my girl carrie

 

 

"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day...when it's cold outside I got the month of May...I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way?  My girl"  Carrie Coodles as Wayne-O refers to her has been my ray of sunshine for 30 years.  I thank God the day my brother John married her so she could be part of our lives.  Together we have endured so many obstacles, disappointments and life struggles, yet because of our unique bond, we have overcome so much because of our connection.  I don't know how to define it, for she is so much more than a friend or sister, so she is my girl, my go-to buddy.

 

I look forward to our Wednesday morning catch up chats.  We just shoot the breeze about our everyday events and lately we have been reflecting on our childhoods and such.  I learned  many things about her early days that she never shared before, which keeps me in awe of her.  She never ceases to amaze me with her strength and optimism.  We are on a journey together and share so much in common. 

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break." ~ Chinese Proverb

 

 

We both had three kids and our firstborn entered our lives the same year.  Mike and Melissa bought their first homes at the same time and we shared the nerves and excitement with that experience.  Our boys got married the same year and once again we shared that joy.  With two of our three children on their own, we find ourselves enjoying our baby boys and appreciating our last fling as parents before they leave our nests.  We lost our moms the same year and both still have our dads.  We both grew up with a houseful of estrogen and love to dance. Once that beat gets going, there is no stopping us.  We share the philosophy that life is too short to live it with regret or hold a grudge and while we have learned some pretty hard lessons along the way, we realize letting go is sometimes the most healthy road for our souls.  That is a very tough call to make, and we support each other if we get to wavering about it.  Letting our kids make their own mistakes is another doozy of a call that warrants support from each other and we have had a thousand conversations about it.   We shared the Equinox adventure and added that to our profile together.  We know how to boost each other up and have never argued.  Even when we disagree, we hold such high respect for each other that we move forward on our paths and always share a happy story to make us chuckle.  No matter what befalls us, Carrie has always been there for me and I hold a ton of comfort knowing she has my back ~  I will always have hers.  I wholeheartedly believe it's basically all about taking turns listening and  being able to let loose of our feelings, concerns, vent once and again without worrying about any repercussions or misunderstanding.  She gets and accepts me and it is reciprocated.  We get the benefit of the doubt.  That is a beautiful thing.

Carrie and John raised  Melissa, Jason and Robert at a tender age and their family values are to be admired for they have grown so beautifully and continue the Mielzynski lineage as they have Vanessa and Joe with them. They know the secret to life is in compassion and their hearts are growing as big as their mom's.  You can see the pride in her eyes as she shares their accomplishments.  John is devoted to her.  She recently turned me on to Duck Dynasty hence we giggle about their escapades yet find the cohesiveness of their lives refreshing especially the ending sit down dinners with the clan.  It reminds us of our Thanksgiving dinners that we shared the last six years.  No matter how busy our personal family life gets, we always have that day to reconnect as one unit.

Her birthday is on Easter this year.  I heard a story about how a white tulip symbolized forgiveness and there is no one on this earth that knows how to forgive than Carrie.  Like the old adage, "be like a duck and let it roll off your back", she constantly inspires me to practice her profound wisdom. She may be much younger than me, but I tell you, Carrie really knows about life from living it. Her resources have helped me in numerous situations to assist others such as the senior exemptions for Uncle Steve and tax and insurance stuff for Dad and my sons.  She can easily start up her own business and now that she is taking time away from all the turmoil in the city and enjoying a more relaxing way of life, perhaps that is just what she will do.  All I know is that I am grateful to have her in my life. 

 

 happy happy happy birthday Carrie xo 

 

 

quack quack 

"where nana?"

 

As Dillan turns 21 months we are amazed at how he is mastering his language skills.  We saw it coming, but now that he clearly understands the world around him, it gets more exciting than ever.  He lets us know what he wants and does not want, which makes things easier around here.  He refers to bunnies as Doo Bee Doo because of a cute little song we found.  Even the box of Trix cereal is doo bee doo.  LOL.  He eats by himself and often likes to feed me, too.  We discovered this adorable site called Shawn the Train that is great at teaching all sorts of things such as colors, shapes, sounds and Baby Einstein is wonderful for teaching music and numbers.  Anything with music is a winner.  When Papi comes home from work they always look out for the moonie. 

Busy busy busy.  We play all day during our Dillan Days and he can build high towers of blocks with ease.  He mimics every sound he can especially cars, airplanes, firetrucks, birds, doggies and we have a little game going with snakes and lions.  He loves to get me to react to all sorts of stuff, and it works.  He shoots out belly laughs when he does.  Peek a boo is still the favorite.  He is beginning to draw and make googles all over paper and is ever so gentle with the Ponti and Thumper.  He pulls out the broom and has me sweep the floor with him.  When I pull out the windex, he is thrilled to perform the task of cleaning windows.  His all time favorite is watching himself in the videos I make of him.  Next week I will pull out videos of his daddy when he was a wee one. 

We are waiting for warm weather so we can resume our daily walks.  Meantime, he listens for the airplanes and birds and geese and mimics their sounds constantly. The cutest story is recently one Saturday morning he woke up and went up to his daddy saying Nana, so Mike asked if he wants a banana and he shook his head no, grabbed his coat and went to the door.  Mama asked him in Lithuanian if he wants to go by Nana and he said yes.  My heart was beaming for a week!  Now he asks where's Papi, Daddy, Mama.  He says Uncle T at cool (school) and calls a cookie ~ keekoo. 

Soon he will have his first haircut and we will miss the little curly Q.  He still plays with puzzles but his latest joy is playing with the plethora of cars and trains.  Mike taught him all the sounds and he makes them as he plays.  There are so many little moments when toddlers come into their own and the best part is being able to understand.  I like when they make their own version of words and am amazed at how quickly they catch on as if they are little parrots.  He waits for his Papi to come home during lunchtime and enjoys every second showing off what he learned.  Like clockwork, he settles down for his nap at 1.  We spend lots of time just looking out the window, snuggling and watching the snow fall, the geese gather in our garden and just telling him stories of when his daddy was little and how his uncles played and all the stuff they did growing up.  Soon we will visit the parks and discover so much more together.  I give him smooches all day for he is filled with lots of love and laughter. 

Our little choo choo, yai ya

 

 

doo bee doo bee doo, you are my sunshine xo