All It Takes Is One Song

One song on my ipod during a flight taken in January can transport me to Nova Scotia in a minute.  It might be an Irish tune or some folk song by Spirit of The West or The Rankins but I can hear a song, look at the calendar and sigh because it is only 5 months until I get to live that other life...one completely different yet totally familiar....even unattended for nine months at a time.

While reading a memoir on the plane I wondered how my own  memoir would read.  This weekend would be in it and so would Nova Scotia.  This weekend our youngest moved to NYC.  I flew up to help her settle....at least into her apartment.  I can't control everything!  This weekend made me realize how sheltered I was at her age ( I would never have been as brave/savvy/talented/prepared as she is), maybe my memoir would mention that and how important we thought it was to expose our children to the world and broaden their horizons. This weekend will serve as a launching pad for our LG in her new life in the city...and when she feels lonely or lost or overwhelmed, at least her apartment will be an oasis, a home, organized ( it was when I left), unchaotic? and a place for her to just be herself in that awesome, crazy, busy city.

The Big Apple

The chaos....

Order?

Any way, another song, Dire Straits "Your Latest Trick" is playing on my ipod while I fly home and it brings me back to my first trip abroad at the ripe old age of 33. Back when you didn't have to strip naked to go through security and shampoo and toothpaste were not lethal weapons and were allowed to travel with you on the plane.   I  listened to that CD all the way across the ocean on that trip and did not sleep because I was so excited about finally realizing one of my dreams...going to Europe!  I learned that the jet lag from not sleeping on the plane is monumental!  To this day I can't hear that song without thinking of that trip! 

What songs can transport you to another place and time?

The Last Week and the First Week

The week after Christmas is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  There is no gift shopping to do, no gifts to wrap, no pressure or anxious anticipation.  It is the week that I get to actually enjoy Christmas!  The house is decorated and full of life. The kids are still out of school.  Many people have few work related responsibilities which means they are either home or home early.  There is still a holiday to look forward to in New Year's Eve.   Oh, and there are some really great sales at all the stores for when you return that hideous gift and get whatever you really wanted...for less! 

This year the week between Christmas and New Year's has been one of the best.  First, a little review of some of our holiday activities.  We have adopted a Christmas Eve Eve tradition that involves eating out and going on a pub crawl (and responsibly taking a cab home).  Be sure to mark this on you calendar for next year because it is one of the most fun nights of the season.  In the past we have had the CEE pub crawl in Toronto, Madison and Houston.  We could be visiting a city near you next year!  We had a full crew that night but Michael had to go to Mexico for work on Christmas Eve, leaving TJ to fend for himself with all the women. 

His future is so bright he's gotta wear shades?  Cheers and Merry Christmas Eve!





Christmas was beautiful and quiet, unless you are talking about the weather.  It rained for 2 solid days.  We all spent most of the day in our pajamas!  Luxurious!  Kelly managed to work pajama pants into three outfits.....it was just that kind of day, very comfortable.



Evening wear pajama pants



Sleep/morning wear pajama pants

Day wear pajama pants

The day was great and we all got a lot of reading done, I know we are an exciting bunch. 

The week between was a lot of fun for some and a little work for others.  Michael worked in Mexico, till mid week.  Kelly had to go back to St. Louis for about 24 hours and watch all of her worldly possesions get packed and loaded into a truck for their trip to NYC.  She came back to Houston for the remainder of the week to gather strength for her big move.  We decided to go to Baton Rouge for a few days and visit the rest of the family.  Maybe TJ just needed a little male companionship. 

New Year's Eve ended up being a lot of fun.  It was like Christmas Eve without the presents.  We played games, we laughed more than humanly possible, we sang....badly, we went to a party at a friend's house and managed to get home before midnight and brought in the new year together....at home.

 New Year's Day was spent much like Christmas Day, eating, drinking, playing games and being together.... in clothes this time instead of pajamas and the sun was shining.  


Happy New Year! 





Merry Christmas Everyone!

You came!  Merry Christmas!

Here is a pictorial review of our year.  All in one place, saving lots of paper....trees....branches!

January
A trip to New Orleans with good friends Bob and Donna!  Laissez les bonne temps roulez!



February
We went to New York City (where Kelly will be living as of January 2012) with good friends Rick and Patty and found a
Chinese New Year's parade in Chinatown!



March
We went to Park City with friends and family...a good time was had by all!
(and no bones were broken)

April
TJ rode 180 miles in two days in the MS 150...again!
And it did not rain again in Houston until October....

April
We got to see Christopher and Daniel in Madison for Easter!





Early May
The Dixon sisters went to the Cayman Islands to celebrate one of us getting older.





May

Kelly graduated from St. Louis University!!!!

Way to go Kelly!



Later in May

We went to Nova Scotia and found our new sun porch...almost finished and tulips in bloom!





June
We waited for the garden to grow....and did a lot of work around the farmhouse!



July
We started harvesting the bounty from the garden!

August
Rachel, Matt, Daniel and Christopher came and spent their vacation with us in Nova Scotia!

And Grampy and Katie taught the boys how to dig up potatoes.

September
TJ and Lisa went to see London Bridge....still standing.



October
Michael and Jehnna were married in Boulder, Colorado

November

We visited the grandsons...and their parents, for Thanksgiving!



December

The tree is up, the house is decorated and we are waiting for Jesus.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Love, The Mahoneys

P.S. to read more about any month just click on the blue highlighted month name. 

Bah Humbug

Are you one of those overachievers who already has their Christmas shopping done, their cards sent, cookies baked and the house decorated?  Bah humbug!   Obviously, I am not....at least this year!  I am finding it very difficult to actually get into the spirit. The 80 degree muggy weather might have something to do with my lack of Christmas spirit....just saying.   I don't think I am alone in this either, until yesterday the stores seemed empty.  Guess I'm not the only last minute shopper out there.  At least the traffic online has been manageable, no parking problems or lineups at the cash register! 

Maybe one of the reasons I am not feeling the spirit is because the little shopping I have done has been online.  No hustle and bustle to get into my psyche, just a computer screen.  No endlessly piped in carols playing in the background, no Salvation Army bell ringers, no pushing and shoving to get the perfect item, no over the top decorations to delight the eyes..... just my dirty floors, and dishes in the kitchen with the washer and dryer humming in the background.  Hmmm, maybe that explains the lack of spirit I'm feeling. 

Guess it's time I sharpen my elbows and go shopping.  One can only buy so much online before you have to go to a real store.  Get my earplugs, bah humbug!   Next on the list....Christmas cards?  We will see, I don't want to overdo it!

Hello and Goodbye

This week I had the profound experience of saying goodbye to one life and hello to a new life.  Within one week, a good friend of mine was taken from this world and a baby was born into our extended family.  Life and death, opposite ends of this journey through life.

My friend had cancer, but in the end it was not the cancer that caused her death, it was complications from a fall... an accident.  We all assumed that eventually the cancer would win but it was not at that point yet, so we were all caught a bit off guard by her passing. We were not ready.   If you have gone to church lately, you know that many of the readings have been about keeping alert, staying awake, because we do not know the time or the place when God will come.  "The day of the Lord will come like a thief."  "Watch therefore---for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning---lest he come suddenly and find you asleep."  These words remind us to do our best and live a life pleasing to God.  Our friend lived her life to the fullest, she never let it get her down...for long. She was a force of nature with a raspy voice, who made you feel cared for and had an exuberance that was infectious.  Even if we were not ready, I think she might have been and I am sure she is looking down on us from a much better place...and eating a little chocolate.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, a baby boy was born.  One life taken and another given.  A precious, innocent, beautiful little boy was born.  His life is before him.  There is so much happiness and love surrounding him.  So, while the world is less one wonderful woman, it has a new little boy to make us all smile and give us hope.

Welcome to the world Sam!

Football, Food and Family

So....before November ends....I need to write one last post.  Looks like November has been a boring month on the blog but really I have just been paddling like a dog trying to keep my head above the water!  I have not forgotten you, so here is one last post of a lot of life and living before we enter "the holidays".

We started our Thanksgiving tour on the Friday before Thanksgiving week with a trip to Notre Dame.  We met Rachel, Matt and Daniel and Christopher in South Bend for a little Notre Dame football.

Daniel and Christopher, tailgating at the Notre Dame game, they are pros!

 The Irish treated us with a win, just barely...and it did not snow...but it was a bit cool!  We walked all over campus several times and were greeted by collegiate traditions everywhere.  It was like being in a stereotypical college movie, I loved it!  We heard the glee club sing outside one building, then we saw "the team" heading into the Basilica for their pre-game quiet time.  We saw the band, lead by the Irish Guard, march through campus and then heard them perform on campus before the game.

The Irish Guard, "step aside, make way!"

  It was a weekend that we had several brushes with celebrity too!  The band Chicago played with the ND band on campus before the game and then again at half time.  We saw a huge long line outside the bookstore and asked what everyone was waiting for and then saw the sign...the recently retired Regis Philbin was inside signing his book!  That was as close as we go to Reeg though, we had a 31/2 year old and a 2 year old with us, even Regis is not worth waiting for with them!

Our brush with celebrity.....

Then at the game, right on the field in front of our seats they introduced Jon Bon Jovi!!  (sorry, no Bon Jovi photo )

We said goodbye to Notre Dame and spent a day and a half in Chicago on our way to Madison.  TJ was working and I was getting into the Christmas spirit on Michigan Ave. with the bustling crowds and the chilly wind in my face surrounded by festive decorations.  The shopping was a bit unsuccessful but it was a nice walk.

On Monday, I picked up our LG and drove to Madison for the rest of the week.  Our LG had some exciting news on the drive....she has a new job in New York City!  A piece of exciting and terrifying news all at once.  I can't wait to visit her in the the Big Apple!

The rest of the week was spent preparing for the Thanksgiving feast, keeping up with the grandsons and watching football.  Pretty much a perfect week.  See?

Did you say jump?  Christopher at swimming lessons.

Daniel aka Mark Spitz at his swimming lessons.  Yes, he can swim!

Pucker up and give me a kiss!

This is what Thanksgiving dinner looks like when you have a fever....so sad....

Feeling better and getting a haircut!

It was haircuts all around, Christopher found it a little hard to sit still for his haircut though so Aunt Kelly helped distract him.

So now we are all back to our lives.  Our visit up north was great fun hanging out with the grandsons and getting to see them in their real lives.  I love just being there in their world.  They are too cute, not that I am biased or anything.  So, I am thankful for grandkids and the time we get to spend together!

Blessings and Curses

I found this post in my archives and thought I'd finally share it with you.  It is something I wrote after a sermon I heard.  It obviously made an impression on me.  Since we have Thanksgiving coming up, I thought I might focus on things I am thankful for in my next couple of posts.  Original right?  Then I found this and thought maybe it would be a good way to get into the right frame of mind to be thankful.  I am thankful for all those who have blessed me in my life.


 Have you blessed someone today or have you cursed someone today? 

A blessing can be as simple as seeing someone and noticing them.  By sincerely paying attention to someone we bless them.  Take time to talk to someone... or even better to listen to someone, it is a blessing. You can be a blessing.   Blessings can be simple... notice someone, give them your time and your attention.  Make someone else feel loved and important.  When a parent takes the time to sit down with a child and read a book for the zillionth time instead of doing something else, it is a blessing.  When you are busy doing "important" things and you stop and take the time to really listen to someone without distraction, it is a blessing.  Blessings feed others.

Curses are not necessarily using those words....you know the ones....they look like this sometimes *#@!*.  When a person pulls out in front of you and you yell at them, curses....    When we judge others without knowing them or what is in their heart, curses.  When someone asks you to do something and you ignore them, curses.  When you tell someone to shut up when you are watching the TV, instead of listening to them, might be a curse.  When you think of yourself and your needs above all else .... curses.  Gossip....curse.  Selfish behavior to the detriment of others....curses.  Curses eat away at our soul and at the souls of others, little by little.

Next time you have a chance to be a blessing or a curse, be a blessing.  Make someone's day, and you will be blessed....and they will be thankful.