Cute and observant, if I do say so myself

I went through a drawer yesterday that hasn't been gone through in quite a while.

I found a scrap of paper from 1995, when our daughter was 6 and our son was 4, with the following written on it:

July 30, 1995:

Allegra said, "Cam, you're confusing me." 

Cam replied: "I'm confusing myself."

So Allegra said, "Write it down, Mommy."

~ ~ ~

She knew I was always writing down cute things they said. A lot of it is on scraps of paper.

Now to find them all!

The boy is 20? Yikes

I've not been blogging much lately. I'm not proud of that fact, but I suppose it is what it is. Haven't written or visited.

These past few weeks at work have been busy but I couldn't let today go by without wishing a *Happy Birthday* to our Cameron (Kid Two) who turned 20 today.

He was due on 11-11. Woopsie - he made me wait for 12 more days, arriving on the day after Thanksgiving.

But he was and is more than worth the wait!

Ralph, who is participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), has been posting every day this month, pretty much putting me to shame.

He wrote about Cameron and posted an adorable photo from a few years back here.

Our son works at graduation

Cameron, Kid Two, worked the technical stuff at his sister's commencement ceremony Sunday. The main ceremony was streamed live on the Internet, and Cam was an integral part of that coming together.

He will be a junior at the University of Hartford in the fall and we are as proud of him as we are of Allegra! Here he is onstage with a variety of dignitaries.

On the right is Jennifer Rizzotti, the university's women's basketball team coach, who was selected as the commencement speaker. She joked that she realized it was unusual for a sports coach to be tapped as commencement speaker.

But not to worry. She was a perfect choice, and had a great message for the grads!

Rizzotti is such a wonderful role model for young women. She was a star player on the University of Connecticut's first national championship women's basketball team in '95 and has coached at the University of Hartford for 11 seasons. I can tell just by watching her interact with students that she truly cares about them.

Allegra loves her. She saw her in action with the basketball team as the pep band that Allegra was part of traveled for tournaments to places like Louisiana, upstate New York State, Baltimore and more.

Next to Jen Rizzotti is the Most Rev. Henry J. Mansell, Archbishop of the Hartford, who was one of the honorary degree recipients. Not sure about the others...

I think I am done posting about the graduation. But who knows?

We've got us a cum laude graduit! (sequel to Friday's post)

Proud. Sad. Tired. Sunburned ... but mostly, Proud. I am trying to put into words what yesterday was like for me, and for Ralph.

We watched Kid One, Allegra, graduate from the University of Hartford. I'll write more than one post, because we have lots of pictures that I am sorting through ~ and I'm also trying to recuperate today. Please stay tuned!

We didn't know Allegra would be a cum laude graduate, but we sure are happy it says that on her diploma.

Daddy and daughter before the main ceremony ~ before we all got tired, and hungry, and sunburned! It was perfectly glorious weather. We couldn't have asked for better.

And here are the three of us. One of the security folks offered to take a photo.

Cameron, Kid Two, was asked to work at the commencement. He ended up on stage, in the background, working on the logistics of having the ceremony stream live on the Internet. Allegra has a photo of him working onstage, but it's on her camera, and she's asleep so it will have to wait.

Ralph took this as I was off looking for my mother and our close friend so that we could sit together...I found them and brought them over to our seats.

We all got equal amounts of sunburn on our faces, because we were in the direct sun for about two hours. It suddenly felt like summer here in Connecticut.

Well that's it for now...need to take a break from the computer!

Hartford through the windshield...

and the driver's side window.

We took our son, aka Kid Two, back to school at the University of Hartford yesterday. It was a quick week off for spring break..I hope he got enough rest (and food!)

Kid One was already there because she had had a three-day vacation traveling with the pep band and women's basketball team to North Carolina. She had a lot of fun with her friends, and enjoyed touring the campuses of Duke and University of North Carolina.

Unfortunately our team lost to Louisiana State University, but the women did a great job this season that qualified them to play in the tournament.

Regular readers know I take photos as Ralph drives, and yesterday afternoon was no exception.

There was an emergency of some sort that forced us to take a short detour, and I snapped three photos of sights I wouldn't have seen if not for the detour.

City scene ~ not sure what that building is in the background.

We traveled down Farmington Avenue and I was lucky to catch a photo of part of the stately Mark Twain House through the driver's side window as we passed by. It's a beautiful mansion. Twain lived there from 1874 to 1891. I visited twice on field trips when I was a kid and remember being impressed. Kid One and I plan to visit there someday.

I spotted this interesting-looking tree trunk as we were stopped at a light. Do you know what kind of tree it is? I do - "old."

ha ha

Hope everyone has a great Monday.

Busy, busy

Ralph drove home his new, modified-for-the-wheelchair mini-van Thursday and the two of us have been so busy we didn't even take a picture or blog about it. It has really low mileage on it and should last a long while. And only 71 more monthly payments to go. ha ha

And this morning it's pouring out, so I'm not sure I feel like taking a photo!

Later he will be doing a bit of highway driving and getting used to it - he is picking up our son for spring break. I can't wait to see Cameron. Mama misses him!

Our daughter is staying because there is a big basketball game tonight and she is in the pep band. If the women's team wins, they may be going on a trip. Two years ago she went to Louisiana with the group. She saw some of Baton Rouge and New Orleans and had a great time.

Hope everyone has a happy Saturday ~

Snow-free Saturday

It's not snowing today! Yay! The sun's out! Yay!

We're going to the University of Hartford this afternoon to watch a basketball game. Our kids both play in the pep band and they signed up to participate, even though they are still on winter break. Amazingly they don't go back to start the second semester until Jan. 18. They should be well rested by then!

We remembered to charge the camera batteries and hope to get some good photos. As long as we remember the camera.

Our birthday boy

... almost.

Ralph and I both had a day off Friday so we visited our children at the University of Hartford.

It was a brief visit because they both were in the middle of doing stuff. They have busy schedules, that's for sure.

We sat in the van and they stood outside the passenger window to chat.

On Monday Cameron turns 19, but we won't get to see him until late Tuesday.

The next big decision is what kind of cake to have for him on Wednesday. :-D

That's Allegra in the background; she didn't want her picture taken, and I tried to comply. I hope she doesn't mind that she is partly in the photo.

And that's yours truly in the side-view mirror, capturing Cam.

After we saw thems we went to Advanced Wheels of Technology in East Granby, Ct. to put a deposit on a mini-van that will be modified with a ramp, etc. for Ralph. Yippee!!

It will be so nice to have a smaller vehicle. His full-size Ford Club Wagon has more than 150,000 miles on it. It's big, and the lift is so, what's the word? cumbersome, I suppose you could call it. having a fold-down ramp is so much more convenient.

And did someone say cup holders? The mini-van has too many of them to count! haha

On the way home we stopped for an early dinner. All in all, it was a perfect date day for us.

They grow up so fast

Look at those chubby cheeks!

I'm looking forward to Saturday, because Kid Two (shown above in photo taken a few years back) is coming home for 24 hours. He needs to get his new eyeglasses adjusted. The new lenses don't seem right. I hope they get it figured out.

So we get to see him and if it's not raining, get our grass mowed. Yay!

He needs to return to school Sunday afternoon for their weekly TV production meeting. He's chief engineer at the student-run station, and he tells me he has been quite busy.

Move-in day for Kid One

Ralph is a great dad. Despite disability he manages to help our college kids move into their dorm rooms each year. Here he is in action last Wednesday.

We have a photo of Kid Two's move-in day also, but it's in Kid One's camera. She forgot to e-mail it to us. (Hint, hint if you're reading this A.)

Regular readers will notice Ralph's van in the background. It's huge and not too pretty but it helps when it is time to haul stuff around, that's for sure.

Here is the suite door decorated by the resident assistant with the girls' names on pictures of marker plates from their home states. Our daughter was the first to move in, and she didn't know the others. We were hoping for the best for her.

She has since told me they are all really cool. Yay!

It's that time of year again

Once again I have been on an unplanned blog break. I guess we've been a bit busy around here.

We brought Kid Two back to school today. It was rather hot moving him and his essential stuff into his new dorm room, but we survived the sweaty work. Cameron is the first one of his suite roommates to return. It looks like it will be a fun place to live once it is set up.

The building is not air conditioned, but we did get a window fan in place in his bedroom.

Cameron went back early because he is chief engineer for the college TV station (he has always been our behind-the-scenes tech guy, starting with for school performances since he was in eighth grade) and they have to get things organized after relocating the studio over the summer.

I just know he will have a wonderful sophomore year.

And on Wednesday it's Kid One's turn to return.

Photos from the passenger seat (again) and some others

Have driver, will snap photos. That's my new motto.
I've posted about the Colt building before, but this blue, onion-shaped dome always catches my eye as we approach downtown Hartford. Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day here in Connecticut. You can see the temperature was 59 degrees when I took this. Woo hoo!

One of the entrances to Bushnell Park in downtown Hartford.

I like the perspective I got on one of Hartford's old churches as Ralph was stopped at a light.

OK, now the remainder were not taken from the passenger seat.
I originally was going for a Ruby Tuesday photo when I saw the red bleachers below, then the adorable Smart Car, the different lines of the parking lot and the tall lights for the field caught my eye. It was perfect weather, especially after all the snow we have had this winter.
The parking lot wasn't empty, it just looks like that from this angle. Parents were having tailgate parties before a Lacrosse game. Ah, spring.


















Here are mother and daughter before the women's basketball game. I was happy even if my expression is weird.

Ralph and I were given T-shirts at the lunch and celebration beforehand, the only catch was we had to put them on over our clothes.


And here I am with Cameron, Kid Two, who wasn't playing trumpet in the pep band like he normally does. He was doing some behind-the-scenes work for the college TV station. He told Ralph he had been there since 8:30 that morning (for a 2 p.m. game). Working hard!
I thank my Airhead 55 for snapping these family photos. I must admit I forgot to reciprocate. He isn't in any of them.
Next time I promise to do better.

Blog much?

I for one haven't been doing any blogging for a couple of days, but I'm back.

Yesterday we got to see one of our two kids playing in the band at a University of Hartford men's basketball game, as well as her boyfriend, who I guess we could call Kid Three. Are these two still kids when they are 20? I suppose so.
Our son was busy working so he wasn't able to play in the pep band. Dang. But we're happy he has a job!It was a beautiful and clear day in Connecticut, for a change.


Here is Ralph driving us up the Wilbur Cross Parkway toward Hartford. I kept busy taking photos through the windshield...

I never said this was going to be exciting!

Below we are heading into downtown Hartford, near the state Capitol.

Our team lost to Boston University. But it was fun to be there, and since Ralph uses a wheelchair, he, my mother and I get to sit at a table on the floor, right behind the basket and in front of the pep band. It was a tad loud for us (there were some boisterous students behind us next to the band) but we all survived it.
Normally the pep band wears uniform red shirts (perfect for Ruby Tuesday!) but yesterday everyone was wearing this T-shirt.
And they gave them out as well.When we got home the cats were waiting in the window for us. We had left them for almost eight hours! But they were OK.

Windshield views

Ralph already posted about our visiting Kid One and Kid Two Saturday at the University of Hartford. Today I'm sharing foliage photos I snapped through the windshield as Ralph drove the van toward Hartford.
These are just a few of the 80 skadillion pix I took to amuse myself on the drive.



Ralph watching the road:

and again:

and some more trees...

woo hoo! a reddish-orange one in the mix:

An American flag attached to the overpass fence:

and a street scene in downtown Hartford:

The End, for now.