December 18, 2009

Family Times

Some of the pictures are from our trip home. I'm happy to have both old and new memories to share with all of you. The rest are from our many holiday festivities that will outlast our energy for them I'm sure. Today was the last day of school for the kids. Seems to me we never got two full weeks off for Christmas Vacation. The weather here is -273 Kelvin (the temperature at which all life ceases) and my house is a not much warmer 59 degrees fahrenheit. Brad has decided he doesn't want to potty train after all. After 6 months and almost using the toilet exclusively while we were in Massachusetts, his newfound interest is in flushing it 1000 times a day and releasing his bodily fluids onto the floor.






The tree is up, the halls are decked, and Rhiannon has admirably been trying to give away to her friends many items from her inflated inventory of toys in the hopes of clearing out space for the shiny new items (lumps of coal judging by her attitude lately) that Santa will deposit under the tree next week. And so it goes that we will spend Christmas here with our European family...no fancy trips, just spending time together and being thankful for all that we have (all idiosyncrasies aside) and that we are not alone during this holiday season.






While this past year has not been the greatest, we are still very blessed with good fortune and opportunities beyond our wildest dreams, but we must continually strive to be better people for our families and friends in the coming year. The season of Yule is a celebration of the rebirth of the sun, the light of the days will grow longer and so the light in our hearts must grow as well. We reflect on all this past year has brought to the table and resolve to change the things that will help us grow as people, and also to accept the passage of time and the lives that go with it. To all of our families and friends, may this holiday season and coming new year bring the peace and happiness that we are all searching for. We love you and are thinking of you always.




Speaking of reflection...Our kids are now about the ages of Alyssa and I in this picture. Time really will get away from you if you don't stop and enjoy it once in awhile. That being said, I am about to venture out into the cold with the kids and watch them play in the 2cm of snow that just fell! Get that hot chocolate ready for us Jim!

Saying Goodbye

November 6, 1924 - November 17, 2009

The Circle of our Lives...

It has been a whirlwind of life and death this past month and with the impending arrival of Christmas and the prospect of happier times, I cannot put off writing this post any longer. It has often been said that life is what happens while you are busy making other plans. But it is also the thread of routine and predictability that keeps me going through most of it. There is a safety and comfort in following the paths we've chosen for ourselves, and most assuredly we will lose people along the way. And though it may have been expected, it still doesn't make it any easier or any less painful.


For the first time in my life, I have lost a person who was incredibly important to me and who definitely helped shape the person I have grown into thus far. My dearest Grampy is gone from this earth shortly after turning 85 (and how at peace I am that I spoke to him that day), but what he left behind are impressions of a life fully lived and mountains of memories for me of times spent at the E. 5th St. house as a child, the cigars he always smoked and the tri-color pens he handed out, the loose change and the scratch tickets, St. Paddy's Day and Castle Island, Riverside Park when we were too young for most of the rides, the threat of getting the belt and separating all of us cousins if we couldn't get along, and most prominently, the last piece of pineapple after dinner. We were such hellions as children, yet he loved us all and I could feel the pride in his heart as I got older and we began to start our own families. His greatest accomplishment was his family and he was blessed to enjoy his great grandchildren for a little while.


It was hard to go home and not see him sitting there in his favorite chair. And though his last few years were not the best for him, his loss is felt deeply by many. Grampy, I will always have two little pieces of you with me wherever I go, and I promise I will take care of them...as if you even needed to ask. Thank you for seeing us safely home, so all your little ones could be together again to say goodbye. Love you and miss you...til we meet again.

November 14, 2009

Halloween 2009

Trying to play catch up here...
We had Trunk or Treating on base and a Halloween birthday party for Rhiannon. Lots of candy and food and friends. Great times and fabulous costumes. We had a Chinese family, Slater and Kelly from Saved by the Bell, grim reaper/monk, pirates and witches, princesses and vampires, disco baby, nerds and more. I love Halloween!

November 9, 2009

London Town...

As many of you know, we were fortunate to see the Patriots play the Bucs this season in the International Series football game at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Nothing better than seeing our team (for me it was my first live football game), win in another country. Believe it or not, this is the closest we've been to where they've played during the last few seasons because of our many moves and the Patriots' changing roster. The Bucs treated it as their home game and left flags in every stadium seat. It soured my mood a little...We also took a sheet and made a sign hoping to get on tv. It didn't happen this time but we got a fantastic picture of us with it and the whole stadium in the background.


During our down time we took the Tube into the city center and did a little sightseeing. We went out the first night in Covent Garden and the next day did the bus tour based out of Trafalgar Square. From the bus we saw all the main sights like Big Ben, London Bridge, Parlaiment, etc. Unfortunately we didn't have time to visit them all properly but we did get to see the changing of the guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace just before we left to come home. London is a huge city with lots of cool areas to visit and this trip has given us a good preparation for next time we go there. Enjoy the pictures...

Underwater Train from France to England

Walk-thru Mickey D's

Trafalgar Square

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge from London Bridge

The London Eye

Houses of Parlaiment

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace