It’s New Year’s Eve. 2010 has just under 2 hours left to it. It’s funny, you know, because sometimes you think ‘oh it’s just another day’ and then, you know, it’s not, it’s not just any other day. It’s a threshold of sorts. It’s an ending, and a beginning. And I don’t think there really can be anyone out there who doesn’t feel a little pull to look back and recall----even if it’s just to say goodbye to “what was” in the ending year.

Many bloggers post reviews of the past year around this time. I have never done that and at first, when I considered doing it, I realized that I had no idea what I would write. I mean, I can tell you about December, November, etc…some of the summer. But ask me about last January, February---drawing a blank.

But then it occurred to me to pull out my appointment book and voila, it all comes back! So, without further ado:

JANUARY 2010

I didn’t make it to Mass on New Year’s Day because I was ‘babysitting’ Cleo for Daddy, who was out on Long Island with a new friend. Luckily, he came home early and Timothy and I were able to head out to the Aguirres’. Maria and Santiago had decided to host a get-together. The Trovarellis, Pavias, and Mahars came. Santiago made empanadas (some in the shape of stars) and Maria (God bless her) was heaven-bent on making BISCOTTI of all things in her teeny-tiny kitchen. I was trying to grate clementines on a teeny tiny grater for orange peel and made a mental note to buy her a real lemon zester for her wedding anniversary. (I did buy it but procrastinated on mailing it to her---and it sits in my closet to this day! DUH!) Santiago played Colombian Christmas music and everybody danced around, some of us with maracas. Even the guys did. It was funny and if I’m not mistaken, I video-taped some of it, but we’ve never watched it. I should dig it out sometime.

The following weekend, we finally got together to celebrate Mommy’s belated birthday which was snowed out several times over in 2009. She wanted to go bowling, so there we all were, in our silly multi-colored shoes. This was the day we learned that Stuart could NOT bowl, not even if his life depended on it (although I have to admit, he really didn’t try---and didn’t seem to care). So he opted out of playing, but the rest of us did, and then we had dinner and went back to Mommy’s apartment for cake and gifts. This was the year I gave out the Buddha bowls, one to her (baby blue) and one to Sherri (black) to celebrate her graduation last month.

We had our first Epic presentation at the Trumbull Marriott. At first, I was really impressed, and then I remembered that I was equally impressed when I saw Meditech 6.0, and now I was wishing I could compare. But of course, I can’t. And they won’t.

Joanne G had her baby shower. Timothy was playing basketball with the rec league this month. Mason, Anthony, and Steven were on his team and their dads were coaches. They had a game every Sunday and they were very stressful, mainly because Earrol expected so much from Timothy on the court----I was just happy the child was out there. And he was running back and forth attempting to play, so what if he didn’t make any actual plays! It was his very first time playing the game after all. Unfortunately, he may have ruined the game for him, which is a bummer, because it’s the one sport I really understand and can play myself.

FEBRUARY 2010

The final season of Lost started the first week of February. I had this reminder printed in jumbo capital letters in my book so that I wouldn’t forget. It was my Tuesday night pleasure for many weeks.

This month was also all about the Olympics. They played Olympic games at school, teaming up the kids in various grades. Tim’s team was New Zealand and their team color was white (easy!). He and I stayed up late watching the Opening Ceremonies: I so wanted him to see all the country flags and costumes. By this time, the big armoire was up in the living room and Earrol had bought us the flat screen, but the VCR wasn’t hooked up to record---I discovered this after we had sat there for quite a while waiting and waiting….the atlas spread out in front of us. Tim did get tired, but we made it til the end!

MARCH 2010

This month brought LEIGH-ANNE home. She drove up from Oklahoma with her husband and her two daughters, Ashley and Paige, as a high school graduation “gift” to Ashley. They spent a week in Connecticut, but I didn’t get to see her until Friday night, at Mommy’s. Sherri and Deanna came over too. When we got there, Leigh-Anne was making a rosary for Mommy from beads they had bought that day. (Turns out she makes jewelry and even has a website). Her daughters are both beautiful and friendly girls. Timothy was sick with strep, so he sat in a corner til Earrol came to get him and then I was able to stay a few hours longer to visit. When I left, for some reason I got sentimental/emotional, so I went back in and asked Leigh-Anne to walk me out to the car. I don’t know---I mean, I hadn’t seen her in 10 years, and I felt like I was saying goodbye for forever. It was weird how it affected me.

The month finished up on Palm Sunday, when Mommy, Timothy and I drove up to Southington to attend a Passion Play, which was beautiful and so worth the drive up! I will definitely go again, if they do it again. It was wonderful!!!

APRIL 2010

Holy Week. This year, I took Timothy with me for Holy Thursday Mass and he did great. He even got out of his seat to have his little feet washed. Father Bob washed them. (I did not have my feet washed. I never have. Maybe next year. I think you have to be in the mood). We didn’t make it to the other Triduum Masses, which was a bummer. Next year…

Baseball practice started the next week. Timothy’s team was the YANKEES!!! He was very pleased by this.

We finally managed to celebrate Monsignor’s birthday (belatedly---it’s really in March) at Patti’s. I created a spiritual bouquet of prayers for him that all the kids signed and we sang and had cake. He was pleased as punch.

Later in the month was Take Your Kids to Work Day. I spent the morning with Timothy’s group and we toured various departments and stations. We even went to the boiler room/plant, which I had never seen. It was an interesting day and I think he liked it. Afterwards, I drove with him to Palisades Mall where there was a LEGO STORE and we spent some money there and bought a few things you can’t get in regular stores (like build your own mini-figure and fill up a container of miscellaneous bricks). On the way home, we hit a huge tractor trailer accident right at the entrance of the Tappan Zee which forced us to sit in solid non-moving traffic for the longest time. Luckily we had eaten before we left the mall, had water to drink, and had Lego’s to build!

I rounded out the month by attending Medicare Boot Camp in Westbrook for the week. Sunday night, I booked a room at the hotel (so that I’d be there bright and early Monday morning for Registration). When I got there, I spontaneously called the spa to see if I could book a facial and was able to fit one in and then went to dinner afterwards. Decadent! I loved my room but I only had it the one night. The rest of the week, I commuted back and forth. I played hooky on Friday though because it was Race for Education and couldn’t miss that!

MAY 2010

May was all about baseball—baseball—baseball! The Coach-Pitch Yankees were on a winning streak. Timothy had some good games and then he hit a slump (although I don’t remember exactly when that happened). The games were exciting, however, because he had some really good players on his team, particularly two boys who I loved to watch play. One we dubbed “Little Jeter” and the other, Johnny, was the coach’s son. They were super players, and really in tune with each other. And they were only 8 year olds!!!

On Pentecost weekend, a woman named Alexis came and built me a raised bed in the backyard and filled it with compost. She also left me about a dozen seedlings in pots: 4 tomatoes, 2 kale, a few peppers, and an eggplant. I planted them, as well as some cucumber seeds, string beans, and lettuce. We shall see…..

On Pentecost Sunday, Timothy wore red to Mass like Father Tom asked us to (I couldn’t find anything red to wear). At church he said “Look how many people are wearing red”, like he totally forgot that this was deliberate! When the first hymn started, we saw a dove floating and twirling high above the altar, seemingly remote control or something. I was mesmerized (like a kid), you know, how are they doing that? Wondering the whole time. During the recessional, the dove again. So after Mass, Timothy and I walked up to the front and looked up just in time to see the dove disappearing into what appeared to be a square opening in the very peak of the ceiling. So I asked Dean K if there was a room up there or something (I couldn’t imagine there was, but what else could it be and how do you get up there?). He pointed to the choir loft all the way at the other end of the church, where I could then see a ladder and he said that the guy with the dove had climbed up the ladder and made his way along the rafters from one end of the church to the other…!

This month, Joanne celebrated her 50th Jubilee in Reading. I had been anticipating this Jubilee for years, asking her almost every year “it’s 2010, right? Your jubilee is 2010?”. So I wouldn’t forget. I was soooooooo sure I’d be at that jubilee too, you know? But as luck would have it, Joanne’s group has no less than two members who are on the General Council, and combine that with them being a big group anyway, and the 60th being a big group too, they were told they were limited with invites. So I couldn't be invited! (Now, neither were any of her nephew’s wives so…. I can't feel that bad). But seriously, what a bummer! In the end, I did put together a really cool gift “box” for her, with a lovely crocheted vest in beige and a book on St. Francis and Hershey Kisses in gold foil and a brand-new crisp $50 bill and a card telling her that Mass would be said for at St James on July 26 (her feastday---though I missed the Mass because I actually was in Reading that day--but I got to attend Mass there, and it was for her then too, and she did the readings. And Timothy and I sat up in the choir loft for it…he liked that!)

All this stuff was wrapped up in gold tissue paper and in and among the gold tissue paper and gifts I tossed gold jingle bells. And then I wrapped up the whole box with gold paper, attached the card (special 50th Jubilee card from the Catholic store) and carted that box on up to the Villa so that Sr. Carol Ann could personally deliver it on Jubilee Day!) I was very proud of that gift, and especially liked the idea that the whole ride from Stamford to Reading, it was jingling from the bells inside. (When Joanne called me about it, she had a chuckle over the bells!)

I am forgetting to mention one other thing, the thing that actually started out this month, and that was Mommy’s car accident on May 3. She rolled over and down the embankment around Round Hill Road that drizzly Monday morning. We did not find out for several hours---by the time she was able to call Deanna and Deanna was able to call me, I was stuck in traffic in Westport heading to work. I diverted to Stamford to find her still in the ER. She was lucky as all get out. Stayed in observation overnight---was considered trauma because her heart rate spiked. I said above that May was all about baseball, baseball, baseball----well, it was also about Mommy, Mommy, Mommy----and how we dodged a bullet that day. And what was going to happen next. And when was she going to go back to work. And all that….

JUNE 2010

Oh Lovely June. We had a First Grade field trip to Gulf Beach, walking there with the whole class and back. That was fun.

The weekend of the 12th, I finally got my ass to Omega! Mommy and I attended a weekend workshop with none other than MARIANNE WILLIAMSON!! It cost us a pretty penny, even with rooming together. But it was lovely. Marianne was very inspiring and I was really pleased that I managed to get Mommy to meet her in person. Omega was a lovely place, very rustic and natural. There was a beautiful meditation chapel that I only saw the last day we were there, but I sketched it before we left. There was also a lovely lake. It would have been nice to stay there longer; someday I’d like to go back.

The only trouble was I could get no cell phone coverage there, so every time I wanted to call home, I had to trudge across the campus to a payphone. Luckily I had purchased (providential?) a phone card before I left town. Earrol couldn’t understand why we didn’t have a phone in our room or couldn’t be reached. It was like he had no capability of imaging a retreat center vs a hotel. He actually asked if we had to wear robes (like we were at a monastery or something!). Crazy!!! (What was funny, though, was that on Sunday, there was a guy --- from another session --- walking around and he DID look like he was in Buddhist robes or something. I so wanted to take a picture of him but I didn’t have the nerve. I also saw a transvestite in the bookstore. Mommy didn’t though.)

Oh yeh, and I bought this lovely card in the gift shop. It had a color drawing of an Indian woman (like the kama sutra type, but not kama sutra). And inside was the saying “God circled this place on the map for you”. EXACTLY the message I needed to hear.

We rounded up baseball this month and had the last day of First Grade! I tried to get a good picture of Tim coming out at dismissal, expecting him to have a big grin/smile on his face, but he didn’t. He looked miserable. Come to find out, he was sick and was sick most of the rest of the weekend!!!

I was off the last week of June, to find “summer” with Timothy, his first week of vacation. Monday, we went to Chuck E Cheese and got his summer haircut (although not a buzz, as promised). Wednesday, we had a playdate at our house with Christopher M. And then later that day, Chris’s team played our team, the last game of the season, and Chris’ team WON, which meant they made the play-offs! Our team, which had been on a winning streak, having only lost one other game, was devastated!!! Thursday, we went to the Hartford Science Center with Deanna, Sami, and Mommy. On the way home, there was a major thunderstorm. It was so bad, I could barely see through the windshield, so I went off the nearest exit and pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex to wait it out. I wasn’t afraid, but I just couldn’t see. No sooner than 10 minutes later, the rain stopped, and all Timothy and I saw around us were RAINBOWS! It was the coolest thing ever!

Friday we went to XPect and bought every snack food Timothy desired for a summer "stash". Then we had pizza at 4 Brothers (in the restaurant), and ended up watching the sunset at Gulf Beach. Saturday, we hit the Farmer’s Market, picked up Cleo at the vet (as Papa and Nora were away on the BERMUDA CRUISE!), and then spent the afternoon at Jon J’s birthday party.

JULY 2010

We began July by attending our favorite 4th of July parade in Madison. We went early and had breakfast at the little diner, but before we did that, we scoped out a grassy shady spot on the side street for the parade and left our chairs and towels there. Then we went to R.J Julia’s and bought a new Ugli. Our spot got crowded, but it was a good spot nonetheless, as it was a hot day and we were in the shade. We booked out right after the last fire engine, as we do, to grab ice cream cones at Ashley’s. Then we came home and had grilled steak and fireworks with Earrol.

This month, Timothy and Christopher attended a Lego “class” in the afternoon for a week.

Timothy and I drove up to Old Lyme to spend the day with Joanne. Bill and Karen had rented a beach house for the week. It was right on the beach. Bill showed Timothy how to catch crabs in the shallow water between the eddy rocks, using just a washer, string, and clothespin. At first, we didn’t get any, and then lo and behold, he ended up with well over a dozen crabs! After we had caught that many in the bucket, we went down to the beach where Bill’s grandkids (who had since left) had dug a big round hole in the sand. Timothy poured all the crabs into the hole and we stood and watched as the crawled around sideways and backwards and over each other, and one by one, booked back into the water. Timothy laughed so hard!

Then we spent time at the house, watched a video, and played on the beach. It was a nice long fun day. (Now I want to rent a beach house there!)

The month rounded off with our trip to Pennsylvania. Timothy and I left early Friday morning, stopping at GH to get cash from the credit union and a roll of quarters from the cashiers office. Then we drove across the GW Bridge into New Jersey, where we stopped in Edison to tour Thomas Edison’s exhibit/lab. (We had just finished reading the Magic Treehouse book that talked about him, which is what gave us the idea). Then we headed to Pennsylvania. We made it to King of Prussia (after a Target break where we bought some Legos!). We ran across the street from our hotel to get water and pizza to hang out in our room, where we watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the Pay-per-View. We laughed so hard. Vicki and Earrol arrived several hours later.

The next day, we found out that it was supposed to be a record-breaking heat-wave in the city. So what to do? We decided to find an air-conditioned venue, and that ended up being the Camden Aquarium over the bridge in New Jersey. That was fun and interesting and Timothy liked it. We got some nice pictures of Tim and Earrol with the river and bridge as a backdrop. Then we headed to Lancaster.

While in Lancaster, we visited the Amish homestead, and went to Hershey, and missed being in a tornado by minutes (really). And then because we were stuck at our hotel because of the weather, we decided to head out in the only direction that was not under tornado watch, and that was York/Gettysburg. We visited the Boyd Bear factory and then headed back and had dinner. The next day we went to Kitchen Kettle Village, and got detoured on the way back to Philadephia, which was providential because we got to see many many Amish homes, and clotheslines full of Amish clothes, and lots of barefoot Amish kids on scooters, as a result.

Once in Phillie, we went to the Zoo. We decided to do this because we had learned there was a Lego exhibit there. Well, it turned out not to be an exhibit as much as it was a bunch of Lego animal ‘sculptures’ set in various random places throughout the zoo. Each one you encountered, you got a trading card of. And we didn’t get to see the giraffes because they had just had a baby born.

In the Zoo parking lot, we parted ways. Vicki and Earrol headed back to Connecticut, and Timothy and I headed to Reading. When we got there, we visited with Joanne and then relaxed in our lovely little ‘hotel-like’ room. Because the room had two twin beds, we opted to sleep on the floor. The next day, we visited Christelle and all the loveys at the Villa, and then Timothy and I walked through the cemetery, where I started to cry at Edward’s grave (as I always do) and then, after stopping at all the others, one by one, ended up in tears again at Irma’s. And then we headed home…

AUGUST 2010

August was quiet. We spent an afternoon at the Jazwinski’s, and had Max A over our house another day. Grandma took Timothy to see a movie, and while they did that, I got to see Eat Pray Love, at last. I was one of only two people in the whole movie. Naturally, I cried.

We attended Peach Fest at Lyman Orchards with Earrol and Vicki and I brought home what proved to be delicious peach muffins. (The apple cider I got, I didn’t drink in time and ended up having to dump it out---but before I could do that, I left it in the sink overnight, thinking nothing of that, and when I got up the next morning, the bottle was empty. Which was strange and it didn’t hit me for a few minutes----it had EXPLODED. There was apple cider everywhere!)

Timothy and I went to Acton Animal Park up in Litchfield County, which was cool. We both got to pet a zebra there. Then we went to Lourdes and walked the Stations in the woods, which was cool too. We ate at a little restaurant in town and then had ice cream near a cornfield in Oxford.

We attended little Ethan’s christening on Aunt Nettie’s birthday, although we didn’t go to the Mass. We instead went to Mass at St. James. I was hoping against hope that Barbara would play “I Am The Bread of Life” (Aunt Nettie's all-time favorite) the way she had a few years in a row, but that didn’t happen this year, nor did Timothy and I get to bring up the gifts. Nonetheless, we marked her special day there, and then headed to Darien for lunch. Timothy made friends with Joanne’s 6 yr old nephew and the two of them sat head to head playing their DS games at the table.

I turned 44 this month, which was totally uneventful.

SEPTEMBER 2010

Timothy started second grade this month! His teacher is Miss Frampton, and he has two new kids in his class: a girl named Morgan, who’s Mom drives a car like Bumblebee from Tranformers, and a boy named Christian…yes, that Christian: from preschool!

This year, one day a week, Timothy goes home with Christopher M. And on another day, Papa picks him up. I do all the rest.

Also this year, I signed up again to do hot lunch, but it’s not like last year with the pizza. Pizza is on Thursday now. It’s quite the changeover, and so far I’m still learning this month. Whew!!

There was an Epic “job fair” at work, which was weird and ill-planned. And I panicked and lamented about that (Epic) for many days.

We went to the Guilford Fair with Daddy and Nora, and Timothy won a goldfish. I took many pictures of beautiful cows. (Speaking of cows, our first night in Lancaster, we left my car in the parking lot of a Denny’s while we went for dinner. When we came back, it was after dark and we pulled in. Earrol’s headlights hit what appeared to be tiny lights in the fields in back of Denny’s. When we got out of the car, it was none other than a herd of COWS in that field---hadn't been there before!)

At the end of the month, we went to Maker Faire in Queens with Earrol and Vicki. It was HOT AND HUMID and we were not prepared for that. For example, I left my barrette and scrunchy in the car, either of which I could have USED as my hair totally frizzed up and was driving me crazy. But we saw some cool exhibits and got some giveaways. And we saw the long-awaited Pepsi and Mentos “show” (the one Tim and I saw on You Tube). That was cool. And I had one of the best fresh fruit smoothies I’ve ever tasted that afternoon. I don’t know if it was because it was made well or because I was parched, but it was delicious.

We also went to the school Carnival that same night. Timothy went on a few rides with Christopher, and we stayed to watch the fireworks---only this time, because we got there so late, we stayed on the grounds to watch them, craning our necks up. At one point, something hit me and I bent down to pick it up, thinking it was a rock or something. It was a tiny black ball of what looked and smelled like gunpowder, clearly from the fireworks. Which was weird and unsettling and made me wonder what would have happened if someone had gotten that in the eye. (Note to self: don’t watch fireworks from that close ever again.)

The next day, Sunday, after Mass, Timothy and I went back to the carnival for about an hour. I bought $10 in tickets and he rode a couple of rides and went on the big slide, all by himself. I was amazed at how brave he was this year and I promised him that next year I’d buy him a wristband so he could go on as many rides as he wanted to, as many times as he wanted to. (I told him I hadn’t bought him one because I had no idea this year he’d be so brave). He asks me every once in a while “You’re going to buy me a wristband next year at the carnival, right?”, which I think is so cute.

It was at the end of this month that we had the big meeting with Dave W where the “news” was given that we are going to consolidate with the Yale System Business Office sometime in the near future. They wouldn’t tell us when yet. They said they’d give us more details after October 1. Suffice it to say, they told us just enough to freak everyone out and ruin the last week of the fiscal year. Go Yalies!!!

OCTOBER 2010

God help me, but I had Cleo for 5 days the end of September through October 2, while Daddy and Nora were in Florida. It was the worst 5 days ever. One night she kept me up whining and barking so badly that I actually picked up the phone, and left a ranting voicemail on Daddy’s phone just cuz I needed to vent.

Even before the Yale announcement, I had noticed a job posting at Milford Hospital that I applied for. I also applied for, count ‘em, THREE individual jobs at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. This was all back in September. And I didn’t hear from anyone, but I didn’t expect to. When have I ever? But lo and behold, St. Vincent’s called and I went for a job interview in HR at St. Vincent’s on October 12 for the Assistant Director of Admitting. I also ended up interviewing at Milford too. And at the IS Department at St. V’s as well. It was all very surreal.

Around this time, we finally had the meeting with Yale where details were discussed. The move will be June 2011. There will be a retention bonus for anyone who makes the move. If you don’t, there’ll be 2 months severance only. There was discussion over who is going up and who is not, and there was a lot of confusion. Then there was another meeting, and more details. Folders were handed out with details. I discovered that my insurance premiums will go up by like $200. Parking costs $25 a month. And so on.

Then there were more announcements. Cheryl was demoted to just Director of Admitting and Centralized Scheduling. Carmine was promoted to Associate Director. He was temporarily assigned to oversee the Accounts Receivable til we move to Yale. This was a big blow. Cheryl holed up in her office for a week or so til they finally moved her over to the hospital. The Monday after the Friday that they announced the demotion/promotion, Yale people started coming down on a regular basis, attending meetings, and basically taking charge of the ship. Surreal.

It was during this time that I found out that she was contemplating a Director position at St. V’s. So I told her about my interview for the Assistant D. Every other day, she changed her mind about whether she wanted to move or not, but that was because every other day, they did something crazy or mean or demeaning to her. We’re a sinking ship. Morale is very low. Everyone is running scared.

Timothy and I went to New Haven to attend Christopher H’s wild and crazy combined-with-his-sister’s birthday party. Timothy ran around with Christopher M (who we brought and carted home) and I sat in the yard with Karen J, snacking. Chris got his face painted like this crazy devilish creature (red) with horns (Timothy declined to be painted) and on the way home, insisted that instead of doing the McDonald’s drive-thru, that we go into the restaurant to get our food so that he could scare people. When we dropped him off at home, his little brother just stood in front of him staring into his face. Funny.

For Halloween, Timothy was Darth Vader, and the cutest Darth ever.

NOVEMBER 2010

We started a tradition when school began, of taking Christopher M home with us on First Friday 1/2 days, and so we started November with just such a playdate. We celebrated Earrol’s 36th birthday at Red Lobster. (On the same day, I finally colored my gray hair!)

Timothy was sick for a whole week, the week before his birthday, but well enough by the weekend to attend the family party at Earrol’s. My plan was to let him play hooky on his actual birthday, which was a Monday, but because he had already missed a week of school, we curtailed that. Instead, we attended his Mass at St. James at 8:00 and then I brought him back to school. The next day, Mommy was at the ER with heart pains. She spent one night there. The day after that, we had our “field trip” to the System Business Office, where, at lunch time while we were queued up for the buffet food, Dave W said out loud “Oh Lucille, I’ve heard you’ve been helping out a lot lately, and I wanted to thank you”. It was an absurdly awkward thing to do, and I just smiled and said “thank you”, while my cheerleaders Ellie and Tim both chorused aloud comments to the effect of “we can’t manage without her” or whatever.

This all happened about a week or so after I had my meeting with Gene. I had written him a 5 (or was it 7?) page letter about my history with the dept, my value, and my feelings about Carmine’s promotion. Then I met with him the day Dave W had his "staff-without-managers-present" meeting. Both that meeting and the one with G were surreal. So many things have changed. G seemed surprised and shocked by my feelings. We discussed leadership vs management. I didn’t leave feeling good about the meeting. I kind of thought (and still think) that I kicked myself in my own ass with that stupid letter. I should have just let it alone.

We celebrated Timothy’s birthday with my side of the family a few weeks later. On Thanksgiving, Timothy and I got up early to go to 8 a.m. Mass. I presumed it would be sparsely attended and quiet and told Tim as we were dressing that it would be “short, like maybe 20 minutes or so…” Well. We walked into the narthex to find several of the hospitality committee there to greet us, which is not typical for a weekday Mass. Then we walked into the church itself, and there were so many people there! Everyone was smiling and nicely dressed, the choir was set up in the front, and all the priests concelebrated, with all the deacons in attendance! I was AMAZED! So… it was a longer Mass than expected, but oh what a lovely way to start the holiday! I had no idea this was how St. James did Thanksgiving Day Mass! It was like a well-kept secret! And now I know…!!!

Afterwards, because it was later than expected, we opted to skip breakfast at the diner and instead came home and caught the 2nd ½ of the Macy’s Parade, and then the beginning of the Dog Show. While we watched that, we created Timothy’s “grateful” tree and he wrote down things he was grateful for on several colored leaves. Then Earrol came, and the two of them went to Reynold’s while I stayed behind and made myself a little turkey breast for dinner. It was a lovely day.

The following Sunday, Timothy and I met Daddy and Nora (and Aunt Fran and Mark) at Bear and Grill for brunch.


DECEMBER 2010

I began December with a 6 hour job interview. I was put into an office, and throughout the course of the day, 12 people in total came in and out to interview me. It was a long tiring day and I had to answer the question “So, tell me a little bit about yourself” too many times. But I felt good about it all. And I know I looked good: I had a new suit on that several people complimented me on in the lobby, my hair had just been recently colored and cut, and I was wearing all my new Mary Kay makeup (compliments of my ‘session’ with Christine P a few days earlier).

We went to see a magician at Christopher M’s birthday party and then the movie “Tangled” for Hanna’s. Timothy had a field trip sans ME, but we both survived!

I got sick the weekend of Mommy’s and Nora’s parties ut was better in time for Christmas, which was lovely and low key. Timothy got lots of Lego’s from Santa Claus and we enjoyed vacation, which started with a BLIZZARD. We played in the snow several days in a row, went to see “Gullivers Travels” with the Jazwinski’s, had a playdate at Christopher M’s, and rang in New Year’s Eve with a London Broil and fireworks at midnight (which Timothy woke up for just a few minutes to see, on his way to the bathroom, ha ha!!!)

And just like that, another year ends. 2011 Begins. What will it bring? What joys, what sorrows, what gladness, what frustration?

Timothy will make his First Communion this year, 2011. And he will turn 9 (ack!!!). And I will turn 45. That freaks me out entirely. (Joanne will turn 70 this year, and another freaky fact, Deanna will turn 40. I have to admit, though, that it’s the 45 that has me flummoxed.)

Well, that and the move to Yale and the Epic build… So much unknown…

The meditation I was reading at midnight summed it up this way:

God’s calendar and schedule are not our own. We wait in faith. We follow as disciples. We rejoice in the way God’s will unfolds.

Our life is in God’s hands. Even if an enemy is to come while we are asleep and to sow weeds through our wheat, we will wait. We will let weeds and wheat grow together until the time of the harvest. Then we will gather the wheat into our barns, and burn the bundles of worthless weeds.

For God’s purpose rules in every circumstance. His greatness shines in the smallest details. The Lord overlooks nothing. And so, we throw off every temptation to fuss and fret, like the anxious Martha. We wait this night in contemplation with Mary at the feet of the Master.

Can I be true to the sentiment in this meditation? I have to at least attempt it. It’s the only thing I can do. It’s in God’s hands. And He overlooks nothing. Oh, to be able to throw off every temptation to fuss and fret, and wait in faith. Oh, to be able to rejoice in the way God’s will unfolds…

My prayer/wish this night is that I can hold on to this.

+Amen.