Jessica turned 28 yesterday. Her only request, seafood for dinner. Jason made arrangements for all of us to meet at the original Bookbinders on Walnut Street, for dinner at The Olde Bar.Definitely a seafood lovers paradise. We started with drinks and they, my companions, started with some treats from the raw bar. I am not a seafood lover so I opted for the only non-food options that were available.Jessica’s drink looked like dessert with fresh blackberries and a few mint leaves, delicious.Dinner was a seafood festival. They saw food and they ate it! Jess ordered steamed lobster, Mark ordered the catch of the day, cod, and Jason ordered a steak with a crab hollandaise. These seafood lovers were in heaven!One of my favorite parts of celebrating birthdays is the opportunity I get to have a picture taken with both my children by my side. I love these guys to pieces. Here’s to a year filled with love and blessings for two of my favorite people in the world!
"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring — these are some of the rewards of the simple life."
Yesterday Mark spent a great deal of time out in the yard cleaning fall leaves from the back corners of the yard and pruning bushes. That made for a very delightful walk in the yard this afternoon after work. There is so much to discover this time of year! In the shade garden, above, the hostas are making a break for it. This is my prettiest hosta plant and I just can’t wait til it is blooming!Sweet Woodruff, also in the shade garden, has started peeking out from under the foliage and behind the fence.New growth on the hydrangea is a blessing after we discovered that we had lost our peonies over the winter. Each year I never know what will have survived or what will need to be replaced.The roses, well, they speak for themselves. In just a few short weeks they will be covered with blooms. They are hardy and dependable!Our weeping cherry tree is covered with buds, it will be gorgeous when it bursts, any day now!The butterfly bush, also very dependable, which makes Mark crazy. This is one bush that he really does not like very much. I just love the butterflies and the bees it attracts!Purple hyacinth, I just love them. Hyacinth always remind me of the birth of my two children. Hyacinth seemed to be the flower that was delivered most often to the hospital. I remember the scent permeating my hospital room.
Our evening started at 5 with a student recital at the Curtis Institute. This is one of our favorite activities in Philly. I remember attending my first concert with Jason and his friends one Mothers’ Day about ten years ago. Immediately following the concert, we gathered our clan and headed over to a.kitchen for a delicious and decadent dinner.During dinner I was very well behaved, camera wise, and did not take one picture. It was just a small gathering with Jason, Jess, Mark, my mom and myself. Just the was Jason wanted it. We had a wonderful time sharing stories, memories and discussing plans for the future. It is so rare that we are all together, last night was truly a blessing. Immediately following dinner, we walked over to South Street for the main event at Rex 1516.Jason’s dear friend Heather helped to make this part of the evening truly spectacular. Jason made mix tapes that provided the background music and chose the movies that played on the big screen during the event.Having arrived at Rex first, I had the opportunity to take a selfie of us in the mirror. It didn’t turn out great, but I love it anyway!
We celebrated with old friends and new friends. Jason is so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of friends that he has known for years!Because Jason has known some of his closest friends since high school, he has a long list of nicknames that just keeps being added to, year after year.Heather made sure that we had a cake, so grateful for that. It was a delicious carrot cake made by the chef at Rex. I was happy to be able to get a photo of him blowing out the candles!There are no words to sum up the emotions that I experienced last night. I guess mostly, proud. It takes a special man to gather so many wonderful people together as a part of his journey. The fact that we have known so many for years and they are like family to us is a testament to his character.
Although he doesn’t like to get his picture taken, he did not give me a hard time about a selfie at the end of the evening. Just like always, I am so proud and blessed to call him my son.
Just a few photos that I found. Heading out now to spend the evening with the family. Jason and Jessica along with Mark and my mom. Going to be a wonderful evening beginning with a concert at the Curtis Institute followed by dinner and to top it all off, a birthday bash featuring a soundtrack compiled by Jason and lots of sparkling wine. Just the way Jason wanted his day to go!
I married Scott A. Miller. At the time I thought that I was marrying my best friend. Unfortunately, my marriage did not last. But, as a result of my marriage, I was blessed with the greatest gifts any woman could ever ask for, my two wonderful children. This is perhaps one of my favorite photos of my kids. It was taken at my sister Susy’s wedding. I just love how they are holding each others’ hands. Today, they are each others’ best friend. In fact, as I write this, Jessica is currently painting Jason’s apartment while he works late. Their goal is to create a place for Jessica to stay whenever she is visiting Philly from where ever she ends up.
Within the next few days we will be celebrating their birthdays. Jason will be 30, gasp. Jessica is turning 28, oh my. We will be having fun celebrating their lives for as many days as we can stand. Here’s to them, the best gifts I have ever received!
Today I noticed that the first daffodil had made its appearance. I don’t know how it happens that you go to bed one night with barely a bud on the flower and the next day - poof - a daffodil. To be honest, I thought I would see them this week, but today just seemed a bit too grey to coax the little blossoms out. I was surprised when I arrived home from the doctor this afternoon to the gift of not one, but a few flowers in our side garden.Drops of moisture on the little blooms made the flowers just a little more photogenic today. I believe that a grey day allows the true colors of nature to shine through.Daffodils are a lovely reminder that spring is not really all that far away, despite the weatherman’s predictions for the upcoming week.Grateful for the opportunity to spend some precious moments in the yard today!
Mark and I went off on an adventure in search cherry blossoms, history and lots of good food. We left technology behind and let the days bring what they may. It was great fun! I have quite a bit of catching up to do and so much to share. For now, enjoy this beautiful spring day and the promise of blossoms as the weather warms.
Today was my student teacher’s last day in class. She is moving to another school to complete her ESL internship. We sent her away with a beautiful thumbprint tree that the students loved making and enough school supplies to keep any teacher happy. The students loved bringing in school related items to fill the “teacher” bag we presented to her this morning.
To celebrate we sat around talking about our favorite memories, eating soft pretzels with mustard and giggling about some of our sillier moments. It was a great last day before spring break. We will miss our student teacher, but we look forward to her visiting a few more times before the school year ends.