Day 1119

Finally, I am home and ready to sleep back in my own bed. Not ready to get back to work tomorrow though...a week's vacation at Walt Disney World sure can spoil a girl!

Too much to tell about the entire week, but it really was so much fun, and especially wonderful to be there with some of my family. I don't think it would have been quite as much fun if the kiddos weren't there to share the trip with me. And I am especially proud of myself, because I went on every single ride that they all did. Okay, except for the River Rapids on the last, very cold day, but that was just a very wise decision...they were completely soaked after that one. For someone who isn't a ride person, this is huge! I may have even been a convert...as long as I'm not hanging upside down, I think I can handle them.

Epcot







Magic Kingdom



First Roller Coaster Ride







On the Mad Hatter Tea Cups Ride












Cinderella's Castle changed colors throughout the evening parade/fireworks show...so pretty!

Hollywood Studios



The Osborne Family's Dancing Christmas Lights...so beautiful!



This is when the rain began...

Animal Kindom



And then the rain turned into a monsoon.

Animal Kingdom, Take 2












On the Safari

And so many moments that didn't get captured on camera. All in all, a great, if not the best vacation I've had in a long time. Thank you Donnellan's for letting me tag along, as usual. I am so lucky, and thankful, to have such amazing family like you all!

Day 1108

This past weekend, I loaded up the kiddos and took a little road trip to my grandparents' house in West Virginia. I really feel blessed to be so close to them now that I get to visit so often. When I was little, we were lucky if we saw more than each Christmas. Now, I am only 4 1/2 hours away, so I try to make a trip there every few months.

The kids usually end up playing with some of our cousins that are around their age, so my grandmother, Mema, and I usually go shopping. Really there's not much buying, but just a way to get out and see what's in the stores. Then my grandfather, Pap, and I usually watch at least a football game or two together.

Friday night, three of my cousins were playing in their high school's, Central Catholic, State Championship playoff game, so my Pap, the kiddos and I headed down to the field to watch the Peluchette boys play. Max and McKenzie, both Juniors, started the game, both playing defense. By the time it was halftime, they were ahead 26-0, so my other cousin, Lee, got to play quarterback the whole second half. Lee's a sophomore and will follow in his brother Alex's footsteps and be the starting quarterback next year. So yeah, football's kind of a big deal in the family. We ended up leaving in the third quarter after Central scored another two touchdowns. They ended up winning 48-6.

Watching the Peluchette boys warm up...#6 is Maxx, #7 is Lee and #15 is McKenzie.











On Saturday, the kiddos went off to play, so Mema and I went to run errands. At the top of my list--a Christmas tree! Since I have a new home, I feel it's very important to have a big ole' Christmas tree, but since I'm on the 5th floor, felt a faux tree was probably the best option. Then we had to stop by some fun Christmas stores so I could buy a few special ornaments...anyway, I'm blabbing tonight, so without further ado, here she is:



Isn't it lovely?

I still have more to go, but it'll just have to wait to go bigger and better next year. I went with silver, gold, cream and red...love the elegant, classic colors (and it matches the rest of my house). Although, I think if I were to do it again, I'd have left out the red, but there were some beautiful red ornaments I just couldn't pass up.

I know, I know, it's a bit early for Christmas decorations. But I leave on Friday for a week long trip to Disney World (more on that fantasticness later), so I don't want to wait until I'm already in December before it gets up. And once I put up my big tree, I had to go ahead and get my little trees and the rest of my decor up. Obsessed, maybe, but hey...Christmas makes me happy. And with the way I've been working and stressing lately, I need all the happy I can get right now.

So enjoy! I sure am!

Day 1101

Today is Veterans' Day, and in recent years, in light of all that has been happening--the recent Ft. Hood tragedy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, working for the Senate and hearing stories of wounded Veterans' first hand and one of my best friends serving and returning home from a tour in Iraq--I think the true meaning of sacrifice has hit me more than ever before.

Today, over 1.4 million men and women serve in the U.S. armed forces and over 24 million veterans have served in the past. So when I heard about this program sponsored by the American Red Cross, I felt I had to share today. It's called Holiday Mail for Heroes, and I think it is an great way to show our troops just how much their service means to us.



Each person can write up to 15 holiday cards.
Entitle cards: “Dear Service Member, Family or Veteran”
Sign each card
Bundle groups of cards in a single manila envelope and send to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

From here, cards will be screened and distributed to Red Cross chapters around the country, where volunteers will then sort, review and then distribute them to service members, their families and veterans around their communities.

There are 4 things they ask you don't do:

Send letters
Include personal information such as home or email addresses
Use glitter – excessive amounts can aggravate health issues of wounded recipients
Include inserts of any kind as they must be removed in the screening process

Cards must be received by Monday, December 7th in order to be sorted and distributed before the holidays.

So it's that easy. Today I'm thinking about our servicemen and servicewomen, their families and our veterans, and I this is one simple way I plan to show them my gratitude.

Day 1095

You know, it's funny how these "milestones" sort of creep up on your emotions. A lot of tragedies have happen to friends and acquaintances this year, and being someone who's experienced such a heartbreak, I've tried to be there how others can't. I've tried to reassure them that, although you never forget and the hurt never goes away, it does get easier.

And for the most part, that's true. It has been easier lately, so much easier. I don't walk around in a fog like I used to, but there are moments when it hurts just as bad as the day after dad's death. Actually, I take that back, because looking back, those first few days were easy. Easy because you are so numb, you barely remember the pain. The hard days are what comes after. Six months later, or a year, when people tend to forget what has passed or expect you to be healed. But the years goes by and and the bad months turn to bad weeks, then bad days and bad moments.

Sunday marks three years, and my bad months and bad weeks are gone. Happily, my bad days are much less frequent. The bad moments, though, they still creep up on me all the time. Watching a commercial, looking at a picture, hearing a song...random things that trigger this burning inside, the lump in my throat, and the tears swelling in my eyes. Sometimes it lasts only seconds, or maybe minutes. But it fades away and leaves me with just a memory of someone I miss more than I can explain.

I try to be there for others, to comfort them and help them know they have strength they never knew. We all do, sometimes it just takes a tragedy to bring it out. Maybe that's still part of my therapy, helping those feel better than I did when I couldn't help myself. All I know is it's been three years Sunday, but tonight, it feels like an eternity ago, and it's wearing me down. Must be having one of those extended moments.

Day 1093

You know, I must be a glutton for punishment, because I keep making the same mistakes again and again and again. Why is it so hard for me to learn the first time? Or the second? Or even the third? When I'm getting stressed out, I need to take time to myself for yoga or meditation. When I'm tired and not feeling right, I really need to focus on eating especially healthy and working out. When someone treats me wrong, I need to forgive, but not let them keeping doing it again and again.

See, I know this. I know this more than anyone, because I know me more than anyone. But for some reason, I don't care. Instead of taking time out, I keep on going. Instead of working out and eating right, I pick up food and go straight to bed. Instead of letting go, I let the same patterns continue.

I know better. Now it's time for me to finally do something about it.

Day 1091

There really are no words. Enjoy my idiocy...



Jon minus Kate plus Kim and a DC Protester



Kim and Lady GaGa, Halloween 2009