6 Barry Camp Out

Mike and I LOVE camping.  We are really excited to introduce our children to the joy of sleeping under the stars.  I do think that we need a bigger tent for the six of us though.

Marshmallows.  You may each have fifteen.  (KIDDING!)

They share a room at home, and a sleeping bag in the back yard.
He really is the best guy on the planet.  WE LOVE YOU MIKE!

You Changed My Life, or "How do you meet these people?"

I really love rock star women.  I'm thankful for the many ladies that I've met along the way in my life that have befriended me and influenced my life in so many ways.  My ultimate hero among women is my mom.  I have many friends with difficult moms.  My mom has a reputation among my friends as "the mom that everyone wishes they had."  She's awesome.  She's funny, happy, smart and loving.  Under her wing, I have learned to love others, make good friends, be forgiving of myself and others, enjoy the little things (like a stack of catalogs and a cup of tea), and the big things (like having a baby).  I love my mom and she is the single most important woman in my life.

Another woman who influences me every day is Holly Sommer Fitzpatrick.  My friend Holly died 6 weeks before little Holly Jean was born...even thought she is gone, I remember her every day.  I am inspired by her life in most everything that I do.  She was awesome. Beautiful inside and out, and it is such a loss for all of us that she is gone.  BUT, I feel her sense of fun, her determination, and her belief that living is the best drug there is in all that I do.  I am lucky to have a hero like Holly.

I've really wanted to do a series about women that I love and admire, and today is the perfect day to kick that series off, because Alana Gray came over today.

Well, you know how I have to rewind to tell you the whole story, so first I have to introduce you to Bob Gray, Alana's husband.  Bob is a classmate of mine from McDonogh.  We had a really wonderful class at McDonogh...everyone was friendly, people respected differences, and we had a lot of fun.  In my memory, it seems that in one way or another, all 135 of us were friends.  Bob and I knew each other from our classes, and from hanging out backstage together at the plays that we were in.  Bob was a good sport, and invited me "as a friend" to our Junior prom.  That was such a blessing for me, as I didn't have a boyfriend, and my personality was more goofy than it was endearing.  (We can all take comfort in the things that never change!)  Bob drove all the way from his home in Towson to pick me up in Ellicott City, and then take me back to Towson to meet up with our friends for dinner (Bob - for the record, I remember that Jason Nace and Steph Sweeny and their dates came with us!)  It was a lot of fun for me...I'm sure that Bob would have preferred a "real" date - but we had fun.  We remained good friends, then we lost touch after we went away to college.

I'll never forget living in New Orleans, many years later, and checking my email.  There was a note to my McDonogh classmates from McDonogh, that read "News Regarding Bob Gray - Class of 1990."  My heart broke before I could open the email.  I knew that Bob had died.  I remembered meeting his wife, Alana, at our five year reunion - and thinking "Well Done Bob!!!" upon meeting her.  I felt awful in my heart for losing touch with such a wonderful person.  I felt immediate regret and sorrow.  I opened the email.

What I read, in my mind, at the time, was much worse.  Bob's wife had been in a terrible car accident, and their only two children, two little girls, had been killed.  

There aren't many things that I can't describe or write about, but the accident is one of them.  All that I can say about that time in MY life, is that I couldn't eat.  I would muddle my way through preschool birthday parties, trying not to weep at the sight of families together.  I finally emerged  from the house for my monthly "night out" with my New Orleans girls.  Atypically quiet through the meal, I felt compelled to buy champagne for our group at the end of the evening.  I was alive and with my friends.  I was going to draw inspiration from Alana and Bob, and do my best to celebrate all of the wonderful blessings in my life:  Mike, my friends, my family, and our dear, dear children.  At the table, we sipped, sobbed, and mustered hope for the Grays.

I had written to Bob and Alana after the accident, and sent a little care package.  Months later, Alana sent me an email.  I was overjoyed to learn that her heart was alive.  Then, months after that, Bob called me.  It was less than a year after the accident, and Bob was calling to tell me about the arrival of his son, Davis.  I did not even know that Alana was pregnant.  I wept openly on the phone with Bob.  After we got off the phone, I went to look for a gift for Davis down on Magazine Street.  I saw Emily Puckett a few blocks down in the street.  "EMILY!!!"  I yelled.  Emma turned around.  "My friends Bob and Alana...with the little girls!!!"

Emily started walking towards me.

"They have a son!"

We embraced and wept together in the street.

So, now we get to fast forward...Alana and Bob are here, in Annapolis.  They have three children:  Davis, Meg and Kale.  Alana is a wonderful friend.  She is funny, fun, warm, witty, sarcastic, loving, and a wonderful mother.  Bob looks just like he did in high school...and seems to be the same easy-going, peaceful, compassionate guy.

Alana is the reason that this blog, my blog, exists.  Alana keeps a blog, Gray Matters - it's mostly about the cool things that clever Alana can do in her home, and with her green, green heart and hands.  She writes about her children, her family and her faith, and she shares her grief.  You can find the link to her blog right here on my blog.  Read "Posts That Matter" on Alana's blog, if you are ready to have someone's words and experiences change your life.

Alana makes me laugh.  She's really nice.  She's a survivor - beautiful inside and out.  Her words and actions reflect respect for everyone.  I really love her, and I am so very glad that she is here - and that she's alive, body and soul.  THANK YOU ALANA!  

Heather was telling me about a conversation that she had with Alana.  Heather was complaining about some little thing (or big thing), and Alana said to her, "Girl, you just gotta let those things go."  I hear Alana's voice often, repeating those same words to me.  It's important to figure out the big things in your life, and to let go of those nagging little things.  If Alana says it's okay to let it go, then I can let it go.

Alana came by for lunch today.  When I met her daughter, Meg, she ran right to me.  She smiled at me and hugged me.  I thought of her sisters when I squeezed her, and I thought of the beautiful life that she is going to have.  What an honor it is that she is Holly Jean's first friend.   Alana - can you come for lunch next Friday?   

Holly Jean and Meg make some joyful music together.

Heather can't resist Kale.
Ooooo,  Meg.  Everyone loves that squeezy yogurt!
Now Mike has been roped into Kale's web.  I think Kale will be the youngest president ever of the Hair Club for Men.
Alana's HERE!  Lucky me!

P.S.  Even better - Alana is a southern girl.  Y'all know how I love my southern ladies.

E tu, Corpus?

Why does the good Lord keep trying to wipe places that we have lived off of the map? Is there a message here for me?

It looks like mean old IKE is headed right to Corpus Christi, Texas, a wonderful town where Mike and I lived when we were first married.

Mike and I spent probably 60 days, TOTAL, in each other's company before we were married. We met and became fast friends at BC, and when the time came for him to graduate (I was a year behind Mike), we both realized that we were lovesick and heartbroken to be saying good-bye.  

But not that lovesick, or that heartbroken.  Mike went on to have the best time of his life as a "Stash Ensign" in the navy.  The navy had just been cut in half as Mike was commissioned, and there was a huge backlog of pilot training slots, as there were no more instructors to train the student pilots.  SO...they stuck Mike in an F-14 squadron to "hang out" for 14 months.  Good Lord, I'm happy that man is still alive after that job.  Mike will have to start his own blog to fill you in on all of the shady details of that gig.  I will tell you that he was ordered to roast a pig one day...which he did...in his boxers...in a lawn chair...with a cooler of beer at his side. BUT...I was a senior at BC, whooping it up in my own way.  I did love and miss Mike, but I wasn't going to cry in my pancakes during my senior year that the best University on the Entire Planet.  I had a great time with my girlfriends getting into all kinds of trouble...AND GOING TO CLASS AND GETTING GOOD GRADES THANK YOU!  I was having too much fun to be really sad about my boyfriend.  But I was faithful to him, and I was happy when he would show up on the doorstep.

So, after I graduated, I set out to do one of the things that I wanted to do for my entire life. LIVE ON MY OWN.   I had two roommates...some lovely pilots that I had met through Mike, and I LOVED my job as a Young English Teacher That Drives A Convertable and Lives At The Beach.  It was awesome.  Mike at this point had lived in Virginia Beach, Pensacola, and Corpus Christi.  I loved him very much, but I had NO desire to bounce around the country with him and his mangy (but oh so awesome) fly-boy friends.  I was building my very own life, and that was thrilling.  Likewise, Mike tried to keep me at arms length (is 2000 miles too close?) for as long as he could.  Can't say that I blame him.  He was living the life of a rock star, and having tons of fun.  We remained loyal and devoted to each other, and communicated as cheaply as we could, whenever we could.

There was no Southwest in those days (well there was, but in Texas only).  There were no cell phones.  We didn't even know what the internet was.  It was very expensive to make a long distance call.  We had one friend in those days.  The good old USPS...and I have boxes upon boxes of letters to prove it.   I should probably put them in a fire proof box somewhere.  Don't know if they make em that big!!!  Mike and I got to know each other, truly, through the mail. There have been times in my life where I have written to Mike every night, for six months straight.  When you really love someone it's a gift to be able just to write to them...and I mean that.

I went to spend Thanksgiving with Mike in Corpus, after I graduated from BC.  We had a blast.  Mike picked me up, and we went straight to the HEB (that's a Texas supermarket chain) and did the shopping for the group of Navy folk that were getting together at Mike's "Snake Ranch" (he had two other SNA (student naval aviatiors) roommates) for Thanksgiving.  People in that grocery store must have thought we were crazy.  I had just gotten off of the plane, and shopping for groceries together for a holiday was so much fun.  

I'd say there were twenty of us gathered for Thanksgiving.  We put card tables together, and we all sat down to BREAK BREAD.  Afterwards, we played "Who's In My Family," which to this day remains one of my favorite games.  Mike - remember how funny it was when you wrote John Scherrer on one of the cards, and I guessed it immediately???  We were very, very sad to say goodbye after that trip.  Being on my own wasn't as much fun back at the beach...I was very, very sad to say goodbye.  Mike asked me to marry him when he came home for Christmas.

SO back to Corpus I went...this time at Easter.  It was my vacation, and Mike and I were going to pick out a place for us to live after we were married.  We found a great place, right on the Intercoastal waterway, on Padre Island, which is a beautiful beach community that is detached from Corpus proper by a big, arching bridge.  Our rent started on June 1st.  Mike and I were going to get married on July 8th, at McDonogh (my school here in Maryland), and then we would spend part of our honeymoon driving me and my things to Corpus.  Our street was called N. Cabana East, and our condo was in a row of 6 other condos.  They had white stucco walls, and a red spanish tile roof.  We had a little pool for the row of condos, too.  There was a wooden deck that stretched the length of the condos, where you could hang out right on the water.

When we arrived in Corpus after our wedding, I saw the city with new eyes.  I was coming to town not as Mike's friend (as I first was), or Mike's girlfriend or Mike's FIANCE!  I was coming home, as Jennie Burke.  When we arrived at our home, Mike picked me up to carry me over the threshold.  Our metal door had a small brass door-knocker, right under the peep-hole.  There was a small open rectangle on that knocker where someone could put a name on a slip of paper, and in Mike's handwriting, it said "The Burkes."

Many navy folks aren't crazy about Corpus Christi...but we LOVED it.  I had a great job in a wonderful school district.  We would go to see the big football games on Friday nights, and eat Mexican food with the local teacher families that I had met through my job.  We would drink REAL margaritas at Ninfa's on the SPID (South Padre Island Drive).  There was this school bus that was always parked near our house, where this guy sold fresh gulf shrimp for way cheap.  There was a GREAT Italian restaurant where we would go if we had money.  

We would take off on the weekends and go to Austin or San Antonio.  We would party our butts off and stay at the Hilton on the first night, the Air Force base the second night (Which was so nice...those Air Force people got it going on!!!) and the Army base the third night (which was so awful that we wouldn't sleep because we were laughing too hard about it)

We bought a wonderful dog in Corpus Christi...SHINER!!!  We would pack him up and head to the beach and camp out.  As a matter of fact, we would take that dog to the beach just about every night.

At Christmas time, we would watch the flotilla of boats decorated with lights go by, and at Easter, we would attend mass outside at Our Lady of The Sea.

Mike was winged in Corpus.  January 14th!  1996!  We celebrated many Wingings at the O-Club at NAS Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi is a little seaside town in a great big state.  I hope that Ike steers clear of her, and I thank her for the memories!

AND ANOTHER THING...when I went to visit Mike for Thanksgiving, we were flying over West Virginia.  The pilot came over the intercom and told us that WVA had so many mountains, that if you ironed it out, it would be bigger than Texas.  Would you believe there was a near riot on that airplane?  All of those big Texans began yelling that NOTHING was bigger than TEXAS...coming from Maryland, which is the size of a hair follicle on the great head of our country, I found that to be very funny.

GOOD NIGHT!!!

Reckless Driving Behind THE WHEEL

I shouldn't blog unless the kids are in bed...I wanted to write a clarification for the school blog that I posted earlier.  My guess is that some of you may have been confused as to why I am so thankful that I am able to send our kids to St. Anne's, especially knowing how passionate I am about public education, and with the exception of my first year, that I spent my entire career teaching in public schools.

Our local school has a failing grade from the state right now!  That's why!

Mike is taking a much deserved guy's night right now, so I'll be here!  FUN!!!

Let The School Year Begin!

You know, I am always happy when school begins, and not for the reasons that you might assume.  Back when Little Maggie was off to Little Gate, in New Orleans, I told myself that I wouldn't cry when she went to school.  I know then, as I do now, that my daughters are lucky to live in a place where it is their birthright to be educated as men are.  I told Maggie that school was something special, just for her, where she would get an education that was made just for her.  She did not understand what I meant by an education, but she did understand that school was a special place "just for her."  She liked it from day one.  I think that pep talk has worked, because I have never had a tear sending my wee ones to school.  They have each always been excited and eager to go.

I had Charlie 5 days before Maggie's "first ever" day of preschool.  I remember being worried that the baby would come on Maggie's first day of school, or that I would still be in the hospital.  I am glad that I made it home.  So, Mike took Maggie to her first day of school.  We took photos on the porch, and Maggie happily trotted off to a morning at a place that was "just for her."  I promised myself that I wouldn't, but when I shut the door behind her, I buried my face in my hands and cried.  Must have been the hormones...

Another reason that I count my blessings when the school year begins, is that we are able to choose our children's school.  My parents make it possible for us to send our four children to private school.  I am so thankful for that gift - I look forward one day to helping my children in the same way.

So now, as much as we love the summer, we come together and CELEBRATE the start of the school year.  My kids go to a great school that we love, and I think they each love their "special time" of learning and play each day.

I hope that each of you had a happy and healthy beginning of your school year!

The smile says it all...we love St. Anne's...and Maggie is happy heading off to 2nd grade.

Caroline is right across the hall from Maggie in 1st grade.  They wanted to get lockers near each other!  
Hey Charles...I know you are in Pre-K this year, but you look like John Travolta with your shirt undone.  
Here they are!  Next year will be your turn, HJ!

It's not exactly an Airbus, but Mike does just fine transporting the Burke load to school.

Wakey Wakey, eggs and bakey!

Before I can put up the First Day of School photos, I'd like to document what mornings are like during the school year.  Remember, I do not make this stuff up.

Charlie puts on a stormtrooper helmet and wakes Mike up.

A little luxury that Mike and I share is that we bring coffee to one another.  Whomever has the energy to get to the coffee pot goes down and makes two cups, then we enjoy at least a sip together before the day begins.  We've done this since we were first married, and we would have to get up realllly early for his flights and my school.  (The kids used to ARRIVE at Mt. Ararat Middle School at 7:15!!!)
The girls are tired now that school has started.  I dump the rabbits in their beds to wake them up!  Good morning Care-Bear!  Good Morning, Rose!
And Maggie...and Annette!
Holly Jean is usually already up, yelling "Come And Get It!!!" in her crib...but she waits for her rabbit time, too.  Note the stormtrooper taking a break to read in the corner of the photo.

After we get up, we meet in the kitchen and eat breakfast together.  I am psycho for "breaking bread" - I love when we all get to visit and be together.

 
Now you know why we are often late to school, and why I have to yell, "Burkes!  COME ON!  Hair! Teeth!  Shoes!" for the 15 minutes before we pile into Ruby.

LOVE  TO ALL!

Another Name For A Tropical Storm...

...is A RAINY DAY. Yes, we had been gearing up for this big boomer, Hanna, to come up the coast. My dad was so sweet. He came over the bridge (he lives about an hour away) to help my brother and Mike tie down the boats. Mike spent the morning cleaning gutters, cinching down garbage cans, refreshing flashlights, and trimming tree limbs. I spent the morning cleaning our beloved bunny hutch, and moving the critters into the safety of the garage. That was on Friday...

On Friday night, we took a last minute date night, and went to the Boatyard and Pussers. Both Annapolis hangouts were buzzing with news of the storm, and covering the events with The Weather Channel. (Ooohhh, I've love The Weather Channel. It's an addiction that young pilots have in flight school. Mike always had it on in Pensacola and Corpus.)

So, the next day...IT RAINS. It's a little windy. There are some waves. It takes all day...but that was kind of it. I'm happy that there was nothing destructive, but it was hyped up pretty well.

Mike and Dixie enjoy the storm from the porch.

I Looooooovvveeee to run in the rain.  Mike sent me out the door with an ipod full o' Van Halen, and an offer to "take your time!"  I ran three miles in the wind and rain along the bay.  It was AWESOME.  Thank you, Mike! (Mike missed a triathlon this weekend as he did not want to desert his family with an oncoming storm, and I don't think he wanted to drive home in the storm.  He was bummed, but we all really enjoyed the weekend together.  Greg Dowd however, did participate, and apparently he "laid it out" and "rocked it"  MORE DOWD, EVERYONE!)

When I came home, we all headed out to walk around, jump in puddles, get wet, and see the surf.  I am happy to report that all of my kids love crummy weather as much as I do.   I think I like bad weather so much because I really hate housework.  There's not much weather that can keep me housebound. 
When we came home, we met our new niece/cousin, Fiona Pan, thanks to a slideshow that Will sent.  Fiona is Bonnie and Will's second daughter.  It's so cool to be able to see a brand new baby on the day that she is born.  Welcome Fiona!!!

No matter the weather, we're happy together.  Sending love your way and wishing you sunny skies (especially to my dear friends who are now eyeing Ike.)