Hello Happy Pitbulls

Unconditional acceptance

My blog has been quiet, which means something's up.  Always.  So here's what's up: Mike's mom passed away on Saturday morning. 

Losing a loved one always make me turn to introspective thought.  And what I've summed up over the past few days now that family has been flowing into down from Atlanta, Virginia, and throughout California, I've realized how lucky I am.  Mike's family accepted me from Day 1 as part of the family.  I think I met Mike's mom and a big chunk of his family at a Christmas dinner, which is a lot of pressure for a neurotic Jewish girl from a tiny family.  I was immediately welcomed as one of the gang.

Mike's family is amazing - an actual collection of colors and cultures and values and belief systems.  But accepting.  Even last night, we turned to talk of the New York Mets when we felt and an uncomfortable Obama vs. McCain conversation coming on.

I have watched the kids all grow up and a bunch of them are all in college now, and we all chat together on Facebook.  Tonight we will all be together for the first time in about 9 years or so.  Unbelievable.  I am debating whether I will speak at tonight's rosary, but if I don't, I wanted to remark about Mike's mom that she was so ready to accept me into the family, despite my completely different upbringing, religion, and background.  And she raised an amazing family, who understand the importance of family.  I hope that she finds my mother in heaven and they can have a long conversation about the things that have transpired over the past 8 years since they first met.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that conversation...

RIP Angela Cabias.

Introducing Bellflower Textiles

New from bellflower textiles,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

My sister-in-law Megan is one of the most creative people I know. She has been blogging for quite some time now, with subject matter ranging from life with my brother Brett, to tending to her garden of amazing tomatoes and roses, to the journey of her pregnancy, and the joys of motherhood. Most recently, she's been blogging about quilting. A lot of quilting. And trips to quilting shows, and fabric stores, and more.

Her latest venture is Bellflower Textiles, a new online boutique for selling her cute baby attire, hair clips, and house decor items. I am honored to have made the first purchase in her shop, these groovy orange chrysanthemum quilted coasters. (She's got some green ones left, if you like these!)

They rock. She has been finding the coolest materials to make all of these items, and they are super groovy. Check out the kids' clothes. I'm trying to have her make me some adult sized kid's clothes just for me.

Stop by her shop and support Megan's new crafty venture!

Six Degrees of Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy and my brother Brett,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

The recent news about Ted Kennedy's diagnosis with a brain tumor prompted me to contact my brother to get a copy of this photo. I remember this picture being a centerpiece in our house growing up as a kid.

My dad was a newspaper reporter and my brother was a fashion model for Grrranimals' Billy the Kid line. On occasion, there would be something cool happening at my dad's office, like elephant rides, stampeding buffalo, or famous politicians.

I'm guessing this was sometime in the mid-'70s. I am imagining I was at a piano lesson or doctor's appointment while my brother was meeting a political legend.

At any rate, being from Massachusetts and growing up with the Vaughn Meader First Family album, we're huge Kennedy fans. Sending good vibes to Kennedys everywhere, and even a Shriver or two.

Graduation party = swollen ankle + ice

Graduation party = swollen ankle + ice,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

This weekend has been full of celebration for my niece Alisa who graduated from High School on Friday evening. A lot of this involved standing around waiting for stuff. Waiting to get into the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento freezing - it's supposed to be HOT this time of year! Once they opened the doors, there was a mad rush for seats. This one lady almost took me out on my crutches she was in such a rush to get seats. WTF woman? There's plenty to go around. Did you really have to kick out my crutch from under me?

The graduation ceremony was great. We had a virtual shoe fest going on. Each girl that crossed the stage to receive her diploma came out with a pair of cha cha shoes higher than the next. Some definitely walked better than others in their 4 inch heels. All the kids had their signature moves for maximum ham impact.

Best part of the night was at the end. When all the diplomas were handed out, they said there were 4 people who could not be in attendance. The representatives of the track team who were participating in the state qualifier meet. The principal announced they were stuck in traffic trying to get to the Auditorium. Then he announced they won. Huge applause. So without them, the class went through the well choreographed ritual of moving their tassels from left to right - signifying the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Loud cheers.

Next, the principal said: "Hold on, we have to rewind a little" and the track stars crossed the stage, wearing robe and MEDALS to get their diplomas! It was really cool.

One of the kids is pals with our niece and came over to the house later. I'll have to get a copy of the picture of the Alisa with her 3 buddies: 3 really tall guys flanking her while she's wearing a shirt that says "Trouble" and the gold medal.

Long story short - fun weekend; swollen ankle.

The passing of time, it's just amazing

See this kid?  This is my niece from back in 2000.  She was the flower girl in our wedding that year.  I remember her being a little hellion most of the time.  She used to be so mean to all the little kids.  And mean to me.  MEAN.  I mean seriously, MEAN.  From a young age, she was a button pusher.  To this day, she knows how to push her mom's buttons (Mike and I are constantly amused by this), but she knows better than to mess with her dad!

So, this little twerp has turned into kind of a fun kid!  Mike and I had a blast with her when we were down in Mexico last year, and she and I have been texting each other and playing scrabulous on Facebook for fun ever since.  This kid who once laughed at me when I fell off a ladder, is now a fun part of my life.  We like to take her out to movies and she and I frequently text each other while in the same room at her house during family outings.

And she can make a mean margarita.

She's graduating from high school on Friday, and we are honored to have tickets to the ceremony.  We have no kids of our own, so we always joke about being nice to her so she'll take care of us when we get old.  This is one kid I really care about, and I am so proud of her for evolving into such a good, fun girl.  And even though we did bribe her with a GPA-scaled graduation gift, we're proud of her no matter what, and I'm going to miss her when she goes away to college in the fall.

Running to Feed the Hungry

I'm gearing up for Thanksgiving and my quasi-annual event in Sacramento: Run to Feed the Hungry. I've done this race a handful of times, and it's one of those true feel-good charity events.  It's not quite as emotional as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, but it feels good on a number of different levels.  Not only do proceeds go to a great cause, but you can also get a bit of a workout in on a traditional day of excess.  This year, my 73-year old dad is going to be joining me in the 5K walk.  I had planned to run, but I thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together.

So, if you're looking for something to do on Thursday before you stuff yourself with stuffing, venture out to Sacramento for a stroll with about 15,000 people.  You'll feel good all over, all day.

7 Years and Counting - I still miss my mom

It's hard to believe that it's been seven years since my mom left this world. I remember it so vividly, the whole unraveling of events.  Flying to Massachusetts, the rainy graveside service, all the people at our house, the tip jar in the kitchen...just like yesterday. At 33, I felt too young to be without a mother, and at 40 I still feel the same.

Her memory lives on in my very strange dreams.

RIP Patsy

My little brother called me on Saturday to let me know they had to put down their dog Patsy that morning. Here's Patsy keeping a watchful guard over my nephew Matthew as a baby.  I'm sure it was hard to do, especially since my nephews are so young and this is their first encounter with death.  And for my sister-in-law, she's had Patsy since she was a baby, so for 12 years, so I'm sure it's extra hard for her.  Anyhow, just wanted to send virtual condolences and memorialize poor Patsy sausage dog.  Patsy, make sure you find Blauser in dog heaven and chase some kitties while you are up there.  The cats in dog heaven aren't in charge of you like Maggie was.

Happy birthday mom

Today would have been my mom's 64th birthday, so instead of Rainbow Connection, which I always listen to on her birthday, I listened to When I'm 64.  Hard to believe she's been gone nearly 7 years.

Update: I stand corrected.  She would have been 65. I thought she was born in 43, but my aunt and dad reminded me it was 42.

Safe, Kind and Productive

The highlight of yesterday's family Christmas activities was learning that our niece Valerie received a special prize at school for being safe, kind and productive.  Now that's a pretty interesting trio of qualities to reward children for.  I'm thinking that maybe I should give something similar to the folks at work.

Yesterday I also went to see Rocky Balboa, what's touted to be the final episode in the saga of the Sylvester Stallone character of the same name.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I thought it was great.  It's strange to put the original film in a 21st century context, because the 70s were such a long time ago.

This morning we woke up to a fun holiday call on a scanner - the report of a DUI driver running through town with 4 other guys throwing beer cans out the windows of their cars.  Come on guys, it's 9:15 in the morning on a Sunday!  Couldn't you at least wait until the football games get going?

Cut to tonight at 7:00.  I am watching the final episode of Everest: Beyond the Limit on the Discovery Times channel, and we're preparing for the 24 hour Christmas Story marathon, an annual tradition.  Mike's working on a lamb shoulder roast, and I'm pacing myself with the wine.  The dogs have been waiting for us to stop doing stuff so they can just lay down and relax already.

So - happy holidays all you crazy people out there.