Daddy

It is very hard for me to believe it has already been four years since Daddy passed. I can still remember the day the call came "something is wrong with Dad". I was out with Mom all day and had such a bad feeling for most of it. I figured it was just me being a crank, nothing unusual.
I ran in ahead of my mother and saw him slouched over in the chair.
I was terrified of what was about to happen.

There are visions in my head to this day of people coming up to us in Daddy's office saying "I am so sorry". Sorry for what? The whole scenario was shocking. Somehow I knew when we were there that he was gone. I can not begin to describe the overwhelming wave of emotions and thoughts that were non stop on that day. All I knew was that I could not cry or be hysterical because I had to be a big girl and be there for my Mom. What would she do? What can I do? Is there anything I could do?
Bring Daddy back was the only logical answer I could come up with.
So I shed a few tears in the car with my brother and Mom who thought Daddy still had a chance in life. Somehow I knew he was gone and it was time for me to be a rock.
On a very hot August fourth we buried my Daddy. All the days leading up to that are one.
I did not sleep for three days.
I did not cry for three years.
Now, in year four, I am crying. I can cry. I can be sad. I can be angry and frustrated.
I have not been living since Daddy passed. I have simply been getting through each day.
Just doing what needs to be done.
This is not a way to be.
Now I cry a lot, easily from anything. I miss my father, his laughter and his humor. I miss his ability to create comfort anywhere he was. I admire him for finding the best in everyone.
You just can not imagine what life is like without your Dad, there is a void that can never be filled.
Today Charlie,
a very good man who is now helping someone else to be the best person they can possibly be.

"You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need"
-Rolling Stones
I love you

I wanna be a part of it...

Ol' New York!
Last Thursday I finished up my work day early and hopped on the Megabus to NYC.
My Uncle David, Aunt Mary and David Jr came to the east coast from Chicago to look at colleges in the New York area. David will be graduating from high school next year and has been working very hard to make the best decisions possible for his future.

I took the Megabus; this a great inexpensive way to get to NYC. Round trip from DC $29!
When I arrived good friends Rachel and Rusty met me and took me to a wonderful dinner at
Bar Baresco in Chelsea, delicioso! www.barbaresconyc.com

On Friday Rachel joined me for a day of adventure with my family. We started out with a delicious breakfast at the Tiny Cup. With our tummies full we headed to South Street Seaport to meet Chicago folks! After catching up a bit we headed to Battery Park. Along the way we took a hiatus on the Staten Island Ferry. It looks just as it did when I was a kid, minus the cars; blue inside with dark walnut wood seats. Sometimes something old and familiar can trigger emotions; the look, the smell and the sound of the ferry brought back many childhood memories for me. I can see my best friend Jo-Ann and I hanging and spinning on the poles all bundled up in our coats, we were winterized and full of vim.



The ferry is free, so we hopped on to see the Statue of Liberty ('photo op') and then turned around and returned to Manhattan. We made our way through Battery Park, Chelsea Market and relaxed a bit at Washington Square park. Rachel suggested we go to Chelsea market and what a great idea it was! This is where they film Iron Chef. The market is full of ethnic foods including Italian, my favorite!
Rachel found the largest container of Nutella and immediately fell in love!

















While we were at Washington Square we were entertained by a very flexible and possibly double jointed man who asked the crowd to "move in closer so he could look more organized"! He managed to fit himself into a tiny acrylic box as his finale!

We made our way back to the Valentino's hotel. They had a wonderful view of the Empire State building. After a bit of freshening up Rusty and Gary met us for dinner around 8:30pm.

My Aunt Mary suggested Padre Figlio for dinner since they had a fixed price menu and it was Italian AND Zagat rated. But it was boo hooed by some in our group. So, when Gary arrived we walked a bit on 2cnd street found nothing of interest so we ended up walking around the block and back at Padre Figlio's were they welcomed us with open arms.

Dinner was very nice, full of great conversation and smiles. It was wonderful to spend time with everyone!

Look MA no hands!!

Summer BBQ's

The summer time BBQ; there is just something about grilled meat, grilled corn well grilled anything really! Yesterday afternoon we went to Cathy and Chris's home to celebrate a belated birthday for Julie.
Those Fetgatter's are grilling fools and it is always delish! Care asada, pork asada, good ol'steak, hotdogs, corn, potato salad, pasta salad, watermelon it looked like a party for 20 rather than 8!

Since it was a birthday we had dessert, of course! Cupcakes from Hello Cupcake compliments of Kate and delicious cherries. Colin, our nephew, clearly enjoyed the cherries!

It was a nice evening, thanks for the fun! We do hope Chris has recovered!