RIP Jim

Amidst the chaos of planning last-minute details of the anniversary party and carrying out Mental Health Awareness Day at work, I received a text message from a past co-worker and friend telling me that our boss had passed away. I began working at Grabham's Candies in Cuyahoga Falls the summer before my senior year in high school and haven't stopped since. Even when I was away at college or grad school I came back at Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day and whenever I could to help out. The business was started by Jim's grandmother and everything there is handmade and delicious. Jim was the mastermind behind it all. He was constantly coming up with new recipes to try and they always turned out great.

I'll never forget when I first started working at Grabham's and I was absolutely scared to death of Jim. He was not a particularly intimidating guy, but the quiet, shy girl I was in high school was certainly unsure of this man. It may have taken me a bit of time and me coming out of my shell a bit, but I got on Jim's good side and we developed a good relationship where we could joke around and talk about our common interests (guitar and then eventually, our cats). Jim was always bringing pictures out into the store to show us of his new guitars or basses, Kitten doing silly things, or anything else we may have been talking about at the time. Jim was quite possibly the biggest eBay fanatic I have ever met, and that turned into our go-to Christmas gift for him each year. I will never forget the many feasts he made us for lunch on Christmas Eve each year or the cookies and donuts he would randomly buy us (as if the candy wasn't enough of a temptation!). I have so many memories of this man and his store, and it already feels strange to go in without him there.

Jim touched many lives and will be missed deeply by so many people in the community. The number of people at his calling hours in just the hour or so I was there is testament to the number of people he reached. I know it is going to be tough for his wife and daughter for some time, so if you are reading this please keep them in your prayers. They are a wonderful family with hearts for the people that work for them and the people they serve. I am honored and blessed to be part of the legacy that is Grabham's Candies and am looking forward to going back at Christmas this year to once again spread the joy of their wonderful chocolate! I only hope that Jim knew how much he meant to me and to so many others out there. Rest in Peace, Jim...I know I'll see you again one day.

Working On That Bucket List

Back when I first started this blog I posted my newly created "Bucket List." I can't say that I've had many opportunities to complete many of these items while finishing grad school, finding a job, moving, etc., but I can finally say that I accomplished one (along with the help of my sister), and I must say we did it well!

My parents' 30th wedding anniversary was this past Monday, October 10th. A few months ago I was talking to my sister, Erin, about it and suggested that she come in town (she lives in Washington, DC) for the weekend to celebrate. At first we talked about doing a dinner for them with us and their parents but then the wanna-be party planner in me decided we should throw a surprise party. We decided to to keep it pretty small (yes, we both have jobs, but we're both young professionals with college loans to pay off!) and invite close family and friends. Needless to say, for the several weeks leading up to the party Erin and I were both stressed and both had dreams that our parents found out, weren't excited, etc.

The way our plan worked is that Erin would drive from DC to my apartment in New Concord on Friday evening, then we would drive to Akron together Saturday morning to get everything done for the party, have the party Saturday evening, then drive back to New Concord on Sunday so that Erin could head back to DC. Plans ended up changing a bit, but Erin and I were both in Akron Saturday early afternoon and felt like spies or something trying to make sure we knew where our parents were at all times so we wouldn't run into them. We honestly went as far as playing our games of Words With Friends with our mom--if she took her turn we knew she was at home because she can only play through Facebook!

Finally we got everything set up and the party was ready to begin.

The party took place at my grandpa's condo party room. The day of the party was also the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. My mom's side of the family is Jewish and my grandparents were at temple part of the day. The plan was that my grandpa and step-grandma invited my parents to go out to dinner to break the fast. My parents picked them up at their condo and my grandpa told them he needed to drop something off at the condo offices (in the same building as the party room), and my step-grandma convinced them to come inside to see the renovations. Our dreams thankfully turned out to be completely wrong. Our parents were absolutely shocked when they walked in to the party.

As we predicted, Mom cried and Dad teared up but held it together nicely, although his face turned beat red! Luckily I was on hand with napkins (in all of our planning we somehow forgot tissues!). After the initial shock, crying, and calling their daughters sneaky liars (that's putting it nicely!) our parents had time to eat, talk, and relax with friends and family. I, being the persistent person I am, kindly informed my parents that they had to go through the whole cake-cutting process like a married couple typically does at their wedding.

The food was good, the cake was good, and the company was good. All in all, a successful party I'd say. Glad that I could start ticking off those Bucket List items with an event such as this. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! I love you very much!

Oh, and we couldn't forget a lovely Brady Family pic!

Music Heals.

Contest

Hi everyone,

I've entered a contest on Facebook through Kate Voegele (one of my absolute favorite musicians and an inspiration to me) called the Perform Beautifully contest. To enter the contest we were asked to submit a picture that demonstrates something we are passionate about. I posted a picture of myself and Emma, one of my past campers, who is a 17 year-old with Down Syndrome. Emma and I have a hilarious relationship and I can honestly say she is one of my favorite people in the world. She can always make me laugh and I'd like to think I can do the same for her. Throughout my 6 summers working with her, I have seen other campers grow to accept her and view her as the funny, happy person that she is--instead of only seeing the fact that she has Downs. The 10 contestants who get the most votes win a pair of Kate's new Oakley sunglasses that she designed herself. Of course I would love to win the sunglasses because I sure can't afford a pair of Oakleys, but I am also hoping that when Kate posts the winners others will see my entry and start to view individuals who have Down Syndrome in a different way. That is where all of you blog readers of mine come in (however many of you there are). Below is a link to the page to vote for me in the contest. The contest ends on Monday, September 19th and you can vote once a day until then. It would mean the absolute world to me if you all could do that for me. Thanks so much. You are all awesome!

VOTE HERE!

Canvas Project

Some of you may remember one of my last few posts about a canvas painting project I wanted to try out. Well, last night I gave it a whirl and am pretty satisfied with the results! I have not hung it up yet, but I know where I want to hang it and have a feeling it will brighten up my extremely boring white walls. Here are some pictures of the process:

Here I took four 8x10 blank canvases and created a design on them with masking tape. The design connects if you put the canvases together, but it doesn't have to. I am going to hang my canvases in a square, but spaced out so you kind of have to use your imagination to fill in the blanks!

After painting. I have couch pillows (thanks to my lovely grandmother for making them!) in a shade close to this color blue. I wanted to throw in another color for an accent here and there, so I went with a nice royal purple.

 And finally, after the removal of the masking tape. I waited until the paint was dry (difficult for someone with little patience like me to do), then peeled the tape off--it came off very easily.

Next step is just to hang them up. I'll try to remember to post another picture once it's up. What does everyone think? Anyone have other good crafty ideas for me to try? I've never been a very artistic person, but simple things like this might give me some good practice!

Wedding Bells are Ringing

Headed to Akron for another weekend at home and another wedding. I cannot believe my Frappy-Dappy is getting married! So looking forward to celebrating her special day with her tomorrow!

Also looking forward to seeing my best friend, Mo, and finally giving her her engagement gift! I cannot believe she is getting married! Wedding bells everywhere!

Will be sure to post about the wedding and whatnot after the weekend. Enjoy your Labor Day everyone, I will be spending mine at work--no rest for the Muskies!

*Don't forget to work on your September pictures logs!* :)

Creative Juices are Flowing

Lately I have been feeling kind of artsy-craftsy, creative, etc., which is very unusual for me, as I am not an artistic person! This has exhibited itself through my desire to make my apartment cute and homey and matchy-matchy. Tonight I have been looking online for ideas of art projects to decorate my wall. I think this one might be the winner:

Basically you just take a canvas, create a design using masking tape, then paint over it with whatever color paint you want, let it dry, take off the masking tape. Easy enough, right?! I am thinking of doing a royal blue-ish color to match my couch pillows and add some color to my VERY white walls!

I also stumbled across this lovely list at creativekeepsakes.com. It is a PDF file and since I am not tech savvy enough to insert that in my blog, I am just going to have to type it all out. Anyway, it is a list of pictures you should be sure to take each month. I think it is an excellent idea to make sure fun events get documented, and since today is the first of the month, I think it is the perfect opportunity to start this new project! Here is the list. If you feel inspired to play along, please let me know!

January:
Snowmen
Indoor play
People sledding
Stacks of sweaters
Firsts for the New Year
• First snow
• First new outfit
• First family dinner
• First book you read
Icicles along the roof
Kids bundled up to go outside in
the cold
A couple snuggling by a glowing
fire
Bowls of soup or cups of hot
chocolate
Family members taking down holiday
decorations

February:
Kids in pajamas
Favorite gadgets
Your loved ones
A romantic night out
Valentines you receive
Super Bowl party, food and decor
Mardi Gras decorations and
parades
Children creating valentines for
school
Valentine’s Day cookies, candy
or cupcakes
High-school sporting events,
like a basketball game or gymnastics
meet

March:
Your car
Kites flying
Your pet on a walk
Your exercise routine
March Madness events
• People filling in brackets
• Friends watching games
• Fans wearing favorite teams’
jerseys
Favorite Dr. Seuss books
The first signs of spring
• Flowers sprouting
• Tree blossoms blooming
• Baby animals playing
Children playing in the yard
Loved ones playing in puddles
after a rainstorm
St. Patrick’s Day festivities featuring
green
Flowers peeking through dirt or
snow
Your toes with a fresh pedicure
and nail polish
The yard after its first mow of the
year
Family members working in the
garden
Outdoor sports, such as soccer,
softball and tennis

April:
Rainbows
Friends hiking
Easter celebrations
• Religious activities
• Family dressed in “Sunday best”
to attend an Easter service
• Egg hunting
• Egg decorating
• Easter dinner
• New Easter dress
Umbrellas and rain boots
Flats of flowers

May:
Barbeques
Grandma’s hands
Prom happenings
Photos with Mom
Flowers in the garden
Mother’s Day presents
Cinco de Mayo celebrations
Students moving out of the college
dorm
Cemeteries decorated for
Memorial Day
People drinking mint juleps or
wearing hats for Derby Day

June:
Baseball games
Photos with Dad
Animals at the zoo
Outdoor activities
• Badminton
• Picnics
• Evening walks
• Backyard movies
Father’s Day events
Feet wearing flip-flops
Strawberries on the vine
Graduates dressed in caps
and gowns
Children on the last day
of school
Brides getting ready for
the big day

July:
Farm fields
Family reunions
Camping activities
Fun in the sun
• Water fights
• Sunbathing
• Pool time
• People boating
• Swimming lessons
A concert in the park
Girls playing Hula-hoop
Ice-cream or snow cones
Watermelon ready to serve
Fourth of July celebrations
• Firework displays
large and small
• Parades
• People wearing red,
white and blue
• Flags flying
• Military personnel in
full regalia
A boy holding a worm,
frog or bug

August:
Sprinkler fun
Corn on the cob
Summer sunsets
People on bike rides
Vacations and travels
A pitcher of lemonade
NFL preseason parties
A couple holding hands
Back-to-school shopping
County, town or state fairs

September:
Football games
Tailgating parties
Fishing excitement
Family in sweaters
Apple-picking events
Freshly baked cookies
Leaves changing color
Visits with grandparents
Happenings on the first
day of school
• Catching the bus
• Wearing the first-dayof-
school outfit
• Packing the first lunch
• Meeting the teacher
• Stacking the kids’
schoolbooks
• Seeing or walking into
the new classroom
• Reading the school
schedule
• Buying new backpacks
and shoes
Car rides through the
canyons or mountains

October:
Hayrides
Bare trees
Scarecrows
Corn mazes
Haunted houses
Pumpkins at night
World Series parties
Kids jumping in piles of
fallen leaves
A train rolling across the
golden landscape
Homecoming celebrations
at school

November:
Baked pies
Geese flying south
Family gatherings
Thanksgiving dinner
• Loved ones preparing
the food
• People setting the table
• Home decor
• The family at the table
• People watching a
game after dinner
Black Friday madness
The first snowfall
Family photo shoot for
holiday cards
Dogs or kids playing in
the first snow
Thanksgiving leftovers in
the refrigerator
Family members turning
on Christmas lights

December:
Hockey games
Snowball fights
Canned-food drives
Community service
Friends sharing a laugh
Menorah being lit
New Year’s Eve parties
Family gathered around
the fireplace
Slippered feet lined up in
a row or in a circle
Christmas activities
• Gifts being wrapped
• Holiday shopping
• Cookie plate placed
out for Santa
• Children writing letters
to Santa
• Loved ones visiting
Santa at the mall
• Home decor
• Nativity scenes
• Carolers
• Trimmed trees
• Mantle with your
hung stockings
• Outdoor decor
• The holiday table
• Shopping bags filled
from mall outings

Oh, and if you have any other creative crafty ideas for me--bring 'em on!