Our Longing

I've looked at life from both sides now

From win and lose and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow

It's life's illusions I recall

I really don't know life at all

Virginia's NEW Best Kept Secret

The older I get, the more unbelievable it is to me at how much speed time has seemed to pick up over the course of my life.  For myself, and I would suspect my sisters Jen and Eileen, a reliable guidepost in my life's time-table has been my youngest sister, Katie.  

She can now cross out completing her college education from her list as she now embarks on a quest for her Masters at William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.  Although, I am truly elated for her new beginning and secretly envious of the new discoveries and exploration that await her, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't sad to see her leave.  

Somehow, Katie has taken on the very large job of being a true constant for our family. Her love is unwavering and her spirit and unique sense of humor, untouchable.  Simply put, she is for me, the truest example of the kind of person I think God wants us to be.  

Below are some photos I tried to get of my offspring posing with their "untouchable" Aunt, two days before she left to head South.  Ah, how much Maeve and Michael have to learn.  Thank God they have one of the best mentors this life has to offer in Katie.     

 

Toddy Time

On August 12th, we headed up to join my parents at their summer rental in Penobscot, Maine.  A lovely little place on Toddy Pond - thus, the title of this blog.  We stayed three nights there with the entire family and it was superb to say the least.  Although the drive was longer than we imagined it to be, it was worth every mile traveled and I'm not going to lie when I write that the portable DVD player we borrowed from a close friend made all the difference.  Another saving grace on our journey north was the pit stop we made in Bowdoinham, ME at the home of Chris' cousin, Devan and her husband, Herb.  When we arrived, we were greeted by what appeared to be a Thanksgiving spread on their picnic table.  I imagined just chomping on some PB&J sandwiches, but instead we dined on deli sandwiches and fresh pasta and vegetable salads, washed down with some Casal Garcia.  Thank you Bailey Family!  here are some shots of our time at Toddy, beginning with our Maeve transfixed by the TV screen before her estate...

 

Scarborough: Part Deux

The McNamaras headed north this weekend for the 2nd Annual convergence on the unpretentious town of Scarborough, Maine home to our beloved Jodi and Kevin and their two children, Riley and Benjamin.  For the second year in a row, the Sheas opened their home to the masses as 5 out of the eight Chatham ladies and their families arrived for some serious bonding and some even more serious lawn games.  There was much laughter and enjoyment on Friday night as the adults feasted on some local, take-out sea fare from Ken's Place while the kids barely stopped for some chicken nuggets and fries before they were off to the play room to put together a "performance" for the older crowd, spearheaded by Meg Reed.  On Saturday, everyone went back for more spending a good five hours at beautiful Pine Point Beach, followed by a yummy dinner and yummy beers at the Sheas.  The kids enjoyed a masterful scavenger hunt and the older folks enjoyed some lively competition in the form of washer toss. Below are some photos from our visit.  In all honesty and with much sincerity, I'm already looking forward to next year.  Those Sheas make it pretty hard to leave...

 

  

Dad, introduces Michael to the Atlantic:

My most favorite picture from the weekend:

An unexpected bond: Maeve and Meg Reed (when Maeve was asked on the morning we left Maine, what her favorite memory of being at the beach was, she replied, "Meg.")

Partners in crime, Joey and Connor:

Kevin, Jodi, Becky and Robin take a time-out:

Becky and Dave after a game of toss...

What else can you say besides, Dave Glynn is wicked cool...

Caroline, Riley and Maddie pause for a portrait:

Connor and Joey in the trenches:

Maeve taking a mud bath:

Jodi with her son Ben, who is in full-on Mommy worship mode:

Dave , sharing the finer points of sand castle construction (it's the engineer in him):

Beach babes...

Michael gets acquainted with Kevin Deiboldt, otherwise known as, the Baby Whisperer:

The kids show off their scavenger hunt booty:

Our Little Maverick

We should have known young Michael had planned to unveil his new crawling ability on Independence day of all days.  We're glad to know he too, like his sister, has somewhat of a flare for the dramatic... 

An Old, Gentle Soul

Several weeks ago we spent some time with Jake while Chris' Dad was away for a couple of weeks.  Although Jake is getting up there in years and doesn't get around they way he used to, he has remained (for the most part) a quiet, unassuming member of the family.  He spent most of his time with us during his visit, laying in the back yard in the warmth of the sun and on one particular day, as I took a gander out the bathroom window, this is what I spied shortly after Maeve asked to go outside and play...      

B-204

This entry is mucho belated but very necessary as our Mom, our Na begins a new journey for herself: that of the life of a retiree.  I'm fairly certain that Carver Middle School is aware of what they have lost and what a gift Mom was to their team for so many years, but they'll never appreciate or value the love, time and energy they demanded of Mom, day in and day out. Those are Mom's gifts that she chose to freely give and leave behind.  We are looking forward to getting more of that time, love and energy from our Mom now that she's back where she belongs, helping to make our lives more love-filled and complete as only a mother can. Although she no longer will find herself in the classroom setting, she is still a teacher to us all and there is much more to be learned.  Thank you for all that you have done for us Mom and congratulations on a job well done. 

Some photos from Mom's final day of cleaning and leaving CMS for the last time...