The Year in Reflection

It's officially the last day of December, and of 2008. My year began on such a fantastic note...dinner, drinks, and craziness with Katrina and Riaan in the West Village....and is ending on a less than fantastic note. No worries though...in less than 24 hours a new year will be upon us and we'll be able to fill it with new memories, new friends, and new adventures!

I'm taking a page from Brooke and Lou's latest blog to reflect on the past year in a positive way. I've never been one for making "resolutions" and thinking about the past year in a different light might help me start to heal from what has happened this holiday season (just so everyone knows, Adam and I are ok, the dogs are ok...it's just not something I want the world to know about). So here is a list of my favorite things from 2008 in no particular order:

*I became a Zia (or aunt)! My nephew's birth was by far the best thing to happen this year

*Adam and I went on a fantastic camping trip in Vermont

*I went to my first Duke Blue Devils game and they won!

*Adam got to meet Don Mattingly

*I spent a week in Boulder, CO with the Reggio Alliance

*I went to see WICKED...my first Broadway Show!

*Adam, Joy, and I visited the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame

*Spent part of our vacation at Black Star Farms with Marty and Jen

*I went to my first Boston Red Sox Game!!

My hope is that all of you can find some joy in this past year, and that you can look to the future with wide eyes and an open heart for all that is to come in 2009!

Happy New Year!!

Inspiration

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may just never be enough;
Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it's all between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Theresa

Introducing...

Samuel Eugene Stocker...my new, adorable nephew! He is absolutely perfect! Adam and I got to meet him on Christmas Eve. We spent an hour or so in the hospital with Joy before we made our way to Charlevoix. I couldn't stop looking at him! He's just so precious! I can't wait to watch him grow and be apart of his life! Having him arrive at this time of year was the best Christmas gift ever!! Happy Holidays everyone, and Have a Happy New Year!!

I'm a Zia...Welcome to the world Sam!

Samuel Eugene Stocker was born on Tuesday, December 23 at 8:29am! He weighed 6 lbs 9oz and was 18 1/4 inches long, and is doing fantastic, as are Joy and Scott. He was delivered by a scheduled C-section and reports are that he has a full head of hair and is beautiful! Adam and I arrived in Cleveland last night too late to see him and Joy, but we will get to see them today at 1:00 for the first time! We are so excited!!!

You might be wondering what the hell a Zia is....well it's Aunt in Italian. To me an "ant" is an amazing little insect that builds underground caverns and can carry many more tons than itself around on it's back and an "aunt" just sounds too old so I took a word from a different language and that's what I am...Zia Erin!

Adam and I are both excited and overwhelmed by our new titles...Adam's famous line is "no one asked me if I wanted to be an uncle!" It's funny, but in reality, we're not going through half as much as the mother and father are, but we do feel some sense of shock that we are now somewhat responsible for this little guy's life...as they say it takes a village.

I'll post again tonight with pictures of us meeting little Sam at the hospital! Take care and Happy Holidays everyone:)

Still walking in a winter wonderland

It's snowing again...it's sticking....and it hasn't melted from yesterday! It really just turned into icy snow, hard to walk on, but pretty to look at! And guess what?! It's supposed to keep snowing through the night and into tomorrow! Hooray for a real winter this year! Now, let's hope it stops for our road trip to the Midwest....

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

So the New York Weather men...were right on the money...3-5 inches of snow fell in the city! Here's a time line of the it's impact proving my love/hate relationship with the fluffy crystals!!

8:00am: Erin arrives at work...no snow.

10:30am: Stephanie and I take our kids outside as soon as the snow starts to fall so that they can enjoy it before it turns to slush! What a gorgeous picture Central Park is with snow covering the trees!

11:00am: Erin and Stephanie take the kids back to the school as the snow pelts us from every angle...we are now officially wet and cold! It's finally starting to stick to the ground and the kids are whining at the top of their little lungs. How quickly their excitement has changed.

1:30pm: Erin heads to the bank and to the Diner to pick up lunch...the snow is really coming down and everything is covered! There are crazy New Yorkers wearing inappropriate shoes all over the place! This of course is making them fall and complain...me and my Merrell's are AOK!

3:30pm: As the kids are waking up from nap, it's evident that the snow fall is over and the rain/ice is starting to fall from the sky. The kids at the public school next door create a snowman while my students wonder why they can't go out and play...it's cold kids, calm down!

5:00am: The snow is beginning to turn to slush as it accumulateas at the corners, curbs, and cross walks. Beware of the pools of water as you cross the streets. New Yorkers in appropriate shoes, be especially careful...some of these puddles are ankle deep!!! Also...no one on the Upper West Side is salting, or shoveling thier sidewalk and it's becoming icy...try not to fall on your ass...the ground is wet!

5:30pm: As Adam and I walk to Patagonia we observe a bus that has lost control and hit a sign, slippery sidewalks, and pools of melted snow/slush everywhere....but the snow still resting on the trees make us think of winter in the Midwest and we talk of our trip home! Funny how the snow can do that to you!!!

7:15pm: Erin and Adam scrape obscene amounts of snow and ice from their car, which is sitting at the ferry terminal parking lot waiting for them! Not having to walk up the hill in the slick and raining snow was worth the $7 to park this morning!! Erin heads to the bar with friends while Adam walks the dogs. Maggie is happy as a clam because of the snow...Libbey is glad the frozen poop nuggest are back for her to munch on!! Gross!! Adam comes to the bar after the dogs are walked and everyone enjoys beer and goodies!!!

11:00pm: Adam and Erin arrive home and play in the snow with the girls. What is left on the ground is icy and ready to melt. It was fun while it lasted, and we are all starting to prepare for the long drive home to Michigan which will include more snow! We secretly can't wait...especially Maggie Mae!!

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Under my umbrella, ella, ella....

So I'm taking this time to tell all of you about one of my favorite accessories....my bright orange umbrella. She (of course it's a girl!) has been with me for many years...in fact, longer than Adam has been with me! I purchased her 8 years ago from the COSI-Toledo gift store because she was such a fun and bright color...and funny story....she is actually from the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) design store here in NYC. Who knew that my pride and joy umbrella would some day make her journey home to the big apple! And let's be honest...8 years is a long time to own a $12 umbrella! I actually saw her well loved life flash before my eyes today when leaving Starbucks trying to balance my coffee, bag, ipod, and umbrella, but thankfully she prevailed. On a day like today (when it's raining cats and dogs!) I needed her more than ever!! And our forecast tomorrow....RAIN!!

did it really snow?

I have a little time before I have to walk down the hill and catch my bus...(which I will take to the ferry...then I'll switch to the 1-subway line....and then I'll walk to my school)...so I thought I'd update everyone on the snow situation this weekend.

On Saturday night, right before I went to bed, a cat walked through our backyard and made our motion light switch on. I always notice when that happens, and I went to the window. To my surprise, and slight delight, there were big fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky. Of course the girls and I went outside to further check out the situation and it wasn't a fluke...it was snow.

It left less than an inch on the ground and cars, and it was gone so quick I didn't even have time in the morning to take pictures to post here! Of course the small amount didn't stop the transportation and sanitation dept from chaining their tires, strapping on the plows, and salting the hell out of the roads at 3am! Oh well...that's winter in NYC for you:)

Things I could not live without

I would not consider myself high matinenance, but I do enjoy some creature comforts and I was thinking about some of them today. Below is a list of things I could not live without (and according to my husband this is in no particular order, as these vary in importance from day to day!):

My husband, my dogs, my family, friends near and far, love, my wedding ring, dark chocolate, fruit, road trips, Riesling, pizza, cheese, Boston Red Sox Baseball, coffee, college football, boating, being near water, Burt's Bees chapstick, Clinique Moisturizer, smiles, catalogs, sodoku, L'Occitane, JCrew, Target, Flip flops, my Red Sox hat, the color pink, Smashbox, a hair tie, Self Magazine, a good book, ice cream, my Metro Card, smartwool socks, our Subaru Forester, Old Navy Yoga pants, my students, children's books, sunglasses, vegetables, Italian food, Adobe Blues, Wheat and Berry Beer, documentaries, Science, water, my Ipod.

snow

A friend of mine said it best, "I have a love, hate relationship with snow." And I couldn't agree more! It's beautiful to look at, especially curled up inside the house with a hot cup of coffee, and it's fun to play in...who doesn't love making snow angels or going snow shoeing?! But then again, it's cold, and wet, and a pain in the ass to drive in. Did I mention how cold it is?! And in some areas, like Northern MI where Adam and I used to live, it makes things close down and cancel, which wasn't so awful for me because I worked in schools, but I'm sure it drove some people crazy.

I bring this up tonight, because where I now live it doesn't snow much, if at all. Last winter it snowed about 4 times, and only one, maybe 2 of those time actually left snow on the ground. And it's funny that way, because if you look around NYC it snows a lot! Upstate New York, New Jersey, and even Connecticut get ample amounts of snow in the winter months. This weekend it is supposed to snow and it's sort of a big deal...our estimated accumulation: 1-2 inches. I almost laughed out loud when the weather man announced that total. Is that really something to dread, or even get excited about!? That's not even enough to make it pretty outside!

But then again, do I want a lot of snow on the ground?! My commute almost doubles in time when it just rains, what would happen if a big snow storm came!? So maybe our trip home to Charlevoix this Christmas will give me a fix enough to last until next year...that and the 1-2 inches coming our way this weekend! Get out your shovels:)

The most wonderful time of the year!

I admit, I'm a sucker for the Holiday Season! I love everything about this time of year! The decorations, the music, the weather, and especially the giving (and getting) of gifts!!! I do my best at decorating this tiny place we call home, and wish I could do more. And as much crap as I give New York City, its best time of year is now! The tree at Rock Center (as well as tons of other trees across the city), the ice skating, Macy's windows...it's all just gorgeous! Adam and I this year plan on taking in the holiday train show, a first for us here in the big apple. I guess with a city like NYC, one doesn't really need too many decorations!

This year I'm going to try and celebrate the holidays while wasting as little as possible. This includes recycled holiday cards (this in hopes that those who recieve them will recycle them, but if they don't at least I can rest knowing they were recycled originally!), zero wrapping paper (or if I must, using instead newspaper or paper bags), left over boxes and ribbon (or at least those that other's will want to reuse), and using recylable fillers for boxes that I have to ship.

I also plan on giving to my favorite charities this holiday season. At school my class is organizing 2 seperate drives; one for food to go to City Harvest, and the other a penny drive to buy a toy for Toy's for Tots. Adam and I also plan on purchasing bees and trees from Heifer International in the name of our friends and families! I would highly recommend this fantastic organization if you are looking for a charity to help out this holiday season.

And no holiday season would be complete without spoiling our girls rotten! I'll leave you tonight with a picture of the girls from our last Christmas in our Michigan house. PS: Maggie didn't really love this!! Happy Holidays!!

Defying Gravity

I wanted to blog about my Friday night! I saw my first broadway musical, Wicked!! It was so AMAZING!!! I know I don't have much else to compare it to, but I would highly advise anyone who loves the book series, or musicals in general to go and see it! The costumes, the songs, the set...it's all fantastic!

The story goes like this...my fantastic co-teacher, Stephanie (or Steph-lovah:) knew that I was thinking about leaving and wanted to do something nice for me so she got tickets....damn good ones if I do say so myself....because she knew how much I love the books! So we got all dressed up and hit the town! We took pics like tourists, laughed, cried, and had sooo much fun! I'm so glad I got to share my first show experience with her! Here are some pics of the evening:

A blur of the last few weeks

It's been a while since I last blogged and partially because I didn't know what to tell the world, but now that the rollercoaster is over, I can come clean!!

For the past few weeks Adam and I had been traveling back and forth to Boston-Metro West area for job interviews and looking at neighborhoods. I am in love with all things Boston, and I have always thought that I wanted to live there, and it seemed like it was all going to fall into place, but you know the old Lennon line: "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans!" The interviews didn't work out and I guess it's safe to say it's just not our time to move. In the end it's for the better...realistically it would have been so difficult to make a move right now, because of money, family, and the holidays right around the corner.

So what does this mean for us...we don't quite know. We both love Boston and all it has to offer, and I think it is somewhere in our plan, just not right now. And it's not the only city/area we have thrown out there. We're just trying to live for the moment and appreciate what we have right now, even if it's not the best or what we want for the future. Whatever is meant to be, will be and we'll re-evaluate our situation after the holidays which will involve travel, the birth of our nephew, and lots of merriment!!

So that's it...we've been given some lemons, and with them we're making some lemonade, taking some tequilla shots, and adding some to our water! In other words, there's a lot Adam and I want to do, and plenty of time to dabble in it all!

I love sports!

It's Saturday and that means one thing....OSU football!!! GO Bucks...OH...

I'm a sports nut...I get it from my father. I always have been....there's just something about sports that get me excited. I cheer for a variety of teams, College FB, BB, and Baseball being my favorites!! Here is the list:

College Football: The Ohio State University Buckeyes!!! Now, it is not easy being a Buckeye's fan as my poor Michigan husband is finding out. He has never really cared about Michigan sports so converting him to the O-H-I-O side wasn't tough, but he just doesn't know how we can make it so far and not win the last BIG game!!! Don't worry Adam, we don't know either, we just love them anyway!!

College Basketball: The Duke Blue Devils...I have loved them since they beat UK (my dad's favorite team-I was rebelling even at a young age) in 1992. Love Coach K and the Cameron Crazies!!!

Baseball: The Boston Red Sox (our season ended too early this year...damn RAYS!)...and I HATE the New York Yankees!!!! I especially love Fenway Park...one of the last great old stadiums, complete with the Green Monstah!

Basketball: Detroit Pistons, but I also am starting to like the Celtics because I love anything and everything Boston!!

Football: Cleveland Browns (my dad's favorite team and I just can't help but love them!!!)

Well, on a non-sports note Adam and I helped plant 900 daffodil bulbs this morning with our good friend John for "It's My Park Day" in a beautification project! It was a so much fun...it gave me a sense of pride!!

...And then I went and bought MORE stuff for my sisters baby Sam!!! No, he's not born yet (he's due December 23!!), but I'm anxiously awaiting and preparing for his arrival by spending as much money as possible on him!!! I didn't know I could love shopping for someone other than myself and he's not even here yet! He is going to be spoiled by Zia Erin and Adam:)

What a busy day...hope everyone's was as exciting:)

What I learned today...

So, I learned something valuable today...first from one of my students and then again while doing my Sodoku on the Staten Island Ferry.

Life is one big guessing game....and many times we're faced with new and sometimes scary things! But, you have to take chances!!! Sometimes you win - others you lose...but if you don't take the chances you'll end up walking in circles.

Here's to taking chances!!

The Girls

These are the loves of our lives...meet Maggie and Libbey! Maggie Mae, named after the Rod Stewart song, is 4 years old and she's a Lab - Golden mix. Libbey Lou, named after the Libbey Glass Factory in Toledo, OH, is 3 years old and she's a Spazzo-Springer Spaniel.

Maggie is obsessed with balls; footballs, tennis balls, basketballs...really anything round....sticks, BoBo (her favorite wiener dog squeaky toy), and toys in general.

Libbey is obsessed with Maggie, Me, Adam, food...actually anything she can put in her mouth, even if it's not edible....birds, cats, squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies, the list goes on and on. Maggie isn't really scared of anything...Libbey, however, is scared of everything!!

They go where we go, and love, love, love to be outside!!! Since we don't have kids, we have Maggie and Libbey, so you'll be seeing and hearing more about them in future posts. And I promise you, their stories are hillarious!!!

Starting over...

Ok, so I thought i was fixing something on my blog and I deleted my old blog...oops! Can you tell I'm new to this:) So the Adventures in life blog starts again...

I'm mainly doing this for 2 reasons: 1, I've realized how freaking hard it is to keep up with everyone!! I guess I'm a terrible friend and don't call nearly enough, though it's not that I'm not thinking of all of you!!! I thought this would help keep everyone posted on our comings and goings...no matter how boring they might be:) And 2, I have a lot to say (for those who know me, you know this is true!) and this is a good way to say it so everyone (or at least those who want to read this) will hear/read it!!!

So, read, follow me, comment, enjoy all of the wonderfulness that is to come...or not, either way, I'm still going to write:)