Day Seventeen, January 22nd, 2010

Today was an amazingly happy day. I picked up Chinese Food for my favorite cousin and we celebrated her birthday together while she was babysitting her grandchildren. She will kill me if I tell you how old she is, but let me say that it is the beginning of a decade that has the same number in it as the year I was married, which is 1972. So you can safely guess that she isn't one or two, so that leaves just two options! Anyway, her granddaughter made us super special iced coffees that she especially created at her job at Dunkin Donuts and they were beyond awesome. She has her own secret formula and customers ask for her just so that she can make it for them. Some of the ingredients are extra caramel and heavy cream, don't ask about the calories. From there I headed to historic Gibbsboro for my grandson Damien's first penance. (On the way, I made a little detour but will save that for another time). Damien was really nervous about his First Penance, but after a very lovely play, video, sing a long, and church service the children got to pick their priest, either one behind the traditional closed confessional, or face to face. Damien chose the Pastor, a very kindly looking man with a thick Irish Brogue, who was hearing confessions face to face behind a glass door. He was the next to last to go, and his parents watched very curiously on the other side of the door as he celebrated this important sacrament. When he came out, he was beaming, and professed that it wasn't bad at all. I asked him how it felt to have a clean soul, but he said it didn't feel any different. The children all looked so cheerful that for a moment I even thought about perhaps going to confession myself. Not quite ready for that yet, the trauma of the stern priest at Sacred Heart Church in Jersey City, in 1963 asking me, "is that all" in his booming mean voice just hasn't left me yet. Thank goodness things are different in many ways, and seeing the peaceful joy on Damien's face was the happiest part of today.

Day Sixteen, January 21st, 2010

I admit it, I am addicted. I have wasted more time playing this game than I will ever own up to. I sneak a few games in before work, and as soon as I get home, play a few. I keep telling myself, it's only one minute, in fact the guy in the computer says One Minute when the game starts, so I am really not wasting a lot of time. Except I keep clicking play, after one minute, and one minute becomes 40 minutes. My goal is to not be embarrassed by my score. I see all my friends with these awesomes scores, like in the 100,000 and 200,000 range. I have even messaged them on Facebook, and asked for their secret. Shannon's mom Janet is always on the top. I asked Shannon, and she said, I don't know, but she is always playing it. I asked my soninlaw who worked at Ubisoft in Romania, he said it has to do with the cascades, you have to form cascades. My friend Janet had a very detailed three point explanation involving hypercubes and flaming gems and stuff like that. Joanne F told me that you just have to keep moving your mouse and when you see a cluster click on it. She offered to come over and show me how to do it. That would be pretty lame. So each day I attempt to get a high score, I try cascading, I try the three point theory explained by Janet, I try just playing the game over and over like Shannon's mom, and I tried just moving the mouse around really quick like Joanne suggested. Today, I tried turning the sound off. That was hard, I like the sound. I like when the man in the computer says, Awesome, or Excellent, or Good. It is reassuring that I am doing something right. Plus the sound of the explosions is really cool! But the downside is that you get that annoying beeping kind of sound that tells you your time is almost up. That is a lot of pressure, because I then realize what a loser I really am when I see the puny score that I have achieved. But then something phenomenally awesome happened. My time was up and my score was 179,000. How could that happen, I have no idea what I did! But I am #2, right under Shannon's mom. I can't believe it, this is the most exciting thing that has happened today. This is the highest score I have ever achieved. Only thing is, I have no idea how I did it! Gotta go, I have three minutes till I have to catch the dryer., maybe I can beat my own score!

Day Fifteen, January 20th, 2010

Wow, I have been looking forward to today! My precious niece and godchild, Katie, and her brother, my amazing nephew, Tommy, drove down to my office to have lunch with me today. Katie lives in South Orange where she is taking her final class for her masters degree. Tommy lives in Illinois with the rest of the Sheldons and was here for the week to visit his sister. I was so touched and honored that they wanted to spend some time with their old aunt!~ We used to spend so much time together when they were little. They lived in Jackson and I saw them every week at church, every Sunday after church for bagels, and several times during the week too. Ten years ago, my brother took a job in Illinois and took all the precious little Sheldons with him too. I think it has to be about two years since I have seen Tommy and last summer for Katie. I was so impressed at how beautiful, sophisticated, mature and grown up they are. What a wonderful lunch, with great conversation. I was just in awe at these amazing adults that just not too long ago were little babies. How did that happen! It was so hard to say goodbye to them after lunch, I miss them so much and love them so dearly. Katie and Tommy thanks for the joy you brought to my day!

Day Fourteen, January 19th, 2010

My friend Joanne has to be the luckiest lady in the world because her awesome mom, Sara, lives with her part of the time and part of the time with her sister. When she is at Joanne's house, she usually has her cobbler apron on and is always cooking something delicious. (That's Sara in the picture, dancing at my daughter's wedding!)Joanne wanted me to come over and take some pictures of her upstairs with my digital camera because her fatherinlaw just moved in and is contemplating moving upstairs and he wanted to see what it looked like. She emailed me at work to see if tonight would be good, and also, said, why don't you come to eat, my mom is cooking sausage and peppers. You didn't have to ask me twice! When I got to Joannes (a long walk across the street!), her mom had everything set up and served me too! She made her delicious sausages with three different colored peppers, baked sweet potatoes, and pasta with butter. She also had a great salad with oil and vinegar (what else) and Italian bread. You know, the kind that is crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. What a treat! I never knew my grandmothers, they died before I was born. Being at Sara's tonight, I felt like a little girl must feel in her grandmother's kitchen. Great smells, delicious foods, and extra big ladles of love. Thanks Sara~!

Day Thirteen, January 18th, 2010

What's better than getting an order on your etsy shop! Buying the yarn with a 50% off one regular price item at AC Moore! I printed out the coupon, cut it out and raced to AC Moore. There is was, my Boucle Bernat yarn, sole ingredient for my own creation, my dark baby cocoon, regular price $3.99, use of 50% off coupon, cha ching, $1.99!!! Plus it counted toward my AC Moore Awards! I love AC Moore, I love yarn, I love a bargain! Good day for happy!!!

Day Twelve, January 17th, 2010

My husband cracks me up. Now that we are empty nesters, he has gotten used to having all my attention devoted to him! Poor man, he waited 38 years for the last little bird to leave the nest so he could jump back in his spot! Very patient so he is. Well, today, we were planning a big exciting trip to Lowes when my daughter called. I was chit chatting for a while and he was kind of giving me "the look" like he wanted me to get off the phone. I said, you can go without me if you want. I knew what his answer would be, because these days he doesn't want to go anywhere or do anything without me. He says he is lonely and he misses me! Hey, we even moved the computer back upstairs so I can be a little closer to him while I am playing bejeweled blitz and tracking everyone's updates on Facebook. I told my daughter I better go because Dad gets lonely and wants me to go with him to the store. He said, "yea, your mother is my arm candy!" Arm Candy! I am still laughing!!!

Day Eleven, January 16th, 2010

When I tried to evaluate the joy quotient for today, I found a thread that ran through the whole day, neighbors that have become life long friends. I have lived in my house for almost 32 years, and forged friendships with other young moms, that have lasted to this day. Anna, Peggy, Kathy, Ronnie, Janet, and Sandy moved on, Cathy and Frances passed away much too young, but from the old crew, Joanne F, Bonnie and Pat and I remain. Newer neighbors just as dear are Sharon and her mom, Johanna, Joanne W, Renee, Julie and Julia. Today I rode with Joanne F to the wake for Julia's daughter who died after a courageous battle with cystic fibrosis. Before we left, Sharon and Johanna offered a ride as well. In the parking lot, Joanne and I met up with Pat and her daughter Lisa. I drove Pat to the hospital when she was in labor with Lisa with the emergency brake on all the way, a fact that we love to laugh about to this day. Pat's daughter Lori was on her way down from NY with her new baby, Victoria, and I hoped to stop by to give her a little cuddle. When I got home my husband told me that my daughter had called and was meeting up with her old friends from the neighborhood, Melissa, Jessica and Colleen and before going out for dinner she would stop by. The friends grouped at my house and the little girls now have babies of their own. My grandson didn't want to go out to dinner with the girls and the babies since his bestest friend from when he lived with us in our neighborhood was over to play. So Rebecca and Damien hung out, ate dinner, made cookies and explored my junk room with their hard hats. Rebecca was proud to tell my daughter's friends that Damien was her oldest and best friend, that they had been friends since they were three. Damien corrected her and said, no Rebecca, I think since we were two. Big seven year olds with a lifetime friendship. Just like me and my good neighbors, just like my daughter and her neighborhood pals. Someone once wrote that you can't go home again, in our neighborhood, that just isn't so, it will always be home and always be the place where lifelong friendships are formed and last. And that thought is what brought me joy today.