Bye Bye, July!!

Another 'summer month' is leaving us today.

That means that the fall weather is quickly approaching.

Maybe we'll luck out, and some of the summer weather we should have been dealing with in June will get bumped into September?!?!

Wouldn't that be nice? Of course, what will probably happen is that we'll have a weeks worth of fall weather and then it will start snowing. :-)

It's Friday, I don't feel like working and yet, I'm sitting at work.

Whatever...I'll keep myself busy in hopes that it will make the day go by quickly.

Tomorrow is the yard sale!!!!

I'm very excited, but a little anxious about the whole thing. I'm hoping that Jim and I are able to get things all set up in an orderly fashion (which is important to me...I like order) without being bombarded by the 'early birds' trying to get a jump on things.....

You can bet that there will be a full report on how it all went down.

On Sunday evening, Jim and I are heading to Waterford, Connecticut to go see the cast of [title of show] perform at the Eugene O'Neill center. They're being featured as one of the 'cabaret' acts and are supposedly debuting some new material from their next project. I have first hand knowledge that as of a couple of weeks ago, they had no idea what they were going to be actually doing, but I have complete faith in them that whatever they do will be BRILLIANT.

Besides...I'm just looking forward to seeing them all again and in an 'intimate setting' no less. They make me laugh and are chock-full of talent, so it's bound to be fun.

I have Monday off from work, so you may or may not hear from me.

It all depends on my mood.... ;-)

Have a great day and a fantabulous weekend!!!!!

xoxo

Fandango??? Hobocamp???? Hobocamp.

A crazy story, with a 'happy' ending...of sorts.

I usually don't post news stories on here, but this one was so shocking, weird and bizarre, that I had to share it.

Basically, a mother of three in in Worcester (MA) was killed and her unborn, 8 month old fetus was taken from her body. As it turns out, the baby was found alive in NH and the suspect arrested. Apparently the suspect was an 'acquaintance' of the victim.
She was caught because she suddenly was in possession of a newborn and none of her friends recalled her being pregnant. Did she think that she'd get away with that???
Once the story his the news, the suspect's friends called the police and let them know about their friends 'mysterious' pregnancy. As a result, she was arrested and the baby was found (in what seems to be good health).
You can read more about it here.

There certainly are some sick, sick, people in this world.

Maybe this is weird of me to bring up, but to be honest, it's the first thing that I thought of when I heard this story.
This is a PERFECT example of how people going through the DCF adoption process end up with a newborn baby. The victim was estranged from her mother, and her maternal grandmother already had legal custody of her two oldest children(5 and 3 years old). Her youngest child (18 months) was in her custody at the time of the murder, but at this point is in the custody of DCF. I would imagine that the newborn will follow that same route and will also be put in DCF's custody.

I was happy to hear that the baby was found alive (and presumably well) and that the family didn't have to suffer through that loss as well. I hope that the 18 month old and the newborn end up with families that can give them a new lease on life after having such a rough start.
Maybe the grandmother would be able to take all 4 children into her custody? That may be impossible, especially if she's raising them on her own....but at the very least, I hope all 4 siblings are kept together in some way and have a 'future' together.

Wishful thinking....

Howdy!

Happy Wednesday my friends!

I don't have a heck of a lot to say today, but I thought it would be rude of me to let another day go by 'post-less'. :-)

Although the softball season is officially over, my softball 'duties' have yet to be completed. I had an advisory committee meeting last night that was very stressful. Stressful, yet productive. So much so that people were yelling and not necessarily on their best behavior (putting it mildly).
I don't do well in those situations. I tend to just sit back, keep my mouth shut and observe from a safe distance. It was pretty intense, let me say that much. Yikes.
After all was said and done (three hours later) I left there completely exhausted, but with a sense of accomplishment....which is always nice.
The good news is, I don't have anything going on tonight. I have a team meeting on Thursday night (which will be fun) and yet another softball meeting NEXT Tuesday...which may not be all that much fun.
Yeesh.
I'm seeing these people more now than I did during the season!!

Jim and I have some friends coming into town for a visit on Friday night, which is exciting. They're in the area for a wedding on Saturday, but we'll get to hang with them on Friday...that should be fun.

We're also having a yard sale on Saturday morning...and that scares me a little.
I've never had a yard sale before and I'm afraid to see all my cherished items being sold.
And by cherished items I mean all my Disney movies on VHS and Original Broadway Cast Recordings on cassette. :-)
It'll be tough to see them go, but it's certainly better than throwing them out. At least this way we could potentially make some money and possibly add to some future show queen's musical collection.
I know that if I had shown up at a yard sale when I was a kid and saw the Original Cast Recording of The Apple Tree on cassette I would have screamed with joy (hell, I'd probably scream if I saw it at a yard sale today) - so maybe I can do the same for some unsuspecting passer-by. We also have some electronic stuff that we're selling, like my old stereo (receiver, double cassette deck and CD player) and I really have to see if it's working before I ask someone to pay money for it. I'll probably end up dealing with that tonight. It'll be hard to see it all go, but ultimately it'll be nice to get rid of it all.

That's all I have to say for today.

If any of you are experienced in the wonderful world of yard sales....feel free to offer any comments or advice!!!

xoxo

'Tis the end of July.

I can’t believe we’re entering the last week of July!!!
How crazy is that?!?!?

We had a fantastic, yet sleep-deprived weekend.
Thankfully the weather cooperated and we had a couple of really great days.

On Saturday, we had my softball team and a few other softball league friends over for a BBQ/Pool Party.
The weather was great and everyone seemed to have a really fun time.
For once, my teammates were able to actually swim in the pool! Every other party we’ve hosted has been either too late in the year and/or the weather wasn’t all that ideal for swimming. This year however, was absolutely perfect for swimming and several folks took advantage.
We had lots of yummy food and we didn’t end up with too much left over, which is always a challenge. Usually we end up throwing out so much food, but this time we got it right. We had plenty of food, and not a lot of leftovers…..hooray for planning ahead!!!!

On Sunday morning, we skipped church. Ooops. (cb, you were totally right!!)
Instead we woke up and lounged around for a while. It didn’t help matters that it was SO humid that if you even thought about moving, you broke in to a sweat.
We eventually got up and showered, then headed to the grocery store….which was a pleasant (AIR CONDITIONED) experience.
After shopping, we headed home, ate lunch and went swimming…..phew. Thank you Jesus for that pool!
After swimming for a little while, we headed out to a cookout with a bunch of gay parents and all their kids.
We were invited because our friends (K and B) belong to a group for gay parents (they get together weekly for playgroups) and it just so happens that the organizer of the group is someone that Jim grew up with. It was a total coincidence that K and B joined the group and that Jim knew the organizer…small world.
ANYWAY – since they knew that we had begun the process, they thought it would be a good idea for us to meet some of the gay parents in the area and see what it was all about. Well, it was a lot of fun. Truly, it was no different than any other cookout I’ve been to with a million children in attendance, but it was great to chat with the parents. Many of them live in the same area as Jim and I, so it will be nice to ‘join the group’ once all is said and done…assuming it all works out.
They all shared their experiences with adopting and it was nice to hear from people who have been through it already……and survived.

Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday. I’m not even going to comment on the fact that I’m stealing them from Barrie….you probably already guessed that.
I WILL say that this picture of me isn’t very flattering….I look like a big fat, fatty…but Karen looks great in the picture (love her new hair cut) so I’m posting it.

KIDS!!!

CUTE!!!!

Happy Monday!

Big News!!

I’ve been keeping a big, fat secret from all my readers for a while now – and it’s time to come clean!!!
Those of you who happened to check out my facebook status yesterday can skip this entry, since it’s not going to be news to you – but for the rest of you, read on.

Jim and I have begun the adoption process!

We’re in the very beginning stages, so it’s not like we’re going to have a baby running around our house next week.
Not that babies can even run, but you know what I mean. ;-)

Anyway – we’re going through the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (formerly known as DSS) and so far things are going well.
Our initial application has been approved and we’re currently waiting to be placed in the next round of MAPP (Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) classes that are required of all adoptive/foster parents in the state. Once we’ve completed that 8 week course (a total of 24 hours of class time) we'll have a complete home study done and assuming that all goes smoothly, we then sit and wait for a child to be ‘matched’ to us.

Given the fact that we’re not going to be starting classes until September at the earliest, and a home study usually takes at the very least a month to complete, plus considering all the paperwork, interviews, and any other hurdles we may have to encounter – we’re really not thinking that we’ll even begin the real waiting until after the first of the year.

Of course, this is all based on what our friends have said, and what we’ve learned so far from all the informational meetings we’ve attended. So for the time being, we’re sticking with that time frame.
Naturally, I’ll be posting from time to time and keeping my faithful readers updated on the situation.

It’s very exciting, but also a bit scary. Jim and I have always discussed the idea of having children, but it was never the ‘right’ time for us, or we didn’t have the money, or we were too young….etc..etc…
We’ve come to a time in our lives where it just feel right and I think we’re both more than ready to ‘get the ball rolling’ and start a family.
Of course, we haven’t told Scooter yet….but we’re working on it. :-)

That’s my big news for today….stay tuned for updates as they happen!!

Have a GREAT weekend!!!!

xoxo

Thirteen Years Ago

Thirteen years ago, Jim and I went on our first date and we've been together ever since.

Although we really don't celebrate our 'dating' anniversary anymore, I couldn't let it go by without acknowledging it.

Happy 'Anniversary' Jim - I love you!!!!

Scooter made a friend....

See what I miss when I'm at work all day and Jim has a day off?

Barrie stopped by with Ben and met Scooter for the first time.

When Scooter meets someone for the first time, he gets very excited and stands on his hind legs to say hello. This isn't usually an issue because most of the people he meets are adults, and he comes up to about their knees.

Since Ben is NOT and adult....the results were a bit different. Scooter was pretty much resting on Ben's shoulders and saying 'Hello!' that way.

After a short time, Scooter calmed down and the two of them had a great time playing.

According to Jim, when B and {b} left, Scooter sat at the window and cried. :-)

Here are a few pictures...thanks B!!!

"Getting to know you......"

Playing 'chase' with Scooter....one of his FAVORITE games

Neighborhood watch...

Lifeguard on duty....

Monday, Monday, Monday...

This weekend was spent by the pool!!!
I think that I spent more time at the pool this weekend than I have since we bought the house.
The weather was perfect, the company was perfect and even the water was perfect!!!

We got up early on Saturday and while Jim mowed the lawn, I went into the herb garden and got that under control. Mind you, I had NO idea what I was doing, but there I was , a few Google searches later – out in the garden clipping, cutting back, and harvesting our herbs. I must say that I was impressed with myself. We now have a whole bunch of fresh herbs ready for the choppin’!!! Jim already used some of them in the American Chop Suey he made yesterday afternoon and those Food Network people are right….fresh herbs make a HUGE difference.
YUM-O!!!!!!

Both Saturday and Sunday afternoons were spent by the pool, with various family members stopping by for a visit.
First we had Jim’s brother, his wife and their daughter….then we added to that group his oldest sister, her husband, and their three kids….followed by his other sister who brought the grand total to 11 people.
We ended up ordering pizzas for dinner, and after eating, the kids swam a bit more. Do kids ever get tired of swimming?!?!? Apparently they don’t.
After a while, they all headed home, leaving Jim and I to spend the rest of the night on the back porch, drinking and playing games (Skip-Bo and Yahtzee….of course).
Good times.

Sunday morning we got up and actually went to church. Yes….you read that right…we went to church. I can’t remember the last time I set foot in a church for something other than a wedding or a funeral, but I must admit, it wasn’t bad at all.
There’s a very nice little Episcopal church down the street from us that Jim went to ‘investigate’ last weekend and this weekend I said I would join him.
It was quite nice. The building itself is a cute little thing, and it was nice to feel welcome in a church and not like I was instantly going to hell for walking through the door. The sermon that day was all about not ‘putting up walls’ and realizing that we’re all ‘brothers in Christ’. It was the only time in my life that I’ve heard the word gay mentioned in church…..and in a positive way no less! I was thrilled and TOTALLY shocked.
After church we headed home, had breakfast, went grocery shopping and then ‘retired’ to the pool area once again. Around 3pm we headed to the Cape to visit with Jim’s parents. We spent the evening with them (and the rest of Jim’s family) playing games, eating dinner, and eventually we dragged our exhausted selves home.
Unfortunately, we got stuck in some traffic, but we didn’t end up getting home too late.

So…that brings me to Monday morning….sitting at work battling my allergies.
At least I HOPE they’re allergies. If I have a cold, I’m going to be irate.

Two quick ‘shout outs’ before I go. One goes to faithful blog reader Joanne who has an EXTREMELY painful bulging disc in her back (doesn’t it just SOUND like it should hurt?!?!?).
Hopefully, she'll be feeling better soon.
And the second 'shout out' (aren't I hip?!?!?) one goes to all of the folks who are starting tech week this week for ‘The Music Man’.
I’m sure you’ll have a bit of a stressful week(for those of you who don't do theatre....tech weeks tend to be a bit stressful), but it will all be worth it in the end!!!!!
Just keep telling yourself that…. :-) :-)


Happy Monday!!!!

Cannont connect to server...

Wow…..there is nothing like coming into work and not being able to do a damn thing!

I just sat down, logged in, and I am unable to connect to any servers.
Awesome.
Since it’s so early (6:41am) I called the company’s help desk number, but was automatically routed to the overseas help desk. I ended up chatting with a lovely British fellow, who although quite friendly, was unable to help me. I then received a phone call from someone on this side of the pond who walked me through a few steps but ultimately came to the same conclusion…I’m screwed. For the time being, that is.
He took note of the recent steps we went through and said that someone would be ‘visiting me’ shortly….how exciting!!

So, here I sit – unable to connect to any servers. It’s quite odd, because while I can open my email (which is where I’m writing this very entry) I can’t send or receive anything. You need servers to do that. I also have lost the ability to make any Internet connections, either to our company’s intranet or the World Wide Web.
Annoying!
I’ll keep you posted as things progress….assuming it’s taken care of by the time I’m through saying all that I have to say this morning.

It’s supposed to be crazily hot and humid today. I think it’s going to be one of those days where I’m happy to be sitting in air conditioning all day. Jim is at home, and I’m sure he’ll be out mowing the lawn, taking care of his Friday ‘chores’ and then following it all up with a lengthy dip in the pool.
That makes me a little jealous. The pool part, not the yard work part.

We went to a Paw Sox game last night (the ‘Farm Team’ team for the Red Sox) and even though they lost, we had a great time. We went with a large group from my sister’s church. I know what you’re thinking: “Going to a baseball game with a church group? How thrilling!” Well, these aren’t your ordinary church-goers. They’re Lutherans, so it’s cool.
Actually, they’re a really great group of people and Jim and I socialize with them quite often. They’re really good friends with my sister and brother-in-law, and so they’re super fun to be with. My dad and Betty (step-mother) went to the game as well, and we haven’t seen them in a while, so it was nice to catch up.

I assume they lost the game, because they were down 7-1 going into the 9th inning. We left a little bit early because we had a little over an hour’s drive home and I had to get up and go to work this morning.
So that I could come in here, sit in front of my computer and do nothing for 45 minutes. Well, nothing work related, that is.
For all I know, they could have had a tremendous come back and won the game, but I kind of doubt it. I would check their website to find out how things turned out but……you know….I can’t connect and all that.

I’m going to stop writing now because I have nothing more of interest to say.
Have an excellent weekend and wherever you are, stay cool, and wear sun block!!!!

xoxo

PS - I FINALLY got back my server connection....at 8:15. Nice. :-)

Wonderful Wednesday

It's Hump Day!

Happy Wednesday to you all.
I’m feeling much better than the last time I wrote. :-)
All my softball aches and pains have disappeared and I’m feeling right as rain!!!

I really have nothing exciting to report, other than the fact that I finally have an actual project to test at work!
It was nice to have the day fly by yesterday, as opposed to the recent days that have crawled by, while I struggled to keep myself busy.

My co-worker Kelly has this entire week off so I’ve been ‘flying solo’ at work as far as lunch is concerned. It’s been very nice. The weather has been BEAUTIFUL so I’ve been taking a daily walk around the previously blogged about fancy neighborhood all by myself.

Don’t get me wrong – I certainly enjoy her company, but it’s been quite nice to take some time alone in the middle of the day to relax and clear my head of work as well as all those other things that may be taking up unnecessary space up there. :-)

Last night, one of my college friends met up with Jim and I for dinner, which was fun.

He and I talk all the time, but we haven’t seen each other in a couple of years. It was nice to see him again. He came over to see the house, and then we headed to dinner.
The last (and first) time he saw it, we had JUST moved in – so needless to say it was VERY different than the last time he saw it.
He’s currently directing ‘Footloose: The Musical’ for a summer theatre program just outside of Boston and then he takes off to direct/choreograph ‘Annie’ at a theatre in Hawaii that a college friend of ours manages!! Seriously….Hawaii. Not a bad job, huh?

That’s all the ‘exciting’ news I have to report…..have a great day!!!!

xoxo

Annie in Hawaii????

I need an Anacin!!!

Good Lord, I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus.

Thankfully, it’s from playing 4 softball games in two days and not from being hung over.
:-)

The weekend was GREAT.
Friday night, Jim and I went out to dinner and then stayed in for the rest of the night. We lit a fire by the pool, had a few drinks (OK, a lot more than a few) and once the fire died down, we moved things into the screened in porch and spent the rest of the evening playing Skip-Bo and Yahtzee!
It was so much fun. It’s always nice to just spend time at home relaxing and having fun.

Saturday we got up, hung around the house for a bit and then headed into Cambridge for my two games. We lost the first game and won the second, so we were VERY happy. The win was against a team that had beaten us both times we played them before (the last time we played them, they beat us 2-1…I wrote about it before…not happy) so it was a very nice win.
After the games, Jim and I headed home and went grocery shopping (exciting Saturday night!) and then I proceeded to make Whoopie Pies!!!
As you know, I am NOT a baker, or a cook for that matter :-)…..but they ended up coming out pretty damn good!

Sunday morning we got up and I had to take off extra early for my final 2 games, so I didn’t get to do much ‘Sunday morning lounging’.
We had another exciting day on the fields, and even though we lost our first game – we handily won the second.
Our final game of the season was a 9-2 victory over a team that had previously CRUSHED us the first 2 times we played them.
We couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the season.
Karen, Barrie and Ben came to see a part of the first game, which was very exciting. It’s always fun to have visitors, especially people who haven’t been before. Ben had a great time running around, playing – and even met a couple of Guatemalan brothers whose dad plays in the league as well.
The three of them were VERY cute together.

After the games, I headed over to my friend Matt’s place for a birthday BBQ that was being thrown for one of his roommates (that’s where the whoopie pies come in). We had a really good time (the whoopie pies were a hit!!) and it was the PERFECT way to finish up the softball season.

Happy Monday to you all……I’m going to go ice myself. :-)

Here are a few pictures….tip of the hat to Barrie (shocking, I know – me ‘stealing’ pictures)

Huzzah! It's Friday!

Wow – I just realized that I haven’t written an entry for today.
SACRILEGE!!!

Well, truth be told, I don’t have a hell of a lot to say. The weather is finally beautiful and I just returned from a lovely lunchtime walk around an absolutely gorgeous neighborhood located right behind my building. It’s a decent walk, not too long and not too short, and the houses are amazing.
One of them is for sale and I just checked it out on line (are you surprised??) and it’s going for $1,199,000.00.
Seriously.

It’s a very nice house though….I’ll give them that. And if you don’t want to buy it, you can rent it for $4,500 a month.
What a steal!!!

OK my friends….have a GREAT Friday and enjoy your weekend!!!!

xoxo

UPDATE: I just found out that I was nominated for the 'Hustle Player of the Year' award for my division in softball.
No, it's not because I'm out there selling myself on the fields....it's because someone must think that even though I'm not the best player out there - I'm at least always there...and consistently trying to do my best.

I'll take it!!!! It's truly an honor just being nominated. :-) :-)

Randomness

Tonight is my final softball practice of the year. (Boo-Hoo, YAY!!, I’m sad, Hooray!!!)

Can you tell I’m having some conflicting feelings???
I’m more happy than sad, mostly because I’m ready to have all my weekends free (Romance, Romance anyone?) and I know that I’ll be seeing all my softball friends time and again throughout the summer.

Even though the season is ending, the fun will surely continue.

Anyway – I’ve been adjusting quite well to this new schedule of mine.

Getting home a little after 4pm every day is N-I-C-E!!!

For example, yesterday I got home from work, changed, threw in a couple loads of laundry, checked my email, and had dinner ready to go when Jim got home. What?!?!?

I certainly miss the freedom to wander around the mall during/after lunch, as well as the lovely lunchtime walks I used to take around Boston's South End, but I’m getting used to the new location.

My co-worker, Kelly and I went for a walk during lunch on Monday just to check out the area. Since it was the only decent day we’ve had since moving here we thought we should take full advantage of the situation. There are definitely places to walk around here, but it is an office park so you can imagine how thrilling it is.

Hey, at least it’s a chance to get away from our desks and to get some fresh air.

All sorts of fun and exciting things are coming up in the next week or so. I have my final 4 games this weekend, followed by a friend’s B-day BBQ after the games on Sunday evening, my friend Brian (from college) is coming down for a visit on Tuesday night, Jim and I are going to a PawSox game on Thursday night and I JUST found out that one of my forever best friends (who currently lives just outside of L.A.) is going to be in the area on Monday.

Hopefully things will work out and we can meet up for a drink.

That’s all for now….here’s a picture from last Friday night when Jim and I went out with my Dublin friend Dermot and his friend Grainne.

Happy Thursday!!!!

Softball Talk

It would seem that the softball league that I'm a part of is headed for some very positive changes!

I know….I never thought I’d be saying (or writing) those words either.

All year long I’ve been a member of what’s known as the ‘Advisory Committee’ for the league. Basically it’s a small group (about 14 people) of league members who get together with the league officers each month. We meet and discuss the agenda for the upcoming Executive Committee meeting, with the main goal being that we sort out any potential issues and deal with them before they go before the larger body (about 28 people – one representative from each team + the four elected officers).
One of the recommendations that we’ve come up with is that the league needs to have more elected officers. As it is right now, we have a Commissioner, an Assistant Commissioner, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. That worked out well when there were 80 people in the league, but we currently have 432 people in the league and let’s face it – more people in the league means more work for everyone in charge.

Long story short (TOO LATE!!!) we made the recommendation at last night’s meeting that the league add two new elected officer positions and the Executive Committee approved our recommendation. Now it can go before the general membership (all the players in the entire league) and they can vote on it.
The assumption is that the Executive Committee members will go back to their teammates and make sure they vote yes on the question so we can elect people into these two new positions at the banquet in September.
I realize that this probably doesn’t mean a lot to most of you, but the bottom line is this - this softball league tends to be a bit political at times and unfortunately that sometimes creates a negative atmosphere behind the scenes, so it’s very encouraging to see things moving in a positive direction.
The fact that I was a small part of those (potentially) positive changes makes me extremely happy.

Of course, because softball = beer, I was out way too late celebrating our ‘mini victory’ and now I’m exhausted.
But whatever – I’ll bounce back soon enough!

Have a great day folks and thank you for once again listening to my softball ranting and raving.

Another holiday come and gone.....

First off, let me once again give a big old post-4th of July tip of the hat to Barrie for letting me swipe photos from her blog to post on my blog.

Seriously...she has a super-duper, fancy-pants camera and not only does it take phenomenal pictures, but she’s puts them on her blog so fast it’s like they’re Polaroids fresh from the fish tank!
As most of you know, any pictures that I take generally don’t show up on my blog until a week or so after the occasion they were taken at. I’m so bad at getting them off the computer and onto my blog, it’s silly.
Whatever….as long as there are pictures to make my entries more interesting, you should be happy. Not to mention the fact that her pictures are SO much better than mine anyway…..

This weekend was super-fun.

On Friday night, Jim and I met up with my friend Dermot who was here from Dublin for the weekend. He and his friend...who's name I can NOT remember....it began with a G, and was very pretty....as was she....but it was a name I've never heard of before.

Anyway, it was SOOO much fun seeing him. It’s been a really long time since we’ve seen each other and we had a great time catching up on what we've been up to since we last saw one another. I told him that I would be writing about him in my blog, and he didn’t seem to think that my life was interesting enough to read about on a daily basis. Can you IMAGINE?!?!
I’m totally calling him on that right now. I’m planning on sending him a link to it, and I bet he’ll find himself addicted before he knows it. :-)

We spent the day on Saturday at our friend Julie’s house with a great group of friends.….many of which we hadn’t seen in a while….it was a really fun time, and one of the first days we've seen the sun in a while...as you know from my endless bitching.

Yesterday was a picture-perfect day (even better than Saturday) and in spite of the fact that the plunger on our pool filter broke(Annoying!!), Jim and I spent a very relaxing day out in the sun lounging by the pool. It was so nice to not have to be anywhere and just have the day to relax and enjoy the house and yard.

Last night we met up with some more friends to watch fireworks…it was an excellent way to end the week.

The weather has improved 100% and I was very happy to make my first commute to the new building with the sun shining!!!
Jim is taking our niece Molly to Six Flags today – so while I’m toiling away at work….he’ll be enjoying his ‘extended’ 4th of July weekend. Jealous.

Here are a bunch of pictures from the weekend…..thanks Barrie!!!!!

P.S. - Dermot's friend's name is Grainne. I was unable to pronounce it correctly...but it was a very pretty sounding name...when they said it. :-)

The GANG!!!

A very serious moment with Benjamin

Jim, ready to swim

John and Christine

Nice flag.

Melissa, Jim, and I

Ben and I having fun with Gabby

A blue dolphin!!! They're apparently MUCH cheaper than the pink ones..... :-)

A hug for Jim.

Heading home!!!

Sally the Salamander Comes to Town...

I know it may seem like I’ve been endlessly complaining about the weather lately, but it’s really getting ridiculous around here.
Since I’ve been working in my new location, there hasn’t been ONE DAY that I’ve been able to drive here without putting on my windshield wipers.
Every day has been rainy and cold….and for the brief moments that it’s not raining, it’s still completely overcast and dreary.
I just want a little sun or at the very least, I want it to be warmer.
We’re supposed to have rain all day today and then things are apparently going to get better for the weekend.

That would be ideal – and make me very happy. We shall see!

I just received a picture this morning from my friend Nancy that I’m going to share with you all. It was from the get together we had last Tuesday night when my friend Neil flew up from Florida and we all got together. I was just talking with a co-worker yesterday about the fact that I've known Nancy and Amy for almost 20 years!!!

That is seriously crazy....and Neil I've known for all my life....which is even scarier. :-)

This the picture…..from left to right: Nancy, Me, Amy, and Neil…..YAY!!!!

Last night Jim and randomly decided to go to The Grille for dinner and it’s a good thing we did! As it turns out, today begins their yearly summer vacation so they won’t be open again until July 15th!

I have no idea how we’ll make it through the next 13 days without a ’Grille trip’...but I suppose we’ll have to manage.

When we got home, I was putting out the trash for the week and came upon a salamander in the basement. I’ve seen one down there before, but as soon as I saw it last time, it scurried back into the wall. Since we have such an old house, the foundation is pretty much just a glorified (reinforced) rock wall.

Similar to this (not our actual basement) :

Don’t worry, it’s safe, sturdy and secure, but there are certainly plenty of ‘hiding places’ in there.

This time, I wasn’t about to let the little bugger escape, so I grabbed a container out of the recycling bin, as well as a piece of cardboard and began the hunt. Meanwhile, Jim is at the top of the cellar stairs screaming bloody murder because he doesn’t want to see it, but wants it out of the house.

I managed to capture it easily, threw the cover on the container and then started heading out to the backyard. Jim continued his tirade because I was walking through the house with it (as opposed to going out through the cellar) so I could deposit it in the backyard…keep in mind that it’s only about 5 inches long and in a CLOSED container.

At this point, I’m now laughing at Jim who’s yelling “Oh my God….don’t walk it through the house!!!! Why didn’t you go out through the bulkhead?!?? Bring it out back….WAY out back!!!!”
Suffice it to say, I walked to the FAR end of our yard and threw the poor thing Into the Woods (thank you, Broadway) where I’m sure it was much happier.
I know that Jim was thrilled to see it go. I tried to show him a picture of what it looked like, but he wouldn’t look. For those of you who are wondering – this is what it looked like.

Harmless, right??

Well my friends, it is Thursday morning and since I have tomorrow off – I can’t guarantee that I’m going to be contributing to the blog world tomorrow.
It’s certainly a possibility, so keep your eyes open for an out-of-the-ordinary post from home.

Happy Day!!

Pull Over, Grandma!

There was another elderly driver involved in a car accident yesterday, sending three people to a local hospital.
Seriously…what the hell is going on??
There have been so many serious accidents involving elderly drivers in the past month or so that I’ve lost count.
A 4 year old girl was hit by a car and killed in a crosswalk (driver – 89 years old), several people were injured when an elderly driver (73 years old) drove into a crowd at a Memorial Day ceremony, another little girl had to be airlifted to a Boston hospital when she was hit crossing the street, and there have been countless accidents involving elderly drivers plowing into businesses, homes, telephone poles, etc. for various ‘reasons’.
Yikes.
There’s a Massachusetts senator who is currently drafting a bill that would require testing for every 5 years for any driver older than 85. Personally, I think that’s a little bit too late….especially since most of the drivers involved in the recent accidents were not quite 85.

According to an article in the Boston Globe: “Safe Roads Now, a coalition of 15 groups that includes AAA Southern New England and AARP Massachusetts, is urging Massachusetts lawmakers And is looking to make a variety of other changes in driver licensing that would include: instituting in-person driver license renewals throughout a driver's lifespan; giving drivers a new visual screening test used in California; introducing a three-tiered system in which drivers would need to take additional tests if they fail initial tests; and flagging motorists who have a certain number of accidents over a specified time period and requiring them to take an in-person exam.”

I’m not 100% sure where I stand on the specifics of what needs to happen, but CLEARLY something has to be done….it’s really getting out of control.

So, is this just happening in Massachusetts or do other states see the amount of accidents involving elderly drivers increasing???
Just wondering….

Enough about the elderly. :-)

It’s officially July, and the weather is still officially shitty.

I had a great night last night!
I met up with my friend Barbara from high school. She’s the gal that I reconnected with last fall (via facebook) and realized that we live about 5 minutes from each other, had been commuting on the same train every morning, and had no idea that we were both on it?
Unfortunately, she got laid off right after Christmas, which caused our daily commutes to come to an abrupt end. Sadness.
Well, we finally managed to get together for dinner and drinks and had SO much fun. In spite of all the changes she’s had to deal with, she’s doing very well and has decided to make a major career change and go back to school to become a nurse! Craziness.
It was nice to hear her so excited about it and I know she’ll do well!!!

Well, today is hump day – but it’s not really, because it’s a short week, so it’s really like Thursday, even though it’s really only Wednesday. It doesn’t really matter either way because we haven’t seen the sun for more than 2 hours in the past month and it’s going to rain all day tomorrow, which is Thursday, but it’s kind of my Friday….since it’s a short week.

I’m going to get some coffee and pretend I’m somewhere sunny.
If you’re somewhere that’s ACTUALLY sunny….enjoy a little bit of it for me.