Love Is What It's All About

Well, here we  are again!  It's Sunday again already son.  Where do these weeks go? Since the day I retired time has been flying by.  It seems as though I just put my feet over the bedside on Monday morning and the next thing I know it's Sunday morning again. The days and weeks are good. We are on the go in one way or another every minute of the day. If I don't start making notes during the week I know I will forget half of what I want to tell you.  I love Sunday's and these conversations with you. I spent some time this week looking through some of your blogs.  It's great to see someone send you a note on Facebook ever so often. As I've been organizing the studio I come across dozens of pictures of you and it makes me smile every time I see your face.  You brought so much joy to my life.  And you know of course that when I say "my" I mean dad too.  We two became one many years ago. It use to tickle me when you'd say "Now I'm going to tell you something, but you can't tell dad."  Was it that you really didn't understand that dad and I told each other everything, or, was that your way of telling dad something that you really wanted him to know and hear? I kinda think it was the later and I'll bet you're laughing your head off right now so stop it!

Your cousin Renee is here this weekend.  It has been great to see her and visit with her. We all went last night to the Cohoes Music Hall to see Sierra in the production of Les Miserables School Edition.  She was fabulous!  Sierra not only shares your acting ability but your great voice as well.  She sings beautifully, as you know.  This was a group of 32 high school people and three elementary children.  They did a beautiful job.  The theater is beautiful.  I wish you could be here to see it, you would have loved sharing the experience with her.  Of course as I sat there I remembered the last time I saw the production.  It was at Springfield High School and you were in the production. As always, you were amazing and had a great talent. My mind can't help to go to the question during times like these.  I can't help ask the question, "Why God?".  Yes, I know He doesn't owe me any explanation, and I know I'm not going to get an answer. But why on earth would He give you all the amazing talent  He gave you in drama, improv, music, writing and speaking and then take it all away. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.  Stop questioning mom!  We humans, as you know, always have the questions, even when we already know the answer.  That's part of our makeup.  Dad and I always let you question and ask why...respectfully of course.  Or at least that was our intention and I hope we did. We believe it allowed you to have an opinion and the ability to think and reason yourself.  Sometimes you and dad had quite the "reasoning" sessions as I recall.  I guess what I'm saying is, I love you and I miss you.  But you already know that.  You're in heaven for crying out loud!

Friday, we had a "girls" lunch, minus Josie who decided that would be boring and she wanted to stay and play with uncle. We went to the Cheesecake Factory in Colonie Center.  Oh my! We had a 45 minute wait but it was worth every bite!  I had

SkinnyLicious™ Turkey & Bacon; Avocado Sandwich

Freshly Roasted Turkey Breast, Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Tomato and Mayonnaise on a Toasted Bun. Served with a Green Salad

and

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

World Famous! Available From October through the Holidays.

We each ate more calories in our dessert than we normally consume in a day!

And we have a winner!

BUT, any-hoo, during our 45 minute wait I got acquainted with the Christmas Store   Oh son!  You cannot imagine this store in your wildest dreams.  Well, maybe YOU can. Do you still dream in heaven? Sorry, sidetrack for a minute. I mean this is like being in the world of all world stores for Christmas!  They did manage to incorporate one half isle to Hanukkah which Corey was very much able to get into. I can't wait to go back.

I want to make sure to get your dad there too.  It will have to be early in a day during the week and it's going to have to be soon.  You know dad and crowds.  It will be a big enough challenge to get him to a mall, let alone a Christmas store this time of year.  I want to take him when we can just take our time and look.  I don't want him crowded where he feels uncomfortable. We can just hold hands and stroll and ooh and ah. Won't that be fun?  Wish you were here. It was a wonderful time to laugh so hard we cried over the most innocuous things; Sierra, Renee, Corey &me.   Thank you son.

Last week dad helped me finish the studio project.  At least the part he could.  I still have some "clean up" to finish. My work area is piled high but I'll get that finished in the next couple of days.  It took us all week to get things put back in order, the house dusted and the floors done.  It's a good thing that all of this was happening during Halloween cause there were enough cob webs it just looked natural!  I promised dad no more projects until after the holidays.  I hope he doesn't remember that Christmas is a project in and of itself.  I have worked it out though so that we can bring all the Christmas bins upstairs and leave them until after the holidays when we put things away.  I didn't want to have to make a dozen trips up and down the basement stairs with all those bins.  He was happy to hear that.  As always, it's November and dad is wanting to begin the decorating.  As always, he says, "I'm not putting up any lights or decorations outside this year!"  How many years have we heard him say that and how many years has he ended up decorating outside?  Right, every year.  I'm sure this year isn't going to be any different.

Even the lions don't mess with Josie!

So, let me update you a little.  Last weekend Jon and Corey took Josie and went to NYC for the weekend. All the other kids were occupied elsewhere and it was a good get away weekend. We would just as soon have kept Josie but they love taking her and spending time with her.  She is quite the fun magnet.  Anyway, at one point during their trip Josie decided she was going to change her outfit as they were getting ready to leave the hotel for an outing.  Now in case you don't remember, Josie can go through more outfits in a day than Target has on their shelves!  She is the outfit queen! The first thing she does when she gets home each day is to change into one of her "dress up" outfits; princess, Wonder Woman, you get the idea.  Well anyway, they waited while she changed.  As she got to the door she decided the outfit wasn't quite right so wanted to change again.  And then again she wanted to change her pants because as everyone knows, Josie does not like to wear pants!  Finally Jon told her this was the last change.  Pick an outfit and that was it.  Well, since she knew this was the last change she couldn't make up her mind. Jon finally made the decision for her and that's when it began.  Oh my, the wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Now as you know, Josie is very much an a-typical three and a half year old.  She is well behaved, they can take her anywhere, and do.  If she starts whining you simply say, "please say it without whining" and she corrects herself.  She has a super soft heart and if she things she's hurt someone's feelings it bring her to tears.  Very seldom do you see Josie, or any of the kids for that matter, "throw a fit" so to speak.  But my oh my, was this day different.  So much so that it took Jon and Corey completely by surprise and they just stood there watching her in amazement looking at each other. Wish I could have been there.  Not to see Josie. To see the two of them dumb-founded!  You've seen parents walking along the street or in a store with the kid crying and throwing a fit and the parents walking along holding their hand, talking and acting like nothing else was going on.  Well, this was Jon and Corey walking along the streets of NY talking and enjoying the sights with a screaming Josie yelling, "I don't wear pants!  I hate pants! I wear dresses and leggings! I don't wear pants!".  She wore pants that day!

The following week was parent-teacher conference for Josie.  As Corey entered the school she saw Josie's teacher laughing and talking with another teacher down the hall.  As she approached she heard Josie's name mentioned. When the teachers saw Corey their laughing increased. Being the curious mother that Corey is....and the "mother bear" that she is I'm sure the hair on the back of her neck was beginning to rise. She soon was beyond herself with laughter. Evidently the day before, the day following her "you will wear these pants today" day, Josie had come to school, undid her coat, put it in her cubby and there she stood in only her tights and a t-shirt.  When the teacher asked her where her pants were she replied, completely straight faced, "I don't wear pants!".  Now you can think whatever you want, but I think this was an "I gotcha Mom and Dad!".  The teacher explained to her that she needed to have more on than just tights and a t-shirt at school.  She had a pair of pants in her cubby for emergencies but this wasn't an emergency to Josie so she ended up wearing a tutu all day until time to go home when she removed the tutu, put on her coat and headed home and to her dress-up closet.

Chicken Update:  The roosters, which were shipped as chickens, are crowing! Number one, it's pretty scary that someone doesn't know the difference between a rooster and a chicken.  How exactly would you know the difference between a chicken and a rooster when they're only a month old?  Don't answer that.  It's bad enough that Corey knows how chickens mate and describes it! Secondly...poor neighbors!  Sometimes being.9 miles away from the chickens has it's own rewards! They haven't started laying eggs yet but if they don't pretty soon.....It might be most cost effective to "stew them up" than to continue to feed and house them.  Not only is their water going to have to be heated, someone is going to have to tromp through snow to gather eggs, make sure they have plenty of heated water, clean out the coop, make sure they have plenty of clean shavings and plenty of light.  Someone is going to have a very busy winter for those eggs that are hopefully going to show up before they've eaten their weight in gold.

You and Dad (my favorite picture)

Dad is going to make his (and yours, although it was his recipe...lol) award winning chili today...if I ever get the beans cooked.  They won't take long though 'cause I soaked them all night.  He wants to get it ready for dinner Tuesday night for the kids.  It always tastes better after a couple of days.  It gives the spices a chance to really be absorbed into the beans and ground beef.  I'll make some cornbread and dinner is a go. Wednesday nights we've started a new tradition.  It's one of the late nights for everyone and a very busy day.  Dad and I pick Josh up at Hebrew School and go back to the house.  I get the biscuits in the oven, Corey gets home and starts the bacon and poached eggs and we all have breakfast for dinner.  Throw in a cup of Corey's famous hot Chai tea and it's a perfect evening.  Thank you son.

I know there is so much more I want to tell you. Things that happened this last week that I have evidently lost track of.  Like I said earlier, I'd better start keeping notes or you're going to miss all the fun. I miss you son.  I know God has a greater purpose but I still miss you. You never understood how proud dad and I were of you.  Maybe you can see that now.  All you ever had to be was Aaron.


Love, mom