another weekend has passed

another monday is upon us.
and amazingly i got my lazy butt up and out of bed very early this morning
was at work by 6:15am! still dark outside.
but since i have to get up in the middle of the night tonight
to get by about 4:30a tomorrow...
i figure i better start getting used to this schedule.
worked fabulously.

it helped that it was a restful, relaxing weekend.

friday dan and i took off early to head up to maine.
we spent the afternoon and evening with marilyn, joanne and steve.
lots of laughter.
a yummy dinner.
great to see them!

saturday i couldn't sleep, so i walked the road we were staying on
only 2 miles (was supposed to do 18 this weekend. ooops).
but it was lovely. cold. but lovely.
then we got the kitchen cranking in full-on breakfast mode.
dan and i doing our tag-team breakfast.
i handle the homefries... and, well, dan handles everything else.
but he's great at the eggs and bacon, so who am i to interfere?
dave had arrived overnight (we were sleeeeeping)
and marilyn & steve joined us for breakfast
which we luxuriated in for a long time

with only a short break for entertainment,
discovery-channel style.
steve saw this eagle rushing across the cove
to dive for a seagull.
he missed it on the first attempt,
but circled around and got it!
he struggled for a bit in the water
then finally dragged it back to shore,
swimming most of the way- back stroke!
it was phenomenal!
we couldn't see anything after that because the trees were blocking
but that was probably better
or we wouldn't have been able to stomach any more breakfast

the afternoon was lazy.
i took a short nap and read...
the boys watched NASCAR.
we had a light lunch and then i got on the computer
typed up some recipes from my library books.

around 4:30 we prettied ourselves up
(barely)
and went to dan's uncle benny & his wife elaine's house
also on the same street.
had an amazing dinner
followed by homemade apple pie
fall food at its finest
fall baseball not so fine. the sox lost to the yankees.
but again, a great night of fantastic company.

the only downside was that my back was killing me
shooting pains up and down!
i think i need to have it looked at
in the meantime, i'll be booking a couple more massages
to get me through.

yesterday we got home home at a decent hour
i cleaned the house
and did some much needed mopping!
and then i scrapbooked.
remember that long-lost hobby?
my supplies haven't seen the light of day in ages
it felt great!

that and some cuddling during football made for a fantastic sunday!
i love fall weekends.

tuesdays are back

my first tuesday babysitting for the dynamic duo
didn't go as planned.
for one thing, the mama was home!
poor kris was sick, on antibiotics
and unable to go to work
so i headed over anyways to help out
in hopes that she could relax
{which after much coaxing, she finally did}

i'm excited to begin our new tuesday routine
you long time readers may remember
that last year i had willy on tuesdays
our weekly date
to get some cuddle time
or laughing time
or (rarely) some cranky time
for just an hour or so between when kris has to leave for work
and when matt gets home

this year we plan to do the same thing
after talking with kris,
i put willy back on my calendar in outlook
and then much to my horror realized
my appointment with WCL each tuesday
was listed incorrectly!
miss AGL needs her name in there as well
sorry babe.
i certainly didn't mean to forget you
old habits die hard.

it was a bit hectic but we managed to take some photos
willy just kept saying
"take picture of aila!"
here she is :)
in her cute pjs
grasping onto her crab rattle
which she can hold by herself now

and master williard wanted pictures of his truck
did my best
but he kept moving
and the light was horrible...
so he and the truck were mostly a blur




tried our old-school self-portrait shot
since there was no truck involved
my counterpart was less than thrilled
but hey, i stink at taking the camera out lately
so better this than no pictures at all :)
they can't all be perfect, auntie jen.


although this photo might be
darn near perfect
sweet, serious, gorgeous
soulful.
beautiful.
aila babe.
noodle.
chickipoo!

what else is going on with these kiddos these days?

let's see...

• willy talks up a storm!!! full sentences and lots of them. one of my favorites of his new sentences is "make aila laugh" the last word he says as if he's from Southie (or London) its more like "laaaaf." precious.
• he's starting to heed his mom and dad's instruction that he's to call me "Auntie Jen" not just "Jen" (it doesn't bother me much, but I'm not about to get him in trouble)... so I usually wait until he says "Auntie Jen" to respond to him... which means that usually our conversations start with "Jen! Jen! Jen! {pause} AUNTIE Jen!"
• he knows my car is blue, that grandpa drives a toyota and daddy drives a honda and mama drives a honda. he gets most excited to tell you about his day if that includes "went for a ride in daddy's truck!"
• he loves his Make Way For Duckling book, but is only interested in the pages where the Policeman is featured, especially the page where he's running.

miss aila

• loves to find a way to get things as messy as possible- finding any possible way to get things out of her diaper (where they don't belong).
• she laughs to beat the bands, full on belly laughs especially when willy laughs and plays with her.
• she can stand up, leaning on the couch, for a few seconds at a time.
• she can hold things in her hand and keep herself occupied that way
• she is just the sweetest girl you could ever want to hang out with.

next tuesday we'll try for the babysitting thing again.

maybe this was a good transition for me. auntie jen has never had the 2 of them together on my own. but we'll do ok :)

We're off the see the Wizard!

mom and i are going to see The Wizard of Oz
playing at Braintree cinemas tonight
for the 70th anniversary high definition event!
it may not sound like a big deal to you...
its an old movie... we've all seen it thousands of times...
but its a big deal if you grew up in my house
where what was once the Wizard of Oz room
now has almost an entire wing
(Dad's office better be on high alert- its creeping that way)


so those are my plans for this evening!

36

36.
Miles.

That's how far I walked this weekend.
I kid you not.
18 miles on Saturday.
18 miles on Sunday.

I can't believe that I'd ever willingly do that, half of which on my own.
But I did! It incredibly, it felt great.

Of course its all part of my training for the Breast Cancer 3Day which is creeping closer every day. This past weekend was supposed to be the longest training weekend with 18 miles on the schedule for Saturday and 15 for Sunday (with Megg's help and willingness to walk we ended up doing 9 together, in addition to the 9 I'd already done).

My legs are sore. Still are. Amazingly enough, when I'm walking I'm fine! Its all other activities that are a little touch and go... and getting up after sitting for too long is tricky because I get stiff. But I'd have expected it to be far worse.

In even better news, my feet held out remarkably well. I have (yet again) the start of blisters on the inside of my heels but it never progressed further than that thankfully. I did try out the moleskin on Sunday to try to ward them off- and it worked! Think I'll stick with that just as a precautionary measure.

So I did it! My gear worked well. I think I'm just about ready. Just a few more things on the list (batteries for the air mattress pump, washing my sleeping bag etc).... one of which is a new pair of sneakers. My third pair since May, which admittedly feels excessive... but when I think how many miles I've logged in each pair its added up quickly and my first pair is just not as cushy as it used to be.

So tonight, armed with a coupon tip off from my good friend, co-worker (and 9 mile Saturday walking partner) that Sports Authority had a $25 off $100 coupon and that Asics were on sale! SCORE!!!

I got these- the Nimbus-11 (yes, I AM secretly hoping it will feel like I'm flying on Harry Potter's broomstick instead of walking 60 miles... but alas, I think I'll just have to rely on their extreme cushion) Wish they were pink, but they only had purple and with that price savings I wasn't quibbling over color.

So that's my 3Day update!

I am getting REALLY excited to head to Philly.

To see all my good friends.

To meet some of the girls I haven't met yet.

To make memories that will last a lifetime.

To be part of something far bigger than myself.

To have this adventure!

Looking forward to it!

Thanks for being part of the journey with me.

West Bridgewater Park Day- 3Day Fundraiser

Sunday September 13th

Mom and I woke up before dawn to get to the craft fair in West Bridgewater. We arrived a few minutes after the vendor opening time of 7am which paid off because we got a great spot!

We set up our booth and rearranged things a few times until we got it just right.

As you can see here, it wasn't quite done but I knew if I didn't take pictures early none would be taken at all.

The front of the booth.

My brand new card displays which Dad (lovingly) whipped up using old supplies from the Creations Unlimited booths which still haunt him in the basement.

Each stand displays a set of 10 cards and the packages of cards are beneath (we might make the shelves deeper if Mom and I hit the road with our wares again)

We had a lot of visitors throughout the day.

Sheri.

Stacy, Kevin and their kids.

Claire.

Grammy. Jeff & Riley.

Krissy & Aila

And of course a lot of other customers too. Mom and I both did well- and for good causes. My profits will obviously go straight to the Breast Cancer 3Day walk.

Mom is using her profits to fund snacks and things to give out to the 3Day walkers at the Cheering Station she's hosting on the course in Philadelphia!!

Thanks everyone for your support. It was a fun day with my Mom. If we can find the time we'll definitely do it again soon!

Congrats Brian & Melissa

Saturday it poured. Really hard!

But some say its good luck to have it rain on your wedding day and if that's true well then Melissa & Brian will have buckets of good luck coming their way (it rained on my parents wedding day and today they are married 32 years- Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!! I love you).

this is the happy couple

don't they just look fantastic together?

the bride was glowing!

No professional make-up or spotlight here, but for some reason I love this shot of Dan and I. He doesn't agree... and that's ok, because I think he looks handsome (not sure what's up with my hair... its a little Cindy Brady ringlet-esque from that angle but I'm over it).

And me with what you might say is my Favorite Tighe

Christopher

And Miss Kara & Me

note to self: really need to work on the shiny forehead issue

what the heck is up with that?!

oh well, hopefully our coordinating color schemes will distract viewers ;)



My beautiful parents! How awesome do they look?!

My cousins. Or most of them. Whoever we could round up for the picture!

And our parents. The original "cousins."

If you were wondering where we got the silly genes from... well, case closed.

It was a phenomal day, despite the rain.

Thanks for inviting us!

Wishing you both the best!

how cute are these kids?

need i say more? really?!

willy & aila

august 2009

{note: i didn't take these pics}

sigh. this makes me want to take photography classes. i need to look into schedules for the fall/winter when things {fingers crossed} slow down. makes me want to invest in a light kit so i don't have to worry about not having enough natural light. makes me want more time to play around and just take pictures. thousands of them, even if i only like a few in the end. makes me want more time to edit and play around with colors and effects.

nothing like two beautiful, innocent children to inspire me!

Pampering... the chefs, and the guests

remember i was on vacation
1 month ago...
the second week of august
a great week
a busy week

on tuesday night i had a pampered chef party
we had white sangria and lots of munchies
and a LOT of laughs

but these are the highlights.
my cousin melissa
who DOES NOT cook
doing her best, with the help of some super tools, to chop... something or other

and clearly very proud of herself!
you go melissa!!
i love the look on terri's face, as if melissa is crazy... as if terri can actually cook! HA!


but this was by far the highlight of the night...
i always thought it was the natale family that took the cake in the lunacy department
but dan's family is doing their best to take the title
at some point during the night everyone was gone from the livingroom/kitchen area... and i wandered down the hall to hear shouts of- "you have to see this"

and there they were. melissa and megan, my cousins, in the tub. with their mom... and their wine!



and of course uncle bob had to hop in too!
can you say CHRISTMAS CARD material?!

thanks for making it a memorable night!!

Maine!

this post is so old.
almost a month old.
aila looks like a totally different kid by now!
but alas life's been too busy.


so here are some pictures from maine.
matt, kris, aila, will, dave, dan and i
went to Tenants Harbor, just outside
Rockland, ME to visit dan's mom, marilyn.


we had an absolutely lovely time.
the setting is picture perfect
and so we took advantage

to get some pictures that we didn't get on aila's rainy baptism day

marilyn & aila

aila & kris

as willy would say "the girls!"

loving on 2 of my favorite kiddos

what a sweet family!



we spent saturday afternoon at the transportation museum

willy was priceless.

every room we walked into was full of

cars, trains, motorcycles, planes, helicoptors,

so every time we turned a corner willy would say

"ooooooooooooooh what's thaaaaaaaaaaaat!?"

fantastic!

some scenic shots of dan's uncle donny's cabin

where we stayed

the house

some quality time for willy & uncle danny

a nice day... a nice weekend it was.

looking forward to heading back there in 2 weeks!

Come On Down!!!!

Mom & I are participating in West Bridgewater's Park Day Celebration on Sunday, September 13.

I will be selling my photo notecards and Mom will be selling various craft items from the store. It should be a fun day with activities for the whole family, so if you're free come on by! It should be a great day!

The details are below:
Date: Sunday September 13
Time: 10:00-5:00
Location: War Memorial Park in West Bridgewater
(Parking available at the Town Hall & High School)
Address: 155 W Center St West Bridgewater, MA 02379

Details: Craft fair, hay rides, pony rides, clowns, magicians, puppet shows, live bands
Hope you see you there!

p.s. all of my profits will be donated towards the Breast Cancer 3Day walk. Mom's profits will be going towards her efforts to set-up 2 cheering stations set up in Philadelphia to cheer on the thousands of weary walkers who will be tramping through the streets. She'll be buying goodies to hand out to the walkers to keep them going and keep them excited! Both very good causes! Please come out and support us if you can!

I'm still alive... I promise

I think I still have some posts in draft... there just hasn't been time.
Let's try the Cliff's Notes Version of things:

work= insane. challenging. overwhelming. changing. ok.
{my CBeds software upgrade is at the end of the month. and in 2 days i have my first 1 day Process Improvement Workshop that i'm facilitating with my co-worker dave. its been a lot of work, but its a great process}
**should be getting a promotion in the near future. the hard work is paying off.

summer= over. too quick. too busy. too much fun.
i can't believe its almost fall. i love the cool weather. i hate that its dark at 6am and 7pm. but i'm looking forward to sweaters, long sleeves, clogs and fleece socks. walking in this weather is glorious.

walking= difficult. sore. empowering. me-time. uplifting.
i did my longest weekend this past weekend. 15 miles saturday. 15 miles sunday. i was sore when i woke up sunday but walking kept me from getting stiff. monday i was still a little sore. i walked like an old lady with a hip problem at times. but i lived. and better yet, i made it without any blisters fully forming. it was close. but almost doesn't count.

fundraising= slowing down. working hard.
i am selling my cards at the W. Bridgewater Park Day Celebration on Sunday. It should be a fun day with activities for the whole family, so if you're free come on by!
Date: Sunday September 13
Time: 10:00-5:00
Location: War Memorial Park in West Bridgewater- Parking available at the Town Hall & High School
Address: 155 W Center St West Bridgewater, MA 02379
Details: Craft fair, hay rides, pony rides, clowns, magicians, puppet shows, live bands

other random goodies:
pampered chef- got my goodies and they are wonderful. sharp knives make life easier. looking forward to picking up my fresh produce tomorrow and creating something wonderful with the organic veggies and my greener cookware.

CSA: peaches are so good when they are fresh! well, everything is. and so i'm going to sign up for Heaven's Harvest Farms' first ever Fall Share! very much looking forward to fall vegetables, apples and the like.

falling behind- taking pictures. the last 3 outting i've been to that I've actually remembered to bring the camera too did not contribute any files to my hard drive. need to work on that. aila is 4 months old and her set of photos is severely lacking. in better news, kris got some professional ones done that i'm absolutely wild about. those kids are too darn photogenic! ;)
library books- can't seem to finish them before they are due back. oh well. i can always take them out again in the future right?

harry potter- listening o the audio books on my ipod while i walk. Jim Dale has a captivating voice. if you like harry, check out these CDs.

dan- dan's good. my rock, even when things get crazy. work's been busy for him too which is a very good thing. job security. he bought a new-used jeep with a plow that he's been tuning up in preparation for winter. soon he'll start chopping wood and loading up its home on the deck. we lit a small fire to burn some cardboard on sunday. i'm looking forward to weekend afternoons curled up on the couch with a fire keeping us warm.

so on that lovely note, i'm going to go to bed. tomorrow's another long day. with a long, busy weekend ahead. need to get my beauty sleep when i can.

if i haven't talked to you lately, rest assured i do miss you.
let's catch up soon ok?
i've missed my blog friends.
see you in the fall!