Happy Birthday Mom!

Today my mother is 74 years old. She is the most amazing woman I know. Growing up I always remember the house being perfect, everything was always in its place. There was never any laundry around, and we had a good home cooked meal every night. My mother always worked and managed to or at least seemed to do it all.
Well here she is 74 and still going strong. She works for me every day at the school. She does all my book keeping and does it superbly!
I wanted to make her birthday a special one and I hope I did. Happy birthday mom, I love you!

One Goes Out, One Comes In

Now the wedding is over, Joe and Dawn are back from their honeymoon and life has settled down a little. Joe has gotten most of his things out of the house and is setteled in his new home. We now have 2 empty bedrooms and only Jen is living at home. But then.................. Sean (my newphew) asks if he can move in with us. You see, he works in D.C. and has an apartment in Philly. He is only at his apartment on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and paying a lot in rent. So........... since we are closer to D.C., and he only needs a place for the weekends, and we have 2 empty rooms, and he and Jen are good buddies, and I have the empty nest feeling.............. we were so happy to have Sean move in with us. Welcome Sean!

30 Years Together

On September 17 my husband and I celebrated our 30Th wedding anniversary. Yes ladies 30 years with the same man, and if I had to do it all over again............. I would! My joke for the past week has been the past 30 years were so easy for him but so hard for me. Of course I was kidding! But any way our three children, my parents and his parents all chipped in and sent us to a 4 star hotel in New York City and included a Broadway Show. We had three absolutely wonderful days. We saw and did so many things, thanks to our family for a great anniversary!

Grandkids

What a Blessing! They are both such a pleasure and so good. When I see them it makes my day wonderful and I forget all my troubles.

The Wedding

Pretty close to perfect. The wedding was wonderful, what else could we ask for. Well it could of been a little bit cooler and the tuxedo place could of gotten all matching vests for the groomsen, but other then the little things that were out of our control everything was perfect.

Dawn was picture perfect in her wedding gown, she cried all the way down the isle. My daughther Jen made a beautiful maid of honor. Nikki was georgous as a brides maid. And Joe, so handsome he waited anxiously at the alter for his new bride. Paul his older brother was excited and happy to see his brother getting married and being the best man played a big part from beginning to end. He looked so nice in his tuxedo as did my hubby. Sean my nephew was a groomsman as well and they all looked so great and everyone was so excited.
















From the church the wedding party went on to a yacht which took all of them to the place where the reception was held. Because Joe and Dawn love water sports and the beach they wanted their wedding to be about all the things they love to do. They arrived at the Chesapeake Inn and everyone watched as the boat pulled into the dock.









As Joe and Dawn were announce into the reception the theme song from Jaws was playing as Joe wore a shark hat and Dawn held up a sign saying "Catch of the Day" (Joe, his brother, and dad enter the Ocean City Shark Tournament every year).

I was so proud as I danced on the dance flooor with Joe, all I could do is think about the wonderful man the he had become. I could not have been happier or happier for Joe than I was at that moment. What a great feeling!

CONGRATULATIONS JOE & DAWN

So Proud

Tomorrow my youngest son gets married. I have so many emotions that I am feeling right now I have been crying off and on all day. They are all tears of joy and tears of a mother being so proud of her son. Proud that he is a good person, a man that works hard, and is honest and always will help anyone in need. Joe thinks of others before he thinks of himself. I am proud to say that he is my son. I love you Joe, and I know tomorrow will be wonderful. God Bless both of you!

One fish, Two fish

Today it is one week to the wedding. I am getting so excited. This morning we woke up and met Paul, Nikki, and the kids at Lums Pond. We got Zack a scooby doo fishing rod on the day he was born and now he was ready to use it. Well use it he did, he caught 3 fish! He was more curious about the bobber hanging on the line than about actually fishing. At one point he was walking near the edge of the water and he slipped and fell in, that goodness poppop was right there to get him out. He is just the cutest, greatest little guy, we had so much fun. After Lums pond it was back to my house for church, swimming, and the hot tub. My nephew Sean came down tonight and he and Jen went to the Chesapeke Inn, Jen was meeting up with some new guy... guess she is fishing too!

Today

Today I took the final for my math class, I am so happy that's over with! Summer camp is going on at my school this week so I've been busy with that. Also, I have to hire 2 teachers for the school in Delaware and 3 teachers for the one in Maryland. I have adds is both states newspapers and I am not getting much of a response. I am getting worried.

On a happier note the weeding is in 11 days. We booked the yacht to take the wedding party from the church over to the reception.

Today I am exhausted, I am not going to have any trouble sleeping tonight, that will feel good!

So Much

Wow I've been so busy lately I don't know how I can keep going at this rate. First of all the wedding is only 1 1/2 weeks away. When Jen was in Florida me and Dawn went and picked up Jen and Nikki's dresses but of course when they tried them on they were both too big. So off to the seamstress we went. She is practically rebuilding the dresses. Then finally I found the gown that I am going to wear. Yay, I think I went to every bridal shop in the state and guess where I finally found a gown at? Boscov's, go figure!


This weekend was Dawn's bachelorette party and dawn's mom and I drove two car loads of girls down the beach for the night. They needed designated drivers to stay sober and Dawn's mom and I were elected for the job. It was a good time and the girls were a lot of fun. I had to go out at 2:00 a.m. and pick up a bunch of drunk girls at Seacrets in Ocean City. The next morning they were not felling so good.

God Bless Zack & Wyatt

Finally my grand children have been baptized! Paul and Nikki finally agreed to have the boys baptized and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. We even found a great priest who made them feel very comfortable. Afterwards we had a celebration at our house... it was wonderful!

Spring Break is Finall Over

If you look back to the IWASGONNA post you will see that I started painting our family room over spring break. Well........ we just finished last night! The good news is that I am really happy with the way it turned out. Now I just have to pick out curtains and wall hanging. My plan is to have everything done by the wedding which is only 3 1/2 weeks away.

Happy 4th, 5th, & 6th

The 4th of July turned out great. We had lots of people over for a barbecue. Everyone swam , went in the hot tub, followed by a bon fire and then fire works. Paul, Nikki and the kids spent the night and the next day we had fun all over again swimming, barbecuing and just hanging out. On the 6th we went shopping and mom mom found a beautiful gown to wear to the wedding. It was so good to see her so happy and excited. She went to the eye doctor today and he was able to help her see better. It's been a great three days. ( except I miss Jen)

Busy Weekend

My hubby and I have started playing Texas hold em every Friday night at Paul's house. It has been fun and something that I have begun looking forward to (although I lost this week). Joe was in his best friend Mike's wedding. Jen came home from the Outer Banks on Saturday. Early Saturday afternoon my best fried Joy who I hardly see, paid me a surprise visit. It was so great to see her. Later Saturday afternoon we went to my nephew's graduation party and Paul, Nikki and the kids came which made for a great time. After the party Paul, Nikki, the kids, Dawn, Warren, Lauren, Haily, and Daniel came back to our house for a barbecue and Paul set off a bunch of fire works. Jen and I sat up to 2 in the morning talking and doing laundry to get ready for her trip to Florida. Sunday morning we got up early and drove Jen to the Philadelphia airport :(. I was so sad that she was leaving again. Jake and I talked on the way home about all the things we planned to accomplish for the day. We then stopped at mom and dad's for breakfast and went to church. Then came the phone call..... "mom, the dishwasher is running and is backing up into all the sinks in the house". The rest of the day was spent at Paul and Nikki's so the guys could fix plumbing and replace pipes. So like I said busy weekend........ and thank God Jen arrived in Florida safe and sound!

Today Sucked

I am usually a happy, upbeat, glass is 1/2 full type of person but today I was just the opposite. Nothing horrible happened. The day was just filled with an overwhelming amount of paper work, chores to be done, errands to run, little arguements with my husband, and his truck breaking down to top it all off. I know that there could be much worse things that could happen so I am working hard to pick up my mood and know that tommorow ( actually it is after midnight already) will be a better day.

Have Fun ... but not too much fun

It's 4 a.m. and Jen just left for the Outer Banks. She is spending the week there, and this is her first vacation away from home by herself (except for summer camps). I hope she has a great time. She maybe flying to Florida from there to go see Brendan... we will see what happens. He left on Thursday and she found a note on her car Friday morning from him with $100 in it to spend at the Outer Banks. He wants her to fly from there to Florida to visit him... he said he will pay for her air fair there and back home. It is all contingent on him having a couple of days off work and her summer camp that she is working at being canceled. We will see what happens. In any case I hope she goes and has a great time.... she deserves it!

Poor Jen

Tonight Jen's boy friend is leaving for Florida for good. He just graduated from college and accepted a job there. Jen is heart broken. I feel so bad for her.

Birthholations

Wow, so many birthdays/holidays/graduations at once. It all started with my Dad on June 5, then my son Joe on June 16, Father's Day on the 17th, then my husbands birthday on June 19, next my in-laws 50th anniversary on June 23, then graduation party (cousin's kid) on June 23, then birthday (nephew) on June 29, then graduation party on June 30 (nephew)........... Busy June Cha-ching!

The Hot Tub

OK... so we ordered the hot tub, had the electric run, poured a concrete pad, filled it up, waited for it to get hot and got in. Oh how relaxing but... then we noticed the wet area around the hot tub. At first we thought it was just wet from everyone getting in and out, then we thought maybe Buddy (our dog) peed on it. But after a couple of hours and then days we realized that it was a LEAK. Oh geez, so we call the company they send someone out, we have to drain the hot tub but when the repair man comes he says he doesn't have what he needs to fix it. Soooooo he comes back and puts some type of epoxy then we fill it back up and ..........it doesn't do the job! Ok so now he has to order parts, we wait a week and he comes back. Oh no wrong parts! So now they are sending parts to be shipped to our house so we wait another week and finally the parts arrive. Guess what? They shipped the wrong parts! So now the company sends out another guy to check things out. He come one day unannounced (lucky we were home) checks out the hot tub and says, "wow this is awful, you shouldn't be having all these problems!" He informs us he will contact the company and let them know that they should send us a now one. But here we are 2 weeks later with an empty hot tub and no word from anyone. I let you know what happens!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today my dad is 77. We had a nice family get together. We all went out to dinner and then back to mom and dad's for cake. I feel so lucky to have a great dad and now he is double 7's... maybe it will be his lucky year!

But Daddy I Want A Red Crossfire

This is Jen's new car, it is a Chrysler Crossfire and she bought it all herself! She keeps getting comments by passers byers saying "OHH Her Daddy Must Love Her!" It makes her sooooooooo mad. She works 2 jobs and goes to school full time and works very hard for all she has. It bothers her that people assume that her parents got her the car. Well Jen, it that's the worst of your problems don't worry. You're the only one you have to answer to!

Dawn & Jen or Dawn & Joe

Well Joe and Dawn are getting married in August. Jen is the maid of honor. It all started when Jen started high school. She was the only freshman that made the varsity cheerleanding squad. Dawn was a senior and the captain of the team. She took care of Jen and looked out for her. Dawn was the first person (friend) that I let Jen drive in a car with. When we took a family trip to Las Vegas Joe could not go because he just started a new job and couldn't get off work. He called us and told us he was going out on a date with Dawn. Jen had a fit yelling "leave my friends alone" into the phone. She was worried that something would go wrong and it would effect her and Dawn's relationship. But here we are almost 5 years later and Dawn and Joe are getting married and Jen is the maid of honor. How great is that!

My Wonderful Daughter

Sometimes I wonder what I ever did right to deserve her. She never gave me a problem while she was growing up, she did good in school and makes the Dean's List in College. She works two jobs and goes to college full time. Whenever I am in a jam I know I can call her and she will be there. She is the best any mother could ask for......she is wonderful!

School's Out For The Summer

Well pre-school is done until September. I will spend the summer opening the new school as well as getting ready for a new school year. I also decided to take a summer math course (what was I thinking). I'm going miss the kids!

Happy Mother's Day

For Mother's Day we went for a barbecue at Joe's house. It was nice to go somewhere for a change. Usually all celebrations are at my house but now that everyone is moving out it is nice to go out for the holidays.

The Crazy Men in MY Life

These are the crazy men in my life. My husband and my two sons. They make me laugh.

What a Great Day!

Today was just a great day. The guys were working on the boat getting it ready for next week. Everyone came over and we had a barbecue. My parents, the kids and the grandchildren, I love it when we are all together!

My Buddy

He is Buddy our puggle. He is a mix between pug and beagle. He runs to the door when we come home and wags his tail to show us his joy when we pet him, hold him and especially feed him. When he was a puppy he dug a hole in the wall in my kitchen right into our laundry room. He chewed the bottom of all our kitchen chairs and dug and frayed all the corners of our rugs. We paid $350.00 for a dog trainer which helped a lot but certainly didn't fix everything. In spite of it all he is our Buddy and we love him very much.

Working With Children

I have now owned my own preschool for 5 years and before that I worked as a preschool teacher for 12 years. The question I get asked over and over again is "how can you work with kids"? First of all the children at preschool (it's not a daycare) come to school between 2 and 4 days a week for 2 1/2 hours per day. For example 3 years olds come M-T-W from 9 - 11:30 a. m. The kids come in all excitied to see their friends, they play games, do arts & crafts, learn their letters & numbers, sing, dance, cut, color, learn and have a lot of fun. They love their teachers and love to come to school. The chidren don't talk behind your back, or care what your hair looks like or what you wearing. They don't judge you or worry about who has the designer purse or shoes. They come and give you hugs for no reason and their laughter can cheer you up when you're feeling down. So my response to people when they ask me " how can you work with kids" is ........................"how can you work with adults?

Lucky, Lucky Me

Today I got some great news. Today I found out that everything has been approved to start my new preschool. Now I will have two schools, I am so excited to begin. If everything goes as planned the new school will open in September.

Spring Break - "Iwasgonna"

This morning I woke up to realize that today was the last day of spring break. Oh no, I starting getting myself all upset because I didn't get anything done that I had planned to do. I stated to think of all the things "Iwasgonna"do. Iwasgonna wash the windows, Iwasgonna clean out the closets, Iwasgonna catch up on laundry, Iwasgonna clean the house from top to bottom and then when I was done with that, Iwasgonna paint the family room. Feeling frantic I went and got the paint that my husband and I picked out for the family room and before I new what I was doing I moved the furniture and started painting. I only got one wall done but now at least I feel like I did something! (Crazy isn't it)

Brotherly Love

Here's the boys together. So far Zack just loves his new little brother.

Three Generations

This week my mother, myself, my daughter and my daughter's friend went away together. We laughed, joked, and enjoyed each other's company. Everyday I thank God for Jen (my daughter) for being the teriffic person that she is. The more time I spend with her the more I realize just how wonderful she is and the more I know that she gets it from her grandmother. They are both so special to me!

My beautiful gandsons

What could be better than this! They have brought so much joy to our lives.

Do Dreams Come True? ...Continued

By the time Joe started preschool I was pregnant with Jennifer. Joe loved going to school, he met some new friends and before long was going to their houses for play dates.
When Jen was 3 years old she attended the same school and that is when I approached the director (owner) about a job. She said she would keep me in mind and let me know if something became available. The following year when Jen was 4 is when she offered me a job.
I loved it, I was sure that it was what I wanted to do forever. I was an assistant teacher and I wanted to learn everything I possibly could to be a teacher.

God Speed ~ Joe

I'm sitting here near tears, actually no I'm not... I am feeling the tears fall down my face as I am writing this. It seems so silly, my son is 25 and just moved into his own home. It is a beautiful home that he had built. He got all brand new beautiful furniture, even a 60" plasma TV that he is so proud of and can't wait to hang over his fire place. I am so happy for him, but I am going to miss him so much. He is only twenty minutes away so why am I making such a big deal out of it. Why am I sobbing when I am so happy for him, and so proud of him?

Another Beautiful Baby Boy

What is better than grandchildren? Nothing! They are the joy of our lives. We had our second Grandson on March 20, Wyatt Joseph, 8 lbs. 4 ozs. 21" ~ he is absolutely beautiful!

Do Dreams Come True?

Yes, Yes, Yes - dreams do come true. It all started in 1984 when myself, my husband and our two boys moved to the country. We had a small ranch built on 1 1/2 acres of land right next to a corn field. We had to travel 10 miles to get a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. But we did not mind one bit. We loved our new home and were excited about bringing our boys up where there was fresh air and a lot of open space.Paul was 6 years old and in first grade, Joe was three. Paul went to the local public school and we started looking for pre-schools in the area for Joe. Well there was not much to choose from. There were two that were available in the area, one was in town in a woman's home the second was also in a woman's home but in an old farm house on a beautiful farm.As soon as I pulled up in the drive way I was hooked. There were beautiful trees and flowers, a pond and a wonderful playground and a lot of open space. Space for the children to run, explore and enjoy the beauty of nature. The children there seemed so happy and the classrooms were filled with laughter. I knew this was the place for Joe.I knew this was a place for me too. I wanted to work there, I wanted to teach children and watch as they grow and learn. I wanted to see them explore new things and fill their curious minds with wonderful ways to learn and explore. I wanted to be a part of all of it.We registered Joe to start school there in September. To be continued...