The Fabulous B@ker Blog

The last day of the year is a great day to reflect on the last 365 days and, if you really want to punish yourself, see how you did on your New Years Resolutions. I'm not going to do that because I know I did not succeed on several fronts (diet, money management) , and I tend to make the same resolutions every year anyway! As with many other end-of-the-year retrospectives, 2013 had a theme: EXPENSE. Wow, what an expensive year this was. From the graduation party to house renovations to college/tuition expenses, we definitely over extended ourselves and did not do a great job saving or managing our money. I guess that's what new years are for. We are super happy with the much needed house renovations, but they were quite costly. And as for college expenses/tuition, all I can think is how much money we'll have floating around once the kids are out of school! It is short term pain for long term gain, and well worth it. This last year has also been one of loss and adjustm...

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...

Congrats to my niece, Nicole, and her boyfriend, Patrick, on their engagement yesterday! They are thinking the wedding will take place sometime in the first six months of 2015, so there is a lot of fun planning ahead for all of us. Her mother, aunts, and friends alike are totally looking forward to all the milestones that come with planning a wedding. Say YES to the dress! Nicole's ring is really special. My sister, Carol gave my mother's wedding diamond to Patrick some time ago and he had it placed into a beautiful new setting. Even though Nic has wanted to become engaged for a while, Patrick ended up totally taking her by surprise by placing the ring in a children's pop-up book and asking her on the last page, "Nicole, will you marry me?" So sweet and original! Good job, Patrick!! Nic is planning to incorporate a lot of family members into her bridal party, which will be pretty special as well, including Annalisse, who is over the moon at being in her fi...

Last night we went over to Aunt Mary and Uncle Pete's for a gathering to hang out with our Versprille cousins from Massachusetts. It's been almost four years since we've all been together, and the kids always have a blast together. We were a little bummed that our Holmsten cousin, Phoebe, couldn't be there, but we ALMOST had everyone for our traditional picture. Here are a couple from the past: Kids in Trees 2006 Kids + Dog in Trees 2007 Kids 2010 Kids 2013 What a great start to the holiday season! We have to work today then are off until January 6. HURRAY!

We are four days from Christmas. Both kids are home and settled back into the family routine, and their bedding and other mountains of laundry are just about done and ready to go back. Most of the shopping is done (but not all - DANG!), and today we're supposed to get an ice storm so I'm pretty much in for the night. Ahhhh....we're almost there!

I don't think it will come to anyone as a surprise when I say, once again, that I hate shopping. I LOVE giving presents, especially when I, or "we," can really surprise someone with a great, unexpected treasure. It is truly better (and more fun) to give than to receive. So, it was with much reluctance that I started my Christmas shopping today, simply because I was running out of time. We headed out to run a couple of errands (one of which was to pick up my maternal grandmother's engagement ring, which I had restored and which will be my Christmas present from the family ~ more on that later in the month. It's so beautiful!) before arriving at the mall at 11am. As you can imagine, by then the place was already rocking. We were able to get about 50% of our shopping done, and still have some running around to do over the next week, but at least we made progress. We put in a full day's work, having left the house around 9am and getting home around 5pm. No...

You know how sometimes when you see a Christmas tree in the wild, and it looks "just right?" Not too big, not too small, nice shape, soft needles. It has happened to us, too. Usually with pretty good results back home. But, this year we were fooled. "Yes," we said. "That looks like the one," we said. Our tree must have undergone a mystical transformation between the time we cut it down and the time we put it up because it's super small and kind of  skimpy. Maybe it's a trick like that one with the dressing room mirror; you know: the clothes look great on you 'till you get them home. Still, our little tree brightens the living room during these dark days before Christmas. Well done, Tree.

That's what paws are for. Well, not really. The dog can't talk. But if he could he would say: I really miss my sissy and brother. It's so boring around here with Mom and Dad gone all day. Especially this week because Dad is also gone to Denver for work. So Mom and I just mostly hang around until it's time for my walk, then we go upstairs to her "mom-cave," turn on the heater, and watch TV until bedtime. Mom said it's going to be a lllloooonnngggg winter. Luckily brother and sister are home next week to keep me company.  I hear ya, pup, I hear ya. Long winter, indeed.

Another Thanksgiving has passed. What a whirlwind five days! The kids are settled back at their respective schools, having left around 8:30am to bring Annalisse back to Erie, and Cam driving himself back to RIT (he has the car for the week...yay for him). We were greeted with a great day for driving, warm with dry roads. The weather started getting a little dicey with dropping temps and sleet around Buffalo, but we were safely home by 4pm, and still had time to spare to put up the outside Christmas decorations. On Thursday, Pat, as usual, made a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixin's, and was a gracious host to all of us, including Nic and Patrick. You did not find me out with the crazy crowds the following day, Black Friday being a tradition which I despise. I hate crowds and lines, and that day is the worst combination of both. There are really insane people out there and Twitter was blowing up with horror stories of crazy people and violence everywhere. I hate it. The ...

Thanksgiving Storm Early this morning, after days of of anxiety over the impending "winter event" that started yesterday afternoon and was expected to last several days, we made our way down the NYS Thruway to pick up Annalisse for the Thanksgiving holiday. Before hitting the open road, though, we stopped by to pick up big bro at RIT. I was really happy he came (And early! We picked him up at 6:30am) since he had not been to Mercyhurst, so that was nice. We got to the college by 9:15 and were back on the road heading home, after a stop at Panera, by 10:30, arriving back at around 1:30. Thankfully, the storm was over-predicted (as usual), and the roads were clear with very fine flurries but no accumulation. Now the anxiety can start about the trip back on Sunday, but not before we spend some wonderful time together. It's so nice have my chicks back in the nest - and puppy is pretty happy, too!!

As I count down the days to a delicious turkey dinner, I cannot believe I am decorating for Christmas today. Well, actually, I'm doing the first stage of decorating, which is the inside house stuff. Next weekend or shortly after, Mark will decorate the outside/porch. Then, in a couple of weeks we will get the tree and the transformation will be complete. I'm doing it so early this year because next Sunday, the day I usually decorate (the Sunday after Thanksgiving), we'll be driving Annalisse back to Mercyhurst. And, knowing me, I know I am too tired after work to decorate (especially being so dark and cold when I get home). You know, I spend a lot of time during the year not wanting Christmas to come. In May, June, July, I marvel about how fast the year is going and how it will soon the the holiday season again, and that, too me, is not a welcome thought. It's not really Christmas, but rather the decorating and shopping that I'm not too crazy about. It's a hug...

Last night I had an hour long conversation with Aunt Carol Chase to make arrangements to have lunch and go see my Mother when I visit on Friday. Obviously, it doesn't take an hour to make such arrangements, but I know when I call Aunt Carol I've got to set some time aside. I guess I'm lucky I got away after only an hour. During the course of the conversation Aunt Carol was talking about Auntie, whom we lost in September. Auntie and Aunt Carol have always been as close as sisters as Aunt Carol was just 10 years older than Auntie and her lifelong best friend. Aunt Carol said something that was particularly touching, about how when Nonnie was in labor with Auntie, Aunt Carol was told by Aunt Pasqueline, who was attending to Nonnie's home birth, that it was "time for her to leave," as Nonnie was "getting close." Shortly after Auntie was born Aunt Carol was right there, and by her side for the rest of her days spending time together, and, in later ye...

Get ready for another post about the awesomeness of Fairport. You've been warned. FBC Maybe it's just my street, maybe it's living in the Village in general, but when your neighbor is walking by your house and says, "C'mon, let's go!,"you go. Especially when it's to the grand opening of the Fairport Brewing Company . That's right: Fairport even has it's own microbrewery. My God, before long there will be absolutely NO REASON to ever leave Fairport. Anyway, we headed down to the FBC grand opening in and around their cute little building in the heart of downtown. They had live music and festival type food, and Southside Johnny played great '70s and '80s rock. The best thing, though, was the demographic, which skewed my age or older (wonderful given my recent sensitivity to aging). We saw tons of people we knew and it was a blast. I seriously can't think of a better community to live in. Lucky!!

April 13, 1976 Funny story. A couple of weeks ago I convinced a car full of coworkers to accompany me into the city to go to Swan Market , a German deli, for lunch. Let's just say German food was waaaayyyy outside some their comfort zones. So far out, in fact, that two of them got a turkey sandwich on rye. IN A DELICIOUS GERMAN DELI. But I digress. On the way to Swan's we passed by a Kentucky Fried Chicken (or, KFC as it is now known), and I remarked that it had been years since I had eaten KFC, and I would love to have some but it's no longer part of my diet. I love that stuff, I think if I had some now I'd feel pretty sick from all the grease. Me and KFC, we go way back. Back to 1974-5, in fact, when my sister, Mary, had a job there and would bring home leftovers every night after work. YUM, what a treat. So, ironically I had just talked about eating at KFC when the Facebook page for my hometown paper posted that they were looking for stories and pictures fr...

On Saturday we took a trip up to my sister Mary's for a "Harvest Dinner" celebration in her new house. For the past three years Mary's awesome husband, Larry, has lovingly (and painstakingly) renovated his parent's 30+ year old huge split level. The house had great "bones," but needed much updating, and Larry outdid himself honing his Jack-of-all-Trades (master of many) skills to do literally everything in the house (plumbing, ad/heating, roof, floors, counters, drywall, painting, windows, etc. etc. etc!!). Larry also built all the cabinetry, and even some of the furniture, including an amazing bar with three different types of curved wood, an Adirondack-style wooden bed, and a dining room table with 300 year old wood found in one of the family barns. My sister's role has been to scour the Earth for decorations, including the hicory/leather-seated dining chairs, bar stools and counter chairs. The house is absolutely stunning, yet warm and invitin...

Last year, as I noticed my weight creeping up-up-up, I decided to get back on track with watching what I eat. About 10 years ago I was able to lose approx. 20 pounds with Weight Watchers, and got myself down to an appropriate size/weight for someone who is 5 feet tall (and has a short waist...). But, like many other things, I started to slip back into old habits and gained, not all, but a bit back. Let's just say I was on a trajectory that was not making me very happy about my body image. The key for me has always been journaling, portion control, and, of course, making smart food choices. People don't realize how much they actually eat until they start to write it down. So, not wanting to re-invest in Weight Watchers (at least for now), I decided to download a handy little "app" called MyFitnessPal. MyFitnessPal helps you determine your optimal daily calorie intake to meet your weight goal, and has a very robust database of foods - from general type foods and dis...

Over the last couple of weeks I've felt the funk settling in. I've been aware for a very long time that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.). Truthfully, for those of us who live in the north, who doesn't have it to some degree? But, boy, am I aware of it as I feel myself getting more cranky, prickly, hypersensitive to any type of criticism or feedback, and over analyzing any real or perceived slights against me (paranoia?), and just generally wanting to roll up into a ball. Last  week Mark was in Denver for work and I was kind of glad for that because I think he might have been on the receiving end (undeserved) for my foul moves and unrelenting picking. Best to keep a distance. This, THIS, is why I need to live some place warm and sunny. My soul will battle the good/happy vs. cranky/unhappy Judy until the days get longer, warmer and sunnier again. Come, spring, come!! This post is dedicated to Barb "Ma" Bell, with whom I shared many discussions ab...

Here we are, Halloween again! I doubt this year's night will live up to last year's which was very special because the Irish exchange students descended upon our house for some Village Halloween fun, followed by hanging out and even some piano playing and singing. While they were disappointed they could not go to NYC because of Hurricane Sandy, they seemed to have a great time experiencing an American Halloween. This will be my first Halloween without any Baker kids around, which will be weird. I am once again back to handing out candy on my own as Mark is in Denver all week. I remember one time, before kids, when Mark was also traveling on Halloween and it was a day much like today is shaping up to be: cold, dark, windy, rainy. I closed up shop early to go pick him up at the airport and what a tough ride, being very hard to drive with the wind and the rain. Tonight I will have some company, though, as Nic and Patrick are coming for dinner, then Patrick wants to hide and sc...

Lovely Lady Liberty This is the fist chance I have had to sit down and reflect on our whirlwind weekend in NYC. One thing I came to realize, seeing most of the famous sights for the first time, is that EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT NEW YORK CITY  I LEARNED  FROM SONGS, MOVIES and TV.  Sad but true. Let me explain... We got into The Big Apple around 10am on Thursday and, after stowing our suitcases at The Hotel Empire, we took a brisk 25 minute walk down to Times Square to book a hop-on-hop-off tour of the city. My goal was to find a tour that took us "downtown" to lower Manhattan to see such sites as Chinatown, Little Italy, The Twin Towers/Freedom Tower sight, The Statue of Liberty, among other things. As I've mentioned in the blog before, I've never really gotten to be a tourist in New York as I'm always strapped for time attending one meeting or another. The perceived New York City of my youth was a gritty one, with Dad's Daily News newspaper, Sesam...

An antique shot of the Statue of Liberty that I found with the old pictures my sister sent me. Ironically I've still not yet seen Lady Liberty in person - only from planes. :( October is funny. Not ha-ha funny. Just weird, you know? We've had beautiful warm, almost spring-like weather all month, then BAM!, windy, cold, dark. As a general rule of thumb it seems that you can pretty much plan outdoor activities until October 15, then forget it. This year was no exception. When I get home from work off the work clothes come and on go the sweatpants. The silver lining: my neighbors can't see me walking pup in my stripped-down attire since it's so dark by the time we head out for our nightly stroll. Looking to the rest of the week: Mark and I are heading out tomorrow for a long weekend in NYC where I'll attend the NAGAP board meeting from Friday afternoon through Saturday (maybe Sunday, also? I'd better check the schedule...), with a leisurely tourist da...

Silly Kids On Friday I picked up Annalisse for a weekend home. Six hours round trip. Today we take her back to school. Six hours round trip. And back and forth down Interstate 90 we go. Remember in August when she couldn't wait to get a way from "You People?" Well, two-ish months later she was sure happy to be home and chilling out on the couch. Not to mention getting to bed at a reasonable hour and eating homemade food - if she's excited about my cooking she must definitely be missing home. Yesterday we took a trip to Brockport to visit her friend, Leighanna (I hung out on a couch in a lounge while they went off with each other for a couple of hours), and she was so happy to check out Leelo's new life and meet some of her college buddies. Then, we' picked up Cam for dinner, first stopping at Power's Farm Market to go through the haunted tee-pees. It was fun, and nostalgic for the kids. So, off we go again. See you in six hours.

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!

The office of terror I made it! I'm 50 + 1 day! Whew . My 50th turned out to be a fabulous day from start to finish. It started with texts from both kids (I know, I know, but you have to take what you can get), and upon entering my office I was greeted with streamers and tons of balloons courtesy of my industrious coworkers. Now you all know how I feel about balloons , right? Well, my coworkers didn't know about my balloon phobia until too late, and I lived in fear all day of one bursting. But they looked so pretty and festive, all was forgiven quickly! We celebrated first with a yummy bagel breakfast (I'm not a fan of birthday cake so I like to do bagels for my big day), then our "lunch bunch" went out to Black and Blue for lunch. I left a little early to spend time with pup before we headed out for my "drop in happy hour" at the Blue Cactus in Fairport. It was tons of fun! A bunch of folks came out to celebrate with me and the two "gener...

It is with much reluctance that today I become eligible to be a card-carrying member of the AARP . I'm not going to lie: I'm not super thrilled about this birthday but, as someone told me recently, it's better than the alternative. We'll "celebrate" later with a drop in happy hour at the Blue Cactus in Fairport. Having a happy hour was a suggestion of one of my neighbors as a low pressure way to celebrate the day, which I thought was a great compromise to walking into a roomful of people yelling "SURPRISE!"  I chose the Blue Cactus so I could get a mojito. It's all about the mojitos. So, I'll persevere through the day with the thought that I probably won't live to another 50. Time goes too quickly, and that's what bothers me the most. In the meantime, though, I'll count my blessings and live for today! Carry on!

I just got up from a much needed nap. Boooyyyy did I need that. Yesterday we had a great time celebrating Annalisse's big day. It wasn't a knock-down-drag-out crazy celebration; there was no big party and not even any balloons (the structure of the day did not lend itself to that), but it was a nice day spent with family experiencing a small slice of Annalisse's new life at Mercyhurst. The day started early with a stop at the Head of the Genesee Regatta where Cam was racing in the afternoon. The weather started out typically crappy with a steady rain, and we got pretty wet regardless of our best attempts to keep dry. We didn't tell Cam we were coming, but his face did light up when he saw us, a good sign! His sister ran to him yelling his name and flailing her arms - announcing, in her usual low key way, that she had arrived.  After chatting a bit and finding the Mercyhurst team (but she would not speak to them), we hit the road for Erie around 9:30 and checked in w...

The birthday girl at 1 My "baby" turns 18 today! I'm so proud of the wonderful young woman she's become. We'll celebrate by popping in to surprise her brother at his regatta this morning, then we'll head to Mercyhurst for family weekend.  She said, "Now I can get a tattoo." Of course, knowing how I feel about tattoos she was kidding. I hope. Anyway, happy birthday and much love to our 'Lisse!

Meg, JoAnn and Judy Last night was my 22nd Libra Dinner with my pals JoAnn and Meg. I'm pretty sure I've written about our dinners before as it's one of those yearly markers that seem to come so fast. This year for updates, JoAnn is a grandmother, Meg's two oldest kids just got an apartment together and I have two kids in college. I always like to remind JoAnn that she first met me when I was 21, and now I am turning ?0. We always give each other goofy little gifts and generally just enjoy the company. And have a glass of wine to toaster another year, of course! We were also able to bring our waiter in on the celebration since his birthday is October 12 ( same day as Aunt Mary/Mim Mim's - there are soooo many Libras in our family ). Remarkably, though, he didn't think being a Libra was that big a deal. I think he's been hanging with the wrong crowd. Today, I picked Annalisse up at school for her date with Blake to see Theresa Caputo ("The Lon...

Kind of a silly shot Today we went to the first of Cam's fall regattas in Welland, Ontario. It was a great site with actual seating and lots of lawn to hang out on for the many hours before and after his boat actually passed by. Even though Cam is just 20ish minutes away we haven't seen him in two weeks. His schedule this fall is really busy between classes, work, and crew, and the weeks just seem to be flying by. He told me today he was sick all last week, which I sort of knew from stalking his Twitter account, but he had not told me at the time ("I knew you'd be worried"). I think the early hours for practice six days a week are probably something that is hard to manage, and he's getting a little run down. Of course, I'm walking that fine line between checking in occasionally and bugging him too much. I think I'm doing a pretty good job of not micromanaging him, not that he would let me anyway! So, back to the race. We got to the regatta arou...

Welcome to Thursday! We're almost to the weekend! There's a lot of fun stuff coming up. Mark and I still have to go out for our anniversary dinner since our original intention to have a fancy dinner out last Saturday was squashed by my desire to stay in sweatpants and not put my contacts back in after my nap. After all, it was a rainy, cold day and who wanted to go out in that? So, maybe Friday night we'll head out to Label 7 or Lento , two of my faves. I'll probably have to decide by this afternoon so we can make reservations. Either one is delicious. Then, on Saturday we are once again on the regatta circuit with Cam's first race of the year, The Head of the Welland just outside of Niagara Falls, Canada (I think). It will take about 2 1/2 hours to get there so, we'll head out at the reasonable hour of 8am to get there around 10:30. He doesn't actually race until around 1pm, so we'll watch the races then we'll most likely head back home arou...

It's here! Another cycle of Libra. This one, of course, being a big one for me for reasons previously mentioned. Just a reminder there are three Libras in our house, so... Get ready to rule and be ruled!

Today we took a ride to the Windmill in Penn Yan, which marks the unofficial start of fall for us. Looking ahead to the next month there was only one weekend we could go, as the rest of the weekends through early November are already booked. (I know! it's crazy!). It was a day that promised steady rain, but it held off while we walked through the crafts, farm stands, and baked goods. I treated myself to a sack of mini powdered donuts that is my once-a-year indulgence. SOOO Goooood!! We also bough three beautiful mum plants for the front porch. It's starting to look really fall-y 'round here. Ever since my girl's weekend in Hershey, PA and our trip to Lancaster, PA (during which I could not find the Amish), I've been obsessed with finding a  Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign  for the house. I could easily order one online but I really wanted to be able to see it "in person" and make sure it is of good quality and the colors compliment the new house color.  ...

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. ...

What a long week this has been. It started on Monday morning with Mark's aunt Cece's memorial service and burial (she had passed away the previous Thursday from a relatively short battle with cancer), after which I hit the road for the North Country grad fairs at St. Lawrence University, SUNY Potsdam and SUNY Plattsburgh. I got to Potsdam on Monday evening and was already feeling exhausted. A bright spot was that my pal, Heather, also happened to be in the 'Dam that night so we went out for dessert. By 8:30pm I was yawning up a storm, so I went back to the hotel and fell asleep by 9:30. At 5:30am I received the text from my cousin that Auntie had fallen and it was pretty serious. That day was spent in uncertainty about my next steps: should I go to Massena after the Potsdam fair to see Auntie? Should I wait until the morning and see her on my way to Plattsburgh? Fate intervened and took Auntie that afternoon, so I decided to wait until the morning after which I would ...

On Tuesday we lost our beloved Auntie. Aunt Carol Morin was the sister between my dad and Uncle Joe. Always everyone's favorite "Auntie," even to those who were not related to her. Auntie had been in declining health for several years, and spent the last couple of months in the nursing home as her health issues had become more than her two girls, my cousins Jeannie and Ro, could handle. To be truthful, though, Auntie died a little bit every day since July 9, 1995, when her wonderful husband, Uncle Duff, passed away. She was never the same after. You could always count on Auntie's wonderful hospitality, and her house was always open for a visit ("Mark, I think there's a beer in the fridge."). A memory that stands out: growing up, we always received underwear from Auntie for Christmas and in later years when we no longer exchanged gifts and I had to buy my own underwear, I actually had no idea what to buy! That's one funny thing I always thin...

September 5 is a day that stands out in my mind. I'll always recall the date because it's my brother-in-law Bill's birthday, and now our friend Chris Berg's birthday, but I clearly remember the afternoon of September 5th, 22 years ago now, in 1991. I had just finished my bachelor's degree that spring and had just gotten a promotion at work. I had an official/professional picture taken at the College and had gone to a reception for something or other. When I returned to the office, around 3pm, my coworker said that my cousin, Jeannie, had been trying to reach me (of course, this is before cell phones). The news that my mother had possibly suffered a heart attack and that I should come as soon as I could. PANIC! As the hour wore on the updates became that she was flown by helicopter to Burlington, VT for a possible aneurysm, and had been resuscitated several times. At this time Mark and I had just one car (and no kids) so I had to pick him up at work (and wait f...

Wow, how many times have I been asked (or have I asked) about our imminent "empty nest" status in the last two years? ~When Cam went to college it was : In two years you'll be empty nesters! ~Recently, it's been: How will you like having an empty nest? ~And, as of yesterday, it became: Now you're an empty nester! What will you do with all your free time? I have to admit, it's certainly going to be weird from now on. With the kids gone most of the summer for the last several years, I'm probably a little more experienced with the empty nest than some of our friends. I think I'll just keep pretending they are at camp. After all, Cam is just 20 minutes away and we had dinner with him last night, and I'll be seeing Annalisse again the weekend of October 4. My friend posted this really great article on Facebook that I thought resonated so well about this period of our lives. It certainly feels like one great big page has turned and that, although ...

Yesterday, in spite of all the nervousness and anxiety, we made the 2 hour, 45 minute drive to Erie, PA to drop Annalisse off at Mercyhurst. I cannot believe we got all her stuff in the car. Really unbelievable. Move in was very smooth as guys from the wrestling team helped load up a bin and bring her stuff into the beautiful Warde Hall, which just opened a couple of years ago. Annalisse had only "met" her roommate Sarah, a dance major Ohio, electronically since they connected on Facebook and had been exchanging texts and Twitter messages for a couple of months. Sarah moved into the room on Tuesday as she had to be there early for dance.  Warde Hall features spacious double rooms with a bathroom in each, air conditioning, a fitness center, common areas on each floor, a movie screening room and a little convenience store on the first floor. Annalisse took a lot of factors into consideration when deciding where to live and chose Warde mostly because of her stomach iss...