Ghost Cat

Introducing the newest resident in my apartment, Molly the Ghost Cat. Please welcome her to the family as the first pet of mine who doesn't swim in a bowl of water and doesn't live at my parents' house. So far we seem to get along pretty well given that I do remember to feed and water her and give the appropriate amount of pets.

remembering the good, forgetting the bad

Life handed some me some lemons, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer during the Christmas holidays. I was the one who made the call to take her to the hospital on Christmas Eve. I thought she was suffering from a mild stroke, at the time a very scary thought. An MRI found two glioblastomas, fast growing tumors – which turned a bad diagnosis to a worse one. Doctors’ appointments were made, surgeries scheduled, treatment plans decided. If everything went to plan, there may have been a year. Instead the family got four months from diagnosis to the day she passed away, blissful in sleep.

It’s hard to believe that when I walk into my parents’ house, my mom will not be there to greet me any longer, or to drive me bonkers as mothers tend to do. I will miss picking up the phone just to say hi, or complain about my day. I’ll miss the texts between Mom, my sister and me, where Mom would just ask for more nephew pics (she never could get enough). I’ll miss knowing my biggest fan is always waiting to hear about what I’ve been up to no matter how boring. I will miss her.

Life will continue to adjust to a major change, grief will continue to sneak up at unexpected times, and I’ll make it through.

fifty shades uncomfortable...

Oh hiya, so my mother (a lovely 70 year old) is now begging me to take her to see Fifty Shades of Grey. She's obsessed, and no she hasn't read the book. The thought of seeing what I can only assume will be at least partially pornographic film with my mother gives me the heebs. I read the book, and only the first one because I was so uncomfortable - the little prude in me was not like oh yeah I need another fix of this - no thank you. My sister, the good sport, bought Mom the book - she gets that on Wednesday. The premise is you cannot see the movie without reading the book. I can only hope that Mom continues her slow completion rate of books - you know so that the movie can be out of the theater when she finishes the novel - but you know this one she'll probably devour.

Please pray that I am not forced to take Mom to the movies to see this one. I'll watch any British period drama she wants - old ladies and the sea? Sign me up. Fifty Shades of Asking Me Questions about  is this what normal girls do, just say no.

(PS - you get a lovely photo of a grey dog because that's far more enjoyable for me)

lunch dates

 

My mother has taken a liking to putting some of Norby's friends in my lunchbox to eat lunch with me at work. I actually find it funny that the Little People Grammy showed up one day, and then Ernie decided to make a visit to work as well the next day.  Both toys were mine when I was a kid, and Ernie is the best looking one of the Sesame Street play set that my family still has (Bert has no more pain on him, and one of the dogs ate Big Bird at some point). Here's hoping someone else makes it to work for a lunch date soon.

shipping up...

Well this is one of those big announcements… like really big. After seven years of living in Hoboken, playing and working in New York City – I’ve decided it’s time to return back to Boston.  I’ve heard New York has a few milestones before you become a lifer and I am coming up on the last one before it’s children that drive you to move out of the area. The first stretch is two years, then seven years. So in true form, at year seven mark I am giving the area one big hug and heading back to my roots.

It is a bittersweet time for me as I really do love the life I have down in what my New England heart considers south (at least NYC is south of Massachusetts). I’ve had good times, bad times, done a lot of growing personally and professionally, made friends, lost friends. Why I am living the city that never sleeps? Main reason: Family. Mom and Dad are both now retired, and well not getting any younger. I don’t want to miss getting to hang out for an hour or two here and there with them every other week or so – and the commute to them from New York is just too far to do on a regular basis.  Norbs and my sister and her hubs are also in the area in Boston.  Every time see Norbs he’s changed an incredible amount – he’s becoming such an interesting little human and I want to be there for as much as possible.

The good news, I am getting to stay with my current job, in the same role. I work primarily with people in Boston and London, so Boston is a good spot to head to. The other good news is I still will work with people in New York, which means the occasional business trip to the city which will mean time to visit all my favorite people here.

I’ve got about two months to go until I start the next phase of this journey we call life. I am doing my best to do as much as possible and see as many people I can before I go, and have as many New York moments as I can.

three cheers for easter weekend

Hello dear readers. My apologies for my sporadic posts lately (every time I use the word sporadic, I think of the movie Clueless) – spring is keeping me busy and away from the blog a bit more than I would like.  Anyway, I am heading into a four day weekend starting tomorrow and I get to head up to Boston and see the family for the weekend. I am very excited to get some play time with Norbs- that boy is getting so grown up, I look forward to the day when he just starts talking to me and never looks back. I also get to have lunch with a friend and see the nursery she’s set up for her little ones – I am ridiculously excited to see the babies (yes, babies as in more than one) room.  I missed her shower, so I’ve got a few little surprises for the wee ones (I’ve also been trying to come up with names – like Julian, Jiles (like Giles), and Jilbert, because well I am weird).  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

house lusting

My sister and her family just moved into a new home, which completely makes me lust for a home, or at least start looking at dream homes.  I am feeling slightly addicted to visiting Trulia and Zillow on a regular basis, just to see what’s out there in both the apartment rentals and homes for sale as well. There are so many beautiful homes out there – it makes me wonder how people were ever comfortable home buying without the opportunity to view everything online.

I also don’t think watching Property Brothers is helping me get over my want for an amazing bathroom, and an open concept house, and a beautiful master bedroom, and... and… (damn you, Drew and Jonathan). In my ideal home, I’d have a bathroom with a large soaking tub – something anyone who has ever traveled with me knows. My eyes light up whenever I see a huge tub in any hotel room I am staying in, and then I’ll find at least 10 minutes each night I am there to spend in the tub. I wonder if I’d really take advantage of such a thing at home, though or would the thrill of a huge tub wear off eventually.

Do you have any must haves on your dream home wish list?

(image via pinterest)

call your mother

This week’s been a bit crazy for me. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but I had two days of full day meetings, along with a work dinner one night. Apparently, when I flew home from my trip to florida, I forgot to text my mother. In my defense, it was late flight and I figured it would be odd to wake up everyone texting I had landed. Then Monday came and went, I did my normal routine of work, gym, home to watch How I Met Your Mother on DVR and head to bed. Tuesday was the start of the meetings, which no phone and no computer was allowed, not a big deal as I can survive tech free for a few days. Tuesday night my mom called me but  I was at the dinner, and got home too late to call her back – again not a big deal to me. Well Wednesday started early, and apparently at this point it was possible I had been kidnapped. I missed a few texts, missed a few phone calls, and wasn’t on email (really people what did we do before technology?). My mother so worried tracked down my colleague in another office by calling the office and getting connected to her, to make sure I was okay. Yes, my mom called my colleague to make sure I had not been taken. Moral of the story, text or call your mother even if it’s 1AM, if it bothers her, remind her of that time she called your work friends to make sure you were alive after a few days of being busy.

The next morning, I did text her and told her that my captors say hello. She didn’t get my joke.

I love my mom, but this was one of those moments that made me laugh a lot. I was totally fine, just not near the ways to get ahold of me.