Party On

It's Sunday and I'm back. For now.
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Haven't had the urge or stamina to blog as I have been totally focused on CJ's impending departure and my horrific phantom pain. Between the two, sitting down to type more than 2 coherent sentences seemed like an insurmountable goal.
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But after this weekend and the GREATEST PRE-DEPLOYMENT PARTY a mom could ask for for her son, I just HAD to blog.
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The party was Saturday and it was amazing....for soooo many reasons.
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-The weather cooperated which in New England means that although it was freezing, it was bright and sunny and DIDN'T SNOW.
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-The hall was perfect and easy to fine. It was roomy enough for everyone to sit or wander around. Yes, it was the smokiest room I've encountered in a long time but what American Legion Hall isn't? (Kudos to John for running to CVS to buy them out of Lysol!)
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-The food was BEYOND plentiful!! I'm serious. We had enough food to feed the entire Air Force! No one went hungry. And my diet bit the big one in about the first five minutes. But I don't regret it at all. It was all so yummy!! :)
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-Almost every person that RSVP'd came. We had approx. 100 people gather to show their support for CJ. It truly reminded us all how blessed he is. People came from all walks of his life....family friends, work friends, high school friends, new friends, old friends. It warmed my heart to see my son interact with each and every person that arrived.
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-But by and large, the highlight of the ENTIRE DAY was the arrival of CJ's 9 year old, chronically ill pen pal Charlie....all the way from California!!! And CJ had NO IDEA Charlie was coming!! How cool is that???
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Charlie and CJ have been pen pals (pen pals that have never met in person) for several years. Charlie's mom Dayna is a fellow blogger which is how Charlie and CJ connected. CJ and Charlie have exchanged letters and phone calls but have never had an opportunity to meet...until now. And it was all a HUGE surprise for the guest of honor!

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CJ had really hoped that Charlie and his family could come to his going away party but was told by us and them that it was just too far and too expensive to get them here. HA!! It was all a big ruse!! Plans had been in the works for weeks and I was brimming with excitement. Because of crazy schedules, Dayna (Charlie's mom) couldn't make it. She stayed home with Charlie's brother and sister and sent Brian (Charlie's Dad) in her place.

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They flew in late Friday night and flew back on Sunday. Can you say WHIRLWIND TRIP???

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It was awesome to have them here....TRULY AND UNEQUIVOCALLY AWESOME. The moment Charlie snuck up and surprised CJ was a moment I won't soon forget. I don't think there was a dry eye in the hall...including CJ's. Those two hugged and hugged and hugged some more. It was a Hallmark moment.

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Charlie is a delight and MADE CJ's day. I don't think CJ (or Charlie) stopped smiling all afternoon. And Charlie's dad Brian? AMAZING!!! We all LOVED him. He's funny and charming and entertaining. I told Dayna when I spoke to her later that day, that if you didn't know that Brian had never met anyone in that room, you would have thought he was a life long friend. It really was that fantastic.

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Tons of pics to share in no particular order.

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Wish you ALL could have been there. Hope these pics give you some idea of how much fun we had. :)

CJ surrounded by Nanny (John's mom), Uncle Brian (John's brother), Auntie Jen (John's sister) and cousins Gabby and Ethan. Jen and kids drove all the way from NYC to say goodbye to CJ.

CJ loves little Sarah....a lot.

The moment CJ met Brian. That hand shake was special for them both. It also quickly turned into a hug.
THE MOMENT. This picture melts my heart.
CJ, Auntie Jen and Gabby. This was taken at the very end of the night.

Can you tell CJ adores his Aunt Jen??
Lots of kids helped make CJ's day special. My mom had the foresight to set up a kid's table with coloring books and playdoh. Great idea Mom!! :)
Connor and my beautiful niece Sarah.
Connor sat and entertained Sarah as she created with Playdoh.

I love her smile!!! She's SMI-A-LIN!!!

What kind of Auntie would I be if I DIDN'T give her sugar filled treats???

I adore my brother as much as I adore my adorable niece.

Our mom and her two most favorite kids.

(Ok, we are her ONLY kids but we're still her favs!)

CJ and Charlie. Love this pic.

After the party, some of us went back to my mom's house to decompress. CJ and Charlie (that's Charlie's dad Brian in the white shirt) took the opportunity to share an MRE (Meal, Ready to eat). Not sure Charlie loved it all but I think he had fun sharing it with his hero!

Couldn't take enough pics of these two.

Guess my statement above is pretty obvious, huh? :)

Another pic of CJ with John's side of the family.

Connor and Sarah sharing some snuggle time. I LOVE this pic.

The hall.

Sandy and Maureen - two of my best friends from high school. Love them both. :)

Our two special California guests.

My Dad (on the left) with two of his long time friends.

Can you tell my brother LOVES being a Dad?

Qway was a guest too!! And yes, I stole her as much as I could!! :)

We missed Sarah's 2nd bday last weekend so we brought her Build-A-Bear bunny to CJ's party. How cute is she?

I am so thrilled that my two boys love each other as much as they do.

My family. My parents may not be married anymore but they remain good friends. We are all blessed to have each other.

One more pic of the three of us.

Mr. Charlie huddled by the heater. This California kid was cold!!! ;)

Four of my most favorite people - friends from Maine that made the trip to help us celebrate. Left to right: Ryan (Blender Kimmy aka my BFF's husband), Chuck, Donna and Laura.

My mom was the driving force behind this party both physically and financially. She did an amazing job and deserves an enormous round of applause for her efforts. CJ is very lucky he has a Grammie that loves him like she does.

CJ and Charlie spent a lot of time talking. It was a special time for them both.

See CJ's smile? It lasted all night.

The talking never ended. :)

This is a 47 second video of the MOMENT CJ met Charlie.

It makes me teary each time I watch it. Grab a tissue, you just might need it.

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(Just a reminder: Still time to enter the contest for the throw pillows. Contest will end Wednesday night at midnight. Enter as many times as you'd like on the post below)

This Contest Will "Throw" You!

Here's the deal...
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We are down to the last 8 days til CJ leaves and I am MORE unfocused and rattled than ever before.
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So I'm not sure if I'm going to be blogging everyday. Or every few days. Or anytime at all until he leaves.
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Then again, I might. Hell, I might even blog 4 times per day. Ok, that's doubtful but anything's possible at this point.
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Because I have no idea what this week holds and when I'll be back, I'm dropping yet another kick ass contest on y'all.
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Because I can. And because I thought it would help soothe the pain y'all will be experiencing due to my absence. Cuz I KNOW y'all will miss me. Right??? RIGHT????
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This contest is for 2 of the COOLEST, most UNIQUE, simply AWESOME throw pillows I have ever seen. And they retail for $200.00!!! Seriously, they do!!

They are custom made out of wool felt and wool suiting in an orange and striped upholstery fabric. Each appliqued pillow is 18x18 with hypo-allergenic inserts and hidden zipper closures.

These amazing pillows were donated by BROKESY, an incredibly talented and very creative crafter. Her ETSY shop is full of really fun, really UNIQUE items. The pillows were donated for my fundraiser but arrived after it was already underway.

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I've held on to them (packed away in the box they arrived) cuz quite honestly, I REALLY WANT TO KEEP THEM. They are totally funky and totally awesome. And I truly think they would look outstanding on my couch.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah...I KNOW they are probably meant to reside on the bed of a monster loving kiddo cuz every kid that's seen them thinks they are RADICAL!!

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But they speak to me and would make a kick ass conversation piece on a family room couch. Plus, the colors would look great in my house!!

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But after much thought and much guilt (for even CONSIDERING keeping them) I decided they needed to be given away. Cuz that's what BROKESY intended when she donated them.

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So giving them away, I am.

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Here's the skinny on the contest:

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Because these pillows are totally UNIQUE and totally COOL, I want those of you interested in winning them (cuz probably not everyone is) to tell me something unique or cool about you.

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Yep, I want to know what makes YOU unique. What makes YOU cool.

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Pretty easy, huh?

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You can enter AS MANY TIMES AS YOU'D LIKE. Seriously, as many times as you care to enter. Want to increase your chance to win? Enter A LOT. Don't really care if you win? Enter just once. Up to you.

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Each entry MUST BE IT'S OWN COMMENT.

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Each entry MUST be something unique or cool about you.

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Probably not that hard cuz we ALL have multiple things that make us unique and/or cool.

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Me? I have a toe shaped like E.T. Pretty unique, huh?

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But as I've already established, I can't keep these pillows so my freaky toe isn't all that helpful now is it??

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Contest will run for AT LEAST one week. Which means you can post a bunch of comments all at once or come back periodically over the next week and keep adding new comments. Hell, post ONE MILLION comments if you REALLY want to win!! (Winner to be selected by the all great, all mighty, handy, dandy random number generator thingy.)

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Even if I do come back and blog another day, I will remind you that you can continue to come to THIS POST and enter.

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Can't wait to learn all kinds of cool and unique facts about each and everyone of you.

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And can't wait to discover who gets to call these two KICK ASS pillows their very own!!

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Happy contesting!!!!

Time Sure Flies!!!

Seems like just yesterday she was teeny, tiny and toothless.

And I SWEAR it was just yesterday that she turned one year old.

But it WASN'T just yesterday.

Cuz TODAY, this little lady turns TWO YEARS OLD!

Happy 2nd Birthday Sarah!

Auntie Hallie loves you SOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!

Let The Fragging Commence

*Had the horror pleasure yesterday of being WAY TOO CLOSE to a VERY SERIOUS SMOKER. The kind of smoker who MUST be smoking a GAZILLION cigarettes each day. Cuz this person smelled like he was standing in a chimney...a chimney full of freshly lit butts. (Ever wonder why cigs are alternately called butts? Perhaps cuz they smell like tushie?) The smell was horrid. And seemed to be oozing out of every one of his pores. It was gross. And repulsive. And made ME (a non smoker) want to take a shower. How much DOES someone have to smoke for others to smell him/her long before they enter your office?

*There is an old piece of scotch tape on the doorknob to the Ladies room at my office. And although I KNOW this same piece of tape has been adhered to that knob for quite awhile (long enough to make it impossible to peel off) I STILL panic momentarily every time my palm comes in contact with it. Cuz for a brief moment EVERY TIME I TOUCH THAT KNOB, I'm convinced it's fecal matter. And I get skeeved out all over again. And yes, this IS a daily occurrence.

I am THIS tired. And by this, I mean the kind of tired that the above baby is experiencing. Between dieting (someone PLEASE invent a carb free Hostess cupcake), exercising (could the mile be made shorter PLEASE) and stress (stress....what stress?), I'm not sleeping. Which I have mentioned before. And when I DO sleep, it's not restful. Which means I'm exhausted all the time. SOOOO exhausted that my first thought when I saw this picture was, "Wow, that really looks comfortable." Sad, huh? Anyone have an extra sneaker I could borrow?

*Except for Modern Family, Cougar Town and Glee, I would rather watch reruns of Seinfeld, Friends and Will & Grace than ANYTHING else currently on the TV. And I do mean anything. They sure don't make shows like they used to!! (Can't believe I just said that. How freakin' old am I? Oh right, I'm ALMOST 40!!)

This might just be the MOST HONEST poster I've ever seen.

Words To Live By

When I was 5 years old, my mom told me that happiness was the key to life.

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When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

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I wrote down “happy.”

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They told ME I didn’t understand the assignment.

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I told THEM they didn’t understand life.

Is It Just Me or....Week 12!

Is it just me or....is this guy handsome to the nth degree? I mean, seriously...not just anyone can pull this off. Implanted head horns are NOT an easy accessory to be sportin'. And as a bonus, if the lights go out and you need to FIND YOUR MAN, how easy would that be? Just stick your hands out and find the "horny" guy!! (Oh wait, that could be potentially awkward. Ah, what the hell...feel for the horns!)

Is it just me or...is dieting miserable to the nth degree? If you say no, you're stoned. To the nth degree. Cuz there's NOTHING fun about depriving your body of all the yummy (see Hostess), delicious (see Pepperidge Farm) and delectable (see ANY cake of ANY kind) carb filled products this land has to offer. Nope, there isn't. (Can someone pass me a Thin Mint? Or 7?)

Is it just me or...is running exhausting to the nth degree? And no, I'm not asking all you runners out there. Cuz I KNOW you LOVE running. Love, love, LOVE running mile after mile. But for those of us that consider running only a necessity if the ice cream truck drives away before you run inside and grab your change jar, it's FRIGGIN' EXHAUSTING. Yet, I will keep at it. Cuz I'm stubborn to the nth degree.

Is it just me or...is the small black crow like bird BRILLIANT to the nth degree? If you can "fly like an eagle" (cue Steve Miller) without actually ruffling a single feather, why wouldn't you? Hell, if I could run without taking a single step, I'd PUFFY HEART RUNNING ALL THE TIME!! (Anyone want to give me a piggy back ride while THEY run? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Is this thing on???)

Is it just me or...is it kind of pathetic and kind of endearing at the same time that we actually try to be considerate of Connor's snake and his eating habits? Probably more on the pathetic side but we do it nonetheless. I mean, we ALL have our weird quirks when it comes to eating. So it's not like it's really all that odd that Diablo doesn't appear to like fast, jerky movements outside of his tank as he "stalks" the already "dead as a doornail" mouse. Who knows? Maybe jerky movements mean danger to his rather small snake brain. Isn't the bigger issue the fact that he appears to actually think he's killing the "very still" rodent? :)
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Now it's YOUR turn.

RULES

Throw together a list of all those things you think in your head...all those things that make you wonder "Am I the ONLY one that thinks this???" (Hence the "IS IT JUST ME OR..." title!!) All those things that you just KNOW others wonder about but never say!!!

Things you need to know to get started:
*Put together your list. (Can't wait to see what you come up with each week!)

*Mention my blog and link to my current edition of "IS IT JUST ME OR...."
*Hop on back over here and add the link to YOUR entry to the MckLinky list at the bottom of my post.


And while you're here, why not grab my new button and slap it onto your post! That way, if people click on it, they will be transported over here to the Wonderful World of Wieners. And who doesn't want to be transported to a world full of wieners? (The code to the button is at the top of the right hand column.)

Have fun and get linking!!! And don't forget to click over and visit those brave bloggers who linked up!! Tell them Hallie sent you!!