T-day minus 1 day and counting. T here is obvious! Happy Thanksgiving to all of the faithful readers ... some of whom may be joining us at Plum Pond at the Preserve for a very special family holiday. And it's special because my mom, 88, will be here ... two of her grandchildren, one great-grandchild, a nephew, a great nephew and niece ... and three of her daughters. It's a "wonderful time of the year" ... even if I'm a bit early in my quotations. I doubt if I'll have time to write on the thanking day ... which is what the Italians called it one memorable Thanksgiving spent in Rome. Still ... that Thanksgiving involved the two of us ... so memorable or not, the best memories are always those that involve as much family as possible! As I told Rob this morning, over our last leisurely cup of coffee before the next 6 days of intense camaraderie and cooking ... I may have been a general in a previous life. Definitely bossy enough. But the amount of pre-planning that went on ... because we do intend to cook every day, including my birthday ... to let Sabrina enjoy as much of the celebrating as possible ... well, the amount of pre-planning seemed to match that of the D-Day preparations. If you are reading this before Thanksgiving ... have a wonderful one ... and my picture for the day is of ... me. I am fast approaching midnight on this 65th birthday thing. Thankfully, my daughter and two of my sisters are here to help assuage the pain. So here I am ... not quite looking like I did at 16 ... nor even 50 ... but grateful that I'm still able to orchestrate a fun-filled few days for family ... and a Thanksgiving feast!
P.S. Over the next 3 weeks, I'm going to be like the garden gnome that goes around the world ... but in this case, my building. :) Memories ... are made of this.
Today ... throughout the land ... (okay ... nearly!) ... we celebrate the birth of Sabrina Fair. She was born on November 19th ... three years ago! She was a miracle baby ... not in the test tube, lots of meds type of way ... but a miracle because her mom and dad had nearly given up hope that there would be a baby for them. When Becky told me that she was expecting a baby (originally due ON my birthday) ... it was only the second time in my life when I couldn't speak. I couldn't even breath ... I was so happy for my daughter. During Becky's pregnancy ... deemed high-risk due to her age but what turned out to be a nearly perfect pregnancy ... we all held our breaths and said, "We so want her to be able to carry this baby to full-term." Our second wish was ... "And let the baby be healthy." And then, those of us who were a bit selfish (NOT Becky or Brian) ... whispered under our breath "And wouldn't it be nice if the baby is a girl." (Rory having occupied the grandson berth previously, of course.)
I was blessed to be in the delivery room ... but could hardly believe my ears when I heard that she was a girl. Then I could hardly believe my eyes ... she was born beautiful ... and even her name was music to my ears: Sabrina Catherine. But the Sabrina Fair is from a poem by Milton:
Sabrina fair
Listen where thou art sitting
Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of lilies knitting
The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair;
Listen for dear honour's sake,
Goddess of the silver lake,
Listen and save
So here are a few of my favorite pictures "through the years" ... ha. :)
... it was close last week: a final director/officer meeting and a final Advisory Council meeting. It was fitting to have this Council meeting so close to the end of my career since it was EducationQuest's Advisory Council that opened the door to me to come to EducationQuest. I was asked to speak to the Council way back in 2001 about the importance of "keeping the dream alive" for 8th grade students. Twelve years later, I'm happy to say that EducationQuest has expanded its reach to middle school students ... and no, not much of that is due to me other than my continually harping away at a theme! Ha.
EducationQuest's Advisory Council is filled with practictioners who live the motto to which EducationQuest has long-subscribed: "Because of something I did today, one more student went to college." We have the head of counseling for Omaha Public Schools and Lincoln Public Schools ... we have TRIO representatives and high school principals ... college admissions directors and financial aid directors ... but mostly what we have are people with a passion for making sure that all students have the RIGHT to attend college. Not all students will attend ... nobody thinks that this is the model. But here we believe that no student should be turned away because he/she can't afford it. We also have been firm advocates for students of color ... and for first generation students.
Are you a first-generation student? Many of us ... at least many of us who are "my age" ... are. We are the first in our families to attend college. Once upon a time, my youngest brother Mark called me to thank me for going to college. "Why thank me?" I asked. He answered, "Because then the rest of us knew we could." Too much credit to me ... but a lesson there for sure. It is the BELIEF that college is for you that can make a difference in your life.
So today ... and for each day hereafter ... if you want to do something for me, you will encourage someone whom you know ... or someone that you know needs to hear the words ... to go to college. College ... two year or four year ... makes no never mind. :) The only thing that matters is that you go out and make a difference. So just do it!
PS ...Don't let any of your dreams ... or the dreams of those around you ... be "Dust in the Wind" ... :)
Rob and I are going to enjoy a quiet weekend ... that is, if a weekend filled with Huskers sports is ever quiet. And what a grand start ... celebrating in the new Pinnacle Arena with a Husker basketball win. But we will appreciate this lull in the program ... since, as is true for most falls, our weekends are generally very full with family, friends, and fun. In the quiet Saturday morning before me, however, I choose to remember our idyllic time in Vermont ... with son Nate, beautiful daughter-in-law Kristen, and, of course, our favorite grandson ... Rory. They live not far from Burlington, Vermont, which, to those of you (like me) who are slightly geographically impaired ... is on the shores of Lake Champlain. If you've never seen it ... I suggest the ferry ride from Burlington to New York state ... to really understand the size of Lake Champlain. I imagine what it was like when only the canoe broke the serenity of the water ... But this is not a history lesson ... but rather a lesson on letting kids ... well, be kids. Rory is a very sweet guy ... at his ancient age of 6 1/2 plus. It's such an innate sweetness that I suspect that some girl some day will fall madly in love with him ... not because of his thick dark hair or lovely hazel eyes ... no, not even those dimples that make ME smile just to see them ... but because of that sweetness. Let no mistake be made: he's also all boy. Not so much in a rough-and-tumble way as an adventurer and an explorer. And thus, finally ... to the story. One evening while we were there, we went to a great pizza place in Burlington (Pizza Verita). A busy place ... so while waiting for our table, we "bellied up to the bar" ... and had a glass of vino (in vino veritas ... yes, I couldn't resist). Rory was seated with us ... when Rob noticed that he was mesmerized by the bartender (yes, think Tom Cruise and "Cocktail" ... the bartender was that talented). Rob said jokingly .. "I think that Rory may have a new career goal." Thirty seconds later ..."Mom ... I think I want to be a bartender when I grow up." Lots of laughter ... but not the end of the story. When we arrived back at the ranch (or the colonial house), Rory was light years ahead of the rest of us ... and requested two glasses ... one that fit into another ... and some water. A mixologist was born. He asked me what my favorite drink was ... and I said, "When I'm on vacation in big cities, I always ordered a champagne cocktail." (Call me crazy .. definitely retro.) And so Rory's signature drink was born ... mixed with one part water to two parts water ... but definitely mixed and poured. And, because this little guy doesn't know what champagne is but definitely know what Champlain is ... he proudly poured and said, "Here, Nonna ... here's your Champlain cocktail." I will likely continue my tradition of champagne cocktails in such fun cities as New York and San Fran ... but it will forever remind me of Rory ... and will always be a Champlain cocktail! PS ... Rory is likely to have loftier goals at some point ... fighter pilot, downhill ski Olympian ... but now, he's just a kid ... and enjoying life!
Yes, on the final run-up to retirement ... in this next-to-the-last month, I am trying to do better on my blogging. And today, while perusing Facebook (yes, yet another timesuck), I found out that it was the 10th anniversary of the Broadway musical "Wicked." And for those of you tempted to quit reading at the word "musical" ... DON'T. I'm not quite sure how a Broadway show can be life-changing but I've heard those words applied to "Wicked" often ... and I agree. For years, I heard about it but thought ... nah, not for me. Then finally, as part of a staff celebration, we took our staff to Omaha to see the traveling version of "Wicked." If that's what you can see ... do it. But then ... we had the chance to take my mom to NYC. My sister Cathy wanted to see "Wicked" ... Rob did not. I'm not sure that my mom did either. But others did and the majority rules in our family (because, btw, while we started with Mom, Cathy, Rob and me on Mom's first trip to New York, we ended up with 10 of us ... what a celebration!). Cathy vigilantly searched for tickets ... paid a premium but we had seats in the 10th row ... all of us, with the exception of Suzanne, but Rob managed to snag a good ticket for her on our way into the theatre (Suzanne ... living under a lucky star ... will be discussed in some future blog given over to sisters!). "Wicked" IS a story about accepting people for what they are ... and not what they look like. They echo my admonition that I don't care if you're purple or pink-polka-dotted ... expectations are expectations (said sternly to certain students in my junior high classes!). Green was beautiful in "Wicked" but it was also the story of how we are BETTER than we can hope to be ... made so by those around us that we love. I sat next to my sister Cathy and we held hands and cried ... And if you're a guy ... well, Rob didn't cry ... but he admitted ... and this is a New York City boy, mind you ... that this was the best Broadway show (next to the Man from LaMancha) that he's seen. And he agreed that it was worth every penny of the admission ... and it was a pretty penny.
So listen now to the song that brought Cathy, Suzanne, Becky, Mom, and I to tears ... this is the shortened version.Go buy the original!!
Rob and I visited Vermont this fall ... a teensy bit too late for true heart-stopping, leaf-peeping glory ... but enough color left in "them thar hills" to bring out the latent photographer in me ... and to make us gasp as we rounded the switchback roads to see another hillside full of maples, flaming with reds and golds.
Visiting our son, daughter-in-law, and sweet-as-pie grandson Rory has always been more Norman Rockwell-ian that any two people deserve and this visit was no exception. Kristen and Nathan live in a tiny little town about 20 minutes from Burlington although "town" might dress it up too much. There is a village green, a general store (with lovely wines and artisan breads), a Congregational church, and a white clapboard village library. There are also a smattering of houses around the green ... and Nate & Kris' 1810 house is one of the finest ... now. K&N, along with Kristen's dad, spent nearly 3 years restoring their 200-year old house to its former glory ... plus. When we are there, we are treated to staying in the guest suite ... which was redeemed from an apartment that was gerry-rigged onto the house. Now, with their expert craftsmanship and ability to move walls (since the house itself is all post-and-beam), the guest suite swirls seamlessly into the rest of the living areas. But ... if a rainy afternoon beckons to two tired grandparents, one accommodating grandson, and a well-trained granddog ... that guest suite can become an oasis of quiet reading and play time ... making yet another memory for Nebraska's cold winter nights.
While we enjoyed the sojourn in Jericho Center, we also had a tremendous time at Sugarbush ... the ski resort about 60 minutes away. Nate & Kristen had purchased a small condo (ski in/out) there last summer and spent the summer working on that project. As always ... the small project produced a condominium worthy of royalty ... but 'twas just us who were the beneficiaries ... at least for a weekend.
We left "home" ... because it quickly feels that way ... and traveled to Sugarbus to celebrate Rob's and Nathan's birthdays. We were able to wine and dine at some of the most elegant or unique (or both!) restaurants in and around Sugarbush. One of my favorites was lunch at Prohibition Pig in Waterbury, Vermont. (See Prohibition Pig). But truly, everything else paled next to the birthday dinner celebration at The Common Man. (the Common Man )
As soon as the snow flies, Rory and Nathan will be hitting the slopes. We were discussing the price of ski passes but it turns out that Sugarbush (perhaps like other ski resorts) provides ski passes at substantially discounted rates to those servicemen who, like Nathan, have been deployed in the past year. So this year, skiing will be both fun AND affordable. Lovely gesture on the part of the resort. Here is the greeting as you walk into the Sugarbush condo ... yes, it spells SUGARBUSH ... much more three-dimensionally that my poor photography allows. And each letter handmade by Kristen ... such talent.
I once loved to ski ... and in my checkered past, actually skied at Sugarbush! How about that! But now, I must admit that my body simply won't take the punishment. I'm glad that all our trips to the Rockies, either in Colorado or Wyoming, had a lasting influence on Nate and that he wants to pass along his love of skiing to Rory. Will Rory shine at this sport? Enough for a Dartmouth scholarship (like I said ... a family of confident optimists!)? Who knows ... only time will tell but I know that Rory and Nate will have wonderful winters together in Sugarbush ... and when they return to the condo, Kristen will make their lives even more special!
So bring it, Mother Nature ... we hardy Midwesterners ... transplanted as they have been to New England ... thrive on snow!
But first ... a song from that great balladeer, Nate King Cole ... if you don't know him ... get lost in his voice as he sings about Autumn Leaves.
Football reminding me to blog ... tsk, tsk. In actuality ... i was reminded about blogging both from my niece, who is a much more faithful blogger than I, and by one of my friends who actually took the time to note which dates and which subjects she enjoyed the most! (Thank you, Barb!)
Still ... it was the broad smile on my face as I was listening to college football on Sirius this morning ... that prompted me to write again. To write about the joy of a Hail Mary ... in football. (Likely also in religion but since I'm not Catholic, I cannot comment on that!)
Our weekend was full ... full of friends, laughter, and football. We were worried about the football part after the Minnesota debacle. Still ... one cannot be a true member of Husker Nation if Hope isn't your middle name. So off we went ... after a leisurely morning with our Coloradan friends Bud & Fran, who stayed with us ... and a Roberto-inspired breakfast. First stop ... Barrymore's ... where the Bloody Mary's are the traditional pre-game drink of choice.
To say that the game was uneven was an understatement. But ... by the closing 2 minutes, all Hope was finally and completely exhausted. Many many fans exited the game ... but Rob, who has this unusual streak of optimism when it comes to Nebraska football, said, "It's not over yet ... wait!!" In the meantime, I'm gathering up our blankets and waiting with one foot in the aisle ...when, with 4 seconds left in the game, RK3 (the 3rd string quarterback) threw a 49-yard pass that was miraculously caught in the end zone ... snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
It is the aftermath that I write about now ... the jubilation, the exhilaration, the excitement ... the pure joy that filled the hearts of the remaining fans (90,000 plus originally). I wasn't at the 1997 Missouri game ... an even more unlikely catch that saved not just a season but a national championship. But that game was in Missouri. This was in "our house" ... where simultaneously, ALL of the fans let out their collective breaths and began their victory whoops. Truly one of the most uplifting moments in Nebraska football history. And that jubilation was still with me this morning as I drove to work ... to start my 7th-to-last-week at EducationQuest. And from the newspaper articles and the online bloggers, the exhilaration is nearly statewide and making a Monday into a celebratory day!
That's right ... 7 weeks left in the office. We talked about my work a lot this weekend ... our friends, like Rob, are a little skeptical that I will settle into retirement as I know I will. But now that it's down to the "near-end" ... each day does seem like a new adventure and I know that I will end my tenure at EducationQuest with the same enthusiasm that I began it ... committed to the mission of getting more students to college ... especially those students who didn't think that they stood a chance. So in the honor of the need to never give up ... I leave you with a YouTube clip of James Taylor and Tony Bennett singing an "unabashedly confident song" ... and also a famous quotation by Winston Churchill: Never, never, never give up!
PS ... And I will also provide my litany of reasons why I've fallen down as a blogger. Transitioning out of work ... celebrating football and friendship and family ... all have led to my placing the blog at a lesser level. I think you might all agree, with the possible exception of football, that I have my priorities straight!
