** Father's Day

and so it begins...this time of year makes me think of the start of summer, long, hazy days and almost daily trips to the pool (when i was 12)! those days are long gone for me...one too many sunburns over the years and i can no longer woof down 2 glazed donuts during "adult swim" and hop back in the pool 10 minutes later and keep my girlish figure!! such is life...

also wanted to mention tim russert's sudden passing on friday. kinda crazy that someone i can remember seeing for many years on the news and in particular on sunday mornings, is no longer around. sad, really because each person that knew and worked with him raved about how great and down-to-earth a guy he was. very devoted to his wife and son and really just loved his job and that came across on tv. i got emotional a few times watching the tributes to him and had to change the channel. makes you stop and think how precious life is and that people in your life can never be taken for granted.

i have also been thinking about my cousin brian today. after all, it is father's day and he is no longer around either. he would have been 34, while his son fergus is now 5. only a month from now will mark a year since his passing. this is still deeply emotional for me as it is for many other members of our family.

on a lighter note, it was a year ago that i adopted my dog mick from good ol' kentucky! we marked the occasion will our usual romp through the field and his eating of some grass and sticks. it is true that having a pet, does help to reduce some stress in your life. now if he could only get a part time job and help with the bills...

went to my friend "viti's" bridal shower yesterday. she now lives in philly and has for a couple of years. her wedding to "R" is in late august and i know that she is really looking forward to it. there were 14 of us at baldwin station for lunch. it was hotter than a hooker in church too! we sat outside and although we were on the patio, there was little to no breeze. we kept taking ice cubes from our glasses and rubbing them on our wrists. amazingly this works!! we had our choice of a crabcake sandwich or thai spiced shrimp salad. i went for the shrimp salad and it didn't disappoint! also had a raspberry tart with lemon coulis (yes, i am a foodie) and vanilla ice cream.

she got the usual stuff: china glasses, place settings, silverware, a mixer and some more fun items...nighties and some earrings (from yours truly).