Ciao Adamo!

 Last night, we helped Adam finish packing for what I hope will be an amazing adventure!

He is taking classes this semester at the Sapienza University of Rome.
It is the largest university in Europe with over 150,000 students.

Adam has been preparing for this since Freshman year.  It was necessary to become pretty fluent in the language since all of his courses will be taught in Italian. 

 He will be renting an apartment in Rome with some other students who are from Italy.  He has never met them.  He knows nothing about them. They probably don't even speak English. 

We left home today at noon and drove him to JFK Airport.

I don't know exactly how Adam was feeling, but I was feeling nervous and excited for him - and a little jealous!  I probably would never have dared to do this at his age! But then again, I had never even been on an airplane at his age. 

 Crossing the bridge into Long Island, we could see the NYC skyline.
 

 In just about 2 hours, we were there.

 Vance dropped us off and went to park the car.

 I helped Adam bring his bags to check-in.  We had used "space bags" to pack all of his things.  You vacuum out all of the air and you can fit a tremendous amount of clothes in the bags.  So much  that the bag weighed over 10 lbs more than the allowed weight, so there was a $75 fee.  Very worth it for all that he packed!

 I took this picture because of the American flag - something Adam will not be seeing again until August when he comes back home.

 Since we were so early for his 5:35 flight, we got him something to eat and sat with him for a while.

 This lady sat down at the table next to us with her dog...

 I thought perhaps she was coming from the Westminster Dog Show.

 But upon closer inspection, I decided probably NOT.

 We walked him to the security gate where we said our good-byes.

One last picture of my baby before he leaves -
and before an airport security guard came running toward me yelling to put down the camera!  Haha!

We hope and pray that everything goes smoothly for him.  He doesn't have a cell phone yet (he plans to get one once he gets settled), so we will have to wait until he finds a way to email us to let us know he has arrived safely. 

He also plans to write a blog.

I can't wait to read it.
I miss him already!

The Ones I Didn't Choose (or who didn't choose me)

“I don't understand the whole dating thing. I know right off the bat if I'm interested in someone, and I don't want them to waste their money on me and take me out to eat if I know I'm not interested in that person.”     Britney Spears

As I was searching for quotes on dating that I could identify with, the last person I expected to agree with was Britney Spears!  

Dating...  Romance...

I've been there.  Done that. 
And I'm glad it's over.
But I firmly believe it's important to date a lot of guys so you can learn what you really want in a husband.   And what you don't want.  

But then again,  I am the type of person 
who doesn't make quick decisions.  
I like to weigh all of the options.
Study the pros and cons.

If I knew I could never marry someone, 
I never went on a 2nd date.

If someone told me they loved me early on,
I felt uncomfortable and knew they weren't sincere.
I set them straight.

I have only said "I LOVE YOU" to one person.

But as Valentine's Day approaches, 
I thought it would be fun to look back
on the ones I DIDN'T CHOOSE.


My first date was with Donald when I was a sophomore in high school.  We had gone to grammar school together and he had blue eyes.  And he was smart.  We went roller skating and he held my hand.  I liked the idea that my first date was over.  I had fun, but wasn't really attracted to him.  I let him down easy. (No picture of Donald!)

 For the rest of high school, I liked Jim.  He was smart.  He had a nice smile.  He was very witty.  And he was a really nice guy.   We hung out with a group of friends, we slow-danced at high school dances, we went to a few formal dances together.  We went on one real date after high school.  It was then that I realized I loved him more as a friend.  I still remember when I told him this.  We were in college talking in front of the student union (Billings building back then).  I felt bad hurting him because I liked him so much.  I didn't want to lose his friendship.  We still keep in touch every Christmas with personal notes on our family Christmas cards.  I still consider him my friend.

 I dated Rick during college.  I worked at a pizza restaurant called "The Tower".   He lived in Harris/Millis dorm at UVM.  Rick was a runner.  He had a nice smile.  He was kind of funny and goofy and fun to be with.  It didn't last long.  He broke up with me at "What Ale's You".  I was very distraught  for a while.  I still have a teddy bear he gave me.

 Kip also worked at "The Tower" with me.  He was a serious person who looked ahead to his future.  He was a very nice guy.  Very down to earth and gentle.  One night my parents were really upset because I didn't come home until the wee hours of the morning (remember there were no cell phones back then!).  Kip and I were talking on a swingset somewhere and lost track of the time. He was a Mormon and we were having a deep conversation about faith.  Kip went to France on a mission trip and things just never went any further.  We reconnected on Facebook a few years ago.

 Jim  and Tim.  Brothers. That was complicated.  They both worked at "The Tower".  They were both really nice guys.  They were really smart too.  And witty.  Jim liked me and I liked Tim.  It didn't work out for any of us.  Jim sent me this picture when he was in college at BU.  It was labeled "studying by osmosis".  

 Dan.  I met Dan in college.  We had lots of math and computer classes together.  We became friends and spent a LOT of time together.  We also worked 2nd shift at IBM one summer and we commuted to and from work together.  We would go out after work quite often.  I LOVED being with Dan.  He made me laugh.  He was a gentle giant. He always took care of me and made me feel loved.
There was some romance involved, and I really WANTED to fall in love with Dan, but for the most part we were really good friends.  

This picture was taken after college.  I had moved to New Britain, CT.  I was a Big Sister to the little girl in the picture and I took her to Boston one day.  Dan met us there and spent the day with us.

At this time, though, I had begun work at Travelers and he had moved to MA to begin his career.
We went to each others weddings.  Even though I was already with Vance,  I have to admit there was a tug on my heart at his wedding.  I knew our relationship would never be the same again.   We had been out of touch for a number of years (except Christmas cards).  We have since become Facebook friends.  It's strange, but I still feel that if I ever needed help, he would be there for me. 

 Charlie.  Charlie and Vance were in my training class at Travelers.  After I turned down Vance for a date,  I dated Charlie for a while.  He fixed my car for me.  It didn't last long because I realized I had made a mistake when I didn't go on that date with Vance! 

I dated Vance for one year before we got engaged.  
His picture is not here
because 
I chose him
and 
he chose me.

“The best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person will still think the sun shines out of your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with.”  ~Juno

Rise and Shine

This past week has been a lucky one for me.

I won $40 in a Superbowl Pool on Sunday!

And I won an $855.00 rug in a New Year's Resolution contest on Facebook!

The contest was by Company C, a rug/furniture/fabric/pillow designer and manufacturer.
If you click on the link, you can read my winning resolution and see the beautiful rugs they design.

I discovered Company C when I was looking for a colorful area rug for my new kitchen.

I bought "Wendy's Garden", a very happy and brightly colored hooked rug for under my kitchen table.

As the contest winner, I could choose ANY 4'6 x 6'6 rug of my choice.

I chose the "Rise and Shine" design.

It is soooo beautiful and cheery!
My rug was delivered yesterday...

The detail on the rug is amazing.

There are so many different textures and colors!

Maddie loves it too!

The colors look real nice with Halle's coat.

Here are a few more pictures without any pets...

Doesn't it make you happy just looking at it?

Thank you, Company C!

Renovations (again)

We built our house in 1988.
Since that time, we have made lots of changes.
There are only two rooms that are "originals".
The bathrooms.

FINALLY we are in the process of renovating
the master bath and the kids' bath.

Knowing that they will soon be torn apart from top to bottom,  I've given up trying to make them look nice.  I'm have visions in my head of how they will soon be transformed, and I have no ambition to even clean anymore!

 As always, my "shadow" follows me wherever I go!

 The master bath is small, and very cluttered.  The drawers in the vanity are too shallow to store much of anything, so it stays on top of the counter.

 We have a small corner hamper for dirty clothes - that's all we can fit.  The new bathroom will have a hatchway in the wall to a large laundry bin in the closet on the other side.

The fiberglass shower enclosure will be ripped out and replaced by a tiled shower with a frameless glass door.

Nutmeg Stairs and Cabinets will make a new floating vanity cabinet with nice deep drawers and a quartz top.  Bye-bye formica!

 The kids' bathroom is more of the same.  Clutter, dirt, formica - yuk!

 The fish pictures will not reappear in the new bathroom!

 Neither will the cords.  The hairdryer will plug into the inside of the cabinet drawer so it will always be out of sight.

 The fiberglass tub will be replaced by an acrylic soaking tub with tiled walls.

 Again, Nutmeg is making a nice floating cabinet with quartz top.

 I have even stopped replacing light bulbs!

 The bathroom will be better ventilated with a cleaner, quieter fan that will vent to the outside.

 About 15 years ago we had a leak that the plumber patched with something that turned brown over the years!

I have been spending a lot of time making selections for toilets, tubs, tile, sinks, medicine cabinets, faucets, and tile.   Almost done!

The sooner I'm done, the sooner we can start.

The kids' bath will be the first to be worked on.


______________________________________________

My jogging log (new entries in red)

13:18 min           1.04 mile            12:47 min/mile
12:29 min           1.05 miles           11:53 min/mile
14:53 min           1.24 miles           12:00 min/mile
12:34 min           1.06 miles           11:51 min/mile
15:08 min           1.37 miles           11:02 min/mile
16:46 min           1.45 miles           11:34 min/mile
16:07 min           1.44 miles           11:12 min/mile
16:20 min           1.40 miles           11:40 min/mile

15:54 min           1.40 miles           11:21 min/mile

15:03 min           1.40 miles           10:40 min/mile

15:39 min           1.40 miles           11:11 min/mile

15:25 min           1.40 miles           10:51 min/mile

15:28 min           1.40 miles           11:03 min/mile 

15:31 min           1.37 miles           11:20 min/mile

15:20 min           1.40 miles           10:57 min/mile

15:55 min           1.50 miles           10:37 min/mile

16:07 min           1.50 miles           10:45 min/mile

16:03 min           1.50 miles           10:42 min/mile

16:00 min           1.50 miles           10:40 min/mile

18:00 min           1.67 miles           10:47 min/mile

19:31 min           1.71 miles           11:25 min/mile

.

Running Stats

I have never posted twice in one day, but I forgot to post my running stats at the end of this morning's blog.

I also forgot to post them at the end of Annie's birthday blog.

So here is my update.

While running/jogging is still not easy,
I have started to develop of rhythm to my breathing.
I am not gasping for air anymore.  Yeah!

I still find it hard to run 2 days in a row.
My body seems to need the extra time to recover.

While my legs still hurt, especially for the first 1/4 mile,
they don't ache for hours afterward anymore.


My jogging log (new entries in red)

13:18 min           1.04 mile            12:47 min/mile
12:29 min           1.05 miles           11:53 min/mile
14:53 min           1.24 miles           12:00 min/mile
12:34 min           1.06 miles           11:51 min/mile
15:08 min           1.37 miles           11:02 min/mile
16:46 min           1.45 miles           11:34 min/mile
16:07 min           1.44 miles           11:12 min/mile
16:20 min           1.40 miles           11:40 min/mile

15:54 min           1.40 miles           11:21 min/mile

15:03 min           1.40 miles           10:40 min/mile

15:39 min           1.40 miles           11:11 min/mile

15:25 min           1.40 miles           10:51 min/mile

15:28 min           1.40 miles           11:03 min/mile 

15:31 min           1.37 miles           11:20 min/mile

15:20 min           1.40 miles           10:57 min/mile

15:55 min           1.50 miles           10:37 min/mile

16:07 min           1.50 miles           10:45 min/mile

16:03 min           1.50 miles           10:42 min/mile

16:00 min           1.50 miles           10:40 min/mile

18:00 min           1.67 miles           10:47 min/mile

I'm happy with my progress. 

It seems silly that an increase of 1/10 mile makes

a difference, but it does. 

Little by little, I'm headed in the right direction!

Fringe Effect

I've never been someone who likes to spend a lot of money on beauty procedures.

Most days, my nails are bare and short.  If I want to look nice, I do my own manicure or pedicure.  Why pay someone to do something I can do myself?

I go to the salon to get my hair cut every 3 or 4 months.  In between, I trim my hair myself.

There is one thing, though, that is well worth the cost of going to the salon.

Lash Extensions.

My sister, Lori, was the first to try them before her cruise last winter.
She raved about them so much, that I decided to give them a try in May.

I LOVE THEM!

No more mascara!
No more black raccoon eyes as the day goes on.
I wake up in the morning and look good!
I can go underwater at the beach.

And I discovered a HUGE added benefit.

NO MORE red, irritated, dry, bloodshot eyes!

My eyes were irritated by the mascara I was wearing.

This is a picture from this morning with NO MAKEUP!

The lash extensions are applied one by one by a trained beautician.
They fall out over time as your regular lashes shed,
so you need to go back every 2 or 3 weeks for a "fill".

Here are a few pictures of a lash that fell off this morning.

The extensions are longer, thicker, and have a nice curl.

The only downsides:

- You can't rub your eyes a lot.
- You need to be careful when washing your face
        that you are gentle with the eye area.
- You need to go to the salon for "fills" which take
   about an hour every two or three weeks.
-  The cost.  Initially, @ $250, then $50 per fill.

The extensions are applied only to the top lashes.
I don't even bother putting it on the bottom anymore, though.
Just a little eye liner and I'm set to go.

I go to Kristen at the Somers Day Spa.
You lay down on a soft bed.
Listen to relaxing music.
Sometimes I even fall asleep while she applies them!
Soooooooo worth it!


Here is a link to the Xtreme Lash website.

Also,  a few youtube videos.


This one is from the show "The Doctors":

 And this is another video of someone getting them applied.
You don't need to watch the entire clip - but watch the beginning
and end.