Fall Break

                Not much seems real anymore.  The passing of time, our daily activities.  School. Work.  Making meals, cleaning, laundry, yardwork.  It's not quite 'going through the motions', as much as setting a pace and sprinting through the day.  It's a blur.

                For example, Fall Break has passed us by.  In a blink.  I am aware that the bambini had time off (Aut and Tonio enjoyed three weeks, while Cody had two).  Last year, I had the entire three weeks off to be a part of their vacation (and to make sure it really happened).  This year, I strung together a week off to help make them memories.  The rest of their time?  I know they had fun by the pictures taken...

 

Tonio's little buddy, Brinley (Mary's daughter), sits down to hear a funny story told by Tonio.  She's a sweetie and Tonio clearly loves his time with her!

 

Mary (Tonio and Aut's Kindergarten teacher) and Ami (Cody's Kindergarten teacher who was born on April 23rd, just like Cody and is Mary's sister...is that a run on sentence?).  Mary's one year old, Brinley and Ami's triplets...yes, triplets!, Hunter, Colton and Ethan, Autumn and Antonio played a rousing round of golf at Golf 'N Stuff - Tucson's equivalent of Disneyland!

 

Autumn texted me updates, telling me how good the 'Bunchkin' triplets were at golf - there were holes in one and just a little remorse at having to give up the colorful ball on hole 18, ending the game.

 

                                               Hunter and Tonio even got to feed the fish!

 

Mary took the bambini to the zoo!  Brinely looking comfy posing with Autumn and Tonio out front.  This peacock seems to be a Kodak photo opportunity spot.

 

The zebra had a baby!

 

Mary also had the kids swimming, hanging at McD's and keeping them smiling while I sold books.  They even got to help Mary in her kindergarten class, prepping for the upcoming quarter!  I asked them 'how did it feel to be back in kindergarten?', which elicited a elongated 'Daaaaddddd' from both of them.

 

                                   Even Brinley needs a break after all of the excitement!

                                   Then, Nana and Pop came out from Baltimore to visit!  Over the years, they have been here many times - so, instead of putting on our tourist hats, we brought them into the fold of our daily routines...

 

Celebrating Maleah's 1st birthday at Kim and Roshan's.  They got Maleah her own cake!  Instead of diving into it (as we all urged her to do), Maleah gently plucked the Minnie figurine decorating the cake, ate the icing and then picked carefully at other decorations on the cake.  Kim had even placed a mat under her high chair, in anticipation of the one girl food fight that we all were sure would erupt!

 

There were about 400 people there (just kidding, there were about 30!) celebrating following a beautiful baptism ceremony in the morning! All of the kids swam, jumped on the trampoline and ate great food...and wore Nana and Pop out!

 

 

 

Nana and Pop were impressed at how Autumn and Tonio improved their swimming over the year.  Cody?  Already a strong swimmer, thrilled Nana and Pop by swimming the length of the pool and back underwater without surfacing for air.

 

                    We celebrated Pop's birthday a little early (it's on Halloween!), surprising him with Tony Sirigusa's new bio "Goose".  Being from the Baltimore area, they are big Ravens fans and Sirgusa was a great player for them not too long ago.  He's a funny guy and does some commentary for the NFL in his retirement.

                        Here, at Zona 78, one of Kimmy's favorites, we ate with Angie, Mark and David...

 

Followed by a visit to Frost for some gelato (and cappuccino's for Angie and I!)!  They let you taste test their gelato and David and Cody are trying them all!

 

Cody, David, Tonio and Autumn enjoy their gelato

 

                                     Mark, Angie, Nana and Pop also enjoying the gelato!

                                    I joked with Angie, at some point, that I had gotten the two little ones to church 6 times during their 3 weeks off (and Cody and Brendon their once, too!).  Four of those times, were to the San Xavier Mission.  The kids love to play 'who sees it first?' as we approach via I-19 and the 'White Dove' materializes out of the desert on the reservation.  One of the days, we got to go to Mass in the little Juan Diego Chapel, which was nice.  They enjoyed seeing Toni and Ivan, who keep the Mission clean and dust Kimmy's photo regularly and hear some of their stories.  And, of course, they lit candles for their Mama and also lit candles for some close friends.

                            On Wednesday, October 3rd, we went to the Mission twice.  In the morning, we happened to go to Mass.  Toni and Ivan were cleaning in Mary's chapel, where Kim's photo brightens the altar.  They asked if we'd be coming back that evening for the procession and celebration for St. Francis de Assisi.  Ivan warned us that it was going to be crazy with packed crowds and fireworks.  Sounded good, so we got there 'early' around 6:30 p.m.

 

After Mass and a special blessing of St. Francis, they carried his statue out into the plaza, where there were traditional native dancing going on, fireworks lighting the night sky and music.

 

My phone does not do well in the dark, but they set large aerial fireworks off just yards from where the 3,000+ crowd celebrated.

 

 

In the middle of the throngs, they lit off strings of Black Cat fireworks by the thousands!  Tonio and Aut had never seen such a thing.  They did not know what to do!

 

 

There were ceremonial dancers.  Damn my phone takes lousy night shots!  As I tried to take a clearer shot, the dancer stopped, and shook his head waving his hands, asking me to stop taking shots...

 

One more!  This group of minstrels strolled the grounds playing traditional music from Mexico.  They were fantastic! The kids had never seen anything like this and the event had them riveted from the moment it started!

 

That is the first week and a half of their break!  We took Nana and Pop to the airport and headed to the Mission.  It was a good visit and the kids wished it could have lasted longer.

 

That was how the first week and a half went...

Fast and furious!  Grateful for all who helped make the bambini's time memorable!!  We are blessed.

More later....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kimmy's Cache

         Two year anniversaries abound...the night air has grown cooler - we love to leave the doors open and bring in the fresh air.  Halloween approaches.
          Cody got up into the attic the other day to bring down the boxes of Halloween decorations and costumes (Breanna and Autumn delightedly grabbed double handfuls wigs, dresses, etc and an impromptu fashion show broke out erupted!).  I noticed, in the fray of costumes that the girls left in the boxes, that some of them were costumes that Kim had hand made for the bambini.  The scarecrow.  The lion.  The fearsome dinosaur.  And, the Jack in the box.  I decided that I would clean out my Nana's cedar chest that we have in our entryway and store all of her incredibly and lovingly made costumes to better preserve them.
           I couldn't exactly remember what I already had stored in there...and when I lifted the lid, I found a bunch of old Cal Ripken Baltimore Orioles memorabilia.  A box of Wheaties with Cal on it.  A statue of Cal belting a home run.  A Cal bobble head.  A Dan Marino action figure.  Kim was a Miami Dolphins fan! A boxed set of Upper Deck Micheal Jordan cards.  A Mike Piazza tin of trading cards - yes, Kim was a LA Dodger fan, as well.  A Billy Kilmer Washington Redskin jersey from when I was 9 or 10.  Rolled Disney movie posters for Beauty and the Beast and Pinocchio that I had gotten for Kim when they were re-released in the theaters back in the '80's.
          And. Another cache of Kim's.  Memories.  As soon as I saw the heart shaped box, I knew I should buckle up...

            Kimberly had taped the box shut.  To keep her treasures safe.  For the day that I would stumble across them?  I like to think so.  I continue to wonder if I will find some last letter from her - and she continues to surprise me - our house just isn't that big.  Over the last two years, you would think I would have uncovered every last thing.  But, I have to tell you, I am so glad I have not.  It makes the darkest part of the night just a little bit less black.

          I hesitated, box in hand - did I want to open it - yet?  Autumn sauntered by.  "Oh, I love that box.  Did you get it for Mama?".  She broke me out of my daze.  Of course I wanted to open it - I look so forward to finding Kim's hidden caches, as if she chooses times to drop by and give a hug.

 

For such a small box, Kim managed to fill it with vintage '80's 'greatest times' that we shared.  Beginning with my Shippensburg University phone # (somebody dial this # and see if I'm still there...).

 

There were chopsticks and a business card from Oriental Palace.  The first Chinese restaurant I ever ate at.  Perhaps the first green veggies I ate in a decade, too!  This place was right next to the movies and we would eat here and then go see a show (Kim with a bottle of Cold Duck stashed in her suitcase sized purse for the movie!)

 

 

A letter, from me to Kim from Shippensburg.  Return address: Banana Man

                                                                                                   Dole, Africa

I can't remember what book or magazine I read - it may have been Mad Magazine.  They had letters with fake return address - always something witty that would make me laughed out loud.  So, each letter I would send to Kim would have a made up return address, hoping to get a giggle out of her.

 

A sorry card.  Apologizing for being a train wreck.  An yet she never gave up.  We loved the Little Rascals, trying impersonate them to make the other laugh.  "Get outta der Petey!  That's not for you!!" or "and there was a monkey with an alligator suitcase on his back!".  I'd always get a laugh out of Kim with one of these classic Our Gang quotes!

 

One of the movies we saw together at the aforementioned movies, was Gremlins.  Kim thought the Gremlins, pre-water, were so cute.  I ended up finding a plush Gremlin somewhere and buying one for her.

           A ticket stub from a Buddy Hackett show that we saw at Caesar's at Atlantic City, NJ.  Kim was the queen of travel deals.  Even before she mastered Kayak.com or Priceline.com, she could find incredible deals.  We paid $10 for a bus ticket to Atlantic City.  In return, they gave us $10 in quarters and a FREE Buddy Hackett ticket.  It was a surprisingly good show.  Kim liked Buddy Hackett because of his role in the original Herbie and the Lovebug movies.

 

A piece of stationary that Kim had designed and had made for me when I got a job with Toys R Us all the way back in January of 1988.

 

A key chain, from our favorite hotel on Long Beach Island, N.J.

 

Admission ticket stubs to the Arizona Desert Museum and to Old Tucson from May of '89.

 

                  Always fascinated by Inspector Gadget, I brought Kim this action figure home one time.

And a 1985 Date Book.

 

She appreciated everything, no matter how big or how small.  A rose.  She felt strongly enough about that single red rose to make an entry in her calendar book.  The best part about Kim?  Not only did she appreciate everything, she expected nothing!

 

She was pretty sweet...

 

 

There were a couple photos of Kimmy - here with her sister, Terri.

 

And on the couch with her two dogs, Whiskey (right) and Niki (left). 

 

                           Finally, actually way to soon, came the bottom of the box.  Strewn with memories of carnivals, night clubs, concerts, movies and favorite beers (mine, since Kim was not yet a beer drinker in the '80s, preferring Gin and tonics!).
                           The treasures within this box brought back so many wonderful memories, times, smiles...

                           There were some other photos, deep in the darkest corners of my Nana's cedar chest, a nostalgic breath of cedar captures your nose as the lid of the chest yawns open...

 

Holding each other at San Xavier Mission...

 

Scaling sand dunes at White Sands, NM.  Kim had a beautiful dress on that day...I LOVED this dress on her!!.  The dunes were steep, and you can see the track Kim had left sliding down the mountainous dunes...in a dress!!!

The dunes were beautiful.  So impressive.  We had Cajun with us and we literally ran in the sand until we were exhausted.  Sliding down hills, trying to run, awkwardly, back up them. 

 

Always looking back.  I loved this look - it always was if she'd look back, reach into my chest and just squeeze my heart!

 

 

One of our early, 'Climb 'A' Mountain' American Cancer Society walks!  Cajun proudly sits upon a boulder.  Cody is sleeping soundly in the jogging stroller!

 

Kim and Cody at Sabino Canyon.  Kim and I frequented the canyon - hiking the Butterfly trail and swimming in the many water holes along the creek. 

 

Cody helps Kim decorate our Christmas tree.

 

                            My Dad and Kim dancing at my sister, Laur's wedding back in '97.

 

Tonio and Kim at the Desert Museum...she blessed us with 3 wonderful bambini!

 

It was a great day to be thankful for the memories we made!!

 

The memories take their toll - someone recently asked if I'm sleeping at night.  Sometimes...others, I struggle...and although it's late again tonight, the memories I rediscovered today will take me deep...

 

Sweet dreams Kimmy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                
          

Window People

                Before I chose 'Window People' for a title, I had to scroll back through the 380 posts - because I swear I've used that one before.  In fact, almost every time I have a story to tell, I think 'I must have told this one by now'.  But I guess I haven't.
                 Where do they keep coming from?  There were so many things we got to do together - the memories keep surfacing.  Imagine working on a jig saw puzzle for nearly 30 years...and the table, violently being flipped over - the horror in seeing your puzzle explode into millions of multi-shaped pieces..
                ...you dive to the floor, hastily attempting to put it all back together...hastily?  DESPERATELY But, the pieces are somehow...different...
                ...And every so often, you flip a piece that looks familiar  - that has a story to tell...here's one now...

                    Years ago, before we lived together, Kim and I would go out together - to carnivals, to see bands, to malls.  But, we did not want our night to end and after everything had closed, we would just drive.  Sometimes, we'd just sit in the car and talk.
                   One night, Kim noticed, that the windows in our car (the 'Silver Bullet', my Dad's 1977 Chevy Malibu) had fogged up.  She drew a smiley face in the fog.  Then another.  And another.  When she was done, she turned to me and said 'Window people'.  And the Window People became ours.  Looking back, how I enjoyed those times...
                   Over the years, the Window People found a home in our bathroom.  Kim would shower, draw a couple of Window People on the mirror...they'd fade by the time I got in there, but, to my pleasure, they'd reappear while I was showering, greeting me as I stepped out.  Kim could always find a way to make me smile.

                  The Window People evolved again when we had the bambini.  When Cody made it to first grade, and it was time to pack lunches, Kim simply shifted the Window People to napkins, packed lovingly with a nice homemade lunch.  A way to make Cody - and then Autumn, and finally Antonio, smile when they unpacked their lunch.
                 Her drawings inspired the bambini.  In fact, Autumn saved nearly every one!  After school, they would tell Kimmy about their day and always thank her for her napkin artwork.  The smileys helped them through their day - giving them their own smiles.
     
                 I don't know where the time has gone - I only know that it has passed.

                The Window People on the kid's napkins is one Kimmy tradition that I have kept going - and the bambini love it.  Autumn has even gotten into the act.  She takes great pains to 'secretly' draw me a Window People napkin and stash it in my lunch.  I have to tell you, by lunch, I forget that she has 'secretly' done this and it always gives me a rush of nostalgia and a huge grin.  She's so Kimmy.

                Here are some of mine.  And Aut's.

 

Two 'classic' Window People renditions

 

Autumn's butterfly for me

 

                                         Even Tonio gets into the act, drawing me a pic of Bella!

 

These two were to me from Autumn

                                       I made the shark scene for Tonio, who loves all things sharks

 

Both kids have gotten the Chesire Cat grin - they love the new version of Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp and both quote the movie.  I love when Tonio says "You don't slay?", a line he's borrowed from Depp's Mad Hatter character!

 

 

This is my favorite from Autumn. Her drawings and hand writing remind me more and more of Kim's

 

                      There.  That is a lot of our collection.  How we connect at lunch time, even though we are all apart.  The kids love the surprise.  When they help pack their lunch, they will always leave when I am doing their drawings, so they don't see. 

                       They love their napkin people!