50
This one is just for my parents.
Happy Anniversary! I hope your day is just what you want it to be. I love you both so much.
xoxo Annette
go hug somebody today
I didn’t mean to be gone so long. It just sort of happened. Sometimes life just happens and you don’t have time to write about it.
Then sometimes death happens and you don’t know how to write about it.
One of my uncles died on Friday. It wasn’t really unexpected, and in many ways it wasn’t as sad as I thought it would be. Not to say there wasn’t sadness or tears, but there was also that sense of relief when pain is at an end.
The wake and funeral gave me an opportunity to hug cousins that I haven’t seen in more years than I care to count. Those hugs mattered. To them and to me.
It also gave me the opportunity to have a little extra bonding time with my sisters and parents on the long drive to Northern Maine. Oy. Laughter is pretty healing you know, and we’re pretty good at it.
This whole weekend was a reminder how important family is and I’m incredibly fortunate to have so much family in my life.
———————–
Who do you wish you could hug one more time?
I wish I could hug my Memere. She passed away 28 years ago yesterday. I was nine, and I just didn’t get to hug her enough. If you still have a grandparent in your life, could you go hug’em for me?
xo
on camping
You don’t need to send help chocolate - I’m home, and recovering.
Camping was great, for the most part. Sunapee State Park is gorgeous and has one of the best beaches I’ve been to in a long time. The campsite was private and clean and was up a crazy steep hill that Damon actually biked (!) while Josh and I went to the beach.
We read books, and played cards, and relaxed, and I made some fantastically good food. Everything tastes better cooked over an open flame doesn’t it? Especially bacon. But then, it’s bacon, when doesn’t it taste good? I even made the campfire potatoes and didn’t burn them.
Of course, as a first-timer (as an adult) I certainly learned a few things:
- I am too old to sleep on the ground.
- Damon is too old to sleep on the ground.
- Josh, apparently, can sleep anywhere. He didn’t seem to notice the rocks and roots sticking in our ribs no matter which way we moved.
- I like taking showers way too much to go without one for very long.
- None of us like bugs.
- Campfires are extremely enticing to 6 year olds.
- Campfires make you yell at your 6 year old a lot.
- Campfires are a pain when you have to make one just to cook every meal. (But you can’t leave it going if you ever want to leave the campsite!) I really only like them at night.
- Outhouses are *still* ewwww. That hasn’t changed at all since I was a kid.
- As fun as it may seem, camping is a ton of work. Especially when you get home with a truckload of stuff that smells like charcoal.
When If I go camping again I will change the following:
- I will bring a propane campstove. duh. I didn’t really get the point of them them until I realized they keep you from having to build a fire for every dang meal. Including the one in the middle of the day when it’s 85 degrees out and you really don’t want to build a fire but you would really like to boil water for some ramen.
- I will find a campsite within walking distance to the beach. Cause driving to the beach/showers/real bathrooms is just not doable.
- I will buy cots or air mattresses. Cause, seriously, we are waaaaayyyyy too old to sleep on the ground. As evidenced by poor Damon and the ice pack he’s had on his back for most of the last 36 hours. Ouch.
- I’m going to make someone else cook at least once.
In fact, screw the tent. Maybe we’ll just rent a cabin in the backwoods of Maine like we used to do. We’ll probably still spend most of our time yelling at the boy for walking/running/dancing/jumping too close to the campfire but at least we’ll be slightly less cranky if we have actual beds and bathrooms.
ps. We really did have fun!
off the grid
I haven’t been camping since I was a kid, probably around 12 or 13. For years I used to go for a week every summer with my friend Teresa and her family. Those are some of the best and clearest memories of my childhood.
I loved camping so much I had the bright idea of taking Josh camping before the summer ends this year. I booked a campsite near Lake Sunapee for two nights and then realized how much I needed to do to get ready for this. Of course it was fun as a kid, Teresa’s parents and older sisters did all the work!
This time I’m one of the parents and have all the responsibilities of planning and packing and cooking and fire tending. Not hauling - that’s Damon’s job! And the tent? Not my problem either. I have enough to do!
The food - oh the food! What a pain! I was planning on eating lots of canned stuff, but Damon says it isn’t camping without grilling (whatever!) so tonight it’s bbq chicken and some potatoes wrapped in foil and baked in the coals. Hope the potatoes don’t turn into little coals themselves. Tomorrow for lunch it’s beans and hotdogs. Well, turkey dogs. And no beans for me, I’d rather not spend the whole day in the outhouse thanks.
After that we’re down to canned food and other easy fixins. (Can you say cup o’ ramen?) I just can’t keep meat and stuff cold any longer than that! (Or at least I’m not willing to go the effort of keeping things cold longer than that.)
So, the firepit….that’s my favorite part of camping. I know I used to drive Teresa’s dad crazy with all my fire poking. I just couldn’t help it! Sitting in front of the fire, reading a book, playing cards, that’s what I remember, and what I hope I have time for. (My second favorite part - the beach. Cause if you can’t get a shower you at least gotta go swimming!)
Anyway, I’m leaving my laptop (gasp! you must understand the gravity of this!) and all the comforts of home and heading out into the wilderness (okay, not really the wilderness) in about two hours. Pray for me that at least my cell phone works there. I don’t think I can survive without it.
ps. Josh made the very crazy adult decision to leave his Leapster and his Gameboy home and just bring his bike, lots of books, and a few toys. I told him I better not hear him say he’s bored even once!
pps. Oh, and haven’t explained the concept of an outhouse to him. I’m waiting until we get there…heh. At least I know he won’t drop the Gameboy in it.
ppps. Let me please repeat - NO LAPTOP. Oy.
pppps. If you don’t hear from me by Monday send help chocolate.
Memorial
His name was Joseph Ernest Lapointe.
He joined the Quebec Regiment of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in August of 1916 and he was soon transported overseas to France to help fight the invading Germans.
We don’t have a photo but I can surmise from the only description we have that he looks much like the rest of my father’s family: black hair, brown eyes, dark complexion. He was 5′ 6″ but I bet he was wiry, and strong. A farmer’s boy has to be strong. A soldier has to be strong.
His last months were spent with the 22e Battalion in Northern France near Arras. We only know this because that is where he ended. Killed by enemy fire on April 22, 1918, somewhere in the Pas-de-Calais. He was only 22 years old.
What we don’t know is exactly where he died or what battle it was part of. We can speculate based on his burial location at Wailly Orchard Cemetery that it was part of the Battle of the Lys, but perhaps it was a skirmish that didn’t really belong to any identifiable offensive.
All we really know is that he was family, he was loved, he was a hero, and he is remembered. Always.
Memorial Day is so much more than just a day off from work. It’s more than hoping for beach weather and having cook-outs. Remember one, remember many, but just remember.
6 things that make me happy
I know I’m a very bad blogger. I have owed a meme to Liz for way over a month now! Liz is a sweetheart, she’s a great writer, and she has a fantastic blog design! If you’re not reading her, you should be.
This is one of those memes that I really wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach it. (Liz set the bar a little high with the Buffy drawing!)
I’ve been told that I haven’t had enough pictures on my site lately (~ahem~ Cluckers) so I decided to do my “Six Things That Make Me Happy” in photos - of things around my house that I love.
First, of course, is my boy, but especially when I catch him reading.
It makes me happy that he’s learning to love books as much as I do.
Just above that sofa is something else that makes me smile. It’s an oil painting made by my father. He has become an amazing artist in his retirement and my house is full of his paintings. Here is the oil and another that I love.
I can’t remember if this one was done in watercolors or acrylics, but it is a print of the original. All of his kids loved it so much he made just enough prints for us to each have one. That’s what you call a limited edition!
I actually picked these two because they are the only ones that aren’t under glass so they’re the easiest to photograph. It was the only way I could choose what to post out of all the painting I have of his.
The room these two particular paintings are hanging in is my favorite spot in the house, there’s no tv in there, just a stereo, a piano, lots of sunshine, and my cactus collection. These cacti make me very happy.
This is my very favorite houseplant. It’s a huge Christmas Cactus that is so old it was originally owned by my father-in-law’s grandmother. (I hope I remembered that right!) Until I was given this, I never knew that plants could be passed down from generation to generation. I can’t tell you how happy this cactus makes me, especially to see the new little sprouts growing out of the old trunk.
I love to sit in that room in my Canadian rocker and look at those paintings and plants with a cup of coffee in my hands. And when my coffee is done right, it makes me very, very, happy.
My favorite coffee, my favorite creamer, and my favorite humongous mug means life is good.
My coffee pot isn’t the only kitchen appliance that makes me happy. I love my kitchen aid mixer, my bread machine, and this:
My favorite of my four (yep four) crock pots. Making my own chicken stock in a slow cooker makes me very happy.
Last, what could make me happier than my cat hanging out with me and letting me take cute pictures of him?
Why that would George in my lap, purring his little heart out while I scratch behind his ear.
What makes you happy? Tell me in comments, or if you decide to do this meme, make sure you leave me the link to your post so I can read it!
Filed Under meme, photos Tagged family, houseplants, life, meme, photos, the boy, the cat
wii conversation
So this morning, while still snuggling in bed at my mom’s house, my boy and I were talking about our plans for the week. I mentioned my his aunt “C” and his cousin “S” might be coming to our house this next Saturday to hang out with us.
“Aunt C wants to check out the Wii Fit.” I said. “So we can show her tennis and the hula hoop, and all the fun stuff we do on it.”
“And you know what else?” he said.
“What?” I asked, assuming he was going to say that he would be able to show his cousin the Lego Star Wars game…but no.
“We’re gonna make her do yoga!”
Bwahhaaahhahhaha!!! Somebody knows how much I hate yoga, and apparently wants to torture my sister.
flashback friday: love look at the 2 of us
Edited to add: If you’re here from Proposal 2.0, I linked to one of my older posts because I think it gets the point across that your wedding (and hence your marriage) should be what you want it to be, not what everyone else wants it to be. My best marriage advice - take lots of candids!
It’s the Valentine’s Day edition of Flashback Friday over at My Tiny Kingdom! I’ve been waiting for this one just so I can post a couple of my wedding pictures!
My wedding was exactly the way I wanted it: small and simple. We were outside, under a big white tent, with sixty of our closest family and friends, and great food that I can’t remember eating. It was hotter than heck though, 99 degrees wasn’t part of the plan. Other than all the sweat it was the perfect day!
The best wedding photos are the unplanned ones, aren’t they?! We have tons of candids because there were a bunch of professional photographers as guests. I don’t know why we bothered hiring one! I’m glad we did though because he caught this one in between the set up shots:
It seems like we have more kissy shots than anything else, but this is my favorite:
Sometimes June 24, 1995 feels just like yesterday. (And then I look at my very, very tall hair. Yikes.)
Love you baby. xoxo
Filed Under family, photos, the husband Tagged family, flashback friday, memories, photos, the husband, wedding
Flashback Friday: Red White and Blue
You know I’m not really one for participating in lots of blog carnivals, but I just couldn’t help myself this time. Anne Glamore at My Tiny Kingdom has started a new carnival for Flashback Friday! I’ve seen lots of Flashback Friday posts here and there over the last couple of years, but there hasn’t been an full out carnival for it. I’m so glad she did this because it gives me a great excuse to scan some of my old photos!
The theme this week is “Feeling Red, White and Blue.”
Apparently I wore a lot of red as a kid because it wasn’t hard to find the perfect picture for this one. What makes is more perfect is my mom. Hi Ma! I hope you don’t mind me posting this. :) I think you are absolutely beautiful.
This was taken in March, 1977, just a month before I turned five. That chair is still in the same spot and it’s where she’s rocked and snuggled all of her many grandchildren over the years too.
Love you Mom!
xoxo
Annette (the one you still call your “baby”)
ps. Next week is “This Makes me Giggle” - I can’t wait!!!
one last Christmas reflection
I had the perfect New Year’s Day yesterday. We spent the morning taking down all the trapping of Christmas, boxing up our memories in plastic bins, neatly put away for next year.
We then went to Target for yet one last bin, one big enough for the first fake tree we’ve had in years, and one almost as expensive as the tree. Yikes. Then we got our coffee and smoothie respectively, went home for lunch, and took a 2 and a half hour nap. No really, the boy and I had a glorious long winter’s rest while DH was at work.
We did in fact let the boy stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year, the first and perhaps the last time we’ll do that. Not that he was bad, but frankly if he had been in bed at normal time, I’m pretty sure I would have been too. Apparently I’m an old lady. Confirmed by the fact I crocheted again throughout 3 hour ride on the way to the FIL’s today. At one point I said ‘oy vey’ at something DH said and that was it for him. Now I’m not allowed to say little old lady things at the same time I’m working with yarn of any sort. Oy vey. But I digress.
So the decorations are gone, when it felt like we had just put them up. It feels good to have the furniture back in place, and have clean empty spaces again. Another whole year before the Christmas hype begins again. I can’t decide if that’s a good or a bad thing, honestly. A little of both perhaps. It would be nice if we could keep our holiday spirit year round, without all the rest of it.
As I folded up plastic branches and pulled apart the metal trunk of our tree yesterday, I remembered the only other time we’ve had a fake tree since we’ve been married - the year I was pregnant. It was all I could do to get up and go to work everyday. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, could barely walk. I was nauseous all the time and threw up daily though I was far into my second trimester.
Just the idea of Christmas overwhelmed me, buying gifts was impossible, and setting up a tree blew my mind. We were in Virginia, far from our families, just the two of us, expectant, scared, and hopeful all at once. I cried out of helplessness, ordered to lay on the couch on my downtime, not able to create any Christmas spirit, but needing it all the same.
One day, mid-way into December, I arrived home, looked around and cried again. This time tears of joy. My dear husband had dug into our Christmas things, things I thought would stay put away for another year. He’d found our old 2 foot fake tree, leftover from our college days, and set it up with lights and my favorite ornaments. He’d put out as many of my decorations as he could find and waited for me to come home and find it. He’d made my Christmas spirit for me. And he didn’t need a 7 foot tall fir to do it.
That was a good year, so have all the years since, and I hope the next is better than ever.
Happy 2009 my friends. xoxo
Filed Under family, life, the husband Tagged christmas, family, holidays, new year