Vacationing in North Carolina

Here we are un beautiful western NC.....we have Stef's friend Emilio here with him and Bill's old boss Pete and hus wife Shelley were here Tuesday thru Friday. We were at the Biltmore Estate ahd Gatinburg Tennessee.....sliding rock in Pisgah Forrest. Somehow (I'm not 100% sure that Emilio got a case of poison ivy here or not) it popped right out on Tuesday afternoon and we didn't even get outside here until Tuesday morning....but whatever........we plan to go to Dollywood tomorrow, I believe the boys will go whitewater rafting on Tuesday.....we plan to head back to NJ on Friday early as Stef has soccer games at 11:30 & 3:30.....The weather here is just great sunny and warm during the day and crisp and cool at night! I can't beleive that this coming weekend is Labor Day already......

Vacation begins August 23, 2010

What a busy busy time it has been! Stefan is finishing up his final couple of days of day camp. He came back last Friday from Toronto Canada. This week has been good times for him also.....H2O waterpark on Monday, Tubing down the Delaware on Tuesday, Camping overnight at Jenny Jump State Park on Wednesday and Thursday! Tomorrow is his last day of camp....where did the summer go?
We had some sad news.... however good news for our family......my sister in California Eileen, had her mother-in-law living with them since Allie & Ryan's wedding back in May. She passed away last Saturday.....95 years old. God Bless her. They are coming back east for the funeral which will be a Friday night viewing and a Saturday morning funeral! Saturday is also Dad's 88th Birthday....so she will be home with her family for all. Her oldest daughter Christy is pregnant and due in January.....I have not seen her since her wedding three years ago....it will be good to be with family. Sad way to get everyone together but when you have a big family that's the way it goes! I did the funeral liturgy for them and made a program....hopefully it will be okay....hard to plan for someone else, but happy to be able to help them out! The family gets in late tonight.....so I feel as though I helped.
I've been busy using the peaches we picked on Sunday.....yummy peach pies, yummy peach cobblers.......busy using the summer squash from the garden.....made a huge batch of Squash soup....which will be yummy for the cooler weather in the fall! Made a butternut, sage and pasta recipe last night and it was so good! Leaving work shortly....off to shop, clean the house, get my nails done, water the plants, get Dippy's pills, stop the mail......oh yeah and a wake and funeral.......
I do think I'm going to need this vacation sooner than later!

Happy Wednesday

I noticed on my counter that I have over 1,000 reads on my blog....strange two followers and over 1,000 reads? If you are reading this enjoy.....it's meant to be read.
Stefan is half way through his trip to Toronto.....we have been busy getting ready for the Somerset County 4H fair in Bridgewater happening over the course of the next three days. On Sunday Bill & Stefan went to help with the set up of the stand as the Boy Scouts are selling cheese steaks, curly fries and water/soda. It is their biggest money making event of the year.....so if you live in NJ come on over and get some food....it's way too hot to cook anyway! Last night we went to Shop Rite to purchase and pick up all the soda & water. We are bound by 4H rules to only sell name brand soda & water.....so there's no money saving on the purchase of the items for resale. I managed to work out a deal with the owner of Shop Rite to allow us to purchase all the beverages at a sale price.....so it is all good. Picking up and lugging all the product to the fair grounds was a bit of a "challenge" to say the least! It is was too hot......humid....hoping this is not a hint of how bad our winter will be! Stefan gets home on Friday night at which time he will head over to the fair grounds to help disassemble the stand, once the fair closes. Bill & I are both working the food stand tonight form 7-10PM. Just what I want to do after working all day. All for the Scouts and of course my son.....so no use in complaining.
We will be celebrating Dad's 88th birthday next Saturday.....then kayaking with friends on Sunday and off to North Carolina on Monday morning....we are taking Dippy (our golden retriever) with us this time....it should be interesting traveling for 11 hours in the car with her....but considering she sleeps all day long.....she should just (hopefully) sleep in the car too.
On a very very happy note....Allie secured a (real) job as she put it! Yay.......she starts on September 7th, we are so happy for her and proud of her. She will be a great employee and an asset to any company she works for! She is a wonderful, kind, giving and hard working young lady.
Back to work..........

Slowly getting through

I ran into at WaWa today one of the Scout Dads' who spent the first part of the week up at camp with the boys....he said some were a little homesick and all were having a really good time! YAY I do miss Stef being around the house. Holding things together at work...whatever happened to when the cats away the mice will play??? Looking forward to seeing my brother Dave this weekend, he has some meetings in Maryland on Monday & Tuesday and will fly to NJ tomorrow spend the weekend here and then head to Maryland on Sunday night. Allie is hoping to meet up with him for dinner on Monday night and hopefully I'll be able to get Allie off a carebox with him...fingers crossed!
The weather here continues to be hazy....hot.....and you guessed it humid. No break in sight.....ugh! We had a wonderful time at my Aunt Lu & Uncle Bob's 5oth Anniversary on Saturday night and dinner with Bill's cousins on Sunday night. I keep looking at things around the house thinking about what we will be taking to NC next year and what we will be leaving behind.....I know you can't leave your memories and love behind they will always be with you.
I'm slowly adjusting to Allie being a married woman and someone's wife as is she! It's not easy letting go but as they say in my work let go and let God...so that is what I am doing....always here for both my kids but letting them live their own lives. I sure do miss having them around! There's nothing in the world as sweet as peeking into your child's room and watching them peacefully sleep and kissing their forehead ....just because you can!
No word on Mom's purse from NC so I guess it's gone for good....rat ass bastards that took it ...no good will come from what they did....I truly believe in Bad Karma or is it Catholic Guilt?????
Looking forward to going to NC at the end of the month when Stef finishes Day Camp, he gets home from Boy Scout Camp on Saturday morning/afternoon and then leaves with his Day Camp for Toronto on Monday...the summer is almost over and I feel cheated this year that I didn't have a summer with him! Looking forward to being able to spend time with Bill and Stef and to reconnect as a family....if only Allie & Ryan could join us it would be PERFECT! To wish......

Life back to Normal?

Our Spainsh exchange student Fernando left on Tuesday afternoon. I had a very sad glance of what next summer is going to be like for my poor little man Stefan! When Stefan and Fernando hugged goodbye I thought my heart would break right in two! Stefan was so very sad to say goodbye to his amigo that he bonded with in one very short month! No idea how we are going to handle saying goodbye after 14 years for Stefan and 17 for me! yikes
Allie & Ryan have been having some serious life discussions.....decisions need to be made and change is always tough. Life is what you make it and I am sure the newlyweds will make smart choices and be happy with what they choose!
This weekend we have my Aunt & Uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary party on Saturday night and then Stefan is off to Boy Scout Camp in PA for a week. He is home for 2 days and then he is off to Toronto with his day camp for a week! Where has the summer gone? August 21st is Poppy's 88th Birthday and after a weekend of celebrating we are off to North Carolina for some R&R....yay
The good news is that my boss is on vacation for the month of August working on the weekends only (as you may know he is a priest and I work in a church)....so some nice time to get caught up and then vacation time for me!
Stefan will be playing travel soccer in the fall with his first tournament beginning Labor Day weekend....let the fun begin.

The final stretch

It has been way too long since I last posted.....whatever happened to summers being a down time? We are in our last full week here with Fernando. Fernando leaves on Tuesday afternoon (27th) at 5PM, then Stefan leaves for a week at Boy Scout Camp on Sunday August 1st. Personally I think Fernando has had a great USA experience while we hosted him here. Since he's been here we've gone to North Carolina, Washington DC, tubing down the Delaware....this Saturday we are going to Vineland for a graduation Party and since it is pretty much on the way we are leaving early and going to Philadelphia early in the morning. Perhaps Stefan & Fernando will go kayaking in the morning on Sunday after Mass and go to Ironbound in Newark for Portugese food. Yummo! We had some great news this summer....Stefan made honor roll all A's & B's and placed into pre-Algebra in the fall. Yay. I have caught up with a lot of stuff at home and plan to do more when Stefan is away in two weeks.
Mom still has not heard any word about her lost purse.....the weather here is still God awful hot.....and life goes on.
I did have two wow moments this week.......the farm store that has been down the road from our home since we have moved to Branchburg is closing. I have so many memories of Allie walking down to the farm store for bunny food or just to hang out and talk to the owners. They have a sign on the front of their property that simply states we are closing after 17 years God Bless You!...another chunk of Allie's childhood going away. Then as I am driving in the car the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" comes on the radio in the car.....this was a song from a skit Allie did in daycamp when she was three years old. A friend of mine made a leopard print toga for her to wear and the counselors rolled up some of her beautiful long hair in dog bones.....so sweet and a great memory. I know Allie is fine, happy and healthy. Just some random thoughts! Stay cool if you are reading this in a climate that is hazy, hot and humid like mine is, stay cool.

Allie writes as a guest blogger

My beautiful talented daughter recently "Guest Blogged" on a fellow bloggers blog......below is what she wrote. Since my dear dad does not use the internet I copied her entry and sent it to my dad and now have posted it here for you to read. I am so very proud of Allie and I can honestly say she is beautiful inside and out!
Enjoy






Guest Blogger - My Marine and Me
Thank you Nicole for asking me to be a Guest Blogger, I only hope I can do your amazing blog justice!!! I did a couple of drafts of what I wanted to write, flipped a few topics, but I think I found what I wanted to say....


Ever since I was born the Marine Corps has been a part of my life. No I am not a military kid, my real dad is no longer even in the picture and my dad (step dad) works with computers. I am a military grandkid.

My parents went through a messy divorce when I was less than a year old and to get back on her feet my Mom and I moved in with her parents, my Babci (Polish for grandmother) and Poppy. I never realized having a World War II Marine veteran was a big deal. I thought everyone had someone like my Poppy, but I guess when you're a kid you never think too much about outside your own little circle. Some of my first memories were going with my cousin Jill and my Poppy down to the VFW in Carteret NJ where we lived. We would sit on the tall bar stools, carefully guarded by all the former military guys who loved to keep us entertained, while Poppy balanced the books. I remember us drinking Diet Cokes out of cocktail straws while the guys would press JFK half dollars and $2 bills into our palms just to hear us squeal with delight at such rarities.

I remember seeing my Poppy's uniforms in the closet when we'd wear my Babci's old dresses to play dress up. We knew not to touch those, except for his cover on occasion! I would see him wear his dress blues for parades, Toys for Tots, and other special events. Sometimes he'd wear his Marine Corps League uniform, where he was a Captain, but I loved seeing him in his blues. I thought they were the coolest thing a guy could ever wear.

It was only years later I realized how truly remarkable my Poppy was. I knew he had fought in the Philippines. I knew he wanted to stay in after the war but they just didn't need them as much anymore. Shortly thereafter he met my Babci and six kids and fifteen grandkids followed. It was only as I got older that I started to hear the stories, very watered down at first but more solid as I got older.



I never imagined I almost was a Navy grandkid instead of a Marine one! My Poppy lied about his age, just 16 at the time, and went to join the Navy. He was a state champion football player who had scholarships to some amazing colleges like Brown, but he was one of thirteen children and had to help his mother. So it was go to work or go to war. He chose war. He and a buddy of his went down to the recruiting office and the Navy recruiter was out to lunch, the Marine recruiter was there. He essentially said, "Why the heck would boys like you ever want to join something like the Navy?? The Marine Corps is for you..." But my Poppy and his friend were rather terrified of this giant man and couldn't even think of a way to refuse.

Within a few months my Poppy was training at Parris Island, SC. He was in California for awhile too, but then went into the midst of WWII. He did his job well and quickly rose through the ranks. My Poppy is the youngest Sgt Major in Marine Corps history, only 19 years old. He was supposed to go even higher but when he went to become a different rank (non-enlisted) his orders literally changed in the airport and back into the field he went.

In 2006 I went to the Marine Corps Ball in NJ with my Poppy and my cousin Jill.
He was the oldest Marine in attendance that year at 84, and got the second piece of cake! I felt so honored to dance with him and listen to him sing the hymn with all the other vets in the room. My heart was so proud I thought I would burst.

Last year my Poppy was Marine of the year back home. In this article he was quoted, "It doesn't get any better than this," said Cherepon, who served in the Marine Corps during World War II. "We train not as an individual, but as a group. … If I had to do it again, I would, because [these Marines] are an exceptional group."

So, did all this mean I thought I would ever end up married to a Marine???

Of course not!

I never expected it in a million years, but I am so incredibly honored that I am. When Ryan and I met at a Saint Patrick's Day party and I found out he was a Marine I was actually a little wary, I knew of their reputation in the DC area but he quickly proved me wrong. Our second date we found our way down to the National Mall and at the WWII Memorial, my favorite for obvious reasons. Anytime I go there, I call my Poppy. I still remember Ryan's reaction when he heard my Poppy's rank, "Um... I don't think I am allowed to talk to you anymore... I am just a LCpL!" But when I made that phone call, Ryan said hi.

The first time they met they went off to talk and were gone for hours. That is now a pattern anytime the two of them are ever in the same state. I heard stories and things from my Poppy that I know never would have surfaced without Ryan's presence in my life. And I love that they can share that. When Ryan and I got married in May, my Poppy was there in his dress blues, and in the arch of swords. My wedding was truly wonderful, and with the guys all in uniform, from the groomsmen to my Poppy to my now husband, it was even better.

It all circled together in a way I never expected. I love my Poppy, I love my husband, and I will forever carry the pride I have for them in my heart. Without my Poppy I would have cracked the day Ryan left for Iraq, I called him and he calmed me down away from hysteria. Both of them have made amazing sacrifices to this world, at 22 and 87 they both have a bond deeper than anything I could have imagined between a grandfather and grandson-in-law. All because of the Corps.

Semper Fi!