I LOVE NEW YEAR'S EVE...I think it has to be one of the most special days of the year...today is the last of it's kind...the last day of the year. It's the end but also a chance to begin anew...
When I was a kid, New Year's Eve was a big deal...although I grew up in NYC, we never Times Squared on NYE. But we did dress up to be at home and take our annual family photo. And mom always cooked a feast that we would start eating at midnight.
As a grown up with little kids, NYE has been seriously toned down...no partying. Although, a couple of years ago we had our friends, Eric and Jessica over to hang out and watch tv and eat munchies and drink beer 'til midnight...WHOOPIE - we're such party animals!
Every year though, I do take the time to think about what the year has brought me. And every year, I find that I am more blessed, more lucky and more rich than I was the year before. I take this night and the next day to be my chance to start over again - to be better than I was, just yesterday.
Resolutions for 2009:
1. Be more organized in every area of my life - work, school, kids, laundry, photography, scrapbooking. This will help with #2.
2. Finish what I start. Projects, assignments, laundry, etc. Under this comes the ability to follow up if necessary on things so that I can get them to completion. While I didn't have a lot of unfinished business, I did feel like not being as organized as I should at times, caused me to drop the ball for a few things...
3. Stay positive. I need to not be such a worrier and channel all that energy into #1 & 2.
4. Blog more. I should keep a journal but blogging is more fun - and you can put pictures in it.
I'm going to aim to blog 3 times a week (at least - if I get more in, great!!!)
5. Be more frugal. In 2008, I loved to just spend money. Although towards the last quarter of 2008, I really wasn't in any kind of mood to spend money, even at Christmas. I resolve to spend money on things that we need and things that I absolutely want and not just think would be nice to have (and I can't promise that I won't ever buy something that would be nice to have, this year...but I certainly will have what we need and absolutely want before we go buying something that would just be nice to have).
6. Enjoy my time. Time is a limited commodity. I don't have a lot of it to do the things I want to do because it gets used up by all the things I have to do (mainly work). I will use my time wisely and enjoy just doing nothing sometimes and spend some good time with my friends and family this year.
7. Stay healthy. I'm not a dieter or an exerciser...so I'm just hoping that I make decent choices in terms of food or activity...I'll be making major efforts to schedule doctor's and dentist's appointments for myself and actually keep them...(my dentist yells at me when I show up, for flaking on him).
8. Take more pictures. I'm sure that taking Karen Russell's online photography class will make me do this, this semester...just need to make sure I keep doing it all year.
9. Go home to NYC to visit my friends and family more than twice a year. This one will be a toughie - we're never still enough to stay home here in MA, much less go to NYC...but we'll make a concerted effort.
Today is a brand new day - a brand new year....take advantage of this time...it's a gift.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
An Answer to My Destiny....
As a kid, you look up to people - not just because you're short (although I grew into my adult height by the time I was in the 8th grade) - but because you dream - sometimes more easily as a kid than as an adult. But I would have to say, that dreaming is something that I have done more in the last few months than I may ever have done as a kid...
I had always wanted to be creative....visually creative. I remember as a young teenager (probably a little younger than that), I wanted to take pictures. I had a camera as a young person...albeit it was film (no kids, there was no such thing as digital) - and it was a hand me down from dad - a Nikon - when he got his Minolta. I had no idea what anything was on that camera...I knew how to load the film, manually focus and press the shutter button. I didn't know that if it was too dark that the camera would know how long to keep it's shutter open - I thought that the long pause before the click meant that I broke it.
I didn't keep the camera - I can't remember what happened to it. And dad still has his Minolta film camera (it's somewhere in the deep recesses of the mountains of stuff my parents have managed to accumulate over the years) - he's graduated to point and shoot digitals, while I took my love to a Canon Digital Rebel xTi (Canon has since come out with the xSi - but I'm not interested in changing camera bodies just yet - I'll hold out for a couple more years to get something in the Eos family - I have a 10th anniversary coming in about 2 years...)
I was reading Karen Russell's blog (you can get there by clicking here). In her most recent entry, she talks about the Christmas gift, given by her husband, Josh - an old piano...and how she has always felt that becoming a pianist was part of her destiny. I left a comment on her blog telling her that I would answer her entry on my blog:
I always wanted to be a photographer. I have always wanted to capture moments to remember. BUT I was made to be a pianist. I took almost 8 years of classical piano and music theory. My parents made me when I was 7 years old. I hated it, at first, and after I had taken 18 months or so of lessons and then begged my parents to let me quit, my first piano teacher passed away. I remember going to her wake and seeing how many students she had taught and that was my wake up call - I begged my dad to find me another teacher and he did. And I studied with that teacher for 5 years. I'm not one to brag about me - but I played me some good piano...I was one of the pianists for the Glee Club at school (my good buddy, Tobi, was the other one - she's better than me) and I played keyboard for the school musicals (except for the one in Senior year -when I played Liesl in "The Sound of Music"). Chopin was a favorite - but I'm down with Bach, Handel and some other dead guys....
I also found my voice while I was learning to play...sang in school musicals, chorus groups, glee club and church choir. I did all these things in high school and once I got to college, I left it all behind me...
I still wanted to be a visual artist...and didn't find out that I could be one until I started scrapbooking - which made so much sense to me because it brought together 2 things that I wanted to be - a visual artist and a photographer.
Friends that don't scrap or take pictures ask me all the time - where do I find the time to do it all? My answer to that is I don't - I just do it anyway...
I was lucky (blessed to be a chosen one really!!!) to land a coveted spot in Karen Russell's online photography class - The Photographer's Workshop - we start the week of Jan. 19 - coincidentally, the first week of the spring semester at school (which I need to register for - rather, beg my way into a class that is already full...keeping my fingers crossed). And while I am sure that it will take me at least the same 8 years (realistically, more) it took me to be a decent pianist, I am determined to become that photographer I wanted to be as a kid.
I don't play anymore, really - but I can do it again, if I sat at the piano for a couple of hours a week - nothing compared to the amount of practice I did when I was younger...I started with 30 minutes a day in the very beginning but by the time I was a senior in high school, I was practicing an hour before school started, singing and playing 3-4 hours after school and another hour or so after I got home, with a 1 hour lesson, once - sometimes- twice a week...
Karen, take piano lessons - it's hard but it's wonderful...that's how I feel today about photography...and life in general. The 19th can't come fast enough for me....
If I've learned nothing else in this life - it's that it is never too late for anything...
P.S. Good job on the gift, Josh!!!
I had always wanted to be creative....visually creative. I remember as a young teenager (probably a little younger than that), I wanted to take pictures. I had a camera as a young person...albeit it was film (no kids, there was no such thing as digital) - and it was a hand me down from dad - a Nikon - when he got his Minolta. I had no idea what anything was on that camera...I knew how to load the film, manually focus and press the shutter button. I didn't know that if it was too dark that the camera would know how long to keep it's shutter open - I thought that the long pause before the click meant that I broke it.
I didn't keep the camera - I can't remember what happened to it. And dad still has his Minolta film camera (it's somewhere in the deep recesses of the mountains of stuff my parents have managed to accumulate over the years) - he's graduated to point and shoot digitals, while I took my love to a Canon Digital Rebel xTi (Canon has since come out with the xSi - but I'm not interested in changing camera bodies just yet - I'll hold out for a couple more years to get something in the Eos family - I have a 10th anniversary coming in about 2 years...)
I was reading Karen Russell's blog (you can get there by clicking here). In her most recent entry, she talks about the Christmas gift, given by her husband, Josh - an old piano...and how she has always felt that becoming a pianist was part of her destiny. I left a comment on her blog telling her that I would answer her entry on my blog:
I always wanted to be a photographer. I have always wanted to capture moments to remember. BUT I was made to be a pianist. I took almost 8 years of classical piano and music theory. My parents made me when I was 7 years old. I hated it, at first, and after I had taken 18 months or so of lessons and then begged my parents to let me quit, my first piano teacher passed away. I remember going to her wake and seeing how many students she had taught and that was my wake up call - I begged my dad to find me another teacher and he did. And I studied with that teacher for 5 years. I'm not one to brag about me - but I played me some good piano...I was one of the pianists for the Glee Club at school (my good buddy, Tobi, was the other one - she's better than me) and I played keyboard for the school musicals (except for the one in Senior year -when I played Liesl in "The Sound of Music"). Chopin was a favorite - but I'm down with Bach, Handel and some other dead guys....
I also found my voice while I was learning to play...sang in school musicals, chorus groups, glee club and church choir. I did all these things in high school and once I got to college, I left it all behind me...
I still wanted to be a visual artist...and didn't find out that I could be one until I started scrapbooking - which made so much sense to me because it brought together 2 things that I wanted to be - a visual artist and a photographer.
Friends that don't scrap or take pictures ask me all the time - where do I find the time to do it all? My answer to that is I don't - I just do it anyway...
I was lucky (blessed to be a chosen one really!!!) to land a coveted spot in Karen Russell's online photography class - The Photographer's Workshop - we start the week of Jan. 19 - coincidentally, the first week of the spring semester at school (which I need to register for - rather, beg my way into a class that is already full...keeping my fingers crossed). And while I am sure that it will take me at least the same 8 years (realistically, more) it took me to be a decent pianist, I am determined to become that photographer I wanted to be as a kid.
I don't play anymore, really - but I can do it again, if I sat at the piano for a couple of hours a week - nothing compared to the amount of practice I did when I was younger...I started with 30 minutes a day in the very beginning but by the time I was a senior in high school, I was practicing an hour before school started, singing and playing 3-4 hours after school and another hour or so after I got home, with a 1 hour lesson, once - sometimes- twice a week...
Karen, take piano lessons - it's hard but it's wonderful...that's how I feel today about photography...and life in general. The 19th can't come fast enough for me....
If I've learned nothing else in this life - it's that it is never too late for anything...
P.S. Good job on the gift, Josh!!!
The first of a few entries that need to be blogged...
A late Merry Christmas to one and all - this time of year is extremely hectic for me...
Last weekend, we had Dad's surprise 60th birthday party....HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!! His birthday is really the day after Christmas but we had to celebrate it early for holiday reasons....
Dylan celebrated his birthday - we went out for Chinese food on his actual birthday December 23rd. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN!!!!
Then Christmas Eve...visiting Aunt Nancy and the EB gang!!! Hi everyone!!!! I try really hard to be all done Christmas-ing by Dylan's birthday and I never get there....I spent half the night wrapping the last of the gifts (which weren't supposed to be many but felt like there were a million things to wrap)....I had so much that I had to start while the kids were still awake:
I even tried to wrap Melody because she would not leave me alone with the gifts - and no, I do not wrap their gifts in front of them...I did though make the mistake of wrapping a box of Swiss Cake Rolls in front of them and told them they were for noone when they asked me who they were for...Dylan told Adam that I wrapped a box of Swiss Cake Rolls for noone 3 days before Christmas.
Regarding the picture above: not the best picture I ever took of Melody (a little blurry) but certainly one that evokes Christmas in me.
When I finally got around to taking pictures of the tree and other Christmas things around our house, it was past midnight...
This was a neat picture of my pre-lit Christmas tree. No, the lights are not shaped like snowmen and no, I can't make bokeh shaped like that naturally. I took a pair of these 3-D glasses that change the shape of lights into snowmen and put it in front of the lens and clicked. I have not mastered the art of using artificial filters on my camera but this is not a bad start (I think)...I have other pictures like this that I will have to post another time. In case you were wondering, I shot this photo with my Canon 50mm f1.8 ISO 100 in 1/8 sec. I rested my camera on the arm of my couch and just hit the shutter button.
We ran out of cookies but found a 100 calorie pack of chips deluxe...Adam prepared this plate and cup of milk...yes, those are our everyday plates - they go with the rest of our Disney kitchen. Santa left a note saying that he appreciated us watching his diet but that next year, he would hope that Adam would make some of his homemade cookies - he also said that he liked our plates.
Then Christmas Day - the one day a year that we can wake Angelica up 6:30am (the butt crack of dawn for her) and she'll get out of bed like a pop-tart from a toaster...
This was probably the best picture I took all Christmas morning.
Others that I took:
Dylan's first gun toy ever...I'm not into gun toys but I'm glad that the warnings of no face, head or point blank shootings have been heeded...
And finally, this picture which I am too close to Melody to take - it's the only one I have of all 3 of them at Christmas....
These last 3 pictures were all taken with my Canon 50mm f1.8 ISO 800. The one of Angelica by herself came out best because she had front lighting from our ceiling fan pointed right at her. In the second picture of Dylan by himself, you can see the hint of the Christmas lights from the tree (evident in the coloring of his face). The last picture I took of the 3 of them, I'm too close to Melody and I should have moved a little to my left to capture more of the other kids in the back. I would have been happy with blurring Melody in the picture but I'm so close that you can barely make her out....sigh...next Christmas....
What did Adam get for Christmas? This year, he got a deep-fryer (because the grease from all the fast food he consumes just isn't doing the trick to block up the arteries - yuck - we haven't tried it yet because there is nothing I want to eat less than something deep fried - I just got over the stomach flu). He also got the game Emergency Heroes for Wii - because in real life he is an Emergency Hero and if he wants to practice off hours, he can. There was the box Swiss Cake Rolls (a throwback to a gift from Grammie Marie - God rest her soul - when Adam was little). A "Life is Crap" desk calendar (a mockery of the "Life is Good" trademark) and the gift that I thought would have been the best one: an electric ice scraper...it was so good, that he got me one too. (Santa must have been running a special on these)...
What did I get for Christmas? A jewelry box (from last year's list), an electric throw for the couch (I'm forever cuddled up on my couch with a blanket), an electric ice scraper and 2 tickets to see "Dirty Dancing: the Musical" when it comes to the Opera House in Boston on our 9th wedding anniversary in February. Every year comes our anniversary and the last couple have been a bust in terms of dates - because neither one of us has had the chance to really think about making plans in advance...well, Adam took care of that this coming anniversary...we'll go to dinner before the show and the kids will be sleeping over mom and dad's. Neat-o. How romantic...and hopefully he doesn't think that this Christmas gift covers our anniversary...although being more romantic is part of both our agendas for the coming year.
Stay tuned for another 2 or 3 blog entries this week as part of my new year's resolution to blog more gets a head start...
Thank you, God (and Santa and pooka) for all my gifts - especially my kids and the time to be with my family. I hope in your eyes, I've earned it all....
Last weekend, we had Dad's surprise 60th birthday party....HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!! His birthday is really the day after Christmas but we had to celebrate it early for holiday reasons....
Dylan celebrated his birthday - we went out for Chinese food on his actual birthday December 23rd. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DYLAN!!!!
Then Christmas Eve...visiting Aunt Nancy and the EB gang!!! Hi everyone!!!! I try really hard to be all done Christmas-ing by Dylan's birthday and I never get there....I spent half the night wrapping the last of the gifts (which weren't supposed to be many but felt like there were a million things to wrap)....I had so much that I had to start while the kids were still awake:
I even tried to wrap Melody because she would not leave me alone with the gifts - and no, I do not wrap their gifts in front of them...I did though make the mistake of wrapping a box of Swiss Cake Rolls in front of them and told them they were for noone when they asked me who they were for...Dylan told Adam that I wrapped a box of Swiss Cake Rolls for noone 3 days before Christmas.Regarding the picture above: not the best picture I ever took of Melody (a little blurry) but certainly one that evokes Christmas in me.
When I finally got around to taking pictures of the tree and other Christmas things around our house, it was past midnight...
This was a neat picture of my pre-lit Christmas tree. No, the lights are not shaped like snowmen and no, I can't make bokeh shaped like that naturally. I took a pair of these 3-D glasses that change the shape of lights into snowmen and put it in front of the lens and clicked. I have not mastered the art of using artificial filters on my camera but this is not a bad start (I think)...I have other pictures like this that I will have to post another time. In case you were wondering, I shot this photo with my Canon 50mm f1.8 ISO 100 in 1/8 sec. I rested my camera on the arm of my couch and just hit the shutter button.
We ran out of cookies but found a 100 calorie pack of chips deluxe...Adam prepared this plate and cup of milk...yes, those are our everyday plates - they go with the rest of our Disney kitchen. Santa left a note saying that he appreciated us watching his diet but that next year, he would hope that Adam would make some of his homemade cookies - he also said that he liked our plates.Then Christmas Day - the one day a year that we can wake Angelica up 6:30am (the butt crack of dawn for her) and she'll get out of bed like a pop-tart from a toaster...
This was probably the best picture I took all Christmas morning.Others that I took:
Dylan's first gun toy ever...I'm not into gun toys but I'm glad that the warnings of no face, head or point blank shootings have been heeded...
And finally, this picture which I am too close to Melody to take - it's the only one I have of all 3 of them at Christmas....These last 3 pictures were all taken with my Canon 50mm f1.8 ISO 800. The one of Angelica by herself came out best because she had front lighting from our ceiling fan pointed right at her. In the second picture of Dylan by himself, you can see the hint of the Christmas lights from the tree (evident in the coloring of his face). The last picture I took of the 3 of them, I'm too close to Melody and I should have moved a little to my left to capture more of the other kids in the back. I would have been happy with blurring Melody in the picture but I'm so close that you can barely make her out....sigh...next Christmas....
What did Adam get for Christmas? This year, he got a deep-fryer (because the grease from all the fast food he consumes just isn't doing the trick to block up the arteries - yuck - we haven't tried it yet because there is nothing I want to eat less than something deep fried - I just got over the stomach flu). He also got the game Emergency Heroes for Wii - because in real life he is an Emergency Hero and if he wants to practice off hours, he can. There was the box Swiss Cake Rolls (a throwback to a gift from Grammie Marie - God rest her soul - when Adam was little). A "Life is Crap" desk calendar (a mockery of the "Life is Good" trademark) and the gift that I thought would have been the best one: an electric ice scraper...it was so good, that he got me one too. (Santa must have been running a special on these)...
What did I get for Christmas? A jewelry box (from last year's list), an electric throw for the couch (I'm forever cuddled up on my couch with a blanket), an electric ice scraper and 2 tickets to see "Dirty Dancing: the Musical" when it comes to the Opera House in Boston on our 9th wedding anniversary in February. Every year comes our anniversary and the last couple have been a bust in terms of dates - because neither one of us has had the chance to really think about making plans in advance...well, Adam took care of that this coming anniversary...we'll go to dinner before the show and the kids will be sleeping over mom and dad's. Neat-o. How romantic...and hopefully he doesn't think that this Christmas gift covers our anniversary...although being more romantic is part of both our agendas for the coming year.
Stay tuned for another 2 or 3 blog entries this week as part of my new year's resolution to blog more gets a head start...
Thank you, God (and Santa and pooka) for all my gifts - especially my kids and the time to be with my family. I hope in your eyes, I've earned it all....
Sunday, December 21, 2008
More on Dylan
So Dylan's birthday is December 23rd - 2 days before Christmas - we came home Christmas Eve from the hospital - I signed him out AMA...(Against Medical Advice) so that we'd be home in time for Christmas.
This is Dylan at his first Boston Red Sox game - courtesy of Mom's company box seats. This was taken in the summer of 2006...he's 5 1/2 years old here.
All of Adam's dreams came true when we got the hot tub that sits on a patio in our backyard. We got it in May 2006. This picture of Dylan was taken on July 4th of that same year...we learned quickly that you do not pile in 8 kids into a hot tub built for 4 adults. It turned the water green. But in our defense, we also figured out that you should untie the second half of the filter before putting it into the canister. OOPS...nothing a little shock couldn't take care of. And yes, we did lower the temperature to a balmy 80 degrees before letting them all in - and we made them all go to the bathroom before getting into the hot (warm) tub.
This is the first day of 1st grade - with Mrs. Wheland - who is now teaching Angelica.
Like all great parents, soon after 1st grade started, we took the kids out of school and brought them to Disneyworld with their grandparents. This was taken on Angelica's birthday soon after we arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter Resort @ Walt Disney World. Don't worry, we got permission from the teachers...
Later that day, it was pouring, but it didn't stop us from going to the park - here's Dylan waiting for the bus to take us to the Magic Kingdom.
FAST FORWARD>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Almost a whole year later, Dylan started the 2nd grade. And no, I didn't go a whole year without taking pictures of the kids....my mom would kill me.
This was taken in last year's first snow - December 27, 2007 - shortly after Dylan turned 7.
This is Dylan's first time sledding - my cousin took us to this huge hill near their place up north...Dylan had to be going like 20 miles an hour because snow conditions were so icy!!!
Dylan lost his first tooth this year - and just like when he was a baby, whenever he had a tooth coming in, he'd get that darn spot of eczema on his face.
These were taken earlier this year, when Dylan was in the Learn to Play hockey program...
Dylan learned a lot of things this year - how to ride a 2 wheeler was one of those things.
D, I hope you had a great year...you've grown so much!!!! You're a good boy and a good person. I wish you good health, good grades, good times and good clean fun everyday this coming year!!!
I love you, Dylan! Happy Birthday baby!
This is Dylan at his first Boston Red Sox game - courtesy of Mom's company box seats. This was taken in the summer of 2006...he's 5 1/2 years old here.
All of Adam's dreams came true when we got the hot tub that sits on a patio in our backyard. We got it in May 2006. This picture of Dylan was taken on July 4th of that same year...we learned quickly that you do not pile in 8 kids into a hot tub built for 4 adults. It turned the water green. But in our defense, we also figured out that you should untie the second half of the filter before putting it into the canister. OOPS...nothing a little shock couldn't take care of. And yes, we did lower the temperature to a balmy 80 degrees before letting them all in - and we made them all go to the bathroom before getting into the hot (warm) tub.
This is the first day of 1st grade - with Mrs. Wheland - who is now teaching Angelica.
Like all great parents, soon after 1st grade started, we took the kids out of school and brought them to Disneyworld with their grandparents. This was taken on Angelica's birthday soon after we arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter Resort @ Walt Disney World. Don't worry, we got permission from the teachers...
Later that day, it was pouring, but it didn't stop us from going to the park - here's Dylan waiting for the bus to take us to the Magic Kingdom.FAST FORWARD>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Almost a whole year later, Dylan started the 2nd grade. And no, I didn't go a whole year without taking pictures of the kids....my mom would kill me.
This was taken in last year's first snow - December 27, 2007 - shortly after Dylan turned 7.
This is Dylan's first time sledding - my cousin took us to this huge hill near their place up north...Dylan had to be going like 20 miles an hour because snow conditions were so icy!!!
Dylan lost his first tooth this year - and just like when he was a baby, whenever he had a tooth coming in, he'd get that darn spot of eczema on his face.
These were taken earlier this year, when Dylan was in the Learn to Play hockey program...
Dylan learned a lot of things this year - how to ride a 2 wheeler was one of those things.D, I hope you had a great year...you've grown so much!!!! You're a good boy and a good person. I wish you good health, good grades, good times and good clean fun everyday this coming year!!!
I love you, Dylan! Happy Birthday baby!
Saturday, December 13, 2008
A Dylan-ous Blog Entry
It's been a while since I blogged - because life is just way too busy - I thought with school out, it wouldn't be so bad and now I'm wondering how that even fit into the picture...there is so much to do this time of year...
Dylan's birthday is a week from tomorrow. He'll be turning 8 this year. Time goes by so fast...we moved back to MA from NYC in Feb. 2003 - we bought our house that year at the end of July - this was taken the following October - Dylan was only 2 in this picture - turning 3 that December.
Dylan was almost 3 in this picture - gone are the days of the fireplace that he is sitting on. Gone too are the days of the bowl haircut too. This picture was taken with my old Sony point-n-shoot. I can't even remember the specs on that camera....
Halloween has turned out to be a tradition in getting the cousins together....with the exception of this year, the kids always get their costumes at the last minute sales at the Disney Store...this was Halloween 2003 - Dylan was Mickey Mouse as a fireman (no, they did not have Mickey Mouse as a Policeman or Dylan would have definitely been that instead).
This was taken the following summer 2004 - at my mom's house - check out how blond Dylan's hair gets in the summer. It is not as blond anymore - his hair represents the Asian in him...but not back then.
This picture was taken before a friend's wedding in November 2004. That's Dylan with my nephew, Andy in the church where Adam and I got married too.
I love this picture of them together - Dylan was almost 4 years old in this picture taken at Faneiul Hall in Boston. He was so little then...
Dylan just all of a sudden really looked like a big boy - this was taken 5 days before I had Melody - I took this one on the way out the door to go to work.
Dylan was off to kindergarten in this picture - he was only 4 - the age cutoff time in our city is to turn 5 by December 31 of the year you start kindergarten. So he's usually the baby in his class.
I'll continue to post Dylan shots as I get the time to blog this week until his birthday - that way when he gets old enough to find my blog on his own, he'll know that I thought of him this whole week - like I do every year at this time...to make sure that he gets a birthday separate from Christmas. Signing off for now to work on my parents' calendar...it's part of their Christmas gift...
Dylan's birthday is a week from tomorrow. He'll be turning 8 this year. Time goes by so fast...we moved back to MA from NYC in Feb. 2003 - we bought our house that year at the end of July - this was taken the following October - Dylan was only 2 in this picture - turning 3 that December.
Dylan was almost 3 in this picture - gone are the days of the fireplace that he is sitting on. Gone too are the days of the bowl haircut too. This picture was taken with my old Sony point-n-shoot. I can't even remember the specs on that camera....
Halloween has turned out to be a tradition in getting the cousins together....with the exception of this year, the kids always get their costumes at the last minute sales at the Disney Store...this was Halloween 2003 - Dylan was Mickey Mouse as a fireman (no, they did not have Mickey Mouse as a Policeman or Dylan would have definitely been that instead).
This was taken the following summer 2004 - at my mom's house - check out how blond Dylan's hair gets in the summer. It is not as blond anymore - his hair represents the Asian in him...but not back then.
This picture was taken before a friend's wedding in November 2004. That's Dylan with my nephew, Andy in the church where Adam and I got married too.
I love this picture of them together - Dylan was almost 4 years old in this picture taken at Faneiul Hall in Boston. He was so little then...
Dylan just all of a sudden really looked like a big boy - this was taken 5 days before I had Melody - I took this one on the way out the door to go to work.
Dylan was off to kindergarten in this picture - he was only 4 - the age cutoff time in our city is to turn 5 by December 31 of the year you start kindergarten. So he's usually the baby in his class.I'll continue to post Dylan shots as I get the time to blog this week until his birthday - that way when he gets old enough to find my blog on his own, he'll know that I thought of him this whole week - like I do every year at this time...to make sure that he gets a birthday separate from Christmas. Signing off for now to work on my parents' calendar...it's part of their Christmas gift...
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Last Day of School
Tonight is my final exam of the semester - it took a bunch to get here and I'm wicked proud - I'll post my final grade when I get it - I'm hoping for an A. I studied like crazy this morning and finally stopped reading about 1 1/2 hours ago. If I don't know it now....
In the meantime, Adam made it into the local paper (again.). If you want to check out the article and video - they are here. Hope it doesn't go to his head...just kidding....
pictures? um....for now, just check out Cisco in my new header - he's laying on Melody's school bag, pawing at Cookie Monster.
In the meantime, Adam made it into the local paper (again.). If you want to check out the article and video - they are here. Hope it doesn't go to his head...just kidding....
pictures? um....for now, just check out Cisco in my new header - he's laying on Melody's school bag, pawing at Cookie Monster.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
My Day Off
Most days that I don't go to work, I think, are really not days off....for instance, I woke up this morning at 6am like I usually do. Got the kids ready for school, gave Melody a bath, made her breakfast, did some light shopping (nothing for Christmas - got Melody a winter jacket and Angel some socks and Dylan a couple of shirts). I managed to finish my calendar swap pages and Susan's Circle Journal entry. I baked a loaf of Tastefully Simple Bountiful Beer Bread to go with the Artichoke & Spinach Dip I made to bring to tonight's swap and crop.
I dismissed the kids early from school to bring Dylan to the doctor to check out something out (follow up from a couple of weeks ago). And on the way home, at a red light, I took this picture:
When I got uploaded into my computer, Dylan said "Wow, mom you got a picure of Bean the Bunny in the sky." Bean was our first bunny that died of what I like to think were natural causes at the end of last summer. He's the big shadowy figure on the lower right of this picture...
"how observant you are," I thought...moment of silence for Bean.
Tomorrow night is my company Christmas party...otherwise known as the annual Rees date night. The kids will be sleeping over mom and dad's house and we'll be there, bright and early on Sunday morning to pick Dylan up for a 7am game. So much for having a bombing good time...the Christmas party (or Holiday party as it is known at work) is usually a great time!!!
I'll blog about it before this weekend is up.
P.S. Props to my friend, Kimmie who was recognized on her blog by artist Claudine Hellmuth. You go girl! I'm wicked proud!!!
I dismissed the kids early from school to bring Dylan to the doctor to check out something out (follow up from a couple of weeks ago). And on the way home, at a red light, I took this picture:
When I got uploaded into my computer, Dylan said "Wow, mom you got a picure of Bean the Bunny in the sky." Bean was our first bunny that died of what I like to think were natural causes at the end of last summer. He's the big shadowy figure on the lower right of this picture..."how observant you are," I thought...moment of silence for Bean.
Tomorrow night is my company Christmas party...otherwise known as the annual Rees date night. The kids will be sleeping over mom and dad's house and we'll be there, bright and early on Sunday morning to pick Dylan up for a 7am game. So much for having a bombing good time...the Christmas party (or Holiday party as it is known at work) is usually a great time!!!
I'll blog about it before this weekend is up.
P.S. Props to my friend, Kimmie who was recognized on her blog by artist Claudine Hellmuth. You go girl! I'm wicked proud!!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
oops
ok - no one told me that the xerox widget didn't lead to the website I wanted you to check out the other day...so here is the link....
http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html
send a soldier a card, courtesy of Xerox....
http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html
send a soldier a card, courtesy of Xerox....
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Photo Assignment: Drive
I do a lot of crazy things - like take pictures while I'm driving. This week on the Digital Photography School website, the assignment is "Drive" - interpret it as how you wish...and all pictures that are entered into this contest need to be taken in a recent timeframe. So yesterday, while I was driving to work in the morning and then to Dylan's hockey game in Pembroke, from Easton, I took this while I was behind the wheel:
I left my house early for work yesterday morning with the intention of checking out Target for potential Christmas gifts - when I got there, I figured out that the store did not open for another 30 minutes (I should have checked online for the hours before I left my house - but that would have made too much sense). These barriers are at the the end of the parking lot.
Right before the barriers is this stop sign....It was a color picture that I converted to black and white and then used an action called "color select" and then I vignetted...I have Photoshop Elements 6.0(Adobe came out with 7.0 this year - I'll pass for a year). You can get both these actions at EZActions.com. If you are really into post-shooting editing, I think Photoshop CS4 is the way to go - very expensive if you are just an enthusiast like me (makes a great Christmas gift - hint, hint - just kidding - I don't have time to learn that right now)...PSE7.0 is about $140.00 - and is not too difficult to learn, if you have the time to practice....
This was a back road that I was driving to the hockey game after work.
This is one of the towns I had to pass through to get to the hockey game. Let's see - 21 miles from work - Easton to West Bridgewater to East Bridgewater to Halifax to Pembroke...40 minutes later.
So I'm driving through Halifax on a back road and come up on this sign - you know that I stopped short (don't worry, no one was behind me), made an illegal u-turn and then another, parked on the side of the road and got out to take this photo....why? Because that is my mother's maiden name and my middle name - it's a cultural thing that Filipino do...I won't say all Filipino people do it but it's pretty common for your child to have a first and middle name followed by the mother's maiden name and father's surname (I think the tradition may hail from Spain - where I believe it is still commonly practiced). We can talk about Filipino history some other time....
Today, I have to study for the last test of the semester (I still have a final next week), the girls have skating practice and Dylan is playing in Providence, RI at the Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence Bruins ice - playing Whitman-Hanson today (I know who you're routing for Kimmie!!! Can you believe that we have to travel to all the way to Providence to play Whitman-Hanson? Whitman is the next town over from Brockton.)
Watch out world: Brockton Boxers Mites C's have hit the big ice....pictures of that soon!
I left my house early for work yesterday morning with the intention of checking out Target for potential Christmas gifts - when I got there, I figured out that the store did not open for another 30 minutes (I should have checked online for the hours before I left my house - but that would have made too much sense). These barriers are at the the end of the parking lot.
Right before the barriers is this stop sign....It was a color picture that I converted to black and white and then used an action called "color select" and then I vignetted...I have Photoshop Elements 6.0(Adobe came out with 7.0 this year - I'll pass for a year). You can get both these actions at EZActions.com. If you are really into post-shooting editing, I think Photoshop CS4 is the way to go - very expensive if you are just an enthusiast like me (makes a great Christmas gift - hint, hint - just kidding - I don't have time to learn that right now)...PSE7.0 is about $140.00 - and is not too difficult to learn, if you have the time to practice....
This was a back road that I was driving to the hockey game after work.
This is one of the towns I had to pass through to get to the hockey game. Let's see - 21 miles from work - Easton to West Bridgewater to East Bridgewater to Halifax to Pembroke...40 minutes later.
So I'm driving through Halifax on a back road and come up on this sign - you know that I stopped short (don't worry, no one was behind me), made an illegal u-turn and then another, parked on the side of the road and got out to take this photo....why? Because that is my mother's maiden name and my middle name - it's a cultural thing that Filipino do...I won't say all Filipino people do it but it's pretty common for your child to have a first and middle name followed by the mother's maiden name and father's surname (I think the tradition may hail from Spain - where I believe it is still commonly practiced). We can talk about Filipino history some other time....Today, I have to study for the last test of the semester (I still have a final next week), the girls have skating practice and Dylan is playing in Providence, RI at the Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence Bruins ice - playing Whitman-Hanson today (I know who you're routing for Kimmie!!! Can you believe that we have to travel to all the way to Providence to play Whitman-Hanson? Whitman is the next town over from Brockton.)
Watch out world: Brockton Boxers Mites C's have hit the big ice....pictures of that soon!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Bringing you....
Breaking news..... I figured out how to change my header. Those images on my header right now, are Inchies that I created for an Inchie Challenge. Yahoo!!!!
I'm so excited! We now return you to your regularly scheduled program!
I'm so excited! We now return you to your regularly scheduled program!
Monday, November 24, 2008
I'm losing my bloggability
I'm sorry that I haven't blogged in a week. Between being at work and school and being sick and hockey games/practices and deadlines and projects and such, I haven't been still long enough to blog. Although today, I'm home from work, still sick from last week. So here I am before the kids come home from school - able to blog.
Let's see, what have I done since I last blogged...I got a 91 on my last biology test. The next one is next week....I can't wait until we are done with this semester...next semester: Anatomy & Physiology 1. Much harder than Biological Principles.
I think I'm a full fledged hockey mom - I'm the fundraising coordinator for Brockton Youth Hockey (because I told myself a long time ago that when I had kids, I'd be involved...that was nice - for a minute). This week we had the Yankee Candle pickup - which without Adam, it would have for sure been a nightmare. And thanks to all the team reps who helped with making sure everyone got their stuff. And thanks to Lisa, who received the late orders at her home. And thanks to Mom, who volunteered to receive a bulk of the orders at her office.
Sadly, my inchie is no longer on the front page of Ellen Hutson's blog. But I did get other more exciting news - remember that online photography class I was trying to get into but sadly by minute 2 of registration got locked out of? It's The Photographer's Workshop by Karen Russell. I got lucky enough to get into January's session!!!! I'm beaming and excited and completely nuts over it!!! YAHOO!!!!
I finished my winter/Christmas inchies for a swap that I'm involved in (this one was pretty much a given because it is at my favorite scrapbook store in the world - Scrapbook Cupboard.)
I'd post the pictures here but I will have to wait until I swap out...
Pictures I've taken:
This is my 1 1/2 year old niece, EvaMarie - digging for magic nose goblins.
This is Dylan and Angel cropped out of a photo with all 11 of my in-laws' grandkids...yes - that dimple on Angel's face is real - we're not sure where she got that from - neither Adam nor I have dimples and supposedly, it's a dominant gene that codes for that trait...I love that dimple!
In last couple of weeks at learn to skate, Melody has graduated the crates...she'll get there...it will take much longer than the other two kids, but that's ok....
The above text depicts how Melody has been handling learn to skate.
Not only am I a hockey mom, I'm also a hockey auntie...this is my nephew, Andrew playing for the Boston College Jr. Eagles....he's a Squirt (1 level above Dylan's Mites)...but these kids were incredible....
Dylan - at the ready...
I'll pretty much do anything to get a shot - this is behind the goalie net while Dylan was goalie-ing for the learn to skate kids who are just about there learning to push the puck...yes I was on my ice skates, and yes, I went down on one knee and yes, I couldn't really get up.
Dylan at work....yes, I'm still on the ice with him...
While I was sick today, Adam made cookies and Melody snuck into the dough when he wasn't looking. Good job, Melody! She'll love this picture when she gets older.
I'm going back to bed - this head cold really has me in a vice...there are moments in the day when I feel better...dr. said take some decongestant, lots of fluids and rest...if only I knew how to rest...really no options...if I want to be better by Thanksgiving, I'm out for the count...will be able to blog a bit more this week...no school, Thanksgiving at home, no extra hockey practice. Finally, a breather...if only I wasn't so stuffy...or runny...cough cough...
Let's see, what have I done since I last blogged...I got a 91 on my last biology test. The next one is next week....I can't wait until we are done with this semester...next semester: Anatomy & Physiology 1. Much harder than Biological Principles.
I think I'm a full fledged hockey mom - I'm the fundraising coordinator for Brockton Youth Hockey (because I told myself a long time ago that when I had kids, I'd be involved...that was nice - for a minute). This week we had the Yankee Candle pickup - which without Adam, it would have for sure been a nightmare. And thanks to all the team reps who helped with making sure everyone got their stuff. And thanks to Lisa, who received the late orders at her home. And thanks to Mom, who volunteered to receive a bulk of the orders at her office.
Sadly, my inchie is no longer on the front page of Ellen Hutson's blog. But I did get other more exciting news - remember that online photography class I was trying to get into but sadly by minute 2 of registration got locked out of? It's The Photographer's Workshop by Karen Russell. I got lucky enough to get into January's session!!!! I'm beaming and excited and completely nuts over it!!! YAHOO!!!!
I finished my winter/Christmas inchies for a swap that I'm involved in (this one was pretty much a given because it is at my favorite scrapbook store in the world - Scrapbook Cupboard.)
I'd post the pictures here but I will have to wait until I swap out...
Pictures I've taken:
This is my 1 1/2 year old niece, EvaMarie - digging for magic nose goblins.
This is Dylan and Angel cropped out of a photo with all 11 of my in-laws' grandkids...yes - that dimple on Angel's face is real - we're not sure where she got that from - neither Adam nor I have dimples and supposedly, it's a dominant gene that codes for that trait...I love that dimple!
In last couple of weeks at learn to skate, Melody has graduated the crates...she'll get there...it will take much longer than the other two kids, but that's ok....
The above text depicts how Melody has been handling learn to skate.
Not only am I a hockey mom, I'm also a hockey auntie...this is my nephew, Andrew playing for the Boston College Jr. Eagles....he's a Squirt (1 level above Dylan's Mites)...but these kids were incredible....
Dylan - at the ready...
I'll pretty much do anything to get a shot - this is behind the goalie net while Dylan was goalie-ing for the learn to skate kids who are just about there learning to push the puck...yes I was on my ice skates, and yes, I went down on one knee and yes, I couldn't really get up.
Dylan at work....yes, I'm still on the ice with him...
While I was sick today, Adam made cookies and Melody snuck into the dough when he wasn't looking. Good job, Melody! She'll love this picture when she gets older.I'm going back to bed - this head cold really has me in a vice...there are moments in the day when I feel better...dr. said take some decongestant, lots of fluids and rest...if only I knew how to rest...really no options...if I want to be better by Thanksgiving, I'm out for the count...will be able to blog a bit more this week...no school, Thanksgiving at home, no extra hockey practice. Finally, a breather...if only I wasn't so stuffy...or runny...cough cough...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
HOW COOL!!!!
My snarky friend Susan (who is no longer snarky, thank goodness) got me into making Inchies... scrapping at a whole new miniature level. All inchies are traditionally 1x1 inch squares.... anyway, long story short, Susan encouraged me to post to an online contest....so I did - it was the "rustic" inchie challenge on Inchie INKlings. Much to my surprise, when I went to check if they posted my inchies up, I found my inchie on the front page of this website under INKling challenges!!! That's pretty cool!
Ellen Hutson is an awesome artist - I'm not sure if she is the pioneer of the inchie craze but she sure influenced Susan to become an Inchie addict. She then sucked me in....I'm very good at getting sucked in...I have a smaller collection of inchies than Susan does - I have about 90 or so - we joined a few swaps (one online, which I may not do again because I think I like knowing my swappers better than swapping with strangers). We're in another one at the beginning of December. I'll post photos of my inchies another time.
My friend, Booger keeps asking me how do I do it? How do I fit it all in? I'm not sure...I think I force things to fit in...like how do I juggle work and kids and home and school and Hockey board and scrapping and hanging out...Again, I'm not sure - I think all these things are important enough for me to make time. I don't go to movies, I don't roam the mall, I don't sit at bars, I am just always doing something. I DVR everything so that I don't miss anything on tv. I make lists and cross things off. I try to focus on one thing at a time so that I don't muck anything up too much. I also let things go - like having perfectly shiny kitchen floors or completely manicured grass or blogging everyday. I accept quite a few things that may not be ok with some...like waking up early everyday - even on my days off to do things like go to hockey games, or scrap with my friends.
I don't know - maybe I just covet a 30 hour day and pretend like I do and go about it that way.
Spending time with the fam doesn't mean a whole day...what counts is how you spend the time you have - took this picture of my 2 nieces and a nephew while walking from my car to mom's house:
I am the master of doing more than one thing at the same time. This is how I spend my energy. I'm not sure I know how to do it any other way.
I do have quite a bit to do tonight...so off I go - more pictures next time....
Ellen Hutson is an awesome artist - I'm not sure if she is the pioneer of the inchie craze but she sure influenced Susan to become an Inchie addict. She then sucked me in....I'm very good at getting sucked in...I have a smaller collection of inchies than Susan does - I have about 90 or so - we joined a few swaps (one online, which I may not do again because I think I like knowing my swappers better than swapping with strangers). We're in another one at the beginning of December. I'll post photos of my inchies another time.
My friend, Booger keeps asking me how do I do it? How do I fit it all in? I'm not sure...I think I force things to fit in...like how do I juggle work and kids and home and school and Hockey board and scrapping and hanging out...Again, I'm not sure - I think all these things are important enough for me to make time. I don't go to movies, I don't roam the mall, I don't sit at bars, I am just always doing something. I DVR everything so that I don't miss anything on tv. I make lists and cross things off. I try to focus on one thing at a time so that I don't muck anything up too much. I also let things go - like having perfectly shiny kitchen floors or completely manicured grass or blogging everyday. I accept quite a few things that may not be ok with some...like waking up early everyday - even on my days off to do things like go to hockey games, or scrap with my friends.
I don't know - maybe I just covet a 30 hour day and pretend like I do and go about it that way.
Spending time with the fam doesn't mean a whole day...what counts is how you spend the time you have - took this picture of my 2 nieces and a nephew while walking from my car to mom's house:
I am the master of doing more than one thing at the same time. This is how I spend my energy. I'm not sure I know how to do it any other way.I do have quite a bit to do tonight...so off I go - more pictures next time....
Monday, November 10, 2008
A few days off
I had a few days off this weekend - WooHoo!!!!! So what did I do?
On Saturday am, I took a card making blitz class at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, MA.
10 cards in 3 hours (no glittering - but I need to put some on to some cards)...then we went to the Burlington Mall to have lunch at Chick-Fil-A...where my snarky (my new favorite word) friend Susan nearly took my head off because it was at the mall and she hates the mall....thanks for going Su, I love Chick-Fil-A, but now not nearly as much as I did before the mall with you. =)
We then headed over to Ink About It in Westford, MA...when my snarky friend Kristin had had enough of driving. (I drove her SUV home) Thanks for driving - next time I drive...unless of course, Snark-a-riffic Susan has anything else to say about my driving...whatever Susan...
Dylan had a hockey game at 7am on Sunday morning: they won - 5-1. He played left wing (which is what he plays when he isn't the goalie....he scored a goal. I don't have a photo of that because I was too busy cheering at the glass!!! But I did get these:
I think I love the 7am game - playing with the early morning light coming through the windows. This game was against Westwood 1 - we hadn't faced them this season yet - we were on home ice at Brockton High School. Dylan is #2 (lots of butt shots in ice hockey).
Took a shot of the score board - in case we don't have a good a game as this one was anytime soon.
Sunday night, I made it to the Scrapbook Cupboard - my friend Kimmie organized a short crop to make cards for our friend, Dana, whose husband has been going through major health issues. We're praying for you both, Dana - keep strong and take it one day at a time.
Today, I called up Snarky Susan (who wasn't snarky anymore) to find out if she wanted to hang out on our day off. I still had kids to pick up from school and grocery shopping to be done but she still decided to hang (yippy!) After we picked up Melody, we decided to take a trip out to Foxboro and visit Patriot Place (next to Gillette Stadium, where the NE Patriots play).
Susan treated us to lunch at Red Robin (highly recommend their burgers) and then to dessert at the Baskin Robbins Cafe. (THANKS SUSAN!!!!) I think it had something to do with the fact that Melody found the penguin cup that Susan lent to me one day (we both think Melody conspired with CocoaPuff - our fuzzy cat with seasonal allergies). Apparently, it was her favorite portable hot cocoa cup....from Starbucks Coffee.
Now, I grew up on Baskin Robbins but it was nothing like this place - there were crazy desserts. We were the only one in the place and Melody loved the moving projection of the BR logo...funny. Susan ordered us the ice cream fondue - which came with brownies, angel food cake, strawberries, bananas, and little tiny scoops of ice cream to be dipped in the cup of their hot fudge. We had fondue forks which Melody was intrigued with because they were long and only had 2 prongs. I didn't bring my camera but thankfully, Susan had her camera phone and took then sent these to me:
In the second photo, you can see my hand holding the fondue fork to save Melody's eye from impalement and my hand from two prong holes. I think Melody likes Susan better than me - she looked at her and smiled nicely....not like she did for me this afternoon:
Nice gums Melody - brush your teeth better baby!
The highlights are natural - I wish I had those.
This was Melody's supermodel pucker - you're too cute, Mel!
And then Angel took my camera and shot this photo of me...
Ok, no more camera for you Angel - that shadow of my face is not a reflection but rather that she moved because we didn't put the flash on and it was too dark for a short shutter speed....I'm a little scary looking there. All that being said, she followed the rule of thirds, got the ctchlight in my eyes from the reflection of light from a window in front of me, got a decent exposure in a low light situation and didn't worry about cutting off the top of my head or the bottom of my face - nice photo baby!!!!
Tomorrow is Veterans' Day - thank you to all the men and women out there tonight who fight for my freedom everyday and to those who have done it in the past - while it is usually a holiday at work (I get all the government ones because of the banking industry), we are testing new stuff at work - so I am going in for a few hours. Hopefully, not too long so that I can come home and study for a test on Wednesday - School is almost over - less than one month to go....then we get 4 weeks off until next semester begins....I have so much to do before that - better get crackin'....
On Saturday am, I took a card making blitz class at Absolutely Everything in Topsfield, MA.
10 cards in 3 hours (no glittering - but I need to put some on to some cards)...then we went to the Burlington Mall to have lunch at Chick-Fil-A...where my snarky (my new favorite word) friend Susan nearly took my head off because it was at the mall and she hates the mall....thanks for going Su, I love Chick-Fil-A, but now not nearly as much as I did before the mall with you. =)
We then headed over to Ink About It in Westford, MA...when my snarky friend Kristin had had enough of driving. (I drove her SUV home) Thanks for driving - next time I drive...unless of course, Snark-a-riffic Susan has anything else to say about my driving...whatever Susan...
Dylan had a hockey game at 7am on Sunday morning: they won - 5-1. He played left wing (which is what he plays when he isn't the goalie....he scored a goal. I don't have a photo of that because I was too busy cheering at the glass!!! But I did get these:
I think I love the 7am game - playing with the early morning light coming through the windows. This game was against Westwood 1 - we hadn't faced them this season yet - we were on home ice at Brockton High School. Dylan is #2 (lots of butt shots in ice hockey).
Took a shot of the score board - in case we don't have a good a game as this one was anytime soon.Sunday night, I made it to the Scrapbook Cupboard - my friend Kimmie organized a short crop to make cards for our friend, Dana, whose husband has been going through major health issues. We're praying for you both, Dana - keep strong and take it one day at a time.
Today, I called up Snarky Susan (who wasn't snarky anymore) to find out if she wanted to hang out on our day off. I still had kids to pick up from school and grocery shopping to be done but she still decided to hang (yippy!) After we picked up Melody, we decided to take a trip out to Foxboro and visit Patriot Place (next to Gillette Stadium, where the NE Patriots play).
Susan treated us to lunch at Red Robin (highly recommend their burgers) and then to dessert at the Baskin Robbins Cafe. (THANKS SUSAN!!!!) I think it had something to do with the fact that Melody found the penguin cup that Susan lent to me one day (we both think Melody conspired with CocoaPuff - our fuzzy cat with seasonal allergies). Apparently, it was her favorite portable hot cocoa cup....from Starbucks Coffee.
Now, I grew up on Baskin Robbins but it was nothing like this place - there were crazy desserts. We were the only one in the place and Melody loved the moving projection of the BR logo...funny. Susan ordered us the ice cream fondue - which came with brownies, angel food cake, strawberries, bananas, and little tiny scoops of ice cream to be dipped in the cup of their hot fudge. We had fondue forks which Melody was intrigued with because they were long and only had 2 prongs. I didn't bring my camera but thankfully, Susan had her camera phone and took then sent these to me:
In the second photo, you can see my hand holding the fondue fork to save Melody's eye from impalement and my hand from two prong holes. I think Melody likes Susan better than me - she looked at her and smiled nicely....not like she did for me this afternoon:
Nice gums Melody - brush your teeth better baby!
The highlights are natural - I wish I had those.
This was Melody's supermodel pucker - you're too cute, Mel!And then Angel took my camera and shot this photo of me...
Ok, no more camera for you Angel - that shadow of my face is not a reflection but rather that she moved because we didn't put the flash on and it was too dark for a short shutter speed....I'm a little scary looking there. All that being said, she followed the rule of thirds, got the ctchlight in my eyes from the reflection of light from a window in front of me, got a decent exposure in a low light situation and didn't worry about cutting off the top of my head or the bottom of my face - nice photo baby!!!!Tomorrow is Veterans' Day - thank you to all the men and women out there tonight who fight for my freedom everyday and to those who have done it in the past - while it is usually a holiday at work (I get all the government ones because of the banking industry), we are testing new stuff at work - so I am going in for a few hours. Hopefully, not too long so that I can come home and study for a test on Wednesday - School is almost over - less than one month to go....then we get 4 weeks off until next semester begins....I have so much to do before that - better get crackin'....
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