Merry Christmas To All!

The holiday season came way too fast this year and with the house still not 100% complete, we were just putting up our decorations this past weekend! But now that it is Christmas Eve, I have some time to let all of our family and friends how we are doing.
Most importantly, my mom is actually doing fine. Thanksgiving wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I'm suspecting tomorrow may be a little tougher, but all in all, we are all doing fine. My dad is still here in spirit and his memory keeps us all laughing and smiling.
Samantha is doing great!! Crew winter training is in full swing and she is working out 5 days a week, plus 3 days of karate. By the time spring rolls around, she'll be rowing like a fiend. She is doing well in school and waiting to hear about whether she has been accepted to Holy Trinity High School. She will hear in mid-January.
Frank is doing fine. He hasn't been running, as he has a minor heart condition - don't ask me the medical term, but his heart basically has some electronic abnormality and he will be having an 'ablation' procedure at the end of January to basically 'kill' the extra nerves that are firing off. He's been frustrated about his inability to run, so he is looking forward to this and hoping that he will be back to normal. Other than that, he's been continuing to keep the construction workers in line.
I am also doing well. I was surprised this year by being nominated and winning a very prestigious award at work called the "Spirit Award". About 25 people win this within Canon, Inc. (internationally) and we will be getting a 3-day trip to NYC in January (I wish it was somewhere warm!) and then being 'presented' at an International Managers Meeting dinner. Canon has been affected by the economy, but not as badly as other companies. We still had a Christmas party, still got a bonus and still got raises for next year - thank goodness for small favors. I am very much involved in strategic planning for next year and we are really watching the economy and trying to make sure that we weather the storm. I also got to do some more performing at Holy Trinity - we got a small group together and sang at their Christmas concert. I was actually the Musical Director. We only had 3 rehearsals and some people only had 1, but the group pulled it out and sounded great. You can check it out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dzHMYN2M9w
The house is a few weeks away from being 100% done! Hallelujah. The upstairs is almost done - just needs a bit of painting and the downstairs is also close to the end - again, just some trim work and painting. It's been over a year, but it was well worth it....now you can come stay in the "Mill Hill Rd. Inn".
I hope that you are reading this in good spirits and good health. Hopefully, the economy hasn't hit you too hard. Let's all hope that Obama can fix the mess and next year we will see a great turnaround.

Merry Christmas to All and Happy New Year!!!

My Dad

As many of you know, we moved back to NY in 2005 to help my parents, as my dad had a minor stroke and didn't want my mom taking care of him and the house by herself. In case you haven't heard (most of you reading this already know), my dad passed away 1 week ago today on Monday, Sept. 22. Even though we were aware that his time was coming soon, the suddenness and quickness of the event took us all by surprise.
The night before we had gone into NYC to have dinner with old family friends that we haven't seen in over 30 years and my 2 nieces who live in NYC joined us. Everyone had a great time and my dad was very happy (the picture here was taken during dinner). As he was getting ready for bed, my mom left him for a few minutes and as he bent down in his wheelchair to loosen his shoes, he fell forward out of his chair. He has fallen many times, so Frank picked him up and he seemed fine. He did develop a bump on his head, but has had one before so we didn't think anything of it. After sleeping for a few hours, he woke up and sat up in bed, then told my mom he felt dizzy (not uncommon for him). He laid down and those were his last conscious moments. He was in the hospital all day Sunday, but we were warned very early on that he had alot of bleeding in his brain and that things did not look good. His health situation didn't help matters. Since he was on kidney dialysis for so long, his platelets were very low, which allowed the blood to flow more quickly than normal. The doctors showed us evidence that he had a massive stroke, although they do not know if the fall had anything to do with it.
He had a wonderful last night and died peacefully, quickly and had no pain, which was probably the best thing for everyone. My mom was glad for that, because she knew that he would not have wanted to be conscious, but without his faculties.
The wake was on Wednesday at our home. I had never heard of this before, but the funeral home was not surprised at the request. It actually was very nice and made my mother very happy that he could be home again for a little while. The funeral mass was on Thursday and everything went perfectly. Each of the grandchildren read and I sang "Good-bye My Friend". I have loved this song ever since I've heard it (written by Carole King and recorded by Linda Rondstadt), but never thought I would sing it for my dad. I didn't tell anyone the name of the song until they read it in the program. No one was quite sure that I could make it through - even the musical director of the church warned me, but I was determined. Afterwards my mom said that it was great and that she didn't think I would make it through, but I did.
We are physically and mentally drained and now trying to get back to some normalcy (I'm going to go back to work tomorrow). My mom said yesterday that she doesn't understand how she had so much energy to take care of my dad when he was alive and now she feels so tired! I told her that it is completely normal and that she would slowly get her energy back again.
I don't know how to end this other than to say that I know that my dad is meeting Paul Newman and they are having a party up in heaven!

A Great Start to the School Year

Last year, Samantha was accepted into the Jr. National Honor Society and we were very happy and proud. How can she top that? This year, in Eighth Grade, they were given a placement test for Science and Math. 3 sections were going to be formed - Math A (advanced), Math B (grade-level) and Regents. The Regents class is basically the "top", as they will be taking New York State Regents courses and if they pass, they would not have to take the test as a Freshman in high school and would likely be placed in an AP class freshman year. Since Science is Samantha's favorite, she really wanted to get into the Science Regents class, but didn't think she would get into the Math one. Well, the results are in and she has made it into both!!! She is a little nervous about the Math Regents course, but the teachers are confident that she can do it. She's very happy about Science Regents, as they will be going to the high school to use their labs!!!! We are very proud of her accomplishments and sure that this will be another stellar year.

Construction Zone!

In case you weren't aware, our house has been undergoing major construction since last November! The attic space over the garage is being transformed into 3 bedrooms and bath, new roof, new exterior siding, kitchen is being completely overhauled, 2nd bathroom going in downstairs, elevator going in for my dad and my parents closet/bathroom area is being extended and redone. The bathroom extension is adding another outdoor patio space and Frank is planning on putting a hot tub out there next year!!!

As of today, the bedrooms and 2 bathrooms are done. Elevator is in and working - makes it alot easier with my dad. Now we don't have to take him outside in the rain or snow just to get in the car!! My parents' bathroom is almost done - hopefully this week. The kitchen will hopefully be done within the next 2 weeks - not soon enough, as we've been without a kitchen for the last 2 months!!!! The outside of the house is 90% done, but it's just been raining so much! We think it'll be completely done by the end of October. Hallelujah! I'll post pictures as soon as I can.

Ann-Marie: On the Stage Again!

It's been quite sometime since I've been on the stage, so I took the opportunity to be part of my high school's ALUMinate Theater group this year. Last year was the first year and of course, my schedule just didn't allow me to partake, so I made it a point to join up this year. It's a group of alumni that put on a little 'variety' show of sorts - songs, dances and scenes from shows that have been done during the 40 yr. history of the school. Since is was my first year, I just did some large group numbers, but hopefully next year I can do a little more. If you're in town next summer - most likely mid-July, I'll save you a ticket!!!

Samantha Starts Crew!!!!

This summer, Samantha decided to try crew. Since we live to close to the water, there happens to be a Crew club called Sagamore Rowing in town. She took a week-long "Learn to Row" program in August and fell in love with it. The instructor said she did really well and suggested she join the club. So, now she's rowing twice a week with a Jr. High age group (6th, 7th and 8th grades). Each practice is 3 hrs. long, so she's getting a good workout!!! Here are some pics Frank took with his new Canon 40D!!!!