The Fabulous B@ker Blog

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...