Regression Instead of Progress…

The country is regressing! And America is officially back in Kindergarten now! Here is a headline I just read online: White House Tells Banks to Stop Hoarding Money and here is the first paragraph of the article: WASHINGTON — An impatient White House is serving notice on banks receiving billions of dollars in federal help to quit hoarding the money and start making more loans.

That's just great, now all the country's money problems are solved because the banks will listen to Washington and do what they say, right, yeah right! Unbelievable, just thought I'd inform America we're going to be OK because Washington has spoken. I wish the best to everyone losing their jobs because things are getting worse instead of better. And all my best to the new President because he will definitely have his hands full trying to clean up this mess which gets bigger by the day.

I said "I Do" and Never Looked Back…

Today is my 21st Wedding Anniversary. On October 24, 1987 when I said "I Do" I never imagined all that we would experience together as a married couple – we were so young and in love that the future was the farthest thing from our minds on that bright, blue sky day with all the colors of fall and family and friends celebrating all around us. It's been an amazing ride…

Two houses, two kids and many ups and downs later I look back and know it was the best two words I've ever said. As we embark on the next 21 years and beyond, I hope the ride continues to be just as interesting.

Happy Anniversary, my love, may these uncertain times become the memories of our future as we weather this latest "storm" together!

Traditions…

My youngest daughter turned 16 last week and this past weekend we gave her a "Sweet Sixteen" party. All her friends that I've known and have been in school with her since kindergarten attended and I couldn't believe how grown up they all were. Two of my daughter's closest friends came to help her celebrate turning 16. She's stayed in touch with them even though they all now live in different towns and go to different high schools. At all the birthday parties and other gatherings that they've all been together over the years it's been a tradition to take a photo of the three of them together. Happy Sweet Sixteen, Katie and may the three of you always be the "3 Muskateers" no matter where life takes you.

The first day of nursery school – 1994


At a dance recital many years ago.


The 3 Muskateers at Katie's 14th Birthday Party


All grown up at the party this past weekend

Connecting with the past by staying in touch with old friends…

I recently corresponded with an old friend that I haven't been in touch with for a while. We were best friends in high school and then stayed in touch through college. We were both in each other's weddings as a maid of honor and then once we had children spent many hours together to pass the time while our kids played together. Then in 1997 when our kids were 7, 6, 5 and 4 years old I went back to work and she had another baby. Our lives took different directions and we lost touch as we went down separate paths in life. Now that all our children are older I hope that we can stay in touch again on a regular basis. She told me today that she thought of me as she was going through some old photos and found one of our kids together at a beach house that we rented together one summer. Here is a page I found in one of my scrapbooks of when the kids were younger. It is of my daughter (Winnie the Pooh) and her daughter (Barney) when they were 2 and 1. Here's to a future of staying in touch more frequently, my friend – let's have a cup of tea and a walk down memory lane when you have some time!

The Sunday morning comics and dinner with family…

It's Sunday morning and my husband just kissed me good-bye to go off to his weekend job to pay for the college tuition bills and my youngest daughter just got a ride with a friend to head off to the local soccer club to work all day. And I'm making a grocery list and a list of other errands I have to take care of today because there's not enough time during the week to do them.

What ever happened to sitting and reading the Sunday paper? – saving the comics for last and savoring them until it was time to get dressed and have Sunday dinner with family. I remember when Sunday mornings meant long leisurely breakfasts with the Sunday paper, then Sunday dinner at the dining room table with extended family in the afternoon. Even when I was in college and home on an occasional weekend I was expected to be free and home at 1 pm to sit down and eat dinner with my whole family. When I was younger Sunday's meant getting in the car and driving to my grandparent's house to enjoy a meal that my grandmother spent days preparing for us. It was either some kind of pot roast dinner or pasta with sauce that she labored over for hours making from scratch with fresh tomatoes and spices and there was always something homemade and delicious for dessert. Those times, I'm afraid are gone. During the week families are too busy to sit down and enjoy a daily meal together and the weekends are even more hectic so there's never any time.

Taking cues from my childhood upbringing, as I raised my own family I always made a point to make them sit down a couple of times a week to a family meal with no TV, no cell phones or anything else to interrupt us for at least a half hour. I have also always made it a point to make one weekend meal where all four of us could sit down together – either on Saturday or Sunday evening. When my oldest daughter was in high school a couple of years ago she actually thanked me for taking the time to cook and make her sit down to eat meals together. She said that none of her friends had this privilege – privilege! Something that should be part of our daily routines has now become a privilege, can you believe it!

I recently finished reading a great book written by my Mom's best friend's husband. A Lifetime Ago Before the Death of Childhood is about the life and times of a man who grew up in the 1950's – a simpler time. I highly recommend it for all generations so we don't forget how life used to be. And to remember when life was simpler, less hectic.

History Does Repeat Itself…

As I watch my 401K retirement account and the 529 accounts for college tuition bills dwindle I try to read up and listen to the news about what is happening with our economy so that I can stay informed. I remember when my husband and I applied for a mortgage on our first house right before we got married back in the late 1980s – we not only had to qualify for a mortgage based on our income we also had to see a mortgage counselor to make sure we were financially and mentally able to handle the monthly mortgage payment. I hope people learn from the recent mortgage crisis that has gotten us into this mess. I believe we need to get back to a time where "if you don't have the money to pay for it then you can't buy it" mentality. As our country struggles with this latest economic crisis we really need to step back and look at how the past has gotten us here and learn from it. Just as history repeats itself so too do the cycles of nature every year. For those of us lucky enough to live in New England fall is a time of beauty – it seems especially beautiful this year with all the bright colors against a beautiful blue sky. As I leave you with these thoughts enjoy this photo taken by my daughter who attends Hampshire College in Amherst, MA (she also took the photo in my header as well) and then take time to enjoy the beauty of nature around you.

Remember When…

Family and friends have inspired me to start my own blog (see blogs that I follow below), as I've been following theirs for a while now. I've decided to call my blog "Remember When…" because now that I'm forty-something I feel I have a lot to remember in my life. For starters trying to keep up with all this technology – blogs, twitter, emails, voicemails, etc. – drives me crazy. I feel it takes up so much of my time these days just trying to keep up with it all, but also feel it's necessary and rely on it on a daily basis to do my work and keep in touch with family and friends. I remember when these things did not exist, when there was time to do other things. When things get too crazy I look at this photo which I have on my frig to remind me that life used to be simpler and much, much SLOWER. It's myself, my two brothers and some neighbor kids stopping to enjoy some ice cream on a summer day while on our way to The Bronx Zoo with our parents in a station wagon with no seat belts or car seats! Can you believe it and we survived, probably because cars went slower back then and everyone was not in the hurry to get where they were going like now. So stayed tuned for more thoughts on how things used to be and how we can use those times and memories to learn and grow and make our futures better – especially in these changing times with a new president to elect and the unstable economy.