The Official Start To Summer!

Memorial Day Weekend and the Official Start of New England Summer...Let the Planting Begin!

When Assumption College was located on West Boylston Street there was a chapel complete with stained glass windows. When President Cesareo took office at Assumption the Alumni, both of Assumption College and Assumption Prep. asked him "when can we get the windows" Well President Cesareo,The Alumni Association and some generous benefactors are making it happen. This is a photo of one of the windows that has been placed in the Testa Science Building. I took the photo at night so you can see how beautifully lit from behind it is. It costs a small fortune to have one of these windows restored so it will be slow going but we already have three paid for! It's nice to bring the old into the new.

Dad had an ok week. He is still pretty tired and has some aches and pains due to muscle loss. He needs to get into some kind of fitness and strengthening routine. It's a catch 22. He is so tired he can't exercise and he does not have any energy because he doesn't exercise. He needs to ask about going to Cardiac Rehab so he can gain some strength back. He is getting too skinny. I must remind him to eat more chocolate!

As I said, Memorial Day and the Official Start to New England Summer also means a weekend at Auntie Peggy's Cape house with the Giguere clan :) This weekend we managed to fit 13 people in the house :0)  Sometimes it is upward of 25 or more. One year we have a photo with 39 people!!!! We are a happening bunch.

Katy, Steve and I biked to Woods Hole on Saturday and met up with the rest of the group who drove down for lunch and a visit to the Woods Hole Aquarium. It was misting but not pouring rain so it wasn't a bad ride. Stephen treated us to lunch at a little place called the "Fish Monger" it was very good! They had lots of stuff Katy and I could eat too :)

We then went to the infamous "Woods Hole Sweatshirt Shop" Now I don't think any one of us know what the real name of the store is but the family all knows what we are talking about when we mention "the shop" I am pretty sure we managed to outfit the entire family in Cape Cod gear!

Here are a few smiling examples :)

Molly managed to buy a "moustache necklace" for the amazing price of $2.99. She loved it! She wore her new sweatshirt and moustache all weekend. Katy Gave her a shoulder ride, which soon turned into a piggy back then into walking. As you can see they make a tall pair which is not conducive to walking through shops :)

One of the kids favorite games to play is "hide and go seek" The "seeker" as Emma calls it, counts in one house while everyone else hides in the other house. Molly picked out a cute spot. 

On Monday we went to the Towner's for a family bar-b-que. With delicious food and loads of entertainment watching Adam and his friends build a chicken coop for his and Amy's new chickens. They are outgrowing their inside home so time to move out!

This is Maurice. Lilly named him after Belle's father in Beauty and the Beast. He has a great hair-do. He is so soft too :)

Lilly managed to get a few pats in before he had to go back home with his siblings.

Lilly, Kylie, Papa, Bill, Auntie Laurie and Daddy also played a great game of Bocce. Bill definitely won! He is a great Bocce player but he told Lilly that she won and that she was the best player :) Lilly was quite happy about that. I wanted to snap a photo of them playing, but it's hard to hold three Bocce balls, help one of the girls throw and take a photo!

Adam and I packed up Dad's car at the church so he and Mom could head down to the Presbyteral Retreat for the Priests in Hyannis. Between all the medical and sound equipment they could open up their own hospital band stand!

I have been using the skills I learned from all of our additions and re-models to help Brendan and Kerry with their new house. It's an older home so it needs some updates but it will look AWESOME when it is all finished. A lot of Blood (from a few slivers) Sweat (from wearing Tyvek suits) and Tears (when Julie is hungry) are going into this house and it will be so nice when it all comes together and is finished.

Thanks again for keeping up with us and checking in on Dad. It's nice to know that We have such wonderful family and friends who are with us every step of the way :)

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Spring is Hopping

We have been hopping around like bunny rabbits since the start of May!

Dad had an OK week this week. Not great just ok. He still has some of the nerve discomfort in his neck and it seems that he was not following the diuretic instructions right. He had an appointment today, he has lost too much weight we need to pack on some muscle pounds. He will hopefully, now that the meds are straight, not be as tired and will be able to stay awake to walk or maybe even go to the gym.

It looks like we are in this for the long hall. Unless something happens Dad's wait for a new heart will be a long one. He is lucky that he is healthy enough to remain on the LVAD. So they said live your life and go about your business.

Lilly and Kylie had a sleepover on Friday Night! We watched "Annie" and Lilly and I made Fudge for Kylie's birthday and Julie's Christening on Sunday.

We also went to a fundraiser at the Shrewsbury Highway Dept. 

Lilly and Kylie got to go on Dad's Firetruck

 

 Julie, Brendan, Kylie, Lilly and Annie pose for a quick photo on the truck!

The fundraiser was held to raise money to help build a playground at Parker Road Pre-School. The little boy who the playground is being dedicated to passed away and it was his dream to be a firefighter. One of the playpieces that will be in the new playground will be a play firetruck. Many of the town's Firefighter's, Paramedics, Police Officers and Highway Department employees came out and volunteered their time for the event.

Later that day I was able to go to a birthday party for my friends 4 year old twins! They were so cute

Lexi and Travis turned four and had a great party. My friend Stacey made an amazing Castle cake for Lexi and Spiderman cake for Travis. They were so cute no one wanted to cut them :) They got a lot of really nice gifts that I know they will have lots of fun playing with.


As I said it was a busy weekend:

This is Archbishop Michael Banach. He use to be "Fr. Banach" to our CYC group some 20 years ago. He was nice enough to say Mass at St. Anne's this week while he was visiting the area from Rome. Fr. Paul and I took a quick picture with him before running next door to the church for Julie's Christening. Luckily Fr. Paul was saying the mass! If he was late I was too :)

 

The Christening Dress that Julie is wearing is the same dress I wore on my Christening Day! Lilly, and Kylie wore it too. So all 4 Palumbo girls have worn this dress that was made by my Paternal Grandmother. We were very lucky to have two grandmothers who sewed so well!

 

This is Julie's "Christening Team" for lack of a better explanation. It's her Godmother/Aunt Krissy, Godfather/Cousin Nick, Mom, Kerry holding Julie with a beam of light on her head (That just signifies that she is gifted) and her Dad, Brendan. 

After the Ceremony we headed back to the house for a birthday party and christening celebration. Julie was as good as can be all day even with all the commotion she was great :) Kylie got to open all of her gifts and was pretty excited. She especially loved a little shopping cart/car that she could put her "babies" in and push them around the house.

 

Because the girls were not interested at all in the Bruins Stanley Cup Playoffs, Papa read them the three little pigs book. This was after I had read the day before the "real story" of the three little pigs 5 times. Lauren's Mom knew that they loved the three little pigs story so she bought them a book which is told from the wolf's perspective. They LOVED it! They made Sue (Lauren's Mom) Thank You notes complete with hand tracings :)

Oh an after the Bruins game...We WATCHED the three little pigs on TV. They are kind of obsessed with the story :)

Thanks to everyone who is still checking up on Dad and visiting, calling, texting or sending cards. Some days are worse than others and it's your unending support that helps all of us get through. 

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Dedications, Graduations and Celebrations

We had another BUSY week

 When we started off this week Dad was not feeling so good :( We learned he was dehydrated and his blood levels aren't where they should be so he had to rehydrate, lower the diuretics which were causing the dehydration and eat some more salads which thins your blood.

He is feeling a little better now thank goodness!

 

We were able to attend the dedication of the new Box 4 Rehab truck for the Fire, EMS and Police Departments. Dunkin Donuts graciously donated much of the funding for the truck as well as private donors who donated the rest of the funding. As always the Leary Firefighter's Foundation came to our aid again and helped fund the project.

Brendan and Joey Miloz worked with Jose Ramos and a few of the other WFD guys to make another response truck that will be dispatched in the event of an incident, disaster or fire. 

 

Brendan couldn't make the dedication because he had to work so he made sure to photocopy his face and duct tape it to the passenger seat of the truck Joe drove down. Steve gave us a Box 4 uniform shirt for Brendan so Joe and I put it on his seat and took a photo to send him. He was there in spirit :)

 

The trucks are really both beautiful inside and out. We are very lucky to have such awesome pieces of apparatus as part of our fleet. 

 Sweet Bakery on Shrewsbury Street made this awesome cake that looked just like the big truck! They also made a whole bunch of cupcakes with dunkin donuts colored decorations on top. The cake was so cool no one wanted to cut into it so mostly people ate the cupcakes :)

This week also marked Assumption graduation

This is a pretty dark image but at the podium is standing our commencement speaker Richard DeLauriers. He was the FBI agent responsible for the James "Whitey Bulger" Capture, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum leads and most recently the capture of the two Boston Marathon bombers. When he was introduced and when her received his honorary degree he received a standing ovation that lasted a full three minutes. People could not stop clapping for him. It was wonderful to have an Alum as important to American history as he is to Assumptions history! There were tears of joy shed by many on this day.

I will miss my senior students. It is always bittersweet to see them graduate, knowing full well they will not be returning to Assumption in the fall. I wish them all the luck in the world!

 

This Saturday at UCONN my cousin Gabby graduated with her doctorate in Pharmacy which means she is a doctor of Pharmacy and the only doctor in the family :) I AM SO PROUD OF HER!!!! She worked so incredibly hard these last 6 years! I couldn't be a happier cousin :) We are all very proud of her!

 

Sunday we celebrated Mother's day at Auntie Janet and Uncle Jimmy's. Lilly decided that she wanted to dress up like Little Orphan Annie. She got the outfit down complete with the heart locket! She was so cute :) Kylie had on a cute little shirt that said make everyday happy. Those kids certainly make everyday of our lives happy. We are so luck to have them :)

 

Julie and Dad got in some quality rocking time. Julie was a little bit fussy but she had plenty of people to entertain her.

My cousins from Alaska were visiting again for mother's Day and to finish cleaning out my Aunt's house since her move. It was so great to spend the day with them too. Most exciting was that my cousin Katy is home from traveling the world and learning about other cultures. I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with her at our annual Memorial Day weekend at the Cape. 

We hope to spend some more time with our cousins from Alaska this week. They are all heading back to Alaska on Saturday and we won't get to see them until the fall :( It's great having them here. We have so many family members in Alaska it's too bad it's so far away. I wish we could just beam back and forth and visit more often. This summer my Auntie Phyllis Ann and my cousin/Godson Jacob are coming to visit! Jacob will be attending a program through the Boston hospitals for students interested in pre-med. Who knows we may have two doctors in the family soon :)

 I am exhausted due to allergy season. I had to take a silly children's chewable benedryl to stop my eyes from watering, my throat from itching and my sneezing from blowing my lungs apart! It's really not fun. So I am pretty sleepy and hope I can at least come out of the fog in the morning in time for kickboxing or I may be the one who is boxed :(

That's all the news that's fit to print. Stay tuned for next week. Dad has an appointment on Tuesday so I will report the findings in the next blog post.

Happy Lilac season everyone, and may the sneezing cease soon!

Laurie

 

 

 

Month of May

 I love the spring!

 

This is what the Assumption Campus looks like in the Spring! This is only one area! We have the most beautiful campus. Our B&G dept. does an amazing job landscaping and keeping Assumption beautiful. It's nice that graduation is when all the trees and flowers are in full bloom on campus.

We are getting ready to say goodbye to our seniors on Saturday. I will miss their smiling faces and the variety they have brought to our office each and every day for the past four years. 

 

 As the students are moving out and cleaning out their dorm rooms they leave behind the most amazing things. Like this little gem of a robot/award. I mean how can you just leave this behind...it's quite the work of art! Very creative those college kids :)

Dad has been having a bit of a rough week. He has a pinched nerve or something in his neck that is causing him a lot of discomfort and not allowing him to sleep very well. I am hoping it goes away on its own and very soon. A crick in the neck is never fun and he has enough going on without having something silly like this making him uncomfortable!

We had a very busy weekend. Mom and Dad went to a memorial service on Saturday for one of Dad's cousins that passed away. While they attended, I watched Lilly and Kylie with Joe and Lauren who came home for the weekend.  We played games, ate some lunch, and took a rest so Kerry could get the house ready for another showing. Lilly had me put on "Rapunzel" so she could watch it because "I haven't seen that movie in a very long time" ... I guess last week was a lifetime ago to a three year old :)

 

Lauren's Mom and Dad came up this weekend to to meet my Mom and Dad and go to the wedding weekend at Crompton Collective. We love Crompton Collective. Check out their web site and make sure to visit the store it is SO amazing there. The whole place is decorated so cute! 

It was like we have known Lauren's Mom and Dad forever. They are SO nice and very down to earth people. Lauren's Dad and my Dad sound like they grew up in the same neighborhood just in different states! Joe is very lucky to be marrying into such a nice family. We hope they come back up to visit again soon. It was fun having them here.

Kylie and Lilly Do not like when my Dad takes off his glasses to read

Dad is trying to read them the three little pigs while Kylie is trying to put his glasses back on. Then she is pouty because Lilly wanted to see the pictures too. We have decided this version of the three little pigs circa 1970 is not a good one. He eats the pigs! It's a good thing the kids can't read yet!

 Julie and I worked on our self portraits. Joe sneaked in the first one, so we took one of all three of us in the next one :) Julie looks scared in both :(

 

On Sunday Mom made an awesome breakfast and Lauren's Mom picked up special heart shaped donuts for the girls. Lilly ate hers like a lady. Kylie ate hers like a toddler :) She wore her pink frosting proudly!

 

 Lilly loves Disney's movie "Tangled" which she calls Rapunzel. She loves Pascal the Chameleon in the movie. Joe and Lauren brought her back this Rapunzel shirt from Disney World. It's in one of her favorite colors...purple. She wouldn't put it on for them when she got it but now I don't think she will want to take it off. I sent them the photo so they could see how much she likes it. She completed the outfit with a tutu. Julie was also sporting a tutu today. 

I went shopping on Friday with Crystal. When we shop I feel like we are back in our college days again...only now we have money to actually shop with :)

 this sign was in a store we visited. I just loved it. Especially the snapshot of the two girls sitting on the steps. It reminded me of taking our picture on the steps at the beach house.

Well that's all the news that's fit to print. As my school year is coming to a close our journey to a new heart still continues. I can't believe we have been waiting for as long as we have and still...no new heart :( Please continue to keep Dad in your thoughts and prayers. He deserves to get a new heart soon. With all that is going on in the world it's hard to focus sometimes. I am grateful that at least Dad is stable and home with us but if he could get rid of the crick in the neck and get back some energy that would be great too. 

Thanks for all of your prayers and continued support. The well wishes go a long long way. We are very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends :)

Until Next Week,

Laurie

Spring is a Busy Time of Year

My seniors are getting ready to leave Assumption. While their journey comes to an end ours, continues as we still wait for a heart and another jump to the top of the list.

This is my view on my way into work every day. I love springtime the best because all of the trees turn bright green and the flowers all are in bloom. I love this drive in because it reminds me of the first time I rode to Assumption with Dad on our way to pay my first tuition payment. Anyone who knows me knows I have the worst sense of direction on the planet! I am nothing without a GPS. I was not 100% familiar with how to get to Assumption when I was accepted. I had been there and loved the campus and all it's beautiful grounds but I was still unsure of the drive. I remember driving there with Dad that day to drop off my tuition and thinking, WOW this is such a beautiful area, I am going to love driving to school everyday through here. Well 21 years later, I am still making this commute, now as an employee many years after graduating from Assumption and I still never tire of the ride. 

Dad had a pretty good week. He played two masses this past weekend and has lucked out as far as spring allergies. Some people we know can't see very good right now and can't stop sneezing.  

We had a very very busy week. On Wednesday Lilly and Kylie invited us to their school. A petting zoo came to visit. I will try to get the photos off my camera for next week. It was extra special because Adele was there too!!! All four girls were at school together :)

Here's a cute photo of Adele snuggling a baby bunny :) The kids were so excited to see and hold all the animals (Except Kylie...she was done with them after about 20 minutes and then just wanted to jump on and off the only rock in the the school yard....which is flat!)

I spent Friday day prepping and baking for our friend Marie's 50th birthday party on Saturday.  Mom got to go to a much needed girls night out on Friday night. She had a great time, and I was very glad she decided to go. Dad and I stayed in and watched one of the slowest games in Red Sox history. Dad fell asleep first then I fell asleep for a half hour on the couch....BIG mistake....I ended up being awake until 2 a.m.! Naps are no good at night! The Red Sox won thank goodness!

Saturday I was back in the party planning mode. I met our friend Tammy and her Uncle Vin at the church where we cooked the rest of the meal and got everything together we needed. Then we headed up to the Bullpen Bar at SHARC (Shrewsbury, Health and Racquet Club) to get things ready for the party. Marie was surprised and so happy when she came in. She kept saying she didn't realize she knew so many people!

The cake was cute. Our friend Evie, makes really great cakes and even put Marie's baby picture and her picture from a few years ago on the cake! It was a fun Saturday night and Marie was so grateful to everyone for coming to help celebrate her birthday. 

My school year is winding down. I am really going to miss my Graphic design 2 class I am taking. I have had such an amazing semester. Several of my pieces have made it into school art shows and I submitted a few to the Graphic Design Club Award Presentation and they made it into that show too. It's really great to see the pieces you worked so hard on all year up for people to see.

This is the TV2 class that takes place every Monday in my Studio. I have helped each of these kids with their projects over the course of the semester. I have listened to them complain. Listened to their joy and laughter when things were going as planned. The worst part is breaking their hearts when I had to tell them to redo their project because I knew they could do better. The professor who was a good sport, (and is on the bottom of the pyramid, beard and glasses ) Bruce Lundeen, has the worst part of the class, the grading. Three of these kids will be leaving us in a few weeks. One is going to China to teach English, One is going to Disney World to work in the College Program and the last one is still undecided in his future endeavors for now.

Three years ago two students walked into my office looking for work study positions and interested in TV production. Since that day there has literally been blood, sweat and tears in our office but somehow we made it out on the other side better people than before. I never thought I would see the day that two of these kids would be working together again, and not only together but producing a documentary that was nothing short of amazing!

It was a large crowd on Sunday afternoon in the Hagan Campus Center. Friends and Family came out for the Football Documentary on Assumption's football program simply entitled, " The Hounds" after our own Assumption Greyhounds. We had kids who actually wrote the soundtrack for the documentary, some that did filming, audio, editing, running up hills with cameras, shooting practice in the rain, going to camp with the players at 4:30 in the morning during the summer and staying with them 24/7 until it was done. These kids worked so hard! This is what I am proud to say Assumption College Communications program and ACTV can do! They did the job, did it well and are selling the documentary to not only players and families but Alumni as well. I am so VERY PROUD of them!!!

This is a screen shot of one of the practices they filmed.

Tonight was the end of the theater program as we know it. There will be some changes made to the program next year and for some of my students sake I hope it works out favorably. A bunch of my kids were in today's production so I decided to go and support them in their final hour of class. So many of them did a great job. They did all different things from monologs to singing and dancing. The opening number was a giant dance with the whole class, choreographed by a student. They did a good job and I  only hope they can continue.

Tomorrow we start final exam week. Today was our senior send off for out work study students that are graduating. Very sad :( We will miss them and wish them all the best!  

I have my Graphic Design 2 final exam next Monday but I am through with the assignment part so I am  relieved that is done. 

In your prayers this week I would like to ask if you could include my friend Stacey's family. They have had a rough year and just suffered another devastating loss. They need some positive thoughts and prayers coming their way. Luckily they are a strong family who are there for one another. If you could say a prayer for them I would greatly appreciate it and I know they would too.

I hate to be greedy and ask for more prayers and well wishes but we still need them. Luckily Dad is stable for now. His appointment last week was frustrating due to the delays he had. The Boston Marathon nightmare really taxed the area hospitals. They lost track of schedules and time due to the emergencies and severity of the situation. This made Dad 's appointment take forever and they had to skip and reschedule certain parts of his exam which he wasn't happy about. It's like I said to my Mom, any other time he has the right to be upset about being made to wait. This time, knowing what all those people suffered through and some who are still suffering being made to wait is the least of our worries. I would rather wait all day knowing doctors and nurses were being held up in the operating room or ER saving someones life and limbs. Is it inconvenient...sure it is...will we get to open the hospital door with both hands and walk out on both legs...yes, some victims of the attack do not have the same luxury.

Thank You everyone for your continued unwavering support. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and we could never do everything we do without support and help from all of you. Thank You for your prayers, thoughts, well wishes, cards, calls, texts, emails, and visits. We appreciate everything you do for us.

Until Next Week,

Laurie

29 Days Done

Spring has sprung....right?...It may still be winter from the feel of it!

Dad's 29 Days at the top of the list are over and he still has his same heart. We are back down to 1B status until they feel fit to move him back up for another 29 days :(

Friday we were watching the continuing marathon bomber nightmare and fearing for our family members who live in Watertown. Mom and I were thinking..."what if it was one of those guys hearts that Dad got?" how awful would that be :( I guess that is why they do not tell you who the donor is. I can't imagine getting the stone cold heart of a rotten coward like the marathon bomber! Thankfully things turned out ok thanks to the amazing efforts of the Watertown Police department and the FBI as well as all of the first responders who put their lives on the line to keep all of us safe. Thank You guys and gals for all you do!!!

Kerry came over with the girls on Friday while Brendan was still banished to the basement due to illness. We had fun :)

We had to watch "Belle" AKA Beauty and the Beast. Lilly said she hadn't watched it in a long time because they left it in Maine...likely story...I think I may be leaving my copy at the Maine house too :) Kylie the whole time was more concerned with who was off the screen and not on..."where's Belle?...Where's the Beast?...Where's Gaston?... I happened to snap this picture while she was sitting. For the rest of the movie she would bounce around to whom ever would answer her 20 questions.

Dad and Kylie added another chapter to their novel...The never ending saga of whatever. She stole the pen right out of his vest to start writing.

A wonderful donation was made to Dad's benefit, in the form of a custom knitted hat. Michelle Roy donated three gift certificates to Dad's benefit. I was lucky to win one in the raffle. We e-mailed back and forth and Monday my hat arrived! It was just as I hat ordered, cream cable knit with a purple flower. It has been cold enough to wear it too! Thanks Michelle.

On Sunday I helped the Mastro Family out with coffee house and took a few donuts over to the girls. They were so happy with their donuts :) Thanks Tammy, Marie and Uncle Vin you made them smile, even from behind the sippy cup of milk Kylie is smiling.

Dad had a great appointment at Brigham and Women's today. Other than the elevated BP which seems to always be the case...he has no fluid build up and he is finally over the awful stomach bug that knocked him down for the count last week. I am very thankful he recovered before Marathon Monday when if his fever did not break we would have had to go to the Brigham and that would have meant being stuck in Boston and there for the nightmare that will be forever in our minds when we think of the Boston Marathon :(

Our final production at school was on Sunday. The theater club put on a great performance. It will be sad to see some of my seniors go this year. It's hard to believe that in two weeks they will all be gone :( The kids did an awesome rendition of "Master of the House" with the ENTIRE cast. It was incredible and I am glad the seniors will have the good memories to look back on.

We are in crunch mode at school. I made 8 posters for my final presentation which will be on Thursday. I couldn't come up with just one idea so I did 6 and two alternates. I submitted some of them to the Eye on Design symposium that will take place tomorrow night at the school. I am looking forward to seeing everyones work from all the classes presented. 

The last two weeks of classes can either make or break you. I think it is breaking some who thought they could coast along. I had to help a few students in the art lab tonight who were having trouble mastering a few skills in photoshop. It was basic stuff but it seems the professor they had did not explain a few things to them that would have made things 100 times easier. In 5 minutes I was able to show them a shortcut that saved them hours. I am very thankful that I have had awesome professors and teachers who allowed me to refine my skills and make the Adobe editing software invaluable to me

Thank You everyone who continues to check in on Dad and us and are continuing to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We are so thankful for all of you. Please remember to keep all of the families who are hurting from last Monday's tragedy in your prayers this week too.

Until Next Tuesday,

Laurie