Another loss

Such a tremendous loss. Just the best guy. We'll miss you Brian.  

My constant companion

KoKo rarely leaves my side during the day. This is where he sits while I work...all day...every day. 

I often feel him behind me on my chair. He'll scratch my back and then crawl around to sit on my lap for a bit...then crawl back behind me and lay on my chair. That's not always comfortable so I pick him up and put him back on his chair beside me.  

I often see him just staring at me like this...

When I sit on the couch, he hops up on the arm of the couch to lay right next to me...

When I go to the bathroom I hear scratching on the door.  He is my constant companion for sure. 

Valentine's Day

We got to see The Boy yesterday.  He had a game not too far from home so we took advantage of that and drove up to see him.  Unfortunately he was back up goalie for that game but honestly it's easier for me to watch that way.  I get so stressed when he's in net!  We watched him warm up with the team which was fun.  I got some pictures and videos.  Then after the game he went to dinner with us.  I got my Nicholas fix and my Nicholas hugs which means everything to me.  I just miss his daily presence in my life so much that it hurts. But I know he'll be home soon enough. 

Super cute story. When we got to the restaurant, Nicholas gave me a Valentine's Day card.  

I noticed these bumps...

Again...the bumps? 

He got me a card with braille!  Oh my goodness we got a good laugh over that.  He said he was wondering why it had bumps on it and said all the cards were really picked over.  Well I guess so!  Haha!!!  He is just too cute! I will treasure it forever! 

Danny got me a beautiful bouquet of yellow flowers as he knows that's my favorite color...and we went to dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant we just heard about...

Typical Gianna humor...no she doesn't really mean that...it's actually a very funny story...

And I love how both Nicholas and Julia always think they're my favorite child...

And finally The Boy in action...

I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day weekend.  Just being with my four loves is all I need. 

My boy is such a love

On Monday, I was having a very difficult and emotional day over selling my Mom's home...and then I got this message from Nicholas...and I instantly felt better.  My boy is such a love. 

Full Moon

 This showed up on my Facebook memories the other day...

It made me laugh out loud!  I'm so grateful Sandy sent me so many of these messages on Facebook!  It's such a gift now that she's not here anymore.  The one thing that Sandy loved more than anything was to make others laugh.  

Danny and I went to Cancun with Sandy and her first husband, Charlie.  Sadly I can't find the pictures from that trip but I'm guessing it was just after we got married...so probably around the mid 90's?  It was back in the day when you took a picture...couldn't look at it to see if it came out good or not...you had to develop the film...and wait and wait and wait to get the pictures back.  

So the story goes...It was a gorgeous warm Cancun evening.  We were eating dinner by the ocean and there was this beautiful full moon in the sky.  So we decided to take pictures with that full moon in the background.  First it was me and Danny...then Charlie and Sandy...then me and Sandy...then just Sandy...then just me...and on and on.  We were so excited to get those pictures back!  

When I finally got them back well after we were home from our trip...that moon was the size of a pinhole!!  Sandy and I laughed and laughed over that because we thought they were going to be the most amazing pictures! 

We spent 40 years of our lives together...and 100 percent of those times together we were belly laughing over something!  And that is exactly how Sandy wants me to remember her.  She loved all of our private jokes...there were so many...and this is what she would do from time to time.  She would send me quick messages of our funny memories together through Facebook.  How I appreciate those messages more than ever now!!  

Thank you Sandy for still making me laugh! 

Sold

Thank you Grampy, Nana and Mom for the most generous gift.  

But I would gladly exchange all the money in the world to have you three back here. 

EHLP Top Goalie of the Week

I'm bursting with pride over The Boy...EASTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE PREMIER TOP GOALIE OF THE WEEK!!  

The EHL is pleased to announce that James Mattson (New Jersey Renegades), Aaron Damren (Lumberjacks Hockey Club), and Nick Digiacomo (Lumberjacks Hockey Club) have been named the Top Performers for Week #18.

Mattson and the Renegades split this past weekend's home-and-home series with the Philadelphia Little Flyers, as New Jersey has now won two of their last three contests. As for the '02 native of Randolph, NJ, just like Jennings in the EHL, Mattson racked up five total goals over the two-game span. For the season, Mattson now has 33 points in 24 total games, as he tries to duplicate the 53 points he put up over the course of the entire 2019-20 season.

Looking forward, Mattson and the Renegades are now set for another home-and-home series against the Little Flyers on Friday and Saturday. He'll look to keep the momentum rolling, as the push for the postseason continues.

Damren, Digiacomo, and the Lumberjacks posted a perfect record of 3-0-0 from their games from this past week. After beating the New England Wolves by scores of 5-1 and 4-0 on Wednesday and Sunday, the Lumberjacks then capped off the week with a 4-0 shutout victory over the top-ranked New Hampshire Avalanche (Monday).

As for Damren, the '01 native of West Lebanon, NH tallied multiple assists in all three contests, notching two, two, and three assists respectively over the course of the week. It's also worth pointing out that four of the seven total assists came on the power play, as the Lumberjacks were clicking on the man advantage. For Damren, this Star of the Week honor is his 2nd of the season, paired alongside his Top Performance from Week #15.

As for Digiacomo, the '01 native of North Attleboro, MA was in net for each victory over the Wolves, turning aside 62 of the 63 total shots that were sent his way. The pair of victories were Digiacomo's 5th and 6th respective wins of the season, all while the netminder also lowered his GAA down to 2.24 for the season, and increased his save percentage up to .908.

Damren, Digiacomo, and the Lumberjacks have a busy week coming up, with four games in five days, starting tomorrow at 11:30 am.

How amazing is that?  Wow!!  

Snow Day

Watched Nicholas get a shut out...final score 4-0...he played great!  Coach gave him the game puck!  Then we spent time with neighborhood friends at a local restaurant for appetizers and drinks. There was a 90 minute table limit which is so ridiculous because the place was empty.  Yet another silly covid rule that makes zero sense.  Came home and took a nap by the fire.  I love snow days!

Happiness with ordinary days

VT Lumberjacks for the win

I'd say things are looking up for Nicholas. He loves working and skiing at the mountain resort where he's living...he's been playing hockey almost every day...and he played very well yesterday with a nice 5-1 win!  

Smart Girls

Gianna made High Honors this term with all A's and just one B! 

94 Chemistry

93 Spanish

92 English

91 History

85 Geometry 

and Julia made Highest Honors this term with straight A's! 

99 Honors Utopias 

99 Creative Writing 

98 Physics 

96 Statistics 

93 Spanish 

90 AP Psychology 

And...in addition to the National Honor Society, Julia is also eligible to be a member of the World Language Honor Society for her high grades in Spanish!  We are so proud of our girls! 

Mountains are calling

Nicholas is enjoying his time in New Hampshire for sure!  This is the fun perk of working at the mountain.  Free lift tickets means skiing with friends on his time off.  Makes my heart very happy.  

Fully Remote

Julia came to us asking if she could go fully remote for school for the rest off her senior year of high school.  The reason?  She has no friends left at school.  Julia?  No friends?  How unbelievably sad is that?  Not because she wants to be lazy and do school from the comfort of her bed.  No.  It's because she has NO FRIENDS left in school.  She was eating lunch ALONE.  This picture was taken just last year at school lunch before this nightmare began...

The girl who was always surrounded by friends.  None of the girls in this picture are in school with her anymore.  Either they go to school in a separate cohort because of the simple fact their last name begins at the end of the alphabet or they have chosen to go fully remote.  She has other friends as well not pictured here and they too aren't in school with her anymore.

This virus, as well as the people who are making the decisions as to how to run our public schools, have stolen her senior year of high school and everything that it should have been for her.  I'm angry.  No...actually I'm furious.  What should have been an amazing fun senior year of high school making memories to last a lifetime...has turned into no memories at all.  Zero.  Most of us could not even fathom not having had a senior year of high school surrounded by the comfort and laughter of our closest friends. Just as simple as walking through the halls between classes and seeing everyone in person all in one place...football games...pep rallies...hanging out with friends at lunch...making plans to hang out after school and on the weekends...having the ever so important relationships with your favorite high school teachers...going to a prom (which will never happen for her in her lifetime)...the fun of getting ready for a prom...the pictures...the dancing...the all-nighter…the end of year in school events like the senior cookout...graduation rehearsals...graduation on the high school football field surrounded by all your classmates, teachers and family for the last time...the all night grad party...and actually being able to see everyone's faces...without masks. 

The comradery of being a senior in high school is gone.  Just gone. 

I am beyond sad for her.  I just don't have the words anymore to express what I've been watching unravel in her life and the lives of all these kids.  Loss of education and social isolation just for starters. 

My sadness turns into Anger and then to Sadness and then to Anger again...and on and on and on it goes.  

I tell her to just forget about high school and concentrate on the fall when she begins a new chapter in her life at college.  But will that even happen?  Will she even be allowed on campus?  If she is will there be in person classes?  If there is will they be allowed to even sit near each other?  If they can't how will she make friends?  How will she get to know people and see what they even look like?  Will there even be a dance team that she's been dreaming about being a part of?  And if there is will they even get to perform and compete as they haven't been able to for a second season now?  THERE IS NO END IN SIGHT. 

Wear a mask...no now it's time to Double Mask...oh wait...best protection is to TRIPLE MASK...not enough vaccine...it may not even protect you..."don't let your guard down"...new variant...

This is taken straight from the CDC website today...and I quote...

Question:

"Do I need to wear a mask and avoid close contact with others if I have gotten 2 doses of the vaccine?"

Answer:

"Yes. Not enough information is currently available to say if or when CDC will stop recommending that people wear masks and avoid close contact with others to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes Covid-19." 

And there you have it people...

NO END IN SIGHT 

Woke up to this : )