Traditions are the guideposts driven deep in our subconscious minds.  The most powerful ones are those we can’t even describe, aren’t even aware of.  ~  Unknown Author

I made this gravy boat in high school & we still use it at Thanksgiving

We look forward to Thanksgiving every year but, then again, I don’t know a single soul who does not.  Every year, Thanksgiving is served at my parent’s house, as it always has been.  We are very traditional with our meal, Turkey, sometimes oven roasted and sometimes fried whole in a deep fryer.  Mom always makes her stuffing and gravy, which is second to none.  The gravy is always served in the gravy boat I made when I was in high school.  I usually get my favorite: Brussels sprouts or corn or green beans. Sometimes we have them all.  Mom always makes this cooked cranberry delight, which is surprisingly really good.  It has walnuts, cranberries, pineapples, apples and other items I can’t remember.  We also have dinner rolls, a spread of pickles and olives.

Mom's punch bowl she bought when they lived in Germany

The biggest part of our Thanksgiving tradition involves a punch bowl and matching mugs brought over by my mom from when my parents lived in Germany. The punch is pretty standard with Fruit Punch, 50/50, Ginger Ale, rainbow sherbert and oranges slices.  But it is the presentation of the punch in this old punch bowl that has served us for so many Thanksgivings and Christmases, which really brings a sense of tradition and family.

In the recent years, Kyle has taken over helping me make the punch.  I am thankful for having Kyle as such a big part of the family.  There are so many things I am truly thankful for.. what are yours?

Happy Thanksgiving!!      

Discipline doesn’t break a child’s spirit half as often as the lack of it breaks a parent’s heart.  ~Unknown

Gigi and Kyle after an exciting bath.

Recently, Kyle has been pushing my patience.  When I ask him to practice his piano or guitar or even pick up after himself, he’s been giving a little push back.  Even in church a few weeks ago, out of nowhere, he decided he didn’t want to kneel correctly during mass.  He wanted to half kneel with his butt on the seat.  Then, during prayer, he decided to put his hands in his pockets and not fold them in a praying position.  Well, that does not fly with me, not in the slightest.  I will not stand for such blaten disrespect for God.  As we were in church, I told him about it at least twice. Then I whispered in his ear, “You’re grounded from the computer next weekend.”  He gave me a ‘What did I do’ look but he knew, and I think he thought the punishment wouldn’t stick.

As next weekend rolled around the corner, I reiterated immediately on Friday night, no computer.  Boy did he throw a fit.  He was throwing up his hands and stomped around saying, “Now what do I do?”, “What am I supposed to do now?”, and, my favorite, “Whyyyyy?”  I explained why he was grounded again for the thousandth time.  Then I got a little push back from my mom who says I’m being too hard on the kid.  Nope, I held strong on the punishment.  Come on, Kyle knows what he’s doing, he’s testing us.  He was pretty miserable on Saturday, moping around, sitting in his self pity.  When he was talking to my sister, he was sure to rat me out and lay it on thick.  But, what cracks me up, my sister, more than often than not, stands by my decisions 100%.

Then came time for him to do his workbooks, piano, guitar, and trumpet.  At that moment I saw a light bulb turn on.  He came to me and tried to make a deal, “If I would do my homework without complaining, can I play a game on the computer?”  I told him no, he was grounded from before and if he doesn’t do the work without incidence, then he was going to be grounded longer.  He was resistant but did his work.  You know, Kyle still wasn’t very happy but not miserable anymore.

Kyle loved this straw hat and wore it everywhere (courtesy of Uncle Sonny)

However, two Sunday’s ago, he tried to pull this attitude on me again when I asked him what he learned in CCD class.  He argued, “Why do I have to tell you?”  I responded by saying, “I need to know if you are learning and what you’re learning, so we can talk about it.”  He resisted and then, when I gave him two minutes to muster up on information, he looked at the clock, waited for it to turn over the two minutes and then proceeded to say, “What? I’m thinking.  Why aren’t I allowed to think?” I didn’t make a big deal, I just grounded him for the remainder of the day.

This past weekend, however, was very different.  Kyle was so good and listened.  In fact, he gloated when we were leaving from CCD class and going to church that he was so good and said, “I didn’t get in trouble for once.”  I could tell his day was complete when we realized he was serving mass.  You see, he really likes serving mass, mostly because he says, “It goes so fast.”  But he does like to help father.  And I must say, every time he serves, he does it with such conviction and intention.  He doesn’t serve mass halfway, he does it to the best of his ability every time!  That’s my Kyle, he can impress me as fast as he can get grounded.

Because of their size, parents may be difficult to discipline properly.  ~P.J. O’Rourke

Ryan going with dad while he hunted (picture courtesy of Steve Semnisky)

Sometimes when you’re told you have a task to do and, as you are reminded week after week, you almost take it for granted that you really don’t have to do it.  Unfortunately, this was not the case.  Dad told me for weeks now that I had to put together this tree stand for him.  Actually he asked Kyle to do it, but expected that I would assist.  A few weeks ago on Saturday I was not feeling well, sinuses draining, sore throat, the whole nine yards.  It was a really pretty fall day so, as the day matured, I started to feel better and decided to tackle the big metal puzzle.  Initially I sent Kyle out to put it together. I knew he would do a better job than I would, after all he’s been training for this his whole life.  Shortly after Kyle exited the house and re-entered, I was informed the directions clearly state that this was a two person job while I was given that old ‘Aunt Heather, now you have to help me’ look. 

Kyle and I let the dogs run around the yard while we put together this dreaded tree stand.  We made pretty good timing, about an hour.  As we put the pieces together, we didn’t tighten the nuts too much, in case we messed up and had to take something apart.  I knew dad wouldn’t be happy if I stripped the nuts.  So, once it was put together, I decided I had enough.  We came in and I told dad he better tighten all the joints because we didn’t.  At that moment, I was informed that I would have to go to New York to put the darn thing up.  In a tree!  These are the days I really miss my brother.  As I argued with dad, letting him know that it was not efficient to drive six hours to put up the stand and drive six hours back, he vetoed my clearly logical thinking.  I guess I knew I have been putting this off for weeks now and I knew it wasn’t a surprise that this was expected of me, but it doesn’t mean I wanted to do it.  Dad’s logic was, “Well, when I kick off, you can be glad we spent time together.”  I said, “No I’ll still be complaining about it, how you made me drive that distance to put up a tree stand.” 

Donny, Ryan, and Doug hunting small game.

Just then it hit me, the tree stand was not safe, all the nuts needed tightened, they were barely hanging on.  Initially, when we put together the tree stand, I kinda chuckled to myself thinking he should have helped put it together for his own safety.  Now, the joke is on me!  I was going to be the one to test out the stand, ’cause I had to climb a tree to put it there.  All I could picture in my mind was me hanging alongside the tree like a cat ready to be taken over by gravity.

Well, in the days that followed that conversation, dad got mad at me for arguing the trip and decided to put the tree stand up when he went to New York hunting, which happened to be this past weekend.  Now all I can think of is dad alone in the woods with this unsafe tree stand.  This past week I asked him if he tightened the screws and his reply was, “No, not yet.”  Yikes, what is he waiting for?  Now all I can picture is gravity taking a good hold of dad and driving him to the ground.

Dealing with parents is just like dealing with children.  Just when you put your foot down to take a stand and prove a point, you feel bad about it.  Now how can I make this right?  I told him I would follow him up, help him set up the tree stand and then come back.  I thought that sounded like a reasonable plan until he told me he was going up on Thursday and I had to work, plus I had a meeting with a client Friday morning.  Not to mention, I had a dentist appointment (I love getting my teeth cleaned, I actually look forward to it) and Kyle’s play Friday afternoon.  And it was Light Up Night in Pittsburgh.  O crap!  There you have it.  I guess everyone has moments that they should have done differently.  

Luckily, after all the back and forth, dad decided not to take the stand.  I think he made a better choice.  He needs to walk around and get his exercise.                  

Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.  ~Eric Sevareid

Me & Kyle at PPG Place 11/18/11

So another year is coming to a close, marked by the beginning of the Christmas season.  This past Friday was Light Up Night in Pittsburgh and, as tradition dictated, I took Kyle.  Earlier in the day, he had his school fall musical.  It’s always so much fun watching Kyle.  He seems to enjoy the attention of being on stage and singing.  Mom and I were in the front row, smiling and snapping pictures as with everyone else in the gym.  Pretty much as soon as the musical finished up, we left for Pittsburgh.

Heading straight for PPG Place, we made a pit stop at the local Subway to grab a quick sandwich.  You see, PPG Place is the perfect setting for a Christmas wonderland.  They erect a huge ice rink around a Christmas tree towering 64 feet in the air.  Not to mention, all the small trees lining the streets draped in small white lights giving an outline to their shape.  It’s really a sight.  What makes it more touching is the walk around the rink and the ice skaters circulating the tree.  They are the survivors or family members or friends of those who have battled cancer.  They walk and ice skate around holding up light sticks attached with a tag containing a loved ones name.  It’s really inspiring. Sad, but inspirational.  No matter how many times I witness this part of Light Up Night, it still really takes my breath away.  Then they do a count down to light up the Christmas tree.

As I stood there I couldn’t help remembering the first time I took Kyle to Light Up Night.  We stood in pretty much the same spot we have since we started going.  He was a little guy then, probably about six years old – the perfect age.  I was still able to pick him up.  As I stood beside Kyle, I realized those days are long gone and new and different memories are awaiting us.

Kyle with the Polish Santa Claus 11/18/11

I remembered Kyle was so amazed by Pittsburgh at our first Light Up Night, especially PPG Place, that he said, “I bet it’s larger than Washington D.C.!”  I told him, “I don’t think so.”  He stared at the top of the glass tower with amazement and commented that, “It’s like a castle, Aunt Heather.”  I laughed and agreed with him.  One of the years, I remember which one, he kept staring up into the sky.  Finally I asked him, “What are you staring at?”  He responded by saying, “Wouldn’t it be really cool if Santa would just fly over us right now and drop my gifts using a parachute?”  That’s my Kyle, always thinking of how he was going to get his presents.  I had to give him credit, that was a pretty cool thought.

We always do a tour of the gingerbread houses, set-up around a train set, inside of the PPG Place.  They also have statues of Santa Clauses from around the world.  It’s always crowded, but totally worth it.  Kyle has always loved trains.  Besides seeing Santa, this is probably his favorite part, watching the trains chug around the homemade gingerbread houses.  This year we had to stand there until the three levels of trains crossed their tracks at the same time at the same spot in perfect timing.  I thought we’d have to wait all day but, you know what, Kyle called it and we stood and watched it happened.

We did the usual making our way around Market Square, weaving up and down the streets, showing off decorative windows, ice sculptors in the streets, and activities along the way before arriving to our ultimate destination, Point Park.  Down at the point is the Santa Spectacular.  There’s a stage with singing and dancing entertainment before good old St. Nick arrives.  This year, we made it in good time to be front row.  Good thing since, in the past, I had to hold Kyle up to see the action on the stage. This year, that would not be possible.

Close Up of me and Kyle. It wasn't as cold as previous years, but not a heat wave either. 11/18/11

The first time Kyle saw Santa on stage, he could not contain himself.  He yelled at Santa to look in his direction.  Of course, so did about a thousand other children.  You see, once Santa sings a little, he throws these fire balls at buildings and then fireworks go off.  Then, his last fireball is thrown at the point where the Christmas tree lights up.  In the past, Kyle could hardly believe his eyes seeing such a sight.  I remember him telling my parents all about it for weeks after the event.  And you know what, Kyle still remembered the fireballs this year and was equally excited to see them again.

Kyle is aware of the real meaning of Christmas, but it’s hard to get past his thoughts of presents all the time!  Well, I still have years ahead of me to continue instilling the giving and reaching out to those in need.  Christmas does hold a certain amount of memories and I’m glad Kyle is able to capture them.

Animals have these advantages over man: They have no theologians to instruct them, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills.  ~Voltaire

Me & Kyle stop to see a small cemetery on the ridge. I was toting a Spider-Man book bag. 11/12/11

First I’d like to say that I am aware humans have dominion over animals.  God created us, as people, to have morals, values, gifts of the Holy Spirit, a conscience, and we are blessed with free will, just to name a few gifts from God.  But I couldn’t help noticing the similarity in young behavior, at least with respect to dogs.

For example, Kyle and I decided to go hiking through the woods, on our usual route this past weekend.  This was the first time we took both dogs, Scooby and Seven.  Scooby always  gets excited over our hikes, but this was Seven’s first adventure.  I think the dogs were a bit overwhelmed.  As I watched the them I couldn’t help noticing Kyle’s behavior as well.  You see, the dogs jumped back and forth on the trail, sniffing anything on their path.  Seven in particular was climbing the side of the banks and jumping off.  Not to mention he was purposely walking through puddles, just as Kyle has done in the past.  Then Seven went out of his way to rustle up the fallen leaves.  He went barreling through them, kicking up all sorts of colors.  Just as I noticed Seven entertaining himself, Kyle did the same thing.  Kicking up the leaves, making them crunch under his feet.  It was almost comical.

Kyle & Seven hiking in the woods. Seven's first hike. 11/12/11

As we proceeded on our hike, Scooby decided to go out of bounds, and I mean way out of bounds.  He was not listening.  It was like telling Kyle to do something he didn’t want to do.  The dog ignored my order and proceeded on his chosen path.  Finally, he reluctantly circled around, taking his good old time in making a big loop before returning to us.  It was like Scooby was saying, “You will wait on me,”  like a little boy I know.

Once we made our way out of the woods, there is a long road with houses sporadically placed along the side.  Making this voyage numerous times, I knew there were outside dogs, a couple horses and goats along the way.  I was kind of nervous with Seven, being it was his first experience on this road (at least to my knowledge, I will never know where he went when he’s run off).  As we approached the one dog chained outside, I kept close tabs on Seven. He almost ran back to me when he heard the other dog barking and growling.  I had a flashback of when Kyle walked past the same dog a few years ago.  Kyle left his freedom and ran back to my side, just like Seven running to the adult for protection.

Kyle, Seven & Scooby in front of a cemetery by the woods. I tried to get a picture of the three kids but, as children do, they wouldn't sit still. 11/12/11

Then, as we moved further up the road, we came across the goats behind a fenced in area.  Goats crack me up when they stand on their houses.  Kyle started to laugh at the goat who looked like he was king of the hill.  Seven approached the goats like a child, looking from afar with curiosity before moving closer to the fence and then jumping around with excitement over the sight of a different creature, or maybe at the sight of the goat on top of his house.

The dogs had an equally great time as Kyle and I did on our 3.15 mile hike.  Seven looked like a shadow of a gazelle leaping on and off the banks and through the trees with his hunter orange collar.  On the other hand, as Kyle pointed out, Scooby was almost completely camouflaged with his blonde hair butted up against the landscape of dead leaves, bare branches, and neutral colored rocks wearing his lime green collar.  Of course, please keep in mind that I was toting a Spider-Man book bag with a Thermos of water, bananas, and apples, around with me, packed courtesy of Kyle.

I know dogs are worlds away from children but I couldn’t help but pointing out fun behavioral similarities.  Even though I was walking with one child and two dogs, it felt like I had three children.  I enjoyed every minute of it!

A musician must make his music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is to ultimately be at peace with himself.  ~Abraham Maslow

Kyle with his first Thomas the Train set. Courtesy of Aunt Nikki

It seems as though some people are born into professions rather than are taught.  I’ve watched this theory strengthen through observations over the years.  It seems as though being true to your profession means it is an innate part of you.  Now I’m not saying this is a blanket statement for everyone, but I’ve always known this to be true for people of the clergy.  Certain individuals are chosen by God to serve Him in a specific blessed way that others aren’t called to do so.

Along the way, I’ve had the honor of meeting such talented people.  For example, I’ve known many artists, but there are only a couple that I can say not only have a natural talent, but their profession is a part of them.  It is who they are.  They can’t stop drawing or painting or whatever the case may be.  It consumes them and their thoughts.  It’s like their existence, their reason to live, is art.  It’s not just a passion, it’s more, it seems to be part of their DNA.  This is not a judgement nor a criticism, but an observation.  Again, there are a lot of artists, whom I would consider to be truly talented and really enjoy what they do, but I’m not talking about them, I am referring to a different breed of people. Those who don’t need a vacation from their profession.  Those who have had a life long passion for what they do.  Off the top of my head, Henri Matisse comes to mind.  I’m not saying I knew him, but I have studied his works.  During his last days, when most would have retired, he gave direction to interns on how to expedite his cutouts.  Another famous art figure is Edgar Degas.  When Degas’ hands were becoming crippled from old age, he sculpted the La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans (Little Dancer of 14 Years) in wax before being cast in bronze and adorned with ribbon and a skirt.  It was easier on his hands to sculpt in warm wax.  I also wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t mention my favorite painter, Caspar David Friedrich.

Watching Kyle grow up, I’ve had the opportunity to really study his behavior.  I’ve seen the way he enjoys putting together 500 and 1,000 piece puzzle sets, without effort.  From the time he was about three years old till he discovered video games, around the age of six or seven, he was the self-proclaimed “Puzzle Boy”.  He used to put together his puzzles on the coffee table and say, “Look pap pap, I’m puzzle boy.”  He loved the challenge of bigger puzzle sets, and I mean bigger in terms of the number of pieces.  He didn’t care what the picture was on the puzzle, just that it had a ton of tiny pieces.  I used to buy Kyle large notepads to draw and paint pictures but, alas, he could care less.  He would watch me paint and draw, but he never really had the desire, unless he was painting numbers.  I don’t mean paint by numbers, I mean actually painting the shapes of numbers, and then sometimes doing math problems.

I took this picture in the Museum D’Orsay in Paris. Little Dancer of 14-Years – Edgar Degas

Over the years I would watch Kyle build.  He would take building blocks, cardboard boxes, books, you name it, he always had to build.  It first started with the Thomas the Train set.  He would build tracks that consumed the entire living room floor, eventually pushing himself by making the track more challenging, curving over other pieces of track, getting to another section.  Then Kyle discovered Legos.  That’s all I have to say.  This kid is still such a Lego nut, sometimes that’s all he talks about.  Building this, building that.  He’s even told me about some of his dreams and, you know what, they include building Legos.  He has close to every Lego set made on the planet, his favorite being Star Wars.  Every now and again, I catch him writing papers for school and explaining how much he loves to build and how good he is.

My theory wouldn’t do justice unless I explained what happened in convenience stores on a number of occasions.  When Kyle was a little tike and I would grab a bottle of water, Kyle would actually push the other bottles toward the front, that is if they didn’t slide down on their own.  Then he would proceed to straighten the bottle so the labels were facing front.  In fact, we would put juice boxes in the refrigerator for him and he would straighten them.  They were placed at his height and he would go in the fridge, straighten the boxes so they were in a perfect line and all the labels were facing front, sometimes stacking them.  It would creep me out when I opened the refrigerator door.  It was like the movie “Sleeping with the Enemy” when Julia Roberts opened the cupboard and saw all the cans straightened perfectly.  Yep, that was Kyle, although not a neat freak in the slightest.  He just likes straight lines and uniformity.

Me standing by a Friedrich in Berlin! Yes, that’s a T-shirt I got from the Saatchi Gallery.

As the years went on, I would see true engineering traits being displayed by Kyle.  He has become more like my sister, who is an electrical engineer.  Come to think of it, much of my immediate family are engineers or builders in some form or fashion.  Once, Kyle pulled out his stylus from his 3DS and proceeded to examine how it was put together.  Recently, last Wednesday, Kyle took my sticky tabs, those pop-up tabs you used to mark a page or to mark a section in a document that needs signed.  I watched him as he examined its functionality.  He said, “O, I see how it works.”  Then he went into this dissertation on how the item was assembled so it works properly.  Sometimes Kyle tells me his own theories on how some things should be put together and the better way to do it.  It’s really pretty neat to watch his thoughts.  I am currently reading the Steve Jobs book.  Not that I ever met Steve Wozniak, but Kyle does remind me of him, at least according to how he’s portrayed in the book in his early days.  To me, Steve Wozniak was a true engineer, it was an innate part of him, part of his DNA.  He could not have been anything else.

I’m not one of those rare individuals who has a special part of my DNA structured for a specific profession.  I can do a little of a lot of things, but not a true profession.  My only talent, so I’ve been told, is the ability to change the attitude of people around me and have them follow me.  At least that’s what I’ve been accused of.  At that thought, Jasper Hale (Twilight) comes to mind.

Kyle had to describe himself… building made the list twice.

I’m now wondering if we, as a society, have allowed the distractions and challenges to change or alter our true calling.  Maybe it’s ’cause you need to put food on the table and a shirt on the back, which is the responsible thing to do, just maybe not the most romantic.

I have a very bad relationship with mice.  ~Casey Affleck

Me with my cats Vega and Deneb. c. 1990

In high school I had to read the book Of Mice and Men.  It was a good book, but the one main character, Lennie, and his infatuation with mice bothered me.  I still remember how grossed out I felt as I read that book.  In fact, Lennie holding the mouse is still what I remember most, even though I remember it was a sad story, I couldn’t get past the mouse.

No kidding, I really really really have this abomination for mice. I always have.  Living out in the country, every time it got cold outside, the mice always managed to find their way in the house.  Granted, I’ve always had cats, but sometimes they would play with a mouse and kill it slowly.  Meanwhile, I would hear the mouse’s squeak noises as it was dying.  One time, right out of high school, I was sleeping in my bed in my parents house, nice and cozy.  That was when my worst nightmare happened!  As I lay there in the pitch black, Pudd’in jumped up on my bed, which was not unusual since she always slept with me.  But it struck me as odd when her jumping had such swift quick movements all around the top of my blankets, which happened to be on top of me.  Just then, I felt a small scurry moving toward my face.  In that split second I jumped straight up out of bed and onto my desk.  I stood there and screamed bloody murder just as the covers were thrown all over the place.  I took a giant leap out my door and ran into the living room where I jumped up on the couch and screamed some more.  Ok, that probably wasn’t the most mature way of handling this, but it was in the middle of the night and I was woken by my age old nemesis who was in close proximity to my face.  Not to mention the invasion of my personal space.  Regardless, my mom came out to see what the heck was going on.  She wouldn’t go in the room to check out the situation, so I slept on the couch until mom inspected the scene of the crime the next day and helped me strip my bed.

We had Jill since we were little. She was a Christmas gift from my parents. Best dog! I used to call her my Jillybean.

I can’t even tell you how much I really truly hate mice!  Over the years I’ve had other encounters with mice, not quite as bad but in my mind all equal in nature.  Now, I am aware others have dealt with the occasional mouse in their homes, but I still can’t deal and I feel like it’s a direct attack against me.

At this moment I will digress, to put life in perspective.  I met a person a couple years ago who did missionary work.  I don’t remember where he lived but I remember what he told me.  He said they had rats running around and it wasn’t uncommon for them to crawl all over you as you slept.  He killed a bunch of them during his stay there.  Can you imagine!!  He instantly had my respect just for dealing with such a situation to spread the word of God.  I am ashamed to say, I would have been on the first plane to somewhere rat free, with or without missionary work to do.

I don’t particularly like moles and such either.  They all reside in the same category in my opinion as gross rodents I don’t want near me.  I’ve never even seen the movie Ratatouille.  You know, the Disney animated movie about a mouse in Paris who cooks.  I don’t care if it’s a cartoon, I don’t care if it takes place in Paris, and I don’t care if it’s fiction.  I want nothing to do with mice.

Kyle with his turtle, Tommy.

So why this sudden rant about mice?  Simple, I had another run in with a mouse.  A big one!  I did have a mouse in my house a few years ago, but I have been very lucky, until now.  Not long ago I was watching TV and a mouse came out of nowhere and ran across the floor.  I freaked!  I put out traps with cheese.  The snap kind of traps.  The next day the cheese was gone but the traps where not tripped.  So I had a friend of mine come over to look at the traps.  Just as we both suspected, the traps weren’t set correctly.  Ok, I’ll take that, I never claimed to be a mouse wrangler.  He reset the traps and, this time, put peanut butter on them.  Then the next day, all the peanut butter was eaten and no trap was tripped.  Not a one!!  I called him back over to my house because he couldn’t hardly believe himself.  He took a pen to see if the trap was set correctly and it snapped right away.  We were both beside ourselves.  I was instructed to get a few sticky traps, trying a new approach.  Yes, we finally got it, my friend came over and disposed of the corpse.  Victory!

Me playing with a couple of kittens.

I really didn’t have another problem until there was a really cold spell a few months ago, but the sticky traps did it.  I left a few around the house just in case.  I never saw any signs of a mouse again. Nothing! Until this past week.  I was sitting on the couch, curled up in a blanket reading Steve Jobs.  The TV was on and I had just set my book down when, out of nowhere, a mouse ran across my lap and up the back of the couch.  Yes, up on the couch!!  First of all, I never heard of a mouse being so arrogant.  Are you kidding me?  Well needless to say, I jumped up, threw the covers and launched myself onto the loveseat.  I knew my parents were sleeping, so I called my sister screaming into the phone.  I was beside myself.  I was going to go to my parents house to sleep.  I just don’t understand how I keep getting these smart, bionic mice in my house!  They are not welcome but they don’t seem to care.  Not to mention I don’t know how they’re getting in.  All I can picture is a group of mice dressed in army fatigues hiding in the bushes outside my house, waiting for me to carry in groceries and sneak their way through the front door to set up camp in a lonely corner.

My raccoon Rascals. I LOVE raccoons!!

As my sister laughed at me, she had the audacity to say, “Do you have food laying around?”  What?  Are you kidding?  My house is spotless, and I mean spotless.  Not only is my house clean, but it is clutter free.  I hate clutter and I keep it tidy and I try to keep my stuff to a minimum.  Not to mention I don’t have anything sitting out on the counter such as bread.  My toaster is even put away in a cupboard!

Well I guess I must face the facts that I am at war and my enemy is winning.  I thought about bringing Pudd’in up to my house, but I’m afraid that will stress her out, especially with her heart condition.  What to do?  I guess the next step is to call for reinforcements and bring in the real soldiers: Exterminators.

To be continued…

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.  ~Author Unknown
Having the privilege and honor of knowing veterans and future veterans, I am very proud to say Happy Veterans Day!

My dad was in the army stationed in Germany during the Vietnam War, my grandpap Chester fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, receiving the purple heart.  I have countless uncles who served in various military divisions including Merchant Marines, Army, and the Navy.  Not to mention those who supported our troops on the home front including my mom’s mom, who worked in the factory.

My mom told us stories, that her mother told her, about the secrecy of the time during World War II.  You see Latrobe was a big steel producing area at the time.  They produced steel for tanks, bombs and such.  In fact, I heard that Latrobe was a target to be taken out.  Whether that’s true or not I really don’t know, but evidently my mom’s mom said periodically fleets of military trucks used to drive up past her house (which is the same house my parents live in today)  in the middle of the night with their lights off.  They would drive up through the woods on a dirt road where there was a secret bunker of some sort to store the weapons/supplies.  I guess no one was allowed to speak of it.  The next morning was like any other and the women would go back to working in the factories.  In recent times I’ve asked about the secret storage location and I was told it was destroyed.  I’m still curious, one day I’ll go on an exploratory hike to try to uncover a trace of the story.

It’s amazing how far removed we are today from what’s going on around us, unless it’s in our front yard.  We are truly blessed to live in the United States and be called Americans!  Happy Veterans Day!

The leaves of memory seemed to make
A mournful rustling in the dark.  ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Me, Ryan and new born baby Kyle. Latrobe Hospital 7/30/01

Guaranteed, everyone has a memory, good, bad or indifferent, stretching from childhood to the present.  What makes the memory memorable?  Is it total tragedy?  Is it complete bliss? Is it the number of people who know the memory? Is it the small moments that resonate in our hearts and minds or is it the moments that are as large as life?

Karl Rove in Courage and Consequence wrote about his memories from childhood through his White House years.  He wrote an entire chapter about 9/11, which most people remember or at least have heard the tragedy that was placed upon our country.  He described the moments with detail and sincerity, as he should.  That is a memory, which affects some differently than others, depending on how close to home this tragedy hit.  Granted the country was in shock but there were different levels of anger, sadness, etc.  What really stood out in my head is the memory he had when George W. Bush won his first election against Al Gore.  After all the legal crap and finger pointing and trying to figure out the winner (even though it was evident from the beginning) he remembered hearing the news of G.W.’s win on TV from his hotel room.  He remembers the room, what he was wearing, what he was feeling.  I believe it’s those little moments that really help shape a person, especially if we are intuitive enough to pay attention.

Ryan, Me, Nicole with my cat Morticia. Morticia was the best cat... besides Pudd'in

There is no doubt that Narrow doesn’t know life without me in it or my parents and my sister.  We have been an integral part of his life since he was born, literally.  I was there at the hospital when he was wheeled in with his dad, smiling so proudly.   I remember holding that little bundle of baby that wouldn’t open his eyes.  As we sat rocking in the room, Narrow kept bringing his thumb to his mouth.  He managed to work his hand out of all those layers of blankets to try and suck his thumb.  My reaction was to keep pushing the hand back under the blankets until his dad said to leave him alone.  I told my brother, “He’s lucky I’m here, stopping a bad habit from starting.”  And you know what? He never sucked his thumb!

And then there’s the moments that may not mean anything to anyone but to that one person.  For Kyle’s 9^th birthday my parents bought him a 14’ trampoline.  They gave it to him well before his birthday so we could enjoy it all summer (beginning of July).  After we put it together, Kyle and I jumped all Saturday night and then on Sunday after church, which was a very hot Sunday.  Jumping on a big black surface under the direct sunlight does not work well with me.  But Narrow, being the brilliant inventor that he is, hooked up the sprinkler to the hose and placed it inside the trampoline.  You see, Kyle wanted to jump more and he knew the heat was killing me, so he created a solution.  We had a blast jumping around the sprinkler on the very, very, very hot summer day.  We jumped the better part of the day until we ate dinner and I had to take him home.  Of course I remember how smart and inventive that little boy was that day, but he remembered something else.  He told me in the car on the ride home, “Thank you for jumping with me, Aunt Heather.”  That statement made me realize that the simple act of jumping and having fun really meant something to him.

I plucked Kyle's second tooth

This past Halloween it was snowing pretty good.  I decided to plug in Michael Jackson for the Wii.  Kyle joined me and we had a blast jumping around the living room dancing with the King of Pop.  We were laughing and running into one another.  Seven didn’t know what to make of us.  He kept jumping up, thinking we were playing with him.  All the while, Scooby just sat there an gave us the look that we were a bunch of idiots.  We both broke a sweat and I think I pulled a muscle.  You know, the minute I walked in the house last Friday night, Kyle said, “Aunt Heather, let’s dance to Michael Jackson!”

Kyle doesn’t remember when he was little and we used to have Dance Party.  It was something I made up when my parents weren’t home.  We would get glow sticks, turn out all the lights and turn on the music station on the TV.  We would dance around the living room for hours.  I’m sure if someone was to look in on us from the big picture window in the living room, we would look like a bunch of monkeys having a party with glow sticks.

I rarely remember my life before Narrow. In fact, most of my memories of life involve him… good, bad or indifferent.  I guess that is what’s truly important to me, my Narrow.

Companies have to wake up to the fact that they are more than a product on a shelf. They’re behavior as well.  ~Robert Haas

I still crack up over Kyle and his perception of advertised brands.  I mean, I think I’ve mentioned his Fiber One obsession a time or two.  He recognizes that brand so well, he understands General Mills makes Fiber One cereal, as well as other products under the Fiber One name.  In his mind, before trying the other products, they are good because it’s Fiber One.  I believe I mentioned the time I grabbed what I thought was a Fiber One box?  As it turned out, it was Kellogg’s Fiber Plus bars.  Kyle went into this dissertation saying, “It’s not bad, just not as good as Fiber One.  I love Fiber One bars!”  This was in the back of the car on our way to swim lessons.

Being in marketing myself, I understand the importance of brand recognition and top-of-the-mind awareness.  There are a lot of companies, whether they realize it or not, have a strong hold on children and have positioned themselves perfectly for the next generation of consumers.  I mean, ever since the sample lady gave Kyle his first taste of Fiber One, I have found myself buying it in large quantities at Sam’s Club.  My sister even stocked up for him when he visits her for the summer.

Fiber bars are not Kyle’s only obsession.  You see, I try to avoid fast food, for myself and for Kyle’s health. We, meaning my family and myself, do not eat out a lot.  It’s an expense that includes processed and unknown food preparation.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I do eat out, and in a pinch of running around with hunger, you just need substance, I’m not a Steve Jobs food habit extremist.  Not eating out is not a choice to be trendy, but because that’s not how I was raised.  My family always made home cooked meals and gardened, canned, and froze food for the winter.  They also hunted and prepared the meat for later consumption.  Over the years, we raised pigs, cows, turkeys and chickens.  Not in large quantities, but enough for our usage.  When my cousins are butchering their chickens, they always give a few.  I wish I could say I don’t buy processed foods from the grocery store and I eat healthy all the time, but that’s simply not true.  I could kill a box of Little Debbies in one sitting like no other.  Sometimes my eating habits make Ellie Krieger’s list of how NOT to eat.  As I mentioned, sometimes you need quick food and usually our compromise is Subway.

Subway has branded themselves as the healthy fast food.  I’m not disputing it, but how healthy is eating salty lunch meat on a lot of bread?  Well, in Kyle’s eyes, he’s eating healthy when eating Subway.  Not to mention they have done a great job with their tagline, Subway… Eat Fresh!  Every time Kyle sees a Subway or sees the commercials, he’ll say, “Umm Subway… Eat Fresh!”  Every time!  Another tagline that catches his attention is Red Robin.  We don’t frequent there at all. In fact, I don’t think I ever took Kyle to a Red Robin but, without thought, when Kyle hears the Red Robin commercial he sings, “Red Robin.. Yummm.”

Now, it’s not just food that has captured the attention of this little boy over the years.  There was this commercial for Geico Insurance.  Every single time it came on, he would recite it word for word.  It was hilarious, especially when he would say, “Ya jack wagon.”  I always tried to get him on tape but he would never let me record him reciting the commercial.

Kyle’s most recent brand obsession is with the KIA Soul. Because KIA chose to have gangsta hamsters drive around in their cars it became surprisingly eye catching and funny.  The one commercial with the hamsters driving around in toasters still cracks me up!  The phrase they sang, “You can get with this or you can get with that”, was used by Kyle in spontaneous moments.  But what really stole the show was their newest commercial with the robots in the futuristic scene.  I showed Kyle the commercial for the first time, knowing he was going to get a kick out it.  At first he asked me, “Aunt Heather, what is this?”  But then, at that moment, Kyle spotted the top of the KIA Soul driving into the scene.  What’s really amazing, Kyle recognized the car just at that brief moment when the top of the car was exposed through all the rubbish.  Then, when the tennis shoe lowered from the car door and hit the ground decked out in 80’s colors and the music started to kick up, Kyle was jumping out of his seat.  We were both laughing at the dancing hamsters.

Ever since that commercial struck Kyle’s fancy, he really started loving the Party Rock Anthem.  One time I busted Kyle listening to the song over and over on the computer.  I did manage to get that one on video without his prior knowledge.  Yep, these brands have a fan in the next generation.

In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ‘em.  ~William Shakespeare

Since today’s election day, I thought this blog post was appropriate.  Please learn the issues and vote!

Hearing different theories on what makes a great leader, some saying they are born, others saying it’s through courage and hard work, yet others are saying it’s through a mere happenstance with extreme circumstance, I often wonder.  However, if I had to categorize it for a self assessment survey, I’m going to play it safe and go with a combination of all of the above.  I guess now I’m wondering, can a natural leader be spotted in advance?

An excerpt out of Kyle's Wimpy Kid Diary.. take note who's our next president.

When it comes to Kyle, I am most certainly biased.  That’s a given, but don’t be mistaken, I can also call a spade a spade.  I have always thought of myself as one of those rare individuals who can separate fact from emotional ties.  I’m all for pushing Kyle in a certain direction, but I’ll be the first to realize his weakness, immaturity, or lack of desire and I will call him on it.  This holds true with friends, family and co-workers.  I’m not always on the money, but when I work with someone or really know them, I become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, as most of us do.  Making these broad stroke statements is not judging but merely making observations, as I’m sure others have done to me.  Rightfully so, or else how did a manager place me to do specific jobs as opposed to others without coming to the realization of the facts of my strengths and weaknesses?  To be a good manger you almost have to.

Being a leader, no matter what role you’re playing, takes many attributes to accomplish.  I’ve always told Kyle, “You’re only as good as the people who work for you” and “In order to be a good leader, you need to be a great follower.”  I’m sure somewhere down the line I’ve heard those words spill from someone’s mouth and I’ve adopted them as my own.  But that doesn’t make the words any less true.  So, with that being said, I guess I just admitted that great leaders have to be proven by their performance and hard work.  As I’ve always said, I’ve noticed specific traits coming from Kyle and leadership seems to be one of them.

Kyle somehow always plays the supervisor role when it comes to any type of work.  He is the first to rally people and delegate.  He’s actually a natural. I’ve seen it first hand, not only with family members but with children his age.  He does have the Pied Piper thing going on.  I could give an example, but sometimes hearing it straight from the horses mouth speaks in volumes.

I recorded this clip because I  was so impressed with Kyle’s thinking and his writing style.  He had to pick an office he wanted to run for sixth grade and write a paper supporting his views.  Now also keep in mind that he thought of the objectives himself.  The beginning paragraph was already started in school before I read it.  Below, I outlined the paper in case it’s a little hard to hear, not to mention he’s a lot like me, we can’t read our own writing.

Kyle’s Paper on being Treasurer

Who is good at math and loves Legos and dinosaurs? (he said the dinosaurs part was suppose to be a joke) Kyle Piper! Now let me tell you why I should be Treasurer.  I am awesome at math and money.  I think I’m good at math because I raise my hand almost every time, I get A’s on my math grades, and we do money in math so I must be good at math.  I like to organize money, so that is why I would be a good treasurer.

This is my first reason why I want to be a treasurer.  I want to get a pool for kids so that they know how to swim so that they will be prepared when they get to high school, for kids exercise to strengthen their lungs, to strengthen kids leg and arm muscles with getting in and out of the pool.  I can cover the money related stuff and all you have to do is vote for me.

I am trustworthy because I always ask before I take any money from my grandmas and because I always return the extra money that I get.  I always return the toys I play with to the rightful owner.

As you can see I will be a good treasurer. I am good at math, as I explained before, and I am very trustworthy.  So as I explained that and last but not least I will try to persuade the president to get a pool. That is why you should vote for me, Kyle Piper.

Sometimes at the best moments a single word or a look is enough.  ~ Honore de Balzac

Kelly Berger sportin' the new DX fleece!

Everyone once in a while I notice something that I want to share with Kyle, just for the simple fact I know he’ll get a kick out of it.  Not to mention, I also get a kick out of showing him.  Working at an ad agency I do see a lot of websites, videos, advertisements and such.  Staying on top of what’s being circulated and viralized is the name of the game.  It helps with creative freedom and, believe it or not, it helps with discovering new ways of using technology, new ways to push the limits, and new ways of thinking and the list goes on and on.

Anyway, sometimes things come across my desk, or should I say across my laptop, that start to become a trend, at least in my own little world.  That trend seems to creep its way throughout all parts of my life.  Regardless of how it started and where it goes, it’s funny!

Kelly our graphic designer instant messaged me this video.  You see, not only is Kelly a great graphic designer and the best at keeping me updated on the weather, but she is the queen of all things with animals in videos!  Once I saw this video, I couldn’t help it, I started to repeat the phrase, “Ya.. Ya..” Then I showed Kyle the video and we both really, truly laughed.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times we watched the video.

I didn’t realize what a playful impact that video had on everyone I knew who watched it.  That is, until someone says, “Ya… Ya..” with the look of, ‘I’m acting like a dog’.  In fact, last week Kyle said, “Ya” to me and then quickly adjusted his tone and proceeded to say, “Ya… Ya..”  He smiled and gave me a look of  ‘You know what I’m referring to’.  Then, ’cause it’s so addictive, I started saying, “Ya… Ya..” too!  How funny!

But what really struck me was how this video crept into a creative meeting at work.  During the meeting my boss said, “Ya..Ya..” out of nowhere.  Then, as if rehearsed on cue, I said, “Ya.. Ya..” and then went into the script, “and I had some bacon… and I gave it to the cat…NOOOO.”

Well I guess, without further adieu, please watch the video that started the trend of talking like a dog.  And when you think to yourself, “Was it worth it?” I bet you’ll be saying, “Ya… Ya..”

I am directionally challenged.  ~Heather Piper

Kyle getting ready to go hunting for Mentor Hunting with his pap pap

It’s no secret that I have no sense of direction.  I never did and I probably never will.  I get lost, literally, in my own back yard.  I am worse when I am driving.  The sense of anxiety takes over me and I can’t think straight.  I don’t mind being lost if I’m not the one driving.  But forget it if I’m the driver.  One time, I remember, around Christmas, my sister was home from college and I worked at the mall.  She wanted my car for the day so she dropped me off at work and came back for me that night.  What was really interesting was how we got lost going home and the route we took.  You see, I’m not the only one in the family like this.  My sister is equally, if not more, directionally challenged than I am.  What is ironic is that both of my parents have a great sense of direction.  My brother did as well.  Mom always says, “I don’t know where I went wrong with you girls. I don’t understand how you don’t know where you’re going.”  I always tell her that it’s their fault because they always knew where they were going so we didn’t have to pay attention, therefore not gaining any directional sense.

Jeremy (cousin) & Ryan, skinning a deer

Back to the mall.  Yes, my parent’s house is about 10 miles from the mall, pretty much a straight shot up the highway.  We’ve been going there since we were little, so one would think that it’s safe to have my sister pick me up from the mall and get us both back home without much fuss.  Guess again. Somehow we left the mall and next thing I noticed we were on some back road, driving somewhere. I remember I asked my sister, “Where are we?” and she said, “I don’t know, weren’t you paying attention?”  I said, “Me? You are the one driving!”  She retorted by saying, “But you are the passenger and you should have told me where to go.”  Can you believe that? We were lost somewhere near home.  Even, at that time, I had a cell phone. I was one of the first people that I knew of to get one.  Thank goodness!  I called home and my brother answered. I told him that we were lost. He started to laugh and then asked the dumbest question, “How on earth did you get lost coming home from the mall?”  I proceeded to tell him, “Well if I knew that, we wouldn’t be lost.”  We had to give him landmarks to get us back home and, it turns out, we were going in the opposite direction of Latrobe.  Eventually we ended up on route 22. Originally we were 10 miles from our final destination, my parents house, but now quite a bit further.  When we finally pulled up the driveway, Ryan stood on the porch laughing at us and said, “I see you made it home.”  Of course Ryan told mom and dad about our adventure. It should have taken us no more than 15 minutes but, instead, it took us close to an hour to get home.

Dad & Kyle ready to go hunting

Surprisingly, when I was trekking through Europe, I managed to find my way and I never felt lost.  It was weird, maybe cause I knew I couldn’t just pick up a phone and call for assistance, resulting in me actually paying attention to my whereabouts.  This coming from a person who has a hard time making her way out of a hotel.  It’s true I get twisted in the hallways and I always need assistance making my way to the front lobby.  When I was in Hilton Head a few weeks ago, I couldn’t make my way out of the condo resort when I left for church. I kept going around in circles until I somehow found my way out.  Keep in mind I was on foot too.

Two weekends ago I did learn something about myself that I never realized before.  You see, it was mentor season for deer hunting and dad took Kyle hunting on Saturday.  Kyle shot a deer and they tried looking for it until it got dark, but no luck finding it.  So, the next morning, dad had me go out with them to trek through the unfamiliar woods looking for this dead deer.  We split up going back maybe a mile or two into the woods.  I lost track of them pretty quickly, but I didn’t fret.  I never felt anxious and I never was nervous.  You see, I always knew I could find my way back out.  Maybe it’s ’cause I was used to running through the woods as a kid or because, to me, the woods seem to have such details that I can tell where I’m going.  Now, keep in mind, I wasn’t in the Amazon or the Alaskan frontier but I was still in unfamiliar territory.  Actually, I really enjoyed myself.  I felt like I was Katniss (Hunger Games) leaping over the trees, moving over the brush. I kind of cracked myself up.

Kyle is completely the opposite of me and my sister.  He has a pretty good sense of direction.  In fact, more than not, he is the one telling me where we are going.  He pays attention, probably because he knows his aunt won’t.  I like to think that me being directionally challenged is God’s way of taking my problem and using it as a teaching lesson for Kyle.