Holy $#!&!

Wow...so my prayers worked! I asked that my dad would get better at asking his kids for help, and he called me this morning and asked me to help him! Whoohoo! I know how hard it must have been for him, but I am soooooo relieved that he knows he can depend on me (us) for help.
I'm sitting here at Starbucks on South Street trying to get some research done, and enjoying the a/c and the sites! Life is good...I really have it good, man.
I learned/confirmed last night that I still have some 'work' to do on myself as far a a couple of ex-'boyfriends' - I've been holding on to resentments against them and I know it will jam me up if I don't do something about it. I want to continue getting better and happier, so I know this has to be done.
Got a bunch of stuff to look forward to this week: chaperoning my niece Christiane's class trip tomorrow; dinner with a few friends; making my special burgers for the family Thursday night...and of course there's a bit of 'work' throw in there a couple of times. Then the weekend...! Rock on!

Happy Memorial Day...

Well, it's been a really great weekend, with some twists. I feel like I'm in a strange place, but I'm ok. I helped my parents with some yard work (really got a good workout), but my dad finds it hard to ask for help, and he's pretty stubborn and wants to do alot of things himself. It makes me so sad because he's in pain ALL OF THE TIME and I get frustrated that he won't ask for help. Out of my control though, ya know? I just have to try to be persistent in my offering to help.
Another bit of frustrating news...found out that my niece relapsed and left the Salvation Army. She had only 5 weeks until graduation and she f#$%^#ed the whole thing up...and for what??!! A needle and seeming relief from her oh-so-hard life. Such bullshit. I'm sick about it but I've talked (and yelled a bit) to her and it's really important that she knows I'm not giving up on her. I'm trying to talk to her not as her aunt, but as someone in recovery who knows how important a little bit of hope can be. I told her to make a gratitude list every day and read from the 'big book', even if it's only a page a day.
On to more pleasant things...Daisy's birthday party was a rousing success...we had a blast! And the look on her face when she opened 'the gift' was TOTALLY worth it!! Great people...great times.
6809 picnic was fun, and Jack ate lots of good stuff (and some vanilla icecream!). Hung out with Suzy afterwards and had so much fun!
Movies today and a bit of shopping...I really do lead a charmed life and am so grateful for my friends and family.
Ok, I don't want to spend the rest of my afternoon in a coffee shop, so I'm off. Talk soon...

Oh Monday...wth...

So I was in a car accident today...got hit by a girl on 7th at Vine. And you know what?? I didn't freak out - I was actually nice to her. 6 years ago it would have been a totally different story. The past week has been good. Actually made it to the gym a couple of times (thank goodness!). George & Brendan fixed my stairs (no more crooked trips up the steps!) - they ROCK!!! Had a little party Friday night then headed over to Milkboy to see the Wanderlust reunion. Man...what a great time! I really enjoyed hearing the old songs (great, great memories) and their new ones are really good! Got to see the Arctic Monkeys Wednesday night...(and made a friend...cool chick from England) - what an unbelievable show!
Hung out with my sister and her family Saturday afternoon at the Maris Street block party...Jack and I had a good time! I need to start thinking about what I'm going to do for my 'future'...singer? counselor? start my own dog walking business? work for the Phillies? Who knows, but at least I know there are possibilities today.
Yesterday I went to Bobby & Maria's engagement party at the Brew Pub. Wow...what fabulous time!
I got to meet Maria and her family, and what wonderful, warm and friendly people they are! And I got to see Bobby's family again...I just love them. I'm so happy that 2 great people have found each other (can't wait for the wedding in Florida!!).
Ok, gotta run before the PPA gets me!

Weekend with the Girls...

First I'll start with a wonderful thing I saw today while walking my little buddies...
We were in the park and I came upon a baby bird being fed by it's mama bird...I was stopped in my tracks and think I even said "Aaawww" out loud. The tiny bird's wings fluttered as it took food from it's mommy's (or daddy's) beak...it was such a beautiful thing to see. Thanks HP...
This past weekend was fabulous! I got to spend it with my mom and her sisters (Aunt Marge, my Godmother, Aunt Fran, and Aunt Dee). We had a BLAST!!! The house we stayed in (courtesy of cousins Chris squared) is amazing! We ate our faces off, spent some time in Jim Thorpe (always a great time there), and laughed our asses off! We even got to watch our Phillies beat the Braves (Friday night's game was a good one!). We met some really interesting people and got an in-depth history lesson at the Harry Packer mansion. I'm so lucky to have these fabulous women in my life...really. Even with not-so-great weather, we managed to have a splendid time. And to top it off, Randi & Dakota came and stayed with Jack and CJ, which was a HUGE deal to me...thanks wom!!!     Can't wait until the next one!
I'm in-between dog walks and the chiropractor's office, and taking advantage of this time to catch up. I really need to get internet at home...it's so much more convenient.
I've got some catching up to do at home (wash, furniture building, yard-work, etc.), and I'm going to see The Arctic Monkeys tomorrow night (whoohoo!!). Should be a fun and productive week...

Side Street Catchup...

I ran into my friend Greg, and we always seem to be catching up on the side streets of Manayunk, so we thought this would be a cool coffeeshop name...(no one steal it, ok?). Well, my guests arrived at 2am Tuesday morning and we definitely had an interesting visit. Sue & I had the opportunity to really catch up and bond Friday, so that made the trip totally worth it for me. Love that girl. We bbq'ed Thursday (and Krysta, Shawn & Sofia came too!) and then went to the Phillies game...really fun! I absolutely LOVE the Phillies this year...I think I'm a bit obsessed (was even going to buy the MLB pkg from DirecTV until I learned that the games are subject to blackouts). Hopefully they will live up to their expectations!
I went to Bartrum Gardens for the first time Saturday...what a treasure, and I never knew it existed until Daisy invited me. Bought a membership....this place is definitely worth preserving. I stayed in and watched the Phils beat the Braves Saturday night...and frankly I was utterly exhausted and couldn't do anything else. Did a whole bunch of gardening, etc. yesterday (I even hung window boxes...and CJ jumped on one this morning and knocked it off...little f%#$er!). The house is really coming along...I'm so excited and loving it more each day. Watched the Phils lose to the Braves last night (my next door neighbor is from Georgia, so I know he's happy that they took the series). Today has been relatively stress-free and absolutely gorgeous! 2 dog walks and a bit of work at the doc's office.
Should be a great week...holla!!

Sunshine, Freedom, Justice, and Baseball...

So much to catch up...where do I start? I'll start with justice & baseball...
My new friend, Ryan, (who works at the ball park) came to give us the news...we got Bin Laden. I was stunned, overjoyed, on the verge of tears, and then I thought he may be messing with me. He took me out to the tv in the lounge and we watched for a few minutes. OH...MY...GOD...it was true! I rushed in to tell Suzy and quickly the word started to spread. Debi pointed out that it was in the 9th inning, and the score was 1-1 (freaky, eh?). Then the stadium was filled with chants of 'USA! USA! USA!' - it was one of most incredible experiences I've ever had. And I can't think of a better place to be...hangin' in the Hall of Fame Club watching my boys play! So if we had to lose (14 innings, and we stayed for the entire game!), at least it was a New York team.
Yesterday was my brother's birthday, and we celebrated with dinner and cake (from Zakes...YUM!) at their house and then Jake's baseball game. Good times, good times. Then off to see my peeps and then home to make the final preparations for my house guests, Sue & Jonathan. They got in around 2am and it was SO great to see Sue and meet Jonathan (a sweetheart!). They're off to A.C. today/tomorrow so I'll have some more time to get some stuff done. The house looks great, thanks to George, Simon, and some help from Randi (and Dakota)! I'm so, so, so, so, so, so happy!  Which brings me to sunshine and freedom...
As some of you know, I've been pretty stressed about getting ready, but today as I was leaving a message for my sis, I became so grateful that #1 - the sun is shining (always a mood-lifter for me) and #2 - I was not sitting in a stuffy cubicle. I was outside, walking 2 adorable pups, in a really cool park in No. Libs. I...LOVE...MY...LIFE...! Now, all I need is to get a job working for the Phillies, and I'll be set!!  :-)