They hardly ate a thing - we could have just had cake and ice cream, saved money and spent more time enjoying the party instead of being bound to the kitchen. Will shift from 11-1 to 10 to noon or 1-3 now that they no longer nap in the afternoons.
Check and test the camera equipment carefully before the festivities begin - we missed a bunch of shots due to a faulty card.
I had high hopes of making most of the stuff we needed myself - HA!!!! The internet http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com and http://www.orientaltrading.com in particular saved our sanity. They had everything we needed.
All in all it was really a blast to see Matthew with all of his friends. He has become quite interested in Space, Planets, Pirates, Knights and Castles. The other night he staged a fight between the space men and the knights. His imagination is in full swing and it blesses us so much. I hope this note causes you to think back to your own childhood birthdays.
Love and Hugs,
Monty, Gene and the now 5 year old Matthew
Originally written on 12/22/2005
Dearest Family & Friends,
This year at Christmas we are blessed with a beautiful new life in the freeeeezing Boston suburb of Norwell, MA. 2005 was a year of many transitions for the Stepura family. My new position with Fidelity Investments, 8 months in a Boston high rise apartment, almost buying and losing 3 homes before finding the one on which we "passed paper", Gene's repeat performance as home renovator and stay-at-home dad, and Matthews new adventure at The Ridge Hill School.
We are all adjusting well. Boston is just the right size for us and although navigating the city can be a challenge, there are so many fun and interesting things to do here. We now have memberships to many of the museums and children's activities so........bring your families and come for a visit.
Speaking of visits we enjoyed having almost all of our family here at some point this year. Most of our family came through Boston after we moved into our home this summer. Matthew's maternal birth grandmother "Miss Jane" spent a day with us while on a business trip to Maine. In October my mother's cruise to Canada and Nova Scotia made port in Boston and we were able to spend a day together while her cohorts took a tour of Salem and Marblehead. My brother Tayloe, his wife Christine and three of his 5 children spent Thanksgiving with us. It was so fun to see Matthew with his youngest cousins. He spent hours making beaded jewelry and construction paper cards with the girls. A day trip to Plymouth Plantation took the family back in time to a day in the life of the Pilgrims. It was great fun to have them here.
I just returned this week from Gainesville, Fl where I attended my niece and God-daughter Maryel Harding's graduation from the University of Florida and Commissioning into the US Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant.
My brother and I looked at her in amazement as she took her oath and pledged her life to serve our great country. I still remember this young woman drooling all over me at her Baptism ceremony like it was yesterday. Her first assignment will be at Vandenberg Air Force base near Santa Maria, CA. She is going into the Space and Missile field with a primary interest in Space & Satellite Intelligence.
Gene's sister Janet Stepura (lovingly known to us as "TaTa") joins us for Christmas. We are so fortunate to have her with us again this year. She manages a huge Art Supply store in Pennsylvania and we were worried that it would be difficult for her to make the 5+ hour commute at this time of year.
This has been a year of amazing change for Matthew. In addition to the inches he has added in stature (he'll be 5 in January) he has begun to spell and write words all by himself. In fact he wrote out his Christmas list and taped it in a prominent place on the tree so Santa will be sure not to miss it. Three months in his new pre-school have made an unbelievable difference and are preparing him well for Kindergarten in the fall of next year. I've attached a couple of recent pictures. It's easy to see how this child brings such joy and fulfillment to our lives each and everyday.
It is our sincere hope that we'll be in the greater Boston area for many years to come and now that we're settled, we want to connect with as many of our friends as possible, in person, in 2006. Please know that you are always welcome here.
Wishing you God's perfect peace during the season of our precious Lord's birth.
Love & Hugs,
Monty, Gene & Matthew
Originally written on 11/5/2005
This was the first Halloween Matthew has really all out enjoyed. He spent the month of October making his trick-or-treat bag by cutting out pictures from children's costume catalogs and pasting them all over an Ann Taylor shopping bag.
He was Mr. Incredible again this year (we're getting mileage out of his costumes and this year it actually fit him).
He was so excited that he dragged his dad out to trick or treat before anyone had come to our house. And guess what ... they got home before anyone had come to our door. We had lots of kids but we've got a late crowd here. We finally met some of our neighbors - Gene making the rounds meeting the wives who were home passing out the candy and me meeting the husbands as they escorted their kids up our street.
It's hard to believe that it's been a year since I started my job at Fidelity. Time has flown and winter is right around the corner. A heavy storm a few weeks ago knocked down a huge branch on one of our trees. Gene had to run out and buy a chain saw to chop it all up. He ended up cutting down the whole tree which is now piled up in our driveway awaiting removal.
My mother was in town for the day Sunday before last. Her cruise to Canada and Nova Scotia stopped in Boston for the day. We enjoyed spending time at our house going through assorted family photos and making my costume for the Fidelity Halloween Party. She then headed out on Holland Amercia's Massdam right into what was left of hurricane Wilma. She reported that other than one rocky night everything was fine.
We were "exciting" to see snow last Saturday. It came down pretty steady and lasted through the night but the sun came out on Sunday morning and melted it very quickly.
We hope everyone is doing well and would love to see you all soon!! My brother Tayloe, his wife Christine and 3 of the children will spend Thanksgiving with us. We're really looking forward to it and at the same time we will really miss not getting to join our friends JoAnn and Rick as they exchange marriage vows on Thanksgiving Day in New Jersey. We love you and wish you both the very best for years to come JoJos!!
Happy Fall to you all,
Love,
M, G & M
Originally written on 6/12/2005
Dear Family & Friends,
I have loved writing these weekly updates for the last few months. Believe it or not, I have rested alittle easier knowing that people we care about, and want to stay in close contact with, have a view into the happening in our lives (even though much of it borders on mundane). I also love hearing back from you when you either have the time to catch us up or feel moved to respond to something we're doing.
Now that our lives are settling into more of a routine, finding news worthy nuggets to share is becoming a bit of a stretch. Therefore to keep my readership (this goes to our family and is bcc'd to a group of our closest friends) engaged and wanting more, I've decided to go to bi-weekly publication.
Some interesting things happened this week. I tried all three forms of commuting to work this week and in order of preferences they rank - Boat, Bus, Car. I took the bus twice, drove twice and on Friday decided to take the boat. It was by far the least stressful [expect for the medical emergency 10 minutes into the trip that required us to turn around and go back to Hingham - a woman wearing flip flops (the commuting shoe of choice up here???) fell backwards down the stairs she was climbing to get to the top level of the boat. Paramedics took her away in a neck brace with oxygen] and most relaxing - especially the return trip. Even though we are really close to Boston driving is taking me 75 minutes and the bus 45 (because it gets to use the HOV lane). The traffic is really heavy - so heavy that they have signs posted that commuters can use the breakdown lanes during rush hour. So imagine how that works for people trying to merge in - you end up having to merge from a complete stop because you have no on ramp.
I'm not complaining - I love my job, we love our new home and our town. We love our new church and know that soon we will have friends here and Matthew will be engaged in activities that will help this become home for all of us.
Gene and I decided to open all of our boxes this time - even the ones we have been moving from house to house. He did an outstanding job of getting most of them open and sorted through so that all I have to do is help him make decisions about what we'll keep & use, keep & store, give away, or throw away. I'm having trouble following the "if you haven't used it in a year get rid of it" rule. I mean honestly, how could we use it if we forgot we even owned it? :-)
This was the first move where we have experienced a few real damages. Grandpa - we'll need your help! A couple of the beautiful pieces you have made for us need your special TLC. Gene thinks the guys who moved our stuff from the original trucks into storage didn't pack the crates the right way.
Its funny how things have been put in our path to make unpacking even easier. Last Sunday at church we picked one of the requests off the tree of Vacation Bible School needs and guess what it was for.........wardrobe boxes. I have no idea what they will use them for but boy do we have a few of those we can part with. Then this week in the mail we got a notice from Big Brothers/Big Sisters that they are in desperate need of clothing, toys and household items and will be on our street this Friday if we have anything to donate.
Its gotten HOT here overnight and pollen is all over everything. We're all reacting to it with sneezing and runny noses. Fortunately a refreshing rain washed much of it out of the air this afternoon just as Gene and Matthew were finishing washing it off our cars.
Our next door neighbors Bill and Ann Marie are lovely people. Ann Marie has her own temporary executive assistant staffing business in Braintree. We're not sure what Bill does beside manicure his gorgeous lawn and landscape. Bill & Matthew have become fast friends. Gene says Matthew can frequently be found over at Mr. Bill's helping him with his yard work in the afternoons. Ann Marie has invited me to her monthly "girls night" this Thursday. It's drinks and munchies by their pool and then a "purse party". I've been to alot of in-home parties but never one for purses - could be trouble! Tata - you'd better sign me up for that Handbag 12 Step program NOW.......in the meantime I'll be on the lookout for you too!
Well, here's wishing you all a terrific couple of weeks. Mads hope you had a great birthday sweetie!! Be back at ya weekend after next!
Much love,
M, G & M
Originally written on 6/5/2005
Ahhhhhhh its so wonderful to be "home" and to sleep in our own beds - - especially when we're drop dead tired every night from unpacking. We decided this time we were going to open every single box and do a big PURGE. We are amazed at the stuff we've just kept moving and never used or the stuff we forgot we had and so we bought duplicates.
Gene decided to attack the Dining Room project immediately. The wallpaper was very easy to strip and the decorative molding they had on the bottom half of the walls came down quickly as well. He said now the real work begins getting the dried wallpaper paste off and prepping the walls to be painted. We loved our red dining room in NJ and so are headed in that direction again. I have yet to talk him into the gold ceiling again but am still trying. Anyone who would like to encourage him can do so my writing to him at genestepura@yahoo.com. :-)
Matthew is having a blast riding his tricycle up and down the driveway. We're on a bit of an incline and at first my heart raced hearing his squeals as he flew down the hill. He's pretty good at navigating between and around our cars which we have yet to get into the garbage - ooops I mean garage.
Parents of post pre-schoolers - at what age do we start trying to get him on a two-wheeler with training wheels? I imagine it should be soon.
It's been great to have the week off. We've really gotten alot done. The guest room is ready and open for business. Our new beds arrived yesterday and we ended up going with sort of a cottage garden theme in ivory, sage and a mix or pinks and lavenders. It feels very warm and cozy and is just waiting for your visits. In fact I went in last night to put something away and unbeknownced to me Matthew had adorned each bed with a couple of his stuffed animals to welcome our July guests. He's "exciting" to see his Nonna & Grandpa followed by Gigi, Maryel and Maddie next month.
Well it's time to go out and enjoy this beautiful weather on our deck. We hope everyone is well and having a wonderful spring - or summer depending upon where you are.
Happy, Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece Madison ("Maddie") who turns 19 on Tuesday!! Can't wait to see you next month Mads.
Wishing you innumerable blessings,
M, G & M
Originally written on 5/20/2005
Happy Friday!
Well, its only six more days until moving day and we are getting so excited. Gene has been down at the house almost everyday checking on the progress of the flooring installation. He says the house already looks very different - like a new house. I can't wait to see it tomorrow AFTER Matthew and I take in the opening of the Clifford the Big Red Dog exhibit at the Boston Children's Museum. We have been waiting for Clifford to finally arrive for months.
Next week is a big week. On Tuesday the industrial strength cleaners are coming to give the house a thorough twice over and once they leave our new appliances will be delivered. The movers will unload us on Thursday and unpack us on Friday. They will also come to our apartment and pick all of our stuff here on Friday to help us move 8 months of accumulation.
Today I arranged for our phone service and was assigned a phone number. I'll pass all of our info along in this e-mail but just remember that the phone service isn't set up to be turned on until next Tuesday 5/24/05.
I just realized that I only have three more work days with a three block walking commute. :-( I have so enjoyed my brief stroll to work everyday and will really miss living so close to everything. So.... you may be wondering about the commute to Boston from Norwell....well South Shore residents currently have three commuting options. If I leave early before 7:00 or alittle later after 9:00 I can drive my car and get to my office in about 30 minutes. If I am travelling at the peak of rush hour I'll probably take the ferry which includes a 15 minute drive to the shipyard, a 25 minute speed catamaran boat ride to Rowes Wharf followed by a 10 minute walk to my building. I can also take the express bus a 20 -30 minute ride in the HOV lane that picks up 5 minutes from home and drops off at South Station which is only two blocks from my office. Next year the train comes out to our area on the South Shore and our options will increase considerably.
Our new info is:
41 R.F. Higgins Drive
Norwell, MA 02061
Will have great pictures to share with you soon. Until then.....
Love & Hugs,
Monty
Originally written on 5/13/2005
What an amazing ending to an amazing week. We just received word that our prayers were answered and my brother, Dr. Charles Tayloe Harding, Jr., will follow in the footsteps of UF's beloved Steve Spurrier and join the team at the University of South Carolina.
Although he will always be a Gator at heart, he becomes a Gamecock AND the Dean of Music as of July 1, 2005. So mom moved in August, we moved in January, and now Tayloe will move in July. As one family transition completes, another one begins. In the words of the Lion King, so goes the "circle of life."
We also learned that Maryel (his daughter and our niece) found out today that she received her first choice of assignments in the Air Force. She will officially become a "space cadet" working in Space & Missiles after she graduates from UF later this year. She will be stationed in Santa Barbara, CA. Gene, Matthew and I are so excited and proud of you guys - YOU ROCK!!
We had a nice Mother's Day on Sunday. We looked for a Cracker Barrel to continue the annual tradition. You see ... I like to tell everyone that I became a mother at Cracker Barrel. Yes they look at me funny until I explain that that's where we first met Lindsay, Jane and Jeff - Matthew's birthmother and her parents. Unfortunately the closest restaurants are on Rt 495 which is pretty far away so we enjoyed a nice dinner at the Outback instead.
On Wednesday, after officially "passing paper" (honestly it has felt more like passing a stone than paper) in Plymouth, MA., we visited the historic site of Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower. It was exciting to see the very place where the Pilgrims landed in 1620. Here we stood, almost 400 years later, imagining how exciting it must have been for them to arrive on the shores of their new home in America. While walking on a nearby beach Gene and Matthew found a stone that was almost exactly the same shape so we brought it home as a momento of our special day in Plymouth.
Yesterday a dumpster arrived at the new house and three guys began tearng out the carpet and taking a sledge hammer to the tile floor in the kitchen. If all goes as planned they should begin laying the new wood flooring on Monday. The movers will unload us on the 26th and unpack us on the 27th so Memorial weekend will be fun as we become reacquainted with all our belongings.
Last weekend we found North River Community Church. Its very similar in format to our church in NJ and we are excited that it is located only one exit away in Pembroke. The youth pastor told us there are a number of members from Norwell. It seems to be a large young church with lots of kids and that translates to lots of potential new friends for Matthew. Yeah!!
On Monday and Thursday nights Gene and I have been enjoying this seasons episodes of the Bachelor and the Apprentice (well I enjoy the shows and Gene enjoys the foot massages he gets for not insisting that we change the channel). So for those of you who are also Reality TV Junkies, will it be Sara B. or Krisily, Tana or Kendra? Bets at work are on Sara B. (who could resist that southern accent?) and Kendra (shes young but bright and a much better leader). Let me know who you think will walk away next week as the future Mrs. Charlie O'Connell and the newest company president in The Trump Organization.
Can you tell I'm running out of material? WelI I guess it's time to sign-off now.
Blessing to you all in the week to come.
Loving you,
M, G & M
Originally written on 4/28/2005 and 5/6/2005
Well Hello!
Did you miss us last week??? I bet you all kept refreshing your e-mail Friday evening just waiting for our weekly update from Beantown....huh? Well, I didn't think so.
We had a blast last weekend and were just having too much fun with TaTa (aka Gene's sister Janet) who arrived in Boston mid-day on Friday the 28th. The week had been good with Mommy's attempt at a haircut.. not bad if I do say so myself,
and Matthew first soccer class (you can tell whose parents were prepared for soccer and whose were not) but ...
TaTa's arrival was truly the highlight of our week.
Our first stop on the TaTa Boston Adventure was an orientation to Faniel Hall that concluded with a horse drawn carriage ride through the historic financial district
followed by a visit to the Boston Aquarium where Matthew had fun showing TaTa all of his favorite sea creatures.
Then we proceeded to take a tour of the Boston Harbor by boat (boy was it windy)
followed by a walk through the North End and dinner in the window of a restaurant overlooking the corner of Prince and Hanover Streets.
The evening concluded with a stop at Mike's Pastry for fresh Italian cookies, brownies and pasteries.
The next day after treasure hunting for our favorite Coach purses on e-bay, the brother and sister pair took a stroll (in the rain) through Beacon Hill . Matthew and I met them on the infamous Charles Street (known for its quaint shops, galleries and restaurants) and made our way to the Fenway Park area to find the Boston branch of TaTa's store Blick Art Materials. We had fun spying on them, shopping their store and trying to sell TaTa on a move to Boston . Not sure we succeeded .... something about us staying put. From there we introduced TaTa to Hingham and Norwell driving her by the site of the future Stepura residence (5 days - but who's counting).
Sunday morning we enjoyed a jazz brunch at Soho (no, not in New York ), a jazz club in Brighton,
and concluded our visit with TaTa with a tour of the campus of Wellesley College for Women.
The highlight of the trip for TaTa was when one of the young women in the bookstore asked her if she was an alumni - oh "if only" she pined. TaTa - you know you are always welcome to live with us, work at Blick and go back to school at Wellesley in your spare time :-).
This week Matthew and Gene enjoyed their first trip to The Museum of Science Tomorrow we are going to a fair/open house at a pre-school we are thinking about for Matthew once we get settled in a few weeks.
As we look foward to the weekend we can not help but be reminded of the amazing women in our lives that we call our Mothers. They have truly blessed us in ways we are only beginning to grasp. We are especially thankful for GiGi's (my mom) smooth sailing through her surgery this week (I believe Maryel said that the people at the hospital called her "fiesty") and anticipate a speedy recovery. Getting used to her arm in a cast and sling has been an interesting challenge for her. I especially like the story of how Nonna (Gene's mom) and GiGi plotted to use a garbage bag to protect her arm in the shower - sounded like a "one arm paper hanger" story to me.
We have a number of pictures to share with you in this update so will send them in several e-mails.
All our love until next time...
M, G & M
Originally written on 4/23/2005
It's almost the end of April and you know what that means......we close on our house in THREE WEEKS (May 11th) and needless to say we are soooooo excited (picture attached). Now its time to start scheduling everything.......
We finally bit the bullet and are having hardwood floors put throughout the upstairs and in the kitchen and eat-in area. Given how frequently we've moved we have debated making the investment. But now the flooring will be consistent throughout the house and we believe we'll recover the investment IF and when we move again.......
We also scheduled the movers. They'll unload us on May 26th and unpack us on the 27th. We've never had a mover unpack us before so its exciting to have helpers to get things where we want them quickly and to have all of the empty boxes removed the day after we move in. Even so, I'm still planning to take the week of Memorial Day off to get things settled.
Yesterday we went down to take measurements for a new washer and dryer. The pair fit within a closet within the half bath on the first floor and it would have been a real mess to have purchased them only to find when they arrived that they wouldn't fit. Gene really wants to buy the front loading kind ("they use less water" which I've learned is important when you have a septic tank. Did you know you can't use bleach with a septic tank? Its something about killing bacteria that eat....I know.... too much information) and they seem to be bigger than the older models.
Now that the snow is gone (she says with guarded optimism), Matthew ( I mean Batman) was able to enjoy the play gym we will be keeping in the back yard.
The rescue hero thing is gradually creeping from plastic into fur. Matthew and his band of mighty stuffed animals (I mean superheroes) can be seen running throughout the apartment with capes in tow. Gene caught them on a break from duty perched and alert for their next call to action.
Matthew starts soccer for little ones on Monday. Its more or less a weekly play group with soccer as the focus than a real team with regular games etc. It will be fun to see him interacting with other kids again and to determine if he enjoys and has the athletic prowess to be a soccer player. He's a bit tentative, cautious and risk averse (wonder where he gets that from? for those who know the movie Nemo - we call Gene "Marlin") so it will be a real transformation if he gets out there and aggressively goes after the ball.
Hope you all have a great week. We love hearing from you and miss you a bunch!!
Love,
M, G, & M
Originally written on 4/15/2005
Happy Friday!
We sure had alot of fun last Sunday. Gene surfed the net for open air flea markets and antique fairs and we drove up to Rowley a historic little town in northeastern MA outside Newburyport to a large flea market. They had lots of well priced treasures. We made a couple of small purchases (including yet another Rescue Hero) for the house like a beautiful ladder back chair with a rush seat in excellent condition for the amazing price of $25.00. We also found a couple of beautiful old leather suitcases (total of $25.00) that when stacked will make a neat vignette/side table/storage option in the new house.
I have been cutting out pictures from catalogs and magazines and printing them out from the internet to design the vision I have in mind for our guestroom. As many of you know first hand, we haven't had a place for guests to stay since we left Te Verde in Florida. Now that we are blessed to have one again we are having alot of fun trying to design it inexpensively like they do on HGTV's Design on a Dime and Sensible Chic. Its really hard to do that when the rugs we like, even the ones on e-bay, blow our whole budget. We're going for a French Country, Shabby Chic, Victorian Cottage kind of combo theme. Can't wait for you to come and see how we finally pull it together.
Although I won't be travelling much in my new role, I did get to NJ for a day and a half this week for a meeting at Honeywell's headquarters in Convent Station. It was a quick trip down and back but I did have an opportunity to see JoAnn while I was there. She is doing great and making plans for the beautiful new home she and Rick have purchased in the Hills and planning for their wedding this fall.
When I arrived home from NJ I was greeted with a beautiful new addition to the Stepura family original art collection. TaTa sent us some art supplies and Gene and Matthew have started painting again. I have 6 of their pictures in my office (a red theme) and get soooo many compliments on them. People are really blown away when they find out that they were painted by my family. You may not know this but back during the Christmas season Gene got a call from one of the guys he had worked with to see if he would sell one of the pictures to him so he could give it as a Christmas gift. Could this be a budding career for father & son?
We're looking forward to another beautiful spring weekend. Hope you have a great one too!
Sending you all much love!
M, G & M
Originally written on 4/9/2005
Its a gorgeous Saturday morning in Boston. The sun is shining, there is cool breeze in the air and it is clear that spring has arrived. Gene remarked yesterday how much the change in weather has influenced his (and Matthew's) desire to get outside and see the town.
This week they took a stroll over to the "North End" Boston's "Little Italy" and explored the sights. The North End (nestled along the Boston Harbor) is filled with many of Boston's best restaurants (Gene and I went to one of the local favorites "The Daily Catch" while here on our "honeymoon" in June of 1988), bakeries and fun places to pass away the hours. The North End is known as one of Boston's most family friendly neighborhoods and had been on our short list of places to live had we decided to remain in the city. TaTa you will just love it - we can't wait to take you there.
Later in the week the boys made their second visit to the Boston Children's Museum. The first time we went we couldn't get Matthew near the rock climbing wall. This time, to our amazement, he did the wall all by himself.
We discovered the magic of the hand towel and binder clip this week. Make a cape and suddenly Superman emerges.... Matthew joined the ranks of his mighty band of rescue heroes.
His imagination is in full bloom. He makes up some of the most outrageous stories about the adventures of his entourage.
Trips to the Aquarium and Faneuil Hall were also on the outing agenda this week. Matthew enjoyed a sprinkle covered ice cream cone while people watching with dad at Quincy Market yesterday.
It occurred to me while looking at the pictures Gene took this week how amazingly blessed we are to have such a happy child. He gets such pleasure out of being alive (especially at bathtime) and his laughter brings such joy and encouragement to our lives. Thank you, Lord.
We hope you all have had a fantastic week.
Love,
M, G, & M
Originally written on 4/2/2005
Hello Dear Ones,
We enjoyed a virtual celebration of Grandpa's birthday with him on 3/29. Gene bought a cake and after dinner we called grandpa, lit candles, and sang to him over the phone. Then we enjoyed eating cake, took pictures and sent them to grandpa. It was fun but not nearly as good as it would have been to be ther with him in person.
This week Gene took Matthew to an indoor children's sports center near where we will be living and signed him up for 4 year old soccer classes. They start in 3 weeks and Matthew is very "exciting" about learning to play soccer.
This has been a week of tears for me, tears for people I have never even met. I found myself moved to tears on several occasions by the death of both Terri Schaivo and Pope John Paul II. It could be that I am always easily moved to tears but at least in the case of Terri Schaivo it goes much deeper. In a note to my mother this week I wrote "just imagining the love her parents AND her husband must have had for her and how hard it must have been to both watch her suffer for all those years and then to see her die ....... regardless of which side they were on it had to be excruciatingly painful. Do you think letting someone die (especially when they can breathe and see and groan) before God takes them is the right thing to do? I think she lived for 13 days after removing her feeding tube for a reason. God sustained her life to teach us something. I am just trying to figure out what it is."
Even though I am not Catholic, the loss of the Pope saddens me. He touched so many lives, through his faithfulness to God, not the least of whom was the Turkish student who attempted to assassinate him in 1981. I mourn with and for all those who loved him and are in mourning for him - - especially my dear Catholic friends.
Today Matthew and I had a great mom and son day while dad rested . It was our first day alone in months. We went down to Pembroke MA to Scaliwags (in the NE there are tons of these indoor playground places with tubes the kids can climb up, crawl through and then slide down). Matthew has a blast at this place and, in his thirst for playmates his own age, makes friends quickly with fellow scaliwags enthusiasts. One of the other moms told us about another place several exits back toward Boston so after lunch and a 90 minute driving tour/nap of the greater Scituate, Cohasset, Hingham, Norwell areas, (including driving by our new home to see what it looks like now that the snow has finally melted away) we checked it out on our way home . We had lots of fun today.
A nice end to a nice week. We miss you all!
Love,
M, G & M
Originally written on 3/27/2005
Wishing you all a Blessed Easter!
Our week has been filled with fun and interesting getaways. Last Friday night while I was composing our last e-mail update Gene was searching the internet for Inns in remote parts of New Hampshire. He found one that he liked called the Hancock Inn http://www.hancockinn.com/ in none other than Hancock, NH. Hancock is literally in the middle of nowhere and not kown for much except that it is close to the birthplace of Franklin Pierce. Now if you're wondering who Franklin Pierce is join the club cause I didn't know either. Gene reminded me that his face is on one of our plastic placemats and that he was not only the 14th President of the United States but the only one to hail from the great state of New Hampshire. Well if that wasn't a reason to pack our things and head north I don't know what was.
Hancock is about an hour west of Nashua which is about an hour north of Boston just over the Massachusettes border. So on Saturday morning we set out in search of the Hancock Inn (without a reservation I night add). It was not a particularly pretty drive through the rural part of southern New Hampshire but we did enjoy a stop at The Sugar Shack where we got to see them making maple syrup out of the sap they had extracted locally. When we arrived in Hancock we felt as if we had stepped back in time. What a quaint and sleepy little town complete with a typical New England town center inclusive of a white gazebo and historic Congregational Church. The Inn was right at the entrance to town and one of only a dozen buildings or so along the main road. Gene went inside and got us a room. I think we were the only ones staying there that night. To our surprise the Inn had one of the nicest and best restaurants in the area and attracted lots of locals on the weekends. After checking in we went in search of the famous birthplace but without success. It must be one of the best kept secrets of NH as well.
We enjoyed a nice dinner in the more casual of the two dining rooms and Matthew was crazy about Bailey the Innkeepers dog. After dinner we went for a stroll along main street. The sky was filled with stars and it was so quiet we couldn't even hear ourselves breathe. Quite the change from the various sirens and drilling from the "Big Dig" of the city life we're enjoying.
After a nice breakfast at the Inn and attending service at the beautiful white church (that chimes every hour on the hour) we took the long way home through rural north western Mass. If we hadn't know where we were we would have thought we were in the back woods of Alabama. Narrow winding roads with severe frost heaves took us through miles of heavily wooded scenery. We locked our doors and prayed that we wouldn't breakdown. Parts of the trip gave us the creeps.
The week went by quickly as Good Friday was a holiday at Fidelity. Bound and determined to get out of town for Easter back on the internet we went looking for other exciting getaways. This time Gene found one in the seaside town of York, Maine. We had been to York two weeks before but hadn't stayed over night. This time we made a reservation at the York Harbor Inn http://www.yorkharborinn.com/. We arrived to find a historic Inn perched atop a hill on route 1A overlooking the rocky coast that made its way to the Atlantic Ocean. Our room was in the Harbor Cliffs building which had been a private home until 1997. From the deck off of our two room suite we could see and hear the waves crashing on shore below us. There wasn't a beach front at the Inn so we went a few miles down the road to the town beach so Matthew could enjoy playing at the water's edge again.
This morning we went to York's First Parish Congregational Church for Easter service. The sanctuary was, by contast to the previous Sunday in Hancock, filled to capacity. An easter egg hunt followed the service and Matthew enjoyed gathering chocolate filled eggs with LOTS of other screaming children on the MUDDY church lawn. Although the Inn was hosting an elaborate Easter Brunch, Matthew was anxious to get home to introduce his new Helicopter to all of his Rescue Hero pals back in Boston. We made our way home along the coast of our new favorite states in time for an Easter feast of hot dogs and baked beans.
March has just blown by and we can not wait until we get into our new home so we can start having company and enjoy sharing our favorite places with all of you in person.
Have a great week!!
Love,
M, G & M
Orginally written on 3/18/2005
Hello Dear Family,
First we all want to wish Uncle Tayloe a very Happy 46th Birthday today!!
We had a great week this week. After spending Saturday confined to the indoors due to a dreary, ugly winter storm, we rejoiced in a beautiful Sunday by taking a drive up the coast of Mass into NH and eventually up into Maine. There is an absolutely beautiful drive (rivaling the drive from Carmel to San Francisco) up the coast of New England where we fell in love with several seashore towns like New Castle, Hampton, Rye, and York.
It wouldn't have been a Stepura outing if we didn't spend at least an hour at the local Wal Mart. In this instance it was essential. We had stopped at one of the beaches so Gene and Matthew could walk on the beach and throw rocks into the water. Gene and Matthew wandered out into the surf so Matthew could get his rock in the water when a huge wave came crashing down on the beach getting them wet to their knees. Now remember we're not in Florida. This is snow covered New England in March with water temperatures in the low 30s and wind chill in the teens. We hadn't dressed for the beach and both boys had on regular shoes and jeans. Needless to say one of us needed to play the part of parent that day and so off we went to buy replacement wardrobes for the frozen duo. Then guess what.....back to the beach we went!!! (picture attached) The waves were such that the coast was peppered with surfers in head to toe wet suits taking in the best of the sea in winter. Matthew was in his element. He loved running in and out of the waves (this time in snow boots) as they came up on the shoreline.
My birthday came and went gracefully this year. Thank you for your calls and e-mails. I spent the day yesterday trying to complete the last of the residence conversion processes. After 40 minutes of waiting for my number to be called at the Registry of Motor Vehicles (so I could get my MA drivers license) I learned that I did not have the FOUR required forms of identification to complete the process. So don't you know that my blood pressure was elevated when I rushed to meet my new doctor moments later at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at the Harvard Medical School. Since joining Fidelity I have met four women in HR alone who are recent breast cancer survivors. All recommended Dana Farber including my Florida oncologist who had trained there. Today I went back to finish the process at the RMV and was in and out in 10 minutes. For those trained in Six Sigma, how do you like those variations in the process cycle times??? When I retire I'd like to do volunteer work with agencies that serve the public sector around how to streamline their processes and take the "wait time" out of the process for the "customer". My pet peeve is becoming my passion.
Hope you have all had a great week. Tomorrow we are thinking about heading to the Berkshires for the weekend. Ahhhh the thought of not having to go house hunting - what a blessing.
Love and Hugs from all of us in Beantown!
M, G & M
Originally written on 3/11/2005
Happy Friday!!
Well......I'm sure you guys are NOT in the middle of a snow storm like we are today! I can't tell you how much fun it was to walk home (even four city blocks) from work in the wind and snow this afternoon. And if you know me well you can imagine that I was wearing heels and carrying a boatload of stuff on my shoulder and in my arms as I literally leaned into the wind walking home. It just seemed too close to wait for, and then spend money on, a cab to go only 4 blocks.
We are FINALLY done with the paperwork to get into our house. We signed the final document called a Purchase & Sale agreement yesterday and sent off our mortgage for approval today. Since we had been pre-approved we have no doubt everything will go through as planned. So now it's wait patiently mode - for two months until we close.
We need to buy a stove and dishwasher to match the brushed stainless fridge they are leaving behind for us and we need a new washer and dryer so we'll be busy shopping for that stuff. We also need to find a wood flooring person to replace the dingy gray carpeting that currently runs the stairs and covers the floors upstairs. Gene is so good at finding resources on the internet. I'm sure he'll have lots of possibilities for us to check out.
This week Matthew made us laugh out loud. Gene had been saying off and on for several weeks that when he talks to people here about permits and inspections they look at him like he has three heads. So the other night in the middle of a conversation at dinner, out of the blue, Matthew told us that the way we were talking made him feel like he had 25 heads. At first we did't get what he was saying and then simultaneously we broke out in hysteria. Lesson learned be VERY CAREFUL what you say because you never know how it might find its way into the conversation.
My dear friend and former boss, from both AT&T and Marsh, Laurie Hutton-Corr has just joined Fidelity at my recommendation. She has taken over my former role and has also taken an apartment in our building where she will stay Monday night through Thursday morning every week. She and her husband retired to Cape Cod about 6 weeks before I left Marsh. She was bored to tears and was looking for an opportunity to consult. Fred (my boss) and I convinced her she had to come on with us full-time. Its fun working with her as a peer now and having her as a neighbor even if its only for a few months.
We love catching up with everyone between our weekly letters. Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and your prayers. This move has been a challenge for all of us but has impacted Gene the most. God bless him! The change he has undergone to become a full-time stay at home dad of a four year old while trying to find a place for us to live has been a real test of his patience and enthusiam. Its harder than the last move we made, even with the renovation, because Matthew's natural level of curiosity and need for personal attention have increased over the last two years. We love you all and so appreciate each and every one of you!
Love & Hugs,
Monty (Gene & Matthew too)
Originally written on 3/4/2005
Well we made alot of progress this week.
On Tuesday Gene and Matthew met the inspector at the Norwell house just as a snow storm was moving out of the area. Gene was disturbed by a Lexus SUV that he saw trying to merge onto the highway behind him. As he looked in his rearview mirror he saw it spin rapidly out of control and end up in the embankment behind him. Fortunately no other cars were involved in the incident. Gene recounts that they were mere seconds from being impacted by this car from behind. Needless to say that evening he was on the internet researching the safety records for cars and SUVs to potentially replace the CRV and Mazda.
The inspection was thankfully uneventful. Just a few things we need to have the home owners take care of before we close in mid-May. We have a Chimney inspection tomorrow morning and so I'm glad I'll get to go back and see it again so I can take some measurements and make notes about things that needs to be done once we get in.
It has been blistery cold here. For my new role I moved to an office in a building a couple of blocks from our apartment. I have been walking back and forth and there have been times when I have literally felt like I was being lifted off my feet from the wind. When it's not snowing it has been gorgeous. Big fluffy clouds and sunny skies. Just really COLD.
We have been hoping to get to the "Frog Pond" at the Boston Common to go ice skating this winter. People are out there day and night enjoying the park. Its like the skating rink at Rockefeller Center only it's in the middle of the public garden. We have just been too busy with our home search to go and now I'm told it closes a week from Monday.
Now that they will have more free time Matthew and Gene are making plans to go to the Children's Museum while the "Clifford" exhibit is here. A vendor of mine gave us some complimentary tickets.
While it has really been fun to be downtown and so close to where I work, we are really ready for a little more space and having all of our personal belongings around us. We have had to keep one of our cars in the garage at my old office building because the monthly fee there is 1/4 of what they charge at our apartment building. That makes for alot of musical car swapping from building to building. It will be so nice to have a home with a garage we can actually use.
I am really looking forward to Maryel's visit for the Breast Cancer walk in July. It will be fun to do it together for such a good cause. I have found a great doctor at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to continue to monitor my progress. Dana Farber was where my Oncologist in Florida did her residency and my new doctor Ann Partridge was a classmate of Caryn's. Everyone is feeling great and we have been 5 months in Boston without one unplanned visit to a doctor. :-)
Hope everyone has a great weekend. Missing you all very much!!
Love,
M,G, & M
Originally written on 2/25/2005
Hello Dear Family,
Well.....the house in Hingham on Lazell Street didn't work out. Our second disappointment to date due to inspection issues. That pretty house had it's share of challenges not the least of which was that Gene believed it was settling into the wooded marsh land behind it. The house was pulling away from the fireplace causing problems with the ventilation for the heating system in the cracked chimney. Our inspector said we could die of carbon monoxide poisioning if it wasn't fixed. The chimney was being held onto the house by a metal strap that was causing the joice in the attic to which it was attached to "bow" and dangerous mold was growing inside the attic due to poor ventilation of the roof and humid exhaust being sent from the 2nd floor bathrooms into the attic (instead of to the outside) for years. Sooooo we just decided for safety and cost reasons to let it go.
We took a brief detour with a house that was a 1960's one owner Dick Van Dyke house (still with the original shag carpet) and grasscloth wallpaper throughout. Costs and time to update/renovate this house caused us to leave it behind as well. We now know the true meaning of a "one owner home".
Today we have reached agreement with a young family (moving to Bergen County, NJ) to buy their home in the next town over from Hingham called Norwell. We are very encouraged because the schools are even better than Hingham and zoning requires each lot to be a minimum of 1 acre. The home is a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath saltbox colonial on an acre and a quarter with clapboard siding on the front and cedar shingles on the sides and back. It abuts conservation land and is on a dead end street with two cul de sacs at one end. It is very close to Hingham and still affords multiple methods of commuting to Boston ( Ferry, Train, Bus and car).
Gene is in the process of scheduling the inspection. Please say a prayer for us.....our temporary living can be extended for just so long. This house has a large walk up attic ( like our house on Standish Lane Tayloe) and so we have already confirmed that there is not a mold problem. All the systems seem to be in good shape. The house was built in 1989 so lead paint and asbestos will not be an issue. Its just those darn chimney's that keep causing problems for us.
This was also the week to become official residents of the Commonwealth by registering our cars, getting insurance and having our cars inspected. We still have to get our drivers licenses. The lines at the end of the month always pose a challenge to ones patience.
Matthew continues to be a trooper - enduring the relentless hours of driving, checking out towns and neighborhoods, venturing in and out of homes and playing quietly in real estate offices (as long as snacks are avilable) while we complete the reems of paperwork required for each offer.
Yesterday we really enjoyed our tour of the South Shore. While we ended up in Norwell, we also visited the harbor towns of Cohasset and Scituate. We really loved Scituate. In some ways it reminds us of Cedar Key. The wealthy people of Boston used to "summer" in Scituate. Now the gorgeous New England homes along the water are occupied year round and when the train comes to Hingham, Cohasset and Scituate next summer, it will be a boomtown.
We'll keep you posted.
Love to all,
M, G & M
Originally written on 2/19/2005.
Good Morning Dear Family,
This has been a great week for us. We finally, after almost 5 months of looking and a couple of disappointments, have found our future home (picture attached). Our inspection is tomorrow, and if all goes well (pray for us) we will close on May 9. It was built in the 70s and needs very little work. We will have plenty of room for visitors and can't wait for you all to come see us.
Matthew has been a real trooper given that most of his four years have been spent searching for real estate, he's begun asking questions like "who is the listing agent". He also loves riding in the real estate agents' cars.
Hingham is a beautiful south shore town about 12 miles south east of Boston on the way to Cape Cod. It is known for having the oldest church in the country in continuous use, troop #1 of the Boy Scouts of America was established there and is still active today, and for the female members of the family, is the home of Talbots clothing stores. The original store is in the Hingham town center.
Gene would tell you that these days his life revolves around food. He's either buying it, preparing it, eating it or cleaning it up he says. As soon as one meal is done he's planning for the next one. Matthew has become an eating machine. Gene's also been busy finding us Insurance coverage, scheduling inspectors and getting our mortgage financing in order.
Matthew is enjoying playing with his rescue heros and having a daily circle time with Daddy where he learns something new. Yesterday he asked "When is God's birthday?" He also recently wrote his name all by himself.
I am already moving to a new role at Fidelity. I was asked to cover two positions upon my arrival and recently decided to move into the one that takes me closer to the business. I will serve as a consultant to senior executives in one of our largest business units. I'm excited about the change and learning more about Fidelity's Brokerage Company.
We promise to stay in closer contact now that we have our lives back. It has been amazing to reflect upon the number of towns and homes we have seen. Perhaps Gene has a real estate career in his future. We certainly know alot about the greater Boston area now.
Love and Hugs to all of you!
M,G & M
Originally written on 11/21/2004
Dear Friends & Family,
After two years with Marsh & McClennan in New York, on October 1st I started working for Fidelity Investments in Boston, Ma. Gene, Matthew and I are very excited to be moving (yes, again!) from western New Jersey to the Boston area.
Gene and Matthew are still in NJ selling the house and getting us ready for the move. I have been living in a corporate high rise apartment in downtown Boston. My relo plan allows for visits here or in NJ every other weekend so we have been taking advantage of those trips for the boys to come up and get acquainted with the area. We knew very little about Boston having only been here once or twice in our lives. We have narrowed down our search to a town called Winchester (about a 15 minute commute to Boston (by car, bus or train). Our attraction to Winchester is a great church we have found there as well as the excellent school system, a small town feel with a historic town center and tons of activities for children. In addition the close proximity to Boston and excellent public transportation are a real plus.
We are waiting for our house to sell in NJ before we decide on a home here but have found a couple of possibilities that we really like. I am hopeful that we'll all be together before the new year. Matthew will be 4 in January and we'd love for him to be in "his new town of Boston" for his birthday.
I want to provide you with current reach numbers for us. I know there are a bunch here but we'd really like to stay in touch with you and want to be sure we don't miss out on opportunities to stay connected especially during the holidays.
Boston:
Temporary Apartment:
One Devonshire Place
Boston, Ma 02109
We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of those you love!
Much love,
M, G, & M