My Most Memorable Thanksgiving Ever

While I love the concept of Thanksgiving - pausing to remember all that we are thankful for, celebrating the discovery of our country - I have to say that Thanksgiving Day in itself is... not my favorite. As non-football watchers and non-fans of turkey, Vic and I agree that it may be our least favorite of all holidays. It's usually cold/gloomy, there's endless football on TV, and everything is CLOSED. BORING.

That being said, Thanksgiving 2010 will go down in history as my most memorable Thanksgiving {and possibly holiday} EVER. It was certainly NOT boring, and we still chuckle about it to this day.

It was our first T-day in NC, and we had been invited to my BIL's house to celebrate with his family. At this time, I was driving the 1999 GMC Yukon that we had inherited from my MIL. It was in great shape with only about 43k miles on it, and it was our only vehicle. I walked out of work on Wednesday evening as one of the last people there {it had been a buzy week!}, and I went out to the truck like I always do. Put the key in, turn it... and nothing. Not a click, not a buzz... nothing. I hadn't left the lights or anything on, so it didn't seem that the battery was the culprit. I called Vic frantically, and we couldn't diagnose anything over the phone.

I went inside to find someone that could give me a ride home, and thankfully my boss at the time, who happens to live in my neighborhood, was able to help me out. She had a little pickup truck, but I was able to squeeze in the back on a jump seat, and she graciously stopped to pick up Valentino at daycare and he rode up front.

Being that our only vehicle was now about 20 miles away from home and we had no friends to call for help, the next morning - a chilly, drizzly, cruddy morning - we were able to get a rental car from one of the agencies at the airport. This involved Vic bundling up and riding his road bike about 12-15 miles up and down hills to get to the airport. Luckily, his bike fit in the back of the 2010 Chevy Malibu and he was able to drive home. At this point, we were still packed and planning on making it to MD for dinner.

With a little bit of research, Vic thought he had the problem diagnosed. Amazingly, Auto Zone was open, so he headed there to pick up the parts he {thought} he needed. Long story short, he drove back out to my office, installed the parts, and the truck still wouldn't start. Obviously, we weren't headed to MD.

Here's where it gets interesting. We didn't want to pay to tow the truck to the garage that Vic wanted to work on the truck, so his idea was to TOW the truck WITH THE MALIBU for about 10 miles - inluding getting on a major highway. I would be driving the Malibu with the truck hooked up to it, and he would be steering/directing me via cell phone. This sounded like a terrible idea, especially because I freeze up in nerve-wracking situations like this << Cue my hyperventalation >> He assured me that it would be fine, and we really had no other choice.

My heart was racing as we drove to my office.

We got the truck hooked up to the car, and off we went. Thank God that RTP was empty - we only saw a handful of cars the whole way. Even though I was a sweaty, nervous wreck, things were going smoothly. We got off the highway and on to a busy road {Glenwood, for you locals}. It was now dark, and I was starting to have a hard time keep my speed right with all the big hills. I had visions of the huge truck rolling over me. We had to turn left to get to the garage - we could see it from where we stood - but I blew it... I passed the turn. This is where it all goes downhill...

Let's also not forget that Valentino is only 3, and he is with me in the car. And it's past his dinner time. He was an angel through this whole experience, thankfully!

We tried to back up, but the tow strap we were using snapped. Vic attempted to fix it, but it was not very strong. We ended up having to turn left at the next light, which took us onto another road. The strap gave up, and our truck was stranded half-way up a hill. Vic and I tried to push it, but it's nearly 6,000lbs and the hill was steep. At this point, a cop shows up. Then another one. I am about to have a nervous breakdown, thinking we're in trouble for some reason {I have a thing about not getting in trouble - I really get nervous about it!}. Thankfully, they're only there to help us push. But even with their help, the beast wasn't budging. So they give up on that, block the road, and allow the truck to roll backwards so that they can then push it forward on to the shoulder of Glenwood Ave. At this point, we can literally see the garage that we're trying to get it to, but we have to somehow get the truck another 1/4 up a hilly road, then turn right and go up another hill to the garage's parking lot.

We had a tow chain with us, so Vic hooked that up and hoped that the bumper of the rental car wouldn't get damaged. We were able to tow the car to the garage, and the saga was over.

At this point though, it was about 7 o'clock on Thanksgiving, and we had no food in the house, since we were supposed to be out of town for the next four days. I frantically called around to find an open restaurant. The only place that was open long enough for us to get there was Golden Corral. So we ended up eating our Thanksgiving dinner at about 8pm at Golden Corral, which was a.) shockingly busy and 2.) quite tasty!  We were beat, but we had a great meal and chuckled the whole time about our crazy day.

Thankfully, the garage was open the next day and they were able to diagnose and fix our truck, so we picked it up and enjoyed the rest of our long weekend together.

And that, my friends, is my most memorable Thanksgiving ever.

FIVE Years - what a ride!

Five years ago today {and on a Wednesday, just like today}, I married my very best friend:

July 11, 2007 - Glen Falls Park, Williamsville, NY: Just married!
{Yes, I'm huge... I can only attribute about 20lbs to being 6.5 months pregnant}

We went on a week-long, sunshine filled honeymoon in San Diego, where we stayed in an amazing oceanside resort - we slept with our balcony door wide open, letting the sea breeze in:

In our room at the Hotel Del Coronado

And went on mini-adventures - the San Diego Zoo, bike riding on Mission Beach and through Downtown San Diego, a drive into the mountains {reaching 4,000ft}, hiking at Point Loma...

On the grounds of the "Del," after a day spent riding bikes in Downtown SD.

Four years ago {July 2008}, and we've begun our adventures as a family of three with the addition of a happy, blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby boy:

Hiking at Akron Falls Park, Akron, NY {Valentino is 7 months old}

Three years ago {July 2009}, we've moved in with his mom to prepare ourselves for a move to NC. Looking back at that summer, although it seemed tough at the time, it was a really great time in our lives together {and our last summer with his mom, rest her soul}, and I'm so glad that we experienced it.

Hiking at Letchworth State Park in Western NY

Two years ago {July 2010} was our first {HOT} summer in NC. We were having a blast getting to know our new town and experiencing the start of our new life, which included new jobs for both of us and full-time preschool for Valentino {the first time he's been away from us!}, as well as many new activities:

4th of July fireworks in Fuquay-Varina, NC {look at Valentino's long curly hair!}

One year ago {July 2011}, we learned a lot about life and what is truly important. It was a rough time, but we stuck together. We were healthy and had each other - which is truly all you need in this life.

4th of July weekend at the beach {our rented Jeep is on the sand in the background!}

So here we are today, having been through so much - birth of a child, loss of two parents, a cross-country{ish} move, job changes, and the normal ups and downs of marriage - but we remain the best of friends and committed to each other, our son, and our family.

May 2012 at North Hills' Beach Music

Here's to many, MANY more years to come. I love you, Vic!

Easter Nostalgia

{This post was meant to be live on Easter, but I forgot... oops.}

I have a love of all holidays, and Easter is no exception.

When I was younger, and my family was more family-like, I remember so many warm and fun Easter Egg hunts and Easter dinners. I distinctly remember certain items that were a staple at Easter - intricate "scene" eggs, butter lambs, bunny cakes with coconut "fur," amazing glazed hams, ambrosia salad - all of which came from the Eastern Market in DT Detroit (Polish people love that market!) or was made by my Grandma and Great Aunt. Some of my fondest memories of Eastertime include our tradition of dying eggs and my Grandparents' house - we always used the BEST egg dye (Ruby's! Anyone else remember those glass bottles w/the bunny head stoppers??), which is not made anymore. My mom and Grandpa would argue over who had the best egg, and we'd dye at least 3 dozen (even though it was just our family of 4 and my Grandma and Grandpa). I remember the smell of the dye and the eggs. Such a dear memory to me.

This year, we dyed eggs on Friday night - Valentino was so excited about it, and he really, really enjoyed himself. I only prepared one dozen eggs - next year there will definitely be more!

Some pics:

Daddy and Valentino dying Easter eggs

Our eggs!

My favorite photographer

Bunny and his dye

Easter day was much like a regular day - Vic had to work. Valentino woke up at 6:20, so Vic was able to see him hunt for his eggs and find his Easter basket (Vic's family always hid their baskets - mine did not, and I had never heard of this!). Valentino was so excited to get his little basket of candy, a chocolate bunny, a new harmonica, and the Elefun game that he'd been asking for.

Vic went to work, so Valentino and I did our normal Sunday errands (grocery shopping) and then we had no less than a dozen additional Easter egg hunts. He would hide the eggs for me, I'd search for them, then we'd switch. This went on for about an hour or two, and by the time we were through, the eggs were seriously cracked and shot! Once Vic got home, we enjoyed a ham dinner and a quiet evening. It was delightful!