power of three...

This past week has been very unique. Very happy, very sad and very inspirational. In one week the lives of three of my friends have been altered forever. One had her first baby - a beautiful girl named Charlie. One lost the love of his life and mother of his four children. And one got married today. Life changing events all around. I'm left with racing thoughts, ups and downs and at times even guilt.

I just have a few things to say... 

Be thankful for all that you have. We are lucky. If we have found love, we are lucky. If we have been blessed with a child we are lucky. So many people are searching for their soul mate or praying for a baby. Don't take anything for granted. Be grateful.

We too often focus on the things that just aren't important - like bills and car repairs. We should let those be the background noise in the soundtrack of our lives. Let our happiness play the leading role - not our stress. Make wonderful memories every single day. And realize we are making them. These beautiful moments won't last forever.

Health is what matters most. Everything else can be altered.


Time waits for no one. That precious baby you are rocking to sleep will be seventeen in a blink. Cherish the good, the bad and the in between.

Life changes in an instant. For better or for worse. You can have it all one moment and have nothing the next. Spend your time wisely, choose your words wisely, be good to one another. Be kind. Do good things. Don't expect anything in return, just do good things because you want to. Live each second as if you were being judged on it. Life is so very fragile. And so very short. 

Welcome to the world, Charlie Liberty, you're lucky to have such an amazing mama. 

Rest in peace Michelle, you were taken too soon and will always be in our hearts.

Congratulations and best wishes to John and Jillian - I wish you a lifetime of happiness together.

Gregg's Sneaky Birthday Surprise ...

Guess who turned thirty-fiiiiiiive?? Yep. I know, I know, you can't believe it, right? I look like I'm twenty-six, right?? Alright, quit laughing and texting your friends to tell them what an ass I am. I've seen the smile lines. And the crows toes (I haven't quite got the full "feet" yet). I see the wisdom behind my eyes. And I've cursed gravity for being such an apparent douche.

But I'm happy.

I'm grateful to have my health, my wonderful marriage to the perfect husband and our beautiful baby girl. What more could I ask for? (It wouldn't kill ya to throw me a winning lottery ticket - just sayin').

So, this year when Gregg asked me eleven thousand times what I would like for my birthday - I was truly STUMPED. I actually wrote a post about it. (If you are going to fully understand the rest of this blog you'll want to read that, don't worry, it's short). I tried to think of things that Gregg could wrap up for me but honestly - - - it wasn't happenin'. The boy was on his own.

So when it came time for that faithful moment - the opening of the gifts - I had no idea what would be in those boxes. We sat at the dining room table and he pushed the big box toward me, "this first" he said.

I remarked about his marvelous wrapping job. I've always wanted to wrap the cover separately like they do in movies. I opened the mystery box to reveal five smaller, wrapped items. I was intrigued. As soon as I saw the first "gift" peeking through the pink paper I knew where this was headed. Reader's Digest. Then a pair of backless, shuffley slippers. Followed by an eyeglasses chain. With a bag of prunes next.

Lastly, a hideous housecoat that is basically made from the material of those bibs you get at the dentist...

Alright. Nice job, Gregg. He paid attention. He read the blog. He used that clever brain of his to throw me right off track. So, what now? This must mean that those two other boxes, the ones I had to keep aside, must hold the real present. What could it be??

Well, here's the answer...

Yep. A Lego helicopter and a Lego boat that Gregg promptly put together after I opened them. Don't worry, I was just as confused as you are.

"You missed the gift!" he said.

"I did??" I replied, puzzled. I had taken out various bags of Lego pieces along with instructions and nowhere in that pile did I see a Keurig or sapphire. I searched again. I noticed a folded piece of paper and opened it ...

I was flabbergasted. Truly. I read and re-read the sentences but couldn't believe this was for real. I looked at him and said, "But who's going to go with me??" and he said, "Who do you think??!!"

My husband, who is terrified of flying and easily gets seasick, has booked a helicopter tour of the Newport mansions for the two of us -- followed by an hour and a half long sail on an eighty foot schooner, topped off by reservations at an amazing restaurant by the ocean. What could be better than that?? Remembering my obsession with helicopters (I actually wanted to be a pilot for quite some time) and knowing how much I love the sea... he is setting aside his fears and vomit to make me happy. Now, THAT'S a gift.

I have a hell of a guy, I do. I know he's reading this right now because he says he reads all of my posts... so, thank you for my super sneaky wonderful surprisey birthday gifts!!
Blabey, you're the greatesssss!!

Do the hustle ...

Easter. One of the three days of the year that has become more about hustle and bustle and less about lasagna and leisure. Yes, that's right, I view most holidays in terms of my mother's cooking and how long I can keep my PJs on.

As kids, my brother and I always had the pleasure of staying home in our pajamas for the holidays. We could sleep in if we wanted to. My brother never did, he always had to wait for me to rise and shine. We excitedly opened our presents (or Easter baskets) with our favorite holiday music, movies and specials on the television. Our parents enjoyed their slow cups of coffee. We took our turns showering and primping and awaited our dinner guests. After dinner we were able to play with our toys, watch a movie, play a new game or take that infamous nap that follows a large holiday meal. Occasionally on Christmas night we would go to my Godparents' house for a visit. Ahh, those were the days.

When I got married everything changed. You inherit another family. You learn to make compromises. Marriage is give and take. For the first few years my husband and I didn't even have dinner together. He went to his sister's house and I went to my parents' house. We would meet up later in the day. We eventually worked out a plan that would allow him to eat dinner with his family and I was able to have my favorite meal alongside my family while we are under the same roof and traveling in one car. It wasn't quite ideal as we had to hurry back and forth and essentially watch everyone eat while people asked us, "Why aren't YOU eating anything?" Nevertheless we were together, visiting our loved ones, scarfing our lasagna if you will.

Once Miss Scarlett came along I was sure I'd get my wish - to stay home on the holidays. We have double wall ovens and plenty of counter space. I have no reservations about cooking my mother's meal here. We would welcome visitors later in the day. It didn't work out this time. We went to my sister-in-law's house for one o'clock. Her husband was running around like a lunatic trying to finish all of the side dishes while grilling lamb and taking a shower. It was quite an accomplishment! My hubby had his holiday meal of ham and all the fixin's and then we watched our nephews and the rest of the young'ns chaotically (and adorably) run around during their annual egg hunt. Scarlett took just a mini nap, maybe twenty minutes and we were off to Grammie's house. I had my holiday meal - including my favorite, Eggplant Parmesan while Gregg fed the baby her din din. We reconvened in the living room for the first annual, thirty minute Easter-basket-opening ceremony. My mom went a little overboard! She was just so excited to do it. She can't help herself. S has lots of new summer clothes and a few new toys and even some sunglasses and shoes! Thanks, Easter Bunny. :) The one thing I was really looking forward to was finally having coffee and dessert with my mother and grandmother. It's just something from my past that I really miss and haven't been able to coordinate it in about nine years now. This year fell through as well. We were too full from eating dinner late and I had to get the baby home for her bottle and night-night time. Oh well, maybe for Thanksgiving... or Christmas.

The holidays are always wonderful when we get to spend time with family, eat good food, have a few laughs and enjoy ourselves a little bit more than we do on the day to day. I just want to slow them down a little bit. I want to take some of the agenda out of them and just relax in our home. A couple of cocktails, a hunk of coconut custard pie ... you know, the little things. Plus, not having to haul three meals for Scarlett and her favorite toys and gear would be nice too. We'll see about Thanksgiving! Hope you all had a nice Easter with your loved ones. Here are some of our pics ... sorry the ones of Scarlett Bunny are blurry, I couldn't help uploading them though, they're so cute!