Roses and Thorns

Hope everyone has a great Friday and an awesome weekend! Kick back, relax and have fun! 

Peace out, homies!

Roses to Friday! I can't wait for this weekend, and I have NOTHING planned, but Jed should be home tonight, and I just can't wait for that.

Roses to all the snow the ski resorts have getting; I plan to "play" in it sometime this weekend.

Roses to Mom making me a whole lasagna last weekend, that has fed me ALL WEEK. That's right, no cooking for me this week.

Roses to a delicious dinner (butternut squash pizza) with my Superstar Wednesday night.

Roses to the Team USA hockey team who kicked some Swiss a$$ this week.

Roses to Monday night prayer discussion at my church for Lent. Very peaceful and interesting.

Roses to finally seeing my cousin's son play hockey Sunday! Too cute.

Thorns to work. Things have been stressful this week.

Thorns to spending $75 on Morris at Petco last night.

Thorns to the Olympics ending this weekend. Sad.

Thorns to all Central Falls, RI, high school teachers finding out they are losing their jobs this week.

Thorns to the knots and mattes in Morris hair. Poor thing.

Thorns to rain all week (and not snow!).

{Roses and Thorns via K.Law: Inspired}

Writer's Workshop: Advice

**Before I begin... I logged into Blogger to start this post, and I noticed there are now 50 of you who regularly read what I write! WOW! Thank you! And you, and you, and you, and you... all 50 of you! I never, ever thought this would happen.

Also, I know I've been behind on reading and replying to your comments (do you all like that I reply by e-mail, or would you rather me reply on the post?), but I'm working my way through them. I appreciate every one; they make me smile more than you know.**

Brea from Tomika’s Treasure Trove wants your advice: Quick question. I am new to the blogging world, having clocked up less than 2 weeks worth of posts, and I have just had an ‘Anonymous’ commenter slam me for blogging about my daughter, mentioning her by name, posting photos and up-to-date stories about her. I have not mentioned anywhere in my blog where we live, Country OR State, or what school she goes to. I have also seen, on several other blogs, that other parents do the same thing as me. Some even mention where they live. I was wondering, as a fellow blogger who posts about your family, what are your thoughts on the subject?

I don't really consider myself someone to be giving blogging advice; I've only been doing this for eight months, and I only have 50 (wow!) followers, but I felt this was a topic on which I could speak. So here goes...

Brea,
It really sucks when someone anonymously comes along and slams you on your blog, let alone about your parenting skills and choices, so to address that: ignore them.

However, I realize that this disrespectful comment has given you food for thought, as I think it would anyone. I'm not a parent, but I do blog about my family, and children's rights are a big issue for me. That said, I don't think you are wrong to post about your daughter, even if it includes her name, her activities or pictures. It is your blog, and she is your daughter; therefore, it's your choice what you post and how you talk about her.

I think you have used appropriate caution: you don't post your last name, where you live or any specific details (according to the above), which keeps your daughter "protected."

Blogging is a great outlet to post about our lives, our adventures, our feelings. Blogging is the 21st-century diary. We do have to be careful though, since most of us choose to make our blogs public, and I think most of us take those precautions. I'm sure you post about your daughter to update family and friends on how and what she is doing. I'm also sure you post about her because she is an important part of your life that you want to talk about, document and sometimes vent about. There is nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.

So keep doing what you're doing, and enjoy it! Good luck with your blog.

Sincerely,
Jen

This post was inspired by:

Wishful Wednesday: Book Character

This week's topic is ....

'I wish' .... I could play a character's role in a book and it would be Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat, Pray, Love!
Include the fictional characters name and novel too!


This might be my new favorite book, even though I read it over a year ago. I'm sorry Liz isn't exactly a character, as this book is a memoir, but I couldn't think of another character I'd rather be right now.

I admire her strength in admitting and then doing what is best for her. I admire her courage in her travels. I've been in painful situations like hers, but I've never had the strength and courage and clarity to do what she did. I would love to pamper myself in Italy, devote myself in India and love myself in Thailand. The experiences she had, the friends she made, the things she saw... I want it all!

New recipe: Roasted Shrimp With Peppers and Lemon (over white rice)

It's one of my goals this year to teach myself to cook and build a collection of recipes with which I am comfortable. One of my favorite sources is Real Simple and that is where I found this one. I tried this on a night I was eating alone, since Jed doesn't like any seafood -- he asked me what I made for dinner when he got home because he could smell it though! This recipe was really easy -- especially since I used frozen, cooked, peeled and de-veined shrimp from the supermarket -- and I would make it again. The one thing I would change is thawing the shrimp first and cutting the tail shells off so you can just eat the dish as a whole without worrying about shell.

I made a half portion since it was just me eating it (I had leftovers for lunch), but the recipe as is serves four.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme (I sprinkled some in from a bottle)
• 4 scallions, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound frozen large peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss the bell pepper, lemon, thyme, scallions, crushed red pepper, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. 

3. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet (reserving the bowl).

4. Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss with the paprika, the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

5. Nestle the shrimp in the bell peppers on the baking sheet (I seemed to have a lot of shrimp for the amount of vegetables, so they weren't exactly "nestled").

6. Roast until the shrimp are cooked through and the bell peppers are tender, 10 to 12 minutes (I increased the time to 20 minutes since the shrimp were frozen). While the shrimp is roasting, cook the rice according to box directions. Serve over the rice.

Doesn't it look yummy?? I will warn you, the tiny bit of crushed red pepper and the scallions really added some punch to this dish; it was spicy, but not overbearingly so.

If I could just sit with You awhile...

weheartit

Giving thanks and feeling grateful is spiritual, by nature, but these posts may take on even more of a spiritual element over the next six weeks during my Lenten journey. I'm really trying to take advantage of this time built into the Church calendar to reflect on, learn about and deepen my faith. Hopefully you do not feel that I am isolating you because you are not particularly religious; that is not my intention. At the least, I hope these posts will inspire you to feel nothing but gratitude and love.

The post title is from a song that was sung at the end of the prayer discussions I am attending during Lent at my church. This lyric really touched my heart and spoke to me; it really made me want to spend some time every day in quiet reflection.

A lot of that reflection is appreciation.

I'm thankful for prayer, even though I'm not quite sure how to pray, even though it remains a mystery to me, I'm grateful for the opportunity to practice and explore it.

I'm thankful for my faith that keeps me strong when I doubt or fear.

I'm thankful for my dog, who reminds me what a simple, joyful life is.

I'm thankful for this space, where I can work out my thoughts, record pieces of my life and share with all of you! (Welcome to my new readers, I'm so glad you stopped by!)

Lastly, I'm thankful for all the new recipes I'm discovering. Cooking for me, is a form of prayer. It is quiet time to myself, an act of love, a learning experience. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't, but c'est la vie!

What are you appreciating right now?

FMM: Weekend Confessions

Welcome back to another week of 

Friend-Makin' Mondays!

This week, inquiring minds want to know: What did you do this weekend? Confess it. 

Rather than give you the boring run-down of everything I did this weekend, I'm going to give you the juicy stuff: my true confessions of guilty pleasures. So much more fun! 

• I ate Ring-Dings for lunch Saturday. They are so my weakness! 
• Above-mentioned Ring-Dings are hidden from Jed, so he won't eat them!
• I took a nap in the middle of the day Saturday after my Yoga class instead of cleaning or doing laundry.
• I took another nap Sunday when I got home at four o'clock instead of doing laundry or spending time with Jed.
• I drank too much wine at my parents' house Saturday because it was SO good.
• I was late showing up at the parents' house Saturday because of my nap.
• I filled the DVR up recording the Olympics all weekend because I didn't want to miss a SINGLE moment.
• I left Jed to go to church alone Sunday so I could watch my cousin's son play hockey -- so cute! 
• I might have ate Ring-Dings right before dinner Friday...

Your turn! 'Fess up, what guilty pleasures did you partake in this weekend?

Fill-in-the-blank Friday

My dear Micaela does this every Friday, and after reading her fun, thoughtful answers for a couple weeks, I decided I wanted to partake in the fun. Here we go!

1.  If I could  medal in an Olympic event it would be alpine skiing - just like Lindsey Vonn, or maybe snowboard half-pipe like Hannah Teter, even though I don't know how to ride.

2.  If I was stranded on a deserted island I'd take  my cell phone so I could call for someone to come get me when I got tired of playing "Lost".

3.  Spiders are my most irrational fear.

4.  I'd rather  clean toilets everyday,  than  crunch numbers everyday.

5.  I am in transition.

6.  I should really be  going to bed .

7.  One of my favorite things in all the world is sailing away on a two-week cruise with Jed.

Intrigued? Play along at the little things we do!

Roses and Thorns

This is going to be a little bit of an Olympic-inspired Roses and Thorns... I can't help it, I'm a tad obsessed. I've had it on pretty much constantly all week long. There's just such great stories and accomplishments and people! Love it! 

A big roses to all of our Team USA Olympic medalists! Booya! 

Roses to boarder Hannah Teter and her amazing charity. Seriously, this girl is my hero at the age of 23 (OMG, she's the same age as my sister, minus seven days!).

Roses to working it out and resolving conflict.

Roses to four-day work weeks until the end of March! Love having vaca to burn!

Roses to feel-good stories and inspiration.

Roses to global camaraderie. I loved watching Lindsey Vonn hanging out with her German BFF Maria Riesch. That is the quintessence of healthy competition! (Plus they are both gorgeous and wanted to split the golds evenly among their four events!)

And while we're on the topic of skiers and riders, what up Shaun White?!? Roses to you man, you have the sport wrapped around your finger!

Thorns to seriously painful-looking ski wipe-outs. OUCH!

Thorns to the boyfriend dissing the Olympics. Why couldn't he be just a little bit of a sports fan?

Thorns to yet ANOTHER change in my company's vacation policy. WTF?!?

Thorns to Shaun White looking like a woman. Really, dude, just cut your orange locks, ok?

Thorns to annoying system upgrades at work.

{R&T inspired by K.Law: Inspired -- holla at my girl!}

Writer's Workshop: As we are

 weheartit

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.

~ Maya Angelou 

We often say "home is where the heart is." I've always thought this was true, but, for me, home is also where I'm most comfortable, most myself, most accepted. Home is the place you go when you are emotionally and physically drained to recharge. 


While I have no doubt there is heart in my home, it is not yet a safe place. I'm still looking to find that here. 


I am not the easiest person to live with, I know that. I want things my way, on my time, and I can be quite demanding. I wasn't an only child, but that was the way things were in my childhood home: my mother's way on her time. We all played along unless we wanted a stern talking-to. Ha, and I take after my mother after all. 


The problem is, I don't feel safe being that way because it causes a lot of friction with Jed. Understandably. I can completely understand how he would not just roll over and play my way. I get that. But, aren't I supposed to be able to be myself at home? 


The answer is yes, but with a caveat: I need to let those that live with  me be themselves too, and I need to be myself with kindness and respect. My mother mastered that, I haven't inherited that yet. 


Truth is, I just want our home to be comfortable. For the first few months we lived here, I was obsessed with having "the perfect house" -- so much that I treated it more like a museum than the place we live. Saying it now, it seems so stupid, but it meant so much to me for a while. I'm getting over that. My home isn't a museum; it's not perfect, but it reflects us and our lives. 


I want to be able to come home and feel like myself, happily and peacefully. I want Jed to be able to come home and escape from his day and relax. We're not there, but I think we can be, with a little compromise and a lot of love. 


I ache to live together as we are, unquestioned, without expectation.

This post inspired by

Blessed are they...

*happy place*

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 5: 3-10 

As I listened to this Gospel during Mass on Sunday, and the sermon that followed, I couldn't help but be haunted by images of the suffering in Haiti. It is all I could think about. I suddenly knew that God is with these people, and He will be with them for a long time as they suffer, mourn, fight and rebuild.

It sounds silly now, but I didn't have time to do my thankful Tuesday post yesterday, even though I knew in my mind what I would write. So, here it is, a day late, but no less meaningful.

I'm thankful for my house, in which I sit comfortably -- because people in Haiti watched their houses crumble, sometimes on top of them.

I am thankful for my warm, comfortable bed -- because there are children in Haiti sleeping in the dirt.

I am thankful for the food in my cupboards and refrigerator -- because most in Haiti are starving.

I'm thankful for the filtered, cold water I take for granted every day -- because millions around the world die from drinking their water.

I'm thankful for a dresser full of warm clothes -- because so many around the world wear the same dirty, tattered, insufficient clothes every day.

I'm thankful for heat -- because I'm sure there is a family not far from here who does not have that luxury tonight.

I am thankful for my faith -- because it gives me hope and compassion.

I am thankful for the love in my life -- because it encourages me and reminds me of the greatest love of all.

These are all things I enjoy every day and do not stop to question. These are all things that I am blessed to have, things that so many do without.

Today marks the start of Lent for Christians around the world. During this season, I am not so much giving up something as I am being grateful for what I have, working to strengthen my faith, trying to become better at love, and repenting for where I have fallen short and hurt those around me.

Forty days from now, I pray that I will be happy, loving, grateful, forgiven and patient. I pray to notice a positive difference in myself -- in my heart.

FMM: Valentine's Day

Happy Friend Makin' Monday! 

This week let's talk about Valentine's Day! It may have been the obvious choice for today. Right?

Hey now, wait, wait, wait. Don't click away if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day!

Here's the topic options:

1) How did you spend your Valentine's Day? What did you get? What did you do?

2) A list of your top reasons/things that would have made it even better.

.....................................................................

I'm going to start with Saturday night, since that's when Jed and I celebrated our Valentine's Day; he had to leave Sunday afternoon to fly down to Florida for work. He got home from work Saturday evening, with this:

My very first Edible Arrangement! Yum! If you have never had one of these beauties, you are missing out. Not only are the beautiful and fun, but the fruit is some of the freshest, sweetest fruit I've ever tasted.

We didn't make advance plans for Valentine's Day, so I figured out something that afternoon. I decided we would have dinner at Olive Garden (both of us just really love that place) and then we would go see Valentine's Day, since, well, it was Valentine's Day, I wanted to see it, and it was one of the few days of the year I can get Jed to see a "chick flick."

Of course, Olive Garden was packed, so we settled at the bar for our 60-minute wait, but after about 20 minutes, a table opened up at the bar, and we snagged it. Sweet! We both tried their new pasta dish: pyramid-shaped ravolis. Jed had his with sausage in alfredo sauce, and I had mine with sauteed chicken in an alfredo sauce. It was yummy.

The movie was your typical chick flick, but I wasn't disappointed. There were some moments I smiled or laughed and some moments I felt like tearing up. It was an all-star cast -- Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Julia Roberts, two male Grey's Anatomy doctors, Taylor Swift (who played such a ditz, but I loved it!) and the hunk who plays Jacob in New Moon just to name... almost all of them! The end was very predictable, but that's ok. It was one of those movies with six different plot lines, but they all weave together somehow.


Our actual Valentine's Day was chill. We slept in, went to Mass, then spent the afternoon in front of the TV until I had to drive Jed to the airport. After I got home, I made myself dinner (leftovers) and watched the Olympics while catching up on blogs. I went to bed pretty early for me so I could get up early this morning to go skiing.


How was your Valentine's Day?

Roses and Thorns

Roses to snow-tubing Sunday! So fun, in such a childish way! Pure joy.

Roses to another four-day work week!

Roses to my eyesight improving!

Roses to girls' night tonight at my BFF's!

Roses to finally finishing the novel I started in November.

Roses to snow days, especially since I don't have to drive in it.

Roses to love!

Thorns to having to leave the snow-covered beauty of the mountains.

Thorns to house-training Morris. We have to "tether" him when he won't pee outside, which means he's literally attached to my hip. There go my plans to vacuum -- I don't wanna traumatize the poor thing.

Thorns to BU losing the Beanpot (although it was a fun game).

Thorns to over-size FedEx trucks pulling down power lines. Caused some major damage to my neighbor's house. Ouch!

Thorns to still not having plans for Valentine's Day...

{Images via K.Law: Inspired}

Wanna see my scar?

If you answered yes, you might be disappointed because I didn't take any pictures of my scar, but I will tell you about it!

I'm an extremely squeamish person, but in a weird way, I'm proud of my scars. They tell where I've been, what I've been through. And who doesn't love a good scar story?

I actually have two "real" scars, so I'll tell you about both. The first one is on the underside of my right forearm, and I got it in 2003 when I thought I broke my first bone. I had been working working at Baby Gap for five years at that point, and I was a full-time employee. I was in the back room trying to get some merchandise off the top shelf of a rolling rack. Being young and lazy, I didn't want to get the ladder, so I climbed the rack shelves. I managed to get what I needed, but on the way down, as I stepped across to the next rack over to straddle my way down, I misjudged the shelf and fell about five feet into a large box of gift boxes. In my fall, I threw my right arm out against the shelves to try to catch myself, but the cork shelves were lined with stainless steel on the edges. Ouch! Large, gushing cut on my right arm.

Needless to say, I was embarrassed and tried to pretend I was fine, but then I almost passed out. My manager sent me home. I made it there ok, but after an hour, my arm was a beautiful shade of blue, and I was worried. Mom drove to me the emergency room where they took an X-ray of my arm and determined it wasn't broken, just badly bruised. And thank God I didn't need stitches! They cleaned up the wound and sent me on my way.

My second scar is a little more dramatic, at least for me. It is on my upper back, just to the right of my spine. Back in October, I had to have a ruptured cyst removed from this spot on my back. That surgery did require stitches, and the scar is still fresh. I'm hoping it fades just a little bit. It still tingles sometimes, and this experience taught me that I HATE stitches. I was miserable for the entire two weeks I had them in, even though I couldn't even see them.

Here's hoping for no more scars. Two is enough for me.

This post was inspired by:

Any Colts fans out there?

PRICELESS!

A coworker sent this shot from the Super Bowl to me today, and I thought it too good not to share.

That's my boy there, Randall Gay, an ex-Pat! Go Saints!

Wordful Wednesday: Happy Birthday!

Ok, so this week's topic is birthdays and birthday cakes, but I couldn't find any pictures of my recent birthday cakes -- sad I know, especially because I can't even remember if I had any! So, I'm veering a little off-topic and sharing the most recent (interesting) birthday pictures I have.

In 2007, I spent my June birthday in San Francisco with my now-boyfriend, Jed. Besides being disappointed that it never broke 70 in the end of June on my trip, we had a good time, my birthday no exception. We spent the day on a tour of Muir Woods and four Sonoma wineries (who doesn't love lots of wine on their birthday???). Our tour guide got the whole bus to sing Happy Birthday to me, and these two girls on the tour who were close to our age offered to go out with me that night to celebrate.

We went back to the hotel after the tour to get ready for dinner, and this was waiting for me:

In case you really can't see, that a bottle of California cabernet (my fav type of wine) and chocolate-covered strawberries with fresh whipped cream. Compliments of Mom and Dad all the way back on the East coast. I failed to mention that Jed, despite not yet being my boyfriend, ordered me breakfast in bed that morning. One of my dreams come true!

I got to pick where we went for dinner, of course, and I chose the House of Prime Rib because prime rib has always been one of my favorite dining out meals. This was some of the best prime rib ever, and they come out to carve it right at your table!

I don't have a picture, but they gave us cupcakes with candles in them to celebrate my special day.

Jed was such a good sport since he is not a fan of prime rib, but he knows I love it, so he played along. He even ordered it! Check us out, aren't we cute?

This post inspired by:

Thankful Tuesday

Real quick post today as it has been a crazy day. I dragged myself out of bed to catch up on e-mail before jumping in the shower and heading to an eye doctor appointment. But, not before taking the dog out to pee, which took FOREVER. So, I was late to above-said appointment but thankfully didn't have to wait long. My doctor even told me I could have brought Morris with me! She dilated my pupils, and I have very sensitive eyes, so I couldn't drive home. I had to crash at my parents' house, which was only five minutes away, for two hours while my eyes readjusted to light. I had lunch with my dad and we caught up, then I had to rush home to finish work, which I did. At 7 P.M. Ugh. So now, forgive me for being selfish, I want to chill on my couch and catch up on the DVR.

Three things I'm grateful/happy for today:

1. The eye doctor telling me my eyes have gotten BETTER, not worse! Yay!

2. Being able to spend a quality two hours with my dad. Just me and dad. That doesn't happen often anymore.

3. Morris not having an accident in the house today... so far... knock on wood.

What's on your Thankful Tuesday list? Let's hear it.

FMM: Super Bowl!

Did you watch the Super Bowl? 

I only watched about 10 minutes in the third quarter even though I'm a huge football fan and an even bigger hater of the Colts... I'll explain why below.


If so, who were you rooting for?
Ha ha, if you couldn't tell from above, the Saints. As a die-hard Patriots fan, I can't stand the Colts. If I weren't a nice person, I'd wish evil things upon Peyton Manning. (Sorry Alicia!)

If not, what did you do instead?
I was driving home from Mt. Washington, NH, for my ski-trip weekend. We decided to stay later and go tubing (pictures to come as soon as my sister sends them!), so I sacrificed watching the game for some old-school childhood fun. I saw a tiny bit of the third quarter while we were eating dinner. And I watch the Saints win in the last minute.

Where did you watch it/not watch it? 

My aunt's boyfriend's house for those 10 minutes, and my parents' house for the last minute.


What did you eat?

We got take-out from the Macaroni Grill. Yum!

Favorite superbowl commercial?
I didn't see any of the commercials.

Least favorite?
See above. 

What did you think of the half time show?
I only heard the half-time show while eating dinner, but I noticed the CSI theme songs! That was pretty cool. 

Who do you wish would have been the halftime show?
Taylor Swift or Kenny Chesney. Or both! Love them.

What about you?

Roses and Thorns

Happy Friday! I've been working on this post all week, so it would be scheduled and ready to go today. Right now, I am in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, skiing at Bretton Woods.

I love this place, and I'm so grateful I can come back every year.

So, as you can guess, my first rose goes to...

Roses to a long weekend in the mountains skiing!

Roses to Boston University rocking the Beanpot again this year! I love that NU can never manage to pull through, no matter how good of a season they're having.

Roses to my Northeastern fan friend selling me his Beanpot final tickets for Monday since he doesn't want to skip out of work early to catch NU in the consolation game. Bah, NU vs. Harvard... BORING!

Roses to going to above-mentioned final hockey game against BOSTON COLLEGE (woot, woot!) with my college drinking buddy I haven't seen in YEARS!

Roses to finally working on a budget this month.

Roses to four-day workweeks this week, next week and the week after!

Thorns to the BC ice Eagles... I can't stand them! It'll be my first BU vs. BC game, and they better not win!

Thorns to my house being freezing this week. What's up heat?

Thorns to Jed going away Sunday and me not seeing him before he leaves. :*(

Thorns to missing the last five minutes of the Beanpot game against NU because my DVR didn't record it.

Thorns to my dog "forgetting" where to go to the bathroom and using the entire house instead.

(If anyone can help with this issue, please comment, and I'll e-mail you. He's not a puppy, he's one and a half.)

Thorns to spending a lot of money in January. :-(

If you couldn't tell, I'm quite rallied up about this Beanpot tournament. I look forward to it every year because my alma mater pretty much owns it; so much so that even the news media refers to it as the "BU Invitational." It's kinda like the football bowls for all you schools in the Midwest. If you don't know what all this nonsense is about, you can read about it here.

{R&T images and idea from K.Law: Inspired}

Writer's Workshop: Dear Pooh-Bear

Hello my old friend! I have certainly missed you. All of my stuffed imitations of you remain in boxes at my parents' house.

Remember the days when we would cuddle all night? Yes, I know, not that long ago... Four years ago you say? Yeah, that sounds about right. You were also so good at keeping me company. And, remember so many years ago when we would sit on the floor with all your friends and play for hours?

You were always such a good friend, to everyone... even Tigger who would get on everyone's nerves and that uptight prude Rabbit. I think my favorite friendships of yours were with Piglet and Christopher Robin. You always looked out for little Piglet, the way best friends do. And it was so obvious that you were Christopher Robin's favorite, you silly old bear!

Anyway, I guess I'm writing you because a part of me is locked away back in those childhood days when we were always together. The days I dreamed of playing in the Hundred Acre Woods and having tea and honey with you under the Mr. Sanderz sign. (By the way, you should really have that updated. I have some friends who could make you a new sign with your name on it. Then we could paint it together! I love to paint.)

I wish I could go to Disney right now and give you a big hug! You're so cute and lovable, especially when you get rumblies in your tumblies.

Aw... I think my affection for you comes from my father. For as long as I can remember, I was his "Pooh Bear," a nickname I stole from my mom. Before I came along, you were her favorite, and that's what he called her. You're my tie to so many good family memories. Trips to Disney World and Disney Land, watching your videos at my grandmother's house with my cousins, reading your stories with my mom. You represent my innocence, a piece of me I'll carry always.

Your friend (and biggest fan!),
Jen

{All images via Google images}

This post was inspired by: