Those Darn Cookies

Cookies have never made me cry.

Oh, I've cried many rivers of tears over food and dieting and, well, food. But never specifically over cookies. When I have cravings, they're more along the lines of pizza/chips/cheese/bread. You know, the salty cravings. But cookies? Never shed a tear for them.

Yesterday I was in the grocery store. I wasn't in a hurry ~ just enjoying some time thinking about fixing my son some of his favorites and putting together a goodie bag for him as he moved into his new apartment. He's got a great new roommate and a new place in Boston, and I'm so happy for him! It's been a long time coming. He's endured the post-collegiate-have-to-live-at-home-if-I'm-gonna-pay-back-my-student-loan phase very well. And he's handled it all so responsibly. He's earned this freedom! Literally.

So, there I was in the grocery store, filling my cart, trying to remember all the ingredients I'd need for his beloved mac-n-cheese and his adored shepherd's pie. And I thought, "Oh, I know! I should also find his favorite cookies to send with him. That would make him happy!" Off I went to the cookie aisle. Sure enough, there they were. His mint chocolate Milanos. As I reached out to grab them and put them in my cart, I got all choked up. Seriously choked up. Then the tears started flowing. Right there in the cookie aisle. In the middle of Market Basket, the memories came flooding back. All the grocery trips that we've taken together...from little guy riding in the carriage, to young man keeping me company.....uh-oh, hear come those darn tears again!

I'm telling you - this motherhood thing never ceases to surprise me. And fill me. And empty me completely! It's a wonder how we manage to feel exuberantly happy, profoundly proud, achingly nostalgic and just plain sad all in the same moment. But if you're a mom, I know you know exactly what I'm talking about! I just hope, for your sake, that it doesn't all catch up with you in the middle of Market Basket.

Cause as of yesterday afternoon, I can no longer say that cookies have never made me cry.

Joining Mama Kat Writer's Workshop and Little Things Thursday

Ball Park Reflections

Baseball.

Connects me to my childhood.

To my father.

There are sights, sounds, smells....

and that fresh air feeling of sitting in the ball park...

that transport me.

I remember sitting on the bench at my brother's little league games

and knowing all the abbreviations

so I could fill out the score card for my dad.

I remember the first time my son saw a baseball game

with my dad.

I loved watching him begin to pass down his love for the sport to his grandson.

The first time I was in Fenway was with my dad.

I was in college, and he was up for a visit.

It was his love for the old ballpark,

his appreciation for the uniqueness of the place,

that first opened my eyes to its rich history.

If you visit me here often,

you already know I love this game.

Especially when I can watch it from one of the old seats

in Fenway Park.

Joining James for

Weekend Reflections

{Good Random Fun} Week 10

Sigh.

Yesterday's FUN was all about

sorting

boxing

organizing

and sorting some more.

I spent hours in my scrapbook room.

And, truth be told, got a whole lot accomplished.

But my, oh my...the waves of nostalgia weren't ripple-like.

No.

Tidal waves of nostalgia washed over me.

Here are just a few of my RANDOM finds...

 {my brother's soccer album and medals from high school}

 {so many precious cards from our kids}

 {these goofy photos taken by two bored kids one Christmas Eve...waiting can be so hard!}

 {my father's baby book ~ with notes in my grandmother's hand}

 {my grandparent's wedding keepsake album!! Atlantic City and New York...1929}

 {my parents' wedding memories...including telegrams from the day}

And memories from this house.

The postcard I mailed when we moved in.

My son's graduation announcement.

Memories.

GOOD memories.

As I worked in my basement yesterday,

I felt so much gratitude for our seven years in this lovely little house.

I have shared hours and days with dear friends

around tables in my workshop space.

Time spent laughing and crying,

sharing and caring

for each other...

and for the memories that make us and our families who they are.

When Ed Sheeran's song came on, I'm not gonna lie..

I lost it just a wee bit...

"We keep this love in a photograph

We made these memories ofr ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time's forever frozen still"

Linking up with Tamar

and Kathy

Orange Sky

Well, I had a dream

I stood beneath an orange sky

Yes I had a dream

I stood beneath an orange sky

With my brother standing by

With my brother standing by

I said, "Brother, you know you know

it's a long road we've been walking on

Brother, you know it is you know it is

Such a long road we've been walking on."

{Alexi Murdoch, lyrics}

Sometimes,

when you've been feeling like crap,
a good thing happens in the middle of the pity party you've been throwing.

Your brother sends you cute photos of your little nephew.

Photos of his family

and some play time in the water.

And the sunshine smiles brighten your {otherwise} miserable day.

And the knowledge of how

completely

stinkin'

happy

your brother is brings tears to your eyes.

The good kind of tears.

And then...

you really start to miss him.

And feeeeeeeeeeeel all those many miles that separate you.

And you get all nostalgic

and start looking at scrapbooks.

Then,

because you're already nursing the worst cold in the history of mankind,
and this is, after all, a pity party,

you get all

"woe is me"

and

"where did the time go"

and

"why am I not on a beach...."

So,

you go to bed.

And dream.

And, as is often the case,

when my brother is on my heart,

he is also very close to me in my dreams.

At some point last night,

as I fitfully slept and coughed and slept some more,

we swam together.

And for that moment
there was no cold,
no melancholy,
no distance...
only peace
and laughter
and
the two of us.
Still together.
As close as ever as we navigate this
long road called life.





Joining Kathy for
Song-ography

Six Word Fridays ~ Melt

Six Cousins. Fourteen years. Heart melting.

Join us here and tell your story

Six Words at a time!

Disney Throwback ~ aka Getting Nostalgic on a Thursday

Her first trip to Disney was in Florida in 1990.

After that, it was all about Euro Disney...cause we lived in Paris

and the Magic Kingdom was only a 45 minute train ride from our front door!

We went when the grandparents visited!

And when we wanted special family time.

We loved the characters, rides, parades and restaurants....we loved it all!!

This sweet girl especially loved all the shows.

We watched them over and over.

So, it's no surprise that she's enjoying the vacation of her dreams this week!

She's been dreaming of Disney with her husband for years!

And this is their week.

They're having a blast!!

Joining Kim for

Little Things Thursday
and Mama Kat for her
Writer's Workshop

Still Dreaming

"Just a boy,

Just an ordinary boy.

But he was looking to the sky.

And as he asked if I would come along

I started to realize 

That everyday he finds

Just what he's looking for,

Like a shooting star he shines.

He said take my hand,

Live while you can

Don't you see your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand."

{Ordinary Day, Vanessa Carlton}

When I look at this photo

I don't see the smiling faces.

Or the pretty dress and dashing tuxedo.

Nope.

My favorite thing about this old photo is that hand.

HIS hand.

Holding tightly to mine.

That unrehearsed gesture cemented it all for me.

Spoke volumes.

To this day,

some thirty years later,

it only takes his hand on mine,

or on the small of my back in the middle of a crowd...

or my hand in his,

fingers laced,

late at night as we drift to sleep...

it only takes his hand

to comfort me,

to steady me.

Or to remind me

that in the midst of each ordinary day

we have all that we need.

We have our dreams held safely

in the palm of our hands.

Joining Kathy for

Song-ography

The Best Gifts

The best gift

That I ever got

Didn't really weigh a lot

It didn't have a ribbon 'round

And it sometimes made a terrible sound

The best of all it seems to me
It wasn't 'neath the Christmas tree
And yet, I guess I'd have to say,
That it made all the other presents twice as gay

The best gift that I've ever known
I'd always wanted most to own
Yet in my dreams of sugar and spice
I never thought it could be so nice

The best gift that I ever get

Was sometimes dry and sometimes wet

Was usually pink, but often times red,

As it lay so innocently in it's bed

The best gift of the year to me

The one I hold most dear to me

A gift that simply drove me wild

Was a tiny, newborn child...

An all time favorite Barbara Streisand song...

My two all time favorite Christmas "gifts"...

And a little nostalgia on a Tuesday morning...

Joining Kathy for

Song-ography
and Mama Kat for her
Writer's Workshop

Memory Lane

On Saturday, Brian and I took a walk.

A long walk down memory lane!

We headed to Concord, Massachusetts to visit the town where our wedding was held!

We started at the Old North Bridge ~ 

the scene of some after ceremony wedding photos.

Then we headed to the church and found the groundskeeper ~ 

who let us in and walked us through the whole building!

Our last stop was for an early supper on the porch of 

the Colonial Inn ~ the site of our reception.

It was so good to walk and talk and relive all those wonderful memories!

The most random {and humorous} sight of the day was

watching the biker guys and the colonial guides mix it up

and pose for photos!

We had such fun playing tourist.

I enjoyed the photo-ops

{Concord is really beautiful!}

and Brian enjoyed making me laugh...

Cheers!

Here's to another 30 years!

Joining Tamar for

The Good. The Random. The Fun.

Treasures in a Plastic Box

On my lazy, rainy Sunday I had a few really good moments while digging through a storage box full of my mother's photos and paper mementos. This photo (from 1972) was taken at my Grandfather's 70th birthday party. He's the second from the right...handsome guy! In this photo we have his wife, his three daughters and their husbands...and all the cousins except one. I'm the groovy girl in the middle. The one who looks like she belongs in an episode of Little House on the Prairie.... My grandparents, aunts and uncles have all passed. My parents have been apart for years. And it's been decades since I've seen most of my cousins...so this photo really struck a chord deep in my heart. I'm pretty sure this is the last time we were all together.

AND!!!!

I found a copy of this photo of my dad - a photo I knew I had somewhere, but couldn't find! This was taken when he was in France in the 50's for his military service. Such a gorgeous shot of my sweet daddy!

As I was dealing with this box of photos, I found a few old albums ... those awful old magnetic albums which are full of acid and lignin - the chemicals that ruin photos!! I thought I'd gotten rid of all of them! So I'll take this opportunity to make a random public service announcement! It's so important that photos NOT be stored in albums like these. Or in those old black albums our grandparents used. If you don't have time to scan them, or transfer them to photo safe albums, take the time to remove them and store them in those photo boxes you can find at any craft or office supply store. Please! Save your photos!!

The most fun I had in this box, was finding a folder full of great-great-grandmother-style photos and a typed out family history. Tucked into the folder was this book mark. Such a mystery! Did a relative stitch it? Receive it as a gift? Was it actually made in 1876? Lots of questions...no answers. The only thing I know is that it is very delicate...crumbling a bit. There are teeny-tiny stitches that form the date, stitched right into the paper. It's so pretty!! Couldn't resist getting a few macro shots of the details...

Linking up with

The Tood, The Random, The Fun

and

Macro Monday