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Mom's home as a young girl 

Nana and Grampy's home

Dad & Grampy's Real Estate and Insurance businesses

Mom and Dot's store

Kerry's dance studio

Dad's home

Kerry's home

Rick's home

Mom's home

My home

Now that my grandparents are gone...and all the family businesses are gone...and my Mom is no longer there either...the house doesn't feel like home to me anymore.  And it's time to sell.  

All Mom's knickknacks and things that brought her happiness, laughter and joy may look like clutter to some...but not to us.  We know that each and every thing she had on display in her home were precious and meaningful to her...and her treasures are our treasures now...

I remember...

my Nana in the kitchen giving us donuts and milk after church

my Nana and Grampy sitting in their living room chairs watching me play with my toys on the floor after preschool

Grampy following us around the house and yard with his camera taking pictures as we played

family holiday dinners in the front hall with my Nana's famous Waldorf Salad and Grampy "stealing" food off our plates

Grampy showing old home movies and slide shows in his office

riding the cement "horses" at the entrance to the cemetery

playing Lost and Space on the glider with my siblings

laying on the couch in the living room watching PBS and reruns of Bewitched when I was home sick from elementary school...and my Dad bringing me peppermint candy sticks from Clark's Pharmacy

visiting my Dad in his front office

visiting my Mom in her store

years of dance lessons in the studio out back

living in my haunted 3rd floor apartment

visiting Mom in her second floor apartment

and of course spending time with Mom in her home on the first floor

To me the house has become a shell of what it used to be. It's now just a stripped down version of what it was...but it's still a beautiful old home with lots of character and awesome family memories.

The kitchen still has the original cabinets and countertops. I would know the sound of those drawers and cabinets opening and closing anywhere...

The bathroom also has the original cabinets and countertop.  I remember the scent of my Nana's Ponds cold cream that she had on the counter.  When I was a little girl, I would twist the top open and smell it every time we were there to visit. I have some in my own bathroom now just because that scent will always remind me of her.  

My Mom's dining room used to be my Nana's living room where I would play and watch TV...

This used to be my Grandfather's office which became my Mom's bedroom.  My Mom and I share the love of the color yellow...

The front hall is where we had all those family holiday dinners.  My grandparents would set up a long table and we would sit there for what felt like hours enjoying delicious home cooked meals my Nana and Mom prepared. We have literally hundreds of pictures and even some videos from my Mom's childhood of her in this great room going to high school dances, hanging with girlfriends, going on dates and on her wedding day.

This small front room was where my Mom had her desk for so many years...first with the Children's Clothes Closet and then it was her place to play her beloved computer games.  She loved to keep watch out those windows...

This room used to be the middle room of her children's consignment shop which became her living room.  I can still picture her sitting there on the end of the couch, sipping on her coffee with her TV table watching her favorite TV shows...

Kerry's old studio...such amazing memories and friendships were made in there...and how wonderful it was for Julia to be able to dance there too so many years later.  It's very ironic that it's now her senior year of high school and the last year she'll need to use it for her solos. Life has really come full circle.

What a gift Nana, Grampy and Mom have given us.  Beautiful memories that will last the span of our lifetimes.  

Beauty

Happy Birthday Sister Kerry

My favorite picture of my sister and Mama...

Happy Birthday Sister!!  xoxo

Sacred Heart University

She got in!!!!!  We are so unbelievably proud of our girl!!!  This was the most competitive nursing program she applied to and her favorite school other than Endicott.  Only a 40% acceptance rate for the nursing program and you have to be seated your freshman year otherwise you don't get in.  

She also received the highest merit scholarship, the President's Excellence Award, plus additional money for the dance program...for a total of $20,000 a year!  

They are a Division One school with a fabulous dance program! 

Just look at the campus...it is GORGEOUS!!  This is a dorm...for real...

Not a blade of grass out of place...it literally looks like this in the middle of the hot summer...so meticulous...

Julia in the nursing building...

Their nursing building has a replica of a real hospital wing...

Look at these dorms! 

This is the main lobby of one of the new dorms...

Like I said...GORGEOUS!  

And as beautiful as Sacred Heart is...so is Endicott College...

Which will it be???

Mama Bear

Don't push my buttons or you'll meet Mama Bear!

Teenage Mom Life

Teenage Mom Life  (click on that link to see) 

Smart Girl

Dear Julia, It is my pleasure to inform you that, based on a review of your application for admission, we invite you to apply to the Salve Regina University Leadership Scholars Program. You are a member of a select group that has been identified for this prestigious program.  Students invited to join the Leadership Scholars Program are selected based on a combination of academic achievement and an assessment of leadership potential as demonstrated through activities, community involvements, service, and letters of recommendation.  I congratulate you on your selection.

Brother Bill

Brothers and best friends...together again.  What a joyous reunion it must have been.  

An Irish Prayer

Death is nothing at all.

It does not count. 

I have only slipped away into the next room.

Everything remains as it was.

The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by my old familiar name.

Speak of me in the easy way which you always did. 

Put no sorrow in your tone. 

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together. 

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effect.

Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was.

There is absolute unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.  For an interval. Somewhere. Very near.

Just around the corner.

All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost. 

One brief moment and all will be as it was before only better, 

infinitely happier and we will all be one together with Christ. 

Henry Scott Holland

Acceptance #6

She's on a roll!  Julia received another college nursing acceptance yesterday!  This time to Quinnipiac...

I'm so proud of her!  She received another fantastic scholarship too! 

Goalie

Be happy

Happy people don't have the best of everything

They make the best of everything

Be happy 

The Mikey Life

This is what my Mom wanted for Mikey...

Visiting The Boy

We got to spend a little time with The Boy this weekend.  It was our first time seeing his team play in person and guess what...Nicholas wasn't scheduled to play either game!  Yes it was a bit of a bummer but it was still so nice to see his new home at Waterville Valley and see him interact with his friends in his element.  He's happy!  He has a job working at the mountain, he's able to skate everyday now, they can start working out at the local gym for the first time this season and they have a bunch of games scheduled.  Finally he's back to a somewhat normal routine.  His team couldn't play at all in Vermont but now that they're in New Hampshire they have three other NH teams to play against.  His home rink is literally next to his hotel where he's living and all the other rinks are in fairly close proximity too.  

It was COLD....but very pretty...

We took him out to dinner after the game last night.  It made my heart so incredibly happy to just be sitting next to my boy. It was hard when he first left back in August. Then when he went back after Thanksgiving it wasn't too bad because I knew he'd be home for Christmas a few weeks later. But when he left after Christmas, I felt like I had a hole in my heart.  Boy that was hard.  And leaving him again today wasn't easy either.  My eyes filled with tears a few times just thinking about how much I miss having him around and seeing him everyday.  But I know he's in a good place and he's happy.  That helps my separation anxiety...

And there he is on the bench!  Haha!!  We'll go to more games and we will get to see him play eventually.   

It was a good two days.  

Perspective

Hopeful

Encouragement

Job with a view

This is where Nicholas lives and works these days.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  

Thank goodness

This is how I spent my NYE...in front of the fire in my new super comfy PJs all cuddled up in my new super comfy blanket that Julia gave me for Christmas.

I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief that 2020 is behind us.  I know 2021 isn't the answer to everything but it's a new start and hopefully...hopefully...hopefully it will be a better year and things will slowly start getting back to normal.