Sarah Brightman

Jens shared a Sarah Brightman CD with me.... it's called "Fly" (ok, maybe he didn't actually share his with me, but burnt me one, don't tell anyone, I think it's a form of piracy or something!) It's a mix of techno, funk, and 80's all wrapped up in one! Jens bought his copy in Germany and says that you can't find it here. Guess what, Jens is right! I searched and searched for it on iTunes, etc., can't find the CD anywhere. There's a song on there, "Something in the Air." Wow, what a great, great song. I'm insane over this song. I think I listened to it about 5000 times. She sings it with: Tom Jones! Yes, Tom Jones, from the 70's!! Omg, this song is so good, and I'd give anything to see a video of the two of them, performing this song. Also, "Heaven is Here." What a beautiful song. I really, really like this CD, and guess what, I'll share it with you too if you want a bootleg copy of it.... We need to share the love of Sarah, right?

I made two copies tonight, for Vic and Carol S., I hope you guys enjoy it.

Vic and I saw Sarah's concert in Hershey a few years ago, and it was simply UNBELIEVABLE. If you ever get a chance to see her, GO. She's very, very talented, and the show is very physical. She did all sorts of stunts and acrobatic-type of things. Very entertaining.

Anyway, Sarah..... so beautiful, so talented, and has such a beautiful voice....

Here's another one I love from Fly:

Oh you, you take my breath away....
Oh you, you take my breath away.

Yet Another:

Good times, bad times, there's nothing I'll forget
'cause the sun shines on our lifelines
There's nothing I'll regret

Hold me, and feel me, and wrap your arms around,
'cause when you love me, I'm quite clear, that heaven is here.

Hear my confession, we're meant to be as one
lead me to the mystery, of happiness to come
Touch me, I'll give you, my blessings and desire
'cause when you feel eternal fire...
then heaven is here...

OMG............... What a good song. I'm just jammin' on my iTunes tonight...

Let me know if you too want the love of Sarah, and I'll share it with you....

A Hit, A Steal, A Pick-off - And Dejection

All those emotions in one at bat? You bet! And people say baseball is boring.... I disagree.

We had a Legion tournament all weekend long, and today, a double-header. We won the last game today, even with this play I've documented. Pat redeemed himself after that at-bat with his next hit, hitting the fence which was at 347 feet. And yet another one, to center field. All our boys had a nice second game, and were all hitters.

We go back tomorrow morning at 10 am; how lucky does a girl get? On the way to the game today, I looked at Joe and said, "Can you imagine my Memorial Day weekend in a couple more years, I'll be bored and wondering what to do." He looked at me and said, "I'll take you to your sister Vicky's house for a picnic, we'll have a horrible time, I'll bring you home and then you'll be happy to be with me." Hmmmmm, not sure I understood that one. Can someone please explain to me how the male mind works? Here's the answer I wanted hear: "Honey, in a couple more years after I slave for you and work 24 hour days and be out of the house so that I won't bother you, I can buy you that beach house you talk about, we'll head out after work on Friday night, sit at the beach all weekend long, and be bored on the beach, reading our books." That's the only answer that would have made me smile at that time...

Men - I don't understand them at all...........

A few more...

My Niece, Elizabeth Anna Shuman

Meet my niece, Elizabeth. As we sat at a baseball game last night, I shot about 20 pictures of her, mostly her not knowing, but some, her saying, "cheese." She's a doll of a little girl, and Joe is deeply in love with her.

I figured out what I wanna do when I retire: I want to be a photographer. I love taking photos of those oh so subtle shots, and I think I see things in the camera that no one else does (maybe it's all in my mind, but I enjoy it nonetheless).

So, next time you see me, smile and say "cheese" and you too may be in my blog someday.

Look at her eyes; they are so beautiful.

The Pierce's

I thought Sunday was a day of rest? What happened to that? I cleaned my entire house, starting yesterday - upstairs, and I finished today. Wheeewwww, it was exhausting! I could never have a labor-intensive job; too lazy I guess...

My nephews were here all weekend to visit which was very nice. All the guys played poker, pool, watched movies; Joe, Alex and Shawn jammed of course.... Just a guys hangin'- out kinda weekend. Everyone who knows us knows what we think about these boys; they are terrific! They're all college-bound now. Shawn just finished his first year of his master program at Drexel; Eric, our Wilson HS Valedictorian (I had to add that; that doesn't happen everyday), just finished his third year at Univ. of Penn.; the twins, Danny and Alex, just finished their first years at Albright and Berkley, respectively. (BTW, they don't believe in paying for their educations, not when there's so many scholarships out there to be had!) Smart kids, huh? It's more than that...way more. They're kind, considerate, thoughtful, sweet, loving young men - more like gentlemen. They had a not-so-easy start of it, but boy did they thrive. Choices my friends..... I learned a lot from these young men: Yes, it's all about choices. Sure, we could sit back, and look at our lives, look at our childhoods; I doubt any of us came from that Ozzie and Harriet household.... Yep, we could criticize our parents, and we could wonder why they did certain things... We could wallow in self-pity all our lives about what could have been, or, we could make choices. That's what these young men did... They made really, really good choices; the importance of a good educational foundation, strong family connections and ties...I could go on and on about these kids, and I'm sure I will in other blogs. Just got filled up with the Pierce's this weekend, and had to share.

The photo I chose is an older one, it's the night of Eric's graduation. Unfortunately, I forget to take one this weekend (which is NOT like me at all). I think they all consider themselves brothers; they include Pat in this brotherhood. Since they were all babies, we all made a conscious effort to keep these boys close. I forever want Pat to have these boys in his life, him being an only child. I want Pat to be able to pick up the phone when he needs them, and be able to talk to a brother or two. I know they already have this relationship, and it warms me inside. All the credit goes to my sister in law, Ann, for her loving, kind ways; a wonderful, terrific Mom who has long been my role model for Motherhood, for the past 16 years. Thanks Ann, I love you.
Ok, bragging rights aside, I had a pretty great, terrific weekend myself. We took the boys to dinner on Friday night, Saturday they hung out, and I went out with my friends in the evening. We had a nice dinner at Fresco and sat in the back with the three piece jazz band playing. It was very nice. Then we went to Gilligan's for a nightcap. We caught up on the latest with everyone, and that was it. Joe's making kabobs on the grill now (mmmmm, I can smell them from the open window up here), and I'm going for a quick soak in the hot tub. I just wanted to do a quick blog today, since I hadn't blogged for a couple days.

Have a great week, and enjoy the great weather. Isn't this the best??? Not cold anymore and not so stinkin' hot! It's just great. We have a busy week with three Legion games; we'll be crazed, and Pat's soooo busy with tests and finals.... Oh my..... Finals..... Don't all you parents just HATE that word?

Enjoy life.

This and That....

I took about ten shots of Dawnydoos when she was laying like that; I took some with the flash, some without, close up, wide.... I liked this one the best! She's such a sweet thing!

Just thought I'd do a quick blog tonight.... Joe worked late, and Pat had baseball practice, so I walked the dogs, made some soup (I'm still on my soup kick by the way! Tonight was Lipton Noodle... mmm mmm good!), and then I watched Brokeback Mountain. Joe had a fit when he walked in the house and saw me watching that... Well, I heard all the hoopla about it, and also heard that the scenery is beautiful, so I ordered it from Netflix. Yes, yes, the scenery... very, very beautiful, but the story.... hmmmmm, quite disturbing... and that ending????? OMG! I had no idea it was going to end like that???? Oh well, Ang Le directing, right???? 1/2 the stuff I couldnt understand, I thought Inis mubbled a lot, and Jack... well, he was cute and all but way too needy and pouty.... Plus, why did they have to beat eachother up all the time? I didn't get that part.... Anyway, I give it two kernels I guess.... It wasn't all that. I also have Shopgirl. We all read that book one year at the beach (written by Steve Martin), and it was a fun beach read, so I wanted to see the movie when it came out, but never got there... I'll watch that one this week sometime, I guess....

Other than that, nothing too much going on new here..... kinda boring. Pat's done with HS baseball, and is gearing up for Legion. His batting average for HS was 407, which he was happy about. He only had 20 at bats. Our poor Raiders though, gosh... gotta love 'em huh? What else can you do with them but love 'em? I hope our Legion team does better. Pat informed me that he's pitching against Stiltin. Why Lord why????? Just have the ambulance close by.... ok? Just kiddin'... he'll be fine....

BTW, Pat's driving is really coming around nicely.... He's doing very well. Joe had him out this weekend practicing parking and he said he did great. I just couldn't stomach that feat.... He drives me all around now, to the high school for practices, to pick up Amber, to the store.... He's really doing well; I have to give it to him. Still a little too fast for me, but better..... I guess.....

I'm reading a good Sparks book, True Believer. I really like it and it's getting a bit juicy right now, so I'll sign off, and read a little before bed. I'm tired; I had meetings all week long and this is my first night home... Oh, BTW, I'm co-chair of our little Raider Pride group.... I wonder what exactly that means????? Oh, yea, no one else wanted it.... I never even said a word... Someone said, "Terry's sitting over there, and has been very quiet (I hadn't said a word the entire meeting), I think she should co-chair this group." So folks, if that's the criteria for being elected, make sure you make a ruckus at your next meeting!

I'll blog soon about Joe and his faux Mueller's chicken recipe... It was very very good, he made it for Mother's Day. I told him I was publishing it on my blog, and he had a problem with that, so I'll need to work on that a while. Don't you think he should spread the joy? I smelled of garlic for two whole days, but it's all good.........

Is it Friday yet?

Happy Mother's Day - to my Mom

For those of us who have lost their Moms, this is a tough day. It took me a long time to try and think of this day for me, as this day was always meant for my Mom. I still can't fathom that thought; it will always be about my Mom.

I chose this photo of Mom 'cause this time in her life was so special. She was beside herself, anticipating the birth of her grandchildren. She had retired shortly before this time so that she could enjoy her time with the babies. Patrick was her first, and then Jordan came five days later. I'll never forget I was at her house, visiting (I was still pregnant) and she was reading a book about infant care - about bathing, feeding, diapering.... I couldn't believe it... I said, "Mother, why in the world would you be looking at a book like that, you had six babies." She said, "Oh that's true, but, it was a long long time ago since I've had to care for a baby, and I thought I should just look this over, thing's have changed." I cracked up at her. My Mom, reading a book about infant care. She could have written that book, and then some...

My Mom was special. I never knew anyone in the world, who was as unselfish as she was. She defined the word, "unselfish." She had six babies in ten years - 1954-64. Can you imagine that now a days? No, unheard of. Six babies in ten years! We had one stroller that she used for all of us, this little old red rickety thing, it was red plaid, and my God, did that thing get beat! I can think of many many walks to Cottage Hill, to watch my brothers play little league baseball; we didn't miss a game. We walked many a times up the Hill to watch those games, walking behind that stroller. It was our lives every Spring and Summer. And to St. Mary's, to watch basketball games, and "up street" - that meant, to downtown Steelton, to the drug store, or to Morrison's for shoes, or to the dress store, (I can't think of that name), or we would catch the bus and go to the really, really big City, we'd go Downtown, to Harrisburg. There, my Mom would cash my Dad's check that would come in the mail, and she'd treat herself to a hairdo at the beauty school downtown, where the girls would practice on customers (it was cheap!) .... And then we'd go to Pomeroy's....now that was a big treat! She'd let us pick a candy from the candy counter, or we'd just window shop. At Christmas time, Pomeroy's had the prettiest decorated windows! We'd love looking at those.

I can think of thousands and thousands of stories to tell, but they are mine, and still to this day, difficult to talk about. One I will share that is very painful and difficult, is the day we learned she was terminal. I went to see her, we had already heard the news. The entire drive there, I swore I would be strong for her, and help her through it, but I wasn't... I walked in the house, and I embraced her, and cried and cried. She held me, and comforted me, telling me over and over again that I'll be alright without her, that I'll be fine, that I'll be strong.... She was comforting me....she was comforting me??? That moment defined my Mom, unselfish - an unselfish angel, who only thought of others, who lived her entire life for her family, who devoted her life to her family - to her six children, and then grandchildren, who was comforting me when she was the one needing comforted. I'll never forget that moment.

I'm sorry for the sad blog, but it feels good to share a story about how wonderful my Mom was and to celebrate her life. On a more cheery note, here's a short summary of my Mother's Day.... I slept in (I really needed it; it felt soooooo good) .... When I woke up, Mack was on the side of me, totally snuggled up on my side, it was unreal.... Then Pat got in bed with me, and snuggled with me.... Joe had gone to Panara's for my favorite bagels, and had made coffee, and they gave me a lovely card... Pat and I are going bowling, and Joe's making his faux Mueller's chicken for dinner.... It's all very, very good....

A very, very Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful Mothers! There's nothing like your Mom, nothing..........

PAT'S HOMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pat hit a homerun tonight, at Elizabethtown College Baseball Field in the pouring rain! We were sooooo thrilled for him! Joe and I got there a little late 'cause we weren't sure where the field was... Anyway, as we were walking to the field, our Raiders were in the field and I looked for Pat, and I saw that he wasn't on the field (doing a little bench warming I thought....). So, we took our time, and walked up to the stadium. What a nice little stadium they have there! We were impressed with their field. It was the bottom of the Second Inning when we got there, and they were up, 2-0. Then, the Raiders came up to bat. Pat was fifth in the line-up; he was DH. We had two boys on base. Pat comes up to the plate, fouls a high pitch off, then looks at the next pitch which was a strike, then a ball, THEN THE ONE THAT HE LIKES, And BAM! Did it ever go!!!!! He hit it to right field, 340 feet, clear over the fence, and out of the park! I had no idea it was going that far!!!! I lost it up in the air, against the gray sky... But everyone in the stands started to scream, and Joe kinda whispers, "I think that's going over the fence", ... Then....... there it went!!!!! We were all screaming; it was soooo nice for Pat and our team!

As Pat was coming up to bat... the sky opened up a bit... a little drissle here and there.... his second and third pitch... ok, it's coming down pretty hard... By the time he hit the homer, it was a downpour! It was really coming down hard! The umps called the guys to the dugouts, and we waited for a while... Finally, about 15 mins. later, they called the game.... Our poor Raiders, finally winning a game to a nice team, up 3-2, and the game's called!!!!!! Tough luck there....

Didn't matter for Pat. When I picked him up, he was higher than a kite, very very pleased. It was our last game, and he was happy to end the season on that note. After the game was called, Joe had run down to the other side of the field, and he found the ball in a little patch of grass over the hill....and I handed Pat the homerun ball! He was happy with that.

Anyway, a nice game for Pat and our Raiders. Sorry there's no pictures. I took my camera but it was entirely too wet to snap any pictures. My luck huh??? My kid hits a homerun, and I didn't document it??? I'm a horrible horrible Mother!

We came home and had subs and Anniversary cake. A wonderful end to a fabulous day....

Folks, does it get any better than that???? Homerun....Subs....Anniversary Cake.... I don't think so.

Corinthians....

I've always loved this reading, and recently came across it in a book I read. I thought that it wouldn't hurt, to remind everyone, of this lovely passage... Enjoy it...

Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.

Happy Anniversary Joe. 5/11/84

THE RAIDERS WON - OMG!

People, you have NO idea how big that news is... Yea, I hear you now, saying to yourself... Yadi yadi yadi, more sports news from Terry.... Big Deal.... NO.... You don't understand! We don't win; we never win, ok? So this is really really big news! Ok, we won last Friday night too, but that was to the Cougars, and that doesn't count - everyone knows they can't play baseball. So, to win, yet again, tonight.... well, is really really big news... But, bigger news than that is: Pat pitched, almost a no hitter (one hit), struck out nine, and went 2-3! He didn't hit anyone in the head or the back, or side - People, did you hear me? Heeeeeellllooooooo, I said: NO ONE GOT TAKEN OUT OR HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL; he didn't hit anyone!!! (that in and of itself is really really big news) ... He had a really nice game, as well as all our Raiders. We only played 5 innings as we hit the 10 run rule. Zack Smith hit a homerun and brought home two batters! Just a very nice game, at a beautiful field - Milton Hershey... Geez, now those people know how to live it up! Last year, when we were at the same field, there was NOTHING. This year, there's a huge outdoor pool facility, with the latest of everything; very very nice outdoor park area. The building that you see in the background in the photos is the indoor pool.... Nice huh? I think I'm going to transfer Pat to Milton Hershey.... What do ya think about that one?

I watched The Soprano's tonight (I didn't get a chance to watch it the other night) ... What an episode! OMG! Sooooooo good. Also helped Pat with the family tree for a project he's working on. If you only knew how many times we've done family trees throughout the years (why didn't I save them???) ... why Lord why? Why do teachers like family trees???? Funny, the first nine hundred times I worked on this, I was anal about it, got all the dates, got all the accurate maiden names, made phone calls to long lost relatives for information ... This time, no problem - I made up our entire family! It was great! I never knew I had such a lively, colorful family!!! Hey, new school, they'll never know! You should try it someday; it was so much fun! ... Make up your entire extended family tree! It's great!

Gotta go, I still have laundry - Pat's uniform. We have three games this week, Tues., Wed., and Thurs., so I'll be doing laundry each and every night this week! Aren't I lucky!

ps. Did you ever have a Dream Pie ice cream dessert at Dairy Queen? Pat and I went tonight... Get a Banana Cream Pie..... YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM.....

GO TO DAIRY QUEEN!

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I just can't get used to this idea, I'm sorry.... I know it's just part of growing up, I know, I know.... But, it just doesn't seem right somehow.... Here's an example: Before I went to Florida, Pat and I were going over some things; I told him he had to be responsible in the morning, do things on his own ('cause his maid wouldn't be there to tend to his every beck and call) ... Anyway, I told him there's lots of breakfast items for him to make in the toaster. He asked me what the toaster was... SEE WHAT I MEAN???? And we share the road with kids like him every single day. The other day, I was at a red light, and there was a young girl next to me, in her car, and she was texting someone on her cell phone. Granted, she was stopped at the time, BUT OMG!!!! SHE WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A MOTOR VEHICLE, TYPING!!!!

Anyone of you with teenage kids, or if you've ever been around teenagers, or even when you see them.... Are they ever without their cell phones, or IPods??? Never. The simple answer to that question is: NEVER. My friend told me that she made her son sign a contract before he was able to use her car. The contract stated he wasn't permitted to go beyond the speed limit, he was NEVER permitted to use his cell phone while driving, and NO EARPHONES! If he was seen (by all her spies and such) violating any part of the agreement, he was cut off completely, and never given the car privileges again. I think I'm going to draw me up a contract. I'm sure it will contain all the things Ann had in her's and then some. Pat's has to include FOOD! He's not permitted to eat while driving...

So far, his problem seems to be corners, and a heavy foot. OMG, today, we turned onto our street and he ended up on the wrong side of the road. Then, he gasses really hard for no reason at all. We'll just be driving along a straight road, and there it goes... The foot goes down really hard. Is it hormones???? Do hormones drive these boys from point A to point B? My niece, Jordan, got her permit this weekend too. She and Pat are 5 days apart.... When I talked to Colleen today, she said Jordan's problem is with stopping. She stops way too late, and then... WHAMMMM..... Whiplash! Regardless, I know for a fact that Jordan can properly identify every small appliance in her kitchen....

Friends, this six month process will surely age me - my hair will turn completely gray and I may have new wrinkles where I never had them before. So, bare with me, be my friend, hold my hand, tell me it's going to be ok.... please.............

And, if you really are my friend.....

Come and take Pat out driving some day......with your car....

White Azalias!

Who doesn't love this time of the year??? The colors, the flowers in bloom, the trees.... they all look so pretty. I think we're pretty lucky this year with the weather. I can remember last Spring, it rained and rained and was kinda chilly.... We've been blessed this year with a wonderful Springtime season!

When we moved here, we planted these Azalia bushes. They are soooo beautiful every spring. I wonder why we chose white ones as our house is white... Looking back, I wish we would have chosen red ones or pink; that would look better against our house. But, I'm not complaining. Every year, I like to take pictures out there on the side of the house because they only look this good for a short short time.

There's a home in Stiltin, way up by where the Rozman's live, I'm not sure if that's Third Street or what street it's on, but there's a ranch home there that used to have the most beautiful red azalias. I remember taking my Mom up there every Spring and we would just admire that yard - how beautiful it looked!

And the Lilacs......... Oh my... I search for them everywhere. Again, a short season for them. But all you Kolo Club Alums know that they are in their prime, this week - the week of the concert (the first Saturday in May). They would go and pick them from someone's yard (I think Rosemary's, or Mary Maljin??? I can't remember now) ... and we would put them in huge vases, and they would sit in front of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue, on the stage, usually at Steelton Elementary, or the HS now.... and we would sing, "Zdravo Djevo." It's all I ever think of when I see Lilacs.... (I just called Vic 'cause I couldn't think of the song, and she said, "Oh this is too funny, I just cleaned out some books, and I came across a Kolo Club song book today." Her and I sang it together. She said they must be sending us a sign. Who???? Mary Kamenar, Fr. Bill for sure, maybe Tatsy..... Good ole' Tatsy.... She was the sweetest.... Anyway, those Kolo Club memories....very sweet time in our lives.

Kelly Kovach is going to the prom tomorrow! Can you believe that? Our little Kelly. I can't wait to see photos. I can't go up to see her 'cause we have a game, but I'll be sure to see the pictures. I know she'll be lovely; I can't wait to see what she looks like. Am I getting all of you to think about your proms???? Comon', you know you are... Mine, hmmmmmm, I went with Dollar Bill, and I'll leave it at that... Oh, I forgot, I went to another one with a guy named Worm..... that's all you really need to know about my prom days.... that's another blog for sure...

Enjoy Spring! Pick a Lilac!

Joaquin Phoenix...again.....

I think I blogged about him before, didn't I??? Anyway, while on my walk tonight, I just flipped through my Ipod, and listened to the sound track of "Walk the Line." I bought the movie as soon as it came out. Mrs. Kovach mentioned to me that she had never seen the movie, and I invited her over, so that we can watch it together some night, on the big TV in the basement.

Well, I couldn't get good ole' Joaquin out of my mind, and I think, I shall plan a Walk the Line movie night - I'd like to do it this Friday night....for my home girls. Those of you who want to come over, pls. do so. We can have a soak in the hot tub after the movie, and we'll ask Joe to make us frozen drinks. How does that sound???? Let me know.

BTW, how cute is he????

Speaking of movies, have you heard who's going to play JR Ewing in the movie version, Dallas? Yum yum John Travolta. I think that is great casting and I have no doubt he'll be great in that role. My claim to fame is that I saw John Travolta you know... Yep, they were filming Lucky Numbers in Harrisburg, and I went out, by the Forster Street Bridge, saw him climbing in a car, and drove away. They closed off the bridge and filmed that scene so many times. I think that movie bombed though. J Low is playing Sue Ellen Ewing. What about that???? Not sure about that one. I wonder who Bobby will be? Oh my, I loved Dallas and I can't wait until that comes out.

You know I watch Regis everyday; Kelly's getting her hair cut on the air tomorrow. That takes some nerve, don't you think? BTW, I'm getting my hair cut next week too, but not on the air.... ha!

I'm going for a quick soak in the tub now....then gotta fold about four loads of wrinkled up laundry....

Dream about Joaquin tonight....I will....................