When my mom called me on Friday to say that my friend Dana had called my house in NJ looking for my cell phone number, I knew Erin was gone. She was diagnosed with liver cancer about 3 years ago, had a transplant back in December, but never really got better.
I met Erin in high school. She'd gone to grammar school with Dana--and D and I had become fast friends. Erin had an easy smile and was truly one of the nicest people I've ever known. I'm not sure if she ever said a bad or negative thing about anyone. You couldn't help but like her. We lost touch after college, but Dana kept me updated on her health. I always meant to send Erin a card or a package...and always though I'd have more time.
Yup, cancer sucks. Tell me again why we're spending gazillions in Iraq???
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Sunday Sixteen
I owe y'all at least a 16 after 6 weeks away!
1. Work is insane right now. This is my first summer with the writing gig...and every year, I think "summer can't get any busier." And every year, it does.
2. My trip to LA was amazing. I visited my old school--my kids are now 7th, 8th and 9th graders!! I caught up with a few friends and spent a LOT of time with my CA family. Problem with that is that I miss them more than ever now--I'd forgotten how wonderful it is to sit on their old, worn, faded, blue couch (my bed on many a night during my years in LA) and just be. They are some of my favorite, most cherished people in this world. I also got to see our dear T twice!
3. I completed my 2nd triathlon last month. This one was down the Cape, in Falmouth. I loved it...the water was warm (I didn't look insane for wearing a speedo), the bike course was great, there was a fog bank holding off the sun, the run was FLAT. My bike chain fell off on a downhill as I shifted gears, so that was a bummer, but the rest of it was great. I hope to do that race every year.
4. Falcon Ridge was an adventure this year. Tracie, Nic, my friend Ali and I planned to leave Wednesday after work, but as Wednesday approached, the weather websites forecasted rain of Biblical proportions. So, we had a sleepover at my house on Wendesday night waited until Thursday. When we arrived, we were told we couldn't drive up the hill to our campsite (rhi and Steven had already staked our spot) so we had to triage our supplies and decide what we really needed (tents, sleeping bags, a change of clothes) and make the trek through the mud and water a couple of times.
5. Luckily, the weather could not stop the fantastic music: Crooked Still, Red Molly, Jason Spooner Trio and all our old favorites. We took our now-annual-trip-to-the-waterfall on Friday, basked in whatever sunshine we could find and spent a lot of time singing along.
6. Every year, I walk away from Falcon Ridge saying, "I forgot how much I loved X." One year, it was the Nields, one year Tracy Grammer...this year, it's Eddie from Ohio. My goodness! Luckily, our friend fumblerette made me a few EFO mixes that are giving me my fix. Right now, there's nothing better than Julie Murphy Wells singing, "I'm an Irish woman, I love weddings and funerals, beginnings and endings, the front and the back."
7. I discovered the FRFF showers this year. Thank you, Tracie, you've changed my life.
8. Saturday night, the rain returned. We'd enjoyed an evening of Nerissa and Katryna, Dar, EFO and Martin Sexton, but the sky was flashing. Ali and I decided to sleep in the car--I don't play around with lightning. But of course, that meant less sleeping and more uncomfortably shifting around all night, trying to catch 30 minutes of sleep in between. The next morning, N checked the iPhone (we aren't *that* dirty hippy) and we decided to go down for the Gospel Wake-Up (possibly the best hour of the weekend), return to camp to finish the pack-up, drive down the hill, catch Tracy Grammer's mainstage set and leave before the rain started. But the second we parked at the bottom of the hill, the thunder rumbled--we braved it anyway (we were hungry) until we started getting pelted with *hail*!!! And so ended our FRFF experience...we fled the scene and our 90 minute drive to the Woo only took us 4 hours.
9. I came home from FRFF, spent a few days at the office, then headed down the Cape to spend some time with my family on the tail end of their 2 week vacation. Nothing like my parents, my sister, my grandmother, my mom's sister and my dad's brother in one house! Actually, I love it. My other grandmother (dad's mom who passed away a few years ago) and my uncle (the one who was with us on this vaca) came on every vacation with us from the time I was 8 until I was about 18.
10. Summer is more than half over! Not sure how that happened, but I have a few more good trips planned. In less than 2 weeks, Tracie, Nic and I are headed to one of my favorite places on earth--and A&G are meeting us there! I lived in MD one summer during college, and my mom's cousin was building this house on the eastern shore--I love it there and can't wait to share it with friends. I also can't wait to eat crab!
11. The following weekend, I think I'll be down the Jersey Shore. My sister and her friends rent a house every summer and spend their weekends there--I've been meaning to go for 2 years now. I love Cape Cod and all, but the Jersey shore has waves that knock you down--and knock your suit off!
12. I'm on the hunt for a place to go horseback riding. So far, I've found only one place in MA, though I'll keep looking in CT and RI, maybe even NH. I haven't been on a horse in a few years and if I could find a place to ride once a month or every other month, I'd be a pretty happy camper.
13. My cousin and her kids have officially moved from London to NY!! Minty's almost 6 and Ned is almost 4--they arrived on July 1 and I spent the 4th and 5th of July with them. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of them.
14. I recently saw a foot doctor to see if he could help me with my ankle and knee pain (which I'm fairly certain originates with my wide, flat feet). He wants to try a few things before orthotics, including a night splint. Yeah...you try sleeping in this.
15. My goal for the end of September is to have my Massachusetts and New York teaching credentials in order.
16. I am counting down to the last weekend in January.
1. Work is insane right now. This is my first summer with the writing gig...and every year, I think "summer can't get any busier." And every year, it does.
2. My trip to LA was amazing. I visited my old school--my kids are now 7th, 8th and 9th graders!! I caught up with a few friends and spent a LOT of time with my CA family. Problem with that is that I miss them more than ever now--I'd forgotten how wonderful it is to sit on their old, worn, faded, blue couch (my bed on many a night during my years in LA) and just be. They are some of my favorite, most cherished people in this world. I also got to see our dear T twice!
3. I completed my 2nd triathlon last month. This one was down the Cape, in Falmouth. I loved it...the water was warm (I didn't look insane for wearing a speedo), the bike course was great, there was a fog bank holding off the sun, the run was FLAT. My bike chain fell off on a downhill as I shifted gears, so that was a bummer, but the rest of it was great. I hope to do that race every year.
4. Falcon Ridge was an adventure this year. Tracie, Nic, my friend Ali and I planned to leave Wednesday after work, but as Wednesday approached, the weather websites forecasted rain of Biblical proportions. So, we had a sleepover at my house on Wendesday night waited until Thursday. When we arrived, we were told we couldn't drive up the hill to our campsite (rhi and Steven had already staked our spot) so we had to triage our supplies and decide what we really needed (tents, sleeping bags, a change of clothes) and make the trek through the mud and water a couple of times.
5. Luckily, the weather could not stop the fantastic music: Crooked Still, Red Molly, Jason Spooner Trio and all our old favorites. We took our now-annual-trip-to-the-waterfall on Friday, basked in whatever sunshine we could find and spent a lot of time singing along.
6. Every year, I walk away from Falcon Ridge saying, "I forgot how much I loved X." One year, it was the Nields, one year Tracy Grammer...this year, it's Eddie from Ohio. My goodness! Luckily, our friend fumblerette made me a few EFO mixes that are giving me my fix. Right now, there's nothing better than Julie Murphy Wells singing, "I'm an Irish woman, I love weddings and funerals, beginnings and endings, the front and the back."
7. I discovered the FRFF showers this year. Thank you, Tracie, you've changed my life.
8. Saturday night, the rain returned. We'd enjoyed an evening of Nerissa and Katryna, Dar, EFO and Martin Sexton, but the sky was flashing. Ali and I decided to sleep in the car--I don't play around with lightning. But of course, that meant less sleeping and more uncomfortably shifting around all night, trying to catch 30 minutes of sleep in between. The next morning, N checked the iPhone (we aren't *that* dirty hippy) and we decided to go down for the Gospel Wake-Up (possibly the best hour of the weekend), return to camp to finish the pack-up, drive down the hill, catch Tracy Grammer's mainstage set and leave before the rain started. But the second we parked at the bottom of the hill, the thunder rumbled--we braved it anyway (we were hungry) until we started getting pelted with *hail*!!! And so ended our FRFF experience...we fled the scene and our 90 minute drive to the Woo only took us 4 hours.
9. I came home from FRFF, spent a few days at the office, then headed down the Cape to spend some time with my family on the tail end of their 2 week vacation. Nothing like my parents, my sister, my grandmother, my mom's sister and my dad's brother in one house! Actually, I love it. My other grandmother (dad's mom who passed away a few years ago) and my uncle (the one who was with us on this vaca) came on every vacation with us from the time I was 8 until I was about 18.
10. Summer is more than half over! Not sure how that happened, but I have a few more good trips planned. In less than 2 weeks, Tracie, Nic and I are headed to one of my favorite places on earth--and A&G are meeting us there! I lived in MD one summer during college, and my mom's cousin was building this house on the eastern shore--I love it there and can't wait to share it with friends. I also can't wait to eat crab!
11. The following weekend, I think I'll be down the Jersey Shore. My sister and her friends rent a house every summer and spend their weekends there--I've been meaning to go for 2 years now. I love Cape Cod and all, but the Jersey shore has waves that knock you down--and knock your suit off!
12. I'm on the hunt for a place to go horseback riding. So far, I've found only one place in MA, though I'll keep looking in CT and RI, maybe even NH. I haven't been on a horse in a few years and if I could find a place to ride once a month or every other month, I'd be a pretty happy camper.
13. My cousin and her kids have officially moved from London to NY!! Minty's almost 6 and Ned is almost 4--they arrived on July 1 and I spent the 4th and 5th of July with them. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of them.
14. I recently saw a foot doctor to see if he could help me with my ankle and knee pain (which I'm fairly certain originates with my wide, flat feet). He wants to try a few things before orthotics, including a night splint. Yeah...you try sleeping in this.
15. My goal for the end of September is to have my Massachusetts and New York teaching credentials in order.
16. I am counting down to the last weekend in January.
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