Christmas for Meg, Fran & Topi

As I mentioned before, we drove to Boston on the 24th. Topi went with us. He did wonderfully! On Christmas Eve we went on a walk with Topi around Harvard. On Christmas day we slept in then met Fran's niece and her dog for a walk/play in the park. We went out for a great lunch at a Steak house in Boston then spent the afternoon relaxing. That evening we walked (with Topi) around Boston Commons. After picking Fran's Dad up at the airport on Saturday, we drove home. Ava got home around 8 pm - she had been at her Aunt's with Grandma and the rest of the family - she had just finished her third round of unwrapping presents. She was a happy girl with lots of stories and I was a well rested mommy ready to listen.

We had a very good holiday and we hope that you all did too. Merry Christmas.

Christmas a little early

Ava is going to be with her Dad for Christmas, so we are celebrating a day early. We made Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve (Dec. 23) and Santa arrived that night at our house.

The next morning I thought Ava would be all excited about seeing the presents under the tree but what she was most interested in (at least when we were still upstairs) was seeing if he ate our cookies and drank the juice we left out - of course he did. Now - when she went down stairs and saw the presents under the tree she all but forgot about the cookies... The two items on her Christmas list to Santa were - candy and candy land... she definately has a sweet tooth. She received both items. The orange canister of mini-M&M's and the dollar store princess flash light were the biggest hits. Although - I have to say my favorite item was the BC Eagles sweatsuit that Fran got for her :).

I miss you Dad - Merry Christmas

This is the first Christmas in a very long time that my family will not be meeting at Dad's house on Christmas eve. I miss him very much!

Merry Christmas Mom, Mick, Phil, Anne, and Chris - we will miss seeing you!

I am not going to stay in NY for Christmas - Ava is at her Dad's and I have too many other memories I would rather not spend time dwelling on. Fran and I are driving to Boston today and we will be there through Saturday. Merry Christmas!

It has been a Year... and what a decade.

Wow - it is hard to believe that it has been a year... December 17th last year I closed on my house in my new town and my separation papers were "officially" filed. I also realized that one of the first major tasks of my new job would be to lay off people just after the holiday (six weeks after starting my job)... I look back on last year and think about how fast I was moving, how long each day was, and how I could barely imagine making it to the next day - let alone to where I am today. I remember staying awake all weekend the first weekend I moved into the house so that while Ava was at her Dad's I could get as much as possible unpacked - including our Christmas tree. When she returned on Sunday night I was exhausted - but we had comfortable bed rooms, a living room decorated for Christmas, and kitchen to cook cookies in. Mother Theresa said that God will never give us more than we can handle. I was not sure that was true a year ago but now I know it is. The last year had some major ups and downs, but all in all I feel good to be where I am today. I truly believe that I am a better person for all that I have experienced - good and bad and I am lucky to have met all the people that have come into and left my life.

On face book there is a thing going around where people quickly make an outline the last decade - So I thought I would do it here instead:

2000 - Passed doctoral comps, moved from Mass. back to NY, bought a house, married Kurt, took job at Cornell University
2001 - Adopted Xena dog
2002 - Took job at SUNY Cortland, adopted Topi dog
2003 - Lots of fertility stuff, trip to Portland and Atlanta
2004 - Realized Kurt & I could not have children, Grandma Nowak died, defended dissertation
2005 - BC commencement, my brother Danny died, trip to Las Vegas & Grand Canyon, 20 year high school reunion
2006 - Took job at Ithaca College, Ava born, adoption process became real - saw Ava's pictures
2007 - Received Ava in Vietnam and became a mom
2008 - My brother in-law Steve died, Kurt had a change of heart, sold house, filed for separation, took job at Hartwick, moved to Oneonta, bought a house
2009 - Met Fran, Dad Phil died, Ava started pre-school, surgery

I am looking forward to 2010 and the next decade!