Summer Solstice :)

Summer has officially started!

Summer is here! This is a photo my friend Kathy took of me in the YMCA Camp "Up, Up and Away"  hot air balloon...it was just my size :)

We had another very busy week. Dad had an AMAZING appointment on Friday at the Brigham. He had a heart Cath done and other than a series of holes he has on both sides of his neck he did great. His heart pressures looked good. His BP is 85 which is much better than the 120 it had been. Liver function is back up and his cholesterol is so low they took him off lipitor to give his liver a break from the med. The creak in the neck is getting better due to the wonders of acupuncture! He has had three visits and he already is so much better than he was before he went. So all in all a great week for him!

On Thursday I met up with my friend Shelly who graduated from Assumption in 2005. It's great that we still are able to keep in touch via technology then when she comes home to visit it's like she never left :) We went to the Starbucks on E. Central Street due to te construction/demolition of the Starbucks at Chadwick Square.

Friday I worked all day and ran into a few technology snags throughout the day. In fact by the time I got home Dad suggested we watch the program I made on the TV...I said we had to watch it on the laptop or we cant watch it! I am done with adaptors and wires and programs not working!!!

Friday night I went to help make cookies for the graduation party on Saturday. We had a lot of laughs and I got to eat some yummy cookies too :) Vickie makes awesome Amaretti cookies that are gluten free and soooo good. I had to sample a few to make sure they were ok for the party :) 

Saturday, we were lucky enough to be able to attend a fantastic graduation party for my cousins Nick and Gabby. I made them a video that made me and a few others people cry as we watched it. I just can't believe they are all grown up! Kylie loved watching the movie. She kept giving me a play by play of each picture..."That's gabby in a hat...That's Gabby in a pool...That's Gabby at the castle" I wish I filmed her commentary!

The girls thought the music selection was great and danced the night away at the end of the party!

When I was picking out what to wear I decided on the purple shirt that Lilly likes. When I got to the party I saw Lilly had picked out a purple dress to wear too. I call this photo:

"LP and LP in Purple at the Party"

On Sunday Morning I got up bright and early (5:30) to head down to the church to help out with the Camp Sunshine fundraiser Breakfast. We raised over $3,500 for Camp Sunshine. For those who don't know what Camp sunshine is...It is a camp for children with illnesses or other terrible hardships and their families in Casco Maine to be able to spend one week away from treatments, sickness and sadness. Mostly the kids have diseases they will not recover from but sometimes the camp is held to help kids with other hardships, for example kids who lost one or both parents in the September 11th tragedy. It's a great cause and I was happy to be a part of it.

Kerry brought the kids down to have breakfast with Grammy and Papa. Lilly's favorite part was pouring milk from the dispenser :) 

Kylie and Papa having a very important discussion over a cup of orange juice :)

Last night on my way home from work I stopped by Jordan Pond and snapped a picture of the moon. It was amazing!!! It is the closest the Moon will be for the next 100 years. It rained (poured!) so I didn't know if we were going to be able to see it last night. The clouds cleared just enough and it broke through.

Today I went to visit my Auntie Madaline, Mammer and Papper in North Brookfield. Auntie Madaline has this amazing flowering plant right outside her door called a Mandevilla. It is a tropical flower that grows well in the south but it is so sunny and warm by her door that it is doing well. We counted 5 more buds that will hopefully be as beautiful as this bloom is.

We took a walk to the back frog pond to see what we could see. When Auntie and I went out we saw lots of fish swimming in the pond and a big huge frog on a rock. When I went back in to get my camera Papper wanted to come out to see the pond so we walked back and saw this little guy swimming away, cooling off from the summer heat :)

That's all the news that's fit to print. Thank you to everyone who continues to support us and check up on us. Thanks also for reading the blog to stay updated on how things are going. It's nice that so many people read the blog each week. I am thankful that I am able to keep it up to date to keep all of you updated :)

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Seattle?

"Who'll stop the rain?"

 We're going to need a bigger boat if this rain keeps up!

This week we were busy as ever. Back from vacation and been running crazy ever since. Nothing new there. 

Friday I was able to meet Jodi and Crystal at the Sole after work for dinner. Crystal and I then headed to Millbury to do a little shopping after...This is where I lost my keys. By the time we realized it we had been sitting in Barnes and Noble for the better part of an hour and all the other stores were closed. Poor Crystal had to drive me back to Shrewsbury to get my spare key, then back to my car in Millbury. We did manage to laugh all the way to my house though because of some road sites we had seen. We need to write a book called the Rt. 20 Chronicles. It would be a best seller because you can't make this stuff up! 

The good news was the next day I went back to all of the stores and the girl in Ann Taylor LOFT had found them and even stayed open late hoping I would realize they were gone and come back! So nice of her. I was so relieved to find them!

Mom and Dad celebrated their 43 Wedding anniversary this past week! Kerry, with everything else they have going on took the time to have the kids draw a great card for Mom and Dad and also send a video message. It was so cute. These are a few photos from their message

 

Lilly was giggling at Kylie and Julie just went with whatever they told her to :)

Kylie not only wished Mom and Dad a happy anniversary but she threw in a "I Love you Papa and Gammy, and Auntie Laurie too!" Very sweet

Dad still has the creak in the neck and back. Today he went back to the acupuncturist that he had gone to a few years back when he had back trouble. After one treatment he already said he was feeling a little better. Last time he went it was only three treatments before he was back to himself again. Let's hope that it's the same this time so he can begin sleeping and getting into a little bit more of a normal routine.

Saturday We had a double birthday celebration! Colin and Adele. Colin is 3 and Adele is 5! ( Well she will be 5 July 2nd...she says )

There were a lot of kids at the party. They all had a great time. The little guy sitting next to Colin made Colin and Adele each their very own handmade card! He was so cute because he was so proud that he made them for his friends. He said "I even put a cake on the card because it was your birthday!" So funny

The Party was at Giguere Gymnastics and it was a lot of fun...for the kids of course! This is my Tarzan move into the foam pit that Mrs. G caught with my camera. It looks like I have a wooden leg? The kids in the picture to the right are all cousins and Addie Lou, a good friend sitting next to Adele.

They received a lot of really nice gifts and they were so happy. Adele must have said "Thank you SO much" a hundred times. She really was excited that her friends gave her such special gifts.

Sunday was Father's Day. Mom made dinner and Bren, Kerry and the kids came over for dinner. Auntie Peggy joined us a little later for the Ed Sullivan show on PBS just like she and My parents remember watching Sunday nights when they were kids!

The kids helped Papa open his presents. Some nice new pants and shorts to wear. They will be great once the summer actually gets here. Kylie really liked the home depot card part of the gift the best. except for...

the three little pig pin that she and Lilly wrapped up to give to him. They are SOOOO into the three little pigs! The funny thing is the pin is one that Dad gave Lilly on one of her "hey Papa want to check out some pins" visits. The fact that they parted with their favorite story pin says something! He was honored. They also were able to tell him exactly what it was before he opened it! We were all laughing. Dad says "well now I know what it is so I don't have to open it." They were shocked...he said I'm just kidding :)

I gave Dad a frame with Pictures of the three girls in it. Kylie sat in her little chair and stared at them for a good ten minutes. It was comical!

Monday I worked the Father Bisonette Invitational (FBI) Golf Tournament at Worcester Country Club. I always ride around with Janet, who works in the president's office. We have been doing it for years and it has become a tradition. We have a great time and it's for a great cause. It helps raise money for student academic scholarships. I am pretty sure I was the beneficiary of the tournament while I was in school so it's my Day to give back to them with my Photography. We almost made it through the whole day but then they sky got REALLY black and scary. They sounded the horn and pulled everyone off the course!

This is a picture of the sky while I was waiting for the light to turn by rt. 70.  If you have ever seen the movie " The Neverending Story" You know what I am talking about when I say "The Nothing" was coming. In the movie there is a big dog like dragon named Falcor. 

There is also a warrior named Atreyu in the film. When I posted the first photo on Facebook my cousin Tracy asked if I saw Atreyu? I said no but I am sure I saw Falcor. So I sent her this photo with what appears to be Falcors head among the clouds. I made a red arrow and labeled it in case she didn't see it :)

When I got home I had enough time to shower and get ready to watch the Bruins.

This is the Cheetah that Lilly loves to play with when she comes over. He sits in her spot on the couch. I took a picture of him and sent it to Lilly to tell her the Cheetah was in her spot watching the Bruins and he is their good luck charm because he has the same colors. Has to count for something, right? He was actually great luck! The Bruins beat the Blackhawks in a regulation time game (thank god no overtime!) 2-0 good guys!

Well that's all the news that's fit to print this week. Friday Dad goes back to Brigham and Women's for another heart Cath. I just hope this one goes better than the last one! The last one was where all the trouble started in January when his levels were all off and he was bleeding internally :( Please keep him and My Mom in your thoughts and prayers Friday. They will need some extra ones this week.

Thank You again for everything you continue to do. You are an amazing group of family and friends and we are lucky to have you all!

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Taste of Summer...In Florida!

They say it's summer...hmmm...I remember when they said it was spring yet I still had and iceberg in my driveway! Those "THEY" people...yeah, THEY lie! It's cold!

Dad had an OK week. His liver function test is off so they are stopping his cholesterol medication. I am not really sure why they chose this one to stop? He is also taking tylenol for the constant creak in the neck. This I feel has a worse effect on your liver than lipitor...but I am not a doctor so what do I know. He had to go get blood tests today again. They are going to keep a close eye on his blood levels. On June 21st he has to go for a cath again in Boston. I am hoping it goes better than the last time, when he ended up in the hospital for the two weeks after :( I only wish that he had his energy level back and could stay awake for longer periods of time without being so tired.

I was lucky enough to experience summer first hand this past week...in FLORIDA!

Please stand clear of my vacation!
Por Favor
Mantengase Alejado De Mis Vacaciones!

 This is me in EPCOT posing with the giant Spaceship Earth "golf ball" and the amazing fountain...IN THE SUN.

 

I was able to Dance in Africa in the Animal Kingdom and Hopscotch in EPCOT's England all in the same week. It's easy to go around the world in Disney World!

We ate lunch at the new Be Our Guest Restaurant! It is in Belle's Castle! Lilly and Kylie would have loved it here! We were able to get a seat in the Rose Room better known as the WEST WING to Lilly and all the other Disney Beauty and the Beast Fans! 

  I was able to try on this cool hat in Disney's Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Tower Hotel!

 

This is my newly graduated Assumption Student and friend Emily. She is working in the college program in Disney for 6 months. We had a great time riding the tower of terror together and catching up on life after AC. I was so happy to be able to catch up with her. Her schedule is pretty demanding so we were fortunate to be able to find a time to meet and hang out.

 

A security guard...actually... I think he was an actor...took out photo in front of the giant sorcerer's hat on Hollywood Blvd. in Disney's Hollywood Studios! 

 

It was a Star Wars Weekend at Hollywood Studios. I saw the guy who is the voice of YODA in the clone wars cartoon series and who does the"please stand clear of the doors" bit for the monorail! C3PO and Chewy posed for the photos I took of them. The Ewok was a little shy.

 

This guy tried to stand in the way of my vacation! He may be taller but I know I was cooler...literally!

 

EPCOT has redesigned their Test Track Ride. I am the one in the purple shirt in the back row. It is modernized and different than the last time I went on it. It was nice to see it all done over and new.

They have come out with some pretty funny shirts in Animal Kingdom. This was one of our favorites!

I got to hang out with the nieces today :) I missed them while I was away. I got them each a little something from Disney and they were so funny wanting to see what I got for each of them. Making sure I had a gift for Julie too. :) When I went into the kitchen Kylie informed me that Papa had got "Munchkins" for them for a snack after lunch! They were very excited and had a chocolate and jelly one each!

 Miss Julie just giggled with Grammy and watched while the big girls ate their munchkins. Good thing she doesn't know what they are yet! 

This is the wall behind my desk at work. It is very colorful thanks to Lilly and Kylie. The orange and Red papers are covered with Disney stickers, those were my birthday cards. The large white paper was my Christmas wrapping paper that Lilly colored herself and the newest addition to my collection is the beautiful purple tulips in the garden complete with different colored bows on each stem and signed by the one and only LILLY :) I love it! It's a keeper for sure! I am a very lucky Auntie!

I received a phone call while on vacation from a friend and member of the Worcester Fire Dept. Credit Union. They wanted to know if I had any photos of District Chief Decoursy. She told me he was gravely ill and in the hospital and they wanted some photos to put up on the big screen in the lobby of the credit union. It was sad to think of him ill like this and I had just heard him on the radio before I left and he was ok. It was very sudden. I am sad to say that Chief Decoursy is no longer with us and we will no longer hear his "ya, fire alarm what have ya got on this?" again :( He will be missed most by his crew that he worked along side every day. Please keep the Chief's children, family and the WFD in your thoughts and prayers this week. We are thankful for all the times he made sure   everyone got home safe from an incident.

It's back to the daily grind. Not fun after a great vacation! I am very lucky to have gone on such a great trip and with great company! Disney truly is the Happiest Place on Earth!

Thank You to everyone who has stood by and continues to stand by us! We are truly blessed with such a wonderful support system! Please continue to keep Dad on your prayer lists and hope they he gets a new heart which will hopefully restore his health back to normal ( or close to normal ) I don't think we will ever be normal :)

Until Next Week,

Laurie

A Week of Ups and Downs...Literally

SO busy all the time but at least it makes time pass faster.

Dad has been on a crazy amount of diuretics. He is up and down at night so many times I lose track. No one can possible get rid of that much liquid and still have any hydration left in them. Oh and we also had a heat wave! Today he went to get his blood tested and it is too thick so he is back on the Lovenox shots in the stomach :( Unfun!

 

It sure has been a busy week! Brendan Kerry and I have been working over at their new house almost everyday and you can now see some of the progress that we (Brendan especially) have made. This will be VERY cool kitchen once its completed. Some parts of the house are a little more finished than others. Lots of up and down the step ladders. We should be wearing pedometers and counting our steps!

 Lilly was a very big help to Kerry today in the painting of her and Kylie's room. She even had her own work gloves! She picked out the color for her room and the best quote from her today was, " I should have picked a darker color." I had to explain how the color changes with the amount of light in the room. The walls will look darker and lighter depending on the time of day, she will see that soon enough.

 Lilly painted in a nice circular fashion while Kerry did all the cutting in and rolling after Lil finished with her brush :)

 She really was very meticulous about her painting!

 Painted her name when she didn't know I was taking a photo. When she realized she said "wait Auntie Laurie I have to make a line."

 Here's Lilly's masterpiece complete with a line!

 

Another masterpiece that is in the house is in the basement. Lilly really loves this mural. So she won't be as upset about it, I took this picture which I will frame for her so she can remember what it looked like when it gets covered.

It was a weekend full of masterpieces!!!

 

Tracy and I attended the very first Gaston Art and Frame Artmakers Paint night. It was BYOW        (Bring your own wine) and snack to enjoy while you paint. Harry snuck into our photo :)

 

Our final paintings signed and completed. Tracy's canvas is hiding my new niece. You can't even tell she is pregnant from the front in this photo.

This was our whole class. It was really a lot of fun and I am looking forward to doing it again. We received a lot of comments after we posted out photos to Facebook from people wanting to join in for the next one. Everyone's paintings came out so nice. A shout out goes to our instructor Tammy who is not in this picture. She was a great teacher.

 This is my little cousin Nick all grown up and a proud grad of SHS. He and Gabby are like another set of siblings to us. They use to come over everyday to play and we loved having them there. It just amazes me that Nick was Julie's age when I was in college! Now he's off to college!!!! I heard through the grapevine that it was a little HOT in the SHS Gym where they held the ceremony, causing some spectators to melt!

That was Friday

Saturday bright and early at 6:45 a.m. I headed down to the rowing center for National Learn to Row day!

The Quinsigamond Rowing Association sponsored the event and it was really great to get back in a shell and row again. I got to go out three times because they needed an experienced rower in the bow section of the boat. It was my old seat and I got to row all morning. Couldn't have been a better day for it! It was sunny and not too hot. Just perfect to be rowing on the lake again. An Alumni of my SHS Crew team was there and he works with the QRA. He said to me "it's just like riding a bike, once you get in everything falls into place and it's like you never left." He was right it was GREAT!!!

The girls came over on Sunday while Bren and Kerry worked at the new house. I played with the kids for a bit in the morning then headed on down to CROMPTON COLLECTIVE and the 10th annual stART on the street festival. It was as amazing as always. Great music, displays, crafts, food and fun.

This guy here in the middle with the beard is "Big" Jon Short. He is a local blues musician but he is also a school teacher for the Worcester Public Schools and he does a LOT of community stuff with the kids. He made a whole band with these talented students, home depot 5 gallon buckets and a couple of drum sticks! Pure Genius this guy. ( I just have to point out that he is also an Alum of one Assumption College Media Center :) ) He is one of the most talented people you will ever meet. He can play any instrument, and do it well, Draw like you read about oh and speak a few languages! If you ever get the chance to hear him play it is well worth your time.

I left stART and headed home to this:

Julie and Papa playing a mean busy box. Julie cracks up at herself everytime she sees herself in the little mirror. I think she thought I was going to move it away because she got very serious and applied the "Vulcan Death Grip" on the side so Dad and I couldn't move it!

Another week has past. Thank you to everyone who continues to stand by us, check up on us and who keep in touch. It means a lot to all of us to have your support. 

Until Next Week,

Laurie