Dackel Princess

Lost In Translation

Here I am in Southampton, England. It was quite a long journey by car, bus, plane, and taxi, but it was worth it.

It’s Springtime here, and the trees and gardens are all blooming. Any relief I thought I might get from allergy season disappeared as my allergies set in, as did the coughs and sneezes.

Macdonald Botley Park Hotel & Spa

Last night, we stayed in for dinner, and it was fabulous. I ordered a roasted feather blade of beef with mashed potato and roasted root vegetables. It was splendid!

Yesterday, I was settling into our room when I heard someone tapping their key at the door. I stood there. The door opened, and my daughter Jessica was there. We flew into each other’s arms and held each other for the longest time.

Our room.

This morning, after breakfast, we headed out to the shops. I needed a dress for the cruise, but I had not found anything Stateside. I found two cute dresses here, which will be carefully packed.

We booked two Spa treatments for tomorrow. In the late morning, we will have back massages. Yahoo. I jokingly asked if they had baby goats to walk our backs, and they looked at me as if I were insane.

We may be speaking the same language, English, but sometimes things are lost in translation.

The Friday Five ~ May 17th

Life seems to be speeding by right now. A trip I planned last December will begin on Wednesday, and I am sure that too will go by quickly. So here are the things I am thinking about this morning.

The first part of my trip involves flying from Boston to Heathrow Airport. When I clear customs, I expect a handsome British man to greet me and drive me to Southampton.
I will meet Jessica, my stepdaughter, at MacDonald Botley Grange and Spa. It’s a lovely hotel with a British pub and a restaurant where we can have tea.
They also have a spa where one can have their nails done or swim. But best of all, I will be seeing Jessica again.
So, now on to packing. I am attempting to bring only two carry-ons. I’m using packing cubes, which seem to be doing their job of compacting my clothes so far. The killer is traveling with my medications in their original containers. Having those at the top of your carry-on is also advised.
Since my hair is very short (and appears not to be growing back), I will not carry my blow dryer. My hair is naturally curly, so I will do a lot of scrunching.

That’s it for today. I will try to write while I am gone. Pictures too. I can hardly wait.

Happy Mother’s Day

I’m often torn about how to celebrate Mother’s Day—many of the happiest times in my life revolved around being a mother to my two girls.

Yet, for thirty-nine years, there is a part of me that grieves on Mother’s Day for the daughter I lost.

Katie

But God is good! He sent two beautiful children to my older daughter, Mandy, and the three of them rock my world. I feel like I am the luckiest!

Life is funny, you know. I thought my life was over thirty-nine years ago, and now I feel like I am on the grandest trip, along with Mandy and her family!

I see the world in a whole new way. Through the eyes of my grandchildren.

Although my love will never end for Katie, and I shall never forget her or how she was when she was alive and in our lives, I have been able to move forward and live again myself.

So, on this Mother’s Day, I celebrate my motherhood, but more than this, I celebrate my daughter’s Mother’s Day.

Matt, Savannah, Quinn, and Amanda.

Mandy is a wonderful, caring, and gentle mother. She listens to and adores her kids; I admire her so much!

So, Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers. Be you biological, adoptive, or step. Mothers and their love come in all shapes and sizes.

The Friday Five ~ May 10th

I will be jetting off to England in a few more days! I am so excited. This is my first big trip in a very long time. I know I took a cruise in January, but this is a much bigger cruise.

I will start meeting up with my “other” daughter, Jessica. She was Jack’s daughter.

I met Jessica when she was just four years old.
Amanda, Jessica, and Katie.
Jess was a playmate to my kids.
It’s been so long since we’ve gotten together, and I know we have much to discuss.
My doggy sitter arrived today and got the latest information about the girls. They were over the moon happy to see her!
A week after that, I will step on a Princess Cruises Ship. This will be my first cruise in Europe.
The last piece of furniture for my bedroom came today. I got a lovely rocking chair to sit in and watch the lake, the TV, and the birds.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!

Oh Yeah, Life Goes On…

The last few weeks have found me establishing a new normal for myself.

I have been slowly making this house my own, and during this process, I realized that it was the very first time in my life that I was living my own life.

Having gotten married at 17, I have been living the lives of my two husbands.

It’s not that this was bad. Our beautiful daughters came with my first husband, and with my second husband came the ability to travel the world.

However, I never decorated a house or selected my dishes or glassware.

Since last July, I have sold many pieces of furniture and selected the things I like.

The walls have been painted, the bathrooms refurbished, and a new reclining bed installed.

Finally, I am not sleeping in my recliner.

Also, my first foray out was to a local diner. “George’s”. It’s become my place. They know me, and when I go in, I feel looked after. That’s such a nice feeling.

So my life is going on.

Happy Birthday Dickie!

Today would have been my brother’s 73rd birthday. Richard “Dickie” was seven years older than me, which when you are a child seemed like a million, billion, years.

Melodie was just two years younger, and she and Dickie were really close. When I was small, they took pretty good care of their little sister.

Melodie, Dickie and me.

My brother was born prematurely and was very small. His birth was a tough one, and he had lifelong effects from it.

My brother was well-loved by many. The one thing I can say is that he tried hard, always and he loved deeply.

He married a woman with four kids, and I know he loved each and every one of them. Together they had two sons. They will, unfortunately, never really know how proud and happy he was the days they were born. You see, when he was in his early twenties he became ill with cancer.

He loved to cook and he loved his music. Although he never could learn to read music, all he had to do was hear something once and he could play it either on the guitar or the piano.

He learned he had cancer at the age of 26. On April 1st, April Fools Day. And he fought long and hard to win his battle against that dreaded disease. Unfortunately, back in 1977, cancer treatment was brutally hard and seldom worked on Lymphoma and Leukemia.

Dickie passed from this life to the next on April 2nd, 1978. We miss you, Dickie, and hope you are happy and celebrating with all of the family up there in Heaven.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

People have been joking with me recently about dining out at my favorite place, George’s Diner.

I admit to eating there a lot. The food is excellent, and the staff is like family!

I’m 65 years old. I’ve only eaten alone a few times. I usually ate with my parents and siblings, my first husband, our kids, and Jack.

Now, meals are eaten standing up. Usually, it’s toast or Cheerios. For a while, I ate chicken pot pies. Now I can’t stand them!

After all these years, I can finally relate to Gary Portnoy’s theme for Cheers.

Have a great week!

The Friday Five March 26th

I haven’t written in a while. I never dreamed that painting, getting a new carpet, and painting the bathroom would be crazy busy. But it was, and here is why.

I needed to get rid of my old bedroom furniture. Not only was it over 50 years old, but it was flat and offered me no comfort.
So, I sold the kingsize bed with sheets, blankets, and two dressers to a young couple for $50.00. It made me feel good.
My carpenter came in and took the bathroom apart. Painting was done, and I have a new shower and vanity. My washer and dryer are now in the bathroom where my jacuzzi once sat.
Everything was finished, and on Monday, the new bed arrived. Since my spinal surgery, I have slept in a recliner. Now, I have an adjustable bed.
I slept there last night, and it was an excellent, deep sleep.

Happy Easter!

The Friday Five ~ March 29th

Another week has slipped by, and another month, as well. There has been so much happening.

The bathroom renovation is done, and the washer and dryer are in working condition! I am slowly setting up the vanity, and soon, I will set up the shower with my shampoo and soap. I love it.
Easter is upon us. My cousins are coming on Saturday. It will be their first visit since the bathroom reno. I am excited.
Easter is on Sunday. I have no plans, so I decided to make myself a meal my grandmother used to make: Lamb, baked potato, and asparagus.
It’s a first. Likewise, the 9th of April would have been our 36th wedding anniversary. I’ve never done this alone before, but I am learning that I have to do this myself from now on.
I will head to England in a few weeks to see my stepdaughter. It’s been far too long since we last saw each other.

So that’s the latest. I wish you all a very Happy Easter!