Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Lean to the Light from your Mama

Happy Mother's Day to all! 
Lean to Light's advice today is: lean to the light your mama gave you. You may not see it or feel it all the time, but it's there, it's always there, and she gave you breath and life so give thanks. The end. 
My other piece of advice? Do something really cool and memorable with her one on one. That may be a bit more challenging depending on where you live, but with the internet, virtual sharing is getting more and more common so do it!
I was lucky enough to have my mama in town so I was able to have one on one QT on the Boardwalk,
through the 9/11 memorial
Where's MoLo?
but the highlight and her main request was to walk the Brooklyn Bridge.
Best perspective I could get on my iphone of the expansiveness up there
The Brooklyn Bridge is Bootylicious

I leave you with 
Tina Fey's a Mother's Prayer for her child:

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.
When the Crystal Meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.
May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.
Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.
And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.
And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.”
-Tina Fey from "Bossypants"


Saturday, April 6, 2013

Rupert the Wonderdog

I can't believe I have yet to write about one of the biggest moments of my life! 
We finally got our dog!! 
What a long and exhausting search but it was completely worth the work finding our perfect fur baby. I think I haven't written because the story of how we got him was complicated and I did not have the strength to write it all out. So instead of going into the looong (but in the end really rewarding) story why don't I just give you a list of some tips when looking for a dog.

1. Try everything in your power not buy from a pet store.
2. Do not buy a dog where you can't see the parents or how it spent it's first 8 weeks on the planet.
3. If you don't rescue, buy from a reputable breeder. Preferably AKC registered.
4. Research your breeds so you know exactly which one is right for you.
5. If you see that the puppy is lethargic or unresponsive there may be something wrong health wise with the puppy. :( With this said, get your puppy checked by your own vet within 48 hrs.
6. Take a week off from work your first week with the puppy so you can start training right away. 

Look at my dog. He is amazing. We are obsessed in a very unhealthy way. Look at him!! He is a model! Yes, we are preparing him for show biz and yes we are "those people".
Matching Jackets. Go ahead and judge.
Daddy obsessed.
Mommy obsessed with her kangaroo baby.
I'm pretty and I know it.
This is how little I am.
Don't you want to cuddle me? Good luck tearing me away from the people I live with.

Monday, April 1, 2013

This is Easter 2013

Ukie cousin overwhelmed by said Ukie Food.
Ukie Baba Jr eating the fruits of her labor. Well no fruits were involved here...this was old school fatty holiday food. So rewarding and DELICIOUS when sticking to a pretty healthy diet. 
Ukie dessert. 
Ok that is totally not true I got this gelato from Fresh Direct that was AMAZING, topped it with strawberries, Nutella and gluten free breakoff cookies. YUMMERS.

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!
Love from Jersey and even more love from the Easter Bunny:
This is Rupert. He is our new puppy and he is amazing. His "tail" is coming to a blog hear you. ;)

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Reflection


Today the sun is shining, fresh spring air is flowing through my windows, and I do believe on my walk to the Polish grocery store I saw a crocus or two. Or twenty. Yes, I do believe that the happiness I feel from Spring finally arriving is definitely her energy smiling from above! Even though I may have had a public cry when I once I got to the store. I was holding a Kolach, all the customers were speaking Polish, and memories flooded me a bit too intensely. No actually maybe it was perfect.
I just wish I had sunglasses on so people didn't think I was crying over the massive amount of gluten I was clutching. Tonight I will make her best dish ever to celebrate her life and love. :) Thank you Mama for this beautiful poem:
                              
In the rising of the sun and in its setting, we shall remember. 
In the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn, 
In the beginning of the year and when it ends, we shall remember.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
When we hear music we love,
When we are lost and sick at heart and need to be inspired,
When we have joys we yearn to share, we shall remember.
So long as we live, Baba, too, will live in us, for she is part of us, 
And we shall always remember.

 -adopted with modifications from Gates of Repentance: The New Union Prayerbook for the Days of Awe Central Conference of American Rabbis

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Engage-aversary

That sounds like a strange word but it has a ring to it. Har har! Get it? Has a ring to it? Groan. 
Four years ago Jason and I went to the infamous, yet now sadly gone from the New York City tapestry,
Where we had a uncomfortable dinner not just because we were shoved under a pillar and had pretty terrible service (hmmm...maybe why business went bad? hmm...) but also because Jason was acting really nervous and jittery. When dinner was over he ran outside and hailed a carriage (the natural thing to do in February) in which we rode to the through the park under a blanket. Something was up and I was starting to get excited. That's what she...ok moving on with the story.
We got to the Bethesda fountain where most of the time it looks like this:
 Quite busy and typically full of people, street acts, and tourists.
But that night it was deserted and looked more like this:
Amazing. So peaceful and serene. All of a sudden our driver said "I need to stop here my horse is tired" or something like that. Since it had only been like a five minute drive, he might have well said he was out of gas so at this point my suspicious feelings were even more founded. ;) We walked all the way down to the fountain in the glittering snow and before you know it I looked down and there was something else glittering in the darkness! A beautiful ring that represents my beautiful Jason.

I love you Mr. Campbell!
Love,
Mrs. Campbell

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mama's and Malaga

Here’s to all the beautiful mothers in my life, Linda, Beth, Jaimee, Natasha, Kristy, April, Martha, Aimee, Deb...so many...but I have to say I MAY have a favorite. Hmmm yeah I definitely do...it’s this lovely lady!
I am so glad I had the opportunity to have time with her in NYC before I left. My favorite qualities about her are her humor, creativity and mostly her open generous heart. I wish her the very best, especially this week as she goes in for cataract surgery on Wednesday. I love you my Mama!

I am quickly writing all of this from Malaga, Spain. This week had a rough start with major jet lag insomnia, but I think I am well adjusted now with a couple of 8-9hr nights. That insomnia was cuhrazy, wow, very mentally straining. But on the flip side of wow, I got a chance to explore my first European port of Valencia, Spain. We went to the City of Arts and Sciences, which is a complex that includes an Opera House, music school, dozens of restaurants and the biggest aquarium in Europe. It sounds like a crazy combination, but I tell you this enormous complex is one of the most architecturally stunning places I have ever seen! WOW! Read more about it here. http://www.cac.es/

Bottle brush flowers! Can you see why?
This dolphin show was cool-the divers mimicked the dolphins and vice versa
This was the weirdest fish I have ever seen. It was like a turtle on it's side. Any idea what the heck it is???
The concrete surface was covered in water...the reflections were stunning
I loved the portrait...perfect for Mother's Day me thinks!