Remembering Barbaro

I've been a horse lover for as long as I can remember - just ask my mom. When most kids begged for a dog, I wanted a horse. As a child, I lived for movies like National Velvet and as an adult, I've watched Seabiscuit more times than I can count - and can't get through it without shedding a tear.

Even though I've never been lucky enough to attend a Kentucky Derby, every May I watch with anticipation as the race day approaches and those beautiful animals take to the track. I also sadly watched as Barbaro faultered in the Preakness.

Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his gruesome breakdown at last year’s Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that made him even more of a hero than he was as a champion on the track.

“Certainly, grief is the price we all pay for love,” co-owner Gretchen Jackson said.

On Sunday, a day after Barbaro’s fight for survival had reached a critical point, his doctor compared the various injuries to a “house of cards.” One part falls, and the rest start to crumble.



At 10:30 on Monday morning, Barbaro was given a heavy dose of a tranquilizer and an overdose of an anesthetic and put down. Those who loved him did everything humanly possible for eight months to keep him alive and free from pain. In the end, it was that love that forced them to make this painful decision.

Barbaro can now run free.

January in South Bend

OK - so we've had a mild winter - that is, until yesterday. Old man winter must know that my Florida family is coming in ten days and wants to welcome them in style. Nine inches on our patio table this morning - and more on the way today and tomorrow!!

Not a Good Way to Start the Day....

Well……I’ve been on the phone for the past hour with our State Farm agent because Kevin was in an accident last night. AND if that wasn’t bad enough, the woman that hit him, left the scene of the accident. We only have liability coverage on his car, so we need to FIND this woman in order to get his car fixed.

Kevin and his friend Mike were both trying to get her license plate number and they know the first three digits were 71U – and they think it was either 2641 or 6241. It was a newer model, dark color BMW. I just pray that they find her!!!!

So, she leaves – the boys get back in the car (which has stalled) and now it won’t start. It’s midnight – it’s snowing – neither one is wearing a coat and they’re stranded. Kevin calls us – nearly hysterical. Mike has pushed him from the intersection into a subdivision. I get the address and call 911. By the time Bob and I get there, two county officers were with them. By the time the tow truck came and we got home, it was nearly 2:00. Then I didn’t fall asleep until 3:00.

It’s going to be a very LONG day.

Crop a Doodle Do

The last weekend in March, I'll be taking off with some of my Design Team friends from Pages in Time - for a weekend scrapbook retreat. Most of them have done this trip before, but it will be a first for me and I'm really excited. Aside from a weekend of scrapbooking, I notice that they also offer a full-service spa. Should I get a massage, or a facial or a pedicure? Ohhhhhh - the decisions I have to make.

http://www.cropadoodledo.com/

My Sunday Afternoon Project

I've spent the past three weekends organizing and cleaning my scrapbook studio in preparation for my brother and sister-in-law's visit. We'll pretty much be confined to this space for four days - trying to scrapbook our cruise pictures.

Today was the final stage - painting the only real wall I have and hanging the chipboard letters. I'd love to be able to drywall and enclose this room, but for the time being I'm happy with my little basement space. At least I have my own little corner to "create".

Rockin' and Rollin'

I'm married to a singer in a rock and roll band. I keep thinking that someday, he'll outgrow this phase of his life, but we're going on 10 years and he's still out there on the weekends - loading and unloading equipment, setting up sound systems and rockin' until the wee hours of the morning. As long as he's having fun, I can deal with it. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago at the Time Out Sports Bar in Roseland. They have quite the following. In fact, they brought in a much bigger crowd than this same bar saw on New Year's Eve.

Chrissie always manages to find her way to the dance floor with her dad's tambourine and my scrapbooking friends decided to come out and see what all the excitement was about.

Looking forward to doing it all again THIS weekend at the Clay Democratic Club.

I've Been Busy....

Winter months are a good excuse to scrapbook and I've been slowly working my way through LAST year's photos. Trying to get "caught up" so I can tackle my Cruise scrapbook in February when my sister-in-law comes to visit.

Here's some of my latest...

Cruise Booking Party

OK - I may have been here in the cold of northern Indiana, but that didn't stop my Florida family and friends from booking our next cruise and including Bob and I in the festivities. Saturday afternoon, Frank and Arlette hosted a "cruise booking party". They filled their CARNIVAL glasses - toasted the GLORY - and got themselves on the phone with the Carnival booking reps. By the time they were done, they had booked 5 balcony rooms in a row - which means that our balcony dividers will be removed and we'll have one very looooooooong balcony on the Empress Deck. Even though Bob and I and our buddy Jeff weren't there - it didn't stop Frank, Arlette and Jean from including us. They printed out pictures of us and posed for photos. As Katie put it - "these people have entirely too much time on their hands".

Can't wait until we're there TOASTING with you!!!

Kelli's 1st Mid-Winter Dance

Tonight was Kelli's first formal dance. She went with her grade-school friend Callahan Healy to the St. Joe Mid-Winter held at the Palais Royale. But first, it was photo ops at our house with her buddy Michael...



...then it was off to her BFF Maggie's house for more pictures...



...and then one final stop at the Hardings' home where approximately 40 high school freshman met for a pre-dance meal and photos. GOD BLESS THOSE PARENTS!!!




Have fun honey - it's a night you will always remember!!!

Pages in Time

Julie Turner, the owner of Pages in Time did a great news segment yesterday. In case you live under a rock and don't know how absolutely COOL this hobby is - take a look at Julie's interview and the awesome project she created!! And...stay tuned for the big announcement at the end of the broadcast! (We were lucky enough to have this info shared with us at the Christmas party - but now the word is OUT!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxUf_6vPPg8

End the Week With a Smile!!

.....OK - it's Friday!!!!! That's enough right there to bring a smile to the face. Looks like we're going to need something to keep us smiling because ice and snow are on the way! So....thanks to this photo of Grace, I'm going into the weekend with a big smile on my face!

A Sure Fire Cure for the January Blues....

BOOK A CRUISE!!!!!

So that's just what our bunch is doing...and there's going to be a BUNCH of us!!! Right now we have approximately 20 rooms on a GROUP hold for the next 30 days. We're contacting our family, our friends and anyone else who wants to go!!

So...the first week of April - 2008, that's where we'll be. Sailing off to the Western Caribbean aboard the Carnival Glory.

Winter Doldrums....

I've got them - the doldrums.

• It's Monday and it's cold.
• I'm down in the dumps.
• I need a swift kick in the rear.

On the other hand...

• My brother and sister-in-law will be here in a month.
• Kelli's starting softball, which means spring is just around the corner.
• We have a big wedding in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day.
• I'm going on a weekend scrapbook retreat at the end of March.

Just thinking of this puts a SMILE on my face!!

27 Years...

Twenty seven years ago yesterday, I was the mother of two.

Twenty seven years ago today, I became the mother of four.

Life changed drastically! All of a sudden, I had two tiny babies, hooked up to countless machines. A month later, I brought home two 5 pound babies and the real "fun" began.

They shared a crib and then bunkbeds and a bedroom until they went to college - and then they even shared a room in college. They shared a car and clothes. After college, they shared an apartment. And then Jimmy came along and swept Colleen off her feet. The speech that Katie made at Colleen and Jimmy's wedding had the entire room of 350 guests in tears.

They may not live under the same roof any longer, but they don't go more than 48 hours without seeing each other. Katie watches Ben when Colleen needs help and Colleen is always there to do Katie's hair.

I remember reading a sign one time that said, "You know it's going to be a bad day when....your twin forgets your birthday."

Happy Birthday Girls! Your mom loves you very much!!!

Is There Anything Better?

Is there anything better than a day with absolutely NOTHING to do? That's exactly how I spent the first day of 2007!! We spent a fun New Year's Eve with Bob's baseball buddies at the Catanzarite house and drug ourselves home around 2 a.m. I was the first one up at 9:00. Kelli had to be forced out of bed at 1:00.

Once I took down the Christmas tree, it was time to curl up on the couch (still in pajamas) and I proceeded to watch three movies - the best one being You, Me and Dupree. I can't remember the last time I watched three movies in a month, let alone a day.

I didn't scrapbook, I didn't check email and I didn't cook - just my pajamas, comfy blanket and the DVD player. It will probably be another year before I do something like that, but then that's what makes it "special", isn't it?