Sunday, December 24, 2017

Cardigan Lodge and Winning and Losing

October 9, 2017  Columbus Day

    Well, boys, we just finished a very fun weekend together, one that I hope will bring your future memories of all of us together, having such laughs!!  The Cardigan Lodge Adventure (when I became the Cardigan Lodge bully towards some of those bratty kids running around, drinking hot chocolate on top of coffee tables-what a madhouse dinner was!)
    Between March and October, we have had some fun times, memorable ones, but I have not been writing about them.  Early in the summer we went to Battis Farm to swim with life jackets and rafts, also Veronica came, too. In April, we dedicated your Grandpa's tree down at Bartlett Mall with Uncle Don, had dinner again at Lexie's afterwards.  In July also we spent a night at Uncle Don's 4th of July. I especially liked staying up late with you both and talking with Auntie Kim (the other one, married to Uncle Don) Our topic was ticks.  You guys were worried about them since we found some on our floats when we brought them up from Uncle Don's beach!
    Also saw you in September, we had the walk for Ovarian Cancer, and we spent that day together with your dad and girlfriend #3,642.  We are calling her September, then Autumn, and if she makes it to Thanksgiving, we can call her Vio , her real name. :-)  She is awfully nice.  I hope it works out.  But clearly you both are at the top of your dad's love interests, let me tell you.  He gets such a kick out of you both, your senses of humor, creative minds, you both have the dry wit and the humor we K's feed off of!  Your mom does, too, so you got it from both sides! :-)
    Anyway, we hung out here Saturday pm after I took you out to Marshalls shopping for hiking boots, nylon pants and jackets, and then to Children's Orchid for rain jackets.  We hit the jackpot as far as clothes that you both liked, that fit, that worked for the hiking trip to satisfy Uncle Joe's (Captain Safety) anxiety about improper clothing and footwear.  As it turned out, sneakers and shorts would have been find since it was 78 degrees out, and some Chinese lady climbed the mountain with a red dress on!  That was pretty amazing.  Always best to be safe than sorry though.  And I enjoyed our shopping trip!
   The ride up was fun.  We talked a lot, and then after the hike, we had an adventure trying to find the lodge since it was on the other side of the mountain.  Uncle Joe had his grouchy pants on. It is never fun to be lost with him and much worse when his GPS has no signal out in the boonies.  We had to find the lodge the old fashioned way since we had no map in your dad's car,  by stopping and asking directions.  He stopped in three convenience stores and I went in each time and talked with various types including hillbillies that never heard of Cardigan Lodge nor of the town of Alexandria.  One guy at the deli headed us in the right direction and then we kept stopping and asking in case we were going the wrong way, if it turned out that guy in the deli really didn't know what he was talking about.  The GPS finally picked up a signal at hillbilly outpost #3 and we were off and running, in time to hang out on the deck and drink hot chocolate and read the Globe.  It was so warm out, some kids were swimming in the pond right next to the lodge!  Some other people were having a grand time drinking beer and eating snacks, wine, etc, while we watched them with our crappy hot chocolates that tasted like water since the machine ran out of chocolate.  Finally, the lodge staff put snacks out which were quite delicious and we sat down for dinner an hour later.  You guys first played Catch with Uncle Joe and your dad.  After the insanely loud dinner when the five of his hid quietly in the corner, shell shocked, we went to the presentation about animal tracking.  But the guy spent more time talking about himself so we ditched that and went with the ghost stories in bed.  I had selected a few stories to read in the dark with a flashlight.  Your dad kept snoring during them!  We were cracking up.
     Your dad and I got into a silly fit about a lost girl when someone knocked on our door thinking she was in our room (???)  which was weird, and then in the middle of the night he tried to lock me out of the room when I went to the bathroom.  We got hysterical about that.  Uncle Joe was the only one who heard that commotion.  And then I let out a foghorn fart which set off more uncontrollable giggles.  Oh my god!  My sides actually hurt.  In the morning, we told you guys about it and Noah taped the conversation with me cacking like a hyena and doing fart sound effects.  I hope you are both proud of your mature aunt!  (LOL!)
    After breakfast, we played a game with some kids there and I had to tell a couple of them to behave.  But then everybody seemed calm and to be enjoying the game, despite not winning which is still too big of a deal for one of you, especially!  Dylan felt like the girls were on Noah's side against him, but anyway, we sure had fun.  More talking on the ride home, and you feel asleep with the stuffed beaver and fox souvenirs.  Too dam cute, the both of you!
Love you to pieces,
Auntie Kim

PS Later same night...  I think I know where your competitevess and being hard on yourself comes from.  I played Bridge after writing last entry and my mind was a bit distracted, was feeling sad that the weekend with you all was over, worried about upcoming CT scan and my anxiety skyrocketed.  When I'm anxious, I do not do well playing cards and lose concentration.  I made several really stupid mistakes and I was so embarrassed!  At the end of the game, I went to my car and cried like a baby before I drove home.  How pathetic is that?  I mostly cried because I was sad on top of worried, but losing, especially on account of being so scatterbrained did not help matters.  Usually, me and my Monday night parter, John do quite well, often winning or placing at least.  Oh well, you can NOT win them all!  Nobody else would want to play games at all if they didn't at least win sometimes, right? :-)

Playing Dixit on Wacky Wednesday

March 29, 2017

 Another Wacky Wednesday!  We played outside with the dogs.  Ruby (well, she doesn't play, but is happy to be outside with us)  Freddy, same thing, Carlos and Miguel, my friend Judy's dog. It was raw but not raining.  Still snow piles around in the yard.   We went inside to play a game I bought for us called "Dixit."  Of course, Dylan made a wisecrack "Dixit! It has a swear in it!"  and had to show me the gesture as if I didn't know what a dick was.  Twice we played, just four of us since Uncle Joe was en route from Dallas.  It is cool how creative you both were with your thinking for this game.  It was fun. Then we voted on dinner out at Lexi's, my treat, but it was packed so we went to Angie's and played a game of sorts there.  I suggested we take turns telling what our strengths and weaknesses are. We took turns telling each other what theirs were, too.  I remember most, but am too tired.  Just wanted to write brief note fore I hit the hay.  Such and enjoyable evening.  Love you boys, all three of ya!
     Oh, and after Uncle Joe got back, we watched the Carbonara Effect, a funny show about a magician who plays tricks on people and films them using a secret camera

Food and Book Choices

Feb 19, 2017

     Had another Wacky Wednesday with you two and your dad this week.  You had a crazy week with snow storms and not much school.  You and your dad and Uncle Joe had a snowball fight.  I tried to sneak pictures from kitchen window, hoping to catch the first crying face.  I promised something red to eat for dinner, in honor of St. Valentine's Day, which was going to be Papa Gino's pizza but then your dad said Dylan doesn't like pizza any more!!?  But he asked if we could go back to Lexie's so we did.  It was busy so se got take-out.  In the meantime we waited tin the Children's Room of the Library.  They had a table you could color with dry erase markers which was quite fun.  I picked out a couple of books to see if I could hook Noah into something to read. He picked out a zombie one so we got it out and took turns reading aloud (me and Noah)  while Dylan was being Mr. goofball hading under the coffee table and scaring me.
    Next Saturday, I am babysitting so we are doing an overnight.  And now I have a list of food you like that I got from your mother  I'll copy and post it on the kitchen cabinet, so no more complaints about my crappy Greek Stifado stew or sweet potato gratin.  Haddock in the one thing you both like, Chines chicken with Ah-so space (my Chinese chicken was a disappointment since it wasn't Ah-so sauce..it wsa Kung Pao).  You were both sulking since I think you were expecting Adam's special sauce I heard about.  Oh, well!  Rice pilaf is another favorite.  And Lexi hamburgers.

Wacky Wednesday

Jan 5, 2017

Well, we had a lot of fun yesterday spending time together at our house for Wacky Wednesday.  Your dad and I agreed to shoot for every other Weds to get together, at the very least.  Time manages to slip by otherwise.  When you arrived, it was light enough and warm enough to play outside.  You and Uncle Joe and your dad played football together while I played Fetch with Carlos, Molly and Addy (two visiting Boston Terriers) and Freddie wandered and sniffed, Ruby moped around waiting for dinner.  I walked past Dylan one moment while he was sitting on the swing chair with his feet on the big red ball.  He says with a smile, "Sometimes life just feels good!"  How cute is that?  After it got darker, we went in and talked in the living room, shared a few stories and then the 3 of us played one and a half rounds of Guesstures which got off on a silly track.  Then your dad went out for Chinese takeout since I wasn't cooking nor was anyone else apparently and we got silly after we ate, pretend talking Chinese.  (I was the worst one)  Oh, earlier you both entertained us with 8,000 "yo Momma" jokes from South Park.  Yikes!  Your both have memories like steal traps!  You must have inherited your great grandfather K's gene!
    We also had a great time on Friday. You stayed over night(still 2016) and your dad went to work with Freddy on Friday.  We took you both to Woodsom Farm to walk new trail along ridge.  It had snowed and iced up on trees overnight so it was beautiful in the woods.  Uncle Joe took a ton of pictures.  I posted on Camp K Dogs Facebook page.
     Also we went to dinner at Lexi's.  They gave you guys paper and crayons to draw.  Noah turned his in and they put it on the the wall with other kids' work.  His was quite colorful and artistic while Dylan's was goofier and all in one color.

Christmas 2016 post Chemotherapy

Dec 27, 2016

Dear Noah and Dylan,

Well, honey moley, it's been quite the six months since I last wrote!  Little did I know, at the time of my last entry here, I was sick with stage 4 Ovarian Cancer.  It is a silent, nasty disease.  Fluid had accumulated in my lung cavity (3 liters!) and another liter in my abdomen.  I had NO IDEA!   I only knew my upper stomach area felt funny sometimes and I thought I had gastritis.  Too long a story for this journal but I've now been through six chemo treatments, MAJOR surgery where they took out my reproductive organs (good for nothin anyway) my appendix, part of my colon, my omentum and used a basic knife on my diaphragm to cauterize some cancerous nodules.  Found no lymph nodes affected.
    I had my last chemo two and half weeks ago.  My hair starting to grow back but I still look like Uncle Fester.  I do have to go to Mass General in Boston today to have my surgical incision treated again.  It has the two fatty bumps that won't go away, called hyper granulation.  Healing was extremely slow because I was on chemo.  Had to use a wound vacuum for two weeks at one point.  That was a pain in the ass.  But being on chemo did not stop me from enjoying time with you guys, playing (and winning) bocci ball tournaments (he, he) and other fun things but mostly we did not see each other a lot.  I was afraid to get sick from you guys since I was more vulnerable with my immune system.  You did visit me in the hospital but I had to kick you out.  You were not behaving very well and acting like it was a bloody party in my hospital room.  I was sad after you left but mad too, at your dad, for not discipling you since I just wanted to spend some time together.
   Well, anyway, the reason I went to write here today was to tell you about our Christmas Eve at your dad's.  We had a ping pong tournament with you, Uncle Joe, George and your dad.  Me and Joe beat George and Noah, your dad and Dylan AND your dad and George. You both played against each other with your dad and George.  Carlos and Ruby got to be there, too, since no more cats live at your house.  Ruby could smell the remains of Sebastian around though and she was on the hunt.
    Nils and Missy, his mom, came over for a visit while were were having dinner.  It was a ploy to drop off a gift they were hiding at their house.  We had lobsters, steamers, lasagna on a table your dad decorated with the Juan Valdez mugs he stole from Puerto Rico and other little free gift items for each of us at our place settings  such as regifted Colombian coffee and left over candy from Diana, a free pass to Latitudes for George, and you guys had a globe with an elf hat on it for a decoration at the kiddy table, plus lobster hats to wear.  After our ping pong tournament, we watched Elf.  Stayed til about 10 and you guys were exhausted but apparently stayed up (Dylan) until 4am, following your dad around the house.  You both still believe in Santa apparently (I doubt it) but your are saying you do.  Your dad couldn't put out Santa's presents until Dylan finally crashed at 4am.  Again, Fun Daddy could not make you go to bed?  I will keep my mouth shut!!  We also got together the week before at Uncle
don's in Plymouth.  You guys played with the Wii most of the time, but I saw you when you opened gifts.  Dylan was very interested in the map I included in box of books, etc.  We went over it together. Quite fascinated!!  I got Noah a comic book drawing kit and drawing books, plus bike lights and Dylan several chapter books about animals that were recommended by the ASPCA to help teach about empathy.
    I am looking forward to seeing you for the day Friday and you are staying over either Thurs or Fri.  Hope to play some games and take you on a walk from the new CVS back to my house!  It's a new trail.

Summer Day on Lake Gardner

July 1, 2016

Hello sweet boys,
 
    Well, you're sweet MOST of the time! ;-) We had a great day on Tuesday this week.  It was Uncle Joe's birthday.  I hoped for another good weather day like we had last Sunday when we went to Lake Gardner at Battis Farm with Nils and the dogs.  We had so much fun floating on my huge 25 lb. mats that your dad carried all the way from the parking lot!  We went to Panera drive through first for lunch and then went straight to Battis Farm. At least, I did...not sure where your dad went.  I saw him make a wrong turn, maybe he went to Woodsom Farm?  Anyway, he made it back and we enjoyed the water for a couple of hours, also sat around on the rafts in the shade.
    We started the day with your guys showing up at Zumba to watch Auntie Kim and your second cousin, Veronica look like a couple of fools.  We went outside afterwards and saw the Bocce court but you guys were all running around in the mulch and making some of the seniors nervous so we left.
     Tuesday was a bit cool and breezy so we stayed in and played a couple of games like Monster Torte.  When Uncle Joe got home, we went to dinner at the Japanese restaurant Kume in Seabrook.  The food was delish!  The chef threw chopped vegetables in our mouths and I hate to brag but I was the only one of us that caught mine in my mouth!  Your dad struck up a conversation with a lady at our table who turned out to be the owner of Gracie's Restaurant on Salisbury Beach.  Her cook is one of his friend's. She was attractive despite her tattoos and gruff voice, but your dad thinks she has a boyfriend.
    We went next door the the Goodwill and got a few toys and sweaters (for me) Dylan was so excited he found two lego kits for $3 each.  We went back home and had chocolate cake and gave Uncle Joe his cards you each gave him with your personalized additions of dogs (Freddy) peeing on candles.  Noah got a cool Star Wars card with battery run voice and candles that blow out.  He was so proud of it and had to ask Joe which card he liked better!

Eight Miles

May 29, 2016

Dear boys,

     We spent an evening with your dad tonight since it was your mom's weekend with you.  It seems funny to see him without you guys!  We had fun playing Back Alley Bridge, Backgammon and Whist.  Uncle Joe went to yoga and me and your dad played backgammon. Very close games.  Uncle Joe kicked ass in Back Alley Bridge and then I had a lucky horse shoe up mine for Whist after that.
    Last Sunday, while your dad went to a wedding and sat at a table with old ladies (older than me) and Uncle Joe went to the Red Sox, you and me had our own adventure.  We took our bikes to Martin Burns Wildlife Preserve and rode EIGHT MILES!!  We took a break for every mile pretty much.  Dylan complained the most and after six miles I finally checked his tires-whoops-good thing I brought my pump!  Noah had a mini panic attack about his helmet-thought he left it behind and it turned out to be in my basket. You guys loved going down the hills which was the highlight of the trip.  It really was pretty neat.  We rode over to Haley's Ice Cream afterwards and got small ice creams which were bloody gynormous!
    Later in the week, Uncle Joe and I took a ride to Plaistow to watch you guys play baseball.  "Extra, extra, read all about it!  Dylan's gonna crush it, no doubt about it! "  We are going this week, too, hopng to see Noah pitch a couple innings.  Your mom and Papa were there and we talked briefly.  Hopefully things will settle down on the legal front soon.  We think Adam and your mom are in therapy together but it could also be court ordered and pre-divorce mandate which is the law in N.H.  Your dad thinks your mom might be interested in one of the baseball coaches.  Well, one day the tables will turn and they will be preoccupied with YOUR love life more than their own, ha ha! ;-)