Memorial Day Weekend

My good friend Collin invited me to a cookout at the home of two of his good friends. I was a little uneasy with the idea of going to the home of perfect strangers, not knowing anyone... but Collin didn't exactly give me a choice. haha! Later I found out one of my co-workers and his fiance were also to be in attendance, so I did as I was told and showed up with my wine and my appetite.

I had a really great time at the cookout, and met some great people. Collin and I were the last to leave the party, which meant we got to spend some quality time with our host and hostess. What nice people!! The weather was great, the food was fantastic and Collin's friends were amazing.

Today a few of us met up at a local sports bar/restaurant to bid farewell to one of our own, Venus. Her last day with us will be Tuesday, and then she and her family are moving to Rochester. I enjoyed working with her so much... she has a wonderful sense of humor and has a great work ethic. People like that are VERY hard to find.. especially for where I work!

Our store is grossly understaffed, especially in my department.. and with all the changes in management going on now, it is very unlikely we will be getting any new associates to fill the gap. So, not only will I be losing an excellent friend and co-worker but it means I (we) will have even more staffing shortages to deal with. Whoop-dee-do.

Staffing woe's aside... the 5 of us had a great time together over drinks and food. As you can see from the picture, my friend Adam and I got into a small knife fight over the left overs... but thankfully, no one was hurt. :)

This & That

Yesterday my good friend Collin and I decided to get together and have a mini Golden Girls marathon at his apartment. Collin and I became good friends via the Internet, and some how formed a bond over "the girls" as we call them. He purchased the first two seasons of the The Golden Girls on DVD, and we picked some of our favorite episodes to watch... I brought the cheesecake.

It was fun just kicking back, quoting lines from the show, and having side conversations. We noticed little bloopers in the shows that we had never noticed before watching them on tv. Only nerds like us would notice such things.. only nerds like us we even get together for a night of this.. but we are who we are, and we are ok with that. :)

When I came home around 10:45 that night, there was a car in the middle of my street. The running lights were on, but the car was motionless. I thought perhaps the driver was talking to someone standing on the sidewalk whom I couldn't see. As my car approached, this vehicle stayed put. I had to maneuver around it to try and get by without scraping the curb.. since it was diagonal across the road. In passing, I could see no one in the car.

When I got in the house I told my father about the empty car with the lights on. He decided to walk down and have a look. He has more guts that I do... I watch from a distance. 15 minutes later he called the house to say someone was passed out in the car, and he had called the police. I then decided to go and join him so he didn't have to wait for the police alone.. on the sidewalk.. at night.. with a passed out driver.. in a car.. in the middle of the street.

We kept out distance from the car.. preferring to let the police take over. In addition to the driver, there was a little dog in the car. My Dad said the driver must have just passed out... but I pointed out it had to have been a somewhat conscious decision since the car was in park, and the seat was reclined.

The cops finally showed up and woke the driver. We were expecting to see a teenager pop his/her head up, instead it was a late 50's woman... whom I nicknamed "Aunt Fran". She looked like she just came back from Bingo and had a few too many Bud Lights. The officer asked her if she had been drinking, to which she responded, "Are you blind?!?"

She insisted she hadn't had too much to drink, and was not aware she was parked in the middle of the street, blocking traffic. She insisted she had pulled over to the curb, despite the fact that she and the police officer were standing next to her car... in the middle of the road.

I admit, we did stand there on the side walk watching most of this... like typical nosey neighbors. I was more interested in the young policemen (who doesn't love a man in uniform??), while my Dad was too busy getting a laugh out of "Aunt Fran". Finally I decided it was time to go when the real questioning of "Aunt Fran" began. Even if she was a drunk, she deserved her privacy... this wasn't an episode of "COPS" after all.

Since know one was hurt, I can say this was all hilarious to witness... but there certainly was potential for disaster. I guess it just goes to show that you never know what will happen in your neck of the woods.. even in the "quiet" suburbs.

Drinks with the girls!

Last night I had three friends from work over for snacks and drinks. It's always nice when I can have some company over for a few laughs... well, we certainly had plenty of laughs!!

We played the game "Catch Phrase"... look it up if you've never heard of it.. it's a blast at parties and get togethers!! Two of us had played it before, including myself... two of the girls hadn't. Well, they didn't catch on quickly either. We had some hilarious moments, and then put the game away... their brains needed a time out! :)

It's always a nice break out of the drudgery of the everyday to get together with some friends, and just laugh your ass off!! I needed that!!

Good times.. good friends.. makes life.. well, good!

An Inspiration

Yesterday I decided to take a drive out to Hamburg to the Mother House of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph. I felt a visit to my esteemed 4th grade teacher, Sr. Symphronia, was long over due. Sister and I have stayed friends all these years since I was in her class, and have corresponded mostly through letters. I kept saying I was going to drive out and see her, so yesterday I decided to call her up and go.

When I arrived at the Mother House, an aid from the hospital wing where Sister now lives came down to get me (since it's been at least two years since I was last out there, and didn't remember my way). She told me that Sister had been sitting in her doorway (in a wheelchair) waiting for me to arrive... her "former pupil". One of the nurses asked if she wanted to go outside for some fresh air, and Sister promptly told her, "No, I have a date coming to see me.". "Just to give you a heads up", the aid informed me, "she is hoping you'll take her for a walk outside in the wheel chair". That was fine with me.

There she sat, waiting for me. Except for the wheel chair, she looks the same to me as she did back in 1991-1992 when she taught me. She is now celebrating her 67th year in Religious Life, and was in the classroom for 50+ of those years.

She asked if I would take her outside to the grotto of the Blessed Mother, where they have a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, so we could sit, pray and talk. I was more than happy to enjoy the nice afternoon outside, so I told the nurses I was stealing her for a little bit. As we walked past some other nurses and sisters, she made sure to show me off to all passers-by.

We had a great talk, and it was a wonderful treat for me to catch up with her face to face instead of in a letter. She was very interested to hear about my teaching experience, and shared in my eager hopes and prayers to get a job. I also got to learn more about her career as a teacher, learning for the first time that she had been a principal (I'm assuming in the early 60's) at the Church and School where she grew up in Buffalo, Corpus Christi. She had 12 nuns under her as superior of the School and Convent. Laughing, she told me some of the nuns were much older and ready to retire, having "given their best years already in their youth". They used to go into her office to nap, and she (the then principal) would cover their classes! She was always so kind hearted.

She is very happy in her retirement, though wishes she was in better health to be able to physically do more for her community. Because of her health, her motion and energy are limited, but she likes to keep the other sisters company, and she prays... a LOT... for her sisters, her former "pupils" and for the world. I never saw someone so content to be in such constant prayer. I told her that her prayerful contribution was a great gift to the world, and never to think for a second she isn't "doing something" worth wild!

She had a small package to give me... and I had totally forgotten about Sister's gifts. She doesn't have much of her own, but what she has.. she gives. She had a small brown bag with some pens and pencils in it, some sugar free chocolate (she is diabetic), and a small plastic statue of St. Francis. She told me to use whatever I could (figuring a teacher could always use more pens and pencils!), and anything I didn't need or want to "you know what to do".. her code for "throw it away". She was always like that. "Here, you like it? Keep it!". She has so little, and yet gives so much.

It was great to spend the hour and a half with her, and perhaps I will go to see her again in October when the leaves change. She will be celebrating a birthday on September 1st. She never would tell me (or anyone) how old she is. Guessing by the number of years she has been a nun, I'm guess 85, if those 67 years start when she first entered... maybe closer to 90 if they only count the years since their final vows.

Regardless of her age, her face still radiates love and kindness. She was one of the strongest inspirations in my life for wanting to be a teacher. She is the exact opposite of all the mean, hurtful nun jokes and stereotypes. To me, she has always been the personification of the motto of her order's founder, Mother Hilbert: "In all things, charity."