We have a home, we have a home, WE HAVE A HOME!!!! I’m sorry for the insane amount of excitement, but after pushing my entire family under my best friend’s roof for nearly 5 months, I think I’m entitled to a moment of celebration (as is he). This process has been totally crazy and even though the deal that we got was amazing, I can honestly say that I will probably never do a short sale again. We put the offer in on this house on Apr 1st, the process was taking so long that I truly thought the bank may have felt our offer was a April Fools joke. But here we are 5 months later and the house we basically drooled over is FINALLY ours.
One of the major highlights of our recent trip back to Buffalo wasn’t even encountered in Buffalo. That probably comes as no big surprise to any of my readers that know Buff on a more intimate basis. For fun and thrills we traveled all the way to good ole Canada, and embarked on a mystical journey (eh – Canada speak) thru a treacherous jungle. There were ferocious lions, tigers, and bears oh my (wait, that’s the wrong tagline, this isn’t Ringling Bros.), we had to fight off rabid monkey’s (wait, that was the new Planet of the Apes movie), and finally we danced with wolves; clearly I’ve been away from blogging for so long that I’m confusing fiction with my real life. Bear (another animal reference) with me as I shake off the cobwebs and recap our trip to the African Lion Safari.
So today is my first day back to work, both in real life and on this blog. After an 11 day hiatus, I must admit, it was extremely tough getting back into the swing of things. But alas, here I am blogging my little heart out; ready to spill all the gory details regarding our recent trip to the mean streets of Buffalo, NY. After 3 years of being away from my hometown, a 10 year high school reunion presented the perfect excuse for a return trip back. The reunion was the reason that brought us back to Buff, but surely wasn’t the only thing we had on our agenda during our stay. I’ll be doing a series of short posts detailing the various aspects of our trip, so be sure to check back regularly to ensure you don’t miss any of the excitement. The first post in the series will be about my experience at my 10 year high school reunion, click the link to check it out. But before you do, be sure to check out the 10 most important things that I learned from this recent trip to my hometown.
1. Buffalo has changed a lot
2. Buffalo hasn’t changed at all
3. You can’t make up for 3yrs in 8 days. There will inevitably be some people that you don’t get to see
4. Moms cooking can erase 4months of weight loss in one quick week
5. Strip Clubs can be very dangerous places
6. As an aging adult, 4am is now waaaayyyy too late for bars & clubs to stay open
7. $2000 is not too much to pay for plane tickets to avoid a 16hr car ride with a 6 & 3yr old
8. Long distance grandparents are the best babysitters in the world
9. High School class reunions aren’t as popular as they once were
And last but not least
10. There is no place like home (I just can’t stay there for extended periods of time)
I know a lot of my readers are good samaritans, and just as I do, enjoy giving back and helping others. That’s why today’s post will highlight a great opportunity to do exactly that, a chance to open your doors and provide a great summer experience for a child who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have any time away from home during their summer break. The Fresh Air Fund is a non profit agency that has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities. WOW, that’s amazing, 1.7 million kids? They have been operational since 1877 and continue to expand each year. The Fresh Air Fund is in need of host families in rural or suburban areas to sponsor a child for as little as a two week period. During this time, the family would have the opportunity to meet and get to know the child and provide them with a much needed break from the day to day hustle and bustle of inner city life. Currently, the program operates in 13 northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.
I’ve looked at my Google Analytics, so I know that a lot of my readers are from these areas, hopefully some of you will participate in this great opportunity, it truly appears to be a mutually beneficial program for both the children who participate as well as the generous host families. For those of you who don’t fall into the 13 state operating realm, there are other ways to take action and be a part of the Fresh Air Fund. In addition to the host family portion of the program, the Fresh Air Fund also facilitates free summer camps for inner city children. As you can imagine, running a camp for 3,000 kids requires quite a bit of capital, so if you can’t become a host family, please consider donating. Your funds will go a long way in putting smiles on kids faces and becoming the highlight of their summer vacation.
For more information, please visit the Fresh Air Fund website at the following address: http://freshairfundhost.org/ . If you are considering becoming a host family, please act fast, as interviews are currently ongoing.
How many of you know someone who is genuinely funny? I mean someone whose jokes literally make you keel over with laughter. They’re good people to have around right? These types of people can turn a bad day around with a few simple words. When they’re around, a smile is bound to be landing on your face within minutes. A person who can tell a good joke won’t find themselves with a shortage of friends very often, and for good reason. But what about those friends who attempt to be funny and just fail at it miserably? The people who couldn’t tell a good joke if there was a chicken and a road right in front of them (wait a minute, considering that last joke, am I one of those people?) That’s neither here nor there, this isn’t about me. No, instead, it’s about a little boy, a 3 year old little boy who I’m afraid is incapable of telling a joke. In my expert funny accountant opinion, I’d say he’s a class 5 bad joke teller. We all know that those classified as class five, are destined to live a life of being laughed at instead of laughed with. It hurts my heart that my very own little boy is walking down such a humiliating road, but without forking over thousands on improv comedy classes, I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do. If things continue in this manner, Tre may never know the joy of being able to make people laugh.
So Ty has been back for over a week now and I can honestly say that he definitely can tell that we missed him. From the time we picked him up at the airport until the time he went sleep that first night, you would have thought that all four of us were glued together at the hip. Activity after activity, game after game, discussion after discussion, it was all Ty, all the time. That first day, you would have thought we were the perfect ideal family, all smiling faces and loving gestures. Then the sunset, the moon came out and I swear those kids turned into werewolves overnight. The fighting, bickering, and competition picked up right where it left off, and that’s when I knew, that our family was back to normal. Read on to hear more about that magical event filled day that Ty came back home to his family. Check back next week to read about the days that followed, once the parade paraphinala was taken down and the cameras stopped rolling. Today, you get the happily ever after fairy tale, next week you get the nightmare!
Today, Ty returns!!!! In a mere few hours, Ty will be hopping off of a plane and joining us in Minneapolis. Some of you may not know, but that moment will signify the end of a very tumultuous time period for the cast members of Daddy’s Fish Bowl. If you’re a little in the dark, you may want to read: The Family-less Family Man, When Doom Turns To Gloom, and When Doom Turns To Gloom ***Update***. Needless to say, it’s been a bumpy few months for our family and the return of Ty signifies the end of this horrible chapter in our family’s fairy tale. As you all know, fairy tales have no sad endings, so this story is full of excitement and hope. When we had to go our separate ways and be apart from Ty, we left with a bang; so from the moment he hops off of that plane, the fire will reunite.
Father’s Day just passed and luckily, this year, we made it through without any blunt head force trauma, crying, or disappointment. If you’re a bit confused, you may recall last year’s Father’s Day Tragedy and oh what a tragedy it was. Anytime you have swinging golf clubs connecting with human skulls, you’re pretty much destined for a tragedy of some sort. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Today, we’re hear to discuss the 2011 Father’s Day Tragedy! Before you get your box of Kleenex ready, let me warn you, they won’t be needed. This year, Father’s Day was excellent and the only tragedy to discuss is the fact that Fefe finally got the better of me, so my ego was a little bruised. If I had to choose, I guess a bruised ego is better than Fefe having a bruised skull…I guess.
Fefe & Tre come back to Minneapolis tonight, FOR GOOD this time and I thought it was only fitting to share with you the story of Tre’s first plane ride, train ride, and (Minnesota)car ride; which took place a little over a month ago when we made the trip to Minneapolis for the first time (and what we thought was the last time). It was actually his second plane ride, but seeing as how he was only a few months old for the first one, I think this trip qualifies as his (un)official first trip on an airplane.
As with everything that Tre is involved in, associated with, or a part of, his plane ride was full of spectacle, laughter, drama, and pretty much plain ole pure entertainment. So sit back, kick your feet up and get prepared to enjoy the Tre Variety Hour (or 15 mins in this case).
With Memorial Day Weekend basically staring us in the face (how many of you are at work staring at the clock right now, probably reading this post just to pass the time until the party begins!), anyway, like I was saying, with Memorial Day Weekend pretty much front and center, I felt that today was the perfect time to blog about this ultra cool deal. After you read this post, you’ll probably want to offer me your next born child, but rest assured, I’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart; although, monetary gifts are surely welcome. Read on to be dazzled, be wowed, be amazed by the deal that’s sure to provide tons of fun for you and your family at absolutely no cost at all. Oh yeah, by the way, in place of monetary gifts, I’ll settle for you naming your next child “Keith”, boy or girl, it doesn’t matter, I’m not picky.
