It's time to move on,
It's time to get going,
What lies ahead,
I have no way of knowing.
But under my feet, baby,
grass is growing
It's time to move on,
It's time to get going.
Another winter draws us in to it's clutches, and we have no way to escape. It is almost time to start living inside out, and outside in. The grayness of Ohio is the #1 thing that I seem unable to stop complaining about. It is so invasive, cold- and unwelcoming. I have my plans ahead of me: Cleaning, organizing & restructuring our home.. lots of activities with the kiddos, and lots of pouring over gardening books & magazines, the only places to find sunshine.. The past year has left us spinning further, faster, and more furiously toward the inevitable future... only to somehow remain the same. Business is business, good enough to keep us going, good enough to keep us trying. Still remodeling, both there and here at home. The exterior is the current project on the watch, along with all these other endless loose ends. We were fortunate enough to remodel a space upstairs that is now our very own private Master suite, and not a day goes by that I don't walk in and feel so excited that I want to shriek. I can finally see my backyard, from the second floor. We installed two windows, both overlooking the back yard and almost all of my gardens... and it so just so fabulous and fulfilling to see it. The kids love it, as we now have a TV in our bedroom, and for the first time since I've become a mother, I can finally shower at will. I just shut the bedroom door, tell the kids to stay in our room, plop them on the bed to watch Netflix and VOILA: Mama cleans up. It is the single most valuable change we've made to this house in the past 7 years. Speaking of kiddos... Vinny is incredible, so smart, witty & observant... and so nonstop.. he's finally starting to wear the shoes of the 'big brother' and take interest in Kenzie. Kenzie, is rotten, directly and inevitably in her brothers footsteps, full of life & energy, and also defiance that scares me. I am not prepared to raise my Mothers daughter, and I fear it is coming to me nevertheless. I try to keep a written family journal, which I must add I do rather poorly, but I have added some good tidbits of information this year. Vinny is learning which words are appropriate, inappropriate, and completely off limits, and it is always a comical moment. He is shockingly keen on everything around him, and we find it is rather hard to keep up sometimes. For example, at bedtime the other night, he asks "DaDa, tell me about before I was me.." to which Luke replies, "Well buddy, you were in Mama's belly before you were born..." and he says "No DaDa, tell me about who I was BEFORE I was me.." (!?!?!) Gheesh, how many of us are ready to answer that question, from a 3 year old. He is so very observant that he barely notices himself. We are always joking that he's got to become a sports commentator, radio talk show host, or something similar. The boy NEVER stops. Never stops talking, moving, or asking questions. Just recently Mac started the questioning of "Why?" She asks "why?" relentlessly, as if it is her own way of turning every single thing into a circular and endless thing. She is also full of love, hugs, kisses & apologies for the smallest of offenses. She is also rotten. Oh, wait, I already said that. They are both air guitar junkies, singing musicians, and crazy bootie shakers. It makes my heart happy to drive down the road and look into the rear view mirror, and see them both strumming their bellies, nodding their heads, and singing some of our favorite bands songs. I taught them the Beach Boys "Barbara Ann", simply because it comes directly out of my own childhood, and the trips to Grandma & Grandpa's, in the back of the woody wagon, with the whole family chiming in. My parents must have been gleaming with love & pride listening to that car full of singers. Vinny learns all the words, and Mac mimics the obvious ones perfectly. Even when it makes me cringe, it makes me so happy. His current favorite song is "Anything That's Rock N Roll" ... and there's Mac, always singing "Breakdown" to herself... we go through phases around here.. :) Vinny has already made it through his second guitar, and it's about time for DaDa to really sit down and get him playing on a good quality one- he's about ready.
OK, Big moments of 2011, simply this: we are in our 3rd year owning & operating a pizzeria. Wow. It is NOT easy. Just this month, October, the wonderful state of Ohio is finally selling my favorite, Yuengling lager... the Buckeyes, oh, whoa the troubles, but we will be by them until the end... Vinny got and his 1st bicycle, thanks to some incredible friends of ours, and he loves it. Watching him ride a bike makes my heart so happy and yet so sad, I am not sure how three years has flown through my grasp with such disregard... This year marks the 10th year that Luke & I have spent together, and yet to us, it feels more like we have never lived without each other. Life is good, love is full, and we are truly blessed. Some of my goals for the upcoming year: More date nights, seeing Tom Petty, Jack Johnson & the Black Keys in concert, going to Pittsburgh and watching the Steelers play, seeing Topsail again, Vinny in preschool, mailing more cards to loved ones, continuing my pursuit of incredible gardening, and loving and teaching the incredible & fabulous little monsters that this wonderful Life has allowed me, and seeing them grow bigger, taller, stronger & smarter. My list of good intentions is so far out the window that is is blowing in next season's windows already, but in the meantime, whether I get to it all or not, I certainly feel as if I already have it all right here in my hands & my heart.
