Look what Julia made me for Mother's Day! She hand painted it! It's so beautiful!! She also filled it with the prettiest flowers. She is a true artist.
She also made my favorite chocolate chip cookies. She had them warm from the oven all ready for me when I got home from a long travel day. She's the best daughter : )
Four years have come and gone but I have to say it didn't go by fast for me...at all! I feel like he's been in Kentucky for way longer than four years. Danny and I flew there on Friday. Nicholas picked us up at the airport and we went to grab a quick lunch. Then we stopped by his house for one last time. It's a typical guys frat house. He and one of his roommates spent a lot of time cleaning up the kitchen and living room after all the other guys moved out. Nicholas always keeps his room very neat and clean...
Later that night we met up with his girlfriend, Haley, and a bunch of his friends and their families at a really cool Irish restaurant and bar. They had lots of outdoor seating which was perfect because the weather was beautiful. Then Saturday was the big day! His graduation was at 10:00 a.m. in the KFC Yum Center in downtown Louisville. It was one of two ceremonies because there were a lot of graduates. In true Nicholas fashion, he got there super early so he could get a seat right up front to be one of the first ones to get their diploma and make a quick exit. Haha! He was in the second row!
Nicholas getting his diploma...
He did a photoshoot with his friends the day before graduation. I just love all these pictures. He's so handsome...
I am so incredibly proud of him! From the very beginning, he has followed his own path. Not the traditional path of going right to college after graduation. He knew he needed a little more time and wanted to try junior hockey. It had always been his dream and he did just that! He did all the work himself reaching out to teams and landed a spot on the Vermont Lumberjacks! Then he moved on to the Springfield Pics for his second year. After that, he said he was ready to try college. Again he did all the work sending out applications and visiting different colleges. He finally decided that the University of Louisville would be the best fit for him. Going on his own timeline made all the difference in the world!
He has accomplished so much playing hockey all these years. Starting with the Vermont Lumberjacks by earning Top Goalie of the Week and then Goalie of the Month...to winning MVP for a game and then making it all the way to the Frozen Finals and playing in net! From there he moved on to play with the Springfield Pics and then earned a spot on the University of Louisville hockey team! He was in net to beat their biggest rival, The University of Kentucky, and was named Player of the Game! He won the game “belt” numerous times. Then he was honored with The Most Valuable Player at the end of the season! He earned every one of those! So amazing! Not many can say they accomplished all that!
His ultimate goal was to earn a college degree and he did just that! He now has his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. From that super rambunctious little boy who found it so hard to sit still in the classroom and focus on his schoolwork...to being a college graduate! Back then I never could have imagined him going to college, but he did it!!
I've missed his presence in my every day life so much. I'm happy he's coming home. I know it won't be forever that he'll be under our roof so I'll savor the time we do get with him.
He's shown us that when you do what you love and follow what truly motivates you, you will succeed. I hope he continues to pursue his passions and chase his dreams!
We are so proud of you Nicholas!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!
I never imagined when I started this little blog as a "hobby" that I would still be here 20 years later...but here I am! I'm so incredibly grateful for the JOY it has brought me!
Over the years, this space has become a scrapbook of my everyday life - family moments, milestones, holidays, funny stories and my favorite, as I've said so many times before, the simple Ordinary Days...because those are the best days! This place has helped me hold onto memories that might have faded with time.
Life has changed in so many ways over these twenty years. There have been happy seasons, super hard seasons, and every other season in between. Through it all, this blog has quietly remained a constant in my life.
I've always tried to keep things light here, sharing the moments that make up a family life. This is my story...our story. I never did this for followers. I did this for me and my little family as a journal of our life together.
So to this little blog in this little corner of the internet - Happy 20th!! I'm so glad I started you! It truly has brought me so much JOY!
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What life looked like in 2006 when I started this blog...
Nicholas was 4, Julia was 3 and Gianna had just turned 1!!
Danny and I were just kids at 40...no glasses needed to see!! Ahhh the good old days...
Look how young...
But even better than that...Dad was still here. He was the best Papa!! He loved spending time with the kids. He never missed anything...even when he wasn't feeling his best. I remember this photo so well. The kids are laying on their bed in the Railroad Ave condo watching TV. The kids would yell "TRAIN TRAIN" every time the train would go by and run to the window to watch. This was the night that Nicholas took some scissors and cut some of the "strings" off one of the quilts CeCe's mother made! We were like "Noooooo"! That's a funny memory!
And my beautiful Mama was still here too...Nana...she loved to play with the kids too. She was always so much fun...
What I would give to go back in time just to have the family all together again. I miss those days so much...
That's why we should never take any of the Ordinary Days for granted. Time passes so fast...and those we love sometimes have to leave.
As of today, I have a total of 2,216 posts!!
Post Superlatives...
1. My most popular post is this one "Dance Recital Picture Day" with 3.3k views! The costumes are still a big hit on line!
2. My funniest post has to be this one "The Crane Kick". It's all about our cute spunky Gianna Mae...oh my goodness. This one still makes me laugh!
I also have to add the post about giving away Gianna's pet guinea pig, Blaster. OMG that was the most chaotic day. My emotions were all over the place! Haha!
3. The year with the most posts was 2019 with 221 posts!! The year with the least amount of posts was 2025 with just 61. I'm sure it's because back in 2019 my kids were obviously younger and just super busy with all their activities. There were endless Sweet 16 parties, school dances, kids getting their license, tons of dance competitions and lots of hockey games. Just the best years!!
4. My saddest posts were of course when I lost the ones I love most...Lucky, Berta, Dad, Mama, Sandy and Mikey.
5. And some of the proudest days of my life posts...Julia's college graduation, our Little Orphan Annie, and Nicholas signing on to the Vermont Lumber Jacks. It's so hard to narrow it down because I am just beyond insanely proud of these three and all their tremendous accomplishments. They are all so incredibly talented and smart and beautiful.
Jumping back into the present...I am so blessed to still be here with my four loves of my life...and having my three siblings here with me...and all my besties. Today Danny and I are 60, very healthy and still working hard to support our little family...Nicholas is 24 and finally graduating in two weeks with a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice...Julia is 23 and is a Registered Nurse...and Gianna is studying and working so hard toward her degree in Exercise Science and will be graduating next year. I still have my sweet little old man, Koko, faithful as ever as my constant companion and our nervous sweet fur boy, Eli. They are all My Joy.
We had a nice day celebrating the Dance Team's fabulous year at the banquet. It was held in the Nursing Building this year up on the 4th floor. It was a gorgeous day and we had a beautiful view of the ocean. We watched lots of videos and had lots of laughs. This team won the UDA national GOLD medal for Game Day and the BRONZE medal for Pom! Fantastic!!
