The list for the weekend
My mother says I have nary a spontaneous bones in this body, so it's no surprise that I run my life by lists. I have lists for everything- shopping, errands, chores, work, pretty much anything I do. So it's no surprise that I start off each weekend with a list of what I need to do.
This is a quick, funny story about my particular nature. One summer while home from college, my sister, SAW, and I were arguing about things not being organized in the bathroom we shared at our beach house. I was really angry and my sister was irritated at my mood.
Whitney: "I can't help it, I have OCD."
SAW: "You don't have OCD."
Whitney: "How do you know?!"
SAW: "Because I told Dr. B (her shrink) all about you and your moods and he said you're just anal."
On my list for this weekend are...
Pool time
Bathing Spencer
Eating some of these
Watching motorcycles go past our neighborhood on their way to Rolling Thunder
Shopping for these
And doing some of this
I hope you all have a wonderful, lazy, long weekend. :-)
Photos from here, here, here, here, here and here.
This is a quick, funny story about my particular nature. One summer while home from college, my sister, SAW, and I were arguing about things not being organized in the bathroom we shared at our beach house. I was really angry and my sister was irritated at my mood.
Whitney: "I can't help it, I have OCD."
SAW: "You don't have OCD."
Whitney: "How do you know?!"
SAW: "Because I told Dr. B (her shrink) all about you and your moods and he said you're just anal."
On my list for this weekend are...
Pool time
Bathing Spencer
Eating some of these
Watching motorcycles go past our neighborhood on their way to Rolling Thunder
Shopping for these
And doing some of this
I hope you all have a wonderful, lazy, long weekend. :-)
Photos from here, here, here, here, here and here.
Stitching away
Last weekend, JDD, his brother, and I drove to Asheville so they could take care of some family stuff. While they split up the seven hour drive, I had the luxury of sitting in the backseat stitching. I'm working on a striped repp tie patterned Jenny Henry passport case canvas and hope to have it stitched and finished in time for Dave's birthday in mid-August.
Before we started the trip. I had most of the center section and four of the horizontal stripes finished. The dark stripes are painted black but I changed them to navy.
By the time we got home Sunday night. It's hard to see but I finished the stripes at the top and bottom, the middle section and all the diagonal stripes on the right half of the canvas. The forecast this weekend sounds like good pool weather and I plan to camp out with my canvas and fibers. If I can get some solid hours of quiet time, I should get it finished by next week.
Before we started the trip. I had most of the center section and four of the horizontal stripes finished. The dark stripes are painted black but I changed them to navy.
By the time we got home Sunday night. It's hard to see but I finished the stripes at the top and bottom, the middle section and all the diagonal stripes on the right half of the canvas. The forecast this weekend sounds like good pool weather and I plan to camp out with my canvas and fibers. If I can get some solid hours of quiet time, I should get it finished by next week.
Boys and their toys
Not only does Dave love motorcycles, so does Spencer! I will be far from surprised if JDD rigs up a contraption so that he and his BFF can ride together.
Shoe fetish
Since Devin was a kitten he's had this odd obsession with shoes. He lies on them. Rubs his face on them. And sometimes, he even manages to get his paws in one.
Last night, I walked in the family room and saw this. Please excuse the dirt on the rug. I was lazy and didn't vacuum the other night.
Mine, all mine!!
So happy
A few more from last year. He's lying on five separate pairs.
If JDD were to ever get cross with me for having too many pairs of shoes, I'd just tell him that they are serving double duty, not only as footwear for me, but also cat toys.
I've joined the club!
The Versatile Blogger club that is. Thank you to my sweet friend mFw at the Prissy and Preppy Flamingo for giving me this award.
The rules say to simply state seven things about yourself. Here it goes.
1. I always wanted an older brother. Guess I kind of have one now with my BIL.
2. I'm an awful cook.
3. I have never been able to do a cartwheel.
4. Another thing I can't do is whistle.
5. I am addicted to lip balm. I about had a heart attack at dinner Saturday night when I realized one of the four Lobellos in my purse was missing. I found it in the car. ;-)
6. All of my family's (my fam, my grandparents and uncle) pets have always had a person name. No Fluffy, Spot or Scout. Some of my favorites were Leroy (Himalayan), Sophie (standard poodle), Fatima (Himalayan), Webster (cocker spaniel), Willie (boxer), Tristian (great dane) and Percy (house cat).
7. My parents met Labor Day weekend and got married November 22. And no, I wasn't on the way. ;-)
Pups in the Park
The Preppy Puppy and I were having a hard time deciding what to get my mother for Mother's Day. Just as I was about to place our usual Mother's Day order of PJs and flowers, I received an email from the Nationals that they just scheduled a Pups in the Park event the day before Mother's Day. Problem solved! JDD and I took Spencer last year and the three of us had a fantastic time, so I knew Mother would enjoy it as well.
We're here! It was verrrrry windy.
There were all sorts of dogs. Including a boxer.
And a German Shepherd Dog
Mother got her grand-dog his own hotdog
Spencer thought it was yummy!
Mother even made it on the JumboTron (bottom left)
JDD suggested I buy a seat cushion for Spencer since last year he slid around on the slippery metal. He was very comfy this year!
JDD will be joining us for a repeat performance at the end of August. And since we bought tickets to both games, we will part of the pre-game parade on the field. We can't wait!
We're here! It was verrrrry windy.
There were all sorts of dogs. Including a boxer.
And a Labradoodle
And a German Shepherd Dog
And a Westie (this is for you, T and Louis!)
And a Boston Terrier
And several mixed breeds
We saw our friends M and L with Cooper and Buzz
And A and Robbie
Mother got her grand-dog his own hotdog
Spencer thought it was yummy!
Mother even made it on the JumboTron (bottom left)
Spencer was paying more attention to the man selling cotton candy than the camera.
JDD suggested I buy a seat cushion for Spencer since last year he slid around on the slippery metal. He was very comfy this year!
JDD will be joining us for a repeat performance at the end of August. And since we bought tickets to both games, we will part of the pre-game parade on the field. We can't wait!
A decade without Big Daddy
Ten years ago today, Big Daddy died. He first got sick in February 1999. I was at work and Mother called and said an ambulance came the night before and took him to the hospital. He was so sick that he was in ICU on a ventilator and not expected to live very long. I was SHOCKED. I was 23. Twenty-three year olds are supposed to have both parents.
I lived three hours away and drove in a complete haze to Maryland to see him. My sister, SAW, was at school in South Carolina and she took the train home because she didn’t trust herself to drive. SAW and I had no idea that Big D wasn’t well. Later I learned from my mother that Big Daddy had only told her a few months before he was hospitalized and they made the decision not to tell us. That caused a huge rift between my mother and though she’s apologized for doing it, I still can’t forget. I know she was trying to protect SAW and me, but I wonder if I had known sooner, would I have been able to do something? Or at least prepare myself that something bad would probably happen.
Big Daddy was in the ICU for three months after that and eventually moved to a rehab hospital where he stayed for two additional months. In July 1999, he came home. I was SO excited. I was on vacation with my boyfriend at the time, JTD, and as soon as my grandfather, Hop, called to tell me Big D was being released, I hopped on the first plane to Maryland. Things were getting back to normal. As he got better I got more optimistic that life would go back to how it was and I’d have my daddy for many more years.
That fall and winter he continued to get better and was just about to get on the heart/lung transplant list. The doctor’s were rushing him through the process because he was soon to turn 65, which was the cutoff age for the list. Unfortunately he got sick in March 2000 and my mother had to take him to the hospital again. He didn’t leave. The first time I saw him in the hospital was on St. Patrick’s Day. I brought him some silly shamrock stickers to cheer him up. He put one on his gown and one on my shirt. I still have that sticker. I went to see him several times a month always brought little trinkets or fun things for him.
The first Tuesday in May, my boyfriend, JTD, and I broke up after almost five years together. The day we broke up I hopped in the car to go see my daddy. I didn’t know what else to do. I rushed in his room and told him what happened and asked him to call JTD to tell him he couldn't break up with me. Bid D said, "Whitney, do you really think that's the best strategy?" This was such a Big D thing to say and I will never forget it. After getting back to my apartment the following night, I listened to answering machine messages. Big D left a message thanking me for visiting and told me how much he loved me. I rushed out the only 24 hour store I knew of, Wally World, and bought a tape recorder. I held it up to the machine so I could record the message. I still have the tape.
I went back the next weekend to see Big D and since I thought he needed some more visitors, I snuck my cat, Devin in to the hospital. My daddy loved cats and enjoyed the cuddle time together. After a few minutes, something spooked Devin and he jumped down from the bed. I was frantic! After 20 minutes Mother said I'd have to tell the nurses that I lost my cat. In a hospital. Yea, that would go over well. As I was getting up to alert the masses I heard a tiny noise from under the empty bed in the room. There was Devin. On a little shelf under the bed. I have never been so happy and yet so angry to see him.
The Sunday of that weekend was Mother's Day. Big Daddy took a turn for the worse that morning and we all thought it was the last day with Big D. As the day went on he got a little better and we all breathed a sigh of relief. He had a very nice nurse that night who let me spend the night to be with him.
I decided to stay at my parent’s house a few more days since things were so touch and go. That Monday was a ‘regular’ hospital day. As regular as the ICU can be. I spent a lot of time at the hospital that day and decided to go back to Richmond the next morning so I could come back up the following weekend. The next morning, Tuesday, May 16, SAW and I were being lazy. About 11:00 my mother, called and said ‘come now’. I don't really remember shouting to SAW that we had to go. Or speeding to the hospital. Or running up to the ICU. But I do remember rushing to Big Daddy’s bed and holding his hand, kissing his cheek and saying goodbye. I walked out so SAW could do the same. The next thing I knew, Doogie Howser (what my dad called his pulmonologist) went in the room and I guess he turned off the machines- I don't remember.
My mom must have called my uncle because he Chip was standing at the nurses desk outside Big D's room. I remember going to the desk and sitting down, waiting for my grandparents to arrive. Shortly after I sat down, an ICU nurse told me very sternly that I had to leave and go to the waiting room because we were violating patient confidentialty since we were at the desk. WTF?! MY DADDY JUST DIED. Ten years later I am still so angry at that lady. And to this day I've had a chip on my shoulder against nurses.
I’ve only told a few people this, but in a strange way, I hold JTD a tiny bit responsible for my dad’s death. We had been having a rough time of it for the three weeks before we actually broke up. One night he didn’t go back to his apartment and though he said he was with some of his friends I had a feeling he was with another girl. I asked him and he said he wasn’t. We used to do this dumb game of ‘swear on your [insert family member]’ any time one of us wanted the other to be serious. Of course I said, “swear on Daddy” and JTD answered “yes”. I know it’s completely irrational to think this, but I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t say that. Or if JTD answered truthfully.
Planning for the funeral was hard but at the same time it gave all of us something to think about. Of course it wasn't fun but I think the lighthardedness of picking out the casket, the silk lining, the flowers and everything else made us all a little less sad. After making the arrangements my mother, SAW and I picked out what Big Daddy would wear. I remember us being in his closest, laughing as we looked through his shirts and ties. He had this awful navy tie with big red polka dots that he loved and wore just to get a rise out of my mother. I joked that we should have him wear that one. In the end we chose a ‘comfy’ outfit for Big D. He loved to get dressed up but instead of wearing the traditional funeral best, we chose one of his favorite bespoke shirts, cotton trousers (Big D was always hot) and a favorite pair of cufflinks. Big D hated wearing shoes (I totally inherited this from him) so we let him go with just socks.
We had to have the funeral later than we wanted because the following week was the big Fasig-Tipton two-year-old sale in Timomium and Hop and Chip needed to be there. I think this upset my mother, but to me it was actually welcomed since it delayed the inevitable- that Big D would be gone forever. The viewing was the following Tuesday night, which was also Hop’s 75th birthday. Before it started, Mother, SAW and I said our final goodbye. I wrote a letter and put it and some pictures in the casket. Soooo many people came to the viewing. One thing I remember many people saying was that they had no idea Big D was 64. He looked fairly young for his age (though he had grey hair) and was so full of life. It made me feel so good to hear all the nice things people said about him. The funeral was the next day at the funeral home. I sat in the front row, between my mother and Hop. I read this poem. Afterward, a car took us to our church, where Big Daddy would be buried. I looked out the window the entire drive- down River Road, through the Village and into the church parking lot. The time at the grave site was a lot shorter than I though it would be. After the minister said everything, the casket was lowered into the ground and I threw in some irises I took from one of the bouquets. My family and some of Big Daddy and Mother’s friends drove just up the road for the luncheon at Normandie Farm, a favorite of my parents. Later that day, it was all over.
Big Daddy, ten years later I miss you just as much as I did May 16, 2000. I’m sorry you weren’t able to meet JDD, walk me down the aisle, see our new house (you would have told us not to buy it- I wish you were there to do that!!) and be there for the one million other tiny things that have happened in the last ten years. I love you.
July 23, 1975
Ring Dance, 1996
Easter, 1998
Our last W family Christmas, 1999
I lived three hours away and drove in a complete haze to Maryland to see him. My sister, SAW, was at school in South Carolina and she took the train home because she didn’t trust herself to drive. SAW and I had no idea that Big D wasn’t well. Later I learned from my mother that Big Daddy had only told her a few months before he was hospitalized and they made the decision not to tell us. That caused a huge rift between my mother and though she’s apologized for doing it, I still can’t forget. I know she was trying to protect SAW and me, but I wonder if I had known sooner, would I have been able to do something? Or at least prepare myself that something bad would probably happen.
Big Daddy was in the ICU for three months after that and eventually moved to a rehab hospital where he stayed for two additional months. In July 1999, he came home. I was SO excited. I was on vacation with my boyfriend at the time, JTD, and as soon as my grandfather, Hop, called to tell me Big D was being released, I hopped on the first plane to Maryland. Things were getting back to normal. As he got better I got more optimistic that life would go back to how it was and I’d have my daddy for many more years.
That fall and winter he continued to get better and was just about to get on the heart/lung transplant list. The doctor’s were rushing him through the process because he was soon to turn 65, which was the cutoff age for the list. Unfortunately he got sick in March 2000 and my mother had to take him to the hospital again. He didn’t leave. The first time I saw him in the hospital was on St. Patrick’s Day. I brought him some silly shamrock stickers to cheer him up. He put one on his gown and one on my shirt. I still have that sticker. I went to see him several times a month always brought little trinkets or fun things for him.
The first Tuesday in May, my boyfriend, JTD, and I broke up after almost five years together. The day we broke up I hopped in the car to go see my daddy. I didn’t know what else to do. I rushed in his room and told him what happened and asked him to call JTD to tell him he couldn't break up with me. Bid D said, "Whitney, do you really think that's the best strategy?" This was such a Big D thing to say and I will never forget it. After getting back to my apartment the following night, I listened to answering machine messages. Big D left a message thanking me for visiting and told me how much he loved me. I rushed out the only 24 hour store I knew of, Wally World, and bought a tape recorder. I held it up to the machine so I could record the message. I still have the tape.
I went back the next weekend to see Big D and since I thought he needed some more visitors, I snuck my cat, Devin in to the hospital. My daddy loved cats and enjoyed the cuddle time together. After a few minutes, something spooked Devin and he jumped down from the bed. I was frantic! After 20 minutes Mother said I'd have to tell the nurses that I lost my cat. In a hospital. Yea, that would go over well. As I was getting up to alert the masses I heard a tiny noise from under the empty bed in the room. There was Devin. On a little shelf under the bed. I have never been so happy and yet so angry to see him.
The Sunday of that weekend was Mother's Day. Big Daddy took a turn for the worse that morning and we all thought it was the last day with Big D. As the day went on he got a little better and we all breathed a sigh of relief. He had a very nice nurse that night who let me spend the night to be with him.
I decided to stay at my parent’s house a few more days since things were so touch and go. That Monday was a ‘regular’ hospital day. As regular as the ICU can be. I spent a lot of time at the hospital that day and decided to go back to Richmond the next morning so I could come back up the following weekend. The next morning, Tuesday, May 16, SAW and I were being lazy. About 11:00 my mother, called and said ‘come now’. I don't really remember shouting to SAW that we had to go. Or speeding to the hospital. Or running up to the ICU. But I do remember rushing to Big Daddy’s bed and holding his hand, kissing his cheek and saying goodbye. I walked out so SAW could do the same. The next thing I knew, Doogie Howser (what my dad called his pulmonologist) went in the room and I guess he turned off the machines- I don't remember.
My mom must have called my uncle because he Chip was standing at the nurses desk outside Big D's room. I remember going to the desk and sitting down, waiting for my grandparents to arrive. Shortly after I sat down, an ICU nurse told me very sternly that I had to leave and go to the waiting room because we were violating patient confidentialty since we were at the desk. WTF?! MY DADDY JUST DIED. Ten years later I am still so angry at that lady. And to this day I've had a chip on my shoulder against nurses.
I’ve only told a few people this, but in a strange way, I hold JTD a tiny bit responsible for my dad’s death. We had been having a rough time of it for the three weeks before we actually broke up. One night he didn’t go back to his apartment and though he said he was with some of his friends I had a feeling he was with another girl. I asked him and he said he wasn’t. We used to do this dumb game of ‘swear on your [insert family member]’ any time one of us wanted the other to be serious. Of course I said, “swear on Daddy” and JTD answered “yes”. I know it’s completely irrational to think this, but I wonder what would have happened if I didn’t say that. Or if JTD answered truthfully.
Planning for the funeral was hard but at the same time it gave all of us something to think about. Of course it wasn't fun but I think the lighthardedness of picking out the casket, the silk lining, the flowers and everything else made us all a little less sad. After making the arrangements my mother, SAW and I picked out what Big Daddy would wear. I remember us being in his closest, laughing as we looked through his shirts and ties. He had this awful navy tie with big red polka dots that he loved and wore just to get a rise out of my mother. I joked that we should have him wear that one. In the end we chose a ‘comfy’ outfit for Big D. He loved to get dressed up but instead of wearing the traditional funeral best, we chose one of his favorite bespoke shirts, cotton trousers (Big D was always hot) and a favorite pair of cufflinks. Big D hated wearing shoes (I totally inherited this from him) so we let him go with just socks.
We had to have the funeral later than we wanted because the following week was the big Fasig-Tipton two-year-old sale in Timomium and Hop and Chip needed to be there. I think this upset my mother, but to me it was actually welcomed since it delayed the inevitable- that Big D would be gone forever. The viewing was the following Tuesday night, which was also Hop’s 75th birthday. Before it started, Mother, SAW and I said our final goodbye. I wrote a letter and put it and some pictures in the casket. Soooo many people came to the viewing. One thing I remember many people saying was that they had no idea Big D was 64. He looked fairly young for his age (though he had grey hair) and was so full of life. It made me feel so good to hear all the nice things people said about him. The funeral was the next day at the funeral home. I sat in the front row, between my mother and Hop. I read this poem. Afterward, a car took us to our church, where Big Daddy would be buried. I looked out the window the entire drive- down River Road, through the Village and into the church parking lot. The time at the grave site was a lot shorter than I though it would be. After the minister said everything, the casket was lowered into the ground and I threw in some irises I took from one of the bouquets. My family and some of Big Daddy and Mother’s friends drove just up the road for the luncheon at Normandie Farm, a favorite of my parents. Later that day, it was all over.
Big Daddy, ten years later I miss you just as much as I did May 16, 2000. I’m sorry you weren’t able to meet JDD, walk me down the aisle, see our new house (you would have told us not to buy it- I wish you were there to do that!!) and be there for the one million other tiny things that have happened in the last ten years. I love you.
July 23, 1975
Showing off our fake smiles, 1978
Ring Dance, 1996
Easter, 1998
Our last W family Christmas, 1999
Leaving on a jet plane
Not me, but my hubby! After being in Africa for three weeks, JDD is relaxing in the SAA lounge in Johannesburg, waiting to board the plane for a looong flight home to Virginia. Other than a few pictures, I've not shared too much about JDD on the blog. I saw this cute questionnaire on another blog a few months ago and bookmarked it until I found the perfect time to use it. I think that time is now!
To Know Him is to Love Him
1. He is sitting in front of the TV, what is he watching? ESPN or FX
2. You are out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Bleu cheese (my fave too)
3. What's one food he doesn't like? I don't think I've seen him refuse any food after nine years of knowing him. He is a WAY more adventurous eater than I am.
4. You go out to a bar, what does he order? Stella or Blue Moon
5. Where did he go to High School? A private school in Virginia
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10 1/2
7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? Motorcycles- so far he's up to three.
8. What is his favorite sandwich? BLT
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Authentic southern fried chicken and Coca Cola (a GA boy would never drink Pepsi).
10. What is his favorite cereal? Golden Grahams
11. What would he never wear? A toupee ;-)
12. What is his favorite sports team? Atlanta Braves
13. Who does he vote for? Let's just say we are a real life Mary Matalin and James Carville. Much to my family's dismay. ;-)
14. Who is his best friend? JDD has a lot of friends but his besties are his brother, B and his fraternity brother, J.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Flaunt my mad math skillz in front of him ;-)
16. How many states has he lived in? Four- North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia. Plus Calgary and New Brunswick, Canada
17. What is his heritage? I think it's mostly English with a little Irish
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake is it? Marble
19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes-baseball and football
20. What could he spend hours doing? Riding his bikes, grilling and spending time with me and the Preppy Puppy
Safe travels, JDD. The boys and I can't wait to see you tomorrow afternoon!
xo xo
To Know Him is to Love Him
1. He is sitting in front of the TV, what is he watching? ESPN or FX
2. You are out to eat, what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Bleu cheese (my fave too)
3. What's one food he doesn't like? I don't think I've seen him refuse any food after nine years of knowing him. He is a WAY more adventurous eater than I am.
4. You go out to a bar, what does he order? Stella or Blue Moon
5. Where did he go to High School? A private school in Virginia
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10 1/2
7. If he were to collect anything, what would it be? Motorcycles- so far he's up to three.
8. What is his favorite sandwich? BLT
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Authentic southern fried chicken and Coca Cola (a GA boy would never drink Pepsi).
10. What is his favorite cereal? Golden Grahams
11. What would he never wear? A toupee ;-)
12. What is his favorite sports team? Atlanta Braves
13. Who does he vote for? Let's just say we are a real life Mary Matalin and James Carville. Much to my family's dismay. ;-)
14. Who is his best friend? JDD has a lot of friends but his besties are his brother, B and his fraternity brother, J.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Flaunt my mad math skillz in front of him ;-)
16. How many states has he lived in? Four- North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia. Plus Calgary and New Brunswick, Canada
17. What is his heritage? I think it's mostly English with a little Irish
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake is it? Marble
19. Did he play sports in high school? Yes-baseball and football
20. What could he spend hours doing? Riding his bikes, grilling and spending time with me and the Preppy Puppy
Safe travels, JDD. The boys and I can't wait to see you tomorrow afternoon!
xo xo
The weather- inquiring minds want to know
This is such a silly post but I've actually been thinking about this for several weeks. The wind is out of control this spring. It seems like every time I go outside there are huge winds. It's kind of neat but at the same time I wonder what's causing it. Sometimes I wish I knew a meteorologist. :-)
More than just horses
Saturday marks the 135th racing of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The Preakness is the second jewel in the Triple Crown and is also called "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans". For my family, the race for the Triple Crown starts with a Derby celebration at my grandparent's farm. Two weeks later, the Preakness becomes a more hands-on celebration for us.
The week starts off with a trip to the track for the post position draw on Wednesday and again Friday for the Black-Eyed Susan race. The fun continues Thursday with the Crab Derby at Lexington Market. Armed with ping pong balls and spray bottles, local celebrities jockey their crabs in a sprint to the finish line. It's hysterical! Another fun Preakness Week event is the hot air balloon festival, which leads up to the balloon launch on Preakness morning. Preakness Eve is marked with the Parade of Lights, where illuminated floats, balloons, horses and marching bands wind through the Inner Harbor. There's fun for everyone!
The week starts off with a trip to the track for the post position draw on Wednesday and again Friday for the Black-Eyed Susan race. The fun continues Thursday with the Crab Derby at Lexington Market. Armed with ping pong balls and spray bottles, local celebrities jockey their crabs in a sprint to the finish line. It's hysterical! Another fun Preakness Week event is the hot air balloon festival, which leads up to the balloon launch on Preakness morning. Preakness Eve is marked with the Parade of Lights, where illuminated floats, balloons, horses and marching bands wind through the Inner Harbor. There's fun for everyone!
Sisterly love
To say my sister and I were enemies growing up would be an understatement. We played pranks on each other often and did whatever we could to get the other one in trouble with our parents. I am also super competitive, and hated when Sarah was better at something than me. Fortunately for our parents, that changed when I left for college. S was just starting high school, and I know she was excited to start a new chapter without having the 'Whitney's little sister' moniker constantly following her.
Fast forward 15+ years and we enjoy being around each other now. What really brought us together was having to lean on one another during my daddy's long illness and subsequent death. My mother was wrapped up in her own world of starting life as a widow and my sister and I really pulled each other through.
Now, we don't see each other as often as we'd like, but we do make the most of our time together. Since I knew last weekend would be tough for her, the Preppy Puppy and I packed our overnight bags and headed to Annapolis for a day of crabs and fun in the sun. S returned the favor on Sunday and came to our house for a birthday BBQ for her oldest Boston Terrier, Rocco.
Yummy
Threatening to touch me with her dirty hands. I hate having dirty, smelly hands, so S picks the crabs for me and I make her my special sauce for dipping.
Twenty years ago, I don't think Mother and Big Daddy could envision this
Happy Birthday, Rocco!
Ruby on the left, Rocco on the right
Family portrait. M holding Ruby and S with Rocco.
Spencer didn't care about the birthday festivities. All he wanted was for someone to chase him around our yard.
S is hopefully joining Spencer and me this weekend at Pups at the Park, which means we've seen more of her in the last two weeks than we have all year. :-)
Fast forward 15+ years and we enjoy being around each other now. What really brought us together was having to lean on one another during my daddy's long illness and subsequent death. My mother was wrapped up in her own world of starting life as a widow and my sister and I really pulled each other through.
Now, we don't see each other as often as we'd like, but we do make the most of our time together. Since I knew last weekend would be tough for her, the Preppy Puppy and I packed our overnight bags and headed to Annapolis for a day of crabs and fun in the sun. S returned the favor on Sunday and came to our house for a birthday BBQ for her oldest Boston Terrier, Rocco.
Yummy
Threatening to touch me with her dirty hands. I hate having dirty, smelly hands, so S picks the crabs for me and I make her my special sauce for dipping.
Twenty years ago, I don't think Mother and Big Daddy could envision this
Happy Birthday, Rocco!
Ruby on the left, Rocco on the right
Family portrait. M holding Ruby and S with Rocco.
Spencer didn't care about the birthday festivities. All he wanted was for someone to chase him around our yard.
S is hopefully joining Spencer and me this weekend at Pups at the Park, which means we've seen more of her in the last two weeks than we have all year. :-)
Two lives lost too soon
The tragic events at UVA are on everyone's mind given the close connection both students have to the area. One strange connection belongs to my bestie, S. S and her husband, J, own a tutoring business in Chevy Chase. J tutored the young man accused of killing Yeardley Love and knows him reasonably well. S would sometimes proctor exams for the students so she (vaguely) knew him, too. S said J hasn’t spoken about it since first hearing the horrifying news on Monday.
While everyone’s heart, prayers and thoughts go out to the Love family, we also need to think about the boy’s family. This young man stupidly threw his life away and his family will have to live with him in jail forever. The entire event is just horrific and so senseless.
While everyone’s heart, prayers and thoughts go out to the Love family, we also need to think about the boy’s family. This young man stupidly threw his life away and his family will have to live with him in jail forever. The entire event is just horrific and so senseless.
120 down, 245 left to go
Another month of Project 365 is finished. I've taken 120 pictures but am having trouble finding inspiration. The warm weather means more outside activities, so I'm hopeful my next few months of photographs will be more exciting.
A few favorites from March and April.
Sparkly sculpture in the old terminal of DCA
JDD gets sucked into buying things featured at the cash register. One of his oh-so-useful CVS purchases.
Cute bike at Free People
A necessity with three long haired animals and wood floors. Five years old and still going strong.
A regal Park Police officer
A few favorites from March and April.
Sparkly sculpture in the old terminal of DCA
JDD gets sucked into buying things featured at the cash register. One of his oh-so-useful CVS purchases.
New burger restaurant near JDD's office
Cute bike at Free People
A necessity with three long haired animals and wood floors. Five years old and still going strong.
A regal Park Police officer
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