Ordinary Miracles

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

-- Meister Eckhardt

Ah...the last post of 30 gratitude blog entries (ok, 28.  I shorted you two. Sorry about that!).  I should end with something remarkable, right?  As I was falling asleep last night, I thought about what to write today, I searched for something profound.  I replayed my day, my week, my past, trying to find something that I hadn't already written about, and I came up short.  I couldn't think of anything extraordinary.  Then I realized that an absence of a remarkable story isn't a shortfall at all.  In fact, it's exactly what I wanted.  The point of reflecting each day on my blessings wasn't just to express gratitude for the big things.  It was also a way of actualizing the wonder in my daily life.   Thankfully, daily life isn't usually all that exciting, but it is always extraordinary.  

Yesterday I had a nice morning.  Andrew slept in, so Jake and I were able to get ready for our day with ease.  Morning sets the tone for the whole day, and I am always grateful for a morning routine without any glitches!  When Andrew got up, he said he didn't feel well.  I was worried that I would have to call in sick, but after a nice snuggle on the couch, Andrew perked up and had a good day.  I was thankful that he wasn't sick, thankful for our cuddle time, and thankful that I didn't have to miss work.  Work was uneventful.  I was productive, not stressed, no drama - a perfect work day in my opinion!  Our evening was nice too.  A friend asked me to be in her wedding, which is a true honor.  That's a request you don't get every day! (For the record, I told her that I don't dress up well, and that my mere appearance has the potential to ruin her entire day, not to mention the photos she will have for the rest of her life.  I gave her an out, but she didn't change her mind.  It's off my shoulders and on hers now!).  Later in the evening I ended up at our neighbor's house with Greg and Andrew.  I had a drink and a few smokes (Don't judge me.  We all have vices) and a good many laughs, mostly at my expense...those are the best kind of laughs!  When we came home, Greg put Andrew to bed while I got a shower.  I climbed into bed and kissed Greg good-night.  His kiss lingered a little longer than usual, and well, I already told you how I love to kiss him.  One thing led to another and let's just say we both slept peacefully.  I only woke once between 11 and 430! (Note to self: alcohol, sex, gratitude = deep sleep.  Try this combination more often!)  Was that an unremarkable day?  Heck no!  It was the perfect day, and I am grateful for every single minute of it.

This is the last blog entry specifically for gratitude, but any of you who have been reading my posts know that it's a theme I come back to often.  I'm a firm believer in counting your blessings, expressing thanks and paying it forward.  We are all given more opportunities than we realize to be thankful.  I cherish my blessings, but I find that I appreciate and enjoy them much more when I pay them forward.  In the words of Sarah McLachlan, spend some time each day recognizing your ordinary miracles then "open up and find a way to give some of your own."  

Say That Again

While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.  ~Angela Schwindt

I have never been a "baby" person.  I don't look at other people's babies and feel like I need to hold them, or get pangs of having another child.  In fact, when I look at pregnant women and infants, I think, "Aw. So cute...and so glad that's not me!"  When my own children were babies, of course I loved them.  I even thought they were the cutest little beings on the face of the earth.  But I didn't enjoy the infant stages.  They're so much work.  I worried so much, because they were so fragile.   I got frustrated when they cried and cried, because I never had that mother's intuition that people talk about that magically fixed whatever ailed my kids.  Sure, I knew my what my boys did and didn't like.  I could probably calm their cries better than someone else could, but still, it was guess work.   In contrast, I love the ages my boys are at right now.  They are potty trained and can talk well.   They have the ability to reason (even if they don't use that ability too often). They can tell me what's wrong, what they need and what they like.  They also say all kinds of funny things, and as you all know, I love to share the things they say with others.  Here are just a few examples from the last month or so:

Jacob never had "baby talk."  When he started talking, it was clear as a bell and in full sentences.  He never mixed up pronouns or prepositions.  There were only a handful of words that he said wrong, and even then the words were close enough that everyone could understand him.  Andrew, on the other hand, has had a much more typical speech development.  He talks well, but he definitely mixes things up, and sometimes those mix ups are really funny.  These are some of the words he says wrong:

matkin = napkin

Tritsie Roll = Tootsie Roll

clug = plug (Like, "Mom, put the clug in the bathtub so the water doesn't go out.")

wof cwof = wash cloth

Strantmermers = Transformers

When he has a cut on his hand, he asks for "scream" for his finger. 

A few days ago, he asked Greg if he could listen to the CD with "Heydar of grub." (Radar Love)

There are more, but those are just a few.

I also enjoy listening to the boys' thought processes, how they sort through every day ideas.  One day on the way home from school, we drove past Lakemont Park and Andrew saw ducks on the pond.  He said, "Mom, can we catch a duck and keep it as a pet?"
"No," I said.
"Why?"
"Well, because the cat would probably eat it."
"How about a fish?  Can we catch a fish for a pet?"
"No, the cat would probably eat that too."
He paused for a moment and said, "Well, how about an elephant?  Just a small one."  Oh sure.  An elephant would be a fine pet.  Sam would definitely not eat it!

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One night, while I was in the bath tub with Andrew, he told me that my legs were hurting him.  "My legs are hurting you?"  I said.  "Yes," he said.  "The skin is sharp."  I guess that was my cue to shave!

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While we were watching a cartoon with a brother and sister on it, I asked Andrew if he had a brother.  "Yes!"  he said. "Jacob is my brother!"  I asked if he had a sister.  "Yes, Mom!" he said.  I said, "Sister mom?"  He shook his head and said, "No.  Sister Kel-Wee!"  We're still working on understanding the family tree!

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Andrew has been watching Jacob's cartoons, which are really a little too mature for him.  As a result, he has been saying things like "kill" and "die," not exactly nice words to hear from a 3 year old.  Greg and I have been encouraging him to say "I'm gonna get you" instead.  He has also been taunting Jacob with that childhood chant "ha ha ha ha ha" (like, nanny nanny boo boo), which I also don't like.  One day I took him shopping and he said, "Mom, what don't we say?  Kill?  Die?"  I said, "No, we don't say those words.  They aren't nice."  He said, "what about 'ha ha ha ha ha?' Is that not nice?"  "No, that's also not nice."  He then proceeded to sing "kill, kill, kill" to a very sweet tune from the shopping cart.  "Andrew," I said, "that's nice singing, but no matter how you say it, 'kill' is still not a nice word."

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After Andrew eats anything, he stands up, flexes his biceps and says, "Feel my armpits!  Do you want to see how my armpits got bigger?"

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One night during dinner, Andrew asked if we lived in Altoona.  I'm not sure where that came from, but Jacob quickly replied, "No, Andrew.  We live in Hollidaysburg.  Hollidaysburg is a suderd of Altoona."

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One night, Greg jokingly told Andrew to tell me to shut my pie hole.  Andrew yelled across a room full of people, "Mom, shut your asshole!"

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When Jake gets mad at Andrew, he makes this terribly mean face.  I have been working with him to find a better way to express his anger.  The last time Jake made the mean face at Andrew, Andrew said, "Jacob, if you keep making that face, you're not going to have Christmas!"

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Over Thanksgiving, I took a container of chia seeds with me to my aunt's house.  My niece picked up the jar, looked it over and said, "Aunt Koelle, is this bird food?"

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And the last story is about one of my sister's students.  She teaches first grade in the Pittsburgh area.   She's also 7 months pregnant.  A few weeks ago, she fainted in front of the class.  She said that she was talking to a little boy, and suddenly she couldn't hear him.  She told him to get the teacher's aid and the next thing she knew, she was laying on the floor with the nurse beside her and the classroom empty.  She's fine and returned to work the next day.  A few days later, when she had parent teacher conferences, the mother of the little boy who helped my sister came in for her conference.  She told Megan that her son came home and said, "Guess what?  Mrs Anderson had her baby at her desk today!"


That's all I have to share for now, but there will be more to come, I'm sure!  Today I am grateful not only for my boys, but also for the gift of laughter that they bring.  They consistently and undoubtedly give us reason to smile.  Thanks, boys!

What'cha Up To?

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.  ~Author Unknown

Did you have a good Thanksgiving?  We sure did!  On Thursday we headed to Cranberry (which is just north of Pittsburgh) to have dinner with my family.  It was a typical Thanksgiving - lots of food, lots of people, and lots of laughter, followed by more food, oh and of course a little wine too!  I ate so much this weekend that I am actually looking forward to starting off tomorrow on a diet...well, at least a somewhat healthy eating plan to get me through the holidays.  I'd like to still fit into my pants come January 1st!

Thanksgiving day looked something like this:

"I'm stuffed.  Give me the remote and I'll find a football game!"

"Hey, Mom, grab me another slice of pie, would ya?"

Exercise? Heck  no!  Not today.  Let's all snuggle on the couches and watch the boys veg out on XBox games.

On Friday, I did not go Black Friday shopping with my insane family members.  Instead, Greg and I let Andrew put his swimming gear on (his request) and walk around my aunt's patio until he finally relented and decided that we were right and November was indeed too cold for outdoor swimming.

"Please can I come back inside now?"

On Friday afternoon we met some of my college friends in the city for a few rounds of bowling.  

Looks like that one's gonna be a strike!

Michelle and I are lightweights.  When Andrew wasn't using his 6 pound ball, we grabbed it for ourselves!

Then we headed back to another college friend's house to visit.  Shel was too tired to join us bowling because of her Black Friday adventures (can you say certifiably crazy?)  It was a wonderful visit, but too short, as always.  I wish we all lived on the same floor of one big building again (well, minus the community shower, of course!)

Danielle, Shelly, Me and Michelle.  I never realize that I'm the shortest one of the crew until I looked at these pictures. I think I'm shrinking!

It wouldn't be an Allegheny get together without something a little odd, and Danielle stealing the opportunity to squeeze someone's ass!  

After the visit at Shelly's house, Greg headed home (stupid job) and Andrew and I went back to my aunt's house for our 3rd or 4th annual gingerbread house decorating night.  It was pretty intense:

Jacob had Matt help him so that his house would be perfect.

Andrew had a hard time understanding that he was to decorate the house, not eat it.

Ella was just sweet, as always.

After the houses were complete, we judged them for prizes:

"Andrew, I do not appreciate your attempts to sabotage my house!"

"Ha ha, Jake!  I won "best front yard" and you didn't!"

Jacob was steamed that he didn't win "best front yard," and accused Andrew of cheating.

"Hey, I don't cheat on matters as serious as gingerbread!"

But when Jake got best house over all, all was right with the world!  Thank goodness we were all able to sleep with clear minds!

On Saturday morning, I packed up my sister, brother in law, niece, mom and my boys and drove to Akron OH.  We spent the afternoon lounging by the (indoor) pool:

"Um, Jake.  Are you making all these bubbles?  I think you had too much stuffing on Thanksgiving."

"Water makes me as giddy as little girl!  Whee!"

Saturday evening, we dressed the kids in their pajamas, went out to eat and then for a ride on the Polar Express.  

Sounds fun, right?  Well, it was fun, but not for the reasons you would expect.  First of all, let me tell you about dinner.  We took the kids to Friday's just because it was directly across the parking lot from the hotel.  The food was fine, but the kids were, well, kids who hadn't had a good night's sleep (or in Andrew's case a nap either) in 3 days.  When the waiter came to take our order, Andrew asked for chicken nuggets, fry fries (that's what he calls them) and a beer.  When I said he couldn't have a beer with dinner, he got mad.  I'm mean like that.  Then Ella started singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"  over and over while Andrew yelled at her to stop.  We got a couple of sideways looks, but hey, what can you do?

We were worried that we wouldn't be able to find seats together on the train, so we arrived at the station 90 minutes early.  Waiting anywhere with three small kids for 90 minutes is a recipe for disaster.  They were impatient,  but actually much better behaved than I expected:

"Where on earth is the doggone train?"

We made them pose in every way and place imaginable, just trying to get a good photo of the three of them.  As you see, our results were slightly less than desirable!

"Mom!  What kind of train is this?"

Ella and Jake posed with my mom while Andrew tried to hide between the rows of benches. 

When we finally got on the train, we had yet another hour to kill before the ride started. 

I think Andrew may have had a mini-stroke while waiting.

Oh, whew.  He was just playing around!

Finally, they got their golden tickets punched, and we were on our way to the North Pole!

The only problem was that the announcer may have been drunk... either drunk or really dumb.  I hate to think that someone is dumb, so I'm going with drunk.   She could hardly read the book, and when she was trying to make commentary on anything at all, she stumbled over her words, and lost track of her thoughts.  Normally we would have all been irritated that we spent so much money for such a shoddy production, but given the fact that we were all exhausted, we instead found it hysterically funny.  I don't think I've ever seen my brother in law laugh so hard that he cried before.  Between the kids and the crew members, we were in stitches all night.  I'll try to tell you a little about it, but I know it's one of those "you had to be there" kind of things.  Seriously, you all should have been there.  It was funny!

About 20 minutes into the ride, the announcer had the kids look out the window.  She way underestimated how close we were to our destination, because the kids sat in total darkness for about 25 minutes looking out the window at nothing at all!  She kept asking them what they saw getting them all excited for nothing.  At one point, Ella yelled, "I see a police car!" (we were riding through a town)  Then Andrew yelled, "I see foxes and squirrels and trees!"  They didn't even know what they were supposed to be looking for!  

Just before we arrived at the "North Pole," we went through a little bit of a town.  One of the elves got on the microphone and said, "Oh, Santa loves the restaurants like you all have, so he had replicas made here at the North Pole for him."  Um, OK.  Nice attempt at covering, anyway.  But what wasn't such a nice try was when she said, "Here we are passing one of my favorite places!"  as we traveled past a place with a giant neon sign blinking "Nite Club.  Liquor.  Dancing." Lovely!  

When we reached the North Pole, we didn't get off the train, we just drove past some elves and Christmas-like creatures standing at the train stop.  Santa didn't get on the train until we were almost back to our starting point.  But that wasn't the strangest part.  The strangest part had to be when this very obviously gay elf came onto our train car and had us all sing "The Funky Chicken."  What in the world?  The funky chicken?  What the heck was that?  We sang other songs too.  One where we were supposed to all yell, "hot! hot!" (as in hot chocolate), but the leader was sadly pathetic.  She couldn't carry a tune and no one was into the songs.  When it was over, Ella said, "I never want to sing that song again."

When Santa finally came onto the train, someone had apparently brought a dog, which started barking. Andrew was shocked and yelled, "Mimi!  That baby is crying!  If it doesn't stop barking like a dog, it's not going to have Christmas!"  

Where exactly is Santa, anyway?

Santa was pretty convincing and he spent some time sitting with each of the passengers, which was nice.  He gave the kids all their own Polar Express bell too.

It was two hours of pure fun! (sarcasm intended)  Finally, as we were leaving, my mom said, "Be careful backing up.  There are a lot of people in the parking lot."  Just as she was about to say, "that woman is really close," some random woman opened Andrew's door, looked inside our car and said, "Oh, whoops!  Wrong car!"  I wish I had been able to take a picture of Andrew's face right then, because his expression was priceless, and it really captured the feel of the entire night!  He said nothing, but his face said, "What the heck was that?"

This morning we packed up the car and drove home.  It was a nice weekend all in all, albeit extremely busy.  It was exactly what the holidays should be all about - friends, family, food, the occasional short-lived temper tantrum, and lots of laughter.  I'm grateful for a wonderful Thanksgiving...and praying that I can survive the rest of the holiday chaos, because, baby, it has only just  begun! 

Home Sweet Home

This weekend we got together with lots of people. It was truly wonderful (and a little exhausting). Two of our friends are in the process of buying a house and were sharing their frustrations with us. They really love the house they just put an offer on and are keeping their fingers crossed that it goes through as planned. It made me think about what it was like when Greg and I were looking for a house. I love our house. In fact, we both loved our house the very first time we set foot in it. It was truly love at first sight, but we almost didn't get it. When I think about the "things" in my life that i am grateful for, the house is on the top of my list. Even though Thanksgiving is over, November is not...and I did promise 30 days of gratitude, didn't I? I know I did, so here's the story of how we got our house. Greg and I decided to get married several months before we actually got engaged. We started looking at homes and the house we currently live in was the first house we saw. Like I said above, we fell in love immediately. We made an offer on the house, but it was a lowball offer. The sellers were asking a hefty amount that we couldn't quite afford, but it had been on the market for a while, so we thought they might accept. They did not. I bet we looked at 25 more houses that summer. We saw some really beautiful homes and some homes that needed a lot of work. All of them lacked something intangible...something that hung in the air in that first house. After a while, Greg and I both started feeling worn out from all the looking. I actually felt like giving up for a while, just for a break. Just when we were about ready to throw in the towel, our realtor called us and said that the owners had reduced the price on the first house we looked at. Of course, we jumped on the chance to make another offer. She submitted our offer and we waited. Later that day, the realtor told us that the owners wanted to meet us. I thought that was odd, but whatever, right? We met with them and they gave us another tour of the home. They explained all of the quirks of the house to us. It was really nice. We liked the couple a lot and they told us things about the home that we never would have learned otherwise. They accepted our offer and the house was ours. We found out later that they had been given a higher offer from another couple, but that they had declined because they didn't feel like the first couple shared the same values as we did. It really was written in the stars that "our" house was meant to be ours! We closed on the house on August 11, 2006, and it's been home sweet home for us since then. I love our house for so many reasons. It's the perfect location for us, just blocks away from both of our families. It's a good looking house, but more importantly, it carries a feeling of welcome. It's an historic hollidaysburg home, built in 1891, with lots of character and over a century of love built up inside its walls. It's big enough to host all of our family and friend gatherings, yet doesn't lose it's cozy feeling of comfort in its size. We love our house and we are so grateful it's ours!

Enough, Already!

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Goodbye.”

- Bob Perks

Ah, it's finally Thanksgiving day, and if you haven't figured it out by reading the last 24 blog entries, what I am most grateful for is that I have enough.  I have certainly weathered my share of storms, enough to know that I can make it through, enough to prepare me for future rough seas, and enough to make me appreciate the glorious calm that is right now.  We don't have money to throw away, but we have enough to make our lives comfortable.  We have a beautiful house filled with laughter (and often also accompanied by or followed by screaming) from two magnificent boys, and I have the love of my life beside me in bed each night.  Most importantly, we are surrounded by family and friends.  I have been blessed with knowing the most wonderful people, people of generosity, good humor and high integrity.  Regardless of everything else - the day to day stress, the daily hassles and hurdles, the tedium of routine, I am fully aware that I have it all, and I couldn't possibly ask for more.  My friends, on Thanksgiving and every other day of the year, I wish nothing more for you than to have enough in your lives as well.  


God bless. 

Feline Power

                                      There has never been a cat

                                      Who couldn't calm me down

                                      By walking slowly

                                      Past my chair

                                           - Rod McKuen

I had several wonderful professors during my time at Allegheny.  Everyone adored our choir director, who we endearingly referred to as Chief.  I also became good friends with one of my German professors, who is now the dean of the college.  But the one with the most unique and forward personality was Professor Richter.  The first day I met him, when I was scheduling classes my freshman year, he said, "With a name like Koelle, you must study in Cologne!" And a year later, I did study abroad.  On the first day of class my freshman year, he said to another student, "Chris, did you ever smoke a joint before coming to class?"  "Um. No" said Chris apprehensively.  "Well you should try it sometime,"  he replied, "It's fun!"   

He fit many of the German stereotypes, including the one where they say exactly what they are thinking without a filter.  I loved that about him.  He could be quite abrasive at times, but you always knew where he was coming from, and he really did have his students' best interest at heart.   While I lived in the dorm, my friends lived in the campus German house.  I practically lived there too, I just needed my own place to sleep (one that was clean).  Even though it was against school policy, we had two cats at the German house.  One day, Professor Richter stopped by the house unexpectedly and there were our cats, just sitting in the kitchen.  He picked my cat up and began to pet her.  I waited for him to tell us that we had to get rid of our cats, but instead he said something like this: “When I wake up every morning, my dog is sitting by the edge of my bed, waiting for me.  He stares at me with these big brown eyes that say, 'You are wonderful!  You are perfect!  You are the world to me!  I love you.' How could I ever live to be the person my dog thinks I am.  It's too much pressure!"  He paused a moment and then continued, "That is why I love cats.  When I look at my cat he says, ‘Feed me or I’ll shit on your couch.’ Now that I can understand!” 

Isn't that the truth?  Your cat does not think you are God's greatest work.  In fact, he thinks that he himself is God's greatest creation!  He loves you on his terms, not yours.  It's totally conditional - conditional on maintaining his feeding scheduling, allowing time for his frequent naps, making room for him to cuddle when he wants (and only when he wants) and giving him space when he prefers to be alone.  Yet despite all of these conditions, I can't help but melt at the sight of this little guy.  He does the goofiest things.  He bites my feet.  He carries a 4 foot long stuffed snake all over the house.  He sleeps in my planters.  In 5 short months, this house has totally come to run on his terms - and we love him all the more for his unparalleled powers of control.  What a sweetie!

My Family: Greg, Mom, Jacob, Andrew... and Sam!

Liberty and Justice for All

When you go into court you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.  ~Norm Crosby

Yesterday I had the distinct privilege of witnessing the jury selection process.  I say "witnessing," because I was never even called upon to answer any questions.  I simply sat in the back of a very old (and charming) courthouse, on a very old (and uncomfortable) bench and listened as 24 (or a little more) of my peers trickled through the process.  Let me be honest, I am quite thankful that I was not chosen, but I must also admit that as I watched and listened to the others, I had a slight (slight, mind you) desire to participate.  There's no way I could have been an unbiased participant, however.  It was a case which involved domestic abuse and child endangerment allegations.  In the last 10 years, I have seen too many families I work with, specifically children, who have been victims of abuse and my skin prickles at the very mention of the words.  Nonetheless, I'm grateful that I was able to bear witness to the workings of our legal system...and hopeful that I don't get called again until well into my retirement, when I will undoubtedly be looking for something stimulating to do! 
It wasn't at all what I expected.  I envisioned a much more personalized approach, instead of the assembly-like manner by which they chose the jury.  We spent a lot (and I mean a lot!) of time waiting around, but when the selection was underway, it was fairly efficient.  It was all so very official and authoritarian that none of us dared to speak out of turn or misbehave in any way.  I got the distinct feeling that, although we were supposed to be the ones determining guilt, many of us felt like we ourselves were under the microscope!  While you are in the courtroom, you aren't allowed to do much except pay attention.  This was very hard for me.  I'm a talker, a texter, a note and list writer.  I actually listen better if I can doodle or in some way occupy my need to fidget (I know how annoying that is for other people and how rude can seem.  Sorry, sometimes I appear to be much more of a jerk than I really am). I also can't help but come up with all kinds of inappropriate commentary during situations when I am supposed to act properly, and it's even worse when I can't share those thoughts with others.  It made me nearly nuts not to be able to send a text to Greg about something ridiculous I saw someone doing, saying or wearing. But alas, I made it through, and since I wasn't able to make one of my beloved lists, I was only able to remember a few of my thoughts from the course of the day.  Here's what I came up with:

• Criers get out of jury duty easier than anybody.  I saw three women actually leave the courtroom in visible tears, two of them nearly sobbing.   Seriously?  What the heck?  I wish I could cry on cue, because that seems to be a very valuable skill.  Unfortunately, instead of crying, I tend to think of inappropriate responses or, in extreme circumstances, resort to throwing things.  OK, I haven't thrown anything in a while...that I remember...but my mouth, well, my mouth gets me into trouble often.  Actually, I find it highly annoying when women start crying at the drop of a hat.  There are times when crying is suitable, but it's way overused and it leads to stereotypes of hysterical women who lack control over their emotions. Jury selection is one of those inappropriate times.  Get a grip, ladies! 
• I truly hope that the man with the uncontrollable cough was a chain smoker, because if not, I'm pretty sure we are all going to die from H1N1 in approximately 48 hours.  I mean, really people, if you have a cough so bad that you can't be still for more than 30 seconds at a time and you practically vomit with each coughing fit, STAY HOME!  He was sitting directly behind me, hacking and hacking and hacking until finally he got called to the front to be questioned for the jury.  (Thank GOD!) While he was seated behind me, the more he coughed, the more anxiety I felt.  My eyes felt itchy, but I didn't dare touch any area on my body that could be a portal to germs (eyes, ears, nose, mouth), which was maddening, because when you have an itch you can't scratch, that's all you can think about!  At one point, I even considered holding my breath or using my shirt as a respiratory filter, because I could actually visualize his particalized germs navigating through the courtroom atmosphere, weaseling their way into our unsuspecting bodies!  (OK, I have issues.  I can't help it.  You love me anyway, and you know it!) 
• Jury selection is a good time to catch up with old pals!  I ran into three people I hadn't seen for quite a while.  One woman was a coworker who I hadn't seen for probably 6 or 7 years.  She was so sweet and even insisted that I had lost weight since we last spoke. In reality, I've gained about 10 pounds, but hey, I'll take any compliment I can get these days!  

So, there you have it, my assessment of the day.   I am grateful for having had the opportunity to witness the system.  I am even more grateful for escaping the selection, and I am most grateful for my old co-worker, Bonnie, who said I looked thinner than I did 7 years ago!  She was my best friend for the day! 

All Together Now!

And thank you for a house full of people I love.  Amen.  ~Terri Guillemets

Greg and I both come from large, extended families.  Between birthdays, graduations, baptisms, holidays, and football we are lucky to have 4 or 5 weekends in the year that are completely obligation free.  And no, that's not an exaggeration.  If you want to get together, especially if you are out of town, please contact me well in advance!

While I have been known to complain about the constant gatherings, I am very aware of the blessings of a large family.  A few years ago after I finished whining about the chaos of the holidays to an acquaintance, she said, "Wow.  I can't imagine.  It's just me and Jimmy on Christmas and that's it." I immediately felt like a total jerk.  I can't imagine the holidays without at least 15 other people on any given day, lots of food, lots of messes, lots of noise and lots of love.  I am indeed grateful that my boys are blessed not only with grandparents, aunts and uncles, but also cousins, second cousins, 3rd cousins, cousins who are so far removed that we can't remember exactly how we're related, if we are related at all, or if relation even matters!    

Lots of families are close like ours, but lots are not.  Many people have family all over the country, all over the world.  We are blessed to have most of our family right here with us, and those who are not here always return for special occasions.  We are blessed with a hefty support group, plenty of laughter, and enough love to carry us gracefully through every life event.  Thank you to all of my extended family members!  You truly enrich our lives!

Easter 2005.  Someone should have told my dad that people under 5'5" should not stand in the back!

Rob, Monique, Dalann, Fred, Greg, me & kiddos.  Outer Banks, 2010

Arizona.  Megan's graduation, 2003

Christmas 2009.  The teenage generation plays Tonk

Light up night, 2009.  

The Williams Clan, 2008

Die hard Steeler fans, 2009

Santa loves his Sheehan women!

A toast to the new year, 2010/2011

My aunt Annie, me, Mom and my sister Megan, Outer Banks 2009

Mom's 50th birthday party.  Mom, Caitlin, Betsy & Annie

Megan and me, Memorial Day 2006