Fall 2013

 

This has been one of the most beautiful falls of my short memory.  We've gotten a lot of rain and the leaves are hanging on to the trees in the most awesome way.  It has also bee a tragic fall in that we lost a good friend.  Jennifer Boccarosa was a friend and sorority sister of Sally's and we had all become friends during college.  The photo of all of us girls at Jeff and Sally's was taken on New Year's Eve 2010.  She had a stroke and passed on November 11th, one month after her 30th birthday.  She leaves behind a young son, Wyatt.  Her funeral was held at Holy Souls on Friday November 15th.  Jennifer was a gifted operatic singer.  She sang Ave Marie at Jeff and Sally and the Short's wedding.  She was a choir teacher at Mt. St. Mary's in Little Rock and her choir and the choir of Holy Souls sang together at her funeral.  It was the most beautiful celebration of a life I've ever heard.  I think she would've been so proud.  I will miss her laugh and her smile most of all, but I am sad mostly for her family, and that she didn't get to see her son grow to be a man.  Following the funeral the Kappa Sigs and Pi Phi's who attended went to Shorty Smalls for lunch.  We laughed and made light of our friendship and love for one another.  I hope she would've approved.

 

Hudson and Holden decided independently that they wanted to be GI Joe's this year for Halloween.  While I would not have chosen the costumes for them, they actually looked very cute in them and they were practical.  We went to a Pumpkin Painting Party at Whitney and Justin's house again this year.  The kids wore black plastic trashbags and painted their pumpkins in the driveway.  They also played a game where they wore shower caps on their heads with shaving cream and tried throwing Cheetos at one another's heads.  Halloween was on a Thursday night this year.  We trick or treated with the Ritter's and the Morris' this year.  The kids had a blast.  We went only to St. Charles Circle and then back to their house for dinner and playing.  I was glad we hadn't been out too much on Halloween.  In my friend LeaAnna's neighborhood there was a woman driving erratically through their small subdivision.  She was drunk and pregnant with two children in the car.  She ran over a woman and a man who tried to stop her. 

 

Generally every month I have a girls night with the AquaMom's.  The picture above is from outside of Sushi Café in Little Rock.  LeaAnna and I were in town for the ArkSHA convention to get our 10 hours of continuing education.  We decided to stay the night in my mom and Pat's condo at 300 3rd Tower and met the girls for dinner.  It was a really fun night.  On the way out LeaAnna got her stun gun out of her purse and 'tested' it.  Then she slept with it beside the bed at the condo.  We attended some really good sessions this year, the best of which involved Passy Muir Valves and Food Chaining Therapy.

 

I also had a Bunko Girls Night Out with Whitney, Cassie, and Dawn.  It was so much fun, Rachel could not join us because she was sick.  We played Bunko and bid on items at the Silent Auction and ate yummy cupcakes and drank Cranberry-Ritas.  It was the most fun I've had in a long time.  We ended up sitting in my driveway talking for another hour.  LeaAnna was working the event which was sponsored by the Junior Auxillary.  I hope they have it again next year!

 

Sports: Hudson played his first season of Soccer this year through the YMCA.  He was on team Thunder.  His coaches were Kurt and Paula Osborne, and his teammates were Connor Osborne, Logan and Lilly Alhers, Sophie Hernandez, Gabe, & Jerry. I think Hudson was the most improved over their short season.  He ended up doing very well and has decided he wants to play basketball through Upward Sports beginning in January.  Whitney and I are going to coach his team.  I love that he is getting into sports.  He's always bouncing a ball or practicing catching.  I love it.  My mom and Pat even let us have Drew's old basketball goal!

 

We went to the Kivell's Halloween Party/Jessica's 27th birthday this year.  It was at my mom and Pat's condo in the party room this year so it only lasted until 12am and everyone was on their best behavior.  They are a very creative bunch.  The Stiedle's also had a Halloween party the following night but we weren't able to do both parties this year.  Jason and I went as Ron Burgandy and Veronica Corningstone from the movie Anchorman.  Anchorman II comes out in December and Jason cannot wait to see it!

ENTER THIS DESERTED HOUSE



But please walk softly as you do.
Frogs dwell here and crickets too.

Ain't no ceiling, only blue
Jays dwell here and sunbeams too.

Floors are flowers--take a few.
Ferns grow here and daisies too.

Whoosh, swoosh--too-whit, too-woo,
Bats dwell here and hoot owls too.

Ha-ha-ha, hee-hee, hoo-hoooo,
Gnomes dwell here and goblins too.

And my child, I thought ou knew
I dwell here...and so do you.