3 + 4 =...I need to blog more

I almost choked when I looked at the date of my last blog entry - MARCH? Are you kidding me??? Wow. Time flew and I wasn't having a LOT of fun!!!

An update on the last post: My dog is still alive, my FIL's leukemia is still under control and he is doing well, and my septic system SUCKS. In plain english. I won't bore you with the gory details, but put it this way: I now know how much it will cost to r.e.p.l.a.c.e. my septic system. Grrrrrrrrr.....

So, where have I been and what have I been up to since March 28th? We went on a family vacation to California over April school break. That was fun, but it was chilly in CA! I didn't mind it, but when you think of Cali you think of warmth and sun and beaches. We did have one nice day that we sat on the pier at Santa Monica. It was beautiful there. We did the typical southern Cali trip - Disneyland, where we stayed in a motel directly across the street from the entrance! Lego Land, which Pal was a little to old for, and the San Diego Zoo. Now THAT is a zoo! I can never again go to our local zoo, it will never live up to that!!

Pal has continued with Boy Scouts, much to his father's delight. He really seems to like it, and I know he is a bit in awe of the "older" kids. But they scare ME. Long hair and skinny jeans....UGH. We went camping in Maine over Memorial Day with our pop-up and Pal's friends family. Pal played in his Advanced Band concert and that was cool to see how much they've improved since last year. I also finished up work at the end of May and thoroughly enjoyed 3 weeks of "me time" while Pal was finishing up 5th grade! Can't believe he's going to Middle School next year. Another thing that scares ME!

4th of July weekend was fun, we went to the camper and our campground had awesome fireworks. Then we went to the annual Balloon Festival. It was fun, but I am definitely getting to the point where I am over it. I love the balloons going up but the whole weekend itself has become a chore. I don't need more chores!

So that brings me to today. On Sunday, Pal and Hubby will head off to Boy Scout Camp. For a whole week. Without me. YAAAAAAHHHOOOOOOOo!!! Oh, I mean, I'll really miss them. My living room looks like a camping store threw up, and there are two 45-gallon tubs in there collecting it all. The next few days will be a lot of work to get them both everything they need, but it will be worth it. For them. Oh, and if I happen to enjoy it a little bit, that will just be a bonus. =)

Sorry for being a neglectful blogger...I'll try harder in the future!

Happy Summer!
- G

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

It's a rough life, but somebody has to do it.....
Two of my lady friends and I, chillaxin' in the pool in Cape Cod, MA


I feel like I've been on a Blog Vacation, because it was Summer and I was busy doing a million (other) things. I guess that's a good thing, right?


Here is a photo montage of our Summer:

Pal with cousins and friends on July 4th in N.H. - What is better than sparklers???


Pal being cocky after catching a frisbee in Vermont



Just some of the beautiful balloons that were about to fly - Vermont



Vermont again - our ambitious group of bike riders ready to hit the trail!



Pal and his cousin DD taking flight in a tethered balloon - Vermont



Exhausted at the end of a long day in Vermont (rough life this kid has, huh?)



Pal with his cousins and Hubby going for a canoe ride in N.H.



Pal and his best buddies - camping in Maine



Okay, lightsticks in Maine *might* be as cool as sparklers in New Hampshire!



A bluebird eating breakfast at our feeder in N.H.



Our last hurrah - Florida in August (and our sweatiest vacation ever!)



The building of "Harry Potter" exhibit at Universal Studios in Florida - we cannot wait for this to open!!!



Pal with Shaggy and Scooby Doo at Universal Studios.



Pal getting eaten by Jaws - Universal Studios.


Shamu show at Sea World, FL



The new "Manta" roller coaster at Sea World, FL. Possibly THE best coaster we've ever ridden!



Dinner with Minnie and cousins at Chef Mickey's in Florida



Mom and Pal with their favorite mouse in the World!



This was our dessert at "T-Rex" in Downtown Disney!



I will leave you with this gift - the sun setting over our hotel in Florida:




I hope you enjoyed the pics from our Summer. I realize how blessed I am to live the life I do, and I am thankful for it.


On to the school year....here comes 5th grade!

-G

The Sounds of Summer

Certain sounds can bring me right back to Summers of years gone by. Some of them have always stayed the same, and some have changed according to location. Here are some sounds that remind me that Summer is really here, even if the weather hasn't shown us it is.

Here are some sounds that I love:

Red Sox playing baseball - the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd. Reminds me of when I was a kid and my oldest sister was obsessed with Rick Burlson. I love all of the background noise from the games, too.

Crickets - except when the huge ones decide to live right outside my window!

Rain and T-Storms - My Mother loved rain storms, and we used to gather on the front porch and watch the lightning and listen for the thunder. Once when I was little, I remember that she took her shoes off and went out to the street to run in the flooding rain water.

Splashing of pool water - I grew up with a pool, so I remember hearing my brother and his friends jumping into the pool, wishing I was cool enough to be included in their pool party!!

Bug zappers - thank goodness no one in my neighborhood owns one. I just remember them from when I was a kid. ZZZZZZZttt!

Big bugs bouncing off the screens - those huge moths, or June bugs buzzing the windows looking to come in!

Lste night street sounds - I grew up on a main street, so there were always cars going by, but I remember sitting at my window on really hot nights and just listening to the sounds of the neighborhood in its "quiet" mode. You could hear a car coming to a stop at George Street, or a lone person walking sounded like 10 people when it was that quiet. The big tree in the LeBert's yard across the street, blowing in the breeze. Occasional car accidents, and my Uncle walking around the corner to check it out because he heard about the accident on his police scanner.

Kids outside playing - it's a sound like no other. I remember our neighborhood teeming with kids playing Relievio or kick-the-can. Now, for my son, it's the neighborhood kids playing "army" complete with teams and forts and weapon stashes.


I am not looking forward to the heat and humidity that I know is inevitable, but I do love the relaxed schedule and having the time to enjoy the sounds of Summer.

Enjoy yours.

-G

Work/School's out for Summer!

I can't believe that it is June. Today I am out of work for the Summer, and I have that same feeling that I used to get on the last day of school when I was a kid. It's a giddy, bubbling sensation that won't allow me to sit still! I am dreaming of lazy days, staying in bed until I feel like moving...ahhhhh the dreams you dream....

Pal will be out of school in 10 days. I am also looking forward to this, because it means no backpacks, homework, trombone lessons, etc. No schedules. I truly feel that kids deserve Summer vacations because the school year feels like it is forever long, and they need a breather. I'm sure I will feel differently by mid-July!!!!

Yesterday the 4th Grade performed a musical concert for the parents. It was really good, and the music teacher did a great job picking songs that weren't too "baby-ish" or silly. These kids are all about 10 years old, and they don't want to look stupid. There was one kid who I gave a lot of credit to, he did a solo and tried to impersonate Elvis - it was awesome! He did forget the words halfway through but just the fact that he did it was great.

Here is a picture of my shy guy:


For the Summer, Pal is going to a morning camp in town with some friends. I won't make him go every day but for the amount of money they charge he will be there as much as possible! Other than that we are planning on going to our campground on the weekends and hopefully hosting some friends and family there, and in August we are taking the pop-up with a group of friends to Maine. Not sure of any other plans but knowing Hubby there will be more to come!

What are your plans for Summer? Please enlighten me!

Happy Friday!
-G

Vacation Memories

This is the new version of "The Thinker"!


Our vacation was wonderful. How could it not be? We were on a 900+ foot luxury ocean liner, visiting gorgeous Caribbean islands, eating what and when we want, and meeting people from all over the country and world. There were a lot of New Englander's on this cruise because of school vacation week. We had the amazing opportunity to have dinner with the ship's Doctor - a very interesting man who was born in Australia but is an ER physician in Taiwan. Here is a picture of Hubby and Pal with our very own Adam Bricker:


He told us our cruise was one of the busiest for him - there were a few serious ailments, one man almost died but they were able to stabilize him long enough to get him off the boat in St. Thomas. We actually saw them taking him off the ship and into the waiting ambulance. I sincerely hope he was able to get the proper medical treatment in St. Thomas and is on his way to recovery.

The first place we visited was Samana, which is in the Dominican Republic. This island is lush and beautiful, but also one of the poorest places I have ever been. It was so disheartening to see the poverty, but we also used it as a teachable moment for Pal - he saw how other people have so much less than he does. I can only hope that the images of the dirty children and emaciated animals will stick in his mind the next time he whines about not getting the newest video game or toy! One thing that struck me about the children of Samana, though, was how happy they were - they always smiled as Pal waved to them as we drove by. They were happy with life, not because of what they had or did not have.

This was the waterfall we hiked to in Samana: Gorgeous, huh?

The next island we stopped at was St. Thomas. Hubby and I had been there once on another cruise. We loved the sight of Magen's Bay so much that we vowed to come back and swim there.
So, Pal, Hubby and I went to the beach at Magen's Bay. The water was so crystal clear, and the beach was incredible.

Next, on to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.
I may have even liked Tortola better than St. Thomas! The first thing we did was "Swimming with Dolphins". Expensive, but totally worth it. The dolphin we had was a 3-year-old male named Atlas. They are such intelligent, gentle creatures, and their skin is so soft and leathery. An experience of a lifetime. I have pictures, but have to scan them in so I will update this post with those as soon as I do it!

After the dolphins, we went to Cane's Garden Bay. Take one look and you'll fall hard:

Here is Pal on the beach at Cane's Bay:

After a full day at sea and nursing our sunburns, our next and final stop was Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas - which is NCL's own private island. They tendered you from the ship onto this little strip of land in the middle of the ocean. We were on the 2nd tender of the morning and there was already a race for beach chairs. The other thing that Pal really, really wanted to try was parasailing, but Great Stirrup Cay was the only place that Pal met the age/weight requirements. When we inquired about getting a reservation through the ship, we were told it was sold out. So, as soon as we arrived onto the island, Hubby went right over to the parasailing kiosk and asked if there was any availability. The guy told him that they could go on the next trip out! So lucky! So, before the age of 10, Pal has been swimming with dolphins and parasailing, not to mention going to Hawaii at age 5 and going on a helicopter ride over a volcano!!!

Here is the view of the ship from Great Stirrup Cay:


Here are a couple of pictures of them parasailing:



As you can see, it was quite the trip. None of us got seasick, there was no major travel issues and we came home with lots of memories and pictures. I'll leave you with one of my faves - it was just a comical moment at that kids pool.




Have a great weekend!
-G

One Year Blogiversary

On April 18th it will be officially one year ago that I started this blog. I've written 53 posts, and since I started tracking the site visitors I have had 1,375 page visits. That's pretty cool. Since I will be getting on a Caribbean Cruise on my actual Blogiversary I thought I would post this today and say "Bon Voyage" until I get back!

I am really enjoying blogging, when I have the time. Sometimes I feel like I could write 1,000 posts and other times I feel like it's a chore. It's funny how in such a short amount of time I have become one of those people that looks at every story, every picture, every good or bad event in my life as blog fodder! I also am fascinated that people I would never had dreamed would be reading my blog are always commenting (either live or on the message board) on my posts. I've been inspired by other people's blogs, and even gotten to know complete strangers who I feel so connected to through their blogs. It's pretty bad when I go to tell my Hubby a story about a post I read on someone's blog and I start by saying "This person I know...well, I don't really KNOW them, but I read their blog...." It makes me sound like I sit in front of my computer all day long and live vicariously through other people's blogs, but I can assure you that is NOT the case.

In addition to our Caribbean Cruise, I am excited to say that we just purchased a used pop-up camper (in addition to the 40ft. travel trailer we bought last Fall to put in our campground). We are looking forward to moving around in the pop-up and experiencing new places. Buying the used pop-up and the new travel trailer was a nice compromise between Hubby and I. Hubby was getting tired of being in the same campground for 18 years and wants to experience other campgrounds and other places around the New England area. But Pal and I were more reluctant to give it up, and since Pal will probably be the one to put a stop to our camping altogether when he's a teenager and get's a "life" (at least that's what most other parents tell us happens when their kids reach the teen years...), we figured we'd compromise and get a used pop-up. The one we found was perfect - we had been looking at a lot of them and this one was spotless and had the perfect layout. We will be much more comfortable than in a tent, that's for sure! Here are pictures of both new campers:




So, I want to say thanks to anyone who has been my blog follower for this past year. It's nice to know there is a place that I can post my innermost thoughts and feelings, and that there are people are out there that care enough to read it. It's been very therapeutic, cathartic, curative, medicinal and salutary for me.

Yes, I've been reading the dictionary again.

Happy Blogiversary, and I'll be sure to post after I done being the Caribbean Queen!

-G

School Vacation - time to be sick, right?

***Disclaimer - do not look at last pic if you have a weak stomach!!!***

So it's the final vacation until Summer gets here, and Pal and I could not be any happier! The weather today was great...except that I was on the couch all day with a cold. I managed to escape all of the Winter sicknesses that went around, and of course because I am also on vacation from work - it's time to be sick! This can just be added to the saga of the last 2 school vacations....let me explain:

Christmas vacation - the Dean of our division at work gave us the day before and the day after Christmas off and I was pumped. This meant hubby only had to take 2 vaca days to stay home with Pal. See, I cannot take vacation during December and January since it is our prime college application processing season. (I hate those High School Seniors who wait until midnight on December 31st to hit the "submit" button on their applications...aren't they supposed to out getting sh*tfaced???? It's New Year's Eve - That's what I was doing at their age!!!) I digress...

Pal wakes up on the day after Christmas and says "Mama, I have an itchy spot on my hip and my leg..." We had seen some weird skin "pimples" appear on some unmentionable areas of his backside a few weeks earlier, but they went away with some Desitin. Now these little pimples on his hip and leg looked more like a horrible spider bite. So off to the Pedi, not our usual Doc but he had to be seen. Fill in Doc tries to scrape the "bite" but gets nothing, so he prescribes an antibiotic to kill whatever skin infection this is. Finishes antibiotic and skin gets better. Here's what it looked like at this point:






4 weeks goes by, and it is my birthday weekend and we decide to go to a nice hotel for the weekend where Pal can swim and we can relax. When you have an only child, who loves to swim, this is key to being able to relax. So, Friday night and Saturday morning are blissful as Pal and Dad lazily swim while Mama gets to read by the pool. A book - I read a book - and only had to look up every 30 seconds or so for the requisite "Mama, LOOK". Pal gets out of pool for lunch and is immediately itchy from head to toe. We shower him off and go get some lunch...or try to, seeing as Pal is now exhausted from swimming, itchy all over, and falls asleep in the bench at lunch place! He's 8, so naps are looooong gone. He wakes up miserable, and we head back to the hotel for some R & R. I decide to cover his body in Desitin to stop the itching, and see the blooming "pimple" on his leg - same as before. BACK to the Pedi - this time OUR Pedi. He says it doesn't look like a chlorine/bromine reaction (our initial thought seeing as he swam for hours in a strange pool). Nor does it look like a spider bite to him. Of course in the meantime I've scoured the internet for pictures of spider bites and skin infections (DON"T ever Google images of Spider bites unless you want to BARF!) and am convinced he has some rare disease by now because I can't find anything similar, and the Pedi seems stumped. More antibiotics, and we're through with this skin "thing" again.

Another 4 weeks goes by and it is now February vacation, and Pal says on Tuesday "Mama, I've got another one of those itchy things on my leg!" ARGHHHH!!! What the heck is going on?????
This time I am not going back to the Pedi, so I call and tell the Nurse that we need to see a dermatologist (they wanted us to come back in to see the Pedi - NOPE!). She gives me a couple of numbers for referrals, and of course I have no luck. One place told me 6 months waiting list!!!
So I call Pedi Nurse back and tell HER that SHE is going to get MY SON an appointment with a DERMATOLOGIST TODAY. She says, "Oh, okay, let me see what I can do". She calls back in 20 minutes and says "Is tomorrow at 11:00 acceptable? That's the best they could do for us." Okay, now we're getting somewhere. So, Pal and I go off and visit with my best friend and her kids, and another friend we hadn't seen in a long time stopped by for a visit with her 2 boys.

Wednesday dawns and we head to the Dermatologist. They take one look - ONE look, and say "Oh, we have to do a nasal swab test to see if this is a certain kind of bacteria that can live in your nose and cause skin eruptions like this." WOW - someone actually KNOWS what this could be? No way. It's only been 2 and half MONTHS! They tell me to call on Friday for the results and if his leg gets any worse he needs to be seen again by them. So, because I still have NO idea what this is, I head up to my sister's house - 100 miles from home. Stupid idiot. Of course, Pal has no idea that my brother-in-law got him a snowboarding lesson at the ski mountain he works at for Friday morning. Thank God I didn't tell Pal that! Because in true fashion, he wakes up Thursday and his leg looks like this:



YUCK!!!! I can barely look at this. It is SO nasty. But, the realist in me says "Well, the new antibiotics haven't had a chance to work yet, so let's see how this afternoon goes." DUH. Idiot, again. We go out for dinner with my sister, and Pal tells me (while I'm eating) "Mama, something warm is running down my leg". Off to the bathroom and it is not only pussing but bleeding too. BLECH!!!! YUCK!!!! I cannot handle this. We call Dermatologist and they tell me to bring him in first thing in the morning. Well, since we are 100 miles from home, and there is a HUGE snowstorm forecasted for Friday afternoon, I head back first thing Friday morning and bring him to the Dermatologist. They take one look - ONE. Look at results of nasal swab, and turns to me and says "You're going to the hospital. It's MRSA."

HUH????????????? What the &^%$ is MRSA (pronounced MERSA)????

Well, it turns out that MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. It is THE worst type of staph infection to get, because it is resistant to MOST common antibiotics. Contagious only if someone touches the puss/ooze/blood. Thank goodness, considering all the visiting we'd been doing!!!! My first question, after the contagious one, was WHERE THE FRIG DOES SOMEONE GET MRSA FROM???? Apparently, there is a new type of MRSA called CA-MRSA, or Community-Associated MRSA. He could have gotten it at school, at the hotel pool, anywhere that kids tend to expel bodily fluids......YUCK. I am so totally grossed out at this point, because this "super bug" as they call it, has been living in my sons body for 2+ months!!! Why the heck didn't the Pedi's know what it was? The number 1 mistaken diagnosis of MRSA is a SPIDER BITE!!!! ARGHHHH!!!! I told BOTH Pedi's we thought it could be spider bites. SO aggravating. So off the the ER where we were treated like lepers (which turned out not to be so bad, we never sat in the waiting room, but ushered right into the pediatric ER and sat through 7 hours of IV antibiotics and Benadryl and hours of Spongebob. Shoot me. The snowstorm raged all around us and we finally left at 9 p.m. to drive home in un-plowed snow. It was pretty, but treacherous and just what I did NOT need at the end of a loooonnnnng day.

So, you can see why I am not surprised that this cold presented itself yesterday morning...because WHY would we have a school vacation without some drama????
I guess I should just be happy that Pal just tested negative for MRSA!!!

Happy vacation....good health to you and yours!

G