Happy New Year

I have pulled out three of my most important goals from last year that I want to continue to work on in 2013:

I want to grow spiritually, emotionally and mentally, while shrinking physically.
I worked hard to make this a year of change and adventure. I want to continue to have an amazing life journey. And it is time to get serious about exercise, eating right and weight loss, because my broken foot really hampered my progress in 2012.

I want to spend more time with my family. I want to learn more of my family history and share it with my children.
I have spent time with my children and my extended family, I have blogged about a few of the episodes in my family's forgotten history, and I, along with family around the globe, viewed the final celebration og Granny Moore after spending a week sharing treasured stories. Just wonderful. It showed me again how important family really is.

I want to learn how to be content with where my life is at the moment- be in the moment instead of wistfully wishing for a better past/future life.
A work in Progress.... I have taken small steps and plan to keep moving forward.

So what are your goals for the new year?

Where is Santa?

NORAD helps Santa

NORAD is helping folks check in on Santa's progress on this very special night. So if you have little ones, you may want to show them the tracking system set up to help him.

Track Santa

It really is the biggest night of the kid year.

Merry Christmas!

It's the end of the world as we know it...

Only 30 minutes to go...

So a while back, I was talking to my Dad about the Mayan calendar, which is meant to end at Midnight tonight- his sage advice was simple:

"I'd still pay the mortgage"

I don't really think it is happening tonight either. But a lot of people think the end is close at hand. Have you seen the show, Doomsday Preppers? 

The end of the world has been getting quite a bit of press. In fact, NASA came out with a statement to address several of the world ending scenarios:

2012

The world will not end in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012. The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.

Alignments

There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. One major alignment occurred in 1962, for example, and two others happened during 1982 and 2000. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.

Blackouts from Alignment?

Neither NASA nor any other scientific organization is predicting such a blackout. The false reports on this issue claim that some sort of "alignment of the Universe" will cause a blackout. There is no such alignment. Some versions of this rumor cite an emergency preparedness message from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. This is simply a message encouraging people to be prepared for emergencies, recorded as part of a wider government preparedness campaign. It never mentions a blackout.

Polar Shift

A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. Scientists believe a magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia.

   

Solar Flares

Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.

   
NASA addresses "the end of the world"

Of course there is always the "What if?" factor...

So how do you prepare for the end of the world? A party of course. With a countdown to midnight... And if the world ends, I will see you on the other side.

Pissed off at evil...

So I read the Huffington post today.... and saw this:

"In the wake of Friday's massacre in Newtown, Conn., members of Westboro Baptist --- in Topeka, Kan., posted Twitter messages saying they would picket outside Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The messages provided no information on the time of the planned picketing.

"Westboro 'God hates Fags' Baptist --- is planning to picket at Sandy Hook, to praise God's judgment,'" was posted by Margie Phelps, the daughter of Westboro leader Fred Phelps Sr. Her sister, Shirley Phelps-Roper, tweeted Saturday that the group would "sing praise to God for the glory of his work in executing his judgment."

--- members also released a video titled "God Sent the Shooter," in which members state that the shootings were God's retribution for gay marriage."

The sick feeling in my stomach mixed with the rage I felt...

HOW DARE THEY?!?!

Pure evil. Plain and simple.

Hateful... Hurtful... Heartbreaking...

God will judge them for what they do and say on this earth...

Sadness...

26 families in Connecticut are in pain today. Grieving an unimaginable tragedy.

I cannot wrap my head around 20 dead 6-7 year olds. Their bright happy faces are everywhere, and I ache for their families. I ache for their community. I ache for those who will be haunted by the memories of that day, because they were there and survived.

I will pray for all of you.

There are not words enough to bring comfort...

I am so, so sorry for your loss...

74 years ago...

My mom, Nuala Elizabeth Moore was born on 12/12/1938, the first child of Eddie and Ellen Moore. She lived and worked on the farm in Annaghkilly until she emigrated to the US in the 50s with her sister Etta and moved in with Brian and Regina in the Bronx.

Originally, she studied to be a secretary at Katherine Gibbs, but did not enjoy the work. Her uncle got her a job at Dollar Savings Bank on Fordham Road. She met Brendan at a wedding and when they dated, they often attended dances at the Armory on Kingsbridge Road.


They married in October of 1964, had their first child, Deirdre, in September of 1965, and after their third child, Ellen, was born, they bought their home in Throggs Neck.

Me and Mom

When their fourth child, Eddie, started school, Mom went back to work at Dollar Savings Bank, this time a little closer to home in Parkchester. She worked there through the Dry Dock merger (and my brief time working at the 59th street branch- I was nowhere near the teller my mother was).

I was in Guatemala when the Emigrant merger happened. Mom was concerned her position would be eliminated, but she stayed on and received several promotions. Later, she considered retiring, but it was always put off till next spring, next fall, next year...

In the summer of 2002, my mom and my family along with my niece Shelly travelled to Ireland for my cousin Colleen's wedding.

Granny Rita and Mom

It was the first time I was in Ireland with my mother since she took Dee and me home after her dad died in December of 1968. My family stayed with Rita, one of Moms sisters, and we had a wonderful time. It was Mom's last trip home.

Today, on what would have been my Mom's 74th Birthday, Shelly is getting married to a good man. And I am sure that Mom, in Heaven, is smiling. I know I am.

Peace Corps Support

Over the past year, I have lost two of my early mentors from The United States Peace Corps.

I was assigned the health extensionist program when I arrived in Guatemala in February of 1992. Dr. Sergio Mack Rivas was my APCD and he was very supportive of the work I did in my little aldea in the hills of Baja Verapaz. He was commited to the work and his country. When I returned to Guatemala in 1998, I was able to sit down with him and talk to him about the political situation since the Peace Accords and the state of the country. We sat and talked as if he had all the time in the world, and no other work to do. But that was Sergio.

I recently got word that Sergio, who had prior heath issues, had a heart attack on March 1st, 2012. He was in a coma until he passed away on Thursday, March 8th 2012 around 12 PM. He was 55.  It is just hard to believe... It makes me sad.

Sergio with us the day we were sworn in.

Kathy Arroyave was the nurse and Medical Director of Peace Corps Guatemala, a post she held for 30 years. She looked after us,was direct, and told us how it was, made sure we were safe, not too too homesick, and she chased away as many infectious elements as she could while we served. Beyond the host ofvaccines during training, she sought us out for gamma globulin (talk about a long ride back home after those bad boys...) and made sure we had access to the medications that helped keep us healthy.
She rounded in the hospital when I was in-patient, and there her kindness was overwhelming- to be sick so far from home... It was a gift to see her each day.I believed she loved us all, as her own. She kept us safe. A great nurse...

She never failed to be kind to me. A gift when you are so far from home. Kathy passed away on July 23, 2012 after battling cancer.

Both of these individuals were role models, mentors to me. I am thankful to have known them.

Stroke Update

Three years ago today, my father had a stroke. He went to a rehab center, and he improved. That Christmas I travelled back to New York and visited with him, and worried about how much function he would get back.

It is hard to look back on that dark time, considering how much improvement there has been.

He is helped by his good friend Maureen, who provides amazing support to him. Her kindness and generosity amaze me- from the beginning she has been at his side, getting him to therapy, helping him with housework, and I think a large portion of the credit belongs to her- he would not have done so well without Maureen by his side.

He got an experimental device for his leg by participating in a study, and it is a huge success. With it he can walk again. He is able to drive, and lives on his own, though Maureen still assists him regularly.

His speech is still affected, and is more noticeable when he is tired. Which seems more often. And he seems so much older three years on...

A War Hero

John Kelly was my father’s uncle. He died in World War I, long before my dad was born. According to the Irish Census my great-uncle was 13 years old in 1911.

John was still a child when England joined the “Great War” in early August of 1914. He and his brothers Patrick, my grandfather, and Ned were being raised by their aunt in Dublin after their dad died as their mother had died when they were quite young. Both John and Patrick were conscripted into the British Army- Ireland was still part of the Empire in those days. Ned was not quite old enough and so was spared.

John was shot and died  in a field in Northern France. My grandfather was with him. There was a story that their younger brother, Ned, saw John in the yard on the day that he died. His aunt knew her boy was dead.
He was buried there.

His family was sent a large bronze medal and a photo of his gravemarker. A few years ago, I had the original photo copied and restored, and gave copies to my dad and his sisters. His sacrifice is remembered.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae

(Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a soldier, physician and poet)

World Aids Day 2012

Over the course of my lifetime, HIV and AIDS have emerged as a destructive force across the globe. But what do we know now about where the virus came from and it's earliest victims? Long before the 1981 MMWR from the CDC, HIV was moving, infecting and killing.

Did you know:

Researchers believe that sometime in the 1930s simian immunodeficiency virus, SIV, crossed over to humans in central Africa. The mutated virus became the first human immunodeficiency virus, HIV-1.

In 1959, what may be the first known case of HIV in a human occurred in a person who died in the Congo. His preserved blood samples were later confirmed to be HIV+.

In New York City, on June 28, 1959, Ardouin Antonio, a 49-year-old Jamaican-American shipping clerk dies of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a disease closely associated with AIDS. Dr. Gordon Hennigar, who performed the autopsy found PCP and believes Ardouin probably had AIDS.

It is believed that in the 1960s HIV-2, the variant found in Western Africa, was transferred to people from sooty mangabey monkeys in Guinea-Bissau.

Robert Rayford of St Louis, Missouri is believed now to be the first documented victim of HIV/AIDS in North America. He reported having experienced symptoms since 1966 and died at age 16 in May 1969. He had Kaposi’s sarcoma according to his autopsy, and 18 years aftr he died, his samples tested positive for HIV.

A female baby was born in New Jersey in 1973 or 1974 to a sixteen-year-old girl, an identified IV drug user with multiple sexual partners. At five, the child died. Subsequent testing on her stored tissue samples confirmed HIV-1 infection.
On December 12, 1977, Danish physician and surgeon Grethe Rask died of PCP. It is believed she became HIV + during the time she worked in Zaire (Congo) and she showed symptoms as early as 1974. Her friend and colleague, Ib Bygbjerg (a physician specializing in communicable diseases), wrote in a 1983 letter to The Lancet that "while working as a surgeon under primitive conditions, she must have been heavily exposed to blood and excretions of African patients."

Also in 1977, a San Francisco prostitute gives birth to the first of her three children. Each of her children died and tested positive for HIV, indicating the mother was already infected at the time of her first child’s birth. She died of AIDS in May 1987.              
Source:  Wikipedia

It is a battle still being fought around the world. I am remembering all the lost this day.

Polar Plunge

Advice today from Kat Kinsman on CNN: Learn what makes you happy in the kitchen, the bedroom and the library and make those things happen as frequently as possible. See her full article here:  Lordy lordy, look who's 40

This was in relation to things to do when you are 40... Okay so I am a bit later than her getting going... But I am closing in on my "45 new things"  for the year I am 45... I signed up for my 38th new thing this week, God help me, and it is a big one...

As a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, I am going to do the Polar Plunge at Joe's Crab Shack on Groundhog's day. Yes, that will be me going swimming outdoors in February. And funny, none of my friends seem anxious to join me- they are all willing to watch me, but nobody wants to jump in.... How bad can it be?

My friend Donna has agreed to come and take photos at the event, which looks like it will be a great party.

You can donate on my page:

Geri's page

And if you are just dying to freeze for a good cause, registration is still open...

So keep your eyes peeled for pictures on February 3 (or 4th, depending on how long I take to thaw out). Seven new things to go...

Thanksgiving 2012

Wednesday was the start of Thanksgiving for my family. Ann and Gail hosted 17 for dinner- 2 of their 3 children, with their children, my family and a family friend sat down for a wonderful meal. My contribution was Mayo and breadcrumbs, Liz brought 2 pies and we all ate turkey, ham and potatoes, with the odd vegetable.

Pies and other delicious desserts were next, and the out came Cranium.

What a game...

Now to say our lot is competitive is an understatement. Teams Chausmer/ Mancuso (Ellen, Big John and my John), Kelly/Kinnett (Me Liz and Ann), Dilhoff/Kinnett (Sarah Andy and Gail) and Chausmer Guys and Gals (Cheyanne, Nikaya, Shane and JC) all put forth valiant efforts, with even the younger kids getting in the act- who will forget Gail humming Joy to the World, or Caleb knowing "Rock-a bye baby". To say nothing of Andy portraying Tina Turner... Laughter rang through the house.

A good time was had by all.

Thursday afternoon was a smaller group of us at Ellen and John's house, more great food and a viewing of the comedian calling the Olympic sailing race:

Olympic Boat Race 2012

Laughter and joy...

Last night, Liz stood in line at Target starting at 8pm (Target opened at 9pm)  and scored a great door-buster deal on a giant TV for our family (I will have to edit this after Christmas) but it was beyond her budget so I went down to Target and paid for it. I thanked our lovely cashier for working on Thanksgiving.

I was surprised there were no huge checkout lines on "Black Friday", and I was home in bed by 10pm. (I am working today) Clearly not typical.

My first "Black Friday" shopping experience...

Journal of Gratitude Day 21

"It’s what we read when we don’t have to that determines what we’ll be when we can’t help it." - Oscar Wilde

I love books- anyone who knows me knows this. Anyone who has been to my home, crammed with books in piles, knows this.

I have read HUNDREDS of books- some the dreaded assigned books for school (more than one of which I totally enjoyed) but most for pleasure, to expand my knowledge, and in the case of a rare few, to make me cry as I laugh out loud. Below is a list of some of these treasures...books I read as a child, read to my children, shared with my sister Ellen and cousin Margie (provided they were returned undamaged) and some I visit over and over...


1. "A" Is for Alibi Sue Grafton (I have read a number of her books- fairly sure I got through F and then checked in several times later in the alphabet)

2. 10th Anniversary James Patterson

3. 13 little blue envelopes Maureen Johnson (My daughter and I read this and both of us enjoyed them- can't wait to read the sequel!)

4. 1st to Die James Patterson

5. 2nd Chance James Patterson

6. 3rd Degree James Patterson

7. 4th of July James Patterson

8. 7th Heaven James Patterson

9. 8th Confession James Patterson

10. A Land Without Time John Sumser (A really good RPCV story about an Afganistan that no longer exists.)

11. A Man in Full Tom Wolfe (Horrific rape scene- the stuff of nightmares)

12. A Separate Peace by John Knowles

13. A Swiftly Tilting Planet Madeleine L'Engle

14. A Time to Kill  John Grisham

15. A Tree grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith (Early NYC and how the poor survived- beautiful story)

16. A Wind in the Door Madeleine L'Engle

17. A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle

18. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Judith Viorst

19. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten Robert Fulghum

20. Along Came a Spider James Patterson

21. And The Band Played On Randy Shilts (Still makes me mad)

22. Angela’s Ashes Frank McCourt (Not sure why the man had to bash his mom so and lets his father off scot free, but burning the wall a stick at a time- priceless)

23. Angels Marian Keyes

24. Anne Frank Remembered  Miep Gies

25. Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl (Makes that terrible time real- hauntingly real)

26. Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery (I have read most of this series but I like this one best)

27. Antigone Sophocles (High School... clearly)

28. Anybody Out There? Marian Keyes

29. Are You There God, It’s me, Margaret Judy Blume (as close to a birds & bees talk as I ever got)

30. Bachelor Girl Roger Lea MacBride

31. Bargain for Frances Russell Hoban

32. Battleground WEB Griffin

33. Behind the Lines WEB Griffin

34. Being There Jerzy Kosinski

35. Black Ops WEB Griffin

36. Blood and Honor WEB Griffin

37. Blowback Brad Thor

38. Blubber Judy Blume

39. Brian’s Return Gary Paulsen

40. Brian’s Winter Gary Paulsen

41. Bridge of Courage Jennifer Harbury (Guatemala lit- post Peace Corps, it really broke my heart)

42. By Order of the President WEB Griffin (A great new series set in modern day)

43. By the Shores of Silver Lake Laura Ingalls Wilder

44. Call to Arms WEB Griffin

45. Cat and Mouse James Patterson (Scared me sleepless)

46. Cat in the Hat Dr. Suess

47. Charlotte’s Web E. B. White

48. Chronicles of Narnia series (7) C.S.Lewis (So so good as a series- wonderful tales)

49. Circle of Friends Maeve Binchy (Crappy)

50. City Girl Patricia Scanlan

51. City Lives Patricia Scanlan

52. Clear and Present Danger Tom Clancy

53. Close Combat WEB Griffin

54. Coming Plague Laurie Garrett (Wonderfully human examination of infectious desease and the race to understand it.)

55. Counterattack WEB Griffin

56. Covert Warriors WEB Griffin

57. Cricket in Time Square by George Selden

58. Death and Honor WEB Griffin

59. Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller (High School and again in college...Nothing else to choose from?)

60. Debt of Honor Tom Clancy

61. Deenie Judy Blume

62. Dewey Vicki Myron (A great story about a really cool cat)

63. Double Wedding Patricia Scanlan

64. Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert (She may have written this just so I would find it)

65. Eleven on Top Janet Evanovich

66. Evening Class Maeve Binchy

67. Exodus by Leon Uris (Israel's fight)

68. Explosive Eighteen Janet Evanovich

69. Farmer Boy Laura Ingalls Wilder

70. Fearless Fourteen Janet Evanovich

71. Final Justice WEB Griffin

72. Fine Things Danielle Steele

73. Finger Lickin' Fifteen Janet Evanovich

74. Finishing Touches Patricia Scanlan

75. Firefly Lane Kristin Hannah

76. Five Days in Paris Danielle Steele

77. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares

78. Forever Judy Blume (yeah, 5th grade was a little early for this one...)

79. Foul Play Janet Evanovich

80. Four to Score Janet Evanovich

81. Francesca’s Party Patricia Scanlan

82. Franny and Zooey J.D. Salinger

83. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler E. L. Konigsburg (A favorite from childhood, though who can remember typewriters anymore?)

84. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares

85. Go Ask Alice

86. Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell (Read it in Guatemala and found out how much was left out of the movie)

87. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

88. Green Eggs and Ham Dr. Suess

89. Guatemala: Eternal Spring, Eternal Tyranny Jean Marie Simon (Heartbreaking beauty)

90. Guatemalan Journey

91. Guests of the Ayatollah Mark Bowden

92. Hamlet William Shakespeare

93. Hard Eight Janet Evanovich

So I am a HUGE Harry Potter nerd so I have read these over and over and over again...

94. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J.K. Rowling

95. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J.K. Rowling

96. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J.K. Rowling

97. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince J.K. Rowling

98. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J.K. Rowling

99. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban J.K. Rowling

100. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J.K. Rowling

101. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

102. Hatchet Gary Paulsen

103. High Five Janet Evanovich

104. Honor Bound WEB Griffin (Love these characters and visit them often)

105. Horton hears a who Dr. Suess

106. Hot Six Janet Evanovich

107. How The Grinch stole Christmas Dr. Suess (Christmas classic)

108. I, Rigoberta Menchu Rigoberta Menchú (A look at the war on the Mayans of Guatemala in the 80's)

109. Illusions Richard Bach

110. In Danger’s Path WEB Griffin

111. In the Land of the Big Red Apple Roger Lea MacBride

112. Island of the Blue Dolphin Scott O’Dell

113. Jack & Jill James Patterson

114. Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë

115. Johnny Tremain Esther Forbes

116. Jonathan Livingston Seagull Richard Bach

117. Joy Luck Club Amy Tan

118. Julius Caesar William Shakespeare

119. Kiss the Girls James Patterson

120. Last Chance Saloon Marian Keyes

121. Lean Mean Thirteen Janet Evanovich

122. Line of Fire WEB Griffin

123. Little Farm in the Ozarks Roger Lea MacBride

124. Little House in the Big Woods Laura Ingalls Wilder

125. Little House on Rocky Ridge Roger Lea MacBride (The rest of Laura Ingalls Wilder's story)

126. Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder

127. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

128. Little Town in the Ozarks Roger Lea MacBride

129. Little Town on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder (I really loved this volume of the series)

130. Little Women Louise May Alcott (Jo, Beth, Meg and Amy- with Laurie, bring me joy)

131. London Bridges James Patterson

132. Love Story  Erich Segal (Love means never having to say you're sorry...")

133. Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married Marian Keyes (This author came over from Ireland with a visitor and went round and round. A new favorite author was discovered)

134. Macbeth William Shakespeare

135. Men in Blue WEB Griffin

136. Mirror, Mirror Patricia Scanlan (Prepare to laugh out loud)

137. Motor Mouth Janet Evanovich

138. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

139. New Dawn on Rocky Ridge Roger Lea MacBride

140. Nights of Rain and Stars Maeve Binchy

141. Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

142. Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck

143. Oh the places you’ll go Dr. Suess

144. On Death and Dying by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (For a college project)

145. On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder

146. On the Banks of the Bayou Roger Lea MacBride

147. On the Other Side of the Hill Roger Lea MacBride

148. Once in a Lifetime Danielle Steele

149. One for the Money Janet Evanovich (My son gets embarrassed when I laugh out loud reading this series- LOVE Stephanie Plum)

150. One Thousand White Women Jim Fergus (I was not prepared for how good this was)

151. Otherwise known as Sheila the Great Judy Blume (I love Sheila)

152. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (SO much better than the movie- laughing out loud while crying so hard snot ran down my face- WONDERFUL)

153. Palestine: Peace not Apartheid Jimmy Carter ( a hard look at an impossible situation)

154. Patriot Games Tom Clancy

155. Portraits in Courage JFK (For HS and SO good!)

156. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen (Where are the Mr. Darcy's of today?)

157. Promises, Promises Patricia Scanlan (Need to read it with it's sequel)

158. Quentins Maeve Binchy

159. Rachel's Holiday Marian Keyes (Sad, hard and well worth reading)

160. Rainbow Six Tom Clancy

161. Retreat, Hell! WEB Griffin

162. River of lost voices Mark Brazaitis (RPCV Guatemala stories)

163. Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe

164. Roses Are Red James Patterson

165. Schindler’s List Thomas Keneally

166. Searching for Everardo Jennifer Harbury

167. Secret Honor WEB Griffin

168. Secrets Danielle Steele

169. Semper Fi WEB Griffin

170. Seven Up Janet Evanovich

171. Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

172. She Said Yes Misty Bernall

173. Silver Wedding Maeve Binchy

174. Sizzling Sixteen Janet Evanovich

175. Smokin' Seventeen Janet Evanovich

176. Speak Laurie Halse Anderson

177. Special Operations (Badge of Honor) WEB Griffin

178. Special Ops (Brotherhood of War) WEB Griffin

179. Stuart Little E. B. White (Sr. Patricia Graham read a chapter a week to us in 1st Grade... WONDERFUL)

180. Sue Barton: Neighborhood Nurse Helen Dore Boylston (When we decided as children to become nurses, my cousin Kathleen and I read Sue Barton over and over)

181. Sue Barton: Rural Nurse Helen Dore Boylston

182. Sue Barton: Senior Nurse Helen Dore Boylston

183. Sue Barton: Staff Nurse Helen Dore Boylston

184. Sue Barton: Student Nurse Helen Dore Boylston

185. Sue Barton: Superintendent Nurse Helen Dore Boylston

186. Sue Barton: Visiting Nurse Helen Dore Boylston

187. Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing Judy Blume (Poor Turtle...)

188. Ten Big Ones Janet Evanovich

189. Tess of the d'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy (Read it as a Junior in HS and was surprisingly engrossed in the story)

190. The 5th Horseman James Patterson

191. The 6th Target James Patterson

192. The 9th Judgment James Patterson

193. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain

194. The Adventures of Ulysses Bernard Evslin (All you could want to know about Greek/Roman gods)

195. The Assassin WEB Griffin

196. The Aviators WEB Griffin (The first book from this author that I ever read- I picked it up in the Barnes and Noble Annex in Manhattan and fell in love. )

197. The Berets WEB Griffin

198. The Big Bad Wolf James Patterson

199. The Bridge Across Forever Richard Bach (This book brought me back after a broken college romance)

200. The Brightest Star in the Sky Marian Keyes

201. The Captains WEB Griffin

202. The Cat Who Could Read Backwards Lilian Jackson Braun (I have read a bunch of these, but to pick out all of them is impossible)

203. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

204. The Christmas Box Richard Paul Evans

205. The Colonels WEB Griffin

206. The Commitments Roddy Doyle

207. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

208. The Crucible by Arthur Miller

209. The Double Agents WEB Griffin

210. The Fighting Agents WEB Griffin

211. The First Commandment Brad Thor

212. The First Four Years Laura Ingalls Wilder

213. The Generals WEB Griffin (Not my favorite- the only one I don't own, cause I won't ever read it again.)

214. The Glory Herman Wouk (The nation of Israel)

215. The Grand Finale Janet Evanovich

216. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

217. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (6) Douglas Adams (I have read all six books in the trilogy)

218. The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien

219. The Honor of Spies WEB Griffin

220. The Hope Herman Wouk (The dream of Israel)

221. The Hostage WEB Griffin

222. The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

223. The Hunters WEB Griffin

224. The Investigators WEB Griffin

225. The Jungle Upton Sinclair (Mr. Gentile, I am still mad you spoiled Christmas dinner making me read this. Meatpacking at the turn of the last century- gross and sad and did I mention GROSS!)

226. The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan ( I enjoyed this more than the Joy Luck Club)

227. The Last Heroes WEB Griffin

228. The Letter Richard Paul Evans

229. The Lieutenants WEB Griffin (Loved Ken McCoy from the very beginning)

230. The Lilac Bus Maeve Binchy

231. The Long Night of White Chickens Francisco Goldman (Guatemalan mystery)

232. The Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder (The horror of the 1880-81 De Smet winter)

233. The Majors WEB Griffin

234. The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett

235. The Messiah Marjorie Holmes

236. The Metamorphosis Franz Kafka (Why do they make us read this? Why?)

237. The Moonstone Wilkie Collins (For my mystery fiction class my sophomore year in college- LOVED IT)

238. The Murderers WEB Griffin

239. The New Breed WEB Griffin

240. The Night Before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore

241. The Old Man and the Sea Earnest Hemingway

242. The Once and Future King T. H. White (Read this for school the summer I was in Ireland- great story of King Arthur)

243. The Other Side of the Story Marian Keyes

244. The Other Wise Man Henry van Dyke (A Christmas story for Easter)

245. The Outlaws WEB Griffin

246. The Outsiders S.E. Hilton (Because we are all outsiders at some point)

247. The Pearl John Steinbeck

248. The Pigman Paul Zindel (HS would not have been the same without the stories- assurance that everybody feels that was in HS)

249. The Pigman's Legacy Paul Zindel

250. The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg

251. The Prince and the Pauper Mark Twain

252. The Promise Danielle Steele ( Her first story)

253. The Saboteurs WEB Griffin

254. The Second Summer of the Sisterhood Ann Brashares

255. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

256. The Secret Warriors WEB Griffin

257. The Shooters WEB Griffin

258. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Ann Brashares (Love these teenagers)

259. The Soldier Spies WEB Griffin

260. The Spy who came in from the Cold John le Carré

261. The Spymasters WEB Griffin

262. The Story of my life: Helen Keller (Shows what is possible)

263. The Tales of Beedle the Bard J.K. Rowling

264. The Thorn Birds Colleen McCullough (Read it in the back of my uncle's van on our way back from visiting Ohio)

265. The Traffickers WEB Griffin

266. The Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams (Still sad)

267. The Victim WEB Griffin

268. The Vigilantes WEB Griffin

269. The Wedding Letters Jason F. Wright (LOVE the idea of wedding letters)

270. The Wednesday Sisters Meg Waite Clayton (A group of moms who become writers)

271. The Witness WEB Griffin

272. Then Again, Maybe I won’t Judy Blume

273. These Happy Golden Years Laura Ingalls Wilder

274. Thimble Summer Elizabeth Enright

275. This Charming Man Marian Keyes (He was not so charming in the end...)

276. Three Cups of Tea Greg Mortenson (I read this and loved it... it is sad it is not all true)

277. Three to Get Deadly Janet Evanovich

278. Tiger Eyes Judy Blume

279. Timepiece Richard Paul Evans

280. To the Nines Janet Evanovich

281. Tom Sawyer Mark Twain

282. Trinity Leon Uris (Historical Fiction of Ireland becoming an independant nation)

283. Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom

284. Twelve Sharp Janet Evanovich

285. Two for the Dough Janet Evanovich

286. Under Fire WEB Griffin

287. Under the Duvet Marian Keyes

288. Unfinished Conquest: A Guatemalan tragedy Victor Pererea (A hard look at Guatemalan history)

289. Victory And Honor WEB Griffin

290. Violets Are Blue James Patterson

291. Vital Signs (Three women doctors in Med School become lifelong friends)

292. Watermelon Marian Keyes (Pregnant is sometimes not pretty but always pretty funny)

293. What’s so Amazing about Grace Philip Yancy (A great book)

294. Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak

295. Without Remorse Tom Clancy (His best work- my favorite of his stories)

296. Woman Thou Art Loosed TD Jakes (This book was a game changer for me)
297. Zoya Danielle Steele

298. The Firm John Grisham (I read this in Guatemala- the first book of his I ever read- and could not put it down

299. Short Stories  O. Henry (A Retrieved Reformation and The Gift of the Magi are favorites)

300. The Complete Sherlock Holmes: 4 Novels and 56 Short Stories (I love me some Sherlock Holmes!)

1.  A Study in Scarlet
2. The Sign of the Four
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles
4. The Valley of Fear

And no, I have not read "The girl with" or "Twilight" or "50 shades of"... What surprised me most was that it took very little time to find these first 300... and that I still own copies of the vast majority...

Journal of Gratitude Day 20

From Lysa yesterday: Reflect on Psalm 31:19 this afternoon as you prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving:

"How abundant are the good things that You have stored up for those who fear You, that You bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in You."

I am thankful for the education I received, both in and outside of a classroom. I have had so many wonderful, amazing teachers in my life- professional educators, mentors and role models to whom I owe much thanks.

Thank You!

Journal of Gratitude Day 19

I am grateful for my worldview, which teaches me to be as concerned for those in Gaza and Israel as I am for those within my borders.

The bombing by Hamas and Israel have already cost too many lives on both sides.

Today I am praying for peace in this trouble area. Day Six of an escalating bombing campaign on both sides- I am praying for the miracle of calm negotiation and ceasefire.

Journal of Gratitude Day 18

Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion

My man Jimmie finished 3rd in the standings- great for most, but a letdown for his fan base- old Five Time is keeping us waiting.

The surprise was Clint Bowyer- he finished second in the standings, even after Jeff Gordon wrecked him last week. That must feel like sweet revenge.

I am thankful for a great season, and am happy for Team Penske, who have waited 40 years for last night's celebration and Dodge, leaving the sport a winner.

And Brad- after the giant beer & tweeting from your car under a red flag at Daytona- I wish you all the luck in the world finding a celebrity to date. And please consider Dancing with the Stars... I promise I will vote for you!

See you all again on February 24th at the Daytona 500.

Journal of Gratitude Day 17

Today I am grateful for the music that decorates my life...
I like Train, and during a NASCAR pre-race show, I heard their song, "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" and it cracks me up. And not only cause a friend of mine used to love a Scion...

My heart is paralyzed, My head was oversized

I'll take the high road like I should,

You said it's meant to be, That it's not you, it's me

You're leaving now for my own good

That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say

She went down in an airplane, Fried getting suntanned

Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand

Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!

She met a shark under water, Fell and no one caught her

I returned everything I ever bought her

Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies

And ways to say you died

My pride still feels the sting, You were my everything

Some day I'll find a love like yours (a love like yours)

She'll think I'm Superman, Not super minivan

How could you leave on Yom Kippur?

That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say

She was caught in a mudslide, Eaten by a lion

Got run over by a crappy purple Scion (Just saying, Lyle)

Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!

She dried up in the desert, Drowned in a hot tub

Danced to death at an east side night club

Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies

And ways to say you died

I wanna live a thousand lives with you, I wanna be the one you're dying to

Love...but you don't want to...

That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say

That's cool, but if my friends ask where you are I'm gonna say

She went down in an airplane, Fried getting suntanned

Fell in a cement mixer full of quicksand

Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!

She met a shark under water, Fell and no one caught her

I returned everything I ever bought her

Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies

She was caught in a mudslide, Eaten by a lion

Got run over by a crappy purple Scion

Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes!

She dried up in the desert, Drowned in a hot tub

Danced to death at an east side night club

Help me, help me, I'm all out of lies

And ways to say you died

Credits: Pat Monahan - songwriter, lead vocals, Espen Lind - songwriter, producer, additional guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals, programming, Amund Bjorklund - songwriter, producer, programming

Journal of Gratitude Day 16

My cousin Catherine- a talented young woman, wrote this for after Granny's Mass:

Friends and family one and all

For your attention I now call

We're all assembled from afar

And quelle surprise we're in a bar

But digressions I foreswear

Instead I call you if you dare.

To raise a toast to our dear Gran

The matriarch of this wild clan

Fado in '17 was born

One Ellen Murphy in Skehorn

She married Eddie and was blessed

With half a dozen of the best

Of Daughters ever to be got

Between a byre and a milking pot

And sons as well we must agree

that she was glad to see those three

In less enlightened times than these

A son was reckoned the bee’s knees

Another girl and truth to tell

They worshipped baby Gabrielle

The children grew as children do.

And multiplied before she knew

it, Gran had grandchildren galore

she lost count when she had two score

Great grandchildren did next appear

and all hold granny very dear.

Recall with deep and great affection

the apple cake baked to perfection

the box of goslings by the stove

bacon , complan soda loaves

birthday cards sent faithfully

even when you're thirty three .

Its true to say her tongue is sharp

and she delights to rip apart

the self-important and the smug ;

she’s better yet than any drug .

Though all of us have cringed and said

I’ll put a muzzle on her head

but we still love to hear her speil

cause Granny Moore is the real deal

Granny may you gad for years ,

reducing bishops to salt tears

devotion going every day

to fine gael an GAA.

And so my friends get off your asses

lift your cups and raise your glasses

salute the health of stroppy gran

and to a woman , child and man

think of her with love and say

God speed her safely home this day

In addition, my cousin Kevin's tribute was shown:
Kevin's tribute

And a good time was had by all...

Journal of Gratitude Day 15

With great thanks to modern technology, my cousins in Korea and Austrailia and the US and all lands in between got to take part virtually in my Granny's funeral Mass.

Granny's Funeral Mass

My cousin Lisa's words...

You can shed tears that she is gone

or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back

or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she’s gone

or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,

be empty and turn your back

or you can do what she’d want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

My thoughts were full of laughter as well as tears...

It is hard to imagine Annaghkilly without her...

She had an amazing turnout...

6 priests...

I really miss her...

Journal of Gratitude Day 14

Philippians 1:3-5, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."


Good friends have been a great support to me over this past week.  Breakfast this morning with Danielle, and a call from Abby brought warmth of love to me as I wish I was in another place, far from here.

Surrounded by family. Listening to all the old stories, and sharing a few jars with my cousins and aunts, uncles and friends.

Journal of Gratitude Day 13

My cousin Seamus shared this with all of us- Granny could recite it from memory:

The Shooting of Dan McGrew
By Robert W. Service 1874–1958

A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou.

When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar, and he called for drinks for the house.
There was none could place the stranger's face, though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.

There's men that somehow just grip your eyes, and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,
As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.
Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,
And I turned my head — and there watching him was the lady that's known as Lou.

His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands — my God! but that man could play.

Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could hear;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green, yellow and red, the North Lights swept in bars? —
Then you've a haunch what the music meant. . . hunger and night and the stars.

And hunger not of the belly kind, that's banished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;
But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowned with a woman's love —
A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true —
(God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, — the lady that's known as Lou.)

Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil's lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a heart's despair, and it thrilled you through and through —
"I guess I'll make it a spread misere", said Dangerous Dan McGrew.

The music almost died away ... then it burst like a pent-up flood;
And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.
The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,
And the lust awoke to kill, to kill ... then the music stopped with a crash,
And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then his lips went in in a kind of grin, and he spoke, and his voice was calm,
And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;
But I want to state, and my words are straight, and I'll bet my poke they're true,
That one of you is a hound of hell. . .and that one is Dan McGrew."

Then I ducked my head, and the lights went out, and two guns blazed in the dark,
And a woman screamed, and the lights went up, and two men lay stiff and stark.
Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,
While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast of the lady that's known as Lou.

These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.
They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch," and I'm not denying it's so.
I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two —
The woman that kissed him and — pinched his poke — was the lady that's known as Lou.


And from my Uncle Jim:
Nellie was the perfect mother-in-law - great fun, great company but a menace at 25. Like Peter I loved her apple cake and she always gave me 2 big slices (cholesterol - what's that?) To use one of her own expressions she was "some character" We will miss her terribly. If you can't make it to Clones, the funeral Mass will be live on www.churchservices.tv/sacredheartclones at 11.00 GMT on Thursday

Journal of Gratitude Day 12

I am standing upon that foreshore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails in the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength and I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other. Then someone at my side says, "There! She has gone!" "Gone where?" "Gone from my sight, that's all." She is just as large in mast and spar and hull as ever she was when she left my side; just as able to bear her load of living freight to the place of her destination. Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at that moment when someone at my side says, "There! She has gone!" there are other eyes in other places and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

(There is debate over who wrote it, maybe Victor Hugo or Henry Van Dyke...)

My Granny Moore (April 15th, 1917- November 12, 2012) passed away this morning. 34,911 days still seem not enough.   The message from my cousin Catherine was short:  "Granny has gone to God . She passed away about half an hour ago . Jim and Chris were with her , it was peaceful and swift at the end. Take care"   She had an amazing life and touched everyone with great love. Over 40 grandchildren, over 50 great-grandchildren and hundreds who may not have been related by blood but were still family will mourn alongside her children in the coming days...   I have been so blessed to have known and been loved by you.

Journal of Gratitude Day 11

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29

I am grateful for my Granny's wit and decades of wonderful memories and advice:

Thick cut bread piled high with ham and dense slices of tomato and cheese, served with hot tea in the evening in time for the start of Coronation Street.

"Stay away from the goodlooking men , they are too much trouble. The ugly ones are easier to manage, and more grateful "

Hot apple tart with a serving of vanillia ice cream melting on top.

My cousin Sean reminded all of us: "You always felt the love, till the cards were dealt..." 


"Hunger makes the best sauce" (Not that you could ever sit in her kitchen long enough to be hungry)

Picking peas up behind Siberia, picking gooseberries out by Tommy's house, and nettles... always finding the nettles...

And from Peter: Mine is slices of soda bread buttered an inch thick and then dipped in sugar for added sweetness. Not one to worry about your teeth was Granny Moore. Oh and square apple tarts and the fights over the corner slice.


"Say nothin'... and keep sayin' nothin"

Milk from the cows, with cream floating on top- so so good.

A recent exchange my cousin shared:
Granny: "Are you behaving yourself"
Ally: "Yeah I am"
Granny: "I think I'd need to ask someone else"

Journal of Gratitude Day 10

"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer." 1 Timothy 4:4-5

Today I am thankful for social media. As Granny Moore's grandchildren are spread to all parts of the world, it has been a means of all of us coming together, sharing stories, photos and grief as this amazing woman prepares to leave us all for a far better place.

My cousin JP with Granny, at a family wedding in 2002.

As my cousin John said when this was posted- you can almost hear her laughing...

Journal of Gratitude Day 9

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28


I am so thankful that I have friends in New York I can call to meet my friend who is going to be in town, and have them show him my city for me.  

Sort of wish I was there too, having a Guiness at Paddy's...

Journal of Gratitude Day 8

1 John 3:1  "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! "

I am grateful for my amazing Granny, Ellen Moore. She is shown above at Creighton University- She was related to the founders, John and Edward.

She had a stroke last night, is partially paralyzed and is surrounded by her family at the hospital. Please pray for  her.

Journal of Gratitude Day 7

"I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

Today, an earthquake hit my former home, Guatemala. It was nearly as large as the 1976 quake that killed over 20,000.

Hundreds have been injured and the number dead is climbing, but San Marco did not lose it's only hospital and help is on the way.

Praying for you all tonight.

Journal of Gratitude Day 6

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods." Psalm 95:2-3


Today is Election day. And today I am grateful to live in a country that allows everyone a say in government.
I am also ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED that after today, I will not have to watch political ads, have any political pollers calling and there will be discussion about something other Romney Ryan vs. Obama Biden.

Oh The Joy!

Journal of Gratitude Day 5

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6


Today I am really grateful to the men and women from all over who have traveled to the Northeast to help with repairs. Electric companies, tree removers- hundreds of workers pitching in to help get power restored. It is a huge job and I am glad there are folks willing to leave their families and go help random strangers.
THANK YOU!

Journal of Gratitude Day 4

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him." Psalm 28:7

Today I am saying thank you for my friends at the Cin City Reptile Show. It is a great bunch of folks and there is always something new to experience.

This is how my day went:

Today, John and I headed to the snake show to buy some food for John's corn snakes and to sell some of our babies.  Mike bought five baby corns from us- so it was a good day.

And then it got better.

We missed last month's show, and I missed out on the chance to hold a big hairy spider- or so I thought. Thanks to my now favorite spider-man, Brian, I got to hold a rose haired tarantula.

So, yes I was worried and VERY nervous because all spiders bite.

But this is my year of new adventures and new experiences, and so I let the spider tickle my hand with it's hairy feet. A very strange feeling. So glad I did it.

Too cool!

Living an extraordinary life

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

Journal of Gratitude Day 3

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17

Today I am grateful for Zumba. I really love me some Zumba. And boy have I missed it...

For the first time since I broke my foot, I got to go to my Zumba class this morning. LaToya was a gift as always, and the music was jumping. We danced the morning away and it was such a great experience.

I am loving it.

Journal of Gratitude Day 2

From Lysa:
November 2: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

I am grateful for reliable transportation- I love my little Honda and as I hear stories from friends about their struggles back East, trying to buy gas and travel to work with restrictions and limited Mass Transit service, I was happy to jump in my car, turn on the heat, crank up the music and enjoy the ride.

What are you thankful for?

Lysa TerKeurst posted on Facebook:


In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, keep a journal and reflect on one thing every day that you are truly thankful for. I will post a daily verse on Facebook that you can write down and use for praising God in His faithfulness.

November 1: "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me." Psalm 13:5-6

I am grateful my family is safe after Sandy tore up the East Coast...

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is a holiday meant to honor all the saints, known and unknown. There are over 10,000 named Saints and people have prayed for their intersession since 100AD. Catholics pray with the saint of their choosing, as a trusted friend.

All Souls Day- day of the dead- follows the next day. It is a commemoration of all those who died and praying for them is part of our faith. Like Mass cards...

Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the belief that we have a prayerful spiritual communion with those who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven.

So...

I will go to Mass today. I will pray for those who have gone before me. Even if, in my heart of hearts, I know they are the ones giving me strength on my bad days.

About going to Africa

Way back in the Peace Corps, circa 1992, I had my first introduction to Tropical Medicine. Specifically, we were vaccinated for all kinds of interesting diseases... Yellow Fever, Typhoid, Rabies... you get the idea.

In the course of my nursing career, I also received vaccine coverage for Hepatitis A and B, as well as annual flu shots, tetanus updates, well, you get the picture.

I was never so grateful as yesterday.

Yesterday was my first visit to the Traveler’s Medicine office (Passport Health) to get me ready for my trip. After reviewing my (extensive) international vaccine record, my nurse advised me two boosters would do it.

ONLY TWO SHOTS!

I figured I would need at least three.

Yellow Fever went in my left arm (it swelled rather impressively). Typhoid in my right (it hurts more, by the way). I had forgotten tropical vaccines can be like that.

I woke up aching today. But it will pass...

I CANNOT BELIEVE I AM REALLY GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!

And now all I have to do is call to have my anti-malaria meds ordered closer to our travel time. And get travel insurance. And book a flight.

CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Sandy

New York City was slammed on Monday by Hurricane Sandy. Winds drove water into Brooklyn and lower Manhattan and seawater flooded the subway system in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, and put runways at both JFK and LaGuardia airports underwater.

By Tuesday most of my family and friends reported in on Facebook- Many are going to be without power for a while, some with damage:  a dock lost, a basement flooded, a tree collapsing through a roof… thankfully without injury. It could have been worse… so much worse…

Breezy Point had flooded when a fire broke out, and with high winds, flames engulfed over 100 homes. They were burned to the ground- one of the worst fires in NYC history. The miracle is that no lives were lost.

At the Battery in New York City Monday night, the storm tide during high tide reached 13.88 feet above normal, a record, eclipsed a 11.2 ft water level seen during a hurricane in 1821. 1821...

Frank Giannola took this picture at La Guardia:


I am thinking there won't be flights for a while...

I think a lot of things are going to take a while... And, sadly, places like Seaside Heights may never be the same...

Praying for all of the East Coast...

Election 2012

On Facebook, Lysa TerKeurst wrote:

I read a quote this morning that said, "The tongue weighs practically nothing, but few people can hold it." How true! But Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, "The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences."

It seems to me this wise advice is missed by many in the social media.

I am fine with everyone having their own opinion and we live in a great country where you can say what you think.

But...

It is disheartening to me how so many are so ugly.

Hurtful...

I started to read a piece written about why the author didn't like ____.

And stopped half-way.

He was not writing about a candidate I would vote for...but was so ugly... I chose to stop reading.

I don't need more ugly in my life. I want beauty and love and kindness, and agreement to disagree...

I am counting the days till we have something else to talk about.

Election 2012 has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Halloween Hafla

The invitation went out really early and everyone was excited:

In the spirit of the 11 years of wonderful Hafla's, 8 of which were at Kira's Oasis Studio, Kira is throwing a Halloween Themed Hafla (Belly Dance Party Night) on Friday, October 19th, 2012!!!!


Since Kira closed her Oasis in Centerville  last year, we as a community have missed the get togethers, so this was great news.
Even if it was a long way to travel. At the end of a long busy week...
So  I took Heather to Dayton for the Halloween Hafla, ignoring the rain, the cold and my wish for a good book, warm bed and hot tea.
THANK GOD!

After a challenging journey (I really miss my GPS and was wishing horrible things for the thief who stole it as we tried to find the address) we had a great time in this out of the way location. The place was decorated in Halloween style, with themed snacks and preformances that were complex and majical to watch.

I encouraged Heather to get up and dance and even got up a bit myself, broken foot or not, because I love to dance.

Kira's Haflas are always a great night but this was entertainment at a much higher level! And I think the best part of the night is the fact that we were able to order videos of the evening.

A good time with great people.

Life is good.

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”

“Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears.”  John Lennon

Today is the 19th birthday of my daughter, Liz.

Happy Birthday, Baby!



She is in her second semester at college, and has been working as a server in a local restaurant. She is beautiful, smart and has a bright future… I cannot get over how fast the time has gone by.

Baptism, first day of school, Winnie the Pooh for Halloween, First Communion, butterfly kisses,  visits to friends in California and Florida and family in Ireland, Confirmation, getting her driver’s license… the years just flash by.

Tonight will be steak and baked potatos for dinner at her request. I can't wait!

Pink Floyd

On October 10, 1987, I saw Pink Floyd live in concert.

25 years ago at the then Brendan Byrne arena. It was the Burning Bed tour and my friend Tara had two extra tickets. But I was meant to be working that night and had no money to pay for the tickets anyway. I was going to miss it… So sad!

And then something wonderful happened.

Only days before the concert, I was on the phone with Dave, one of the young men I was kinda but not really dating at the time, when Vicky, my California girl JYNY came to my dorm room to visit. I asked Dave to hold on and told Vicky about the tragedy. She offered to babysit in my place, but that still did not solve the money issue. My college years were an economic low point.

It was at this point that I realized that Dave, on the other end of my phone receiver, was listening and was practically screaming into the phone at his end trying to get my attention.

He could pay for the tickets. He would love to take me.

OH MY GOD!

I was sick as a dog when the day rolled around, and I did not care. Short of being dead, I was going! Dave picked me up, drove me to the Bronx to wish my folks a happy anniversary, and then took me on our third date (Three of my best dates ever, truth be told).

The music was amazing and the show was top notch, and the bed dropping from the rafters engulfed in flames had to have broken the rules somewhere.

It was magic.

Becoming a Foster Caregiver

Have you ever had a thought that ran around your head for a long time, like Someone was trying to tell you something?

Did you ignore it too?


When I first came to Ohio, I investigated becoming a foster caregiver (they are getting away from the foster parent label). At the time, my son was still young and in talking with a social worker, I decided to wait a while. Then I got busy with life and work and a few years passed by.

Last year I thought about it again, and signed up for the classes… But life got in the way and I just didn’t get there.

And then came this crazy year of new things… Moose meat, anyone? I have less than 20 to go by the way...

The thought got back in my head…

So I signed up for classes, again, but went this time- to all 36 hours. As required for licensing in Butler County. And I mentioned it to some of my family. I was either a saint or crazy, in pretty equal measures.

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, from 6:15 to 9:15, from August 21st to September 27th, I went and learned.

In the first class they asked if we wanted to foster or adopt or foster to adopt. I was not sure. I feel that if a child is meant to be part of my family, they will be.

They asked what age a child we wanted. And did we want a boy or a girl. Some people knew exactly. Not me.

No idea. I am not running this show. I figure God will let me know when He is ready. All I know is that the child will be at least three years younger than John, at the suggestion of a friend who works in the field. Other than that, my mind is open.

In the twelve classes, we talked of the traumas children can suffer. The process of reunification, which is the foster care goal, was reviewed. Because most kids go back home. The court decides when and we really don’t get a say. (This is where faith will come in handy.)

We talked about having rules the kids could follow. And letting them know they were part of the family for as long as they stayed with us. Discussion also went to clearing the house of anything precious, because these poor kids who struggled with pain and loss could lash out. Break things. It would be good if nothing was irreplaceable. Easy enough in my house, furnished mostly from Goodwill and yard sales.

The lectures also covered all the ugly stuff. Abuse of all kinds. Heartbreaking tragedies. Each night I went home so tired. Washed out. Sad. And considering the work I do, making me sad is saying something.

Our class were a diverse group, different backgrounds, different worldviews. Foster caregiving is what we had in common. Our time together went quickly.

We (finally) finished our pre-service training and now I am working on the home study paperwork. Home studies take between 4-6 months from the time I submit the application and supporting documents. And I can’t imagine getting all the paperwork together before Thanksgiving. Because they want EVERYTHING!

Physicals, fire inspections, bank records, credits and debits… and what precisely makes a birth certificate certified? The fact that I didn’t print it myself? Vital Stats in NYC takes 12 weeks to mail you a birth certificate… And I will need a certified marriage license as well as my divorce decree… Don’t they cancel one another out?

So I have a file, and I am copying every statement… Lots of trees dying here…

Wish me luck!

African Safari 2013

I won a safari to Africa.


But not really.

I am going to Africa.

It sounds a little unreal. I am really excited and still don’t quite believe it. I have wanted to go to Africa since I was a little girl. I thought getting married on safari in Africa would be the way to go in college. I asked for a Peace Corps assignment in Africa. It is a lifelong dream.

But now I am really, actually going to go.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I am going to Africa, really, after bidding on a safari in a silent auction for Debra of America www.debra.org. I was the second highest bid, and in an act of extreme generosity, the company who offered the item, Zulu Nyala www.zulunyalagroup.com, opted to donate two trips instead of just one.

OH MY GOD!!!

I have to pay airfare and for other incidentals, but this is going to be the trip of a lifetime! This is the auction description:

“Experience the magic of South Africa - 6 days/6 nights lodging, 3 meals daily prepared by international chefs and 2 guided game viewing tours each day. Winner chooses from 4 different accommodations; Luxury Hemingway-style Tents, Heritage Safari Lodge, Nyati/Ndlovu Lodges, or Zulu Nyala Lodge. Situated in the heart of Zululand and St. Lucia/Sodwana Bay Marine Reserve/Lubombo Corrido - one of the richest wildlife conservation regions in Africa. Take extraordinary photographs while experiencing the thrill of up close viewing of some of the most spectacular wildlife on the continent. Professional game rangers will take you on guided tours in open viewing vehicles throughout the Zulu Nyala reserve and to the set locations from the feature film, "I Dreamed of Africa" (2000). Auction item does not include airfare.”

I already called my best travel buddy. I scheduled my travel medicine consultation.

I am going to Africa. I can't wait!