"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.”  -Michael Altshuler

Time can be an enemy as well as your best friend. Either way time does go by extremely quickly. Maybe not while you're weathering through but looking back, it seems time was set on fast forward.

Today my goddaughter is another year older. She is turning into a spirited, opinionated, creative, adventurous, funny, and wonderful person. She is unique, outspoken, and hilarious.

 I cannot believe she is 12! In some ways it seems like yesterday, I was pushing her in a swing & begging to go wake her up from her nap. In other ways, it seems like a lifetime ago.

I was a young, young teenager when I christened her! Being the youngest Godparent, I got to hold her throughout the mass, well until she decided she was hungry & didn't want to wait! It was really special and I could not be more proud to be her "Godmudder". More than anything, I wanted a bond with her, I wanted her to know that I was there when she needed me and that I was more than just a cousin with a title.

I tried to spend every break, day off & weekend I could with her & her siblings. I loved/love babies and I loved being able to help out. It made me feel wanted. It was the best of the best times. Now do I ever wish I could go back, to when she fell asleep in my arms or stomped around saying "don't call me Rosie!!"?

No way! NOT in a million years

Why? Because as great as those times were, it was hard and in some ways a real nightmare. Looking back it was even more of a blessing than I knew at the time; it was an escape all that time with her. I did might have driven her poor mother nuts, wanting to spend every break with them, but it was pure bliss being with them.

If you asked me, does time fly? Well, my answer is that sometimes it does. I would say age 12-20 dragged and dragged on. I piloted myself through, sometimes directly into the storms, a lot sometimes through the more difficult routes and even through uncharted territory. I was (and sometimes still am) the pilot ALWAYS flying to what's next.

Well, as I've been flying to what's next, time has passed & life has been lived. There are parts I've missed in Catherine's life, my family's life and even my own life flying to what's next.

Of course, I've lived my life too, growing up, going to college, moving away, starting a career etc... Nevertheless, looking back, all I had was time. Now everything involves excessive planning, scheduling, and trying to coordinate busy lives.

Yes, time does fly-by & of course, you can never go back, but you can remember how you piloted through and allow the special times to guide your future times.

I'm not trying to speak in code, all I'm saying is that looking back on Catherine's christening, and all the wishes, and dreams I had, have not necessarily come true. I need go back & remember those wishes and dreams. But instead of trying to re-do the past, I need to adjust my wishes & dreams to fit "now" and pilot my time to ensure those wishes and dreams come true. With both my relationship with Catherine and my life in general I need to pilot my time & effort into what's most important, relationships. Not just a title but a relationship, a special relationship behind that title, whether it be godmother, friend, sister, daughter, cousin, etc...

I'm not sure if I made much sense, but on her 12th (seriously? are we sure she is that old) birthday, I'm remembering the GOOD in being the pilot. That's my gift to her as well as myself. Not that any 12 year old would think that's an awesome gift, which is why whenever I see her next, there will be a few others wrapped up with pink bows & sparkly paper!

Happy Happy Birthday to my Goddaughter Miss Catherine Rose. You sure are not thus tiny any more, but I love you just as much as I did back then!

Family Picnic Wrap Up

Wow this whole family picnic recapping takes awhile!

Well, I saved the best for last. My annual favorites, a few thoughts and possibly some questions answered.

I look forward to two major things each year. Tomato Pie & Greg!
Tomato Pie, (what I consider tomato pie) seems to be local to the CNY, Utica area.  It is not a traditional pie nor is it pizza.  It is at every family gathering and simply awesome.  The basics include pizza dough covered with thick tomato sauce/paste then topped with Romano cheese.  Its sooo good! I really am not a fan of pizza, but this, rocks my world! I swear some people attend just for the tomato pie!

Now for Greg, quite possibly my favorite person! Greg is my grandmother’s, sisters’ husband’s brother’s son. So, not really related to me but I consider them family. Every year I get really giddy as people arrive, waiting, waiting for Greg to arrive. When I see him, I usually shriek and then run into his arms! He still picks me up, kisses me, and we say hello. Then he says this elevator is going down & drops me! It makes me feel like a trillion bucks. Yes, we only see each other once a year but it is awesome and he makes me feel like I’m the only person on earth.

 Plus, the past few years have included babies! For a good part of my childhood, I was surrounded by babies/preschoolers, though in the past 7ish years, not so much. I miss being around the infant/preschooler age so, so much.

Well, Greg’s children have refreshed our family with the babies/preschoolers! Matt & Jenn came one year with Colin, when he was eighteen months old and came this year with Colin, 4 and newbie Delaney came this year! Yeah I was crazy excited. Plus, Allison & Lucas were coming up, too! With 13 month old Elliot!

Those poor kids. I prolly seemed like a psycho, high pitched looney tune, but I was soo excited. I tried really hard to contain myself.

Elliot is a heartbreaker! He let me walk him around a bit and I got the cutest smiles behind that crucial pacifier. In the pool. I even got to twirl him around & show him how to blow water out of the pool noodles!

Colin came prepared! Last time, Colin & I were best friends, puddle jumping and running around in the pouring rain! I met them down where they parked and Colin had already pulled out five lacrosse sticks, ready to find a playmate. I left the lacrosse up to Kevin, I acted as the ball girl. Colin and I played with rocket darts, until he told me I was too old to play with! Beat out by a sixteen year old. I did win some points when I got him a nestle drumstick though!

Beth & Franny formed a strong bond with Colin that day, or he remember how fun Franny was last time. Looking back at pictures Kevin played ball with Colin in 2009 and played lacrosse with him this year. Its a bit ironic!

Along with Colin, 7 week old Delaney came. I was good and did not rip Delaney out of Jenn’s arms. I wasn’t even the first to hold her! Holding her was the bomb! We bonded and I even shared her, multiple times after being reminded by Jenn!

Lastly, if you noticed, in the past posts, there is a picture of a face on a stick. It is my cousin Mary! She was overseas on some ROTC trip. So, her siblings made flat Mary so she could still participate. Including mad Mary, creeper Mary, happy Mary and big Mary. Mary is my partner for the balloon towel toss as well as my partner in crime. I really, really missed her. 

Though it might be a good thing we only get together once a year!

Family Picnic Part 2

Every year we have a large group shot in front of our stone gazebo. We center the over 65 year olds in chairs and we collect around them. It awesome comparing pictures from over the years seeing how our family grew, who made the trek up and who has passed. It’s a great wordless definition of family, accept you for who you are, tolerate you, warm your heart but drive you nuts at the same time. Yes, we are an interesting bunch, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! 

Here are a few from years past.

2001

2008

2009

This year’s shot

 

The Montecalvo Elders........

.........from here our family grew with love, tears, prayers and everything in between! This picture holds so much, its from a few years back, half have passed but we carry them in our hearts everyday and it shows us we better strive to be our best. 

Nonnie's children, John, mom, Peter, Francesca

Nonnie's sister, Aunt Ann's children: Angela, Paul, Fran & Skip

Let's call this group the third generation  

Claudia's, Frank's, Fran's, Peter's, Paul's and John's offspring!

Family Picnic: Part 1

Wow! two posts in one day, go me!

We will do this in parts since I have a lot of pics and lots to say! 

We had family from California, Connecticut, Colorado, Brooklyn, Maine, Washington DC, North Carolina, Australia, Florida, and Pennsylvania.  With an age range of 7 weeks to ninety three

 

Life sometimes gets in the way and not everyone can attend every year but every year my parents make a big effort to remind us all the importance of family, wherever they live.

 

It means so much too many people including my grandmother.  My Nonnie’s, (mom’s mom) only ninetieth birthday wish was to have all her children and grandchildren up for the family picnic!  She even sent us all money to ensure we were there!

 

There are a few staples each year.  One is beer, brought by Skip, usually in styrofoam coolers!  We have quite the collection in my parent’s basement!  BUT this year Skip used two plastic tubs filled to the brim with ice and beer!  Skip always brings an array of beer, including Saranac!  Saranac is local to the Adirondacks and the brewery is in downtown Utica.  I’m not sure where it is and is not sold but it’s a big deal in our area.

 

Games! Yes, we are one of those families that play games at picnics.  We have had more in the past but two staples are the face game & water balloon towel toss.  It’s where we launch water balloons with beach towels down a row.  The concept is to catch it and release but we just try to bomb each other!  For the face game, every year Greg makes four poster boards of faces of popular people in the news, sports, cartoon characters, celebrities and one hit wonders.  It’s pretty fun to see who knows whom.  The team captain gets a hideous trophy that is kind of like the fruitcake no one wants!

 

Another is our house jammed packed with people!  Traveling is expensive, we always have cousins stay at our house, limiting the necessity for hotel expenses.  In past years, we have had four families stay with us, which included almost twenty people.  Even for a four-bedroom house, that many people make it tight.  This year was only us four and Fran & Bitsy with 3 out of 4 of their kids.

One year we had my parents in their room with me on an air mattress, Fran, Bitsy & little Franny in my room, John & Terri in the green room, five in my brother’s room, one on an air mattress in our downstairs study and three boys in a tent outside!  We have gotten creative housing all our family by borrowing a friend’s house, sending family members to other (local) family’s houses, and even used hotels.

 

Each year we do a group shot and some family pictures.  

Which will be for another post!