The Fabulous B@ker Blog

It certainly seems lately that the only time I blog is on Sundays. Maybe it's because the weeks, in general, are so mundane and boring. And maybe it's because the weekends, lately, have been filled with activity, mostly fun. This weekend was no exception, times 10!!! Sue, Ken and cousin San arrived from Roanoke on Thursday to attend niece Lauren's graduation (and related activities) from RIT this weekend. Rolling in around 7:30pm, they were greeted by a big pot of spicy sauce-n-balls/spaghetti dinner (a really good batch), but first there were snacks and wine on the porch. It was a really beautiful, early summer night. We got caught up on all the news, and rose early on Friday (a cold, rainy day) in order for Sue, Ken and San to attend the graduate convocation at RIT. Then around lunch time, Annalisse and I joined them for the "Order of the Engineer," a really neat, albeit extremely unorganized, ceremony where the graduates take the oath to perform their profe...

Mark has been a mulch madman for two weeks (over two weeks?) ever since getting several yards, then several more, of mulch delivered at the end of April. That man loves to do yardwork; summer, fall, spring - and, when it comes to shoveling - winter. We're almost done with this year's first round of mulching, weed pulling and flower planting. Our yard (and porch) is a wonderful, restful oasis. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could enjoy it more than six months out of the year since, when, in the case of this year, winter lasted six months (BOOOOO!!). You've heard of horticulture therapy ? You can see it in action right here at Bakerhaus. Relaxing, rewarding, a pleasing sight for the eyes!! Comforting and contemplative:

Mom and Aunt Jeanine in 2004 Today is Mother's Day, and with every passing year folks of a certain generation (mine and beyond) can really look back and express an appreciation for the role of motherhood. Of course, children of any age know how important and impactful our mothers are (can be?~not everyone has such fond feelings), but as we begin to lose our moms hindsight becomes clearer than ever. Once again I will say: many deride social media (especially FaceBook) but today, as with all special days, it becomes a medium for those to post pictures of their moms and families, and to express appreciation, gratitude, and sometimes sadness and longing for those who are no longer with us. I love love love  the older pictures my friends and family members post, and it makes me feel everso connected to them, sharing in their joy and their pain. I took a quick trip up to Massena to visit my mom yesterday. I had not seen her since November...the harsh winter, other commitments and, ...

The view from my window I took the red eye back from SUNNY, WARM San Diego on Friday night, arriving back in RAINY, COLD Rochester around 9:45am on Saturday. Really, what a wet, dark, cold slap in the face. San Diego is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, the weather was perfect (sunny, warm/hot, not humid), and the area we were staying in was very nice, and within short walking distance to many sites (the USS Midway and other historic ships/boats, Petco baseball stadium, the downtown area) and shopping venues (like the Seaport Village right next to the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where we were staying).  The week was bittersweet as I attended my last NAGAP board meeting, and we were all feeling sad with the realization that this is the last time many of us would be together as a group for a while. Still, we managed to have many, many laughs. The conference itself was really worthwhile as well, and I am going back to work tomorrow feeling professionally refreshed...

Tomorrow afternoon I leave for San Diego for my last NAGAP board meeting and the annual conference. OF COURSE, I'm looking forward to the sunshine and seeing the beauty of SD, not to mention my awesome NAGAP friends, but I am also not really looking forward to such a long trip. It will be bittersweet to finish up my two terms on the board, but I am definitely ready to move on. The travel and professional growth has been awesome, but I'm sort of looking forward to traveling for "fun" and not having commitments while in fun places. Now that my stint with NAGAP is winding down, I am also looking forward to delving into other areas of my job (namely the transfer student professional network) that my board commitments didn't really allow me to because of the time it took. Still, I'll miss seeing my pals on a regular basis. I'm sure I'll have some amazing pictures to share, so check back!

Happy 7th Birthday to our favorite family member, Jasper! He celebrated with an ice cream cone at Moonlight Creamery tonight.  Beloved by all, loving to all!

Today I took Annalisse back to Mercyhurst after her long Easter weekend home. On March15 I will travel down the NYS Thruway to Erie for the last time with the purpose of going to MU. Although she is more than ready for this academic year to be over, to me it's really sad. So much though and planning went into the process of selecting a college, and it all started with great hopes for the future. But, as it turns out it wasn't a great fit for her after all (too small, among other things), and she will be starting fresh in August with a new college, which isn't without its worry as well. A new routine, new buildings, a bigger campus and only one acquaintance going there. I hope she makes connections through her major and, most of all, I hope she likes Buff State and spends the rest of her academic career there. It all feels a little unsettled so we just need to take it one day at a time and hope for the best. In the meantime, she's focusing on doing the best she can f...