Mommy Musings

Skip and I are currently kid-free and away in Washington DC for our tenth wedding anniversary.  TEN YEARS!! So much has happened in that time, and yet it feels like it flew by.         We were barely out of infancy when we got married at 22, well Skip was 23.  But I knew that I loved him with every fiber of my being.  And even though I didn't think I could love him more than I did that day, that love has only grown. I know now that it will continue to.     We got married before Pinterest and fancy cameras and wedding ideas online.  I got ready at my parents' house, with my little sister doing my hair for me.  An old friend and co-worker of my dad's, was our photographer for the day.  A friend of ours video-taped the ceremony and reception.         We had a small wedding, married in the church I'd grown up in, with a reception at the same place my parents had theirs.  We walked in behind the Police Pipe and Drum Band from our county as they played the Marine Corps hymn.

A few months ago, one of the officers in Skip's department died of a heart attack while playing in a charity basketball game.  He was a father to five daughters, and far too young himself, and it hit the department hard.  It had been a long time {blessedly} since they lost anyone who was still on the job, not retired. In the days following his death, especially at the wake, I got to see that brotherhood is not just something they say.  The thin blue line truly is a family, a way of life.  Officers posting themselves at the house, helping out with whatever the family needed, a sea of blue at the wake.  Even during such a sad time, as a cope wife, it warmed my heart to see the way they all came together. Last night Skip and I attended a benefit dinner his department put together to raise money for his family.  We guesstimated about 700 people packed into one of the most beautiful venues in the area.  Bagpipers played sea few songs {including the Marine Corps Hymn which they played at

Hey, remember when I used to blog consistently over here?  Yeah, me either.  I want to, and I could find the time if I really wanted, but I've just been giving attention to other things recently.  But I love being able to look back at this time in our lives, so I'm going to make a more conscious effort to pop in here more. I'm afraid to say it out loud for fear it'll change, but this summer has been one of the best of my life.  Now that the girls are older, I feel like we can do so much more than we have in the past.  It has been nice and hot {except this morning, which feels like fall and makes me shutter just thinking about the winter} I absolutely love having the membership to the town pool.  We are doing something fun with the girls every day, playgrounds, playdates, running around the backyard with a neighborhood friend, exploring in the woods, and trips to the library when it rains.  There's also been pool parties, lemonade stands, and farmers markets.  And th

It seems like Skip is always working on the Fourth of July.  In the past 11 Independence days we've spent together, he's been off for less than half.  But this year {the one I will deem the year Skip has been home for almost all holidays!} his squad was actually scheduled off....Saturday AND Sunday!!  Wahoo!! Now while most people in NJ flock to the beaches, we prefer to stay away.  Mainly because our town and surrounding areas suddenly become almost deserted, and I enjoy driving around without a ridiculous amount of traffic far too much.  So we just decided to have a relaxing weekend. The weather could't quite seem to make up its mind, so it rained on and off all morning on Saturday.  So we just hung around in the house.  I managed to sneak in a run in between the raindrops, but that was about it.  It brightened in the afternoon, and we took the girls to the park. When we got home, we ate some hotdogs and ribs that Skip grilled for us.  Afterwards we got ready to head out