A Personal Peek at the Year in Review

Nothing prolific to spout...no karmic revelation to report...just a simple look back at a year full of joy and challenges. Keep on swimming, people.

Here are my highlights in photos:


March -- Aunt Elaine and Uncle Ron celebrated 50 years of marriage, a great excuse for my mother's siblings to pose for my camera. Nice to see everyone together sharing in a joyous celebration!

 
 

April -- Spring Break trip to Las Vegas for the Penn Family with a side trip to the Grand Canyon. We were a bit skeptical about Vegas for a family trip, but had a blast and will definitely be back!



April -- Connor's first Little League game of the season with his dad as coach. So much fun to watch!



April -- A weekend with my girls in Pentwater was a wonderful way to reconnect and reminisce. Did Michele and I really meet in 5th grade and break up in 7th, yet somehow we've shared all of the most important moments of our lives together? Will Lynn and I ever experience another moment like our first road trip to Ann Arbor (cue music from St. Elmo's Fire) when the world seemed to stop as we pulled into town? Will Laura and I ever get our fantasy wish of leaving the day-to-day behind and becoming full-time country club wives (I can hear the laughter ringing all around me!)? Was it luck or destiny that when I broke my foot in college, I had a sorority sister like Jen willing to carry me on her back during goofy rush events (leave no sister behind!)?

May -- Connor's class picnic...what a great bunch of kids he shared Kindergarten with at Holy Spirit.

June -- Here I am with friend, Dorothy Ramos, toasting the third annual Ladies Tee Party Charity Golf Scramble to benefit the Sleeping Angels Endowment (established by my friends Katherine and Mike Schoenborn). I love organizing this incredible golf outing every year and 2010 was no exception! We raised an additional $14,000 for the Endowment and treated 135 lady golfers to a fantastic day on the links. See you this year on Friday, June 17, 2011!

June -- Nephew Kyle was called up to report to Afghanistan with the National Guard, so he and Mandy moved their wedding up by four months. It may not have been the wedding she was planning, but I sure hope it was still the wedding of her dreams! Congratulations to Kyle and Mandy!

June -- Our annual Fitzgerald Family Golf Outing always results in lots of good natured taunting, and one team earns the right to be called "Scramble Champs" for another year. This year it was Rick, Colleen, Neal, and Ryleigh -- a formidable squad to be sure!

July -- Sparklers on the beach while watching the fireworks? Heck yeah!

July -- Summertime in Michigan on the Lake...perfect! We were fortunate to share many wonderful sun-filled days at our favorite place just south of Pentwater. What a dream for a 6-year-old boy!

August -- Our wonderful neighbors transformed their backyard into a field of dreams for local kids and hosted a Wiffleball Tournament. Connor was lucky enough to be asked to join some of the boys for the day as their bat boy (the tournie is set for kids ages 8-11, so he couldn't play). What a ridiculously fun day he had -- and his team took home the trophy to boot! Incredible memories for him...and every adult who had the joy of witnessing this.

August -- Gulp! My baby is a First Grader...how did that happen?

September -- Sadly, we said goodbye to Rick's dad, Richard D. Cook. He was a gruff man who loved deeply and was infinitely proud of his children...all of them. This photo was taken a few years ago, but it is still one of my favorites of Dick with his son and grandson.

September -- Just one more memory of Dick Cook, with his pipe on his favorite stretch of beach along the Gulf in Florida. This is how I like to remember him, happy and relaxed without a worry in the world. Rest in Peace.

September -- What a lovely wedding for niece Emily and her husband Todd! Congratulations! Big love and smiles were all around...

September -- ...especially from their littlest wedding attendants, who had a blast all day...and somehow behaved themselves through the ceremony at the waterfall. Whew!

September -- Connor's flag football team was sooooo excited to play under the Friday Night Lights during halftime of a 2010 state champion West Catholic High School game.

October -- Ohhhh, ArtPrize!

October -- The family that plays dress-up together stays together...or at least has a blast on Halloween! Nephew Mark II joined us to spook the neighborhood kids and pass out shots to the adults. Bahhhaaahhhaa!

December -- Nothing says Merry Christmas like a 9 foot tree with a star on top!

 December -- We rang in the New Year at the wedding of my cousin, Tricia, to her love Tandem. We'd just said goodbye to Tricia's father, Charles Clark Sr., at the end of October. So, this was the perfect way to start 2011 fresh...and filled with joy! Congratulations to the newlyweds. And, Rest in Peace Uncle Chuck.

Thanks for indulging me...and for reading my blog. Feel free to follow and post comments. Every writer needs their readers!

Cheers to 2011!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Time to take a breather and pay homage to the people, places, and things that made my top 10 for 2010. I learned at a very young age that saying thank you isn't just customary and polite - its required if you want to get anywhere in this world. So, here's my thankful thoughts for the year...

1) Rick and Connor...of course. I'm a lucky girl to have a husband I still love, and even like, after 19 years of marriage! And, we are both blessed beyond words to share our lives with Connor, the 7-year-old whirlwind that makes us reassess every thought and action hundreds of times a day! Thank you boys...always.

2) Mobile Technology...yes, my name is Maureen and I'm a BlackBerry addict. Wow, has this little device changed my life! Clients never know if I'm responding to a business question from my office or the beach...fantastic. Yes, I could go even further down the slippery slope of mobile computing with other devices, but I'm a little fearful that I'd stop participating in real life conversations and simply resort to texts and emails even when the person I want to connect to is in the same room! Moderation, people!

3) My Little Sisters...We became a packaged deal at a very young age, our six older siblings referred to us as "The Three Little Girls." We hated that. But, we love each other. And, they don't call us that anymore...much. We can still share clothes and shoes, but most often we are sharing a laugh, advice, and lots of love.

4) CoffeeMate French Vanilla Sugar Free Creamer...finally! Love this stuff and now I can ramp down on the insulin intake to cover it. Thank you Nestle!

5) Symlin...since we're talking about that insulin intake, I need to give a 2010 nod to my new Symlin injectable pen. Thank you for making better use of my insulin intake. It triggers me to notice that I'm actually full (surprisingly much ealier than I would have imagined - guess that's why those 15 pounds have crept onto my hips over the past few years!) and encouraging more effective digestion of the food I take in. Bravo to all the smarty pants biomedical engineers who worked on this drug. You are helping to make me a healthier person...thanks!

6) NetFlix and Roku...ahhhh, the wonder twins! Thank you for combining forces and bringing so many Scooby Doo movies into my home on command and without charging me for each one. We love movies around here and that can be an expensive obsession. But, the power of technology puts countless movies and tv shows at our fingertips for no additional cost...and Connor can operate it by himself. Joy!

7) Cousins...in general, I have a huge group of incredible cousins, and I love when we reconnect. But, specifically, I'm so grateful for the trio of cousins that belong to my sisters and I. We were each blessed with one child and the three of them have shared many moments in the past seven years (give or take a few months). I'm so grateful that Connor has Ryleigh and Reagan to share his life with - even though they often fight like siblings! That's part of the package!

8) Memaw...she promised my mom that she'd be there for us even after Marcia and her son divorced, and she's more than lived up to that. Carol Nauta is an incredible example of the kind of person I aspire to be. She loves my son like her own grandchildren and makes him feel special just for being Connor. And, she offers a shoulder to cry on or an embrace of love whenever it is needed by me or my sisters. The joy on Connor's face when she surprises him at a football, soccer, or little league game is infectious and reminds me of how much we need her. Thank you, Carol. I'm grateful every day that we got to keep you in the divorce!

9) My 2001 Ford Taurus SEL...what can I say, my old Bessie may be dinged up but she's still got life in her veins! Rick and I bought out my dad's lease on this car when we were waiting to adopt Connor. At the time there was a possibility that we'd find ourselves the parents of twins and my adorable Audi A4 just wasn't going to cut it for double stroller duty! My dad serviced his cars religiously and detailed them incessantly. It was barely broken-in when I took possession. At the time I thought I'd drive it for a couple of years...and here I am! She's given us some concern over the past year, but still doesn't show any signs of needing to retire. And, its funny, but I really love her now and can't imagine myself driving anything else (well, okay, that's a lie - I've got rag top dreams, but we don't talk about stuff like that in front of Bessie, she's sensitive!).

10) Lake Michigan beaches...especially Pentwater, but really, I'm thankful for all of the shoreline! What a gorgeous treat we have here in West Michigan! These beaches are perfect for dreamers, toddlers, crazy teens, and cooler toting moms...and everyone in between. If you haven't had the joy of spending an afternoon or evening on one of these beaches, please let me know. I'm happy to show you around!