Nutshell

I love to dance. In my own way. If you tell me I look good in it, I'll wear it.
Sugar is my middle name.
I've never been good at crossing my legs while wearing a dress. Could this explain it?
I'm Italian, so naturally I enjoy my pasta.
And as for Ryan? He lives for chocolate. But that's not chocolate on his face. Looks like it though, huh!

Sad times: Before & After

ohhh how i miss the days when i had furniture.

before... after.
before... after.
before...

after.before...after.

What would you say?

The following is a true story.

A little girl had spinal meningitis and was unable to speak.

One day at the age of twelve, she was sitting in the living room while her father was in the kitchen. Suddenly, he heard "I love you." Confused about where the sound came from, he wandered into the living room and looked at the TV to see if it was on. It was off, so he went back into the kitchen. He heard it again. "I love you." The father thought he was losing his mind. He walked into the living room and checked the TV again. Still, it was off. His gaze shifted from the TV to his daughter, who was staring at him with large eyes. "I love you," she said to him. Her father was in disbelief. He shouted for his wife to join them in the living room. The girl's mother came and listened. For 15 minutes, the girl continued to say over and over again, "I love you. I love you," and no words other than "I love you" were spoken.

The girl did not speak ever again after that day, after those 15 minutes of only repeating the words "I love you." She died at the age of 30.

If you could only have 15 minutes out of your entire life to speak, what would you say?

Finally..

..we're coming home.

It's official. We are moving to Massachusettes! Ryan's new job is in North Quincy. He wants to live in the city... I want to live near the shore. We will see where we end up!

Ry drives out with his father and everything in our condo next Friday (sad!) and then I will join him in Mass in December. What will I do all day in an empty 3-bedroom condo alone?? So sad to think about.

But yep, that's our news! We couldn't be happier about where we are ending up!

Where to live?

Ry is interviewing back east right now and it is VERY hard to not get excited about moving. But where to get excited about most?!!
Connecticut? With my family and beautiful fall colors and trees everywhere and the beach?

Or Boston? With the fun city life and the harbor and my best friend 20 minutes away?
Or Philadelphia? With my fav football team... THE EAGLES! and like Boston, the city is right there, and really close to Ocean City NJ, only my FAVORITE vacation spot of all time?
Yep, this is me getting my hopes up.

Amore

I have fallen in love with Andrea Bocelli.

Reading about his life has captured me. Although I struggle to understand a lot of the words of his songs, his music is so powerful that I can feel the words through the strength of his voice. It's like in the movie Pretty Woman, when Edward takes Vivian to the opera. Vivian is concerned that she won't understand the opera because it is all in Italian. Edward responds by saying, "Believe me, you'll understand. The music is very powerful."

My favorite line: (from Time to Say Goodbye):

Si lo so che non c'è luce
in una stanza quando manca il sole,
se non ci sei tu con me.

Translation: There is no light in a room where there is no sun
and there is no sun if you're not here with me.

Massacre

Omar Thornton, 34, went on a shooting rampage following a meeting with his bosses at a Connecticut beer distributor after he was caught on tape steeling beer and was told he could quit or would be fired. Thornton killed eight people and injured two before committing suicide. -Fox News

7:27 a.m: From a man to 911
"His name is Omar. Hurry, please ... He's killing fucking people. ... He's going back in the building now."

7:28 a.m: Steve Hollander, company vice president calls and describes the suspect. Hollander was grazed by a bullet and released from the hospital.
Caller: OK. I see him running away right now. He is shooting at somebody else. He is still shooting.
911: (muffled) Shooter is outside.
Caller: He is shooting at a girl.
911: OK, how many people are down, sir?
Caller: He's got a -- he is still running after people. He is not leaving.
911: OK. Do you see what kind of gun he has, sir?
Caller: It's a black gun. I don't know. He's wearing a blue shirt and blue shorts. He has got -- he's got -- he's got a -- oh shit he is still shooting. I hear guns out there.
911: He used to work there?
Caller: Yeah, until I just fired him.
911: Today?
Caller: Today, just now, before he started shooting. He is chasing people out in the parking lot.

7:43 a.m: From an injured man in building
Caller: Hi, I am at Hartford Distributors. I am at one of the offices. Can you find out if it is it safe for me to come out yet?
911: It is not sir. Are you bleeding heavily?
Caller: No, not heavily.
911: You feel OK right now?
Caller: Yeah.
911: How many people do you have with you?
Caller: My son, just me and my son.
911: I need you stay in there. Is the door locked?
Caller: Yes.
911: Stay in there and stay down. Have your son keep an eye if you start to become less awake have him call us right away.
Caller: I am fine. I know for a fact two people are dead in here inside the building, not in my office, in the hallway. They were both shot right in the head.
911: Sir, just stay in the office with your son, please.

It is being called the Manchester Massacre.
I am incredibly grateful that my father's life was spared that morning as he was loading up his van to make deliveries for his employer, Hartford Distributors, when he heard gun shots coming from inside the warehouse next to him. He ran for his life across the field bordering the warehouse, dropping his cell phone along the way.

My mother woke up that morning to a phone call from a woman from church. "Is Charlie alright?" My mom had not heard of the tragedy yet, and struggled to put in her contacts with shaking hands. Since my dad dropped his phone, my mom's multiple attempts at calling him were no use. She had no choice but to sit by the phone and wait for it to ring. It did--with good news.

Police held the survivors who escaped the warehouse across the street in safety. [in this photo, my dad is mid-right in the white striped shirt.]

I can't even express how differently I look at family, at life, at death.. it's hard for me to sleep at night because every time I close my eyes the thought goes through my mind-- What if my dad had gone into the warehouse? I know I shouldn't be thinking "What if this" and "What if that", but sometimes we need to in order to slap ourselves in the face and shape up in the way we treat those we love. I can't even imagine how the families of the victims are feeling. As the names of the victims have just been recently released, my father (along with the community) is just heartbroken over this tragedy.

I went to high school with Ryan Pepin. Ryan's father was shot that morning as he saved his fellow employees. Craig Pepin was a hero, and his family can be sure that he is an angel for his heroic act. Continued prayers to his family as they go through this hard time.