Thankful List

Here is my attempt at a Thankful List. I have a feeling I could go on forever, I have been so blessed...

1. A family that loves me: My dad, Eric, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I could list each one specifically, but that would be a very long list. I am happy to know my grandparents think about us all the time, despite that we live so far away. I love my Aunt Jean and Uncle Tony so much, and all that they have given us. My Aunt Annette who always emails me and takes the time to ask me "How is your day going?" which means so much. Aunt Anna who I love going to visit. We went out for lunch yesterday, and the laughs we shared did us both so much good. And all my other family members who care about me, I appreciate it.

Eric, my dad, and me at Christina's wedding.

My Papa, me, Grandma, and Eric

Uncle Tony

My dad, Aunt Jean, and my mom.

Me and Aunt Anna



Me and Aunt Annette

My Papa, my dad, cousin Wendy, cousin Steven, Aunt Annette, Eric, and Grandma

2. Friends that love me: Kate, Stevi, Joe, Jubin, Jenna, Ripley, Paige, Kathleen, Michelle, Giuseppe, Natalie, Alex, other friends from Admissions, Mandie, Danielle, Melissa, I could go on but these people stand out in my mind as people who always have my back and who make their friendship known.

Jubin and me.

Some of my old co-workers.

Giuseppe after he let us tease his hair.

Me, Ripley, Stevi, and Kate at Stevi's bridal shower.

3. The best next door neighbors anyone could ask for: Ellen, Jimmy, JT, and Mikey who have been kind enough to share their home and their hearts with us for the past 3 Thanksgivings and making us feel like we have somewhere we belong. They have given us so much love and support and it is nice to have people so close by who care about us. We have been neighbors since I was 4 years old and I can't remember my life without them. I know if I ever need anything Ellen will always be there for me. I trust her opinion as much as I trusted my mom's, so that says a lot.

Ellen and me at my graduation party.

4. The fact that I live in the USA! So many people critize this country, but we have so much more than most of the world.

5. My dream job with my wonderful 18 students, a supportive principal who is a leader not an intimidator, and good co-workers. I am thankful for all the children in the world who bring smiles to our faces.

My empty classroom. Sorry I can't put up pictures of my darlings.

6. My house where we live in comfort with electricity, food, warmth, etc.

7. My cat Ashley who is doing so well with her kidney treatments. It's rough bringing her to the vet once to twice a week, but her results have been coming back well and we are so thankful for that. Ashley brings so much joy to our lives.

A new picture of us.

8. My memories of my mom and how my family used to be. Although we can't turn back the clock, I had 19 years of a stable family life. The holidays sure can hurt, but I am really trying to enjoy the holidays, even if I don't always feel completely happy this time of year. It hurts to think about how the holidays used to be, compared to how they are now, but at least I did have a time in my life when holidays were great. Some people never had a nice family to make memories with. So while my 19 years with my family complete were short, it is better than none at all.

My parents one Christmas.

9. My education that helped me reach my goals. I was blessed with a scholarship for school, I have no loans at all, and I am working on my master's degree.

Me, Kate, and Stevi at Graduation

10. My faith which puts my life into perspective. I am so grateful to have God in my life, which gives me hope and support in my daily life. I am so happy that God opened my eyes to my Christian beliefs, because so many people search for answers in this world, and I feel like I have some clarity in regards to life on earth and the afterlife. While I don't claim to know how it all works, I do believe from the depths of my soul that there is a purpose to it all.

I could go on and on, but I just wanted to write something to recall all that I have been given.

Thank you Lord for allowing me to count my blessings this Thanksgiving.

Catch-up

I have been meaning to blog for the past two weeks now, but just haven't had a chance. It's report card time, so that has been keeping really busy. I had to enter all the grades for my 18 students online. Then I decided to take it to the next step and do a write-up on each student. It was totally not a requirement, but I thought parents would appreciate being able to take with them from conferences, something in writing regarding their child's progress. Hopefully its appreciated.

There are three things I want to briefly talk about.

1. Eric's birthday- We had a really nice time. My dad and I got him a Jets jersey that he wanted. I also got him a couple of t-shirts from Old Navy. Ellen, Jimmy, JT, and Mikey came over which is always fun. Eric won $250 on a lottery ticket from JT, which was really exciting. They were also kind enough to invite us for Thanksgiving again this year. Their continued invitation to us on Thanksgiving has really made that holiday a little easier on us. I made Eric an awesome basketball cake if, I do say so myself :) I dyed the cake and the icing. Then I literally, made the little bumps so it would look like a basketball using a straw. Here are some pictures.

2. I went to my first women's group meeting last weekend and I absolutely loved it. I was so inspired by the women I was surrounded by and I think we are going to get so much out of this. We laughed, we cried, and shared a lot of stories. It was the first time some of us were meeting, but we were very comfortable together. Paige is an amazing hostess. Her house is beautifully decorated, she set up this amazing dessert table, and made a bunch of different teas in cute teapots, plus homemade apple cider in her crockpot. Who could ask for more? Look for more on this in the future, after our next meeting.

3. Crochet for a cure exploded after the sale. But in a good way. After my disappointing night of earning just over $200, our current total is at $535 for a donation of $309.50! And its still not over! I have orders I am still filling and I have so much hope for next year and our website which we will be creating. Thanks to everyone who loved and supported us.

That's all for now, I am off to bake some pumpkin cookies!

Girls Weekend in Providence

This weekend Stevi drove the two of us up to Providence to visit Kate. We had loads of laughs during the 8 hours we spent in the car on the ride to and from Rhode Island. We sang at the top of our lungs, talked about everything and anything, and laughed like crazy. We also discovered that Pecan Rolls are big in Pennsylvania, as per our stop at an awesome rest stop called Stucky's. Stucky's had lots of fast food as well as a variety of novelty items. They had a million varieties of Pecan Rolls in a bunch of different sizes. We each had a celebratory bite as we neared Kate's new home, and it tasted pretty good.

It was fun to see Kate in her own place. She seems to be adjusting well to independent life, and I am very happy for her. We explored the city and the 5 level mall. We bought a bunch of stuff at Old Navy, and went to this cool soap store called Lush. They make all these fancy soaps that smells like a lot of different things and that look like cakes. We witnessed a crazy road rage incident while exiting the mall parking garage. There was a woman cursing out some guy who cut her off. She literally jumped up and down, practically jumping inside his car, as she threatened to "F--- him up." Then she told him to stop making a scene because her three kids on the car. It was pretty hysterical, while pathetic at the same time. We went out to dinner at this really cool restaurant, where we each got a 3 course meal for only $18.50. Then at night, we went back to Kate's place and watched a trashy, but funny episode of Rock of Love Charm School. Before drifting off to sleep, Kate told us a hilarious impromptu bedtime story, involving a teddy bear named Buddy. We laughed until we cried as she did her best impression of what a teddy bear would sound like if he could talk.

The next morning, Kate made us homemade waffles which were quite delicious. Then, we parked by the mall again and walked around this pretty river. We also saw a cool 9/11 memorial made with a bunch of tiles decorated by kids. We walked around a little bit more and then Stevi and I hit the road. We had an enjoyable ride home and stopped for some McDonald's. Stevi and I were very tired and eager to sleep in our own beds, so we could get some sleep before the next workday.

Overall, the three of us had oodles of fun and I am very glad we took the trip. It was nice to get away for awhile and hangout together again. I am eager for us to be together again when Kate returns to Long Island for Thanksgiving.

Kate and Stevi at dinner.

Kate in her apartment, wearing a Crochet for a Cure scarf.

Kate's 1980's bike she bought off Craig's List.

A pretty bridge.

Can you find Stevi?

How about now?

Part of the giant 9/11 Memorial.

The Capitol Building.

A closer look at the Capitol.