enjoy my first year as a newlywed. Ahh, the energy of youth!!! In August, I had totaled my car (just to add to the stress of being six weeks from the wedding) so I had just gotten a new car. I was busy trying to get all my papers in before I took two weeks off for the wedding! I was also diagnosed with High Blood Pressure (which runs on my mother's side of the family) and started on medication.

5 Years Ago...I was 33 years old and home with Tucker, who was 17 mos. old. I had lost my job in February and enjoyed being home with him! I actually got a ton of scrapbooking done! I was a Creative Memories consultant. I would start working at a nursing home in Westerly, RI the end of October. We had just found out my dad's cancer had returned in the remaining part of his right lung (he was diagnosed in 2002 and half of his right lung removed then). He had the rest of his right lung removed in August; he would start chemo in October and then radiation in January. Despite having only one lung, my father brought us all to tears when we walked the survivors lap at the Cancer Relay in October.

3 Years Ago...I was 35 years old and my dad would have been gone for a year in October. I had been working at then-CT VNA, SE (name changed to Backus Home Health Care in October 2007)for about a year and a half. Tucker was 3 years old and VERY into Thomas the Tank Engine; it was our first year to see Thomas at Essex. I went to see Reba, Brad Paisley, and Terri Clark with my m-i-l, s-i-l, and niece, thus beginning my obsession with Brad Paisley! My mother and I reinstated our annual mother-daughter trip to Lancaster, PA which had been on hold since Tucker was born and with my dad being sick. I had just had some cervical polyps removed (gyn problems had been going on since I had Tucker is 2002). I was still experiencing the same pain so again nothing was really solved! I had also just been diagnosed with Hashimoto's, which basically means I'm predisposed to developing Hypothyroidism.

1 Year Ago...I was 37 years old and Tucker had just started kindergarten. I was still working full time for CT VNA, SE soon to become Backus Home Health Care. I had just had an endometrial ablation done in August and Yeah! the pain/issues I had had since Tucker was born were finally gone and so was my period (just a wonderful side-effect, don't you think?!)

Today...I am 38 years old, unemployed, and working per diem for a home care agency. Tucker has started 1st grade and playing soccer for the third year. I am Vice-president of the PTO at Tucker's school and will be starting volunteering in his school library this week. Surprisingly, I am enjoying the stay-at-home mom thing and loving the extra time with Tucker.

Tomorrow...who knows what the day may bring?

I Did It!

While checking out Peter's Peapod, I noticed her new background and clicked on the little blue box and I was able to change my background! If I can figure it out, anyone can!!! I am so all about themes and holidays, etc. so I will probably be changing the background around with the seasons or maybe as the mood strikes me!