A Bad Case of the Gonna's

Yep, that's right.  I've self-diagnosed myself with a bad case of the Gonna's.  Some people may call it "Round to It" or "Find the Time" or "Someday." It has a lot of synonyms, but it is all bascially the same no matter what you call it.  I've been meaning to update this blog of mine and I'm gonna do it tomorrow.  Oh, that pair of pants that need hemmed, I'm gonna do it this weekend.  And then, as soon as I say it, the thought leaves my mind and almost never returns.

So, here is my pitiful attempt at battling the disease by actually blogging!  I've had a million, well, not quite a million, blog posts in my head.  Sometimes, I think that it would be a good idea if I had a wireless router in my head or even a USB port right to my brain.  And then, I realize that probably isn't the best idea that I've ever had.

Here's a list of things, in no particular order, of what is happening in our lives:

• Isaac is doing great in the first grade and is reading so well.  I am always so impressed with him.  Though Rick did have to turn the raft boat around so he wouldn't read the graffiti under a bridge.
• Isabella started pre-school and is enjoying herself.  
• Isabella also started Rainbows at school and it is truly the highlight of her Wednesdays.
• We just had our second ladies' retreat at church with 70 ladies!
• Books I have read/am reading/is currently on my nightstand:  Kisses from Katie, Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner, Generous Justice, Heaven is for Real, Have a New Kid by Friday, Everyday with Rachel Ray magazines.
• I had an a fabulous time at Catalyst with our church leadership and was challenged to "Be Present."  So I have decided not to noodle on the computer when the kids are around.  That is tough!  
• Survived a hurricane and an October snowstorm with no power loss during either one.

Sometimes You Need a Bad Dinner

Rick, the kids, and I were on vacation together with ALL of his family on Cape Cod this past week.  While the time together was fun, it was also nice to have built in babysitters so we could go out on a date for night.  Rick's family offered to watch the kids so we took advantage. 

We decided to eat at this place right on Falmouth Harbor.  It had good reviews and was in a great location.  We got the last booth.  And then it all went downhill from there.  The waitress took about 10 minutes to take our order.  We ordered calamari as an appetizer, lobster mac-n-cheese for me, and Rick had baked haddock.  Although the calamari was tasty, it took them 20 minutes to bring it to us.  And after about an hour, we still hadn't received our dinners.  We told one of the hostesses that we just wanted our check so we could leave.  Then we overheard them talking about about the kitchen being backed up and to just serve us more bread!  Did they not know we were right behind them and could over hear their snarkiness?  As we were getting up to leave, they conviently served us our dinners.  So we stayed.  The lobster mac-n-cheese was burnt around the edges and consequently the whole dish was dry and awful.  We tried not to be nasty, but did voice our complaints and they took off my meal from the check.  It was one of the worst restraunt experiences.

We drove to Falmouth center where most of the shops were closed.  So we decided just to meander our way back to the house by way of the ocean view roads.  And that's when the night was saved...

As we were driving, we saw a flash of green light.  There were fireworks going off across the water on Martha's Vineyard.  We stopped at a beach, got out of the van, and then sat on the sand to watch them.  It was so cool.  It was magical: a perfect view, sand in my toes, the beautiful night sky with a ton of stars, listening to the ocean waves, and sitting with the love of life next to me.  That little twenty minutes became my favorite part of the whole week.  And I would have missed it all if not for the terrible dinner.

I Should Wake the Kids...

from their long Sunday afternoon slumber.  I mean, afterall, I do want them to go to bed at a decent time tonight.  Maybe I'll wait, however, just a few mintues longer to get this post out of head and onto this blog.

Rick and I took a much needed mini-vacation to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park.  I've always wanted to go there and since it was much, much cheaper than NYC, we headed up downeast.  We stayed at a bed & breakfast in our own little cottage.  It was perfect.  We enjoyed tea and dessert every afternoon.  And each morning, we down to the dining area where we enjoyed a warm, delicious breakfast.  The best part was this magic silver tray that we put our dirty dishes on because they just magically disappeared.  (Note to self: I need one of those.)

Acadia National Park was just beautiful.  Despite the fog and chilly weather, God's beauty shone through everything.  We drove through the first national park east of the Mississippi and made several stops along the way.  We made it to the top of Cadillac Mountain that overlooked the island.  My favorite part was the carriage tour of Day Mountain, where we learned how the carriage roads were made and lots of local folklore.  We also had lunch at the Jordan Pond House and had their famous popovers, which were yummy.  We did a little walking/hiking around the pond, but the black flies cut short our trip.  Both of us enjoyed learning about the history of the park, including how all the land was donated and Rockfeller designed the park.

Rick went golfing at Kebo Valley Golf Course, the eighth oldest golf course in the country.  I went shopping.  We also walked across the biggest sand bar we've ever seen and went hiking that ended with a view of Bar Harbor's harbor.

Nature has always been one of the ways the Lord speaks to Rick.  God, however, can speak to us in many unexpected ways.

We decided to go to church on Sunday before leaving Bar Harbor.  The church ended up being a two room building with only 15 people there- we are two of them.  Although the people were extremly friendly and welcoming, I immediately felt superior.  I mean, my husband is a pastor of  nearly 400 person church.  We have a live worship band.  We have more than two rooms in our building.  And on and on.

And then as the music started, the Lord spoke to my heart and this is what I wrote down:

As I set here in a one room church in Bar Harbor, God has rebuked me.  I walked in here feeling self-righteous and superior.  The worship was a Powerpoint presentation.  I even wondered why Rick didn't introduce himself as a pastor- he deserved the respect.  As the songs played, they were deep!  They got right to the point of worship.  It isn't about us, our buildings, our style.  It is aobut God.  These people are here b/c they want to worship God!  They memorize scripture every week.  They lift each other up in prayer.  They are involved in each other's lives. As we talked to the co-pastors, a husband and wife team, she said they have been here for 16 years.  They have committed for the long haul (her exact words).  They both work outside jobs b/c the church can't support them.  It kinda reminds me of the apostle Paul.  These people, my readers, are the heros we need to celebrate.  These are the folks who are in the trenches.  These are the ones who labor day in & day out without any glory or fanfare.  They share both praises and struggles- someone has recieved relief from stress, someone's mother just received a cancer diagnosis.  People are people no matter where they live or what they look like.

Isaac's Handbell Concert

Isaac had his first handbell concert on Palm Sunday.  He joined the handbell choir after Christmas and has really enjoyed it so far. He was very excited to play and informed me several time that his handbells were "aqua", not blue.

Isaac has grown alot during this school year.  The obvious change is that he is getting taller!  I think he grows each night.  He is reading now and can tell time.  He is also gets more and more handsome.  I wonder sometimes why God blessed me so much to be his mom.  He is my compassionate, loving son and has truely lived up to the meaning of his name, "laughter."

What Have We Been Up To?

Since it's been a while since I've blogged, I thought I'd give a quick synopsis of the past two months.

I celebrated my birthday with a tasty breakfast at the Four Sisters' Owl Dinner with my family. Isaac and I love breakfast foods. I also opened a beautiful pink and silver necklace that was picked out by Isaac. Rick hit it out of the park with his gift- my own Tiffany blue box that contained a silver link bracelet with a heart charm! I love it! Then, in the evening, we had a nice dinner with the president of our alma mater, Evangel University, and some fellow alums. It was really great to see old friends and hear about all the new stuff going on back in Misery, oh wait, that's supposed to Missouri.

We took a family trip to Lincoln, New Hampshire where we joined the rest of Rick's family for ski vacation. Isaac did great and by the end, he didn't need any help. Caleb, my nephew, also did great for his first time. Isabella was ready to go, but is still a little young. So she'll be out on the slopes next year. Guess I'll have to learn to ski for the 5^th time so I can keep up with my kids.

We also managed to go the pediatrician's office twice in a week- once for each kid. They both had ear infections. Isabella also had pink eye and congestion in the non-infected ear. They are both fine and I have some amoxicillin still in the fridge. BTW- I highly recommend the temporal scan thermometer. So much easier- in fact, my little daughter tells me almost every morning that she had a temperature!

I am hoping to get selected to run in the Falmouth Road Race in August. So I've started training for that 7 mile run. It's been really challenging, but also really rewarding so far. Lauren, one of my sisters-in-law, and a friend and I are all hoping to win the lottery for it. I am very slow, but am really working on consistency and endurance as I've never run seven miles before. Last week was the first time I ran four miles. I read this book called, Marathon for Mortals (thanks, Beth), and it really helped me to get motivated. I also realized that it's not about how fast I go or how much better I am, but that I finish the race (and not get injured).

Isaac and I are also planning for our garden this year. So far we have seeds for tomatoes- beefsteak and roma, multi-colored sweet peppers, cilantro, and sunflowers. I want to get them planted in little starter containers this week so they can be ready to go by the end of May. Hopefully the snow will be gone by then! Oh, and yes, we did get about 4" of wet, heavy snow on April 1^st.

 

 

 

On Ear Plugs, Patience, and Pictures

So this past week has been quite challenging our little princess.  I noticed last weekend that she was getting four new teeth, molars to be exact.  Ouch!  She cried one night and I felt really bad for her.  I gave her some Tylenol and let her sleep in our bed.  I enjoyed that because she has really only slept in our bed three or four times in her life.  Then the next day, she refused to take a nap and figured out how to open her gate (Thank you very much dear big brother, Isaac).  So, this battle has been taking place for nearly a week now and Rick fixed her gate.  It's really driving us crazy.  How did she go from contently sleeping in her own bed to going bananas at night?  (Or maybe I'm going bananas?) 

We geared up last night.  Isaac was at his Nonna's house for the night.  We put Isabella in her bed, told her that she had to sleep there, that we were not coming in and she was not coming in our bed.  She cried, wait, no, she howled and wailed and defiantly screamed!  She quited down a bit and we hear our door knob turn.  That's no good.  She stopped and then we hear her go away.  We stay in our room, determined to wait it out.  After an hour since trying to put her to bed, our curiousity got us.  She found three scrapbooks, numerous toys, books, and yes, a sippy cup full of grape juice.  This is not a good combination.  The toys all have grape juice stains, as well as our carpet.  Luckily, the scrapbooks only got minor stains on the covers.  So, I ended up going in her room and laying down on the floor until she fell sound asleep- which was about 10 minutes tops. 

So, we'll try again tonight and perphaps we'll go purchase a new gate- one that is about 5 feet tall and has a pad lock on it! 

Anyway, here are some pictures of our lives during the past few months.  I'd have more, but somebody snatched the SD card from the computer.  Can you guess who?

Isaac was my mountain climber rescuer b/c I got stuck in the snow!

Rick and I went to the Celtics game (thanks to some friends) and we had great seats.  Here is a picture of Shaq.  He is ginormous.

My two sweeties with their jammies on.

While we were in Texas, Papaw and Memaw taught us a new marble game.  Papaw made this great marble board for us.

Here is our own hidden picture- find two chairs, a table, a grill, a deck box, a shovel, and a red wagon.

Here are our two faithful helpers.  There was so much snow that the banks were as tall as adults.

See God made her so cute so to keep her living.

Here's a quick video of Isaac sledding in our background.  He's big fan of Winter Wipeout now and it's a good thing.  You can also notice Isabella near the corner of the house.  We plopped her down and she couldn't get back up!

Remembering Americo

Today would have been Rick’s grandfather’s, Americo better known as Papa, 97th birthday. I am privileged and honored to be a part of the Picariello family. Papa never treated me any different than his own flesh and blood, though when we would come over, he’d announce, “Jean, Ricky’s here….and Wendy.” My two kids are also blessed to have known him. He is most defiantely missed, but he also left us a legacy. Here is Rick’s rememberance he spoke at Papa’s funeral last month.

Remembering Americo (Papa) - December 14, 2010

Good morning. My name is Rick Picariello and I am privileged to be the grandson of Americo Picariello and to speak on behalf of the family and more specifically on behalf of the grandchildren.

In the last few days as I have been talking with people and remembering Papa I have found myself talking a lot about numbers. It’s amazing that after someone has lived such a full and impactful life how much comes down to numbers.

96 – was of course the number of years that Papa lived

70 – The number of years that he and Mum have been married, twice as long as I have been alive.

4 – Sons: Salvatore, William, James, and George

9 – Grandkids: Carla, Lisa, Nicole, Gina, myself, Sandra, Lauren, Gino, Donna,

9 – Great Grandchildren: Kevin & Maeve, Isaac, Caleb, Josiah, Justin, Adam, Isabella, and Hannah

28 – degrees outside the morning that Papa passed away. If you didn’t know Papa well that might mean nothing to you. But, anyone who has spent time on the phone with him the last few years knows that a conversation was not complete without the Arlington weather forecast, in fact it got such that an indoor/outdoor thermometer was standard equipment for a conversation with him. If you called late enough in the evening you also go to hear that weather from Littleton, Hudson, or Billerica, depending how many people he talked to before you called.

11.2 – The number of miles it is from the house on Battery Street in Boston where papa was born to 6 Virginia in Arlington where he died. Most of those 96 plus years were lived within that 11.2 miles, but life isn’t about the distance we travel as much as the people we impact.

40 – Number of years Papa served as a doctor before retiring in 1986. As a grandchild there were a lot of advantages to having your grandfather as your doctor and for many of us we never went to a pediatric doctor, papa was the only doctor we knew. I remember at one point saying to my mom that I wanted to go to a real doctor. With papa as your doctor you could get your ears checked before having dinner, get a prescription written at a birthday party, and get to drink orange soda with Aunt Mary before your appointment. Or you can, from what I learned from Gina lately, get to his office early enough to memorize the eye chart before he came in the door. There were also drawbacks, the only one I can think of is wondering every time you saw your grandfather if he was going to give you a shot.

4 – The number of weeks they would rent a house on the cape for every summer of my childhood that I can remember. Now that I am working I can appreciate how difficult it must have been for him to carve out four weeks every year and take a break from all his patients that needed him and find coverage, but he always did and I never once heard him talk about his medical practice while he was on vacation, I could learn from that. We had a lot of good memories on the cape. For me the best ones with papa were after we had come back from a day at the beach, the fish had been cleaned, the rods had been washed down, and all the kids had showers in the outside shower behind the house, while we were waiting for the pasta to boil. Papa would sit me down on the deck and he would bring out his big tackle box with all its shelves and shiny contents and tell me to get mine and then he would proceed to pull a few things out and put them in my tackle box. In that moment it was just hooks, and weights, and lures, but now I realize that over the course of his life he gave so much more to me than that. In those moments he gave me his time, his generosity, his love, he didn’t do it in a lot of words, but that’s what he was doing. Those were great moments as papa would look for crabs by the little beach and teach us all to swim on Washburn island.

3 – The number of world championships the Red Sox won over the course of his lifetime. Papa was the best manager the Red Sox never had and if they had listened to him they may have won three more – no disrespect to your Yankees Aunt Julia. He could never quite figure out why these guys who got paid so much money couldn’t pitch into the eighth inning. It wasn’t about the Red Sox though, it was about consistency, it was about knowing on a summer night at 10:00 where papa was, what he was doing, and having something to talk about when you called. I remember calling a couple times when they did an especially stupid thing and dialing Arlington, just to say, can you believe what they did, especially when Jimmy Williams left Pedro in in 2003.

But, the truth is a person’s life is so much more than numbers.

My grandfather was a humble, gentle, kind, faithful, and generous man.

Humble – He never told anyone that he was a doctor or that he received the bronze star in WWII, or about anything he did in life. He never liked talking about himself, but would once in a while indulge us when we coaxed it out of him. He didn’t try to draw attention to himself, he would rather do it himself, even shoveling his driveway when he was near 90 rather than have anyone make a fuss and bother about him. In fact even all this he would feel uncomfortable with.

Proud – I found out yesterday that when he would be at the church for a wedding he would take people into my office and show them the cabinet in my office that used to hold medical instruments in his office. He was proud when any of us graduated from anything, when his granddaughter Carla became the next Dr. Picariello, and when his grandson Gino beat cancer.

Gentle – The only time I ever heard my grandfather raise his voice was when he was saying, “Jean get the coffee.” Others may have had a different experience, but I never heard him yell, get into a fight, or start a confrontation with anyone.

Generous – He would send birthday cards and be just a little more excited when they arrived on the day of your birthday. He wouldn’t show it much, but I think he really loved playing Santa and handing out a card with a check in it to every person present on Christmas Eve, and if someone was there he didn’t expect he would come up with a few bucks on the spot to give them. He repaired the deck at the cape house, a house he was renting, because it was the right thing to do.

Kind – Here is another number for you “0”, that is the number of unkind words I ever heard my grandfather say about any of you. I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone in my life, and I am not exaggerating. He accepted us even when we made decisions he didn’t agree with, even when we did things that he wouldn’t have done, he accepted us and loved us as his family. He always greeted me with the “How you doin man” or “What do ya say man” whenever I saw him.

Faithful – He was married to one woman for 70 years, enough said.

Papa died like he lived, in his own house, in his own bed with family around. No fuss, no bother, and all the while telling us that he is not in pain.

So Papa it’s pretty cold outside today, say we might get some snow by the end of the week. The sox look good, the Crawford pick up should really help them, I know I can’t believe they are paying him that kind of money either. Yeah you’re right Tito will probably find a way to mess it up, but what are you gonna do? Yeah the kids and everyone is doing fine. We are going to miss you. Thank for everything , bye Papa.