The Fabulous B@ker Blog

I don't know what got into me...was it laziness? The winter blues? A certain type of sadness that takes you over when the kids are gone and it doesn't seem like there's much to write about? The routine of the day-in and the day-out that just goes too quickly and is generally pretty boring and mundane? Whatever is is (or was), I feel really, really guilty about not checking in with the blog for almost a year. So much has happened, most of it good (all of it pretty good, really). Since we last chatted: Annalisse On April 2 our prayers (and pleas!) were answered when Annalisse got the long awaited internship match with Russell Sage College (or Sage College, as the grad school is known), along with entry into the Nutrition grad program. Whew - I would rank that as one of the most stressful waiting periods in recent memory! Since that day we all continue to be super excited (and grateful) that she made it happen. It was three years of very hard work on her part, and coun...

Well, 2016, your time has come. Time to move on from a year with some great high points and what seemed like a lot of worrying with a couple of low points thrown in. We certainly did a lot this year: our first trip abroad, Cam graduated from college, moved to Maryland, then moved back. Annalisse took a trip to Italy and had a productive summer, as well as finishing her next to last term at SU.  But, I feel a general sense of malaise and apprehension going into 2017 with Trump at the helm. I think his election has affected a segment of Americans in a way we have never experienced before. Some are jubilant, others are filled with dread for the future. The contentious election and its result has pulled people apart more than ever before. We will have to wait and see how things go.  And 2016 - what a year for loss of famous figures, celebrities, and pop stars .  I usually make a list of goals for the new year, and they never seem to change. They usually revo...

Welcome back! Sorry for the long blog drought...we've been very busy, above and beyond the fabulous trip we took to Ireland! Since my last post (May 22 - sorry, again) one of the chicks launched her farm-to-table tour of Italy, and the other has been looking for a job (bites, but no offers yet). On May 24, we took Annalisse to Toronto for her flight to Pisa by way of Dublin. All her travel went off without a hitch, and she began her intense two week study abroad of the Mediterranean Diet. She had a wonderful time seeing how food was grown, visiting organic farms, working with bees to make honey, making pasta, wine, cheese and bread, and enjoying "slow food" meals that sometimes lasted up to three hours. The group ended in Florence, but spent much time staying and working at farms in between. She said the trip was amazing, and would love to live there (we hear that a lot from folks who visit Italy!) if it weren't for the language barrier. Her trip was capped off wi...

Mark tends to over dramatize things. One example is in the fall when some random somebody said this winter's weather is going to be worse than last winter's weather, which was pretty brutal - on and on it went. He as telling everyone he met..."they say this winter is going to be worse than last winter..." I kept silent. Well, here we are in almost mid-January with nary a snowflake, and temps that most of the time make it seem more like March than deep winter. I AM NOT COMPLAINING. The prospect of three or four TOPS months of winter does not break my heart. But, I have to admit I wouldn't mind a little winter excitement in the form of a good snowstorm (after I go to Virginia next week, that is). Who doesn't love the anticipation of the SLIGHT possibility that schools and my College will be closed (it never is), or the rush on bread, eggs, and milk at Wegmans (will they run out?! ~ they never do)? And just as mundane as the weather has been the beginning of ...

Saturday, Mark's birthday, marked the conclusion of the Libra Birthday Mega Palooza Celebration(s)! Looks like we're done for another year, and in a couple of days the many, many birthday cards will be taken off the buffet. Since my last post: Starting with Annalisse's birthday - I think she had a good day (for a Monday!). We sent her a little bouquet of flowers, which she loved (she just loves getting flowers and having fresh flowers around). In the evening, her friends took her out to dinner, so she had a very pleasant and fun day. My birthday, Thursday the 8th, was as fun as any workday birthday could be, I suppose. I worked...BUT, I got a really sweet fall bouquet from Mark. In the evening, we picked up Cam after his class and went out to dinner at Orbs , a cute little restaurant downtown which specializes in meatballs (and other stuff). It was a fun little place. So, in general, nothing too crazy for my big day, but it was very pleasant! For Mark's birthday o...

Another year has passed...28 years married (plus, remember: I want credit for the six years we dated...). It goes sooooo very fast! Yesterday, our anniversary, was very, very reminiscent of the actual day of our wedding. It also fell on a Saturday, and it was rainy. It was also a very busy day that started with a quick trip to Syracuse to deliver some mail, groceries and a visit with Jasper to his sister (or "sisser" as we like to call her). We got to A's place around 10am, unloaded the goods, and headed out for a walk where she had arranged for some of her friends to meet her most favorite person (dog) in the whole world. After a stop at one of the dorms, we headed up to the Quad (getting really warm out already...), and were greeted by tents, a bouncy house, tailgating and the wonderful, entertaining SU pep band playing on the steps of Hendricks Chapel. What a fun vibe the school had! It even made me want to go to a football game when we return to campus next weekend ...

It's only a little bit ironic that I used this photo since I am not a big fan of fireworks It's the Sunday wind-down-holiday-weekend recap. What a wonderful weather weekend, and a weekend filled with low-key fun. Just in case you forgot: I LOVE SUMMER Ahhh, it's so wonderful. It's still my goal to get a job with summers off. Two more years...when Annalisse is done with college...I'm hoping I can make some changes and figure out a way to not work in the summer months. We'll keep noodling on that one. Anyway, back to the weekend.  On Friday morning, Mark and I got up early and headed back up north to do some more cleaning and packing in my Mom's house. This time, we attacked the basement (damp, yuck) and threw tons of stuff out, and packed up other stuff. We were not able to bring as much back to Rochester as we had hoped, with the plan being to bring the boxes and boxes of housewares and tchotchke back to be donated to the annual Advent Hou...

I'm so glad this week is over. Between having my first colonscopy ("clean as a whistle" ~ TMI?), and niggly little annoying things at work, I'm maxed out. How long until retirement, again? Oh, yeah...like 30 more years. Blerg. Yesterday I also had a check up with my surgeon/NP, who will now see me once a year for four more years, and all is well. She thinks I'm doing great (and I am!). By the way, we STILL do not have our new car (I think Mark counted 14 weeks since we ordered), but we are told it should be here by May 1. It better be! To top it all off, it's been a nasty, cold, rainy, snowy week. Mark heads to Saratoga for the afternoon for Cam's Liberty League race, and he will pick Annalisse up in Syracuse on the way back so she can attend Alex's track meet at St. John Fisher tomorrow. Then, we have dinner plans with friends on Saturday night. Fun! At this point the weekend looks so busy I'm not sure I'll get my nap in, but you never k...

Seventy-seven degrees today. Sixty-ish and sunny yesterday. Could it be happening at last? Why yes, it must be happening because WE SET THE PORCH UP YESTERDAY! No turning back (except for the occasional rouge snowy day that I'm sure we will still have). Even the houseplants are asking: When can we go back outside! Yesterday's beautiful Sunday topped off a very busy week that took me to New Orleans for the annual NAGAP conference. I had never been, and I think I can now say that I've "done that." It was ok, but very run down and not really my thing. Perhaps if I was a buxom, attractive girl in my 20s rather than a 50-something mother of college kids I might feel differently about the whole French Quarter/Bourbon Street scene, but it was certainly interesting. I think the funnest time spent in the French Quarter is when my friend Kristen, her husband, Ken, and I took a ghost tour on Friday night. It was mostly ghost stories (with no ghosts in sight - HA!), but a...

Calm, quiet Christmas morning Of course, you are probably expecting a Christmas update from the Bakers...? Here it is! First of all, it was wonderful to be off for 10 days starting last Tuesday. On Tuesday evening we hosted NAGAP friends Dave and Leo who were up from Florida visiting friends who live in Rochester, and that was delightful with delicious desserts from Pittsford Dairy (another indication that is going to be tough eating week (month) for my calories). A visit from them kicked the holiday off right. Also that night we played host to the sweet kitten my coworker Tonya was giving her family on Christmas day. What fun that was! He was so sweet, and we think Jasper really liked having him around...he was very curious and gentle. He's now happily settled into his new home with the new name of "Nicky" - I'm thinking that might be short for St. Nicolas? On Christmas morning, I got up early to make Grammie Versprille's apple kuchen for breakfast at Len...

Wonderful friends, wonderful times! I've written several times on the blog about how much I enjoy visiting Chicago ( here, here and here ). Not that I've been there a ton of times - last weekend was just my fourth - but I knew after my last trip I really wanted to return and make sure Mark was with me. In other words, I wanted to visit Chicago for pleasure, not business!! So, when I mentioned to my friend, Joanne (who lives in Chicago) that we really wanted to come for a visit, she suggested we come the weekend of the Chicago Marathon (Sunday, October 12) when my other friend Kristen would also be visiting to take part. So, off I went hunting for an affordable hotel so we could stay right downtown and really take advantage of some of the hot spots. We ended up staying at the Talbott Hotel , a nice, old boutique hotel on Delaware Avenue, two blocks from Michigan Avenue ("The Miracle Mile"). We drove the 10 hours to Chicago on Thursday, October 9; because of th...

Sorry for no posts. Honestly, I've been super busy traveling (and working late) for work and pleasure, and have not had much leisure time (read: sit around and update the blog) for the last several weeks. I both love and hate that about the fall. This morning is no exception, and I'm not sure I'll get a chance to post in the evening, but be assured, when I do, you'll hear about: Girl's weekend in Lake Placid Fairport Oktoberfest October birthdays Our trip to Chicago Recent random encounters Whew! That's going to be a long one! Check back!!

Happy Anniversary to us! Twenty-Seven Years . Hard to believe!!! As I've stated on the blog before, it's weird and wild and exciting to think we've been married for 27 years, but sad, too, missing all our family members who have left us. I think back to when my parents had a 25 year anniversary celebration and they seemed so old then! And just to blow your mind a little more, Mark and I started dating when I was 18...and we all know how old I am now! There have been ups and downs (and really high ups and really low downs), but here we are alone again, with no one to keep us company but the dog! We will be celebrating our special day with dinner out at Mr. Dominics in Fairport.Then, on Sunday, Nicole and I will head to Syracuse, pick up Sissy, and go to look for bridesmaids dresses. In the meantime, today is a celebration of US!

The gifts are all cleaned up, and we are spending the final days with our little tree. Christmas was great, a non-stop round of fun and family. For Cam, it was the Christmas of Clothes (a new suit, fancy shoes, leather belts, sweaters, shirts, jeans), and for Annalisse it was the Christmas of shoewear (wellie boots, Tom's shoes - oh, and a new iPhone), and for Mark: the Christmas of Orvis (we are so happy there is now a nice Orvis store in the Rochester area). For me, it was the Christmas of the ring. A little while ago my sister Carol gave me Mémère's engagement ring. It was probably around 90 years old, tarnished and worn out with the small diamond chips and little pearls (that were left) barely visible. We took it to the same jewelry designer who had made our wedding rings (and a couple of rings since then) for restoration, and the results were incredible. The thing I love about the ring is that it is so simple  and petite, and not overwhelming. It was by far the best t...

Don't you just wish you were fishing on your birthday?! They say it's your birthday! But they are not saying which one...although most of us can guess.   Hint: it's a higher number than mine! Anyway, looking forward to a nice dinner out at The Revelry to celebrate. I sure hope they have chocolate mousse!

Here it is: the Annual Anniversary (is that redundant?) Post! Today marks 26 years for Mark and I. Wow, time has passed so quickly. Today was certainly a much more beautiful day weather-wise than September 19, 1987. In fact, it was a shame that we had to work on such a nice day that happens to be our wedding anniversary. This is certainly a weird year. Looks like we're right back where we started with "no kids," and it's interesting to think of ourselves back then and the people we are today. I would say we are "much changed," in some good ways and in some not so desirable ways. Still, we carry on. What celebrations are in store? Not sure. We might go out to dinner tonight in the Village or something, and maybe have a more special celebration dinner this weekend. I'm just home from work, the dog is walked, some chores are done, and now we'll probably head out for a bite. Sounds very exciting, doesn't it?! Hurray for us! Twenty-six years. ...

Unlike the previously aforementioned (is that a word?) "Banner Tuesday," today is definitely a glorious Sunday. It's warm, breezy and we have not received the rain that was forecasted. After church it seemed like the perfect day to: Clean the bathroom (not really, but it needed to be done) Brush the dog Play catch with the dog Play hide and seek with the dog (wow that all sounds extremely cat[dog]-ladyish and pathetic) Make rice for the week (a staple in Annalisse's diet with her IBS issues) Catch up on last week's season premier of "Game of Thrones" Get psyched for the new season of "Mad Men" (WOOT WOOT!!) starting tonight at 9 Mark found out last week that he will be on a Rochester-based project for six months beginning the third week in April, which is awesome news. With all the work we're doing around the house this spring, along with all the activities associated with Annalisse's graduation, that will work out perfectly...

What a hellish week it's been. After Annalisse had her little 24 hour stomach bug last weekend and Mark spent the whole weekend sneezing and coughing all over everyone, by Tuesday afternoon the chills and achyness had settled all over me. By 1pm I couldn't take it anymore and went home, leaving the evening chores to my trusty daughter (since Mark is on the road). Wednesday I woke up not feeling much better, but by Thursday I felt like the worst of it was over. That is, until I started sneezing in the afternoon and whatever flu bug I had weathered transitioned into a crazy cold. Although I went to work,  I was still not feeling super great on Friday, and got progressively worse throughout the day. Today, I felt downright terrible, so have been mostly laying low all day EXCEPT FOR Seeing Annalisse off for Ireland I pray she did not catch the crud that Mark and I have been heaping on her all week. The kids are currently in Newark from which they'll take an overnight fligh...

If you've been following the blog, you probably recall that Mark is now working out-of-town four days a week on a project outside of Boston, where he'll be until next March. He's on the road Monday morning by 4am, and leaves to come on Thursday nights sometimes as late at 6pm, arriving home near or after midnight (although most Thursdays he's home between 10:30-11pm). As you can imagine, there's a whole new level of worry and anxiety associated with him traveling so far in the winter, not to mention the fatigue that goes with traveling such long distances so often, especially in the dark of winter and after a long day's work. And now, NOW , comes the news that there is a blizzard approaching that will affect the Northeast starting around BOSTON and getting really tricky with snow and wind through WESTERN NEW YORK. Well, that just about covers it, doesn't it? I've called him a couple of times today begging him to try to get on the road as soon as possi...

Make mine a double! Yesterday I had the opportunity to do something I rarely allow myself to do. (" What could it be? What could it be? " You ask anxiously...)  I enjoyed the gift of a spa treatment with a Swedish massage and pedicure at  Elan Spa  (The Lodge at Woodcliff), courtesy of Mark's Christmas gift. The package I chose came complete with a pomegranate martini and chocolate truffles. Mark and Annalisse joined me after the massage for a nice lunch, then Annalisse and I had pedis.  THIS IS LIVING!  Mean mom made her study for her bio test during her pedi I'm so glad Mark thought of such a unique gift for me as spa treatments are never anything I do for myself (with the rare exception of prompting from my girlfriends on a girls weekend or other getaway). It was super refreshing and relaxing after a pretty stressful week at work. In fact, when I become rich I am going to get a pedi and a massage once a month. If I had a million dollars...!