she's the one...

Justin and Libby are engaged! They got engaged Saturday morning at the very place that they first went to talk. After he popped the question...they drove all the way to the boat where we surprised them with an engagement party! We had planned to have the party on top of the boat...but fall came early and we thought it was a bit too chilly for an outdoor party. So...we set everything up inside the boat on the bar. See how surprised Libby was when she came through the door!!

She was even more surprised to see her WHOLE family (sans dad...he had to work) pop out of the bedroom! She could hardly believe it! They drove 9 hours to be at the boat when she got there so that we could all celebrate together. Sooo sweet!

See Katers (above)...that is Libby's family's dog. She is tiny!

They hugged and talked and laughed and cried. Libby was overwhelmed! It was a day FULL of surprises...very good surprises!

This is the way the party table looked. There were lots of candles and roses...and pictures of the two of them. It looked really beautiful. Janae and I have decided that we should quit our day jobs and become party planners!

Here's Libby calling her dad to tell him the big news! I love Justin's smile in this one!

Champagne for the many toasts!

Same kind of cake I made for Tommy's mom...only different decorations! Janae was my co-chef on the cake....we were quite proud of ourselves at the end! You can't tell from looking at the picture--but the little spots on the cake are engagement rings.

Libby with her mom and sisters! They are all such fun people. I am excited that our families will be merging!

Of course...she spent a lot of the first couple hours letting us all see the ring. I love her smile in this one...so happy and proud. Her ring is beautiful...and it looks perfect on her!

Every newly engaged girl has to have bridal magazines, right? Janae and Becky bought a stack of the most recent issues. We all had fun sitting on the top deck folding the corners down on the pages that displayed the newest and greatest wedding trends......from dresses to cakes to save the dates!

We are all so very happy for these two wonderful people. Their smiles light up the room. Their love for each other is contagious! I can't wait to see what their future holds....

Tommy and I love you guys very much!

No pictures to share...the camera is in who knows what box...buried too deep to pull out at this point.

Saw this on a friend's blog and thought it was neat. If you read my blog and you have a blog of your own....I challenge you to copy and paste and post on your blog.

I am: madly in love with my husband.

I want: to live along, happy life.

I have: so many things to be grateful for.

I wish: I didn't procrastinate.

I hate: that I worry so much.

I miss: home when I am away.

I hear: football....it's Monday night...what do you expect? Also...some screaming when a good play is made!

I wonder: how I will get everything done on my to-do list.

I regret: that I have regrets.

I am not: a morning person.

I dance: like crazy when I am alone.

I sing: like your worst nightmare.

I cry: fairly easily.

I am not always: brave.

I make with my hands: pictures, cards, dinners, school stuff....

I write: notes to my husband, letters to friends and family, and many many lists.

I confuse: trust with vulnerability.

I need: to pray more and worry less.

I should: do more for those less fortunate.

I start: watching 24 and can't stop.

I finish: each day with a prayer

8pm is late....

for a teacher on the first day of school! My voice is gone...and it took my patience with it! My students are darling....but they, like me, are still in summer mode! We'll get through it, though! Each new year is like this...tough at first, then settles into a lull...a routine that is comfortable. By the end of next week... the new school supply smell will have faded and the students will be back in school mode....listening, learning, laughing. I am tired tonight...but who am I kidding? I would be lost in August without the first days of school. It's what I do!

And to greet me when I got home? Champagne from Tommy (thanks, babe, you are the best)...and the sweetest card and gift from you, Jen. The card made me cry! Since I can't get the CD of photos to you right now (as the stuff to do it with is packed tightly in the storage unit) I wanted to share this with you--it's one of my all time faves. hope it will tide you over. Thank you so much for your kind, kind words.

off to switch out laundry and get some shuteye. My goal is to get up early enough for a treat from Starbucks before homeroom. highly unlikely...but we'll see.

....too busy to blog lately...school starts this week....trying to sell our house so that we can move into our new one in early September....cleaning and more cleaning....seriously? where does all the dust come from? .... I am ashamed to say that the tops of my light fixtures in the master bath looked as though they were faux finished to appear furry!! But....come on...the top of a light fixture? I can't reach it or remember to clean it! ....getting up at 7am is hitting me like a truck....I didn't fully wake up until the middle of my meeting today. I'm starving mid-morning because I am used to eating whenever I want to....note to self: buy snacks for desk drawer. ....a few more photo shoots coming up..and pictures to proof and send out (sorry it is taking me so long, jen and sara kate! don't give up on me...i'll get them to you.) ....truly looking forward to cooking in my new kitchen.... looking forward to a pedicure tomorrow! looking forward to a lake trip coming up, as well. The six of us (dad, janae, jus, libby, tommy and me) will have a grand time catching up. It's been too long....

nope...the picture has nothing to do with the post...just feeling blessed to have a husband that prays.

prince william

He is a handsome prince indeed! Had so much fun with Carrie and William today! Of course, these photos are unedited for blogger purpose...but I hope you like them Carrie.
William wins the "most active baby" award! He is a mover and a shaker!
Good luck with your shots tomorrow little one!

busy....busy....busy....

• getting my room ready for the school year...cutting out demin pockets to make a bulletin board that says "Jean-ius Work!" Trying to think of other catchy phrases but coming up short!
• doing laundry...always loads of laundry.
• trying to get rid of a very unwelcome family of ants that decided to take up residence in the dog food. Realizing that I still detest bugs of any size, shape, color. My mom is the type who gently picks up a bug and tosses it out the backdoor. I am the type who smashes it way harder that it needed to be smashed! I also follow up the smashing by yelling..."Now go warn your friends that I am not playing around!" Yelling at a dead fly is very effective.
• trying to stay cool. it was 100 here yesterday!
• going out with the gals for meg's last night of freedom. laughing so hard and having such fun. missing college. would never trade where I am at in my life right now....but missing the good ol' days, nonetheless!
• visiting with mom yesterday. So thankful for all the surprises she brings when she comes. This time...it was a double bolier for me (so I can make cake icing) and a new suit for Tommy! Thanks for your kindness, Mom!
• proofing lots of pictures. Very excited to be the proud new owner of a little boy and a little girl Party Hat. They will be appearing in pictures very soon! They are too cute for words.
  
• a little sad that summer is almost over for me and I didn't get any sun at all!
• excited to start buying little baby gifts here and there for Chris and Brigit.
• happy to be having dinner this week with friends that we haven't seen in a bit.

Must go and get things accomplished today....

angel face

Loved seeing Jen and baby Sara today....I swear this little one gets more beautiful each time I see her.

There were tons of great shots...but I had to pick 3 unedited shots that blogger would accept.

Yes, those are tiny toes she is chewing on! How funny!

The cheeks just drive me crazy!

XOXOXO Sara Kate! You made my day with your cute little smile!

7.31

Happy two year anniversary to the love of my life! Because of you...I know that dreams do come true!

patty cake

Alas, the projects that have been keeping me busy for the past several days. We had Tommy's mom's 50th birthday party yesterday.....and I was in charge of the cake....seen below. (Please pay no attention to the terrible mess in the background...I seem to create a mess far bigger than the project when I cook.) I enjoyed making it. The party was fun...and it ended with a bang when Tommy's only brother gave his mom her birthday present ~~~ a positive pregnancy test!! Congratulations to Chris and Brigit, the new parents-to-be!

tradition

I am safely home from our annual summer trip to Manhattan. It is quite possibly the best city in the world. Mom and I totally enjoyed ourselves...eating, talking, people-watching, and shopping!

I got a kick out of this sign. Living fashionably in a $7 million loft....with a couture concierge to boot! What must life be like? I find myself wishing that Peter Som was my good friend.

One of my favorite stores on Broadway...they sell bath soap by the slice. The smell of this little place and the block it sits on is divine.

Blue sky and no taxis...both a rare sight on this particular trip. We had more than a few rain showers...but that didn't stop us!

Who Moi? Pizza? We love NYC pizza...so many choices!

Here we have the two barstools where Tommy and I sat several years ago on our first trip to the city together. We occupied the seats for several hours...just staring at each other...VanMorrison's Crazy Love playing in the background. I remember very vividly falling deeper and deeper in love with him during that weekend.
Mom and I had dinner here on our last night and I just had to snap a picture of the 2 vacant barstools. This little spot called O'Riley's Grill holds some very special memories for me.
Mom and I opted for a table ...and we had some great food! We ended up staying for 2 hours...just talking about everything and nothing. We are good at that.
Unfortunately, when we got the bill we learned that there are no free refills on unsweetened tea in New York.

Someone has a bright future in marketing, don'tcha think? After I snapped this picture the man behind the table informed that that it would be five damn dollas for a picture.

In case you ever wondered what your chicken encounters on the average trip to your favorite eatery....look no further!
The bottom ripped out of this box and chickens scattered all over the filthy sidewalk. These two just grabbed a garbage bag and made a quick transfer. I'm guessing they were operating under the 10-second policy. Chicken is the one meat that I still love....and now this!
I snapped this picture through the window of Broadway pizza (where I sat having a very non-chicken lunch.)

Very into beads right now. I got lots of super cool, very long beaded necklaces this trip. I think it's the OCD in me. I always pick something to perseverate on and buy lots of. Last year it was sunglasses...this year...beads!

We took lots of subway trips back and forth...uptown and downtown many times. We had delicious gelato...cocnut for mom and lemon for me. I got some new clothes to wear to work. Mom got a fall purse and a winter purse. I got Tommy a watch and some cuff links. No presents for the pups...just lots of sloppy kisses.

I have been working in my room this week....trying to get ready for a brand new school year. I have also been baking a few different things for Tommy's mom's 50th birhday party on Saturday. I am attempting a tall cake that requires some strategic stacking.
It is rainy here today. I am puttering around the kitchen....and just enjoying the day at home.

Thanks for a great trip, mom! I will always, always, always hold our adventures close to my heart. Thank you for you friendship.

weekender.

Currently reading a great book (thanks, dad!) called Marley and Me. It is a must read for anyone who loves dogs. Even if you don't (Andy) I think it is still a must read!









Finished this book last week. A tale of a boy with autism who sets out to solve a local mystery. Enlightening as far as the behavior and insights of the little boy--but a VERY slow read. Not at all one of my faves.







And the weekend comes to a close....but man, was it fun! Justin and Libby got here Friday evening and we immediately braved a huge thunderstorm to head up to Rafferty's for Happy Hour. We had fun eating a variety of appetizers and catching up. They are doing great.
Saturday morning we headed out to the race track for a beautiful day! Very hot, but still beautiful! No such luck with the bets we placed...very few of them paid off! We stayed for all the races and then headed home to freshen up. We decided on dinner on the river...a great little Italian place. It was perfect! We even stopped for Blizzards on the way home. This morning...waffles and church....and plain old resting! I hated to see them leave! We really loved having them here.
Tomorrow starts my last week of tutoring! YAY! Hard to believe that school will be starting again soon. I am already starting to think about bulletin boards....classroom decor....lesson plans...etc. I just love to see all the brand new school supplies piled up in the stores. Not to rush it though.....summer is wonderful!
Time for dinner and a few more chapters of my book.

beauty

A day at the track...summer 2006

You are a great champion. When you ran the ground shook. The sky opened and mere mortals parted. Parted the way to victory. Where you will meet me in the winner's circle. Where I will lay a blanket of flowers on your back. ~Cale Crane, Dreamer


As you may have noticed....I have been quite fond of movie quotes lately. It may be a theme for me...I don't know yet... Do you have any favorite movie quotes? Share them!

Headed out to the races with Justin and Libby this weekend...it is the last weekend of the meet. I hope the weather will be beautiful!

Dad and Janae are coming for a visit tomorrow evening. Again, if the weather is nice we plan to eat on the river. Fingers crossed!

Happy Wednesday!

noisy house...

We had Tommy's cousins for a sleep over this weekend...I use the term 'sleep' very lightly! At 3 AM they were still wide awake. I could not hold my eyes open! I was trying so hard to stay awake because as a child myself...when the people I was staying the night with fell asleep and I was wide awake it was a given that I would be calling the old parents to come and get me. As long as everyone was up I was fine...but if I didn't fall asleep before them....it was bad.

Finally, when it felt as if concrete blocks were pulling down on my eyelids I told them that if anyone got scared to come and wake us up and we would stay up with them. They gave me the "Puhleeeze, we are way too cool for that" look...and off to bed I went. Tommy and I were exhausted. It confirmed our thoughts that we are not yet ready for kiddos....as fun as they are!

Below is a cake recipe that I have been wanting to try. It was a very rough draft with not much detail--but I thought it was cute. The middle part is a jell-o swimming pool. The kids liked it.

The dogs did amzingly well with all they chaos. It helps that all 4 of these kids love animals. I love seeing them (Pepper & Abby) play with kids. It is so cute.

Along with loving animals...they love to wrestle. I frequently found them in a tangled pile...slapping, pinching, poking, etc. No one ever got mad or hurt though....which I found amazing! I am such a wuss....pinch me and I am in tears!

See what I mean....some are playing play station...others are pinning each other on the carpet. BTW, I did hear Tommy say, "I can put you in the Full Nelson and have you crying in 3 seconds!" Yep, he reverted back to his boyhood this weekend.

Teylor didn't get into the wrestling matches (smart girl!) but she did enjoy the internet! Earlier in the afternoon, she and I went to get pedicures. That was fun.

These 2 are lucky to have each other to grow up with.

Silly, silly boys! This is just the kind of photo that their first real girlfriend will find endearing.

It was so fun to have them all here. They all have such unique and sweet personalities. It is fun for me to be around kids and not have to teach them anything. We did lots of laughing, lots of game playing(UNO, Taboo, and Truth or Dare Jenga (which turned out to be not-so-kid-friendly afterall!)) , and lots of eating.

Mom was also here this past week and we had so much fun. She helped me accomplish some things I had been needing to do.....and we had several great lunches and dinners overlooking the river. It was wonderful to spend some time together.

Can't believe that Monday is nearly here again. Weekends are the best.

loved this quote...

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. we have roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." - Captain Corelli's Mandolin

2 thumbs up

We watched 4 movies over the long weekend...we haven't watched that many movies in a long time! Anywho....each movie was GREAT! We truly loved them all. Glory Road is inspirational. Failure to Launch is funny and light. Matchpoint is twisted and scary. Eight Below is simply beautiful!

july fourth.

Is this cool or what? Fattening, yes....but cool, nonetheless! Tommy's aunt got us this neat butter contraption that does all sorts of crazy things with butter. Below, Tommy and I got a little carried away with the butter on his breakfast...we just couldn't help ourselves! (No, he didn't eat all of that butter!)And....the finished product on the patio...we love it so much! It is very pretty!

Blogger refuses to post pictures in order....thus, a close up of the butter shoelaces on top of the waffles!

And here...Pepper awaits his birthday celebratory treat! He is only 7 years old but I cannot tell you what he means to me. It is so reasonable to me that Pepper represents all that is secure and safe. I constantly pet him...even unknowingly. He knows me so well ....and I know him. If he could drive...he would drive a Mercedes. If he shopped...it would be strictly Armani. If he ate steak...it would be from Morton's. He is a class act! (Although I know for a fact that he would stay up late and eat $2 Pizza Rolls with his mom!)

They say dogs laugh with their tails. If that is true...I have 2 very happy dogs! Hence the blur!

Abby takes a peek...even though it is so not her birthday!

Pepper's choice birthday treat... a Collie Cannoli. (Could be spelled wrong???)

And for his sister...he picked a Boston Terrier Cream Pie! She was happy with the choice.

The birthday boy takes a look!

It was a fun celebration...even though I think they both had belly aches afterward! Long naps followed.
Happy 5th Anniversary to Dad and Janae! We went to Steve and Heidi's house to watch fireworks! I hope there are lots of fireworks in Jamaica! I can't wait to hear all about your trip!

I am thankful for freedom tonight...which is a blessing I frequently take for granted...I must admit.