Life - we all grow up, huh

A Family Day At The Orchard

2008-10-12T06:34:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we spent part of the day at the Russell Orchard with my family. It was wonderful to spend the time with my dad, stepmom, little brother (who is now driving I must add), hubby and little boy - all together in a place that I went to with my dad as a child.

First we looked through the pumpkins, then we walked around the animals to find the largest pig on the planet, then we took a hayride around the apple orchard and lastly we ventured through the house of food.

The weather was perfect and the day was one I'll cherish.

It is worthy of noting that it is nearly impossible to capture Cameron on "film" these days... 2 year olds aren't nearly as good of subjects as they are when they're younger.

Pumpkins

(note the child not willing to stand still for a millisecond)

Time to chase the geese (literally chased them into the water and around the land yelling "squak squak" - it was a riot, I wish I had it on film)

Too cute - my dad and Cameron looking at the largest pig on the planet

"BAAAAAAAH"

We thought this was fitting (again: note the child not willing to stand still for a millisecond)

Time for a ride

Hay ride - all aboard!

"APPLES APPLES APPLES" he is aggresively pointing out during our hay ride through the apple orchard

"Ah, this is the life"

Time to help myself to the fare

Running around the decorations my dad put out just for him yellling "HALWEEN HALWEEN"

"Yeah, it was a fun, busy day, so what. So what it is 71 degrees out and I have on my new winter hat. So what. Now I see you..."

"Now I don't"

Cameron turned TWO!

2008-10-05T17:31:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is true... my little boy turned the big TWO yesterday. We had his birthday party at home (hosted about 30 people) and it was a great success, from the weather to the food and dessert then to the bouncy, all great!

My big little boy

Moonwalk "bouncy" time!

A Tubbie & The Zoo

2008-09-09T11:38:00.002-05:00

When we got home from Vegas I just couldn't get enough of my little cutie pie... so we had a tubbie photo shoot and went to The Stone Zoo.

My little baby is going to be TWO years old in less than a month?!?!

Tubbie Time!

The Stone Zoo

Before we hit the highway after the zoo...

Vegas Baby!

2008-09-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

Craig and I had a wonderful Vegas vacation last week (8/31-9/3).

We stayed at the Venetian, played a lot of poker (primarily at Venetian, but also at Planet Hollywood and Wynn [where I had my best session]), saw Blue Man Group, relaxed, and also had massages.

I missed my little Scooter Magooter dearly, though if someone would have brought him to us I don't think we would have come home!

Our room

Bellagio

Cameron's 2nd Birthday Party - invites

2008-08-27T07:39:00.001-05:00

So what do you think?

I couldn't decide which picture I liked best, so I ordered some of both!

Freaked Out!

2008-07-30T06:29:00.003-05:00

So as I'm driving home from work on Rt 3 I realize that traffic is so unusually backed up that I'm going to have to get off and take backroads. I've never had to do so at such a point before, so I knew something was up.

As I'm getting off Rt 3 I get a call from my hubby (who I believed to be in a work meeting). "I'm so freaked out right now" he says. "I was driving on Rt 3 and this guy pulled up to my car, started yelling at me, side-swiped me, and then he proceeded to lose control of his car and flipped over in the ditch in the middle of the highway."

Holy crap. I realize that is what was the backup on Rt 3 (though clearly that is the important part).

"The guy was nuts. I didn't know he was even next to me until I realized he was side-swiping me. Then he lost control and just flipped over." he goes on to say. From what he gathered the man was pissed that he didn't let him in while trying to merge onto the highway, and road-raged to infinity and beyond almost instantly.

So the police come, take his statement and get his info, and tell him that they'll send this man's info in the mail. The man was able to get out of his car and was taken to the hospital to be checked out. He was bloody, but was able to walk and otherwise appeared to be fine.

Hubby stayed on the other side of the highway. He was unsure of this man's stability (clearly not very much if he'd do this), so he wanted to keep his distance. Hubby is physically ok, but is completely freaked out.

We're both concerned about this man getting his information, including our address, etc. since he is a nutbag. I'm honestly TOTALLY worried this man will come to our house and harm either hubby, or in some indirect way, little Scooter Magooter, by doing something crazy. You never know how truly crazy someone is, and arm them with our info and I feel completely helpless and defenseless. Thank goodness hubby is ok (physically). He is quite shaken up.

The only damage to our car was:

My new hairdid!

2008-07-16T06:38:00.006-05:00

So I've finally tried a completely different hair style and took 8 inches off the back.

WOW!

I love it!

Here it is:

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-09T08:28:00.007-05:00

Happy 4th of July to all!

July 3rd

Gloucester has this strange tradition of celebrating the 4th of July on the 3rd?!?! With that, I decided to take Thursday, July 3rd off from work and to spend the day with Cameron up in Gloucester visiting family. Daddy had to work, so Cameron and I were flying solo. We had a lovely time. We spent a while up Nana B’s pool swimming and splashing with cousin Bella and Kerri, Nana Lisa, uncle Ricky, Papa Rick, “Titi” Rhonda, and many others.

After Cameron’s nice nap we headed over to Aunty Cindy’s and Uncle Pope’s BBQ. We had a great time and yummy meal there, and Cameron was excited to see Grampy, Nonna, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Shawn, and Vita.

Afterwards, we headed off to watch the parade with Grampy, Nonna and Uncle Bobby. Cousin Bella, Kerri, Tony, Cindy, Pope, and Jen also watched the parade with us. Cameron loved the parade, though it was cut short due to a rainstorm that came through about 15-20 minutes after the parade reached us. This was Cameron’s first time in a year that he missed his bedtime, and boy did he miss it. His current bedtime is 6:30pm, but we didn’t even leave Gloucester until 8:30pm. He passed out in the car halfway home, and went straight to bed when we got in at 9:30pm. He slept through the night (unlike the last time he missed his bedtime a year ago, he was up every hour on the hour that time, and at the time we decided it wasn’t worth missing his bedtime if that was the result) and woke up a little smidge later than he normally does. As a side note: I don’t think Cameron has ever slept in to 7am, him sleeping in until 6:30am is a big treat in our house.

July 4th

On the morning of July 4th we took Cameron to the Franklin Park Zoo. We had such a great time, and Cameron loved every minute of it (ok, well he didn’t love the minutes immediately following having to get off the carousel, but what kid does?). We spent a few solid hours there and were all pooped by the time we got to the car. Cameron passed out in the car before we even hit the highway, and took a nice long nap when we got home. After Cameron’s nap we headed over to Nana and Papa’s house for their holiday BBQ. We hung out there for a bit before crashing at home for the evening.

Remainder of the weekend

The remainder of our long holiday weekend was fairly uneventful. Craig went golfing Saturday morning so I took Cameron to the mall. We both got a few new things before heading home to lounge. Throw a little poker in Saturday evening and out to breakfast Sunday morning and that was our weekend.

2008 Summer Goals

2008-06-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

Joy and Erin and Marianne and probably everybody else and their shadow posted their 2008 summer goals, so I thought I would too.

Lose at least 5 pounds, which will get me to my first major weight loss goal since being pregnant.
Work on my attitude/outlook on all things that stress me out unnecessarily.
Learn to effectively cope with Cameron’s frequent tantrums.
Heck, figure a way to minimize Cameron’s tantrums!
Remember to appreciate all the good things I’m fortunate to have… for I often get lost in the little, unimportant things.
Identify the cause of my vertigo/dizziness/strangeness.
Reconnect with my hubby.
Bring Cameron to the pool at least a few times, and to the beach at least once.

Niagara Falls - May 2008

2008-05-20T07:31:00.008-05:00

Last week Craig and I spent a few days up on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. We desperately needed some quality bonding and relaxation time, just the two of us sans responsibility. Of course we missed our little bebe, Mr. Scooty Magooty, but sometimes a mummy and daddy just need some downtime (ok, so yes, I may still feel a slight bit of guilt about leaving him).

We left at 8am Sunday morning, which was Mother’s Day. Cameron headed off to breakfast with Nana, Papa, Aunty Pam and Aunty Kim and we headed off on our 7-hour road trip across the states of Massachusetts and New York (both quite boring states I must add). Though I will admit the drive didn’t feel nearly as long as I expected, having split the driving in half between Craig and myself. We drove 80mph and only stopped once for 10 minutes to grab lunch (we ate it in the car while driving)… we were on a mission. No stopping. Must get to Canada. Pronto, eh.

When we arrived in Niagara Falls we checked into our hotel (Sheraton Fallsview), dropped off our bags and pretty much instantly headed to the casino, Fallsview Casino. We both played $2-$5 NL Hold’Em and after 4 hours of play we were both up. We were exhausted, a 7-hour drive followed by a 4-hour poker session will do that to you, so we crashed back in the hotel for the night.

Monday morning we had breakfast in our hotel’s restaurant overlooking the falls. I forgot to mention, the view from our hotel room was incredible (see pics below). The room itself was a typical hotel room, and most importantly it was clean (I would be so grossed out if it wasn’t). It wasn’t quite like some rooms we’ve stayed in while in Vegas (ah, Bellagio and Venetian’s Venezia Suite, so lovely), but for what we wanted and what we were willing to spend I was very happy.

Monday started out a wet, cool day so we did The Journey Behind the Falls (where you get to go down behind the falls) since we knew we’d get wet anyway and did a bit of walking along the falls park area. As the day went on the weather improved. We headed off to the small town of Niagara on the Lake by late morning. A few people recommended it so we wanted to check it out. It was a little street of shops and restaurants, nothing impressive by any stretch. I think I’m spoiled, because Rockport is about a million times better than this place. We had lunch there and then headed back. On our way back we stopped off at a few of the scenic pull off stops to take a look at the river, the dam, and the whirlpool area. We spent the evening back on the poker tables. My night ended by flopping a set of nines to someone’s straight (playing K-10), after they called my $30 pre-flop raise. Yuck. I couldn’t stop thinking about that hand… it took me about 5 times as long to fall asleep because of it. There was so much money in the pot already (there were a few other callers pre-flop and I lead out with a $75 bet) could I have really gotten away from it? This is where I’d love to have Daniel as a mentor, to tell me the right play on these important decisions. This hand still eats at me.

Tuesday was a beautiful day. Sunny and mid 60s, what could be better? We went to breakfast at Perkins, which was good I must say. Eggs cooked perfectly, delicious shredded homefries and buttered white toast (I haven’t had white bread in forever). Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day by far, and after going two nights in a row without any dinner (yes, we’re complete degenerates that won’t leave the poker table to eat dinner) this breakfast tasted like a what having a million bucks must feel like - awesome.

After breakfast we headed down to the Maid of the Mist. By this point we had done a TON of walking. My feet were sore, had calloused bottoms and could have totally used a good taxi ride though we trekked on. The Maid of the Mist was great. We got soaked as we rode up to the falls, it was incredible to see the force and hear the sounds of the all that water coming down. Just before we made it to the Maid of the Mist our old digital camera officially crapped the bed. There were these beautiful tulips I wanted to get a picture next to and the camera had other ideas, such as NOT WORKING. Ah well. I didn’t want to carry along the nice new camera everywhere, and couldn’t even contemplate bringing it on the Maid of the Mist (holy wetness batman) so we were without camera for the actual Maid of the Mist boat ride. If you go to Niagara Falls it is a must do, just take my word for it.

After Maid of the Mist we needed some lunch. We couldn’t decide but ended up in Casino Niagara. It was between their café and their buffet. We were tired, hungry and next to their buffet so we went there. It was good, especially for a buffet. We both ate a lot and then headed back to the hotel to chill for a bit.

Next stop, go-carts! We got the car and drove a few miles to the go-cart place. The mini-golf portion of the place was not yet open (I guess they do the big mini-golf grand opening on Memorial Day weekend?) so we both did 4 times around the track. Yes, yes, Craig kicked my butt. If we had both gone around the track 6 times we would have probably caught up to me, yikes! I was a bit of a fraidypants, but in my defense Craig has ridden those things at F1 before and I never have. So there!

After resting back at the hotel for a bit and freshening up we headed back to our favorite place, the poker tables! We knew better this time (we had over an hour wait on Monday night) so we called ahead to put our names in. It was a brutal session to say the least. Lets just leave it at that.
Wednesday morning we got up, packed up and checked out. Mission – to get home to see my bebe, I missed him dearly! Our drive home wasn’t nearly as smooth as our ride there. We hit a few construction spots that caused us to slow down and then when we got into Western Mass the Pike was shut down! Ugh. We were right next to an exit and Craig could see a route on the map we could take back roads and get back on the Pike 10 miles up (hopefully past the accident that caused the Pike to shut down). It added an extra 30 minutes to our drive but when we got back on the Pike was moving along. After 8.5 hours of driving we made it home, YIPPEE! Cameron was eating dinner and so happy to see us. For the next two days he was Mr. Lovely Pie. It was nice to be home.

View from our room

Craig & I in front of the American Falls

See the platform in the middle right side of this picture?

This is Craig down there...

Some lovely tulips (which were all over Niagara Falls)

Have you considered what to spend the Tax Rebate on? & HAPPY EASTER!

2008-03-26T07:00:00.009-05:00

Well we have! And for anyone that really knows me, you know this is SO unlike me!

I finally just ordered my new Digital SLR camera, YIPPEE!! After weeks of research (of course) I decided on the Nikon D40 (2 lens kit; 18-55mm & 55-200mm) with the SB400 flash (to help take nice indoor shots).

Here is what I got:

Craig got new golf clubs, which he totally deserves. His set was 10 years old (he bought his last set soon after we started dating) and he works hard and got a great deal on a really good set. If I had a clue what they were I'd post a pic of them too, but I'm so not into golf so I'll just leave it at "Craig got a new set of golf clubs that he really wanted". Actually, I think they're Taylor Made?

So those two large purchases accounts for most of the Tax Rebate amount, but once the actual check does come we'll also be getting the following:

- Craig will get a new watch and a new pair of dress shoes

- I'll get a new pair of sunglasses (as my knock off ones I got down in FLA for like $10 have started to peel off, which is NOT comfortable, nor does it look good)

So in the end, me, who would be most happy to put the money into savings, is actually going to do what the government wants us to do, SPEND THE MONEY!

So who checks back here periodically? Share your plans for the Tax Rebate!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Cameron didn't love the Easter Bunny, as you can see

Coloring Easter Eggs is so much fun!

Cameron's Easter Basket

Having fun opening his Easter Basket

Our little Easter Golfer!

Cameron & Bella

Cameron & Mummy

4 Generations...

Wow - it has been quite a while!

2008-02-20T11:47:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the long gap between posts, I didn't really have much worthy of writing about to be honest (other than my little lovebug, Mr. Doo, aka Mr. ScooterMagooter, aka Cameron of course).

The BIG news:

!!!!! CRAIG IS BACK TO WORK - YIPPEE !!!!!

Craig's mom is our at-home childcare, as planned. We never thought it would be so long before both of us were working and required childcare but it is now as originally planned. Cameron was very lucky to have either one or both of us at home for so long, we know it isn't the norm and we'll forever cherish the time we had at home with him, either individually or as a family.

Other news:

- We finally got a new bed, which is lovely. New frame, boxspring, pillowtop mattress, pillows and sheets and it is like a new world. Pics to come, I just want to get some curtains up first.

- Cameron is now 16.5 months old and is getting so big so fast! Pics to come soon... I need to get a good recent one, I've been slacking in the pics arena.

That's about it for now. Will try to be better with the frequency of my posts!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-28T07:39:00.000-05:00

So better late than never, right? Happy Thanksgiving.

Our Thanksgiving was nice. It wasn't as hectic as in previous holidays or as it could have been, though we didn't really change much. We headed up to Gloucester and visited mom's side of the family at Teetee Rhonda's house, then headed over dad's side of the family to eat the formal Thanksgiving "dinner" at Aunt Cindy's house. The food was yummy and Cameron had fun making a mess with all of his food and spending time with his family.

Here are a few pics:

Hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as ours!

Last week of October 2007

2007-10-29T08:50:00.000-05:00

Red Sox win the World Series

The Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies and won the World Series (again), woowho!! I will admit I watched maybe 5 total innings of the World Series because sleeping is far more important to me to be honest. I am a Red Sox fan, but sleep is something I’ve always needed in order to function properly. In my opinion functioning properly is important when out in the real world on a daily basis.

The WPF Ladies Poker Tournament

So after months of deliberating and “fundraising” I decided to play in this tournament. I by no means expected it to be easy and knew that it would take a lot of good decisions, none to few bad decisions and some luck. To put up that much money on a tournament that more likely than not would result in no profit was a risk, but a risk that I was willing to take since the funds were “raised” and my dear hubby was behind me (literally at times) rooting me on. Out of 214 players I came in 70th. Though that isn’t bad (top third), it certainly doesn’t take home any money (which clearly is the goal of playing in a tournament). I did get lucky to stick around on a couple of occasions, but I got booted from the tournament on a very very unlucky hand. I pushed all in with A-K suited and got called by a lady that made a very bad call with K-Q suited. It was for more than 1/3 her chip stack and I had enough chips that I didn’t need to make a move at that time (so I was more likely to have a better hand than what she called with). She was very far behind pre-flop when the money got in. About 85% of the time my hand will hold up. Unfortunately this time it did not. She caught a straight on the turn only to make a better hand (flush) on the river. That was the end of my stay in the Ladies Tournament. It was sickening. I couldn’t stop replaying that hand over and over again in my head. All you can do is put your money in good and hope your hand holds up. I did that and it wasn’t enough.

Halloween

Halloween is this Wednesday and my little boo will be a dragon. Last year he was a scarecrow and was a little tiny peanut. Wow how a year changes things. Stay tuned for pictures.

So no more gallbladder for me!

2007-10-26T08:08:00.000-05:00

After over a month of random gallstone attacks (6 I can remember clearly, could have been more) that ranged from extremely painful (full on with throwing up nasty nasty stuff) to a milder back pain I finally had surgery. It wasn't easy, I had to wait days in Brigham & Women's Hospital with no food or drink just to be told I'd be sent home and would have the surgery in 10 days. Um, no. I fought, had tears and in the end had surgery on Saturday (Oct 20th) and was released the following afternoon after a rough and sick night. I went to the ER Thursday (Oct 18th) around noontime from work... notice that being over two full days of waiting!

I couldn't wait to get home and see my little boy. I missed Cameron terribly. I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to go on a vacation again, I can't stand the thought of not seeing him for several days. Every parent says it will become easy at one point, I guess I'm not quite there yet. Though I can certainly use a bit of a fun break right now.

Wish me luck in the Ladies Tournament. I really want to do very well in this one.

It's a great pumpkin Charlie Brown (Pumpkin Patch)

2007-10-15T06:31:00.000-05:00

Craig, Cameron, myself and papa, nana and Auntie Pam went to the Pumpkin Patch yesterday. It was a beautiful day and we brought along Cameron's new wagon. We had some nice fresh apples too!

My little baby boy turned 1 (and I'm another year older tomorrow)!

2007-10-11T17:21:00.000-05:00

Yes yes it has been a month since I last posted, sorry. I've been notified on more than one occasion to get back to the grind with this. So here I am.

So my little baby boy has officially turned 1 year old! I can't believe it. He is quite the little boy now. I can't get over how smart he is and what he understands and can do.

Here are some pics from his 1st birthday party (which was quite overwhelming I must say). And why was it in the mid-80s in October?

The decorations

The birthday king

Mummy and the birthday boy!

Daddy and the birthday boy!

The cake

Not loving all of the attention while mangling his own little cake

And now a few of Cameron having a blast with his new toys...

Ok - that took a while, off to rest with my hubby while Cameron is off to sleepyville.

Already Monday again?

2007-09-10T07:10:00.000-05:00

I had a really great weekend.

Friday night - Craig and I played poker. After both being stuck for $60 each we were able to come back and we left up quite a bit (thanks to Craig).

Saturday - I took Cameron up to Gloucester for the day to visit the fam and give Craig a day to himself. Cameron and I first stopped off at Misty's house to visit her and Abby. Abby is just too cute. Shortly after Alannah (my goddaughter) came home and OMG she has gotten so big (tall and old, she just turned 7). Misty had to go to the doctor, and she is having surgery today. Good luck Misty! Then we popped over to visit Grampy and Nonna, Vita and uncle Bobby. Cameron always loves to visit them. Grampy, Cameron and mommy (that would be me ;)) went for a walk down to the boulevard and back. Cameron was exhausted, but do you think he slept with all that going on during the walk? Nope! So then we had lunch (he chowed) and eventually he took a nap up in Grampy and Nonna's room with the ac on. After waking up from his nap we went up to Nan's house and visited with Nana Lisa and Nana B. Nana Lisa took Cameron in the pool (where he loved to splash) and then we hung out for a bit, ate pizza for dinner and then hit the road. The drive home through Cape Ann and the North Shore was insane. Torrential downpours don't even justify it. I will admit I was nervous with Cameron in the car driving 30mph on the highway not being able to see in front of me. We got home safe and Cameron got to bed an hour late and that was not good for him (see Sunday).

Sunday - Cameron was a crank box all day. He was constantly tired despite taking two naps. Even with the crankiness Cameron and mommy had a good day while daddy went golfing with papa. Who can pass up a free round of golf at a $100/round course? While Cameron was napping I was able to work on daddy's anniversary gift.

Yep - our 4th anniversary is under two weeks away. WOW! September 20, 2003.

Long holiday weekend over...

2007-09-04T07:24:00.001-05:00

Before I start I must say that Cameron is 11 months old today - my little baby is becoming a little boy more and more each day.

A pic from our trip to the park yesterday:

So the long weekend is over. Harrumph.

The good:

- We had 3 days of beautiful weather
- Cameron was really good & I got to spend a lot of quality time with him
- Craig was able to have some fun and play a round of golf with Shea
- We got our laundry done
- I spent some time going thru a few closets in order to identify yard sale items, purge unnecessary stuff and reorganize the closets

The bad:

- Dad spent the weekend in the hospital... he went in with chest pains early Saturday morning and after all the heart tests came back negative they identified fluid in his lungs and said he has pneumonia... he was discharged yesterday (Monday) afternoon... he is feeling better
- Craig and I didn't have any fun (i.e. poker or the such) time at all... with it being a long weekend at least once would have been nice :(
- I looked in a window (which as you know with the right reflection acts as a mirror) while out walking around Derby Shoppes and since have felt like Mama Moose and been in a horrible funk

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Down 2 more pounds...

2007-08-30T07:56:00.000-05:00

So I'm down a total of 13 pounds now (from about 2 months ago). The first 6 weeks I went to the gym 3-4/wk and counted calories. Since then I've not gone to the gym (though do plan to get back next week) and have eaten very sensibly during the week and ok on the weekends. I still have 50 pounds or so to go, but I'm happy with 13 pounds in 2 months considering I've not worked at it for a few weeks now. Goal is to get back to working at it and be down another 20 pounds at least by years end.

Tomorrow Laura lands in town with her man, Stafford, and we're meeting up for lunch. She'll meet Cameron for the first time. I miss her and can't wait to see her!

Long weekend ahead. Yippee.

Last night I caved and told Craig what his birthday gift is. Since his birthday is two weeks before Christmas and we're going away for a night we decided that celebrating it a month early was a good idea. We're going down to Foxwoods for an overnight (staying at the same place we stayed a few weeks ago - the new hotel just 3 miles down the street, Bellissimo Grande). Since we're not ready to leave Cameron for several days it is our little mini vacation. Needless to say Craig was very happy with his gift. We're both looking forward to it. O yeah - and the cherry on top is that the weekend I selected and booked is the same weekend of the WPT main event so all of the pros will be in town for the $10,000 event.

Have a great long Labor Day weekend y'all!!!

Weekend in Review

2007-08-27T07:17:00.000-05:00

So I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

I must start off by saying THANK GOODNESS THERE IS A LONG WEEKEND COMING UP! I think long weekends are critical to sanity. Hence my 3 scheduled long weekends (in addition to this upcoming one) before year's end.

Friday: we just laid low... nothing to do so we just hung in and crashed early

Saturday: it was hot as all hotness out (with humidity = gross) so we stayed cool inside while Cameron was on nap strike all day long and made a trip to the local party supply stores to get "1st Birthday" supplies for Mr. Doowhop's upcoming 1st Birthday Party!

Sunday: due to said nap strike Cameron's morning nap lasted a while so we weren't able to make Alannah's birthday party up in Gloucester (sorry!)... we did make a trip to get Cameron a Birthday shirt and bib... then at night mummy & daddy had some fun and went to play poker at a new place... late night = exhausted this morning

Upcoming this week: on Friday Craig, Cameron and I are meeting up with Laura (best friend from college) and her man Stafford (yes, he is British) for lunch on Newbury St. while they are in town for the day (from London)... I've really been looking forward to this, it has been a while since we've seen each other (in the middle of my pregnancy in Bermuda was the last time)!

That's about it folks.

Had some poker peeps over...

2007-08-23T07:18:00.000-05:00

last night for the first time in eons.

We maybe hosted poker a few times (at most) while I was pregnant (since I was always tired). Prior to that we used to host every week, EVERY week. So Craig has been itching to host for a long while now.

Last night we got a call to see if we were interested in playing before Bryon leaves for the Navy. We didn't have a sitter (Craig went golfing yesterday so we didn't want to ask his mom again, plus she had dinner plans with friends and we didn't want to head out super late) so I offered up our place so long as there was only one table (no more than 10 people).

Cameron slept soundly upstairs while we playing downstairs, and I had the monitor to be sure I didn't miss any peep. The gang left at 10pm, I was up $70 and all in all it was a nice, surprising Wednesday night.

Off to "Listening for Effective Communication" required class at work. Considering I've taken a class just like this it shall be quite the interesting next 4 hours.

Ciao!

After more than 1 year - I'm back!

2007-08-21T07:01:00.000-05:00

Ok - so I'll admit I forgot all about this blog until I was reading Joy's blog, saw a link to "Danielle's Blog" (which I assumed was my pregnancy blog) and rediscovered this one. But I'm back now.

The title of my blog means o-so-much more now! We sure do grow up. Having a baby will certainly do that to you.

Cameron is my world. Craig and Cameron are my life. Everything else is extra.

Speaking of Cameron, he is now 10.5 months old. He is extremely active and the cuttest baby ever (if I may so myself). Here he is:

Craig and I just got back from a mini vaca this past weekend. We spent 2 days/1 night down at Foxwoods with some friends. We tried out a new hotel 3 miles from Foxwoods (Bellissimo Grande) which was nice and a great price and tried to not let our colds keep us down. I finished 3rd in the Lady's Tournament and we were up overall on the weekend. Cameron spent Friday and Saturday night with Grampy and Nonna in Gloucester (his first time ever spending more than 1 night away from us and his first time in about 4 months he spent any night away) and had a lot of fun.

Craig is still Mr Mom, though actively looking for a job. I returned back to work when Cameron was 8.5 months old. I started a new job and am currently working at Harvard Pilgrim. I'm very happy with how things worked out in the end, though my previous company made things stressful for a period of time shortly after I had Cameron. Woowho for forward movement.

Will be sure to post at least weekly, if not more frequently.

Front Yard Pics... before and after... thanks Tricia!!

2006-05-11T14:22:00.000-05:00

So on Saturday Tricia came over and we worked hard from 8:30am-4pm (with one break for lunch) to turn the before pics into the after pics!!!

Sorry for my absence... but here I am!

2006-04-26T12:40:00.000-05:00

Sorry to those of who you enjoyed catching up with the life (and mind) of Danielle.

As most of you will know by now, I am pregnant with our first child, due October 24th. Since we found out (soon after returning from Vegas in February) I've been consumed by that (and started a baby blog, please refer to that for all baby-related stuff). So I am getting fat (don't yet look pregnant, just blumpy).

We are trying to plan a vacation for this summer (possibly to Vegas with Whalen & Lynne) and I am trying to organize a short trip to meet up with Laura in Bermuda (airfare is just insane!). I am going to miss our frequent vacations so much, so I want to be sure we are able to get a vacation in before it is too late to travel.

Mom, Rick and Ricky are now living down in Florida (they moved at the end of March) and I will be visiting them this weekend (after the business portion of my trip tomorrow and Friday). Mom said Ricky is adjusting well and making lots of friends, which is great and so important at his age (9).

Craig started a new job two and a half weeks ago and so far so good. Close to home, smaller property, less hours and so far less stress.

Dad has been doing pretty good lately, keep fingers crossed that it continues.

I guess that is the general update for now... I will try to post more often on this blog since I now know there are some who enjoy this (here is to you Marianne ;).

I'mmmmm baaaaaaaaack!

2006-02-16T13:09:00.000-05:00

So we have returned from Vegas barely functioning and ready for the long weekend. Vegas was a blast. We came home up $800... woowho! Basically the trip only cost us the airfare since our winnings covered our hotel and some food. We played poker + slept + barely ate + played more poker. "I luv play poka".

Here are some pics of our hotel, Bellagio, in Vegas:

Back to reality...

Haven't had much to say...

2006-02-08T08:04:00.000-05:00

So I guess I haven't had much to say since I've not posted in a while...

We leave tomorrow for Vegas - yay!
Not getting as much back from taxes as expected - boo!
Craig still not working (or sent a resume for that matter) - boo!
Starting Flintstone's chewable vitamins and 1mg folic acid when we return from Vegas - per my doctor's suggestion
Visited my gramp's grave for the first time since he was buried (it wasn't easy)
Dad has been looking/feeling better lately - yay yay yay yay!
West Coast Vacation scrapbook is moving along (slowly)... though I am really liking it so far (a little more than half way done)
Totally looking forward to a 3-day weekend after we return from vacation (I normally need some type of vacation from a vacation)

What I like about life, right now...

2006-02-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

These are the things that I currently enjoy in life (other than the obvious):

Poker
Vacationing
Craft Days
Cooking Club

Poker: I would play everyday if I could. Currently we play Monday night's at Jimbos (currently I am in 1st place, Craig is in 2nd place -- out of about 30-40 people) and Wednesday nights at Applebees (I placed 1st for January at that venue and Craig placed 4th)... those two places are free to play. We play about 3x/month for money (mostly at our place in the manroom) with anywhere from 7-20 people... average probably about 10. When we are both working we probably take a trip down to Foxwoods about 1x/month.

Vacationing: Wow, this I would also do daily if possible. We've been taking about 2-3 vacations a year for the past few years... and it is nice. I love it. This week coming up we are taking our 3rd trip to Vegas in 12 months (also related to Poker)... though this may be our last Vegas trip (and possibly vacation) for a while if we are going to start TTC by the summer (nothing in stone yet).

Craft Days: This wouldn't be nearly as fun and enjoyable if it weren't for the dear friends that I craft with. I am so excited these gatherings became more frequent and our group has grown. Joy, Tricia and I are the original scrap gals... and now we have grown into a "craft" group (I seem to be the only committed scrapper of the group ;)

Cooking Club: Our cooking club has also grown from the original group off the Beantown Brides MSN board... and it is something like our 15th or 16th month. Nice group of gals that get together once a month after work at one of the girls' house and chat over food.

What happened... and where is the person I once was?

2006-01-30T12:49:00.000-05:00

So I keep getting these "I want a baby" feelings... then I seem to come back to reality of the person I know myself to be and think "maybe later" sounds better. I am so confused. What happened to wanting to be free, live our lives free of responsibility, hop on a plane to Vegas a few times a year??? I don't want to give anything up really, but the idea of a baby, of one that Craig and I make sounds better and better each day. This is scary!

I was just at the obgyn's office having an internal ultrasound for irregular spotting after my AF, and all looks good according to the doctor. A small part of me wanted to be in the side of the population there that was preggo. Ok, well maybe not as small a part of me as I would like to think.

Was the thought process that maybe getting preggo when we are ready won't be as easy if something is wrong (i.e. causing the irregular spotting) making it something more appealing? I don't know. I will have to wait and see.

Stay tuned to "The randomness of Danielle's mind".

TGIF!

2006-01-27T10:55:00.000-05:00

TGIF is right!

Looking forward to rest and relaxation, not having to get out of my jammies when I wake up in the morning, being able to wake up when I want (even if it is only 7am) and just doing whatever I want... that is what this weekend means to me.

Going to Kris' baby shower on Sunday which I am looking forward to. Got her a practical registry gift and then the cutest little hoodie that I was tempted to keep just in case we have a girl when we decide to have a baby... hehe. I can only imagine how big her belly is by now (she isn't too far away from her due date), can't wait to see. This may make the babies rabies kick in high gear, watch out!

Short and sweet today.

Shout out to my peeps... love you all ;)

MS Walk, tax dry run, blah blah blah...

2006-01-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

Got the info on the MS Challenge Walk in the mail last night... read it over today and although I am excited to finally be able to do something I am a bit discouraged to find out that anyone that walks would need to raise $1,500... meaning for me and Craig to be able to walk we would need to raise $3,000... which I can't see being easy with me working at a small company (4 people including me) and him being out of work. I can see that being a bit of an obstacle, not to mention that having friends and family to walk with will not be as easy as originally thought (since each person needs to raise $1500). Still haven't brought this up to my dad and stepmom yet, but plan to next time I am up in Gloucester... I am curious what they will think about it... and if my stepmom will want to walk.

Did a dry run of our taxes today (still awaiting a couple more forms) and doesn't look like we will be getting back as much as I expected, which totally sucks. I need to wait until everything comes in and do it on TurboTax to know for sure, but I am confident that I did it right, unfortunately.

Not as much of a tax refund as expected + Craig out of work + no March bonus for Craig that he was eligible for at work = stinky... I expected us to be way ahead of where we will be in March in terms of savings.

2 weeks from today = Vegas here we come! I need this vacation!!!!!!!!

Little down today...

2006-01-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

I heard on the radio a couple days ago about the MS Challenge Walk. Now normally that wouldn't mean anything to me, but my dad being diagnosed with MS this past September changed everything. My dad has MS. That is not something I ever thought I would say. My dad doesn't deserve this. It isn't fair.

I haven't really come to terms with this news yet. I've been able to somehow push it deep down and avoid the reality of it on most days. I had planned to educate myself on it upon return from our October vacation, yet haven't. I am scared to know more.

Hearing this commercial for the MS Challenge Walk made me feel for a second like I could somehow do something to show my dad that I would do anything I could to change his situation. If it means walk 50 miles to raise funds to find a cure, then so be it. If I could change his situation I would do anything. This seems to be a start. Something to take control of, do and feel good about.

It will put me in a community I would honestly rather not be part of, the family, friends and supporters of a disease that will continue to affect my dad... constant reminder that my dad is not healthy... I would rather not know about MS, not need to care and continue with my illusions that these things don't happen to my family.

So info is coming in the mail. I plan to raise at least $1,500 and find a support network of friends and family that will walk with me. Times like this, when things aren't easy or fun, is when you find out who true friends are.

I am in no shape to walk 50 miles... but I will do what it takes to get to that point by September... such a small part for me to do.

It just isn't fair.

Not much to say...

2006-01-24T15:46:00.000-05:00

but wanted to check in anyway.

Just ate 6 mini Mounds... after eating lunch. Oooppsss.

Tonight Craig is making me dinner, yum. I do love coming home to a clean house and a cooked meal... is that wrong of me looking at the bright side of him being out of work? I think not. Though for our savings to stay on track he will have to get back to work within a few months... like it or not.

We are fortunate. Anyone reading this is fortunate. Just remember that you have it better than the majority of people in this world. Live, love and enjoy.

Peace peeps!

Snowy Monday to ya...

2006-01-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

Took 2 hrs to get into work today... 45 minutes just to get out of Weymouth. This snow is pretty, but such a pain.

Who knew I could sleep so much? Friday night was a super late night (poker of course) so I made up for the lack of sleep on Saturday afternoon... I think I slept for more hours than I was awake on Saturday, Craig can attest to that. Felt good though.

This weekend was the weekend of sleep and using our gift certificate winnings... lunch at Applebees on Saturday and lunch with Whalen & Lynne on Sunday at Jimbos. Free food = good. Then the four of us went to IKEA on Sunday after lunch and wow that place is huge. A couple hours just to look around and we bought nothing. We did find some possible new dressers for our bedroom though.

poker + sleep + eat = this weekend

O - I did talk pop by my obgyn's office to pick up some prenatal vitamins... just to start and see how they treat me (vitamins tend to upset my stomach)... I really want to make sure my body is ready for when the time comes that my mind is.

Tis Friday...

2006-01-20T08:24:00.000-05:00

Finally Friday. Yay!

Had a good week and looking forward to the relaxing weekend... no real plans other than poker tonight... so this makes me very happy!

This week we did well at no cost poker (both at Jimbos and Applebees):
- another $25 gift certificate to Jimbos
- $30 gift certificate to Applebees
- $50 gift cheque (cash)

Other than that not too much going on. Just getting an idea from my doctors on what to do to get my body ready (for baby-making time) for when my mind is ready (who knows when this will be). Vitamins. Needing to get off the meds I am currently on (can't be on them when preggo) and probably finding ones that I can be on while preggo. About it I think... doctors will probably say to try to lose some weight beforehand as well.

5pm can't come fast enough!!!!!

What a nice weekend...

2006-01-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

Wonderful weekend...

Friday - hair color and cut (thanks to Jill for getting rid of my WT-roots), then poker at our place... I was happy to fall asleep on the couch while everyone else finished playing downstairs

Saturday - SURPRISE party for Tricia... so much fun... Cesar did a wonderful job and us gals had a fantastic time chatting, eating, crafting, relaxing... good times

Sunday - out to breakfast with the inlaws, relax, relax, relax

A weekend of fun, friends and relaxation... my kind of weekend.

Though it did start off with drama in the world of the sister-in-law... ugh. I won't even get into it, but if you are interested email me and I can send you the email chain... quite amusing if you are bored.

Still thinking about babies... when will I be ready, will I ever be ready, etc? March... I must have some idea by March when we are set to discuss seriously again. Yikes. I am starting to come around to the fact that life won't end with a baby, it will just significantly change... vacations will happen, just not as frequently... we can still have a life but just different. I am only 27. That is a way to look at it, right? I don't want to be an old parent but I don't want to rush either... where is the middle ground?!?!?!?!

Mid-week post...

2006-01-12T09:12:00.000-05:00

Nothing exciting to post about. Just normal flow of life.

Monday - won the 1st game at Jimbo's (poker)... $25 gift certificate... and racked up enough points to put me in the overall lead

Tuesday - fell asleep on the couch by 7pm (I was clearly exhausted)

Wednesday - won the 2nd game at Applebees (poker)... $10 gift certificate

Yesterday the Alero started making some strange noise so that car is going into the shop tomorrow to have a looksie at.

Craig = still thinking about what he wants to do... nothing seems to be coming to him.

Tomorrow night - hair appt finally... color and cut here I come!!

More to come soon..........

A reflection...

2006-01-09T09:14:00.000-05:00

So life is full of ups and downs. It is how you roll with those changes that defines who you are is what I am coming to believe more and more as time passes. "Everything is temporary" is so true (voiced by my stepfather growing up)... so it doesn't matter if things are horrible, it is only temporary, but something also to remember when you feel at the top of the world. Appreciate what you have today because tomorrow it may be gone.

No I don't claim to be some philosopher, nor do I claim to have come up with any of these thoughts... but I do feel I am becoming more a believer in them.

So Craig is out of work, what can I do about it other than be supportive and do my best to help Craig find his new path? Am I growing up? Maturing? Not sure, but I am sure that the last time this happened I was super freaked out and it is in my nature to worry... so I am happy to be able to say that I am taking this well and am actually somewhat happy that it happened.

This changes things though. Craig and I were going to "talk" again in March about possibly "trying" (not necessarily then but set a possibly timeframe on when). Part of my readiness is the ability to stay home for a period of time with a baby IF that is what I wanted. A big IF. I take into consideration finances, although many say you will never be ready if you wait for the "right" time. I wanted to see in March what we would have in savings (current savings + tax refund + Craig's bonus that he was eligible for)... well now the possible bonus, which was large I mind you, is no longer an option (on top of no income, just unemployment which I guess is at least something). So that leaves our current savings + tax refund. I am super curious as to what the refund may be, but don't have a good clue since we never had a full year of paying interest on a mortgage. So I guess in March we will still plan to evaluate the situation and maybe make some form of a decision?!?!?! That still freaks me out.

So for now we will enjoy what we have, spend time with friends and family, play some poker and do what we want when we want.

Looking forward to our vacation in early February.

Happy Monday to all!

Wow how things change quickly (and more impressive how I am handling it)

2006-01-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

So Wednesday = a raise for me, Thursday = Craig being laid off! What a change of direction to start 2006!

Surprisingly I am ok with it:
a) he was miserable there
b) he wanted to change fields anyway (this will give him the time/chance to do so)
c) at least there is unemployment
d) keeping positive attitude that it doesn't last too long

Tonight = poker night... jazzy with all the new poker duds up
Tomorrow = Craft Day with my girls
Sunday = day of relaxation (which I can now enjoy since I don't have to do chores... that is the only perk to having a husband out of work so I have to capitalize on it, right?)

We will have to cut back (on poker especially), so Monday nights at Jimbo's and Wednesday nights at Applebee's will have to give us a good portion of our poker fix. No more Foxwoods. Though we are still keeping our vacation to Vegas next month (tickets = non-refundable and already paid) and the money has already been put aside.

Life is what you make of it. Right?

Happy New Year

2006-01-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

Bring on 2006! I am happy to see 2005 gone, it wasn't the nicest year for sure. 2006 started out lovely with some family time and a nice unexpected surprise at work - a 10% raise and additional employer contribution to my 401K... sweet!! I hope that is a sign of the year to come.

Dad seems to be feeling better with time, which I hope continues. He looked the best since his diagnosis on New Year's Eve when we spent the night down in Gloucester with the fam. I wish I was able to do something to change the situation, but unfortunately that isn't the way it works.

Looking forward to our February long weekend vacation back to Vegas... bring on the Bellagio baby!!! Staying at the one place I've wanted to stay since our first visit and we are both extremely excited about it.

Also curious what our tax refund will look like now having had our first entire year in the house paying interest on the mortgage... the little things are what puzzle me.

Tonight = poker night at Applebees
Tomorrow = massage at Oasis Day Spa (much needed)
Friday = poker night at our place
Saturday = craft day at our place
Sunday = much needed day of relaxation

Happy New Year!!!!!

Wow - is it already Christmas?

2005-12-22T08:13:00.000-05:00

Wowza. Christmas is this weekend?... how time flies! 2005 is almost over - thankfully. Hoping 2006 and beyond is better healthwise for family than 2005 was.

So all Christmas shopping and wrapping is done. I finished last weekend and it feels good. Me and my spreadsheet feel confident that we didn't forget anyone.

Still weirded out by the change of holiday traditions on my end. Not going to nan's house on Christmas Eve (for the 2nd year in a row now) is just strange. I did that every single year until last year (when we were in our house). It doesn't make sense to drive up to Gloucester and then drive home when we will just be driving right back to Gloucester Christmas morning. So this is what happens when you grow up. Things change. Traditions change.

Christmas day will remain the same, for now anyway. Once we have kids then people can come to us, but for now we will go all over creation.

Possibly an update on timing on having kids sometime in 2006. Stay tuned.

No plans for New Year's Eve yet. We so aren't into the typical go into Boston or out to a club thing. Yuck. I would rather stay warm by the fire or hang out with friends having a fun time (by my definition)... which would be playing games, poker or something like that.

Our next vacation is planned for February. Can't wait... Bellagio here we come!!!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

Monday morning...

2005-12-12T08:16:00.000-05:00

What a nice weekend, despite its start.

Friday was bizarre! Weather was all whacked out. Fortunately I left work at noon and got home before the craziness started (white-out conditions throughout Mass for a couple hours). Craig came home at the same time too, thankfully. Had I waited another hour or more I would of been so screwed having to drive Rt128 from Newton to Weymouth. Got home safe and sound and then went out with Lara to dinner and Christmas Tree Shops... then crashed early.

Saturday was a day of randomness. Went to breakfast, went shopping at the SSP (which didn't last long because we both started feeling ucky, but got a little accomplished) and then napped on the couch for a couple hours together (awww). Finally went to get our Christmas tree (we went with one on the smaller side than normal for us), got Chinese food with the in-laws and ate by the fire. Another early night.

Sunday was fun day! Craft Day at Tricia's was wonderful... friends, holiday music, scrapping, chatting... I love craft days. Then stopped to do some Christmas shopping on my way home and then hung out over Whalen & Lynne's house for a bit before heading home and to bed.

So that was my weekend. Though it started off freaky with a call from my mom telling me that nan was in the ICU because of her heart problem... which has been such an odd thing... one time beats out of control fast and then other times (which started more recently) it pretty much almost stops. This is stressful... poor nan. As if she hasn't been through enough with gramps passing a few months ago.

"It is always something".

Day 1 - my first real blog

2005-12-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

Here it goes. A bit about me.

I am in my mid twenties, married for just over two years and living in my husband's neck of the woods. I come from a loving (split) family and have three younger brothers. I am very close with my family and would do anything for them. Some members of the family are a bit crazy, but doesn't everyone have family members like that?

At this point in my life I've done the major things I wanted to by now: graduated college, got a "good" job, got married, bought a house and continue to vacation.

What next?

I guess this is where I realized I am a "grown up". I am old enough to have my own children (but don't). I own a house. I have a husband. This just doesn't seem right. I don't feel old enough. When did it all change? I don't remember to be honest. I still don't really feel like an adult.

I've always done the right thing, made the right choice and think I forced myself to grow up way too early that there wasn't the normal progression that most people experience.

So, what is next?

I wonder if part of what I am experiencing is due to not being close to home, around family where I grew up. I wonder if it is because this is just a strange point in ones life. I wonder if it is just because I fear change.

It is obvious what the traditional next step is. But I am not ready. So do I just be? Exist in the world and experience what I can while I can in the way I choose to? I guess so.

I will continue to question everything. I will continue to over-analyze everything. I will continue to wonder.

What is next?

Starting up...

2005-12-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

Ok - so I guess I will take part in this blogging world.

I like the idea of a blog - can be therapeutic I imagine.

My blog will just be about life, growing up (do we ever?) and the experiences along the way.

Stay tuned for the 1st full blog by yours truly.