Italian Night

Every year at Camp Fatima my friends talk about parties they have during the rest of the year and I am jealous. My friend, Hattie, scheduled "Italian Night" so that I could be there during one of my trips to Massachusetts to see my mom.

Hattie lives in Penacook, New Hampshire in a old farmhouse which was built in 1760. It was restored and added to by her dad. It is really beautiful. I got to Franklin on Thursday and Saturday borrowed the car for an overnight trip to Hattie's. It was a blast.

NC goes BLUE!!!!

We voted early. We wound up going on Sunday to the only place open which was downtown. It was "Souls to the Polls" where a local Black church provided Gospel music. You could feel the good vibes in the air. It was the most exciting time I voted in my entire life!

Halloween

Even though he is 13, Mitchell was still up for trick or treating. We hit Faculty Drive on campus and he scored big. We even ran into a group of Wake students dressed up and going door to door.

The Fair

Each October we go to the Dixie Classic Fair. The city dedicated a large plot of land to this annual event complete with a grand stand for the tractor pulls, rodeos and demolition derbies.

This year we brought Mitchell's friends, Jared and Emma. We met our friends, Jimmy, Bren, April and her new husband, Tom. From the Ferris wheel we were also able to enjoy the tractor pull at the grand stand. The conversation in the video is more colorful than the lights and sights of the fairway.

Fifty!?!?!?!

My mother, sister and brother came to North Carolina to celebrate with me. They got here on Thursday, September 4th. I had cosmos and appetizers waiting. I served roast beef and we drank too much wine. I fell asleep on the couch. The three of them decided they would wake me at midnight and sing happy birthday to me. Lois fell asleep next. My mother needed her so Peter woke her. She jumped up singing thinking it was midnight.

Friday, the 5th, was my actual birthday. Lois and I ran some errands. We hung out until Mitch was home from school and Brian came home from work. Unfortunately, Brian was ill. That did not stop him from buying a cake on the way home. There was singing and gifts. This video was shot with my new toy. Brian got me a Flip Video camera.



Marion, Lois and Peter treated me and Mitch to dinner at a very fancy restaurant. It was "Wine Night" with seven courses and a different wine to go with each. Mitchell tried everything except the wine and liked most of it... he is one of us.

Brian stayed home because he was ill from stress. He planned a birthday party for me with the help of my friends, Susan, Edie and Peter. Party planning is not Brian's thing and so it took a toll on him. I felt terrible about this. I will not ask for a party in the future. When I turn 60 we will just go on a cruise.

Susan decreed that I had to be out of the house all day Saturday while they set up for the party. Fine with me. Marion, Lois, Peter and I went to lunch, saw a movie, took a car tour of Winston-Salem and stopped at a pub for a drink. When we got home the house was packed with local friends.

Annemarie wanted to be here and so did Robert but life can be complicated sometimes. That's alright. They are with me all the time. I carry them in my heart. The Charbs did send a great dvd of my life and times well spent. I still don't know how they got a picture of me and Lois from our childhood. It was sweet.

It is nice to reach this milestone surrounded by friends singing and wishing me well.



I am not old, just older. The er really softens that word. I also have to say it is a lot easier coming down the hill than it was going up. I am blessed with a wonderful husband and child, family and friends. It truly is a wonderful life!

Fatima

Time speeds by with an abundance of work and projects so my blog went by the wayside. I will try to take advantage of the holiday slow down to catch you up on our adventures.....


This is Cabin Nine. We were 16 women calling one cabin, home. Some of the women in this cabin have been my friends for years, counselors and campers alike. Some were new friends to me. All of us are sisters.


This is Kerrie dressed up for dinner on banquet night. Isn't she beautiful? She is resplendent in pink and boy crazy. I have been in cabin with Kerrie before and she once told her counselor that I was a very nice man. Kerrie does have vision issues. I hope that explains it.



This is Gabriella or, more appropriately, "Gabby". She is my favorite cheerleader. She is a lot of fun and up for almost anything. She has been in my cabin a number of times. A few years ago she brought the program from a golf tournament in which she participated. She was pictured on the back with other golfers. She was wearing her visor and holding her favorite putter. I asked what was her handicap. Another camper, Sarah, informed me that Gabby had Down Syndrome. It is conversations like these that make camp interesting.













At camp we have Uno Tournaments where the winner is carried around the dining hall on the shoulders of counselors and subject to accolades that may be missing from their everyday life. To see us come together as a camp to cheer for one camper is an uplifting experience. There are plenty of hugs and condolences for those who don't win.

This is Ben and his counselor Eric. Ben is autistic and sat beside me for meals. He obviously got a lot of snuggles at home because he would snuggle me at almost every meal. I think he missed his mom. We did have to restrain him to get him to take his meds but otherwise he was very cooperative and had a great appetite.


This year I was a relief counselor. That means that all the campers were my campers. Christina spent Tuesday with me while her counselor visited with family. Christina had me dancing and running through a sprinkler and playing limbo. Although, I cannot go as low as I used to go.


Hopefully next year Mitchell will come with me and serve as a waiter. I cannot wait to share camp with my son. I hope he loves it as much as I do and that it is something we can share even after he grows up and away from his father and I. It could happen.

August Part One

When we bought this house we knew we had to replace the porch. Built in 1959 before there were codes in this part of the country, the original deck was built with materials too small to stand the test of time. Someone closed it in adding more weight. It was sagging and dangerous.

A lack of money and plethora of priorities put this project on hold. It was daunting. I shopped and found a company to tear off the porch and build a deck and another to replace all our windows. We also had all the trim wrapped in vinyl. No more painting for us.

This is Brian's photo documentation of the tear off and the rebuild. Although there is plenty more to do for this old house, one set of projects at a time.

It kept me home for most of the month of August. Josh and Juan from Archadeck built our beautiful new deck. They were challenged. A footing failure we addressed years ago left our house no longer square. It took days to be sure that they got the deck square. It was also 97 degrees outside so moving was slow.

Before the porch was torn off it would rain in our den. Even with the missing roof line the den stayed dry once the porch roof was gone.

The idea was that we would close it in someday when we had more money, but once that roof came off and we realized how it opened up our view we decided otherwise. It gets so hot here it's not like we spent a lot of time on the porch anyway.

Once the deck flooring was done , the window guys came. They were fast. Windows were popped out and replaced in no time.

With the windows out in the bedroom we got the hot tub removed. YAY! For 13 years our master suite has been crowded by a hot tub we did not use. To run it required chlorine and added humidity. We paid the window guys and two of their friends to take it out and bring it around back. It now lives under the deck. When we can afford the electrician we will get it up and running. For now it is just great to have it out of our room.

The 2nd morning the window guys were here brought the trim crew. At 8 a.m. I was surrounded by a S.W.A.T. team of Hispanic gentlemen. They got half the trim done swiftly but had to come back to finish after the roof line was rebuilt.


It fell to Brian because I was off to Fatima. He stayed home while I was away. Since my return we have had to nail down a few things. (Where were my shutters?!?!) We still have a little more to complete but it looks fabulous and feels like we moved.

Now there are gutters. When it rains the water stays outside. I only have to walk out the back door to fire up the grill for dinner. I have to drum up more business to pay for all this but it is worth it!

It has been a busy August....

Thank you Nikki.
This is my computer desktop photo through the election.

When things calm down around here I will post a postblog from the crazy month that was August. 'Til then I will just say that it is all good! Life is good!

Swinging...

It started out as a pleasant 4th of July swing ride...

and then...

...following which I stepped in a pile left by Susan Mastria's dog, Princess. Danielle suggested I play the lottery. I must admit that at this stage in my life I felt pretty lucky that it was Joseph.

Straight past June...

...and into July.

We had a great week on the Cape. Here is one reason why...

The Best of Jef

It was well worth the drive to spend some time with this beautiful boy and his folks. Joseph or Jef, I am sure we Tagues will call him both. He is snuggly and fun!

Part of what makes holding Jef so special is that I held his mother, Danielle, when she was this age, too. That is pretty cool.

Annemarie and Joe have always been very generous with me and their girls. Meeting their grandchildren is a new blessing in itself.

The following footage is for them.






Happy in the morning


Diaper time is the right time!


Mother and son.... so sweet!

The Answer is...

"Who is Paisley School Jeopardy Champ?"

Mitchell just competed in his school Jeopardy Tournament. I have provided the highlights for all of you stalwart fans. First, the opening round....



Then the championship round....



Remember, these are the highlights of Mitchell's performance. His friends, Bo and Semasa, gave him a real run for his money.

They Say It's His Birthday...

Seventh in the state...

...and first in our hearts.

Mitch had a goal to come in the top ten of at least one event. He managed two coming in 7th for Road Scholars and 9th for Simple Machines. He came in 14th for Ecology. Out of 50 that is still pretty darn good (say his folks)! You can view the rankings in this pdf highlighted for your convenience.








Further we will brag that he only started studying for Simple Machines and Ecology since the Regional Tournament in March in Greensboro. Now if we could only get him to work this hard in language arts.

Our friends, Jeremy Muday,
and Sam and Scott Robinson.

Jeremy and Scott competed in Robocross.

Making ourselves at home in the stands.

Movies in the hall for down time.

Mitchell's school is as old as his parents.

Ready for the Spirit Parade.

Mitch in the middle.

50 schools of North Carolina.

I Am a Demographic

I am a soccer mom.

This past week, during Mitch's spring break, he attended Wake's soccer camp.

Meet Mitch the Mud Man.

We had exceptionally wet weather.

I did a lot of laundry.





I like the picture of happiness on this boy's face with his butt soaked and muddy as he perches comfortably on his soccer ball.

I am a big proponent of camp.








I really like the picture of happiness on this boy's face.

I am the Mud Man's soccer mom.

Although, he is growing up.

Is it the soccer that has him smiling?

Eggsellent!

The many sides of Brian Tague include a bit of a folk artist. Give him tee shirts, rubber bands and pails of dye. He will produce a tie dye of vibrant color. Give him a bag of pipe cleaners at Christmas. He will build a snowman complete with miniature pipe. Give him some pipettes, vinegar and color pellets. He will paint a beautiful Easter egg.



While we are not religious, we religiously practice many traditions of the holidays.
Every Easter we color eggs as a family.












We have a kit to produce tie dye eggs which we have used for many years now. I purchase the cheapest color kit and we break out all the old tools. This year we even tried a little relief work with scotch tape. They were lovely.

Year after year Mitch has recruited friends from the neighborhood to join him in an egg hunt. Some hunts have been in the front yard. We have moved the hunt to our playroom when it rained.

This year things have really changed. Mitchell hid the eggs. Brian and I had to find them. It's hard to tell who had the most fun.


It is rewarding when your child embraces your traditions. The fact that he will still color eggs with us and that he is excited to hide these eggs from us makes his aging easier to take.

Now the only challenge left is what to do with twelve hard boiled eggs. Brian and Mitch like to color them. They do not like to eat them.




I, on the other hand, could not wait to finish the hunt so I could have one for my breakfast. I guess I will be making potato salad, mac salad, egg salad or maybe deviled eggs this week.

Wishing you all a most eggsellent Easter!

Susan's Spin on the Shower

It was worth the drive to NJ from NC for Danielle's shower. However, when you attend a shower for a teacher organized by another teacher, plan on being tested. When I asked how I could help, I was handed a bag of pencils and sent to the sharpener.




Owen's sister, Branice, was the mastermind. She designed centerpieces and favors that were worthy of a boutique. There was talk that she should consider this for a business.




This is not to diminish all the work done by her aunt, her cousin and her mother. It was impressive watching them bring it all together.

Testing included a pile of games: matching candy bar names with pregnancy terms; a trivia quiz; guessing how many candies in a baby bottle (Danielle won that one); and the highly entertaining "Break Your Water".

For "Break Your Water" we put plastic babies in plastic cups of water and froze them. Contestants had to break the frozen water to get the babies.

Can anyone tell me what happens to a plastic cup when you use it to freeze water? Anyone? Anyone? ...The bottoms of the cups crack. We made it work just the same and one of the Harvard graduates won by warming up her "water" with the bulb in a wall sconce.


Let's not forget Baby Shower Bingo! Party goers were getting pushy if Danielle was not opening her gifts fast enough. There was more than one debate about what qualified as a onsie or a baby book.

Its safe to say I lost the due date prediction. I picked March 19th. We have yet to find out who will win that last prize.

I may not be able to pick a date, but I do know one thing. Danielle is blessed to be in this family. There was a room full of women there wanting to share in this happy event and show their support.

Branice is excited to be an aunt and was determined to make this shower the best. Her friendship with Danielle is evident. Joseph is a very lucky little boy. Can't wait until he arrives.

View all of the Shower Pictures

Flying Solo

For those concerned for my safety driving nine hours to New Jersey, thank you. I had a successful trip and am home with my guys, safe and sound. The talented Jim Dale kept me company all the way as he read to me the seventh book of Harry Potter.

I also used this trip as an excuse to buy myself one of those cd holders for the visor so I had the discs at my finger tips.

I left right after Brian and Mitch. It was dark but only for a short while.

The first three hours breezed by quickly. My first stop was multipurpose, any excuse to have a Sausage McMuffin with Egg.


The drive up 81 was clear and pleasant. I have grown fond of the stretch up the Shenandoah Valley. We drive it every summer.

It was my first long trip with the Highlander. Long gone are the days of the yellow Dodge Colt. I have decided to name my new-to-me car, "Chariot."

After a smooth nine hours, I arrived safely at Fletcher's Inn, home of Rosita and Ed Fletcher, Danielle's In-Laws.








I will write more about my trip later. I am home and being served ravioli's by my wonderful son with the help of his Dee. Then the Dee will read to us.

There really is no place like home.