What a Week!

Well this has been a most draining week. We got through Dad's biopsy on Thursday. It was a long day. We reported to the local hospital at 7:15 which meant being up and over to Dad's by 6:30am. As much as I didn't want to be out and about at such an early hour I was pleasantly surprised by one of the most beautiful sunrises over the ocean. I had forgotten how lovely it is to look at the sun as it comes up on the horizon. It was truly breathtaking. I wished that I had my camera. Anyway we did not get any results from the procedure. That will come next Friday. Now Dad is on a soft food diet and working to cut down his pack a day smoking habit to 10 or fewer smokes a day by next Friday. He's doing pretty good with it with the help of some medicine and will power not to mention a daughter who hides and rations the dastardly smokes!

Dad's procedure was not the end of the trials of this week. On Friday I had to go in for a repeat mammogram. Additional digital images of both breasts were taken. On a call back visit patients wait to meet with the radiologist to get the results of the additional images. So after being rather tightly squeezed by the machine I went back into the waiting room. I finally met with the radiologist who explained why there was a need for more images, overlapping breast tissue and the like. He went on to say that while the left side appeared to have been just a case of tissue needing to be thinned out by the machine that the right side showed something. He did an exam and could feel something. When he palpated the spot it did not hurt (not good from what I have read). He called it a cyst and has me coming back a week from Monday. He will have me go for an ultrasound of the area and then again I will meet with the doctor after the exam. The ultrasound will determine if the cyst is a fluid filled cyst or something else...a lump or a mass. So the waiting begins. The ironic thing is that when Dad got the news about the mass on his vocal chord one of my first thoughts was.... oh great we'll end up doing radiation together.... Please say a prayer that this is not the case. I'll keep you updated.

Peace!

Bad News!

Well I had a bit of bad news today. Took Dad to the ear nose and throat doctor this morning to investigate the hoarse voice he has had since the beginning of the summer. I was expecting to hear polyps or irritation with an admonition to stop smoking. Well its bigger than that unfortunately. The doctor scoped Dad's throat and found a mass on his vocal chord. He said it is most likely cancerous but will need to do a biopsy right away. So life just got a bit more complicated and certainly more dramatic. I'm not sure how much of this is sinking in with Dad. Tomorrow we'll go to the hospital and the doctors office for pre surgical testing and then on Thursday he'll go in for day surgery for the biopsy. It will be about a week before we get the pathology reports back. On the 8th of October we'll go in and see what the report says. More than likely Dad will need to go for radiation therapy 5 days a week for 6 to 8 weeks. What adds more complications to the entire situation is that I still have not spoken to my brother and doubt that he will be helpful in any way.

Hitch Hiker

Look who hitched a ride into our house this weekend!

In Flight

Stretched my creative muscles today.

Going Out!

Well it's been a very long time since I have gone out on a Saturday evening. Tonight is the night. Usually 'R' plays out on either a Friday or Saturday evening and I stay home with the kids. Now that he and his band has gone it's separate ways I will have more of an opportunity to get out and reconnect with my girlfriends. I made a yummy appetizer that I'll bring to
'C's house and she has cocktails and other snacks for the few of us who are spending the evening together. It will be nice to have some adult conversation with friends.

Spent some time with Dad today. We are talking about the possibility of creating an in law addition over at our house. The plan would be to get a loan build it and then pay it off after he sells his house. I would feel so much better to have him close to us so that we can make sure he is safe. I worry that a move to a completely strange neighborhood and home would be detrimental to his health and well being. We shall see how this all goes.

Well now I'm off to get ready for tonight. I think I might need some coffee before I go out. The rain today has put me in a very sleepy state.

Peace!

Remembering Joseph Roberto

Joseph Roberto

37 years old

Midland, New Jersey

A Family is

a circle of strength and love.

With every birth and every union the circle grows.

Every joy shared adds more love.

Every crisis faced together

makes the circle stronger.

Joseph "Joe" Roberto was a son, brother, uncle, husband, and father.

He was devoted to his family and his family devoted to him.

He was a friend and colleague.

He maintained a solid work ethic and held himself to high expectations.

He enjoyed life: motorcycles, riding his motorcycle and investigating the battlefields in Virginia and West Virginia, exploring nature with his son, collecting coins, putting up his parents holiday decorations and gathering his own.

He is loved.

When I first received my name from the 2996 project I felt an immediate connection to Joseph Roberto as he shares a variation of my father's name. As I started my research I found it difficult to find much information to share, but I continued to dig and search. Finally I found this site and I learned much more about this person whom we all lost on September 11, 2001. I am honored and humbled to share this tribute today on the 8th anniversary of the greatest loss we have felt on our soil. May the Roberto family be blessed and my God bless the United States of America.

Peace

Troubles

car troubles, sleep troubles, family troubles..... lots going on.... all will be well. I hope. Family troubles might linger. Seems my brother isn't speaking to me at the moment. Sigh. All having to do with the sale of Dad's house and his (my brother's) current economic predicament. Car is in the shop to be fixed which means I must hitch a ride with my friend 'S' to get to school. I hate asking for help! Sigh again. Sleep troubles are hopefully over... 'n' had bad dreams and climbed in last night at 3am. Not much sleep to be had between 3 and 5:30. Tired. Heading to bed now for much needed rest.

Peace!


sorry this isn't my usual upbeat post, guess I had to vent for just a minute Thanks for listening :)

The First Week

Well we've done it! We made it through the first full week of school. I now have a fifth grader in middle school as well as a third grader. Both children are happy. The first day gave us all butterflies. I walked 'N' to the bus stop at the very end of the street. I was the only mom to walk to the bus stop. I was unsure if I should stay with him or not. He gave me the ok to go back home but when I turned around he was just standing alone. I was so worried for him and remembering how I felt when I went to middle school. I was so happy to see his face when he walked home from the bus stop. Smiles and excitement... so much better than last year. In contrast 'n' was thrilled to get to school we walked into school and delivered special notes and snacks to her 2nd grade teacher as well as her new 3rd grade teacher before she spent a few minutes at the morning YMCA before school program. Her new teacher is lovely and the classroom is one of the best rooms in the building. There was minimal homework this week and lots of interesting stories. So far so good.

I started back at my school too. I met the children in both the morning and afternoon classes over the last two days. The children seem to be very excited to come back to school, meet new friends and reconnect with their old friends. Looking forward to a good year.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Looking forward to an extra day off.

Peace!

Back to School Blues

Well tomorrow is the first day back to school for N, n and me! I have to say that I am so sad to see our summer end. I have truly enjoyed being with my children. We spent the entire summer together. There were days when we were all frazzled but for the most part we enjoyed each others company. We went to the beach, visited with friends, spent some time with Papa, did errands and spent time just lounging around the house. It was a relaxed time enjoyed by all. As every fall begins I end up with butterflies in my stomach. I guess I'm nervous for the new challenges that lie ahead for my children as they enter into a new stage of their education and the challenges that I face with a two new classes of preschoolers and their families. This year brings additional challenges at work as we face a Reaccreditation visit from the NAEYC as well as the continued uncertainty of the current economic climate. I think that I will be filling out paperwork to start substitute teaching on Mondays and Fridays at my local elementary school. I'm thinking that now at 40 I need to prepare for my own future as well as that of my children. I don't think working 24 hours at a preschool is going to pay for college or retirement. I feel like I will be facing a crossroads of sorts this year. The feeling is a bit unsettling. Stay tuned!

Peace!

How Fitting

Quote of the Day:

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.
Jesse Jackson

What a fitting quote for the day that Senator Kennedy is laid to rest.

Peace!

Shared Responsibility.... YOU CAN make a difference!

Friends,




I just signed this petition to honor Ted Kennedy, which will be delivered to senators on Monday:
"Ted Kennedy was a courageous champion for health care reform his entire life. In his honor, name the reform bill that passed Kennedy's health committee 'The Kennedy Bill' -- then pass it, and nothing less, through the Senate."


Kennedy's bill includes a public health insurance option, and it would be an honor to Kennedy's memory if it passed the Senate. Will you sign the petition? You can sign here.


Thanks.

Join Us

So here I am happily checking out my blogger friends when I come to Alicia's post about signing up to remember the victims of 9/11. I remember reading her post last year. I also remember exactly what I was doing on that fateful morning. In the past I have posted on 9/11 and reflected on that day. After checking out the Project 2,996 site I have decided to sign up to honor the life of one of the victims of 9/11. I'm looking forward to receiving my name and researching and writing a memorial. 687 bloggers have signed up to remember. I hope you will join us in creating a post that will honor those who lost their lives on that fateful day.

Peace!

Waves

Well hurricane Bill blew through the east coast last night and left behind some incredible surf! Mid day 'n' and I went down to the beach to see if any treasures had washed ashore. We decided to take a short walk as the tide was coming in and the waves were huge. We met up with our friend J the lobster man. He was retrieving one of his pots that had come undone and was being washed ashore. As we walked further we saw another of J's pots. I tried to retrieve it for him but only ended up getting completely soaked from the wast down by the huge waves crashing on shore. I have to say that the waves were so large that they made me a bit nervous. We went back to tell J about the other trap and walked over to help him retrieve it before it ended up washed out to sea or crashed against the rocks. So as we pulled in the trap J noticed that it held a good sized lobster. Once again we were the proud recipients of a yummy lobster lunch. I can't wait till baking weather returns so that I can make my Mum's homemade Irish bread and bring him a loaf to thank him for his generosity. He is such a nice man and reminds me so much of a grandfather figure from my youth. So back to the lobster... J showed me how to hold the lobster so that I wouldn't get pinched and he told me (in his Irish brogue) to run it home and boil it up right away. That is exactly what we did, well we didn't actually run but boy did we walk fast!

After lunch we decided that we would return to the beach at high tide with camera in hand to check out the surf. It was unbelievable. The sound of the surf crashing against the beach sounded like thunder. I've never seen the tide that high. I ended up taking over 900 photos! I thought I'd share a couple of my favorites with you here.

Summer

So we're having a real stretch of summer weather this week. It has been hot and humid for the last several days with temps reaching mid 90's. We've had a relatively cool summer so it's nice to have some of this hot weather before everyone gets ready to go back to school. 'n' and I have been going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. Yesterday the water was cold but the last few time prior the water has been warm and lovely. Even when it's cold there is something wonderful about swimming in the ocean. I love it.

Just a quick update. It's time to suit up and get ready for another beach morning.

Peace!