Happy birthday...to you!
Happy birthday...to you!
Happy birthday dear Siiiiis, happy birthday to you!
Today Maureen turns 19 so it's only fitting to list 19 Nice Things about her today!
19. She's tall. Tall girls rock.
18. She's tough. Tough girls rock.
17. She's handy. Handy girls rock.
16. She's a hard worker. Hard-working girls rock.
15. She's not afraid to get out there and get 'er done! Fearless girls rock.
14. She's blonde and handles it. Smart blonde girls rock (and are hard to find!).
13. She's a groovy aunt. Aunts rock.
12. She's curious. Girls who try new things rock.
11. She has goals.
10. And is doing something about them. Girls who pursue ideals rock.
9. Did I mention she's fearless?
8. She knows her stuff. Seriously. Ask her about football. Or hunting. Or straightening her hair. She knows her stuff.
7. She's nice to animals. Kind girls rock.
6. She's funny. Girls who know how to laugh rock.
5. She's athletic. Girls who know how to run a 5K, play volleyball, and hit homers rock.
4. She has the CUTEST niece and nephew. Alana and Cyril rock.
3.She's going to start fire academy soon. Smokeaters rock.
2. She'll stick up for the little guy. Loyal girls rock.
1. And finally: she has an awesome family! Big families with Lil Sis's rock.
Happiest of happy birthdays Lil Sis--enjoy your last year as a teenager!
Growing up on a farm as we did meant that we had lots of experience with animals. Now that I live in the city we pretty much have experience with one kind: dogs. Though at times the white one makes me doubt his canine origins.
Makes me think back to other dogs in the Fenn past.
For sure the best one ever was our beloved golden retriever, Daisy. The kids would ride her, bite her, love her, yank her, pet her, fall asleep on her and she just loved it all.
We had a crazy, hyper Dalmatian named Katie. But only for a short while.
We took care of another golden retriever named Tuppany for a bit.
Then there was the Seeing Eye Guide Dog I raised, a yellow lab named Felina.
And then there was Lucky. And he was just a badass mutt.
And then Belle the Golden Retriever who birthed the CUTEST puppies on the planet.
Heidi the German Sheppard who as a puppy used to be so small she'd get caught between the bed and the wall.
And now Xena the crazy spotted yipper out at the farm.
At our house we have Copper and Bear but it is Bear that Alana loves best! What is it about kids'n'critters?
With the holiday season officially upon us (it may be 2:41 in the morning but it's still Thanksgiving!) many people anticipate gathering and celebrating with families. It's a time for rejoicing and reflecting, for remembering and relatives.
And for some people, parts of that is harder than others.
It's easy to get caught up in the haves and have nots and, in my case, the who and who nots. It's darn hard to celebrate when it feels like half the members are missing.
We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting
something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what
we do have.--Frederick Keonig
And so I remember that I'm thankful for the courage my brothers have to go out and explore the opportunities and chase the dreams that take them far away on holidays.
I'm thankful that it's hard on them to be away because it means we're a good family who cares about and genuinely likes to be around each other.
I'm thankful that we are all healthy enough to be out and about enjoying opportunities--whether it's eating turkey at Grandpa and Grandma's table or prepping to run a half Marathon in Kuwait.
I'm thankful that I have a job and that some of those tax dollars go to buying the Navy and Marine boys some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. In a round-about way I am feeding my brothers today.
I'm thankful for the family who are pursuing opportunities closer to home--that means I get to spend the day with them.
And when I read back through my list I realize that it truly will be a good Thanksgiving indeed and that I'm thankful for family both near and far.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
What are uncles good for?
They're good for lots of things but Cyril and Alana's uncles are good for being silly. Absolutely nutty and it doesn't matter if a camera is pointed at the silliness or not.
They are good for copying you.
They're good for smelling weird.
They can manage you AND their beverage at the same time.
And they have good laps for holding their favorite niece and nephew!
We love you Uncle Tony, have fun in Rhode Island at Officer School!
Once upon a time I had a bunch of siblings who all lived under the same roof in the same house and (somehow) in just three bedrooms. The mind boggles.
I still have a bunch of siblings but we not only don't live under the same roof in the same house anymore, but we don't even live in the same state, the same time zone, or even the same continent anymore!
Sniffle.
As autumn fully sets in and the days, nights, and afternoons are all a bit colder, the rain a bit more frequent, and the daylight a bit more scarce I can't help but think about all those times that we were under one roof and seriously driving each other C.R.A.Z.Y. I kinda miss those times. Sometimes. Okay most times. Or sometimes most of the time. See? Residual crazy.
And I think about how some of those siblings are in places with lots and lots of sand and sun and therefore may be missing a time and place where fall truly is a season.
So for you boys? Here's some fall for you.
Oh and here's some family too!
That's right...Return With Honor.
It happened before. It happened again. And we knew it was bound to happen yet again.
And it likely will again. And again. And AGAIN.
First it was Tony zipping off to the Navy after high school.
Then it was Paddy jetting off to Kuwait after college.
And now it's Gabe, zooming off to the Marines.
And while it is quite the challenge to have these siblings so far away, I could not be more proud of them and their choices.
And to her Uncle Gabe who leaves today, Alana says:
I love my job. No really, I LOVE my job.
But one of the things I most recently love about my job is that when the registrar is purging old files she runs across this:
And gives them to me. Don't you just want to squeeze his little chubby cheeks?
