Scrooge

We took the kids to see Scrooge at the Children's Theater on Friday night. The show was wonderful...great acting and the man who played Scrooge was outstanding!!!

The part I loved the most was when we left and I asked the kids if they like the play - and they said they did. Little Joe took it one step further and said "Mom, I learned that life is not about how much money you have...it is about how you treat people!!!" I was so glad to hear him say that.

Our kids are very blessed, as are Joe and I, and I am very proud that both of them absolutely realize that. For Danielle reality is hitting very close to home - she has friends who are very dear to her who's families are experiencing very hard times. She has empathy for them and a solid appreciation for the things that she has/does (like dance) that are out of reach for these other kids right now.

As much as I would love to spare them of these realities...I also think being exposed to the economy today and how it has affected people has really helped them learn very important life lessons.

My Favorite Christmas Decorations

Our house is fully decorated for Christmas now...I love this time of year, especially when all the decorating is done and we can sit back and soak it all in. My mom was always great at decorating for the holiday's and we all have so many fond memories or Christmas at our house.

I thought I would share some of my favorite decorations with you as well as why I love them so much....

This is our Captain Hook Nutcracker...we are Disney people, we have one room that is full of Disney Christmas decorations...Steve & Regina (Joe's brother and wife) bought this for us years ago...they are Disney people as well, we have shared many trips to Disney together. The thought and symbolism behind the gift is what makes it so special.
Disney Christmas Globe...my brother bought this for me and Joe the first Christmas we were married. 16 Christmases later every time I take it out I remember our first Christmas

Disney ladder - all of the characters move and ring bells. My brother bought this for us for our 2nd Christmas once he realized we would have a Disney themed Christmas area in our house. He loves that we still use it - and all of the kids in our lives love it as well.

These candy dishes were made by my grandmother. They were in her house for as long as I can remember...now I put them on my dining room table every year and each time I see them they make me smile because I think of her.

This Norman Rockwell plate hung in our house every year since I was a kid - for me it is a symbol of my childhood and all of the amazing Christmas Eve's we had in our house.

This stocking was made by my Aunt Angie (my great Aunt actually - my grandmother's younger sister) she was an amazing lady with so much love in her heart. I feel honored that I have this to hang in my house every year.

This little stocking was something my father bought as a joke one year. It is a great reflection of his joking personality!!!

Santa is over 20 years old...my dad gave it to my mother all of those years ago. Each year when she looks at it her face lights up as she says how old it is. Even more so when someone who has never seen it comes over...she loves to tell them how long she has had it and that my dad bought it for us. For me it symbolizes the love they shared...and how something so simple and small can be so meaningful.

December 3, 1975

35 years ago a beautiful person named Kim Rebello-Williams was born.

Kim and I met before my Danielle and her Cherokee were even born - it was just Cheyenne. Now between us there are 6 kids!!! We both worked a second job at Hops in Matthews and that is where we met. My biggest blessing from that job was meeting Kim.

I have told Kim many times how I continually strive to be like her. Kim is absolutely the biggest example of a Godly wife, mother, daughter and friend that you will ever, ever find. There are so many examples I could give - I wouldn't even know where to begin. Let me just speak in some general ways. Kim always puts her family first, always. And while doing that she never complains or says "when do I get me time." I have seen people treat Kim or her children or husband poorly and she never is bitter or vengeful. She just chooses to pray for those people. I have seen Kim be completely down and out yet give her last to someone else with true joy in her heart and without worry about what will happen, because that is the kind of faith she has. She praises God for all she has and pays it forward 2 or 3 times over in so many ways.

The biggest compliment I can give Kim is that I know with 100% certainty if I called her right now and said "I need you and I need you now" she would do whatever it takes to be there. And again with joy and no complaints.

Kim - I am truly blessed to call you my friend, I continue to admire you and work towards being like you in all of these areas. May God continue to bless you!


Your true beauty is your heart...although this is a great picture of you!!!

Things you may not know about me

I pride myself on trying to always have a good outlook on life. Most of the time I succeed - some days, like today, I have a hard time. Even when I am having a hard time I tell myself "this is the devil trying to have his way with you...Don't let him win" - so to an outsider it may seem like all is always well. Those very close to me have been there for me and seen me through bad days, they are so very supportive and I am very blessed to have these people in my life.

Here are some things you may not know about me - or things I struggle with:

My feelings do get hurt...mostly because I really try to not intentionally hurt others feelings.

I worry about/for other people...because I love them and I want the best for them.

If I am capable of helping someone in any way I will...but I do wonder who would/could help me if I needed it.

I really can't do it all...but I will always knock myself out trying and put "me" at the bottom of the list.

I never do anything for anyone with the expectation of "getting back"...but it is nice when people express appreciation - instead of expectation.

I am sensitive...even if I seem direct or strong.

I hope by writing these things down tonight that tomorrow will be a better day...I never like feeling like this.

Fair Weather Fans

We took the kids to their first NFL Game yesterday...we were lucky enough to receive 4 GREAT tickets from one of Joe's vendors. We suited up in our Panther's gear, tailgated, walked around the whole stadium...basically trying to give them the whole experience.

The shot you see above is from early in the 3rd quarter...all the blue you see represents empty seats. Do you see how many people either didn't show up or left early? Fair weather fans is what I call them...

When I originally took the picture I was trying to post it to Facebook with a comment about how being from NY this is not what I am used to...Jets or Giants could be 0-15 and the seats would still be full...and you would have paid good money for the 0-15 team. For some reason it never uploaded.

This morning it hit me why...there is more to it. What God placed on my heart this morning was...how many of us are fair weathered in other area's of our lives?

In our marriages/relationships are we only happy and "in love" when things are going exactly as we think they should? Are we willing to put in the time and effort necessary to make it work - make it through till the end?

Are we fair weathered friends...do we not want to be bothered with our friends when they are going through a rough time (whether we think it is rough or not is irrelevant.) Are we too busy in our own marriage, relationship, etc...to see when a friend needs us? Do we focus only on ourselves and the issues we have?

As parents...are we giving 100% to our children and their upbringing even when they are making choices we don't agree with? Does it appear we favor one child over another because they are "making better choices" than their siblings? Is it easier for us to relate to one child over another because we have a common interest? Do we let our kids know that no matter their grades, their behavior, their choices that we don't agree with...we still love them unconditionally and will help them with all we have?

How about our own parents...do we show them the love and respect they deserve? Do we let them know how much we appreciate the sacrifices they have made and will continue to make on ours and our children's behalves? Do we make sure we have time in our lives for them?

I encourage all of us to look within ourselves and see if we are being fair weathered...if the answer it is yes...well you know what to do.

Peace of Mind

My dear friend Johanette has been sick for the better part of 2010, today she is at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL having what we hope to be life changing surgery and a possible end to all of the medical issues she has been battling.

Johanette and I have been friends since we had our first job together when we were 16 years old. She is a part of my family...literally...my parents would yell at her in a minute if necessary when we were young. Frankly, my mom still does!!! My dad would send her back upstairs in my house if we were going out and he didn't like what she was wearing. :)

We have been through a lot together including the death of my father. (Dan Corbett)

This morning I received a text from her husband Danny:

Final Blood work appt this morning b4 surgery at noon...big waiting room full of people and guess what patient name gets called in just b4 Joh???

Mr. Corbett :)

I text him back immediately and said I know Joh is in good hands!!!



I hope this gave Johanette a feeling of peace the way it did for me. I have told 3 people this story so far...like me they all shed a tear because they know he is with her in the operating room today.



Looking forward to Joh's speedy recovery and us starting to make fun memories like these again.

11 Years...Really? Where has the time gone???

11 years ago today our beautiful Danielle was born!!! It seems so clear in my mind...like it was just yesterday.


I remember bringing her home, sitting on the couch with her and tearing up because I was so overwhelmed by the miracle of becoming a mother.


I remember her first Halloween where she was a pea in a pod and I was so excited every time the door bell rang and I would get to show her off.


I remember her very first dance recital when she was 2 years old.


I remember how excited she was to become a big sister when Joseph was born.


I remember her first day of preschool and then kindergarten.


How is it now that she is in her final year of elementary school!!! So many memories already...time moves quickly...I sometimes wish I could have it stand still for just a short while, especially when I am watching her on stage smiling, dancing and having so much fun!!! I want her life to stay this simple, carefree and happy.


Pre-teen and teen years are coming...challenges will pop up for sure...most I think we will be ready for or at least have support from friends and family that have kids older than ours...the ones I am not ready for are the hurtful words she is bound to hear from peers or worse yet friends. So far she is surrounding herself with very nice, grounded, faith oriented kids - but I think we all know things can change quickly. I pray they stay the same for a long time though.


Check my post from last year to see "her first 10 years" - and now here are a few from this past year.

What made you tear up???

That was the question Danielle asked me in the car on the way home from dance last night.

Earlier, when she got home from school, she said to me "Mom, I had to write about someone I admire, I am just about finished and I will need you to proof read it for me to check my spelling and stuff."

Well she wrote about me!!! Of course I was touched...here is what she wrote:

My Mom

She Cares About Me

• When ever I get hurt she is there to help me
• When I have a problem she is there to fix it
• When I want to go somewhere with my friends she is always there to protect me

She Loves God!

• She always takes me to Church with a HUGE smile on her face
• Every night she goes into bed and prays that every day me and my brother will always be safe

So I am sure all of you moms reading this know why I teared up...

She summed it up by saying she hopes she is just like me when she is a mom...the ultimate compliment. I will save this for when she hits the teen years and she is maybe not admiring my parenting so much. : )

Happy Birthday Brianna

Happy Birthday Bri!!! We love you!!!

Happy Birthday Mackenzie

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!!! Re-Re loves you!!!

16 Years

Today Joe and I will be celebrating our 16th year wedding anniversary!!! We both consider ourselves very blessed in our marriage...especially as we get older and wiser. Life has a way of teaching you valuable lessons, if you just keep your eyes open to them. We are not claiming to be perfect or saying that we always get things right...but in the royal scheme of things we have a GREAT thing going on over here. We have hopes and dreams just like everyone else and we both look forward to seeing what the rest of life brings.

August 27, 1994


Honeymoon in Hawaii




Still love to travel...Sandals, Dunns River



Continuing traditions



The best part of the 16 years...we have grown into a family of 4

Inheritance

In my 41 years I have seen more people than I care to remember lose their minds after the loss of a loved one. I say lose their minds...I mean in the sense of what they believe they are entitled to and what is "rightfully theirs." The truth is none of it was theirs in the first place - it belonged to their loved one who had the right to do whatever they wanted to do with it. Most of the time people are fighting over money, property, jewelry and high dollar value items. For what??? They are all material and not going to bring the person back...and if you had the kind of relationship you should have had with them you have all you need in your cherished memories.

I am glad to say that thus far my family has not had a falling out over something like this. We have unfortunately experienced big losses - but we never fought over things afterwards. I hope it stays that way.

The best example I can think of is when my grandmother (Nanny Connie) passed away, we didn't argue, we each had things that we wanted that were hers and we pretty much just let each other take what they wanted. My sister Colleen is the only grandchild with "C" as the first letter of her name so anything that my grandmother had with "C" (gold chain with a script initial) went to Colleen. She also had a beautiful white gold very short chain with a heart in the middle - Colleen put it on right after she passed away and still wears it often. My brother wanted old family photo albums from when our grandfather was in WWII so he got those. My sister Pattie got her engagement and wedding ring.

My mother-in-law always wanted a Pasta Serving Bowl and Sauce Pitcher/Server that my grandmother had made in ceramics class years and years ago...she has it and uses it each time she serves pasta.

My friend Daryl had one of my grandmothers Tupperware and to this day she will not give it back to me. She said she likes it at her house and when I come over and help put stuff away after dinner we always have something to talk about.

My friend Tina learned a lot about being Catholic and "The Blessed Mother" from Nanny Connie...so when Nanny passed we gave Tina her Blessed Mother statue and it sits proudly in the front room of her house.

I have the sweater she wore everyday...I alternate hanging it in my kids closet because I feel like she is watching over them.

Her are some pictures of things that were hers that are now mine...truly the best inheritance we all have is the WONDERFUL memories of her.

This round pan has been used more times than any of us can remember. Each time I take it out I see my grandmother's hand holding it and putting it in the oven.

This roasting pan was not only my grandmothers, it was her mothers!!! Yes the sides are "seasoned" but the pan itself represents holidays and family dinners that we all enjoyed.

My grandmother had 6 grandchildren and for as long as I can remember she had this 6 photo thing on display on the dresser in her bedroom. When she passed I took it and put it on my dresser in our bedroom. Still the same photos that she chose all those years ago. My son loves this thing...I will pass it onto him. He loves to tell me how cute I was or how much Aunt Colleen and Aunt Pattie looked alike or how it looks like Aunt Pattie is trying to peak at Christmas presents. A very small and simple item...but it fills many hearts.

I am on the left and my sister Pattie on the right.

My sister Colleen is on the left and my brother Danny on the right.

My cousin Jamie is on the left and his sister, my cousin Nicole on the right.

Top of my dresser...honoring my grandmother.

I wish people would stop for a minute and think about what is really important when they lose a loved one...even if I didn't have any of the things I mention above...I would still have the greatest inheritance and one that no one could take from me or say wasn't mine...All of the wonderful memories that I hold so dear and close to my heart. THAT is worth more than anything people will fight over.

Vacation Memories

Vacationing with Joe and the kids is very important to me...I want to build lasting memories for Danielle and Joseph and I want them to look back years from now and reflect on the quality time we spent with them.

When I was a kid our family always went to the same place for vacation. We didn't necessarily vacation every year but we always, always went to the same place when we could vacation. Lake George, NY...Mohawk Cabins...Cabin #7. Most of the time our grandparents (moms parents) went with us. As we got older we would bring friends and I am so, so happy that Joe came with our family on one trip so he could experience what I had been experiencing my entire life. When I say entire life...we probably started going when I was about 7 years old and when Joe came with us we were about 20. In my mind I clearly see the inside of the cabin...I see my mom unpacking and making the cabin feel like home for the week. I see my dad sitting on the couch watching TV or watching us play on the floor in front of him. I see the entire property and where the 4 of us would play. I see the back way out where we would walk down to the grocery store. I see the front exit where we could walk down to the arcade, old time photo shop and a variety of gift shops and other resort town type stores. I see my dad sitting on a bench outside drinking his morning coffee and people watching. I see my 2 sisters dressed alike. I see my mom cooking us dinner in the cabin after a fun day. I see my dad putting the van in neutral to coast down Prosperity Mountain to save gas!!! (of course he was a jokester) Without looking at any pictures I see so, so many things that I will remember and cherish forever...I wonder if when my parents started taking us there they even thought about the lasting effects those trips would have. I love them for giving me/us the simple things...time together.

The amusement park we would go to while up there

The little old lady's shoe...we took a picture every year in front of this shoe

Another amusement park we would visit...so pretty at night all lit up

We would go visit the North Pole too - and mail post cards from the post office that was right there

Mario's restaurant...we ate here one night, each time we were on vacation

Still open for business!!!

Forgiveness

There was a wonderful and extremely well done series on Forgiveness at Elevation Church. As soon as I heard about the series I arranged our schedule to be sure we would not miss church even though we were leaving for vacation on the first Sunday. We were able to attend the Saturday evening service and we were home before the next Sunday.

I like to pride myself on the fact that I am not a grudge holder...I just don't see the point. I also don't feel like I am intentionally spiteful. I hope I am setting a good example for my kids. I want them to know that everyone is different and we should accept people they way they are - however I also hope that their kindness is never mistaken for weakness.

As much as I say I like to pride myself on being a non grudge holder and not spiteful...a few years back I fell into the trap. I abruptly stopped speaking to someone who I had been friends with for over 20 years...no need for me to get into the details of "why" but just know it was the first time in my 38 years of life that I had done something like that. In the beginning I struggled daily with this...then time passed and I was attending Elevation and learning so much and growing in many ways...God put it on my heart that I needed to reach out to this friend - whether I felt I was right or wrong did not matter, He was telling me that she needed me. So I took the sort of easier route and sent an e-mail to her. We went back and forth via e-mail for a few weeks and then just before the holidays in 2008 the two of us met, no husbands, no kids, just us...the way it began when we were 16. Turns out she did need me, and I needed her for different reasons. We agreed to never let something like this happen again and that we should know that we can tell each other right away if something is bothering us. Today we are just like we had been for all the years leading up to our "falling out." Right now she is going through what is possibly the hardest time in her life. I can't imagine what I would feel like if I just heard through the grape vine about all that she is going through, or if I could not be there for her, her husband and their kids if they need me. The moral of this story is don't wait, don't let stupid, non important things come between you and someone you love AND most importantly whether you are right or wrong...don't let it influence your decision to reach out, someone has to make the first move. I am very glad that I did.

Vacation

July 11th - July 16th we were in Myrtle Beach for Danielle and Amber's Dance Nationals. It was also a family vacation for us, Colleen's Family and our friends Tom & Lisa - we also had all of our moms come. We had three 2 bedroom condos that were right across from each other so the kids could walk between them at any time.

We had lots of fun with the dancing and some great quality family time. Our family has been on vacation with all of my siblings and Joe's siblings over the years...but this was our first vacation with Alex (he is 4 1/2) and for us and Colleen's family it has been almost 9 years since we had been away together.

We had meals together, spent time at the pool together and a full, fun packed day at the beach. It was sort of depressing when in ended, but as long as the girls continue dancing we will be doing this once a year!!! So therefore, something to look forward to.

Here are some pictures....

The Nana's

Chloe and Danielle

Joseph & Alexa

Bella

Re-Re and Alex

Joe, Robert and Taylor

One BIG Family

Chloe, Alexa and Joseph

Alex and Uncle Joe

Doing so good swimming on his own

Amber and Uncle Joe

Danielle and Amber

Robert & Colly

Me and Nanny Pat