A New Year and a New Decade for me.

Hello, Dear Friends. 

As you know, life goes by quickly when all is said and done. 

Although, there are certain times when it just can't go quickly enough!

I can think of a few times when I felt that way, 

but in recent years it seems to be flying by too fast. 

This past fall, I celebrated one of those milestone birthdays 

that tends to creep up on you when you least expect it.

 

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans", 

as the late John Lennon reminded us. 

xx

My dear daughter, Heather, and husband, Eric

hosted a lovely birthday party 

for me, along with help from my wonderful family.

Come along with me and we will go inside and have a party! 

Here I am in my favorite party dress, 

feeling a bit embarrassed to be the center of so much attention. 

 

But I quickly got into the spirit of things

and felt so honored and blessed to have all of my 

favorite peeps there to help me make a wish.

All together there were 20 of us.  

I was led to the beautiful Italian Soda bar and given the most delicious drink

to take care of the cat that had my tongue! :)

I actually had laryngitis from a head cold that I was just recovering from. 

When I tried to talk, strange, squeaky sounds escaped! 

It was hilarious, but frustrating. 

I just kept a happy smile on my face and became a really

good listener for the night.

The gorgeous tables! 

Everything was perfect. 

These were taken before the guests arrived - all close family and friends. 

My two sweet daughters, Jennie and Heather. 

 Jennie flew in from Hawaii to help me celebrate

and to help Heather with the party! 

Love my girls. 

xx

They have always made sure that my special days are remembered. 

xx

With our children. 

From left - youngest to oldest; Dustin, Jennie, Gabe, and Heather. 

Yummy appetizers. 

Dinner was a selection of assorted pasta

with various sauces and either meatballs or sausage. 

So good! 

Served with salad, breadsticks and Italian wine.  

Dessert. 

Served with ice cream, of course. 

xx

The story of my life. 

I don't feel as old as what they say I am. Lol! 

Except when I wake up in the morning! 

I think that I felt old when I was young, 

and now, I feel young when I am old. :) 

Little me.

As a girl.

And as a teenager.

I sewed the clothes I am wearing in my 'Home Economics' class. 

My high school offered full credit classes in cooking 

and sewing. 

I took both for two years. 

I was always a little homebody:)

I was a cheerleader in high school, too.

This was a stretch for me, as I was quite shy, 

but I loved gymnastics! 

Go Panthers! 

High-School Sweethearts

Isn't he dreamy? 

It was love at first sight. 

New mom with Heather.

I crocheted the hat and blanket. 

With my little towhead, Gabe on a summer day. 

With Jennie. 

She has her dad's eyes. 

With my youngest - mischievous Dustin,

and my little niece. 

As a young mom. 

Notice the firm grip I have on the boys :)

We are in front of a waterfall. 

At one of my children's weddings.

With my sweet Mr. 

Before we went gray :)

xx

Flirting with the Mr. 

xx

Enjoying the delicious food and wine in Italy. :)

As we are now.

Jennie with Gabe. 

She had to leave the husband, at home with her little son

who had just started a new school. 

Other than that, the whole family was there,

(including spouses and grandkids), 

along with our good friends.

xx

The loves of my life.

xx

Ramblin' Man and each of my children

got up and gave a little speech

in my honor. 

It was one of those times in life when I could 

honestly say that all of the trials and tribulations, 

all of the sacrifices and sleepless nights, 

and all of the hard work of being a wife and mother 

were worth every ounce of effort.

To hear their loving tributes, the funny stories, 

and the gratitude in their voices

was something that I would do it all again for.

 

And then my little grandson, Liam 

wanted to say a few words. 

He wanted to tell me how much he loved 

coming over to spend the night at 'Grammie and Papa's' 

and how much he loved 'movie night'

with popcorn and milkshakes. 

By then we were all in tears and so was he

and it was just the sweetest thing. 

xx 

Life hasn't always been easy, and I've had my fair share of 

difficult circumstances, people and experiences, 

as I'm sure most of you have, too. 

But the happy, sweet, touching moments have

been the blessings of my life. 

Life can be a drama, a comedy, or a tragedy,

and sometimes all three at once,

but those sweet, simple moments of 

everyday life are the best moments of all. 

I've learned that by being true to myself, determined and 

willing to put in the work, I could achieve my dreams.

Of course, all of them would not be possible without my 'partner in crime'. 

I've also learned that some dreams were never meant to be,

and that if I look back, I realize that 

it was either a blessing in disguise to not follow that road, or that

I was meant to have a different calling. 

xx

I truly believe that every experience, good and not so good, 

was/is a wonderful opportunity to learn, or another chance 

to get it right.

It's taken me a lifetime to come to terms with some of the

difficult experiences and relationships I've had, 

but in striving to resolve my feelings 

and find forgiveness, I have learned so much about myself. 

Mostly, due to these experiences, I've developed empathy, 

patience and realize the importance of kindness in a world 

that frequently lacks basic decency or respect for others, 

especially towards children, marginalized people, 

animals and the environment. 

My favorite mottos are, 'Always do the right thing, even if no-one is watching', 

 'Always take the high road - the view is so much better', 

and 'Do no harm'. 

And I've learned to always, always have gratitude for everything

and everyone in my life.

Every day is a gift.  

Thank you for celebrating my first 70 years with me, 

Dear Friends! :)

xx

I'm grateful for your friendship and hope you will 

come along with me as we continue to celebrate

the sweet and simple joys of everyday life, 

hold each other up through the hard times, 

and try to figure out this crazy world together. 

xoxo