TD Bank gives back to the community

Tonight the very generous folks at TD Bank in Westhampton Beach thought it would be nice to give back to the community by hosting a reception for the volunteers at Bide A Wee.

It was nice to be able to meet some of the other volunteers. Some were from Wantagh and some from Manhattan. There were scrumptious Hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks. There were a few very brief speeches about how wonderful the volunteers are and how non-profit organizations couldn't do what they do without the volunteers doing what they do...there was even a gift bag packed with lovely gifts (both for pet and pet owner).

But, best of all were the so sweet pets that attended the reception. I had no idea the dogs would be there, otherwise I would have brought the camera. I have to say, they were so well behaved and so friendly with one another. It was amazing that they all got along. I guess they all must have attended Bide-a-Wee's training classes on good manners with our ace trainer, Ritsa!! It's nice to see good people do good things. I believe the hubby and I are getting much more out of this volunteer thing than we ever thought we would. It's rewarding.

On a somber note, one of our "retirees" passed away last night. Rest in peace, Nalla - we loved you and you will be missed.

Today it hit me...

For 7 months now I've known I'm going to be a grandmother. I've been so excited about it for such a long time that I didn't realize how numb I truly was. But today it really hit me. Today when I woke up, I felt different. I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMOTHER!

I've had my cell phone attached to my hip for days. I keep picturing that call from my son. I try to imagine what he will say. I keep having flashes of images of what the birth might be like and those amazing minutes right after delivery when we all realize that it's not over, but it's just beginning. I can now picture the proud new mom and dad holding their daughter.

How does "Grams" sound? I think I like it.

From one end of Long Island to the other end and wait til you read the end

Thank goodness tomorrow is a holiday. There is no way I would be able to go to work. My feet hurt so much that I can barely stand. I checked on the list of personal day reasons and "blistered feet" is not on there. Here's where the pain came from: yesterday we went into the city. (the LIRR to Penn station). We walked from there to China town. (For those of you who don't know, that is about 40 blocks - 2.2 miles). We walked for well over an hour once we got there - and oh what a great time that was. I think anyone teaching a class in sociology or psychology should take the students on a field trip to NYC. Just have them sit on any street corner and watch. They will learn more than any text book could ever teach. I mean, you see it all - you really truly see it all. From the naked cowboy to his nearly naked and nearly 70 year old mom, to what had to be at least 40 cops arresting one guy for trying to sell him a knock off Rolex. Unbelievable. After we shopped til we dropped, we took the subway to Times Square. We walked from there to FAO Schwartz. That's another 18 blocks. After that was a quick bite. ($20 for a hamburger!!!!). We then walked all the way back to Penn Station (24 blocks). Once back at the station, the car was parked quite a distance away. Today, we were out the door at 8:00 a.m. to pick up a pup from Bide A Wee and bring him to the Riverhead Country Fair. We had to park well over a mile away. We were on our feet until after 1:00. I so wanted to walk around the fairgrounds afterwards, but literally could not. Me - had to turn down shopping. I'm still sick over it! I don't know how I made the mile trek back to the car, but I did. My feet feel like cinder blocks are attached to them. The bottoms of my toes are all blistered. Would I do it again? You bet!!!! Here are some pictures from both days:

Click here to view these pictures larger

To make the perfect ending for a perfect day, the last two pictures are of "Prince." We used to walk him often. He is an 18 month old great dane and lab mix. Definitely one of the volunteers' favorites. He was adopted in August and we were so happy for him, but really missed him. Well, lo and behold, there he was at the fair today, with his new mommy and daddy (NOT captured on camera). We were so happy and excited to see him, we had tears in our eyes. But look how happy is!!! Yeah, you know what? We do good work.

We interrupt this marriage to bring you football season...

In the off season, on the rare occasion that I go out on an afternoon weekend without my husband, I would have to answer a bunch of questions, the usual stuff - "Where are you going? Who are you going with? When will you be back?" Then my cell phone would ring: "Can you pick up some....." Not today though. Today, through the miraculous gift of the world wide web, my husband was able to watch his beloved Baltimore Ravens through the laptop, onto the big screen t.v. "I'm going out," I said. "Bye," he said. I came back three hours later. Cell phone untouched. He was in the same chair, same position. No questions asked. I wonder if he knew I was gone...