Emily is now a member of the National Junior Honor Society!! Woo HOO!

YAY!  Exciting news to share.   Emily made the National Junior Honor Society!  The induction ceremony is tonight, we are so proud of her!  I will post pictures later & share more details about the night.   TTFN (ta ta for now!)

The start of.... Operation: Classic Book! Oh yeah!

A while ago (a looooong) while ago Brian's dad gave us a bookshelf that was filled w/ Classic books.  You know books like Moby Dick, Ben Hur, To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.  Anyway... there they've been sitting since.  I've always meant to read them....BUT never have read them.. any of them.  The truth is I like to read but have slacked off in recent years, & before that I read books like Mary Higgins Clark, & the like.  It's kind of embarrassing how few classics I actually have EVER read...even back in school.  I read "To kill a mockingbird" because I loved the movie so much, & Romeo & Juliet (in high school) BUT that's it.  A while ago I joined this online book website called GoodReads.  Which allows you to (in a social media way) document the books you've read & since  one of my resolutions is to read more I thought I would try to really use it. I just finished my last book I was reading yesterday a psychological thriller called Spire by Richard North Patterson, & so I needed another book to read &.... EUREKA! A brilliant idea... why not start reading one of the classics from our own collection that I've always been "meaning" to read.  I decided since this was my first "classic" novel in a while that I would start out with a book I know and love from it's film version.  So the classic book I chose was..... DRUM ROLL........................................................... "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" By Betty Smith. I read the first chapter last night... if I hadn't been so tired I would have read more. :) Wish me luck!  I'm going to be documenting  "Operation: Classic Book" on here, & update how it goes.  (I can't believe I just wrote "Operation: Classic Book"... I'm such a DORK!) Oh well... after I read these classic novels I'm sure I'll be much more "classy"..... nah!

This one is for my brother.... with Love

I just wanted to share something that my brother gave me for Christmas! But first a little back story of he & I's relationship.  My brother, Fernando is 15 years younger than me.  Despite the age difference we've always been really close.  I think that, had a lot to do with the fact from practically his birth, I was the one who watched him when my mom worked.  Which since we were a one parent family was a lot. So I was the one who babysat him.  My older sister Mary had already left our house & was a mom of her own.   I remember my high school boyfriend, driving baby Fernando "Nando" around in his car trying to get him to go to sleep , so we could be "alone".   I remember changing countless cloth diapers of his. (My mom insisted on cloth diapers.... UGH!) I understood we couldn't afford disposables but rinsing cloth diapers in the toilet was the most disgusting chore I've ever done. EWWW! But for my brother I would have done anything.  I loved him so much.  I felt like I was a second mom.  It surely let me know how hard it was raising a child & while I still wasn't a saint. I did atleast understand, this was not something I wanted for myself, just yet anyway.  But boy did I love that boy.  I loved him so much.  When my brother was 4.  He & my mother moved to Florida to take care of my grandma.  I went too, but decided after two weeks in Florida that I missed my (new) boyfriend too much & moved back to New Jersey! On my own... at 19! In ways I'm glad I did, & other ways it was torture.  I missed my brother so much. (Ofcourse  I missed my mom too) but my brother I felt "needed" me.  I would send "care packages" of clothes & toys to let him know how much I missed him.  I didn't make a lot of money but whenever I could I would.  It was always my desire to have them come back to NJ.  I missed them both so much.  When my brother was in like the 2nd or 3rd grade.  They moved back.  Sadly my grandmother had passed away & that was the reason.   They moved in with me.  We were back together... & that brought both complete joy & complications too. Over the years my brother & I's relationship has both evolved & stayed the same.  My sister, brother & I lost our mother way too young but for Fernando who at the time of her death, was almost the same age I was when he was born, it was probably the hardest.  Teenage years are never easy throw in the fact of losing the only parent you have and it was torture I'm sure.   I never really realized that, we were both 15 when something major happened in our lives.  I wish his had been a blessing like mine. But life isn't like that... you can't script it.  Anyway... after my mom died, I agreed "ofcourse" to be Fernando's legal guardian.  My husband & I tried our best to do our best.  I'm sure we didn't always.  He was a handful at time, like all teenage boys I imagine.  In ways we were lucky... he never got into any "major" trouble.  He was a good boy BUT we were always on him to clean his room, or do his chores.  The older he got the more we fought.  We wanted respect & he wanted to be left alone.  When Fernando was in his mid-twenties, it came to a head, we wanted him to experience life & start taking responsibility & he has never been good with change.  But it was beginning to affect my husband & I's relationship & I knew something had to give.  It was time for Fernando to move on & out.  It wasn't easy & it wasn't done in the most "friendliest" of ways. Fernando & I got into another argument & I guess Fernando had enough, he apparently had been saving money & just like that said he was moving & he moved into his own apartment.  I worried so much if he would be ok.  Since he had never been "responsible" for anything like this before... Bills, keeping a steady job, etc.  I worried, & worried.  You know what?  It was probably the best thing for him.  It has forced him to do things for himself... & he's been gone over a year & hasn't asked for help once.  I am incredibly proud of him.  I hope he knows that & how much I have and always will love him.   This Christmas I got his Christmas card & it was a beautiful gold foiled card that read,
                                                   
For my Sister,
The Lord has
a wonderful reason
for everything He does-
and I'm so glad
His plan for my life
Included giving me
A sister like you.
You're a real blessing,
and I hope you know
how much I always
thank God for you.

Merry Christmas!
Love Nando

*Inside it he wrote:  Missy, the card says it all, even tho at times I may not have showed it. I'm grateful and appreciative to have a loving sister like you.  Love you, Nando  Merry Xmas & happy New Year.

That card means so much to me.  I've always worried about him.  I've always only wanted the best for him.  I still worry about him,  I want him to be happy in his life.  I want him to find that special girl who will love him for him & most importantly I want him to have all the wonderful things in this life that he deserves. On Christmas day,  I was telling him how much the card meant to me, & he said... I'm starting to get it. I'm starting to grow up.  Hearing him say this,  made me feel so proud. Fernando,  I love being your sister & I always will.   Missy

(FINALLY) Last pics from our New Mexico/Colorado Trip

Flowers on the drive back to Santa Fe

 

Continental Divide Sign

 

 

 

Stopped at the Echo "Natural" Amphitheater

 

Emily & I (at Echo Amphitheater)



 

At Ghost Ranch

 

 

 

 

Love this picture!

 

 

 



 

WOW!

 

 

 

Georgia O'Keefe Sign

 

 

 

Back in Santa Fe (taking a hike)

 

 

 

 

 

Aunt Barbara (Brian's favorite Aunt!)

 

 

 

 

Grandma & Emily

 

 

 

 Emily in the Kayak

 

 

 

 

Emily swimming

 

 

 

 

Museum in Albuquerque

 

 

 

View from the (LONG)train ride home to NJ 

The latest Review of, "A Life Begun" by Brian E Roach (my hubby!)

"A Life Begun" (the book Brian wrote about Emily) latest review: "If you are afraid of getting emotionally wrapped up in a book, you might want to avoid this story, but as long as you are fine with that, grab a box of tissues and a comfy chair (you might not be able to put the book down), and be prepared for a glimpse into what it takes to bring a micro preemie into this world. Hold on tight as you experience an emotional roller coaster full of love, fear, anger, faith and mo...re. Full Disclosure: I am the insensitive jerk in chapter 6 that made a poorly worded comment the first time I saw Emily. Even though I was (and still am) a friend of the Author and his family at the time that this story took place, I was unaware of just how challenging it had been before reading “A Life Begun”. Brian tells his story with emotions that most people don’t share with the public. This really is a must read, especially for those of us who brought a child into this world the traditional way." Check it out: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-life-begun-brian-e-roach/1109559363?ean=9781105578182