Driving Ms. Daisy

It's hardly a chore to drive Bop around, and just to prove how much fun we've been having here are some of the funny things he's said:
1) When one of his cousins asked him where his father was, (implying where he was laid to rest) Bop replied, " He's in Hudson, you know why he's there? He's dead."
2) As we were driving past a cemetery he said, " Do you want to go see them? Oh no, you missed the turn, oh well, they'll still be there next time."
3) "You drink a lot of water, are you sure there's not vodka in those bottles?"
4) I don't think I'm going to give you back to Kevin, he'll be okay on his own."
5) I told Bop that Kevin is slightly jealous of this trip I am on with his grandfather, and that Kevin would like to take the trip next year... Bop said, " I don't want to travel with Kevin, just you."
There have been so many funny things he's said that I can't even remember them all, but everyday he makes me laugh...
Tonight when talking to my mother in law, Pam, she said she's glad I didn't take this trip with Bop BEFORE Kevin and I were married, otherwise I might not have gone through with it. But I am very grateful to have them as my family now, and even more grateful for my husband who's working hard, and living as a bachelor for the majority of the summer while I enjoy one of his favorite people in his favorite place!

Journey Continued

I. am. so. tired.  This is how I feel about this time everyday (almost 9pm) but it's been worth every ounce of it!  Bop and I completed our BIG roadtrip in South Glens Falls, New York where we had an old-fashioned, yummy spaghetti dinner at Massies Italian restaurant!  Rumor has it that this is the spot he used to love to dine with Lucy, Kevin's grandmother.  The legend is that they would take large pots into the kitchen and fill them up with enough spaghetti for the entire family.  One of the original owners' sons was still there and told me how he had a crush on our beloved Aunt Pat when they were in about 6th grade!  She had no idea, or so she says! :)  After a good night's sleep we were on the road to the Murray Camp (our final destination) via the Adirondack Mountains.  I highly recommend that if you've not made it to this beautiful piece of our country, you do so before you die... it's undescribable!  The weather was alittle yucky, but not enough to stop the Road Warriors!
Once we arrived at camp, it has been nonstop for the most part.. I cook, wash the dishes, get things unpacked, and ready for the rest of the summer visitors who will start arriving this weekend.  Once again, I don't know them all, but Bop does, so I just play along!  I have had some small breaks, and Bop likes to show me new places, so we've taken a ride through Ogdensburg, Morristown, and today we ventured to the mall in Watertown. 
I mentioned in my last post how much I've learned about life on this trip with Bop, mostly, I've learned not to stress... he doesn't stress, so I don't stress.  Or I should say  I don't stress about the minute things I typically have.  I stress about Bop's safety, health, and well-being, but other than that, there's not a worry on my mind!  Camp is a stress-free place to begin with, but Bop makes it even more stress free.  His life has taken him places that most of my family and friends can't fathom, and he's still here, so it just goes to show that hardwork and no stress are the perfect prescription for a long life!

The Journey

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a journey with a special person is worth more than words can say!  I am so glad I am  able to take this journey with Bop! I have learned so much about his life, but also about life in general.  I'm a sucker for a good story, and his is a page turner.  On the road again... Bop and I visited with a few more distant relatives in Hudson, NY Thursday before heading over to Massachussetts to my brother-in-law's house.  The weather has been absolutely perfect for driving and I'm amazed at how green everything on the East Coast is!   It was a huge relief to arrive at the Massachussett Hahn's for a couple of reasons; 1) I got to see my nieces and nephew, 2) We got to sit down and relax, 3) a homecooked meal, and 4) I got the best night of sleep in almost a week, even if I did stay up chatting with Nicole until 1am.  It was a brief, but great visit!
It's alittle after 1am again andI have so much to say about this trip, but it's going to have to wait until we reach our final destination, or I should say, our next destination because with Bop, you never know if you're going to take a turn and see something else!

Jersey, NYC, and Hudson

Where am I? What day is it? What time is it? This is what it feels like when you travel through so  many places and see so many sights in a matter of days.  Getting the life tour of a 95 year old is packed full from early morning to late night.  I haven't stayed up this late, this many days in a row probably since I was in college!  Deep breath... okay, so after leaving Philly, we drove to New Jersey to see where Kevin grew up, and visit some more friends and relatives of Bop!  It wasn't "the Jersey Shore" nor was it "jerseylicious"!  It was like any other small town in America.  Bop gave me the full tour of where he lived in Jersey, where my hubby grew up, went to school, where his daughters got married, and had their receptions.  Then we ended the day by having dinner with another one of Bop's many couins and her husband... it was a Pennsylvania Dutch woman and an Italian man, he wasvery funny!  He was a cross between Larry David and Danny DeVito!
Wednesday was NYC... it was a driving tour since Bop doesn't walk much and I wore him out in Philly. Due to my earlier discomfort with his driving I chose to be the driver and he directed where to go.  It was a great tour, the funniest part of the day was our expensive PitStop!  So my cup of decaf wasn't quite doing it for me that morning, so I decided to stop and get an espresso on our way into the city... then as usual I pounded 2 bottles of water on the road... as we were approaching the Holland Tunnel, I briefly comtemplated pulling over to the LAST gas station to make a pit stop, but it was too difficult to get all the way over to the right (NY drivers are not givng when it comes to squeezing in).  So I figured I could wait... well, after driving around the city for about an hour, I thought we were ready to head out, but Bop was insistent on driving down Broadway... he didn't know they closed it down and we made a few wrong turns. My only option was to pull into a parking garage, ready to pay a hefty fee just to get out and find a bathroom.  It could have been worse, but it was the most expensive pit stop I've ever made... 15 minutes later and $8.00 shorter, RELIEF!
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful... we drove North to Hudson, NY where Bop spent time as a teenager and early gentleman.  We actually stayed at the St. Charles Hotel, which is where Bop used to work in the kitchen! He didn't do the cooking this time though! When I get the time, I will post our self-made video tour of NYC... just the commentary alone is entertaining!

Cheese Steaks and Liberty for All!

Today Bop and I left Allentown and headed to Philadelphia in search of the Liberty Bell and the original cheese steak! 

Pennsylvania Dutch People

Monday we drove to Pennsylvania, Allentown and surrounding areas to be exact.  The entire drive all I kept thinking of was the song, Allentown by Billy Joel.  I asked Bop if he knew the song, he didn't, so we drove into Allentown sans the anthem!  Have you ever driven with a 95 year old man who plays by his own rules, plans with AAA mapbooks, has GPS, but gives you completely different directions, and pays little attention to speed limits?  I'm not saying Bop is a bad driver, I'm just saying my knuckles were white and the "Oh Sh**" handle was my security blanket! I drove most of the way, however Bop did drive for about 2 hours (probably close to 150 miles) and I don't have a scratch on me, neither does the car.  So once I got over my initial discomfort of letting Bop be in control, it was a smooth ride.  I took the wheel back the rest of the day, so I couldn't get many pictures of the places he showed me.  But, I did get to see his grandparents' home, and several others that he lived in as  young child as well as one he helped build.  Then we were off to meet "the cousins".  Have you ever met true PA Dutch  people?  It is quite an experience.  I thought Italians were "fussy" at their loved ones, but the Dutch take a close second.  The average age in the sun porch was probably 70, and I was just grateful my parents raised me with good manners, and the gift of gab.  I know I don't have trouble talking to children, and it's now confirmed I can hold my own in a room full of senior citizens, and I mean that in the nicest way.  The funniest thing I can share about these people is that there are 10 siblings in this family, all but 3 of them still live in Catasaqwa ( not sure how to spell it, let alone pronounce it), and they think that a 30 minute drive is like traveling FAR AWAY!  I just giggled to myself when they asked why we were driving 30 minutes to stay at a hotel.  And of course, they think Bop is crazy for all the driving around he does.  All in all, they were very sweet.  It made me think of what the Brady Bunch might be like today!

A Man Named Bop

When I first met my husband, he told me about 2 things... 1) The St. Lawrence River in upstate New York, and 2) Bop, his grandfather. *not in order of importance* The St. Lawrence River sounded like a beautiful, serene place that I thought to myself, "I hope this guy works out, I'd love to be able to go to THAT place!" Little did I know a year after that I'd be spending a week's vacation every summer in that exact spot! Bop was another story... Kevin told me, "He's 91 and still drives up and down the east coast to visit family and friends, he builds dollhouses,has the latest technology, and does tons of 'projects'; in fact that's who taught me all the handy things I know."  Again, I thought to myself.. "Can this guy be for real? He values his grandfather and HE'S handy!"  Almost 4 years have passed, and I've grown to love Bop as my own 2 grandfathers (RIP).  I enjoy hearing his stories about growing up in the 1900's, living in different places, how to fix things, and most of all, I adore his sense of humor.  To know Bop is to love him! I could go on for days, but I won't, I'll get to my point... So due to some health issues that wouldn't allow his aunt and uncle to spend the summer on the river as they normally do,  I volunteered to drive up there with Bop, so he could still go on his usual summer trip!  I was excited from the day I found out he was excited, the jury is still out on which one of us is more excited!
Bop arrived at our house last Thursday, where we've spent the last 3 days celebrating his 95th birthday and Father's Day.  Tomorrow morning at 6am, we will leave South Carolina and head to Allentown, Pennsylvania where we will visit with 10 of Bop's cousins.  From there, we'll head into Philadelphia for some Philly cheesesteaks and sightseeing on Tuesday.  That's all I know for now.. so check back in a few days to see where we go!

A Teacher's Summer

In 12 years of teaching, this is the first summer I have ever taken completely off, and even still, I feel just as busy as I did all those summers I tutored, waited tables, and nannied!  The first week, I thought I'd go to the gym, and then waste away for the rest of the day with a book by the pool.  That was the case for about 2 days, and then things picked up to a  busy pace again.  What amazes me the most is that I'm still getting up between 5:30-6:00am, in hopes of getting the day going early, however I've found that it's just irrational to start cleaning one's house at 7am in the morning. Afterall, I wouldn't want to wake my neighbors with the vacuum cleaner! So instead, I've caught up on the latest news, finished 2 books, and learned to navigate my new Smartphone which my husband is so excited I now have!
See, I told you in my last post that I'd be busy!
This week I had a bit of time to relax by the pool briefly on Monday, then the week has gone to lightening speed and suddenly yesterday I realized I had the next 24 hours to get my house cleaned, hit the gym, grocery shop, buy party decorations, write a grant, tutor a child (ok, I'm guilty, but I'm just tutoring 1 kid this summer), do laundry, shop for things for my month long vacation, and spend some quality time with my hubby before I leave. 
On Monday, I will be leaving for a month of fun, adventure, and relaxation!  Check back, as I will definitely write about this adventure!

I'm Free!

Last week marked the end of another school year, and the beginning of a totally free summer! For the first time, in 12 years, I am taking the summer off as a true teacher should. Oh but don't be fooled, I'll be busy. My summer vacay started this past weekend as K and I headed to the First Annual Lake Norman Food and Wine Festival to pour wine for our friend, Dobbin's Creek Vineyards. It was a sweltering 90-something degrees, so I wouldn't say it was my favorite wine festival yet! It was a good time as usual, people watching, talking to others who like wine as much as we do. We opted not to return for Sunday's events, rather K finished the built-in bookshelf/entertainment center and rearranged the furniture too! I spent Sunday making this week's "European" menu and shopping for all the yummy ingredients! This week is GREEK WEEK, so our menu is full of flavorful and heart-healthy dishes. I must say this week's menu takes me back 13 years ago to a trip to Greece I will never forget. It was my first European trip and one I'd make again in a heartbeat if I wasn't so responsible. Alas, I can't wait to take a trip like that with K, we must plan for it soon!

So you might be asking, "What are you going to do with all your free time this summer?" I've got plans.... stay tuned....

Try, Try Again

This is my second attempt at a blog. Over a year ago I started one, and then decided with Facebook, it was just ONE MORE thing to keep up with. But I'm back at it again, as I have new goals set and more thoughts than ever so I'm going to give it another try! What's the old saying? If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!



Yesterday I officially closed my tutoring business. Not because it wasn't profitable, it was more profitable than I ever could have imagined, but profit isn't my currency. They say people have different currency they want, and my currency is time, my own time. I loved helping the students, and I am so appreciative of the customers I had, and the opportunities I was given. As with all new adventures, I tried it, discovered it wasn't quite what I wanted, and it's time to move on. Here are the key things I learned from owning a business:

1. Even if you love what you do, it is still work.

2. I like to network, I don't like to "sell myself".

3. My time is more valuable than any amount of cash .

4. I can say NO.

5. Balance is key.

6. Asking for help is necessary.

7. Be flexible with your plans.

8. Accept the things I'm not in control of.

9. Go with your gut, instincts are EVERYTHING.

10. Owning a business is not what I want to do with the rest of my life!



I am most grateful to my loving and supportive husband who believed in me 2 years ago and had the faith that everything would be okay! And here we are 2 years later, everything has been better than okay!



Here's to the next chapter... whatever that may be!