Start your day off right

This morning as I was heading into work just a few moments ago I was listening to Sirius satellite radio as I almost always do on my 45 minute drive from home to work. I had steered away from my usual morning talk show (Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio) and had flipped over to the pop station that I usually listen to in the afternoon. That channel has been playing a rash of really bad songs: New Kids on the Block, Hanson, and Milli Vanilli to name a few...oh and this horrible song by Gnarls Barkley called Crazy! It follows me everywhere I go...it's driving me crazy!!

But every once in a while one of those bad songs comes on and you forget for a moment that it really is a bad song. Today that song was The Macarena. I was actually excited to hear this song and began car-dancing to the music while I sat in traffic lights. Car-dancing always embarasses my husband, but it was just what I needed today to get my blood flowing and to put a smile on my face. While listening to the song I thought of days past when I watched my Dad do the Macarena in the middle of a tour bus aisle with a group of high school girls in the 16th hour of a 20 hour bus trip from Belgium to Italy. If that image doesn't make you smile, nothing will!

So that's my story for this morning. The moral is to enjoy car dancing because you may make someone laugh! And at least I don't video myself doing it!

Remembering Grandpa

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my grandfather's death. I have been very reflective today, remembering what a funny and interesting man my grandfather was. He was a plumber by trade, an honorary firefighter, a WWII veteran. I watched him care many years for his dying wife with fierce love. After her death in 1991 he spent over 10 years volunteering at the Senior Citizen center, playing cards, helping friends, and watching my youngest cousins after school. When he got sick with lung cancer he went to live with my mom's sister, but maintained his house and always dreamed of returning there one day. On the day before his death he asked my family for someone to drive him to my wedding. Sadly, he didn't make it there in person, although I know in my heart that both he and my grandmother were both there in the front row.

When I came to college I spent many weekends in Pittsburgh with Grandpa. We would go to Kings Restaurant at the end of Presque Isle Drive every Saturday morning for breakfast. I would try to cook him a "real" meal every trip. He would watch John Wayne movies and swear he had never seen them before, then quote many passage in the movie! When Patrick and I started dating he opened his heart and let Patrick in. I think he was very fond of my husband and was happy when we announced our engagement. He loved to teach Patrick about electrical and plumbing jobs and would tell stories for hours about the past.

It always amazed me that Grandpa continued to live in the same house that my grandmother passed away in. He was strong. He was bull headed. Sometimes he was so stubborn you just wanted to throw up your hands and walk away. But he loved his family. He was loyal. He would do anything for his friends. Although I was much closer to my grandmother, Grandpa will always hold a very special place in my heart.

I miss him immensly. In our last trip to Pittsburgh we drove past his familiar green house. Sure things have changed, and it was on the market again, but it mostly looked the same. On Monday Patrick and I sold Grandpa's Jeep. I had been driving the Jeep since February of 2003 and it still smelled like Grandpa, even on the day we sold it. Even though the sale was a huge answer to prayers, I was sad to see it go. It was as if the Jeep was my last remaining connection to Grandpa. And now it is gone.

Today is a sad day, but Grandpa wouldn't want me to be sad. I am remembering his silly smile, the way he would talk about his life, and the picture in my mind of him rocking in his chair with his ball cap perched on his head, watching TV, with his tray table next to the chair, eating a "samich".

Grandpa, I miss you lots. I know you are in Heaven with your wife, and I can't wait to see you there one day.

Cousins

Over the weekend we had a "mini" family reunion with Patrick's family. Patrick's parents, grandparents, and his sister and her family all came to Webster Springs to spend some time together. It was wonderful to get to see everyone. Morgan and Julia were so fun to watch. Now that they are both mobile they played together, "talked" to each other, and were total entertainment for the adults!

Below are some pictures of the girls from the weekend. Morgan is almost 14 months, Julia is almost 11 months.

Aunts and Nieces

Aunt Jennifer and Julia

Aunt Amy and Morgan

Bailey's Weekend

This pretty much sums up what Bailey did this weekend. What a LAZY dog!

Gratuitous Weekend Pictures

What happens when you turn your back for 20 seconds




Morgan at BareFoot Landing (in the mall)




Future Fighter Pilot (just like Grandpa)




Begging for cheese

Up Close and Personal

When it's too quiet you know someone's up to no good...

Today while I was in the living room attempting to account for a missing ball popper ball and remove an Easter egg from said popper (Morgan LOVES to put things down the hole), I noticed that it was quiet. Too quiet. You know that feeling....when there is not a sound in the house even though your child(ren) are home. And you just have that "OH NO" feeling in your stomach as you realize you haven't heard any sounds for a few minutes.



So I went on the hunt to find Morgan. Thankfully our house is fairly small and there were few places she could be. I found her in our entrance room/mud room which we refer to as Bailey's room because that is where her cage and food/water are. When I walked around the corner I found my daughter dipping a wash rag (that she got off the edge of the tub from her bath the night before) IN the dog's water dish and then sucking the water out of the rag!!!



Naturally I let out this "Just what do you think you are doing" half yell half laugh. Morgan and Bailey both jumped about 5 feet in the air. I wish I would have had my video camera because it was cute, even if it was gross. Morgan had stretched water across the entire length of the room. I guess she felt that I needed to mop the floor!