Remembering the past, while welcoming the future.

December 31, 2010 ~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

.:: Letting Go of the Stuff
Not too long ago, I pulled out a bag of stuff with the intention of going through and disposing most of it. Maybe motivated by the show Hoarders, or perhaps just tired of seeing all the stuff – I figured it was high time to let go of notes and various memorabilia.

Memories002 — A blurred but happy memory of my Dad and our family's oldest niece, now in her 20s.

Several weeks passed without me touching the bag. Then, one morning I took the bag and dumped it out on my bed. I had a trash bag handy, ready to put most of the stuff in the trash. The first thing I picked up was a letter from one of my sisters, written to me during my first year in college. She wrote the letter seven days before giving birth to her first child. Immediately, I felt the tug to keep the letter. I moved on to the next letter, which was from another sister written during the same year of college. Another keeper. As I proceeded to go through the stuff, I found several letters from my family during my college years. I also found a letter from my Dad, letting me know that though a D in math wasn’t great – it was passing, and as long as I was doing my best, it was going to be OK. Yeah, that’s a keeper.

Though I managed to throw away a deflated balloon over 10yrs old, a few bar coasters and random receipts, I ended up keeping most everything that was in the bag. So, my attempt to ‘let go’ was not entirely successful.

Memories003 — Our oldest nephew and our oldest niece - both in their 20s now.

“Your Dad’s note is sentimental.” Rob says, as I talk to him about it. “It should be kept.” “But why?” I ask. Rob doesn’t have an answer, and I don’t have an answer either. Still, I decide to keep my Dad’s letter, as well as the other letters from my family and friends. And, as I head downstairs to tackle the bigger boxes and bins, I continue to wonder why some things are kept.

Lifting the lid on a big blue bin, I see notes – tons of notes. Notes written in school, passed during class or slid in between a locker vent while changing classes. I found old holiday cards and letters; one letter I found was written by my best friend back in 1985. She wrote the letter to me, so I would have something to distract me on my first solo trip, which was to Philadelphia, PA by train.

Why did I keep these notes? And, can I toss these notes away? Distracted with the questions, I decide to hold off on the purging. When I go back upstairs I ask Rob, “Can you think of any reason why I should keep old notes?” I am fully expecting him to say ‘no’ quickly. Instead, he says, “If it means something to you, you should keep it.” “But why?” I ask him. Again, he can’t answer the ‘why’. More importantly, I can’t answer the ‘why’. And, if I can’t answer the ‘why’, then there is no reason to keep the notes. Right?

Memories004 — My brother, his wife, our cousin, my sister and me. Oh so long ago ...

I go back downstairs and begin the purging project. While tossing notes, I stop to read one or five. Wow. What good times were had in my youth. What silly, crazy, funny and lame moments of time. My friend, Jen-a-ren, and I were crazy note writers. Such fun. And yes, within my collection, I found a stereotypical note seemingly passed during class, “What’s the farthest you’ve gone, and with whom?” It was my own ‘Sixteen Candles’ moment, I suppose.

Notes from high school, letters from summer friends and letters exchanged during my college years, all tell tales of a lived life. And, thrown in the mix of letters and notes are memos from roommates, as well as my parents. I found a post-it note from my Dad, which sums up a time when technology was changing. He wrote: “Please set the clock on the VCR. The microwave and wall clock are fine. Thanks, Dad.” Yep, I had parents that did not know how to set the clock on the VCR. And, yep, I kept that post-it note.

Memories005 — Two cousins, all my sisters, my brother and me.

Oh, and in addition to the notes and letters were pictures. Lots of pictures. I kept the pictures. I always enjoy going back in time and looking at pictures.

Some of the better (and kept) finds of the purge?
Certificates given to me by Phat Daddy Smooth, one of the best wake boarders ever. Coincidentally, Phat Daddy Smooth is also known as Rob, my husband. Phat Daddy made certificates for all the wake boarders in our group, whenever they accomplished new tricks. For me, the tricks were simple: one handed wake boarding and going outside the wake. (Wild and crazy, that’s me!)

‘Wonder Pup Saves the Day’. A book written and illustrated by my friend and me, when we were in elementary school. My friend was a kick-ass artist. Her pictures were great. Unfortunately, she was absent on a day we had to turn in a page. I ended up tracing one of her previously drawn pages and well – it looks awful. Alas, the book and the memory still rocks!

A letter dated April 18, 1989 from my bestest friend, Carol. She typed the letter to me while at work. She mentions a guy named Eddie, apparently someone I was interested in at the time. After a paragraph or two of generalities, my friend lists several quotes she and I had said through the years. 20yrs later, and her letter makes me laugh out loud. “Excuse me, but Lenore just stapled her hand.” “Have you checked yet?”

Birthday cards from my Aunt Thelma. Many birthday cards from “my favorite aunt”. I am her bestest friend ever. Just ask me.

And finally, pictures. As I mentioned earlier, I love going back and looking at old pictures. Though I have many pictures of friends – old, new and long gone, the pictures of my family seem to matter most.

So, as I toss various forms of memorabilia out with the trash, I also say good-bye to 2010. Though 2010 won’t go down as ‘the best year ever’, I am certain – just as I have rediscovered wonderful memories from years gone by – I will pull out a treasure chest of fond memories from 2010, too. After all, this year was the start of my blog. Honestly, does it get any better than that?!

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Happy New Year!

It’s that time again, when resolutions we make.
Celebrating past midnight, and getting a headache.

You wake in the morning to start a new year.
Planing to exercise more and drink less beer.

Is balance what you are determined to find?
Committing to quiet time to free your mind.

Do you plan to clear the clutter and mess?
Or, is your plan to play more and work less?

Before moving forward, I look to the past and say –
I will never forget the loved ones lost along the way.

In Loving Memory of James E. and Valentina

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Happy New Year! Be kind, and take care of yourself and each other.

Distracted by doughnuts

December 22, 2010December 22, 2010 ~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

So, have you ever eaten something so delicious it caused you to sing out in excitement? A friend of mine would sing out with a loud ‘Aaaaaah’ whenever she was – well, let’s just leave it as my friend would sing out whenever she was excited about this or that.

This morning, while I was driving to work, I sang out. Loudly. I was the only person in the car at the time, though I don’t know if that makes my sudden outburst more acceptable or not.

Why the sudden outburst of “Aaaaaaah!”? Because I was stopping by Dutch Monkey Doughnuts to pick up a few, well, doughnuts. When I walked into Dutch Monkey, the desire to burst out in song was great; however, I was able to maintain my composure.

I walked out of the doughnut bakery with a dozen freshly baked doughnuts. And again, when I was alone in the car, I raised my voice to the angels. Crazy, eh? Crazy good, I’m telling you!

My boss and I enjoyed both of the strawberry bismark doughnuts, with fresh sliced strawberries. And honestly, the bismark was so good, I wanted to stop by on the way home to get two more. ‘Tis the season to be gluttonous, right? Alas, I did not go back and get more doughnuts. I think a dozen is plenty.

Here’s the thing, my post today was going to be about parenthood. And yet, the goodness of Dutch Monkey overcame me. Overcame me. So, I had to share.

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Our 5yr old is sick. He has had a fever since late Sunday night/early Monday morning. With the fever keeping Joe ‘down’, he has been more willing to cuddle with me. And, I have done my very best to milk his fever for all it is worth – with regards to cuddling, I mean.

Parenthood — Unhappy boy with his exhausted parents.

Yesterday, I was going through old pictures of Joe, with the intent of finding one particular one taken when he was a newborn. As newbie parents to a baby that liked to cry, Rob and I were exhausted. The picture conveyed the story clearly, and I think it would have made for an excellent Christmas card enclosure. That is, if Joe was born in December. However, he was born in January, and by the time his first Christmas came ’round, we were seasoned parents and I was pregnant with our second baby.

Because Joe is sick and I had the baby picture on my mind, I am reflecting back on my boys being babies. I remember when I was able to sit on the couch with them for hours, cuddling and napping. And, while I’m not looking to raise another newborn, I do enjoy recalling some of the memories of early parenthood.

JoeandCherokee — Joe and his dog, Cherokee

In my search for the exhausted picture, I found another picture of newborn Joe. Looking more closely at the second picture, I noticed our dog, Cherokee. I think Cherokee liked the babies, too. Actually, Cherokee still loves the boys, especially when the boys are eating.

As I type, Joe is sitting next to me. If he were feeling 100%, Joe would be outside, coloring, building with blocks, playing with his train, etc. But, while feeling under the weather, sitting with Mom works for him. And, Joe sitting with Mom works for me, too! Maybe Joe would like to have a doughnut with me. I have plenty to share. Oh look! Here comes Cherokee.

The Crazy Behind the Curtain

November 29, 2010November 29, 2010 ~ Lenore Diane ~ 5 Comments

Getting up and heading to church on Sundays is something we do more often than not. The morning pace is slow, but we manage to make it to the church on time. The boys go to their Sunday school classes, and Rob and I go to our Sunday school class. This past Sunday was different. We were given the task (honor, really) to light the first candle of the advent season. We were to light the candle during the 9:30 am church service.

Our morning routine was a little more rushed, wanting to look our very best for the congregation. I wanted to make sure the boys wore their pants without holes, and shirts/sweaters that actually matched their pants. On this particular Sunday – socks and sandals would not be acceptable. We were rushing around in an attempt to look like the ‘perfect’ family.

As we were heading to church, I noticed several other cars on the road. And, from what I could see, many of the cars had folks dressed in their ‘Sunday’ best. I reflected back to Thanksgiving, when my niece took a picture of me, Rob and the boys, because the holiday season typically brings with it greeting cards. Many greeting cards. And, many of the greeting cards include a picture of the family. Most pictures show a happy family, smiling beautifully in their best holiday clothes. Or perhaps, the picture was taken at the beach, and they are donning similar outfits – white tops and blue bottoms. Regardless of the pose or the clothes, taking the perfect holiday picture is a ritual for many families. And, wanting to include a picture of our perfect family in our holiday card, I made sure our family took part in the ritual.

Perhaps, if you peel back the curtain in our family you may find: the rushing around the house; the bickering and snapping over this and that, because of this and that; the pull in the pantyhose that leads to a run, because of an attempt to chase the dog off the bed and out of the bedroom, while also trying to get dressed; the grape jelly that falls off the toast and lands on a clean Sunday shirt, as a 4yr old eats while also bouncing in his chair; the glitter glue picture that had to be completed by a 5yr old and ends up in his lap – leaving globs of glue behind on his Sunday pants; etc.

Then again, you may find a perfectly composed family, clean and neat, with freshly washed and pressed clothes, brushed teeth and hair, all smiles and ready to please. Though, as I shake a Magic 8 Ball, I’m not at all surprised to find, “Looks Doubtful.”

What follows is a series of photo mishaps, in the effort of getting the ‘perfect’ shot. Starting with my boys, in a series of pictures where one realizes he is tickling the other to the point of no return. And, I am not including the perfect shots, because really, there is more fun to be had while living in the crazy.