Can You Hear Me Now?!?!?! Today, I come to you with the craziness of communication! As you may know, this year The Gala that I manage has been re-branded. For me, this means new brochures, new stationary, new job descriptions for committees, new website info, new venue, new list of logistics and a boatload of other things I’m working on. I love a challenge, and this has certainly been one. One of the stumbling blocks for me has been the adaptation of new punctuation “rules!” Perhaps the biggest adjustment for me has been the placement of only ONE space between sentences. I am a master typist (not bragging) and after 40 plus years of typing, and clicking twice after a sentence, this is really hard for me. However, when I submit things to the various proofreaders at work, these are the primary errors to be corrected…the extra spaces between sentences. Lots of time has been spent with these projects but it got me thinking about the various grammar gurus and the cha...
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Today, I Remember… A year ago, I received a text message from Katie…it went like this… Mom, I wanted you to know before you see this on the news. We are under a shelter-in-place order due to a shooting in Squirrel Hill. I can’t talk. Leaving my phone open for any emergency notices. I love you. I shutter thinking back to this day, just one year ago. My only child, was taking shelter in her home, in a very nice neighborhood in Pittsburgh. This is Mr. Rogers neighborhood! I turned on the news immediately and saw the chaos of people running, police shouting orders to get back, and lines of police, firetrucks and ambulances. Then I saw the headline of the shootings at the synagogue just three blocks from Katie & Anthony. THREE BLOCKS!! The sinking feeling in my gut can not be described. At that point, there was no report of the status of the shooter. I thought he/she could b...
Stopping to smell the roses! Do you ever drive/ride in the car in silence? I hardly ever do! There's always a dancing song from my Pandora disco station or a crazy podcast I'm listening to. Today, for some reason, I was unplugged and it was awesome! . The air was brisk, the sky was blue and the trees are really starting to show color. I noticed all of these things because I wasn’t distracted with the music or a podcast. Gosh…that’s a switch! Perhaps I was feeling relaxed a bit. Afterall, I HAVE A SPOTLESS APARTMENT!!! In fact, it’s so clean, I just want to walk around and look at it! I don’t want to get anything dirty!! *I may have cried a little when I first arrived home...I felt like a Queen!! Now, I cannot lie. Monday night, I tidied up a bit, or a lot…hiding things in my closet, washing bathroom towels and the floor rugs so they would be clean and rea...
A CONFESSION!!! Today, I have a confession! As you know, I’ve been fussing about trying to keep up! I feel like I am always running…like on a treadmill! I’m super busy but don’t always feel like I’ve accomplished what I wanted, or things on my “to do” list! In counseling this past week, it’s what seemed to weigh me down. Well, I am here to say, I’m going to do something drastic about this!! On Tuesday, I have a pair of housecleaners coming to do a deep clean to my apartment! Yes, I have an apartment and I need help getting it cleaned up. I want to do de-cluttering, but I can’t do it because I always feel like I should be cleaning my bathrooms or mopping the floor. Now I know, many of you reading this will be rolling your eyes…I get it! Who can’t keep an apartment neat and tidy? Well, now you know someone! Actually, my apartment is tidy, but m y blinds...
Word of the day…OVERWHELMED! Oh Facebook, thank you so much for those wonderful memories! Some memories are better than others and some can stab you in the gut. But occasionally, something pops up that reminds me to try and cut back on the things that keep me going 100 mph. This week, a memory popped up from 2015… Five years ago people. You would think something would have changed since then. It may be a little better, but right now, it seems totally true. This was my post in October 2014: I think I remember a time, while planning Katie's wedding (oh so long ago!), that I was worried I would need a "project" or something to keep me busy when everything settled down. I'm not sure how it happened, but I feel like I am busier than ever at this point! How does that happen? I only work part-time, but my "projects" seem to be "fulltime" and leaving little time for much else! Now don't get me...
Out of My Comfort Zone! When I first started this blog, I was thinking about using it for the starting over process which would include my next chapter. There were some funny stories about my “online dating” experiences. There were life experiences. There were observations. Well, if you have been reading this blog, I've moved away from the “online dating” experiences to my life experiences in general. I've decided I'm not an online dating girl! Today, I have an update on my social life. Before anyone asks “are you dating?” No, I am not dating! However, I did venture out on Friday and I think it is blog worthy!! I am a MeetUp member. MeetUp is an online way to get together with people who have similar interests. I’ve mentioned it a few times. There are hiking groups, book clubs, happy hour groups, martini clubs, game groups, and just about any kind of g...
How Do You Do It? Recently, more than one person has said to me, “You are a better person than me” and “I don’t know how you do it.” They are referring to my behavior with my ex-husband, Greg. I don’t think of myself as a super human because I can be in the same room with the person I spent nearly forty years with. Greg and I had a great life together…I think that’s what makes all of this so hard for me. But I am doing okay, actually better than okay. It would be nice to have that “perfect” family that I thought we had, but that’s not in the cards. For those of you who have the perfect family, congratulations. The rest of you, let's embrace what we have! Right? The way I have approached this divorce is in a couple of ways. One way is to curl up in a ball and shut down, letting it get the best and worst of me. The other is to grieve, and work towards a new normal....
Good Sleep Coming Soon…zzzzzzzzzz Today, I am officially in a happy, heart exploding, love of life frame of mind! I’m not even sure if that says it all! It’s been an awesome week and I have experienced a range of emotions! I t all started with my six-day visit to Pittsburgh where the joys of my life live! I spent quality snuggle time with my baby (Katie!), and my adorable grandson, Gabriel, as Anthony head back to work after his three weeks at home. I did overnight duty, I did daytime duty, I did diaper duty (although he saved his full diapers for his parents!), and I did snuggle duty! I may have been a little sleepy when I arrived home on Thursday, but oh the joy!! Gabriel has gained weight…he’s a whopping 9.3 oz and he is starting to do all of the right things for the ripe old age of four weeks. He is still tiny!! His little head fits in the palm of my hand! ...