Flume Gorge

Because it has been so wet up here lately and we didn't feel like hiking in MUD, we decided to go to the Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch. It is a 2 mile walk through beautiful rock formations on wooden planks. It was a great way to stretch our legs and get a little exercise before we tackle going through more boxes and getting rid of stuff.

We were about 1 3/4 miles in when the skies opened and thunder rolled in. We found a rain shelter and squeezed in there with 3 other families and waited for the rains to die down. We waited for 15 minutes and then it slowed down but we still ended up super wet. After a stop at Bill and Bob's famous Roast Beef in Lincoln, we headed home where we spent 3 hours going through stuff to send to the local dump. Right now, I'm having my second glass of Chardonnay and waiting til dark so we can light off some more fireworks with the neighbors.

Cheers!

New Hampshire

Looks like we all have great memories of visiting the Granite State. My earliest memory is of the time my parents left me behind at the Polar Caves. Yes, I was abandoned and was hiding under a rack in the gift shop because I couldn't find anyone. I was about 4. You see, there were 5 kids + 2 parents = 7 people PLUS we always traveled with our favorite cousins and Aunt and Uncle (3 kids + 2 adults). Because these were our favorite cousins we always wanted to ride in a different car. I always wanted to be with Barbara who was about 9 months older than me and great fun. The families were all packed in their station wagons and pulling away when an announcement came over the loud speaker which said "Would the parents of Karen Feloni please come to the gift shop".. well, all hell broke loose. Both sets of parents left all the remainding children in their respective cars (my youngest brother and cousin were about 2) and RAN to get me. It is still the talk of the family and I can always cause my dearest mother to have guilt by saying "you left me at the Polar Caves".

My family always vacationed in NH as long as I can remember, visting all the (yes, Andy, we too were lovers of the tourist traps!) requisite stops such as Storyland (I threw up on Mother Goose when I was 5), Santa's Village, Heritage, Six Gun City, Lake Winnepisauke (sp?), North Conway. I remember a chalet that my parents rented one year in Meredith somewhere on a lake and my Dad would shut the car lights off when we were driving at night so it was pitch black.. we were all screaming and scared to death. We visited Frankenstein's make your own sundae shop (which was a big treat when there were 5 children). We went horseback riding together (sans parents.. they just sent us on these big animals through a well worn trail)... I remember my brother Eddie got the stupid horse that only wanted to eat grass and we were all stuck behind him.. One trip we heard the same song everytime we got in the car "whoa black Betty, bam ba lam, whoa Black Betty, bam ba lam" and all we did was sing that song all the way back to Boston. God Bless my Parents!!!

When we were all grown up, my Dad would rent out a bunch of places at Attitash and all of us and our spouses (the only kids back then were Jess and Kara) and we would all cram in the condos, eating, drinking, going into the jacuzzi tubs with our radios, hiking and having an absolute blast.

And one of my fondest memories was about 19 years ago, when my childhood sweetheart proposed to me at Attitash Mountain in Bartlett, NH in front of a roaring fire with wine and crackers and cheese. I was 20 years old and the happiest girl in the world! Bill and I have been keeping up the family tradition and have been taking our boys up here since they were babies. They have now outgrown Storyland and Santa's Village, but they love to hike, bike down Franconia Notch, visit Echo Lake and the former Old Man of the Mountain, and just enjoy the peace and tranquility of the mountains. Matthew has been skiing since age 3 and is able to keep right up with his Dad.. Billy and I take it a little slower, but I agree with you all, there is something about it up here that just slows you down and makes you grateful. We are fortunate to have a place up here that we love and enjoy and we are able to pass that on to our families..

North Country... here we come!

Leaving today for a 2 week vacation up in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire. We will be hiking and swimming in the river and relaxing on the deck.. I can't wait. After the crazy month of moving and packing, this will be a nice break from life. Hopefully we'll spot some wildlife (and not crash into it this time)..

I'll be blogging from there. :)

Moving on in...

We are pretty much officially moved in to my in-laws. There are six of us crowding into their ranch. We have invaded. Tonight will be the boy's first night here but we are spending one last night in the house so I'll be there bright and early for the moving and storage people. You'd think that after moving 3 times since 2001 that I would be used to this, but this seems to be the worst. I guess I'm just tired of it all. So much work goes into a move that it just sucks the life out of you. Anyway, I won't complain because when our house is finished we will all be so HAPPY!!!!!

The cable company was scheduled to come bewteen 8 a.m and 10 a.m. yesterday to put cable internet in their house. They are still in the school of dial-up which I have graduated from years ago and will NEVER GO BACK!!! Of course, the cable guy didn't get here til NOON and I was so frustrated because my list of a million things to still do was waiting for me at home. At least it's done. I'm now able to do my transcription job from here and was here bright and early this morning at 5:30 a.m.!

Sorry nothing exciting...but I'll keep ya posted!

Billy's Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got in from South Boston picking up the family from the cruise! I got the biggest hugs ever and was so happy when he said he missed us! He looks older than when he left if that is possible.

Mr. McSmoothie signed up for the teen program (he will be 13 in August but is 5'8" and looks so mature) and he had a blast. I got the scoop from the grandparents that he hung out with a nice crowd of GIRLS! He came home with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses and although I was worried, he is home safe and has these wonderful memories of a week with his grandparents. My in-laws are the best ever and my boys are so lucky to have them.

So.. now I can breathe.

Back to packing.. In fact, the computer is next. We are hooking it up at the in-laws and I'll be blogging (or will I call it "venting") from there. So for now, hasta la vista, baby!

Fight a little, pack a little....

Fight a little, pack a little, fight a little, pack a little, cheep, cheep, cheep, fight a lot.. pack a little more...


OK, am I the only one who spent Sundays watching movies like "Oklahoma", "Annie Get yer Gun" and "South Pacific"?

Anyway, kind of a rotton weekend other than the impromptu party for an old neighbor that I was invited to Friday night.

The pressure is SO on... we are out of this house by Wednesday and there just seems to be stuff all over the place. I'm trying to go through old papers of the kids, halloween costumes, dishes, you name it and I hate to throw it away!! I'm trying.. We are all tired and bickering and can't wait for our 2 week vacation up in NH where all I want to do is read books and drink some of those margarhitas I'm hearing so much about! Or an Old Man of the Mountain pale ale, or a glass or chardonnay, perhaps some raspberry stoli.....but I digress.

We're getting there... I can't wait till we arrive!

GREAT show!

We had a great time at Petty last night.. The wings at Wendells were the best I ever had.. I only got Sassy, next time maybe suicide sassy.. we'll see.
I forgot how many drunks there are at concerts. Especially the young girls, falling all over themselves and the boys with their pants hanging down. My s-i-l and I were cracking up because this kid's whole bum was hanging out of his pants and he was completely out of it! I guess they won't remember much about the songs! Petty was fantastic and was joined by Stevie Nicks who did Stop Draggin my heart around and Insider and don't do me like that. Awesome.. It is Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 30th Anniversary this year...1976. I saw them for the first time in 1981 (Boston Garden) for the Hard Promises tour which was great.. they are still rockin! Matty and Tommy loved it and the age gamut seemed to be from kids to 50's with plenty of teens and twenty-somethings thrown in. We had some dancin fools in front of us so the boys had to keep shifting around, but it was all good!

My first concert was Cheap Trick (we had obstructed view seats but fairly close to the stage). We took the orange line in from Forest Hills.. I think I was only 14. Geez, I have a hard time letting my kids ride their bikes around the block.. and I was taking the train with my friends into Boston. It was a great show, they were joined by Steve Tyler and Joe Perry on stage, and we went crazy! Those were the days when a ticket was about $15.00 and everyone could go.. You don't even want to know how much Bill paid for last night.......I wish I didn't know! Rock on!

HUMP DAY

It's hump day, Wednesday, middle of the week, prince spaghetti day! Three day's closer to the ship pulling in, YAY!

It's actually been a fast week so far, probably because I had to go into work Monday and Tuesday. And tonight, we are going to see Tom Petty at the Tweeter Center. This is Matthew's second Petty show and we are taking his best friend Tommy this time and than all of us sleeping over my sister-in-law's house. It should be fun.. Plus, they are finally taking me to Wendell's for hot wings (I've never been and everyone raves about it!). So today will fly by....Plus my Mom is coming down to help me pack dishes.. so I'll get to "dish" with her while we pack, which is always fun!

Have a great HUMP day!

Little Bear!

It just came to me. She likes to watch Little Bear. I still think its probably Little Critter though.

p.s. My mom made the cake. Unfortunately I can't drive up there tonight, so we will have our own celebration very soon.

A princess at 3...

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Godchild, Maria!!!! Three years old and so absolutely adorable. I don't get to see her as much as I would like but I'm hoping to see both my girls (Anna, big sis) more often this summer.

A good day for Maria is using her GIANT bubble wand (from Auntie Karen) and creating a "bubble storm" (her words, how precious!). She requested an Elmo cake and a fishing pole from me so she can fish with her Dad. (My brother doesn't fish so I think this came from the "Just Me and My Dad" little critter book that I gave her, or possibly whatever that bear's name is (not Pooh) I can't remember.

On a strange note, I woke up after FINALLY falling asleep last night to a beautiful deer in my FENCED IN BACKYARD. It was staring up at me . I had to blink twice to see if it was the ghost of the deer I hit. We had a nice mental conversation and I think it forgave me for killing it's friend a few weeks back. I feel much better now.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Maria.. See you soon! Love, Auntie Karen

so I haven't heard from Matthew...

I left a message saying I was just checking in on them. That was at 6:30 or so... it's now 9:41... and I have heard nothing. One child is in the middle of the ocean and the other is not calling me.

I'm ready for tomorrow now.

All alone :(

Well, its day one with Billy gone. He left yesterday from South Boston with his Grandparent's on the Norweigan Magesty: destination BERMUDA. This is his 13th birthday present from them. Every one of their grandchildren has the option to cruise when becoming a teenager. Kimberly went. Kevin didn't. Billy went.. ?next is Matthew....

I don't know how I feel about him being on a ship without me. He was so happy to go, and I know they will watch him like a hawk, but I found myself aimlessly wandering the house at 11:30 p.m. last night, not able to sleep. I'm happy for him, really I am, but I'll be happier when he is home.

Matthew is at a sleepover tonight. My friend Kim offered to take him to her beach house because I had to work today at the hospital and again tomorrow (we have someone out on vacation and part of my "at-home" trade-off is that I have to go in and cover). Bill drove up to NH after work with yet another truckload of JUNK from our house. So.. it's just me. I should be happy to have the house to myself, the TV to myself, the bed to myself.... but I kinda don't like it.

I guess I like my chaotic household and right now it's just too quiet. I think I'll go make some noise.

To my Dad...

Edmando Tito Alfredo Paolo Feloni was born in 1926 and spent most of his life in the North End of Boston. He served in the Army as a young man and worked in the Army Supply store as a clerk. As soon as he was old enough, he changed his name to Edmund Paul (he didn't like having so many names, he thought it was stupid!)

He became a Boston Police Officer, and may I say that my father was as gorgeous as they come. Thick, wavy black hair, big brown eyes and an athletic build.. you know, the big shoulders and small waist. My mother laid eyes on him as he was walking his beat and announced to a neighbor that she would marry him. Marry him she did and they produced 5 wonderful (most of the time) children. I am the 4th child and the last girl, hence I was a tad spoiled according to the older kids. (not that I minded).

My father was so hardworking and studied his way through the ranks of the force going back to school to earn his Bachelor's degree even as his two youngest children were being born. He made Sergeant, then Leuitenant, then District Commander. I was always so proud of him in his uniform. He was a good cop and a hard worker. In a time when he made little money, we children lacked for nothing. We had a pool (above ground round) in the back yard, went away every summer for a week or two, (mostly NH, or Maine). Dad took us to Old Silver Beach, out for ice cream and to watch the planes at Norwood Airport, and into Boston all the time. We would attend the summer feasts in the North End and I thought my Dad was famous because people would shout "hey Eddie!!) from their front porches. I loved it.

He was a joker, always saying "don't forget to feed the dog" (we never had a dog), he would shut the cellar light on us and yell down "watch out for the lady with the knife" (sounds bizarre but we got a kick out of it). He would belly flop into our small round above the ground pool and half the water would go out of it while we screamed and laughed! He made up names for all of us and mine is my favorite, Karenina.

He now is the proud grandfather (Papa) of 13 grandchildren ranging from 27 years old down to 3 years old. He loves each and every one of them.

I always felt safe as a child. It made me feel safe as an adult.

Happy Father's Day.. I Love you, Dad. Karenina

Happy Father's Day!

I knew early on that my husband would make a wonderful father. In our very early years of dating we would spend fun filled days with my two neices, Jessica and Kara, taking them to the Stone Zoo, the movies, and out for ice creams. Once we got married, Bill was the fun Uncle who would play video games with the girls for hours, writing down code words for next time. We would take them for weekends and go to Old Silver Beach, the Marshfield Fair and into Plymouth for ice creams. After four wonderful years we were blessed with a son of our own and the love I saw on my husband's face bonded me even closer to him. Another two years later we had a second son who was an exact replica of his Dad.

Bill keeps life fun for us. He plans hikes in the White Mountains, effortlessly throws our bikes into his truck and finds great bike paths, he dives into any body of water the minute we arrive, whether its an ocean, river or lake and comes up with a huge smile and a "that was refreshing"! He loves to ski and has our son Matthew doing Black Diamonds with him. He is so organized and assured. He is good at absolutely everything he tries. He is a great provider and protector. He still makes me laugh. We have been on this roller coaster together for the last 17 years, and he is still the only one that I want to ride with. He is my other half and I'm blessed to have found him.

Happy Father's Day, Bill. We love you!

The height or the menu?

Another friendly blogger made a comment about how strange it is when one of your offspring suddenly is taller than you. It is indeed an indication of maturity, but I wonder if the sudden rejection of the children's menu isn't more of one.

Although at 12 my son is still able to order from the mundane menu of

• chicken nuggets
• pizza, plain or pepperoni
• pasta, plain or with sauce .. and
• hot dog or hamburger/cheeseburger

he has suddently, and with great vehemence, rejected the menu and has become a convert to the Adult menu trying dishes he has never once expressed any interest in except to say "YUCK".

Now, the thought of Alfredo sauce, roasted red peppers, melted monteray jack cheese and other various ingredients make his mouth water and sound like heaven to him. More than once, he has tasted the item and still expressed "YUCK", but his taste buds are changing along with his budding height.... and for him.. no more children's menu.

Frame, Sweet, Frame..

The framing is complete! They are now working on our roof. Windows should go in next. I have to meet with the electrician next week to go over lighting. SO EXCITING!!!! I had a bit of a mini meltdown today because of the length of my list, but now that I got it out, I feel much better. (my poor husband probably doesn't :) ) I took a shot of the water view that we will have from our bedroom window. In the dead of winter it will be fabulous! So, we are getting there... and we are getting ready to move out in about 2 weeks time. After this move, I think we will stay put for awhile and spread some roots.

The Graduate

6th grade graduation.. They were all so excited and it was a really nice presentation. There were about 170 students moving on. Billy was one of about 12 kids to receive the Principal's academic award in which he had to maintain an "A" average for the past three years! We were "woo hoo-ing"!!!! Good dinner, too.. I had the Tortellini Carbonara which I will also have for lunch tomorrow :)

The Matty Man

Since I told you about Billy, I needed to talk about my other little guy. My Matthew is probably about the coolest kid I know. He has played football since he was in first grade, has been to see Bruce Springsteen, loves Warren Zevon, the Ramones, Joe Jackson, the Who, AC/DC and this will be his third time seeing Tom Petty this year. He skis black diamonds, hikes mountains, plays baseball and is killer at scrabble. He is also on the Honor Roll!! We bought him this Razor Electric Dirtbike for his 10th birthday (note his Dad's bike next to it). When I saw him ride up on it, my heart dropped because he is the SPITTING image of his father when he was about 12 (when I first laid eyes on him and claimed him for my very own). oh, and YES, he does wear a helmet when riding his new bike and he only rides in on the nice dirt roads up in New Hampshire. He also gives wonderful hugs and kisses and makes both myself and his father very proud. :)

Steppin up......to Middle School!

Tonight, my son Billy graduates from 6th grade and is on his way to being a middle schooler! We will celebrate with a dinner out to Paisano's (his very favorite place). He'll be 13 in August and I can honestly say that he has brought me 13 years of absolute joy. This kid never fails to hug and kiss me and tell me he loves me. He loves going to the museum of fine arts and browsing around with his mom. He was chosen for Basketball All stars this year and has been in 2 plays. He wants to learn to speak Mandarin chinese so he can travel the world someday... He consistently gets fantastic grades and is kind, compassionate and very, very funny. As much as I loved it when he was little, I adore the young man he has become and I cherish the time we spend together. I love the independence that he wants and I love seeing how responsible he is when he is given some freedom. I'm not saying he doesn't make mistakes (don't we all?)..the hardest thing is letting him make them. I wish for him happiness and love in all he does... Congratulations Billy

**Sigh**

Just thought I'd share that the moving man who just came to give me a quote had doggie doo on his shoe and tracked it all over my house.

Tiny Thumbelina...

My son Billy (12) was in the play Tiny Thumbelina last night. It was put on through our Recreations Department. The play was very cute with lots of little kids in it (who make you laugh til you cry). I was really disappointed with a few of the older kids who didn't know their lines. It was embarrassing for the other kids on stage with them. I mean, there were 4 kindergarten age kids in the play (5 or 6 years old) and they not only knew their own lines, but EVERYONE elses as well! They also knew their cues. Billy played the part part of Walter Rat (a villianous character) where he wore a black suit, tophat and cape and sang a solo. He looked so handsome and grown up.. Sometimes its hard to imagine that he's my little boy up there! He also played Baron Beetle,kind of a nerdy character in a crocheted vest. He absolutely loves acting, and is really good at it. Show #2 is tonight and I think my Mom, 5 year old neice Anna, and sister-in-law Liz are coming. (Last night Bill's parent's came). GO BILLY!!!!

Today, I have to go to Matthew's 4th grade Invention Convention where he and a classmate built a football catapult out of K'nex and paper towel holders.. should be interesting.. THEN, I have to go to work and have blood drawn to see if I have the measles antibody (MANDATORY)...I guess I don't mind after seeing 11 people in Boston have come down with measles after they were infected through someone from another country that hadn't been vaccinated.. I mean, who knows how long these things last? Later on I have another moving company coming to give me a quote (the last one was $2000.00 - not gonna happen) to store and move my furniture for what now looks like July, August and September...

Hopefully, our P&S will be signed today.....:) Over and out...

Deer in Headlights?

I, too, am guilty of snickering when someone tells you that they hit a deer. Never again will I snicker. About two weeks ago, while driving home from New Hampshire at about 4:30 a.m. (long story.. kids begged to stay overnight - I gave in). So I'm cruising along Route 93 up in the White Mountains, when out of nowhere, BAM... I hit a deer.. It was like in slow motion.. It looked at me, I looked at it and then I was hitting it and my car was swerving all over the highway. The boys woke up from a sound sleep to me yelling expletives while screaming. Poor Matthew thought we were going over a cliff and started screaming along with me. Billy was crying for the deer. After calling hubby on the cell (who was ahead of me and didn't see it happen), we pulled over, determined that we were alive and well, and drove the rest of the two and half hours home with deer hair embedded into the grill of my GMC Envoy (excellent vehicle for safety BTW). It was the LONGEST commute of my life. My whole body was shaking.. I swear the deer winked at me before I hit it.

Happy Birthday Janice!!!

Just wanted to wish my big sister a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Janice is the sister that I envied when I was little. She's about five years older than me, always had cool clothes, tons of friends and great hair. I used to sit on my bed and watch her get ready to go out while dreaming of the day I too would be a teenager.

She's only become more beautiful with age and has raised two wonderful girls and is a Pilates, Yoga and Fitness Instructor and would put us all to shame with the shape she is in. We have more laughs now than we did back then and she is not only a fantastic sister, but one of my very best friends..

Here's to more cruising, traveling and fun! Happy birthday!

Love, Karen

Mind games..

I was wide awake at 3:15 a.m. Everything I have to do just came rushing at me and visions of rubbermaid storage containers, bubble wrap and American Standard bathroom accessories filled my head. Maybe I shouldn't have closed my eyes for that power nap yesterday.

Today, I have a plumber coming to put new parts in both sinks (for the buyers). I have to meet with the kitchen guy to order bathroom vanities (he's cheaper than the bathroom guy), go to the credit union and pull out a large sum on money for the builder, and buys tons and tons of storage boxes and get PACKING!!!!

On a happier noted, my 12 year old is in a play tonight and I can't wait to see it. He plays a villian which is so far away from his character that it will be very interesting!

Thanks for listening.. more later.. :)

Me

Well, I figured I'm lurking so much on other's posts that I might as well post my own!

I'm a married (17 years of wedded bliss to be exact) part-time working mother of two mostly fantastic boys who keep me laughing all the time.
Between one's acting and the other's football, I am busy all the time.

I'm lucky enough to do part-time transcription at home (mostly in my pj's).. nothing exciting but it fits into my life right now.

Currently (don't know if you know this Norma) I'm in the process of building a house right next to my in-laws (yes, its a good thing!) and will be out of the house I live in by the end of the month (yikes!).. I'm so stressed that I seem to be taking more naps than I have ever taken in my life.. and my usual organizational competence seems to have gone out the window.. I think the word is DENIAL.

Although I know I'm complaining, it's all good.. I guess I better get back to work.

More to come!