What a Year!

I was doing some thinking this morning on my way into work and couldn't believe how much has happened in the past year with me and Jim. This year has been such an emotional rollercoaster for both of us. Thinking back to this time last year we had no idea that so many different events would come our way. Some of the bigger ones were:

Losing our jobs
Saving our jobs
Changing our jobs
Buying a house
Graduating (Jim)
Hiking Katahdin
Almost losing a parent
Getting a puppy
Spending basically three months apart
Watching a sibling pull his life together
Watching another sibling move across the country

Looking back on the four plus years we've spent together, I will admit that this year was the most challenging for both of us, but in so many ways it brought us much closer together as well. I can't wait to see what 2009 brings. Some of the things I'm looking forward to in 2009:

BDC Reunion
Finishing the basement
Buying a new car
Camp in NY with the girls
Meeting the newest member of the CC crew
Celebrating our 2nd anniversary
Spring travel
My 10 year high school reunion (dear lord, is that possible?)
Helping Rion get ready to apply for college
Seeing a best friend finally get that ring she deserves (I have no doubt!)

As for resolutions? I only have one this year: Do what makes you and your family happy. Because when it comes down to it, that's all that really matters.

Here are some pictures from our year. If you know me well, you know I'm a picture addict, so I love to share them! Enjoy the slideshow!

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2008 and are looking forward to an even better 2009!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to say that I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and I hope Santa brought you everything you wanted! Don't forget to count your blessings and kiss your loved ones today. :)

The Office Party

So today was the big office holiday party. I expected it to be a good time. I figured we'd all bring some food, swap secret santa gifts, hang out for an hour or so around lunch, and continue along our days getting work done. When I got to work at 8am and learned that the day would be starting off with latte's and homemade blueberry waffles, I knew this day was going to be fantastic.

I know I worked for an hour today, only because I was in a meeting, but I think that was it. The stream of food was constant, the gifts were given, and boy oh boy did we laugh our butts off. The highlight of the day was by far the impromptu game of "telephone" initiated by the boss. If you can picture it, it consisted of 20 25-60 year olds sitting in a circle playing a game I used to play with my girlfriends in 6th grade. I don't know the last time I laughed so hard.

I wish I could explain to you all what it is like to work with the people I work with. We all have coworkers. We all really like some of them, and we all really dislike some of them. But I don't think that most places have the connection that this group seems to have. Yes there are the snickers and jeers here and there, but this group as a whole is really close, and we are all really similar people (just to put it in perspective, there were a total I think of 6 Borders gift cards given out at the secret santa swap!). We work in Admission. We love people. We love to talk. We love to laugh. I honestly believe we work in the most exciting office at the University, and it takes a very specific type of person to make it in that environment. I feel very fortunate and very blessed to fit in with these people. Although I've only been there a few short months, I already know that in many ways we are like family to each other. At least that's how we treat each other, and believe me, that's an awesome thing to be a part of.

Appreciation, Love, and Support

I find it amazing how easy it is for us to go through our every day lives and not truly stop to think about the things that we are lucky to have. Our spouses, our significant others, our kids, our friends, our jobs, our homes, our animals. There are times we stop to take it in, but on the whole we just run through our days never stopping to think about what would happen if they all went away. We take them for granted. And sadly, it often takes a tragedy for us to realize what we once had.

Its been a rough few years in my office. Although I am new here, I have learned a lot about the people I work with and the things they have been through. Two years ago, one of my colleagues lost her young son. Last May, another lost her husband. His name was Robert, and he is what I would like to write about today.

Robert was a Portland police officer. His wife Carol works in my office, and together they have two very young children. Last May, while routinely getting ready for the following day, he accidentally shot himself in the leg, a shot that ended his young life. I'm sure you can imagine what the past six months have been like for Carol and her kids. I met her youngest, a son, a few months ago. When I greeted him, he shook my hand, and it was a nice strong handshake. I told him so and he looked at me and said "My dad taught me that." My heart melted.

At Robert's funeral, it came about that he wrote poetry. After that day community leaders, police officers, artists, photographers, and students all came together to create a project in support of Robert. They created a calendar that is unlike a calendar I've ever seen. Portland police officers, men and women alike, sat down to write their own poetry. These poems are highlighted through the 12 months of the year, including some of Robert's own. Last week the proofs for the calendar were brought into our office to see, and it was incredibly moving. The best word I could use to describe the calendar would be "humanizing." Like our loved ones, and our homes, jobs, etc., we take our law enforcement for granted. Unless you know an officer on a personal level yourself, you often don't think of them as real people, and you just expect them to always be there. This calendar gives them life inside and outside of the force.

The calendars are $15, which I find to be extremely reasonable. 60% of the proceeds will go to Carol and her children, and the rest will fund future projects similar to this. Even if you are unable to buy a calendar, please check out the website. I will say that I don't think the link itself does the photography, artwork, and poetry enough justice. The link to the calendar is here: http://www.artsandequity.us/calendar.htm, and the link to the project can be found here: http://www.artsandequity.us/index.htm

If you take nothing more from this post take this: Go home tonight and hug your family. If they aren't with you, call them, and tell them you love them. Do it because you still can, and try, hard as it is, to never take what you have for granted, because in a fleeting second, it can all be gone.

"Seasons"

So my new job comes in "seasons." There's travel season, from September to November, then reading season from November until September, with a little bit of travel in the middle. I'm about two weeks into the reading season now, and its quite a nice change of pace. What does reading season mean? It means sitting at my double-monitored computer for eight hours reading countless applications and deciding if a kid is ready to come to college. Yup, I actually can admit people. When I was in high school I always wondered if anyone was actually going to read my application, and now I know. At least at USM, we read them all.

The essays I have been reading have been something else. Some make me laugh,(like the kid who claims that chop suey made him who he is today), some make me cry (like the kid who wrote about volunteer work he did with children in the Guatemala City dump), and some just make me cringe. I was never an English teacher, so I've never had the pleasure of learning what kids write about, and I've always wondered. I think the essays are the most fascinating part of the reading I do every day. Its funny, sometimes I'll share the topic of an essay with Jim, like the kid who wrote about Fluffernutter sandwiches and how they changed his life (it actually made a little too much sense), and Jim will claim them to be an instant admit. The essays are great because I get to know a little more about who I'm letting into our school.

Jim asked me an interesting question the other day. He said, if you were offered a teaching position today, would you take it? And I told him honestly, no. I really love this new job. The seasons make it so interesting and I haven't had energy like this in years. I still get to work with students, but I get to connect with adults too. And my department is fantastic. I don't think I've ever worked with a group that is so close and supportive of each other. I couldn't imagine walking away.

On another note, if you haven't heard, Jim got a new position. He is now an academic advisor in the School of Business at USM. He loves it and is so excited about it. It kind of fell in his lap, which was a good thing, since due to some reorganization in the President's Office he wasn't sure where he'd be in the next few weeks, and it puts him up close with students, which is what he's been wanting to do for some time now.

I have to say, it is so nice to have us both come home from work and not be dragging our feet and hating our days. Its been a long time since we've both been there, and its a welcome change.

Need a Gift Idea? My Shameless Plug

One holiday down, one more to go. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We spent it in Hampden with our families. My grandparents were here visiting from Reno and it was so nice to spend some time with them. Its been 19 years since we last had Thanksgiving with them! Its always great to get up home and see our families and friends for a few days.

Now, on to the next big event, Christmas. If you haven't seen these already, I wanted to share with you my mom's latest project. A few months ago she discovered that she has quite the knack for apron making. They are so fun and she loves putting them together! She has created her own website on Etsy.com, http://www.UniqueApronsbyDebbie.etsy.com

Here are a few pictures of her work. I think they are so much fun and would make great Christmas presents!





She has also made potholders and some other things as well, so check out her site!

Ok, shameless plug over.

Ahhh Home Ownership

Last night we had quite a strong rain and wind storm sweep through the state. In my pre-home owner life, storms were just fun. You got to sit and listen and watch, and then not worry about the clean up. Now, last night's storm didn't do an extreme amount of damage, but as I sit here on my day off, I am faced with throwing out most everything in the fridge that I JUST bought, following a 11.5 hour power outage, going through boxes in the basement because our "guaranteed dry basement" decided to leak a nice sized puddle of water right into our storage room, and I got the pleasure of cleaning up our trash bins outside that tipped over, consequently dumping little bags of dog poo all over our yard. Ick.

Like I said, compared to some storms, these are minor things, but they are also things I've never really had to worry about before. In the apartments the power came back quickly (I was usually in a city or apartment complex), I didn't have to worry about water or anything in the basement (we rarely had one, and honestly it wasn't our problem), and the external parts of the apartment were maintained by grounds crews or the landlord. This is an adjustment, for sure.

Let's hope for a mild winter. :)

The Meetiversary

Ahhhhh how sweet it is! Travel ended on Thursday and it has been awesome to just spend some time at home without that little voice in the back of my head telling me to get ready for my next trip. This weekend we deemed Saturday as "home improvement day." I painted the entryway while Jim and his friend Brian fixed our toilet (Brian's a really good friend, lol), and an exhaust pipe in the attic. We felt very productive. :)

Wednesday night we head to Hampden for the traditional Turkey Day festivities, which means off to the bars Wednesday night, dinner with my family on Thursday, and dessert with Jim's family Thursday night. I've always looked forward to Thanksgiving, but especially now since it is an indicator of another year Jim's been in my life. (Wait, put on your corny goggles, because here it comes...)

If you don't know the story of how Jim and I met, I think its a good one, even though I'm just a little biased. It was the night before Thanksgiving, four years ago, and I was driving up from Boston. I was well into Maine when I realized I forgot my license, which was a huge bummer seeing as we all (the HA gang) always go out for beverages the night before the holiday. I called my friend Eric, to see if he could stop and pick up my license and bring it up, and he said he wouldn't mind at all.

Fast foward a few hours. We're all at my friend Jen's house, dressed up and ready to go out, and Eric shows up. Without my license. It turns out after he picked it up for me, he dropped it somewhere along the way. Of course, I was quite sad, seeing as I would have to miss out on the tradition, but Jen talked me into going to the bar with my birth certificate to see if I could get in. I hemmed and hawed the whole way there, telling her there was no way it would work. I was ready to go home and sulk it out.

We got to the bar, and Jen must have batted her eyelashes at the doorman in just the right way, because somehow I got in. Awesome.

A little while into the night, my friend Matt tells me that Jim O'Brien was asking about me. I knew Jim from high school, but he didn't know me. The next thing I know, there's Jim, standing in front of me, not saying a word, and holding a beer out towards my face.

Awkward.

So I asked him if the beverage was for me and he said yes, and then I told him he should dance with me. And that was that.

Jim tells me that it was the only time he'd ever done anything like that, just buy a drink for a girl out of the blue, and that something just told him I was special and he needed to get to know me.

However, if you are a male, (such as my workstudy Tim), and talking to my now husband about this story, he will tell you he was out "looking to get all hammered and looking to get some and then he saw this hot chick and he knew he wanted to 'get' with her." Uh huh.

At any rate, it was the best Bud Light of my life, and no matter how you tell the story, the ending is the same, and four years later I am the happiest I've ever been.

Happy Meetiversary babe ;)

On the up swing!

I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on Jim's mom Mary. She had surgery on Friday to remove the second aneurysm and the surgery was a success! She was in the ICU overnight, but has been moved to a regular floor where she'll stay for the next few days. Again, Jim and I want to thank everyone for the well wishes!

The Home Stretch

Yikes, I was cranky last night. I'm finding this to be the case not just in myself but most of my traveling colleagues. The "crank" started hitting me about two weeks ago when I was in Connecticut. I thought it was just me, but when I got to a fair one night and listened to the insane amount of grumbling from other reps, I realized I'm in good company. This is my second to last week of travel, and for many reps, the last week of the season. Today I was thinking about my very first day, back in September. I remember pulling up to at a school to a sea of perky individuals, well dressed, carrying their black rolly bags, smiling and cheerful, excited to take on the hundreds of students awaiting their arrival inside. This week, I notice we are all walking a little slower, looking a little sloppier, and hanging our heads a little lower. We're freakin' tired. It's been a blast, don't get me wrong, but after nine weeks of travel, I think we're all ready to be home.

So while I will try my best to keep a positive vibe on the blog over the next week, please do forgive me if I slip up a bit. I'm just sleepy, homesick, and ready for the next "season" of Admissions to start.

Dear Server,

Let me begin by saying that I understand the hardships of being a server. I was one for many years, and can appreciate the work that you do. It takes a lot for me to be upset by bad service, so this letter comes after much frustration.

I feel it is important for you to realize one basic fact: A "solo" diner is a human being.

A solo diner is not a nutcase.
A solo diner is not going to tip you poorly.
A solo diner is not some freak who has no friends to go to dinner with.
A solo diner is not an introvert who doesn't want to make eye contact or conversation.
A solo diner is not always in a rush.
A solo diner is not a waste of your time.

Just because you would never have the gall to sit at a restaurant by yourself does not give you the right to judge why I am there. Maybe I'm away on business, or maybe I just felt like getting away for a few hours. Maybe you should push aside your judgmental thoughts because believe me, they turn into quite judgmental actions.

Next time I sit down at your table, stand facing my table straight on, instead of to the side like I'm a quick pit stop on your way to the kitchen, (because we all know how quickly you can get an order from a table of one). Ask me how I am, and be interested in the answer, just like you were for that outgoing table of 5 behind me. Give me more than 2 minutes to peruse your menu, check on me when I receive my meal, and don't give me the check and tell me to have a nice night literally 3 minutes after I receive my meal, (like the arrogant &@#$% at the Olive Garden in Connecticut last week). Actually, all you really have to do is pretend there are two other people sitting with me, and by golly, you'll do just fine.

I too, server, am a human being. Treat me like one, and you'd be shocked at just how normal your "solo" diner really is.

Bad Blogger!

Yes, I know I've disappeared for a few weeks. I've sat down to write several times, but just couldn't muster up the energy. I guess you could say I've had "blogger's block." The past few weeks have been pretty busy. I spent an entire week split between Connecticut and Rhode Island, ending on Halloween, (which by the way left us with an extra TEN bags of candy when the 100 kids we were told to expect turned into 10 kids). Last week I began the week in Keene and finished it up in the White Mountains. It was great to be able to go to Keene for work. I spent Sunday night with two very good friends, Adam and Kristen, at my most favorite bar, Kilkenny's. I love getting together with college friends, we laugh harder than should be legal when we get together.

Tomorrow I hit the road again, this time to New Jersey for a whole week. I'm definitely excited to be going somewhere I've never been, but sad to be leaving for a whole week. Tuesday night however, I'll be heading to Atlantic City baby(!!!), so I will be sure to post some pictures and stories (of me gambling all by myself, hahaha).

Just a heads up to those of you who followed my blog at all this summer. Jim's mom Mary will be having surgery on Friday to remove the second anuerism from her brain. We will be spending Friday night in Boston with the family but ask you to please keep her in your thoughts. The surgeons will be going in through her head again, and snipping out the anuerism that did not burst. Its very good that she will be getting rid of it and won't have to worry about it anymore! She will be in the ICU at Mass General for a day or so and then in the hospital for hopefully no more than a week. I promise to keep you all updated via my blog like I did this summer.

And a Few More

I was out raking again today and Rowdy decided to help me out. He was so cute running through and laying in the leaves! The photo ops were too good to resist so I took a few more fall pics and wanted to share :)

Fall Pictures

So we've had Rowdy for about a month and a half now, and we are having such a blast with him. Its definitely been an eye opener to both me and Jim about our "parenting" skills and opinions, as well as the total change of lifestyle that comes when you have that responsibility at home. Its such a great experience though and I still maintain that every couple should have a dog before they have a child. I think we'll be ten times the parents because we did this first.

So anyways, the little guy is growing like a weed, and I wanted to share some pictures. Saturday Jim was outside raking underneath our huge maple tree (which decided to stick its tongue out, shake its booty, and laugh at Jim while dropping another large pile of leaves on the ground literally two hours later), and I took the opportunity to capture some pictures of Rowdy next to the tree. Of course, he was quite the ham and didn't mind posing it up :)

And This Week's Student Genius Is.......

Last night I was at a college fair in Massachusetts when this young lady and her father approached my table. I'm not kidding, the following conversation is word for word:

Girl: I'm so excited USM is here! I'm from Maine originally and I am so excited to get back to my roots.

Me: That's great! What part of Maine are you from?

Girl: I was born in Portland. I'm just so excited to get back there.

Me: Awesome! How long did you live there?

Girl: We moved when I was 6 months old.

Dear God.

Carrie Underwood!

So back in June when I was going through my quarter-life crisis, and was determined to do what I wanted to do and spend money on what I wanted to spend money on, it was announcedthat one of my favorite country stars, Carrie Underwood would be coming to Portland. Now, there are about a million other things I could have done with the $50 I spent on my ticket, but I put my stubborn hat on and said, I don't care, I'm going to this concert! I headed to the Civic Center at 7am the day the tickets went on sale, waited in line, and got two tickets for me and my friend Jaime. And it was so worth it.

The concert was Tuesday night and it was such a blast. Jaime and I have been looking forward to this so much since we got the tickets and it was worth the wait!! Little Big Town opened for Carrie, and I like them a lot too. They have a couple of popular songs, but I heard a lot of new ones at the concert. "Bring it on Home to Me" is one of my all time favorite songs and I had chills the whole time they sang it. Its really cool when you go to a show and don't know the opening band very well but they impress you. I am definitely going to be getting some more of their music!

Carrie was amazing. I am still blown away by the fact that three years ago this girl was a nobody. Its also really cool that we all kind of knew her before she was huge, while she was on American Idol. Its hard to imagine her just being a contestant on the show after all she has accomplished. At one point during the concert, she was doing a costume change, and they played a montage of her accomplishments, starting in the present day and working back to her time on Idol. It really was incredible to watch her ride, and I think everyone in the civic center was just in awe of all the amazing things that the woman standing in front of us had done in just a few years.

The show was so good. She sang all of my favorite songs, and was surprisingly very candid on stage. I kind of expected her to be snooty, its just the vibe I get when I see her on tv, but she was actually really funny and relaxed. I think she's probably a really easy going person after all. At one point she invited a little four year old girl onto stage to sing "American Girl" with her, and I think it was probably the cutest thing I've seen in a long time. Her encore and closing song was one of my favorites, "Before He Cheats" and it was freakin' incredible. She ended the show with a huge confetti drop, and it was just awesome.



Here are a couple of videos I took. The first is Little Big Town singing "Bring it on Home to Me" and the second is Carrie singing "Before He Cheats" They're short, but don't they all sound so good live?

A Healthy Pot Pie

Yes, ladies and gents, there is a healthy pot pie out there. Since starting our new diet, I've discovered the joy of recipes on mrsdash.com. Mrs. Dash makes spices and sauces that are salt free, but really really tasty. I found this recipe today for a Turkey Pot Pie and we both loved it! It was so easy to make and had tons of flavor for a low-sodium meal. And, if you are on a low calorie diet, it only has 272 calories per serving, and the servings are a good size!

Just a heads up on this one and any other Mrs. Dash recipe I may post on here. You really have to use Mrs. Dash flavoring on these. I've done some comparing in the aisles, and Mrs. Dash really is the key ingredient to make the recipes healthy. Other brands will have at least double the calories, fat, and sodium.


Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients
2 prepared frozen pie crusts, 9 inches in diameter
1 can condensed low-sodium cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup Mrs. Dash Zesty Garlic Herb 10-minute marinade
1 tbsp cornstarch
16 oz mixed frozen vegetables
2 cups cooked diced turkey breast

Directions

1. Thaw pie crust and vegetables.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cook and dice the turkey breast.

4. Grease pie pan with cooking spray and the bottom pie crust.

5. Whisk together soup, milk, Mrs. Dash, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add the thawed vegetables and cooked turkey. Spoon the mixture into the pie pan. Top with the crust, pressing the crust onto the edges of the plate. Cut slits in several places on the crust.

6. Bake for 40 minutes in the oven. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Quote of the Week

And now, the question of the week, brought to you by one very curious high school senior in Massachusetts:

"So, like, with the snow, do I have to like clean off my own car and stuff?"

Oh boy.

Tales from the Road

Well I've been a traveling soul for about four weeks now, and its been quite an adventure. I love my new job (yes, I know I've mentioned this once or twice). I have met so many nice people and so many great students. To be connected with kids and schools again and really feel like I am making a difference in someone's life really has me back on my game. For so long I was so miserable at work, and its just awesome to look forward to my days again.

For the most part my days are pretty typical. Wake up, drive south, or wherever from my hotel room, go to a high school fair or visit, meet with anywhere from 1 to 60 students depending on the event, get in the car and do it all over again. My nights in the hotel vary. Some weeks I'm gone three nights in a row, some weeks its just one night and the rest of the days are day trips. Its really not a bad gig.

Every few days though something just plain weird or ridiculous or something that is complete crap happens. Take for example, Tuesday night. I had a fair in western Massachusetts that got out at 9pm. Wednesday morning I had to be on the other side of the state for an early high school visit. If you've ever lived in Mass, you know attempting to drive anywhere in the morning with hope of no traffic or accidents is like saying last night you went out for beers with the Pope. It just doesn't happen. So after my fair got out at 9, I hopped in the car, put the debate on the radio and ventured east. Two hours later I arrived at my hotel in Peabody, very tired and very ready for a hot shower, my reserved king size bed, and fluffy pillows, followed by a nice free breakfast in the morning. When the nice man at the desk told me there were "problems" with the rooms and my reserved room no longer existed, you can imagine I was less than pleased. So the nice man informed me my stay would be free, and that they had set me up at a very nice hotel down the street. The nice man then proceeded to send me to an Extended Stay America a mile down the road. Instead of my nice warm shower, king sized bed, fluffy pillows, and expected breakfast, I was greeted by a scuzzy hippie (no not all hippies are scuzzy, just this one), who directed me to my dirty room, queen sized bed that was hard as a rock, flat pillows, and zero breakfast.

The next morning I woke up with a creak in my neck, and significantly dark circles under my eyes, and proceeded to call the sales manager at the hotel where I was initially supposed to stay. I'm an honors member at this particular chain, and lord knows if I had a night like that I damn well better still be getting my points. (I'm saving up for a cruise you see, it only takes 800,000 points. We'll be enjoying the Mediterranean Sea in roughly our late 80s). Luckily the woman I talked to was fantastic. She informed me that typically if this happens (not that it typically happens), guests are sent to the Sheraton. She wasn't quite sure why I was sent to Cirque du Extendastay, but was rather embarassed. She kindly rewarded me with ten times the amount of points I would have earned had I stayed at her hotel. I kindly accepted them. Yay for me for finally getting the guts to stand up for myself. Two years ago I never would have made that call.

So that's the story this week. Tonight I'm in a much better place. I'm staying at a Homewood Suites in Peabody. My room has three rooms, a full kitchen including a dishwasher, and..wait for it...free popcorn. Oh, and because I'm signed up for rewards there was a sign at the check in desk with my name on it, welcoming me to the hotel. I almost feel famous.

More Pics!

Clare posted more pics from Ray's wedding on her blog last night!! Check them out, she did a fantastic job!!

Ray Ray's Wedding

When you enter your mid-twenties a phenomenon happens. You go to weddings. Not one or two weddings here and there, but 900 weddings in the span of 4 years. Those of you who are past this stage in your life, you know what I mean. Those of you who are not, start saving now!! At any rate, this weekend was my best friend Ryan's wedding. Part of me wondered if by the time we got to this, I'd be too weddinged out, detached, and unemotional. Given that I literally have been to 16 weddings in the past 3 and a half years, I just wondered if I might be over it. But when she put on that dress and turned around to look at her admirers I completely broke down.

Let me back up a bit and give you a sense of why, maybe more than most, this wedding really got me.

Ryan and were not terribly close early in college although we played rugby together and had many mutual friends. Our junior year we started hanging out quite a bit, mostly because we were dating guys who were also good friends and roomed together. It wasn't until the year after college though, that Ryan and I became best friends. We were both single, her college boyfriend having broke her heart, and Ryan lived in Boston while I was up in Maine. Every weekend and even some weeknights I'd travel down to Boston, stay with Ray (Ryan's nickname), and we'd hit up the town, meeting new people, becoming not just bigger Red Sox fans, but experts that year, and lamenting that we'd never meet the perfect guy. We were attached at the hip, and people thought we were sisters. We chatted on the phone sometimes for hours, and called each other in a panic before we went on one of many blind dates. We even took a 2.5 day road trip to Tennessee to surprise a good friend. We were inseparable.

Then Ryan met Shawn. I remember the night she met him. It was a blind date, and she called me from the parking lot, like she always would, freaking out about her nerves. It was different this time though. I think Ryan knew before she even met Shawn, that she was going to marry him. Obviously the date went well, and they started becoming very serious.

Oh, have I mentioned, this date was over 5 years ago.

Ryan and I have stayed close, but have naturally found a distance that most friends do as they get serious and begin to settle down. The road that she and Shawn were on was a rocky one for a bit. He had just gotten out of a relationship that about destroyed him, and because of it, it was hard for him to be close to Ryan. I can't tell you how many times I told her to just move on. But she didn't. And he didn't propose. And he didn't propose. And he didn't propose. Ryan was in our friend Meg's wedding, and then mine, but as the classic saying goes, she was always the bridesmaid never the bride. Until last fall. He finally proposed, and Ryan finally got to be the bride. This weekend at their wedding I realized that what I had always hoped would be the reason he took so long to marry her would be true. When he knew 110%, with no doubt in his mind that this would be his wife, he asked her, but not a moment sooner. I have so much respect for someone who knows themself well enough to wait, and even more for the woman who waited for him. When she walked down the aisle Saturday afternoon to greet her groom, and that strong willed Boston boy started to cry, not a single person in the room doubted that it was worth every second they waited to get to this day. They are so in love, and my best friend has found her best husband.

I feel the need to add that I have been beyond thrilled for all of my friends who have gotten married over the past few years. Each of them have found a partner who gives them a joy that we always hoped we would find. I think with Ray, it just got me a little more because I know how much she has waited for this day with Shawn.

Ok, enough blabbing. Time for some pictures!! Ryan's photographer was a friend of mine, who I met as she photograped many weddings of my friends from the Knot. Her name is Clare, and she is fantastic. She's posted a teaser on her blog and I'll let you all know when she posts more, as she always does. In the meantime, here are a few of my very very nonprofessional but favorite pics from the day.

What a night at the ballpark!!

So, my friend Kristen and I are both pretty big Red Sox fan, yet for some reason we'd never been to a game together. Being the awesome friend she is, she sent me this shirt as a congratulatory gift when I got my new job, so I said, we need to get to a game!! So, knowing my travel schedule would be keeping me in Mass and NH quite a bit, I got online and picked a night to go. Little did I know, this would be the night the Sox would clinch the playoffs!! The game was a blast. It was the first time I've been to a night game in quite awhile, and I forgot how exciting it was! It was a close one and of course Papelbon came through and won it for the Sox in the 9th inning. We stayed around for quite awhile afterwards to get some pictures of a few of our favorites!!

Wake and Timlin

Yooooooook!

Me and Kristen

Beckett

Coco and His Family

Papi!

Let the Travel Begin!

So I am on my first official trip for my new job. I am currently slummin' it in a less than wonderful Best Western just outside of Boston. While the hotel may not be the best thing I've experienced in awhile, the job just may be. Today I had four "mini fairs" at four different high schools. Mini fairs are a lot like the big nighttime college fairs you may remember, with tons of different colleges set up at tables, only this is only for the juniors and seniors at the school you are visiting. Its a really great opportunity for the students, and I wish we had done it when I was in high school. The crazy thing though is that the fairs are scheduled virtually back to back with only enough time for travel in between. So at the end of the fair, all the representatives pack up as quickly as possible (we're talking like a 30 second whip all of your materials in a bag), run out the door, drive to the next fair, and do a very quick set up before the students show up. You barely have time to breath. Its funny though to see 60 people with their rolling black bags flying into a school and then the line of cars driving to the next one. Its a little stressful, but exciting too, and I love the "challenge" of getting to each place. The other representatives are really friendly, and I had some great questions from students. It has literally been so long since I have loved going to work each day, and I can't explain how great it feels to be energized by my job like I did when I was teaching.

Tomorrow I have four more mini-fairs, including one at Braintree High where I last taught! I actually still have students there so I'm so excited to see them and my teacher friends!

No Time to Think!!

Life is BUSY!!!! Between a new job, planning my upcoming travel, and a new puppy in the house, I don't even have time to think, so please forgive me for slacking on the blog a bit! Rowdy is great, a handful for sure, but lots of fun. I don't think one can truly understand how difficult a puppy (especially a chocolate lab puppy) is until getting one. Jim and I knew we'd be lacking in sleep but I think we underestimated the amount of undivided attention a puppy requires. Our day looks something like this:

5:30am - Kristina gets up with Rowdy, takes him out, plays, plays, plays, with several sips of strong coffee in between puppy jumps and kisses.

6:00am - Jim gets up, and gets in the shower. Kristina attempts to make lunches while preventing the cats from attacking the puppy and the puppy from peeing on the floor.

6:20am - Kristina gets in the shower, Jim attempts to get dressed and drink his strong coffee in between puppy jumps, breakfast, and attempted poops on the floor.

7:20am - Kristina and Jim run out of the house like mad people.

Work Mornings - Busy busy busy, as both of our jobs are now requiring 100% focus all day.

12:00pm - Jim drives 20 minutes home, takes puppy to the park, and drives 20 minutes back to work.

Work Afternoon - Busy busy busy

5:00pm - Kristina gets home, gets attacked by puppy, takes puppy for walk in which he walks in front of her, in back of her, to the left of her, to the right of her, stops to smell grass, and finally poops.

5:30pm - Jim gets home to find puppy eating Kristina's pants, eating grass, eating his chuckit toy, eating anything he's not supposed to.

6-9pm - Jim and Kristina run around like insane human beings attempting to feed puppy, entertain puppy, discipline puppy, make dinner for themselves, save the cats from puppy attacks, save the floor from puppy pee attacks, and finally put puppy to bed.

You think its over right? No

11:30pm - Puppy wakes up crying. Jim takes him out

12:30am- Puppy whining

1:30am- Puppy whining

3:30am - Puppy whining

5:30am - It starts all over again.

It may sound as though I'm complaining, and I need you all to believe I'm not. Rather I'm just trying to give you an idea of our day, and sadly the outline doesn't even do it justice. I honestly think a toddler will be easier than a puppy. At least we will be prepared! We love the little guy right to death though, and don't tell him I said this, but I think Jim might love him more than he loves me! (Kidding). I'm so glad Jim will have a buddy while I travel this fall, I think it will help to keep him sane and give him good company.

Here are a few of my favorite pics of the little guy so far!

Meet Rowdy!

He's here! We finally have our puppy and we are just so in love with him!! We picked him up yesterday morning and he had a very long day of riding in the car, visiting our families, and finally arriving at his new home.

Jim and I are both amazed at how well behaved this puppy is. There were children in his previous home, so he is very used to being handled, and lets us rub his belly, touch his paws, and even put our hands in his mouth. We were expecting a very sleepless night last night but only had to get up twice to let him out, once at midnight and then again at 5:30 this morning. He barely whined in his crate, (its actually his new favorite space, he brings his toys in there to play), and we only woke up because he was moving around. We haven't had a single accident yet, and even our kitties are behaving much better than we expected. So far, this isn't too bad!

I will post more pics as the weekend goes on. We are just thrilled to have this new addition and can't wait to show him off to all of our family and friends!

From Tiki and Naboo

My cats, brilliant as they are, found this this morning, and told me to share it with you all. I think this pretty much sums up how they are feeling about their soon-to-be brother.

A Puppy!

We have been wanting a puppy for quite awhile now, but were waiting for the right time to finally give it a go ahead. When I got my new job, we both decided that this was the time to get the dog. Jim will be home alone quite a bit this fall, and he could use a buddy. So, we have been checking websites daily for the perfect pup and we found him yesterday! He is a 9 week old chocolate lab, and we are going to name him Rowdy (from the tv show Scrubs). The picture online wasn't great, so I will leave you all in suspense until we pick him up next Friday. :) We are very very excited to welcome him to his new home and we are so excited for the opportunity to give a pup a good home.

I do feel the need to say one thing about our new pup. He is not a rescue. And because he's not a rescue dog does not mean we are bad puppy-hating people. We looked at rescue dogs, and breeders alike to find the one that was a good fit for us. Rowdy just happened to come at the right time. Rescue or not, he is getting a good home with people who will love him and treat him right. Who knows what would have happened to him if nobody did adopt him. I understand that the argument is that if you support breeders, they will continue to breed and fewer rescues will be adopted. But as my husband put it, there are orphan children out there who need to be adopted too, but people keep having their own children and will continue to do so. It is whatever is right for the couple making the choice. So please, do not judge us based on this decision. We are good people, who do good things for our communities and our families. Choosing a dog from a breeder does not change that. It was what was right for us, and I appreciate our friends and family supporting that decision.

The New Job

I know I haven't updated the blog in quite awhile. Things the past two weeks have been pretty busy. I started my new job last week and so far I love it. It is so awesome to get up in the morning and not dread my day and walk out of the office at the end of the day with a smile on my face. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate every waking minute in my old job, but it was so hard to get excited about what I was doing..it was so BORING to me!! And while I do realize I'm still in the honeymoon phase of my new job, it just feels good. I really think I have found a place where I belong, and its been a long time since I've felt that way. I'm very much looking forward to what my new career will bring me and I think this will be something I will stay with for quite awhile.

I start traveling in about three weeks. Traveling means I will be away from home 4-5 days a week, and away overnight for 2-3 of those nights. I think this will be good for me and Jim. Those of you who know us well know that we are attached at the hip, so a little independent time will be good for us. We are actively looking for a puppy though, so Jim isn't too lonely, so if you hear of any black or chocolate male pups looking for a new home, let us know!

I hope everyone has a good Labor Day weekend. We are laying low, since our summer was so crazy. Saturday night I'm getting together with some of my favorite girls, and I can't wait for a night of a thousand laughs and about as many glasses of wine. :)

Dear Fall,

Back off. I'm not ready for you. This morning on my drive into work I saw FIVE trees with leaves of red and orange. In case you hadn't been keeping up, its AUGUST 18TH. You my good friend are not welcome until at least September 9th. While you are still my favorite time of year, I'm not ready to let go of the hot days, warm nights, tank tops, and fun flip-flops.

Go back to your cave, stop bullying Summer, and we'll see you in a few weeks.

I Wouldn't Have Done This in College

After all my talk about growing old, and wishing I were in my early 20s again, I am spending my evening baking whoopie pies for dinner with friends tomorrow night, drinking wine, enjoying some of my favorite acoustic tunes, and dancing in my living room. Maybe its just the wine talking, but this is not something I would have enjoyed in college, and this just may be the best night I've had in a long time. I'm not at a club, I'm not wasted, and I will get up and go to work tomorrow morning. Maybe this growing up thing will turn out ok....

Growing Up

I wish that when I was born, someone had given me a book on the stages of life. Something that said how exciting going to kindergarten would be, how hard puberty is, how fun college would be, and how friggen scary and kind of depressing your late 20's would be. Don't get me wrong here, I enjoy my life and I am very happy with my family, friends, husband, kitties, house, and all that jazz, but it is so HARD to leave your early 20's behind.

A few months ago I claimed to be going through my quarter life crisis. Don't laugh at me (I can see my aunts chuckling at this), its a real thing! Babies? No way. Independence, alcohol, and clubbing? Bring it on. I spent three Saturday nights in a row living it up and wasted three Sundays in bed with the worst hangovers I've ever had. I needed to rebel a bit. Go out to the club. Dance until 2 in the morning (although by 11 I was exhausted). I even told my poor husband I was going to buy concert tickets because it was what I wanted to do and I was sick of having to ask about every financial decision I want make (which by the way is so NOT true, we both have plenty of our own financial freedom). I was a crank.

After the third Sunday of crawling out of bed at 4pm only to trip on the trash can my amazing husband had placed next to me, I snapped out of it. Still no babies, please, but I was perfectly content making dinner at night then sitting on the couch cuddling with my husband and kitties until we went to bed at a very early but comfortable 9pm.

Last weekend was my best friend Ryan's bachelorette party. It wasn't a wild, wear penis hats, matching shirts, and take 900 shots kind of night. We all dressed up, took a limo into Boston, went to a really classy martini bar, and then went to the Revolution Rock Club where we hung out in the VIP area, and I ordered myself a bottle of wine. (Hey, its cheaper that way!) But as I looked out onto the extremely packed dance floor I couldn't help but long for those college and early 20s days back. Things were so EASY. Get up, go to class, come home, start drinking, laugh your butt off for hours on end, go to bed after about 20 drinks, and wake up hangover free. That was the life.

Do I think that life is boring now? No way. I have a lot that keeps me going. I have an amazing husband, and the best girlfriends who make me laugh more than I knew I could. But I honestly think that my college/early 20s years may have been the best of my life, and its so hard to let that go. When I think about starting a family I get so excited, but then immediately realize that my youth is over. I'm even starting to look too old. I was watching some news story the other day about a guy and I just assumed he was this regular, adult man, obviously out of college and in the career world. Then they said he was 27 years old and I about died. Do I look that old? Well, maybe I do, seeing as I too am out of college and in the career world. Oh lord, this growing up thing is tough.

Back to the book I never got. I'd like to think that the chapter on your late 20's ends something like this: Being grown up doesn't mean being boring. It doesn't mean the kids at the store think you are some old hag. It does mean less time at the clubs, but it doesn't mean less time with a good bottle of wine and close friends and family (you still get the buzz you know). Having kids doesn't mean your life is over. You really are only as old as you think you are. When your co-workers and older family members tell you the best is yet to come, its ok to not believe them, you will see it in your own time, but believe that this time is coming sooner than you think. And know this, when the next transition comes and you hit your mid-life crisis, it won't be easy, you'll recover, and the second half of your life will be even better than your first.

GOING HOME!!!

We just got word that Mary is being discharged from MGH as we speak!! She is heading back to Hampden, and will not be doing any rehab in Boston. From what little Jim got from his dad on the phone (he was hurrying to get her ready to go), she will do minimal PT and OT in the Bangor area, and she will be able to stay at her house, rather than being in another facility for a few weeks. This is great news and I can just imagine how excited both Mike and Mary are to finally get home!

Weekend Update

We are back home after a busy busy weekend. Saturday I got to go in and see Mary and she was doing pretty well. The drugs have her in and out of sleep but when she's awake she is herself and really getting better every day. At this point we think she will be heading out of MGH and in to rehab early to mid-week. She won't need any physical therapy but may need occupational therapy. As of our last report from Mike, she hadn't seen the OT yet for her evaluation, so hopefully we'll know more tomorrow. Once she meets with the OT it will be determined if she can do her rehab in Boston or Hampden....pray for Hampden, it would be great to get her and Mike home!!

So, all in all she is doing great, looking great, and sounding great. I'll let you all know when she heads towards OT and where she is going!

Surgery Success!

Hey everyone,

Just a very quick update. Mary had her surgery yesterday to put in the permanent drain and it was a full on success! The drain will now stay in there forever, draining fluid from the brain to the stomach when necessary. Jim and I are in Boston this weekend. I haven't seen Mary yet, as this was a planned weekend with friends quite awhile ago, but I am heading in for a bit today. Jim did get to see her last night and is in this morning and said she is looking and sounding great. I'll post more on Monday when we are back home and after I have seen her. Have a great weekend everyone!

Movin' Out!

I just got word from Mike that Mary is kissing the ICU adios today! She will be moved to another section of the neuro floor at MGH, but getting out of the ICU is huge, and I bet she is just thrilled!

They have decided to put a shunt, a permanent drain, into her head, as they have had trouble with headaches when they try to turn off the drain. The shunt will stay in there forever, but will allow her to recover more quickly and hopefully (this is me talking now, not the docs), prevent future issues.

I'll keep everyone updated on the move, and where she is once she gets moved!

Some Uplifting News

I think we all could use a little good news, so I am here to share. First and foremost, Jim had his 6 week blood pressure check up today. After 6 weeks of a complete do-over of our diet, and a lot of self-control on Jim's part, he left the doctor's with the lowest blood pressure he's ever had since he started going to this office! I'm so so proud of him. He's worked so hard to get his blood pressure down, and to see him not only do it, but knock it out of the park, is just awesome. His next appointment is in 3 months, where they will check to make sure he is staying on track. He is definitely looking at this as a lifestyle change, so I think he will find it pretty easy to maintain. Good job babe :)

On my end of things, I got a new job!! I will be working as an Admission Counselor at USM, where I work now. I am beyond excited about it. I have really been missing working with students, and this will definitely satisfy that need. During the fall I will be traveling all over New England, going to high schools and college fairs to recruit students. The rest of the year I will work to read applications, approve scholarships, and work open houses. This is a new start for me and I am really excited about it. My first day is August 18th.

Checking in on Mary, she is doing well. They have been attempting to turn off the drain that goes into her head. When they are able to turn it off without her getting a headache, they can remove it, and hopefully start moving her out of ICU. As of today, the drain is back on, but they keep trying every day. I know she is anxious to get out of the ICU, so keep your fingers crossed that it will happen soon! She is definitely a trooper!

Home Again

Jim and I are back home again, this time for the week, as we also have to head back to work. Mary looked amazing when we saw her yesterday. The swelling in her eye is completely gone and the bruising has almost completely subsided. She was awake, up in her chair, and attempting to eat. She had her same sense of humor and really just was Mary. It doesn't appear that any cognitive loss has taken place which is just fantastic. Last night after we left, the doctors wanted to try turning off the drain coming out of her head. If she didn't experience any severe headaches, they could take it out today. We did receive an update from Mike around midnight, and they had to turn the drain back on. So, they'll try again soon. I'm just so excited that they are at the point where they can start thinking about disconnecting some of the critical things attached to her. I know she is very anxious to get out of the ICU.

So, I will keep you all updated as the week goes on. Jim and I are headed back to Boston next weekend. I have a bachelorette party to go to, and he'll spend it with his mom and dad. Thanks again for all the love and support!

One Week

Well today marks the one week mark since Mary's accident. Jim and I have been here since Wednesday evening and have only seen her a few times. She's had many many visitors since she got here and asked to have a quiet day yesterday. We saw her briefly in the morning and then the three of us (Mike, Jim, and I) went our separate ways and gave her some space. Jim went for a bike ride to blow off steam, Mike visited with his mom, and I took the opportunity to get some shoes for Ray's wedding. I think we all needed the break as much as Mary did to be perfectly honest. We did get to see her briefly last night and she was awake and eating and looked really good. Every day is an improvement which is what we like to see!

Aside from Mary and her improvement, the think that amazes me more than anything is the amount of support that all the families here in the ICU give each other. We say hello to each other in the morning, offer to get food or coffee when someone goes downstairs, share our stories, and check in to see how their loved one is doing throughout the day. When someone comes back from a visit everyone stops what they are doing to make sure everything is ok. There is a man here who's brother got in a severe motorcycle accident last Saturday. They just stabilized him this morning. There is another family who's wife/mother/sister had an aneurysm like Marys. Another family is here with their mother who is suffering from cancer. Together, we have all become each other's support system. It truly is amazing, and I am so grateful for all of us here that we all feel like we can give each other that type of support, rather than just sitting in this green and tan waiting room all day long, staring at the wall with nobody to talk to.

So, one week down, with tons of improvement. Hopefully this time next week we'll be talking about a timeline for heading home, or at least getting out of ICU.

Lookin' Good!

Jim and I are back in Boston and arrived to find a much improved Mary last night! We hadn't seen her since the day after her surgery, so to walk in and see her alert, watching tv, and chatting away was just amazing. The swelling in her eye has subsided significantly. She still can't quite open it but its much less bruised and is no longer weeping. She was very excited to see us and was talking like she normally would while we were in there. It was very very exciting. After we visited, Jim, Mike and I went out to dinner. When we came back, Mike went over to say goodnight and learned that they had got her up and walking a little bit! It was very exciting, and he came back to the hotel all smiles and whistling.

So for now it looks like we are on an upswing. We are looking forward to spending the day with her and hopefully helping her move around a bit. As always I will keep everyone updated.

Ups and Downs

We've learned over the past 24 hours that the next few days, if not weeks will be a lot of ups and downs. Mary has had some really great moments, and we've learned some really scary things. On the up side, yesterday she was awake and eating, which is really great news. Something that kind of made us all giggle was when she told the doctors and family that she had a headache and that it was probably because she hadn't had any coffee in the past few days. It definitely couldn't have been because she had just had brain surgery..haha. We had to laugh.

On the serious side of things, it looks as though a stroke, while not imminent, is very possible over the next few days. The bleeding in the brain is quite serious. The stroke would not be your "typical" stroke, where there is a clot which blocks oxygen to the brain, rather this would be caused by spasms in the brain which would cause the passageways to close up, blocking the oxygen that way. The good news is that she is already in the hospital, and they know it might be coming. The severe damage of a stroke happens when the brain is lacking oxygen for a period of time. With Mary being watched very closely 24/7, they can jump on her the second it happens.

She is also experiencing issues with her right eye. The other day I posted about how it is swollen and bruised from the blood dripping down from the brain. I also posted about how she was leaking fluid from her eye. Two days ago they tested the fluid to see if it was just saline or cerebral fluid (fluid from the brain). We haven't heard back yet, but the doctor does feel that it is cerebral fluid. This is not great news, as it means there is an opening somewhere in there for infection to get into the brain. Like I said, we don't know for sure yet, so I will of course, keep you all updated.

Jim and I are heading back to Boston tomorrow afternoon, and will stay through the weekend. The both of us, along with Mike, Maggie, and Mary too, cannot stress enough our sincere appreciation to everyone who has reached out. We are so fortunate to have such amazing people in our lives who truly care. Keep praying, keep up those positive thoughts, and I'll check back in here as soon as I know anything new.

Day 4 Update

Its Monday morning, and Jim and I are home for just a few days. Last night Maggie arrived, and a bunch of Jim's aunts and uncles are coming to Boston today so we decided to come home and take care of the kitties. Luckily we are on vacation this week so we can go back whenever we need to.

Yesterday was a better day but still very tough. We were able to see Mary awake once, and she was very coherent and knew who we were and what was going on. She has a very black right eye where some of the bleeding from her brain has seeped down. Her eye is swollen shut, and the blood is seeping out of her actual eye. Its kind of scary to see, she looks as though she's crying blood, but the doctors don't seem overly concerned about it. If anything its a good thing because it is releasing some of the pressure from her brain. She did have a CT scan yesterday but we don't know the results of it quite yet. Jim talked to his dad this morning and he said her eye is looking better, so that is good news. He also said she was eating this morning which the nurses were anxious for her to do. Hopefully with each passing day she'll be more alert and feeling better.

She will remain in the ICU for probably two weeks and then we don't know how long she might be in the hospital. We do know it will be a long road to recovery no matter what.

Again, keep checking the blog for updates1

Oh, one more thing, today is Mary's birthday. Happy Birthday..we love you!

Post-Surgery Update

The surgery went really really well, and we are all feeling some relief. The doctors went in through her skull and removed one of the aneurysms. There was significant bleeding from when it ruptured so she will remain in the ICU for the next 8-10 days to make sure there is no more break through bleeding or clotting. I haven't gotten in to see her, but Jim and Mike have and I guess she woke up and knew who was in the room, which is a very good sign. She is heavily medicated so she probably won't remember much if any of today, but that's probably a good thing. We are hoping she will be a little more coherent tomorrow.

Its been a very very long 24 hours. The three of us (me, Jim, and Mike) were able to cat-nap for about three hours this afternoon, but that's all we've had since we woke up yesterday morning. Mike's sister Maureen joined us at 3am last night and stayed until around noon today and then some of Mike's other siblings and their spouses have been in during the day as well. Maggie unfortunately is stranded in Western Mass without a car, but is hoping to be able to get here tomorrow or Monday and I know she must be very anxious to join the family. We are so fortunate that Mike and Mary each have 7 brothers and sisters, most of whom live in the area, so we have had lots of support the past day and will continue to as the next few weeks go on.

So, the immediate threat is over. Sorry if these posts are a little scattered, but so is my brain right now. I'll post another update tomorrow after we spend some time with Mary. Many many many thanks to all of our friends and family who have expressed their love and support!

Thoughts and Prayers Please

As I type this entry, I am sitting in the waiting room of the Neurology ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital. This was not an expected visit. Yesterday afternoon my father-in-law Mike went out to run a few errands and came home to find a very delirious mother-in-law, Mary, out back by the pool. She was complaining of a severe headache, and when she could not tell Mike the year or where she lived, he called 911. They took her to Eastern Maine Med where she was diagnosed with two brain aneurysms. One had burst, and one more was discovered in her scans. At about 10pm, about 20 minutes after I had arrived at camp in NY, I got a call from Jim telling me that Mary was being airlifted to Boston. I hopped in the car, as did Jim from Portland, and Mike from Hampden and we all headed down to the city, not sure what would await us.

Jim arrived here at around 12:30am and was able to see his mom for a few minutes, which calmed him down quite a bit. She was Mary being Mary, and seemed to be doing ok. I arrived at 2am, followed by Mike and his sister Maureen at 3am. We started being able to see her around 4am, and the doctor came in to tell us that surgery was going to be necessary. She is currently in one of two possible surgeries. Right now they are removing part of her skull to take out the aneurysm that burst, and then replacing the skull. They may have to go through the leg to remove the second, but we are unsure at this point.

We're all on edge, not knowing what possible side effects could come from the surgery or the aneurysms. Her memory was off and on this morning, so we'll see how she is after she gets out of recovery. I will try to update the blog as to how she is doing. Jim and I will be in Boston for at least a few days, but there is talk she will be in the ICU for two weeks so we may be here for a little longer. For now, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Exciting Happenings

If you know me at all, you know that I have various groups of best girlfriends. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful women in my life, and this weekend I was lucky enough to hang out with my two Megs and Ryan. These girls have been some of my best friends since college when we all played rugby together and enjoyed many a night of intense partying. I love them so much and I feel so fortunate that we are all still friends. The three of them live in the Boston area, and each of them have something really exciting going on in their lives right now!!

Big Meg is my athletic friend. She's the sportiest person I know, and has been playing rugby since college, and continues to play with the Boston Women's team. In September she is leaving us, which we are so sad about, but we are so excited for her because she will be heading to Colorado for a year of wilderness training. I wish I understood it more than that, but it is Meg to a T, and sadly for us, I don't think she'll come back east. But she is beyond excited for it, and rightfully so. I think she'll find her place out there, and now we have a cool place to go vacation :)

Little Meg and I met my freshman year in college and roomed together for two years. She was always the wild one in our group. She didn't care what people thought, and made us laugh more than anyone. Her junior year she went off to Australia for a semester and came home with her boyfriend, Ned, who is now her husband, and they just had their first baby and bought their first home (all within a month)!! Saturday I got to meet baby Eddie and I am one proud auntie! He is adorable, and at the age where he can start trying to communicate to whoever is talking to him. Here's my favorite picture of the little guy!

And then there's Ryan..or Ray as I call her. Ray has been dating Shawn for 5 years now, and has been very patient as she was a bridesmaid and never the bride in both Little Meg's and my weddings. Well Shawn finally proposed last fall and Ray's getting married! She is the epitome of a blushing bride. This weekend was her shower, and it was probably the nicest shower I've ever been to. It was in this gorgeous colonial home in Massachusetts. Meg and I treated ourselves to a tour and took some pictures..we couldn't resist!! The decorations were beautiful and Ryan got some really really nice gifts. She is a lucky girl and is going to be such a beautiful bride. I can't wait for her wedding in September!


Here are some pictures of the girls...if you guys are reading, I love you and I'm so lucky to get to share all of your exciting happenings with you!!

Big Meg, Little Meg, Eddie, and Me

Me, Ray, Little Meg, and Eddie

Two New Yummy Recipes

This has been a good food week!! On Monday I scoured the internet for some heart healthy recipes, and made two this week. Here are the recipes, both come highly recommended by both of us!

Pasta Primavera

Ingredients

(You can use any veggie really, I chose to go with the recommendations but will play around with it next time!)

1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced zucchini or squash
1/2 cup sliced red or green peppers
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
16 ounces thin pasta (spaghetti or angel hair)
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring about an inch of water to a boil. Add the broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, and peas. Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, start water for pasta, and add pasta when ready.

3. When the veggies are done, remove from pot. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil and garlic over medium-high heat. Add the steamed veggies and stir or shake to coat the veggies with the garlic and oil. Remove from the heat, but keep warm.

4. In another large saucepan, heat the butter, evaporated milk, and Parmesan cheese. Stir over moderate heat until somewhat thickened and heated through. Stir continuously and don't scald. Remove from heat, and keep warm.

5. When the pasta is ready, divide evenly among plates. Top with veggies and pour the sauce over the veggies and pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately!

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Sun-Dried Tomato, Thyme, and Basil Pizza

Ingredients

1 12-inch prepared pizza crust, frozen or made from a mix
4 garlic cloves, chopped or minced
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon thyme

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat a 12-inch round baking pan with cooking spray. (I used our pizza stone..just lightly coat with flour so it doesn't stick)

2. Roll out the dough and press into the baking pan. Arrange the garlic, then the cheese, then the tomatoes on top of the pizza crust. Sprinkle the basil and thyme evenly over the pizza.

3. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven until the crust turns brown and the toppings are hot, about 20 minutes.

4. Cut the pizza and serve immediately!