charlie is here!

Charles Brian Becker arrived at 12:01am this morning in Colorado, 2 1/2 weeks early. We're all thrilled that he is safely here and that he, his mommy and his daddy are all doing well. Nana and Poppy look forward to meeting Charlie very soon!

backstage at the STYX concert

Our LA daughter and grandson are here for a 2-week visit and we're loving every minute of it.

Out of the blue, she discovered that STYX was going to be performing at CMAC last night. She's acquainted with the band's Tommy Shaw in LA...and long story short...she and her little sidekick were kindly offered seats and backstage passes to visit with Tommy while they were all here in Canandaigua at the same time. Not too many 5-year olds get to see classic rock bands in action, but armed with ear plugs, off they went to the concert. What fun!

L.O.V.E.

This floor quilt says it all.

L.O.V.E.

Loved being in Denver for Katie's baby shower this weekend.

Love that Katie's Aunt Jossie made this charming quilt for Paddington.

Love that I got to spend time with both my daughters together.

Love that Paddington is almost fully cooked and should arrive in just 5 weeks!!

(Sorta) love that my 5 1/2 year old grandson loves to tease me about frogs, lizards and snakes. Love that I will see him and his mommy again in just 2 weeks.

Love that I got home safe and sound.

three generations

Three generations of friendship - how wonderful. My good friend Lee moved in across the street when we were 7. Off we went to second grade together and we're still the best of friends, just a few short years later, celebrating all of life's big moments together.

This past weekend Lee generously hosted a baby shower for my youngest daughter (on the right), who is expecting her first child (a BOY!) at the end of July. Lee's daughter, who is expecting her second child (a GIRL!) at the beginning of July, was in attendance. Lee and I are thrilled to see three generations of friendship resulting from those early days at Twelve Corners Elementary School. And now we're both on full alert, waiting for the exciting phone calls that will tell us the babies are here.

legoland!

After all the walking we did on Saturday and a good night's sleep, we were ready to check out of the hotel and head north to Carlsbad, home of Legoland. Like most young boys, Q is absolutely enamoured of legos. He asked Nana, Poppy and Santa for legos for Christmas, and all came through.

He's been to Legoland several times but that didn't damper the excitement. He was rarin' to go!

We were quite surprised that on a Sunday, during school vacation week in San Diego, the crowds were very reasonable and there were minimal wait times for the rides.

Our first ride was a boat cruise through the park. Some of the lego structures are visible only from the water and the ride gave us an overall look at the park:

The Sydney Opera House overlooked the water:

Disregarding time zones, we soon passed the Eiffel Tower:

And then it was on to Times Square. Hometown favorite Kodak was right there:

You can get a sense of scale with the woman standing behind the Capitol Building. Remember, every single structure is made only of legos:

Before going off to ride on some roller coasters and other water-enhanced rides, we had to see the brand new Star Wars exhibit. Opened only a few days before, with Carrie Fisher cutting the ribbon, the Star Wars section of Legoland had both little boys and their fathers in Star Wars heaven. Q was greeted by R2D2, Chewbacca and Darth Vader, all made of legos:

This Clone Turbo Tank was just like the one Q got for Christmas, except on steroids. Notice how the tank has made tracks in the sand and has sand on its wheels. The constructors think of every detail:

It was hard to say goodbye to Legoland but it was time to return to LA. We took Route 1 north so that we could drive through all the beach towns, had a nice dinner at a Greek restaurant in Long Beach and got back home safely, tired but happy. Nana had a great time!

I flew to Denver the next day to visit with our other daughter and her husband and had my first view of Katie looking pregnant. What a trip!

quality nana time

Quality "Nana Time" is hard to come by when your grandchild lives on the other side of the country in LA. And when you own a business and really need to be there, it's a major decision to leave for a week to "play". But I did. And it was great!

One of 5-year-old Q's favorite places is San Diego, with all its wonderful theme parks, animal kingdoms and zoos. Off we went on Friday afternoon, avoiding most of the rush hour traffic. Saturday morning was bright, sunny and chilly. I was ready for high 70's, but the temps were in the 40's. Despite that, Q went swimming in the hotel's outdoor pool after breakfast. His lips turned blue but he smiled the whole time.

After warming him up (and us, too), we took off for beautiiful Balboa Park. Q was ready for action and immediately climbed the nearest tree:

Then we were off to explore the park and its many museums:

This guy was making balloon creatures and Q really wanted a Hulk balloon:

Nana caved:

The orchids in the botanic gardens were magnificent:

We left culture and sophistication behind when we took off for Sea World. The dolphin show highlighted both the dolphins and their trainers:

and was followed by the Shamu show in another arena, currently undergoing massive renovation:

After hours and hours of walking, it was time to go back to the hotel to put our (my) feet up. Next stop...Legoland!

breaking news from nana

Nana is happy to report that "boy parts" were seen during Katie's 20-week ultrasound this afternoon and that everything looks good. Paddington now weighs about 11 ounces and Katie is finally beginning to show a bit. She's feeling fine and she and Brian were off to Costco to do a little shopping.


Nana decided to head over to Zulily to see what was available for little boys today:

It's all about cars and trucks and fire engines...

Oh boy! this is going to be fun!!

paddington on board

This post is not about joolz, but it is about something precious.

Our youngest daughter and her husband, who live in Denver, have announced to the world that they are expecting their first child in July, and this Nana is about over the moon. They've named the baby-in-utero Paddington, and even tho they'll learn whether it's a boy or a girl in several weeks, they're going to call the baby Paddington until it's born.

There's nothing quite as wonderful as watching your daughter go through a pregnancy and remembering back to your own 9 months when you and she were one. I know. I've already done it once, and that resulting bundle of joy is now 5 years old.

So hang on for a fun ride - I'm excited!! And if you want to read weekly reports from Paddington's mommy, here's where they are: The Becker Beat.

another family wedding

It's been a summer of family gatherings - weddings in both June and August, celebrating the marriages of two nieces.

This weekend was the wedding of Allison and Keith, two people who were destined to be together. Thanks to the help of an internet match site, they found each other about 5 years ago and have been blissfully happy ever since.

The day was perfect, the bride was beautiful and her parents were beaming. It was a day we'll all remember and relive time and time again.

sing along

We're all still reliving the family wedding in June. The MOB posted some pics on Facebook and I lifted this one of my brother, the FOB, together with my two girls. They're sure belting it out!

home sweet (old) home

You just never know who's going to walk into the store!

This past weekend was the Art and Music Festival in downtown Canandaigua and the sidewalks were full of people all weekend long. Many of them found their way into JOOLZ, many for the first time...several longtime friends and customers. It was great exposure for the store and I think we made lots of new friends who will return and return.

Two women and one of their daughters came in and looked all around. One decided to buy a necklace and I went to the computer to input her info for our customer files. (We keep names and addresses, along with contact info, on everyone who is willing to share it. We find that having the ability to look up previous purchases is very helpful when trying to answer questions or to direct someone shopping for that customer).

Imagine my great surprise when this new customer gave me a house address right next door to the house where I grew up! My parents brought me home from the hospital to that wonderful house and Larry and I had our wedding reception in the back yard. It truly was the only house I knew until I flew the coop (and landed in Texas - a story for another time).

The customer and I chatted about the 3 families who have lived in "my" house since Dad sold it in 1976. It sounds like she loves the neighborhood as much as we did. I told Larry about meeting Carol and then dreamed about my home, sweet (old) home that night. It looked just the way I remember it - not the way it looks now. I'm still likin' the former white shingles and black shutters better!!

family wedding

Our family gathered in Westchester County this past weekend to celebrate our niece's wedding. Despite the overwhelming heat and humidity, we all had a great time. The bride was breathtakingly beautiful, the wedding was gorgeous and our kids looked pretty darn good, too. Here they are....all dressed up and ready to party:

Peter, Marnie and Katie

thanks, mom

My Mom has been gone a long time - she passed away in 1975 at the age of 55, after a 4-year fight (and I do mean fight) against breast cancer. She met my husband, one daughter-in-law and 2 of her 8 grandchildren. She would have loved to know the rest of her extended family. But her spirit lives on in her 3 children and their children, and now, in her one (so far) great-grandchild.

Mom always put family first and was a good and loyal friend to her many friends. She devoted a large part of her time to volunteer work, making Rochester a better place to live, for all its residents. She loved to travel, she loved music and art and she definitely inherited the "jewelry gene" from her mother and grandmother.

I, too, love to travel, love music and art and have inherited the "jewelry gene" from her. It's truly due to her that JOOLZ exists today, so thanks, Mom - for everything you did for me on earth and for everything you're doing for me from Heaven. I love you.

posing on the beach

All prettied up in her Old Navy doggie duds, Bella was quite the picture posing on the beach. Amazingly, she tolerated being dressed like a little doll very well - no verbal complaints, barks, howls, etc. (Yes, she talks).

Now she and Murphy are spending their last night at the lake, resting up for the 24 hour drive back to Colorado and their fenced-in back yard. No more running around the big yard. No more swimming in the lake. No more chasing the dogs next door. No more kisses for Nana and Poppy. We're so sad...

august 9, 1969

40 years ago today, at this very minute, we were at a wedding breakfast hosted by my paternal aunts and uncles. Then it was back to my childhood home to get dressed, a limo ride with my father to Brick Presbyterian Church in Rochester and our 4:30pm wedding. I was two months out of college and Larry was an instructor pilot in the USAF, stationed in Lubbock, TX.

It was a sunny, hot day 40 years ago today and we were bursting with happiness. The reception was held under a tent at my parents' home and we had a glorious time, surrounded by many friends and lots of family. We took a brief trip to Toronto and then drove to Lubbock to start our new life together.

40 years later we are the proud parents of 3 great kids and have one delightful grandson, two granddogs and four grandcats. We've both had varied careers and have given much of our time to volunteer activities. We love to travel and are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Wyoming and Montana.

But one of the most amazing things about being married for 40 years is that we can still surprise each other. My unsentimental husband presented me with a beautiful gift of two dozen red roses yesterday and I managed to sleep longer than he did this morning. Both of us were surprised!

Happy 40th Anniversary, Lar! xoxox

the next generation

As previously mentioned, my friend Lee and I have been good friends since she moved in across the street when we were 7.

Today we got the children of our children together - my grandson Quinten Miles, age 3.75 years and Lee's grandson, Miles Constantino, age 10 weeks. The porch sofa at the lake cottage, where they are sitting, is the same place where Lee first held my first child, Quinten's mother, 38 years ago.

And what about that crazy coincidence that both boys share the same name. Just love all the connections...

cousins tubing

Cousins Q and Bella enjoying a little tubing time together:

cross country

(posted on Kate's Facebook page - lifted by me!)

Kate and Brian, along with their two dogs, Murphy (Great Pyrenees/Bernese Mountain Dog, timid and reserved) and Bella (Type-A pug) are driving from Denver to Canandaigua right now. Kate is posting on Facebook as they progress - having a GPS sure helps with the calculations. Can't wait til they get here...and on Sunday we will all be together: 2 parents, our 3 children, 2 in-law children, 1 grandchild and 2 granddogs, along with various other relatives and friends. Doesn't get much better than that!

date night

Popcorn, a cuddly blanket, "Monsters Inc." and your favorite date. What could be better?

gone to the dogs

Meet Berklee, the almost 4-month old Golden Retriever puppy/first child of our niece Allison and her fiance, Keith. A&K spent the past week at the family cottage on the lake and Berklee came along for the ride.

He met his "uncle" Mac, a 12+ year old Cairn terrier who normally rules the roost. Mac ignored Berklee, bothered Berklee and eventually shared his toys with Berklee. Mac has the zip of an Energizer Bunny; Berklee seems to have a laid-back, mellow personality. But somehow, at the end of the day, they tolerated each other and made their respective parents very proud.

Next up on pet patrol....Bella and Murphy, our granddogs, who will be traveling from Denver for a 2-week visit in August. More photos to follow...