A Little More About Me

Most of you know I’m originally from upstate New York. I have one sister and two brothers. They reside in or near my hometown of Schenectady. I’m close with my sister. She and I keep in touch thru email and Facebook, plus she critiques my work. Sandy has two sons. The oldest is in college and the youngest just graduated high school. He will begin college this fall, earning a degree in culinary arts.

Rick, Sandy, Joe and me 1986

My brother, Joe, has one daughter who is in nursing school, and my brother, Rick has two sons. Devin is 22. Last time we visited the family, he drove me to Starbucks, which I laugh about because it seems like yesterday when he was a toddler splashing in the kiddie pool on the patio with my dog, Rip. His brother will begin preschool this fall and looks exactly like Devin. Being two thousand miles away, I miss my family. When we do get back to New York every couple of years, I enjoy catching up with everyone and seeing how much the kids have grown.

kiddo, Mom, Dad, Devin

My parents are the glue to the family, with mom keeping us sane. There isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for us, or us for them. One of my fondest memories is the blizzard of ’93. The hubs was stationed in Greenland and my Dad was celebrating his 50^th Birthday. With the dog, I made the drive from McGuire AFB to New York for Dad’s party. Getting there wasn’t a problem. It was after the party that the blizzard struck. I had to get back to Jersey, so Dad drove me and the dog home. About five miles from the base, I thought were we going to get set stuck in the middle of the road. The snow was high and visibility was terrible, but somehow Dad plowed through and got us to the base. He stayed until Monday and took the bus back to New York, after the highways had been cleared. It was quite an adventure and one I’ll never forget.

Seaside Heights, NJ

While the hubs and I were in New Jersey, we often went to the beach. There’s something soothing about walking the boardwalk in the salt air sipping on a lemonade. I’m not much of a lemonade fan, except for when at the beach. Seaside Heights was a favorite since it was close to the base, but so was Atlantic City. And New York City. Often we’d drive up to NYC, spend time with Gram and shop in Manhattan, take in a Broadway show or admire the stores and Rockefeller Center decorated for Christmas. About four years ago, we were finally able to take the kiddo to NYC and he loved it, especially the pizza! He didn’t get to see everything so we’ll have to take him back again in another year or two.

From New Jersey we went to Colorado, then to Virginia and retired back to Colorado. More on those travels at a later date. For now, I’ll leave you with some fun facts about me.

Favorite song: Amarillo By Morning by George Strait

Favorite books: Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey and Double Standards by Judith McNaught

Favorite drink: iced tea

Favorite food: Italian

Favorite plant: Sage

Favorite flower: Lily

Favorite actor & actress: John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara

Favorite movie: McClintock, White Christmas

Favorite place: New York City