It's Finally Over

New Life! New Hope! New Promises!
Spring 2013

Finally! Winter is over. For me this winter saw some lows but definitely had more highs than lows.  Obvi, winning the Super Bowl was one of the highest highs. Literally, it was a dream come true and being a Super Bowl Champion, still isn't old.  I figure we can ride this high all the way through 2013.

Super Bowl Champs!
New friends and old friends unite!

More highs include but certainly aren't limited to: traveling to California to visit some of my most favorite people in the world, fantastic holidays with my loved ones, gaining important perspective, realization, closure and peace from a person no longer in my life, becoming friends with new and different people who constantly teach me new, different and beautiful things and having good health, good fortune and being surrounded by love on a daily basis.

The lows aren't really worth discussing...because....

Happy Birthday Mr. Rogers

 

 

Everything happens for a reason and even if there were some lows, they certainly aren't permanent.  I'd much rather look forward to the beginning of something great. 

Tomorrow is the first full day of spring.  It's light longer.  It's not Arctic cold. Vacations are booked.  The thought of warmer air and the promise of summer nights, lifts my spirits immediately. We are out of the long dark cold and heading into the best times of the year.

Some preliminary highlights are going to include...

• New purple Toms.
• Opening Day...2 weeks away!!!
• Going back to Cali in April. Love that place and can't wait to go back.
• Pier 6 annouced some shows and you know what that means. You'll find us in the cheap seats.  Bring your chair, box-o-wine and join us won't you?
• T-Swifty. Me and some of the most adorable little girls in the world will be seeing you in May.  Boots will be on. Hats will be on. Singing voices will be ready.
• My amazing friends are getting together and heading to Vegas for my birthday.  There will be 9 or 10 of us there in May.  You read that right, 9 or 10 of us. All together. In Vegas.  I've may have mentioned this before in a blog or two, but I'll say it again, my friends are amazing. They change the world for the better on the daily.  Imagine us all together in one place for 3 days. Wow...mind blowing and limitless.  Be ready Vegas, we are coming for you!
• Kenny Chesney and Eric Church be advised, we will be seeing you too.  May 25th.  Sort of a big day. :-)
• Annual summer vaca to the Caribbean = booked in June. I'm already working on our playlist. I'm taking Song of the Summer suggestions. Can anything beat last summer's Call Me Maybe?
• Oh and...there will be this invitation only party in June to distribute Super Bowl Rings. No bigs. 

As many of you know, with me, more "stuff" will likely be added on the fly. I'm not one to sit around and let life go on around me.  In fact, I'm not one to sit around at all. I like to be spontaneous and do all kinds of things.  I love being busy and social.  It is who I am and I simply don't want to change it.  Sorry I'm not sorry.  And, we only have a few warm months to squeeze in all the warm weather fun.  I like a challenge.

All of this makes me excited, hopeful and ready! Bring it spring and summer 2013!!! Keep the good things rolling!

Hope to see many of you along the way...all are welcome!!

XO~

Back from Vacation...Baby

I'm back from my absolutely fantabulous summer vacation and it's hotter here than near the equator.  Yikes!

I was gone for over 3 weeks and it was amazing.  It was a lovely break and it had everything I could have possibly asked for...love, family, white sand beaches, crystal clear blue ocean, yummy food, dance parties, a dreaded but turned out to be more than acceptable road trip, fresh mountain air, a step back into a simpler time and one absolutely perfect baby boy.

The first part of my vacation has become an annual tradition thanks to my most generous sister and brother-in-law.  We spent 16 glorious days sailing in the Caribbean.  We went to Tortola, St. John, St Croix, Cooper Island, Buck Island, Cinnamon Bay, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke, Marina Cay, Scrub Island and back to Tortola.  This vacation is so hard to describe but I will...just not in this post.

The week of July 4th, we spent in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, "The Oldest Summer Resort in America".  The population in this town is about 6000.  My boyf and his family probably know 5999 of the 6000 people living there. It's a small, one (blinking) traffic light town where everyone knows everyone and everyone and I mean everyone, goes to the annual July 4th parade...dressed in July 4th apparel.  It's a surreal and fantastic experience.

Most importantly on this trip, we met the newest member of the family while in Wolfey. Born in March, my boyf's nephew, AKA "Baby Kitty", was personally introduced to us at 3 months old.  And, he is nothing short of fabulous.  We spent the week with him where we were blessed to be able to help take care of him.  He won't remember this time in his life or the experience of us taking care of him and we will never forget.

Baby Kitty's mama is doing big things and going big places.  For a portion of the summer, she was in training to become some kind of brilliant environmental safety something-really-smart manager. So for 4 weeks, she had to leave Baby Kitty in the care of his extended family...his grandparents, his uncle, his great aunt, a couple of super cousins and, for one week, us.  Thanks to Skype, mama and Baby Kitty could see each other daily.  But, even with the daily phone calls, I know it was extremely hard for her to be away from him...she couldn't touch him, smell him, or hug and kiss him daily. She's one strong mama in so many ways. I admire her strength and determination.

Thankfully, she is also extremely generous and she let us fill in for her for a week.  Meme (Baby Kitty's Mama's Mom) also shared him with us...which, frankly is not easy to do. I didn't like sharing him at all.  In fact, I was a Baby Kitty hog.  He's hard to share for many reasons. The biggest being that he is, simply put, the best baby on the planet.  I thought my most precious nieces were the best babies on the planet but Baby Kitty gives them a run for the title. 

The child NEVER cries.  NEVER.  And I mean NEVER.  He's on a schedule, but he can be flexible. He smiles all the time.  He chows down every bottle.  He goes night-night, easily.  He sleeps through the night...for nearly 12 hours.  He snuggles.  He loves playing. He loves the water.  He loves dogs. He tells the best baby babbling stories. And, he really loves football games.  Side note, we played football everyday and he particularly likes the plays were Ray Rice breaks a tackle and runs the ball 52 yards for a TD. And he goes nuts when Ed Reed intercepts Tom Brady and takes it to the house.  The kid's awesome...what else can I say?

Anyone who knows me knows that, in general, I like babies.  They are adorable and snugly and fun and most of the time, they like me too.  I'm not nervous around them and they don't scare me.  However, I've never been one to have "Baby Fever".  I've never been the type of woman who just knows she was born to be a mama.  I've pretty much always known I want to be a mama, but I've never had the burning desire, ticking clock or Mother Earth feeling.  However, I've always assumed and still do assume that I will be a mama.

Thanks to my visit with Baby Kitty a few things that I intrinsically knew became even more crystal clear.

1. I would babynap Baby Kitty (and I actually considered this) in a heartbeat.  I really missed him when we left.  I find myself wondering what he's doing and where he's going, and what milestones he crossing. 
2. I have 100% confirmation that I don't need to actually birth a baby to be a mama.  Baby Kitty or a black baby boy would fit just as nicely in my life as my very own birthed baby.
3. Mothers are amazingly strong women. They are fierce.
4. Something happens to mamas when they become grandmamas. There is a certain sense of confidence and ease that grandmamas have that cannot be truly explained, it's only felt and very much NEEDED by new mamas.
5. Lastly, and most profoundly, many times the unexpected things in life become the things you need the most.  You didn't know they were missing but, once found or received, you cannot live without them. They make you stronger, better, happier. They push you beyond what you perceive your limits to be and they give you things you couldn't even imagine having, and now, you cannot imagine living without.  Many people call these things unanswered prayers or blessings or even karma. I call him perfection.

Thank you to Baby Kitty (and his family) for sharing your life with me.   This time in your life is precious and so short.  You will grow up so quickly.  You will bring joy to everyone who loves you for years and years to come. The time spent with you as a little baby will always and forever be cherished. 

It's truly amazing and astonishing to take a step back and feel the love that surrounds that one perfect baby. It's beautiful, joyful, tender, fun, easy, unconditional, so very hard at times, amazing, powerful and unforgettable.  It's perfection. 

It's that a clock I hear ticking???

xo~
Elizabeth

Vacation State of Mind

Most everyone has been there...it's the week before you leave for vacation and you're at work wanting to be anywhere else but at work. You find yourself day dreaming about all of the wonderful vacation things that you will be doing in exactly 2, 4 or 7 days. Your mind is filled with all of the things you need to do before you can go on vacation. You have a a never-ending "To Do" list of work projects you must complete (even though you've put them off for 6 months) prior to being gone for vacation. You bounce from those must-do projects and tasks to your last minute shopping list, packing list and house list. New flip-flops (even though you have 30 pairs you need just one more), stopping the mail, getting the plants watered, you need a doggie sitter, not to mention the kids and everything that comes with them...clothes, food, toys, sleeping arrangements, etc.

You still have to focus on the task at hand, yet get all of the vacation to do's checked off of your list.  100% of the time, everything gets done and if it doesn't, well it didn't need to get done.  Nearly 100% of the time, wherever you are going sells whatever it is you must have or forgot.  So relax..day dream when you can, check off what you can and know, vacation is right around the corner, everything is going to be alright.

Vacation is super important to me.  It's the time of year where you can do whatever you want...go to the beach, the mountains, read books, staycation, do a service project, recharge your batteries doing whatever you want.  You can shape your year, your life, your family and your future all around vacations.  It's pretty powerful.

Vacation has always been important to our family.   Each year my mom would take us to the beach for a week. For one week each year, we'd go down the ocean, Hon. I have the circa 1985 telescope pics to prove it too. She would save money all year for 2 things...a vacation to the beach and Christmas. No wonder I really love both, right? Blame her for my sun and sparkle worshipping, I do.  But, I digress. 

We would spend one wonderful week at the beach doing all kinds of fun things.  Looking back, a great majority of those fun things were kid focused.  My mom loves the beach, so that part for her was great.  But the parts where we went to the water slides for a day, Jolly Rogers at night, mini-golfing or the Boardwalk rides, not so much.  While I'm sure she enjoyed them because we loved them, she wasn't exactly lounging around, being served frosty drinks and napping.  She got one week of vacation each year and she spent it doing things for her kids.  And, since she was practically a single mom who worked full-time, she didn't get any help with the lists and lists of things (see above) she had to get done before being able to "relax".

I certainly didn't understand the effort, sacrifice or the cost it took for her to get us there.  She did a great job making it look easy, fun and like there was no where else in the world she wanted to be.  We did everything we wanted...from eating out A LOT (anyone ever go to the Mighty Minnow and have the chocolate chip pancakes or the have the coconut muffins from Marina Deck?? Delish!!) to doing all kinds of kid-centered things that cost lots of money to getting many Boardwalk souvenirs, airbrush tee, anyone?   We did it all and had a blast.  Many of those beach vacation memories are some of my all-time faves still to this day.

So as I prepare for my 2 week vacation (yay, WAHOO, can't wait) and I'm stressing over my "To Do" list in between daydreaming of crystal clear water and white sand beaches, I'd like to thank my mama for teaching me the value of vacation, making it look easy and loving us enough to make those sacrifices all in the name of love, fun and memories. The memories are life-long, the value and tradition of great vacations continues in us and now we can truly understand your motivation and feel your love.

If you're not an annual vacationer, you should be.  Life should be enjoyed with those you love, preferably in the fresh air, away from a desk.  Do something you love at least once per year with someone you love.  Take the time and make it happen.  I don't think you will regret it. 

Oh, and, try not to take your smart phone.   I'll be the first to admit it's hard to leave our daily lives behind...that includes work, FB, sports, or whatever your into, but it can be done.  My mom did it every year.  And, I'm pretty sure that the memories you will make on vacation will last much longer than the memory of the random FB status of someone you barely remember. Just sayin'...get out, live life and enjoy!

I'm off for a few weeks. Chat with you when I get back.

xo~Elizabeth