A Dress, the Elephant Man, and a Shower

It’s been awhile and a few things have happened. Let me bring you up to speed.

shopping

My mom came to visit and we did fun mother daughter things like visit another winery and go dress shopping, and I successfully found my mother of the bride dress! It looks nothing like I was saving on Pinterest for inspiration, but I’m really happy with it. I kept trying to text Addie pictures and get her approval but of course she wasn’t responding, so I just made sure to get a receipt in case she hated it. Thankfully, she gave it a thumbs up. I’m glad to have that task completed. With the bridal shower now in my rear view (details further down), I can finally focus on the task of purchasing and adapting suits for Fulton and Teddy. We’re all super excited about that. <so much sarcasm>

escaping

While my mom was here, Tony and I also hired caregivers for the first time since our major insurance change and spent the night in Atlantic City at the Golden Nugget. We had a comfy room, and we soaked in the rooftop hot tub. All the restaurants and entertainment were in the casino a short walk from our room. We got sushi for dinner and watched a really good Tom Petty cover band later that night. It was so great to get away again; it’d been eight months! All the money I make through speaking and book sales goes to our respite care fund so if you’re looking for a speaker or an inspiring read know that your support allows us to drink over priced cocktails and sleep soundly.

selling

Speaking of books, a little while back, Our Sunday Visitor decided to retire/ discontinue my book, so I purchased the remaining stock from them, and the rights, and sent copies to Amazon to be fulfilled. But somehow I only recently learned that I totally didn’t set up the seller account correctly and Amazon was like, “we’re going to trash your books!” and I spent a couple frantic days figuring all that out. The good news is now when you purchase a new copy of my book Better Than OK from Amazon (affiliate link obviously) you’re buying directly from my stockpile. I also get notified of sales which is cool because I never really knew how many copies OSV was selling through Amazon or their website but now I know for sure that people are still buying my book five years later!

planning

As if the boys weren’t frustrated enough with all the cursing I was doing over my Amazon seller account, they’ve certainly been getting an earful as I set up our co-op’s website for the 2026-27 school year class registration. I also agreed to teach an art class next year —> which means I needed to have a supply list to show students registering for classes —-> which means I needed to know what art projects we’re doing for the year —> which means I needed to have a syllabus for the class —> which meant creating a 26 week high school art curriculum from scratch because I’M INSANE and somehow am never satisfied with just following an established program. But it’s done now, and I’m pleased with it even though I know the high schoolers will not care how much love and care and f-bombs went into it. (Maybe it’s better if they don’t know about that last one…)

exploring

An H-Mart recently opened about 40 minutes from us so Edie and I drove over to check it out. H-Mart is a super trendy Korean-based Asian supermarket that has not only a grocery section, but a food court, a skin care department, and a large section of super cute housewares. They also have more rice cookers than I’d ever seen in one place. The place was packed; it took us forever just to park. But we got so many cool items and I was texting Addie the whole time (she was so jealous!). Part of me wishes it was closer, but honestly, it’s probably better that it’s not.

watching

We’ve been watching The Critic with the kids and I love that now they can finally understand an inside joke Tony and I have shared for the last 30 years.

interceding

If you or someone you love is in the midst of a job search, you’re probably aware how tough the market is for many positions. Tony is a software engineer, and it’s been brutal. But thankfully on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker (May 1) he was offered a new job! He starts next week. The company is actually right down the street from where he worked when we first moved to NJ 20 (!!!) years ago. The biggest shift is he will go from fully remote to working in an office two days a week. Thankfully, it’s only a short train ride away. Tony loves working from home and I love having him here. We start our mornings with coffee and take walks every day at lunch time. It will be an adjustment, but we’re both so excited for this new opportunity for him, and grateful once again for St. Jospeh’s intercession.

celebrating

This last weekend was packed with excitement as Addie graduated with her Masters in Social Work on Saturday and celebrated her bridal shower on Sunday (which was also Mother’s Day). I travelled to Cleveland with my mom and Edie on Friday. The men folk stayed home, and honestly, it’s good we planned it that way since Fulton had (and as of this post still has) a bad cold. (Update: As of Wednesday afternoon, he’d been admitted to CHOP with pneumonia.) We’d lined up a few caregivers so Tony wouldn’t need to do everything all weekend. Thankfully, Fulton was stable and there was lots of Xbox and table top games to keep everyone at home occupied.

Addie’s graduation was Saturday morning and afterwards we ate at a nice restaurant in ‘The Flats’ section of Cleveland that her finance Adam had picked out. He and his parents joined us for the graduation and dinner and it was great seeing them and catching up. That evening Addie, Edie, my mom and I relaxed at the hotel and attended a local Mass. On Sunday, we went to a riverfront restaurant to shower Addie with love and gifts! There were about 20 of us which was a good size; I had plenty of time to get to know more of Adam’s family. After lunch, we walked across the parking lot to a brewery where desserts and gifts had been set up. (Adam’s mom and aunt did SO MUCH planning which is why it was possible for Addie to even have a successful shower in Cleveland – seven hours from NJ- without me dying from stress.) It was a fun laid back vibe. Nobody missed the ridiculous shower games. We wrapped up our visit with Addie by taking a swim back at the hotel pool. It was hard saying goodbye. I haven’t been this sad to leave Addie in Cleveland since her first semester at Cleveland State. But we’ll see her soon enough!

concluding…

Fulton’s illness has set back schooling a bit, but I’m still optimistic we’ll wrap up everything before his graduation Mass on June 6th. I also still need to get some senior photos taken; I’ve definitely procrastinated there!

On a somber note, we got word just before Addie’s graduation that my uncle had passed away suddenly. He was well known around Harrisburg, PA and he’ll be sorely missed. (You can learn about him here.) In your kindness please say a prayer for him and his family.

I hope your May is full of celebrations and family fun!