Flashback Friday~Tattoos

When you are four and a half, tattoos are a huge thing. At least in our house they were, and it got to the point that Renee was so good at putting them on that we just gave her the tattoos and let her go to town.

One summer day, she called to me from the sun room in our house in New York.

"Mommy, come here! I want to show you something!"

When I walked out to see, I noticed a tiny little tattoo on her hand. I mentioned to her that I loved the hearts, but she said, "No! There's something even better than that!"



After picking myself up off the floor, I called Mark at work to tell him that we had a creative, budding artist on our hands. Who else would think about encircling their belly button (perfectly straight, mind you!) with a purple and pink flower tattoo?

Looking at this photo all these years later still makes me laugh. Thank goodness for photographic evidence!

Flashback Friday~Cat Games

Once upon a time, Renee decided that she and Cannoli should play a game of Clue.

Cannoli took the game extremely seriously, as seen in this next photo.



Who do you think won?

Flashback Friday~The Magic of the Mouse

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who believed that the wave of a magic wand would make all her dreams come true.



Seven years may have gone by, teeth have grown in, and her hair is definitely longer.

One thing remains the same, though. The love of a Mouse, the man who helped to bring him to life, and the amazing people who keep the dream alive still bring that look of joy to her face. Now that's some special kind of magic!

Flashback Friday~Forever Young

Tucson, Arizona.

Sometime in the early 1950's.

While the rodeo was being set up in town, Dad decided to take a little stroll down one of the local city streets. I will be forever grateful to the random stranger who decided to capture that moment on film.



Just look at him. Sigh...he was so young, handsome, and without a care in the world.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I hope your Heaven is filled with days exactly like this one.

Flashback Friday~Snow Day!

Once upon a time, we lived where it snowed.



Ahhhh, don't you feel cooler now?

Flashback Friday~Discovering Special, Little Treasures

If you were following our blog during the past few weeks, there was no mistake that we were having a most magical time at our 'Happy Place', Walt Disney World. Although there is nothing better than just being there, the one thing that makes it extra special is being able to see and visit with our friends, many who work for the Mouse.

On our first afternoon in Disney, we decided to head over to Epcot and visit our friend, Lynne. She is an amazing performer, a member of the talented troupe known as the World Showcase Players, and she truly deserves her own blog post. I must mention her, though, because if it wasn't for Lynne, we wouldn't have made the very happy discovery which we'd like to share with you today! So thanks, Lynne. You rock!

While watching the show in Italy, we recognized a face we hadn't seen in such a very long time. We were all beyond excited, especially Renee! It was Lisa, who never failed to make us all smile and laugh while performing with the Citizens of Hollywood over at the 'old' MGM Studios. Many hugs were shared, stories were told, and an invitation was extended by Lisa to come back to visit her special friend, Mother Nature, later that week. Supposedly, she was like a super celebrity at the Flower and Garden Festival. Who were we to pass on meeting her? After all, we all had quite a few questions we wanted to ask her about this past winter!

So, visit we did.

That's Mother Nature on the right, with her lovely sidekick, Bella, on the left. They were such a joy to meet, and very, very funny! We were quite lucky when we ran into this duo again on the day we were to head home. Getting a few goodbye hugs from these lovely ladies definitely put a smile on a sad, little girl's face!

So, you are probably wondering where the 'Flashback Friday' fits into this whole blog post, right? Well, it would begin when we returned home and I was sitting at my laptop uploading photos from our trip. While waiting for them to finish doing their thing, I did a little photo album, time traveling to see how Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival had changed over the years.

When I got to May of 2004, I did a double take. Could it really be?

Yes, yes it is! Although I don't believe she was Mother Nature back then, we most definitely shared a special moment with Lisa all those years ago.

And although I didn't capture it on film, I remember specifically how sweet she was to Renee when she helped her with her little box of ladybugs.

She even gave her an extra box. Look at the smile on her face!

What a special treasure for us. If it wasn't amazing enough that we had the pleasure of running into Lisa again after all these years, finding these special photos just took it over the top.

Yup. Making memories, indeed.

Flashback Friday~Fun With Friends

Two sweet little girls.

One birthday party.

Two blue lollipops.



What could be more fun when you are three and four?

Flashback Friday~Marry Me!

Even when she was four, Renee had dreams of marriage.



Watch out, Chris and the McCann clan. She's got her eye on you!

Flashback Friday-Where does the time go?

Do you remember when you were younger and time moved by ever so slowly? Whether it was waiting for Christmas to arrive or counting the days down until the end of the school year, the days just seemed to drag on by. Then, once the day (or summer) arrived, it sped by with the speed of light! How unfair was that to a kid?

Now, as an adult, it seems even worse. I could seriously end up with a case of whiplash if I dared to catch sight of our life as it whizzes by. It doesn't matter if it is a good or bad thing; there are some days when I wake up and wonder where the time has gone.

I will never forget the date of February 20th. Originally, it was the anniversary of the first wedding I was asked to be a part of. What a happy time for our friends, and an exciting one for me; a bridesmaid for the first time.

A few years later, it was the day when we lost my sister, Renee. After that, it sort of changed the meaning of that day.

Every year, I try to remind myself to not dwell on a day. How stupid is that? We don't just miss her one day of the year; we miss her every single one of them. I've said that to myself (and maybe even to you!) so many times that I must sound like a broken record.

Mom and I were talking about it this morning, and she's feeling the same way. Thank goodness I am not the only one! Maybe it's that whole milestone thing? Tomorrow, it will be 15 years. How can that be? Wasn't it just yesterday that I put my arms around her and gave her a hug as she walked out of our house?

Just last week, I was reflecting on the fact that I have baked 20 birthday cakes for Mark. I guess it would make sense then that it seems like yesterday that she took my arm, escorted me down the aisle, and cried tears of happiness right along with me as I took Mark's hand.

And it feels like yesterday that she came through our receiving line, reached out to hold my face, and made us both cry again when she told me how beautiful I was and how much she loved me.

Is this what happens when time goes by and we grow older? Will I still do this 15 years down the road from now? Maybe it's her own way of making sure that she's never forgotten.

As if that could ever happen. I know we aren't the only ones who miss her.

Today, instead of dwelling on the day, I choose to think of all of the people whose lives she touched. She was so loved, and she loved us all in return. In my heart, I believe that was her gift to us all.

Flashback Friday-Ready Freddie Fiddlesticks

It's been a very long time since I have done a Flashback Friday post. If you are interested, the last one was on June 19th, 2009, to be exact. Maybe I was busy living in the moment? Was I not able to flashback? Who knows?

Whatever the reason, there will be a Flashback Friday today! Aren't you excited? Ooooh, and it's coming to you straight from MGM Studios. I know, I know. It's now called Disney's Hollywood Studios, so sue me! How about if we just meet in the middle and call it Studios, okay?

Please let us introduce you to Ready Freddie Fiddlesticks! Although we have been meeting up with him on the streets of Hollywood for quite some time now, I seem to be seriously lacking in the amount of photos I have of him. Could it possibly be that I was living in the moment, making memories, and refused to pull my camera out? I'm sure that's what it is, because deep in the files stored in my brain, there are plenty of photos of him making us laugh!

Let's meet him, shall we? Dressed in his Christmas finery, this aspiring leading man always made quite an impression.

Although he was often #2 to Paige Turner's #1, his energy, determination, and ability to 'get off the box' often impressed the not easily impressionable director, the great Alberto Dante.

And when he was hanging with the ever animated talent agent, LeRoy Small, you never knew what kind of conversation you would walk into. Hysterical, for sure, but always a surprise!

Sigh...we will miss those impromptu meetings, his sweater vest, and of course, the way he always made our girlie smile.

I've talked before about how much we love to visit the Streetmosphere actors who grace the streets of Hollywood. And, like performers everywhere, their contracts are written, renewed, and sadly, sometimes not renewed every year. Although we are happy when we learn we will still be able see our favorite faces when we visit again, there will always be a part of us which silently mourns the loss of the Citizens who will be moving on. This year, along with a few others, Freddie is one of them.

When Renee was younger, it was so hard for her to understand why they weren't there any longer. But now, as she is getting older, she has come to realize that there may just be a silver lining in that cloud of sadness. These friends of ours who sweat it out in that relentless, hot Florida sun are more than just a Citizen of Hollywood, or a guy on the Hollywood Public Works truck. Behind those roles they are cast in, they are extremely talented performers who will surely move on to bigger and better things. For us, that's become a hidden blessing, especially when we have the opportunity to enjoy their talents in totally different venues. It opens up new windows in the world of a family who loves to laugh, smile, and sometimes even sing and dance along in our seats. Who knows what new and exciting things we will learn about and be exposed to now?

Thanks for the memories, Freddie. We will miss you, but with a heart as huge as yours, we know we'll be seeing your name in lights very soon. Keep moving forward, and have an amazing journey!

Flashback Friday-The Hillbilly Lawnmower

When we bought our home in Georgia 3 years ago, we still hadn't sold our home in New York. This created a huge problem. I had almost 3 acres of yard that needed to be taken care of in the South and almost 2 acres up North. Our New York house had been on the market for a year and a half and needed to be kept in 'showing' condition. I bet you can figure out where my trusty Toro stayed parked?

The folks who we bought our Georgia home from had kindly mowed the lawn for me before they moved, but it only lasted for so long. I don't even think we had time to blink. The next time we looked, the lawn was up to our knees! In all honesty, we are all pretty short, so it became a must solve situation.

It also became the hot topic of conversation. Everywhere. Mark even mentioned it at work one day, and one of his drivers shared that his Dad rebuilt old mowers and sold them.

For $25.00!

Bingo!

I figured, how bad could it be?

Pretty bad.

Say hello to the 'Hillbilly Lawnmower'.



Don't worry. The little Miss was just posing with this amazing piece of machinery. Her Mommy did all the work, and I am absolutely serious when I say that.



Power driven by mismatched, uneven wheels, this beauty drove like a ton of bricks. She even came equipped for mulching those blades of grass cut by an extra dull blade.



If you look closely, you will see the removable mulching accessory. Some of us like to call it-duct tape!



Look at the surprise on our lovely model's face. She just couldn't believe our good fortune in finding such a gem!



Let's just say that the 'Hillbilly Lawnmower' didn't last long at our house. Although she will remain close to our hearts and the subject of a really great story, she wasn't very good at her job. I think 3 acres was just too much for this old gal. Hopefully she found a home with someone on a nice, petite plot of land.

Oh, and I sure do hope they have a roll of duct tape on hand!

Flashback Friday...

and why we've been neglecting our blog.

This is my Mom, AKA Grammy.

This photo must have been taken sometime in 1971. Sitting on her lap is my sister Renee, and I'm sure you can figure out who is next to her. ;)

Mom (or Grammy, depending on our mood!) has been with the Badelves from the beginning. We've lived together and experienced what life has thrown at us (good and bad) as a family. We bought our first home, grieved over the sudden death of my sister, rejoiced in the birth of Renee, relo'd to New York for Mark's career, relo'd to Georgia for Mark's career...you get the idea! I honestly believe that our strength as a whole is what has helped us through those situations. Not that we couldn't have lived (and survived!) them separately, but we did it as a family. Isn't that how life should really be anyway?

Recently, we got some frightening news regarding Mom that knocked the wind out of us. After some routine blood work, we received a phone call that she needed to get to the ER immediately. Words like 'extremely high white blood count' and 'leukemia' were being hurled at us from (what felt like) every corner. As Mom and I drove up to Emory in Atlanta, we tried to wrap our brains around what was happening. Mom is a retired nurse, but being on the receiving end of this kind of information is a lot different than giving it.

They took vial after vial of blood in the ER, and she was admitted that night. The weekend was filled with numerous tests, a blood transfusion, a bone marrow biopsy, and then she was released on Monday. I was very nervous , but I know they wouldn't have let her come home if she was that fragile. Mom, on the other hand, was thrilled to be home in her own bed!

A week later, we had an appointment at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute to meet with the doctor who would be following her case. Her blood counts were much better, but the results of the biopsy weren’t complete. At that point they were leaning towards CML--Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. They couldn’t tell us anymore than that, so we waited.

Then we went back the next week and waited some more...

Can I just say that I don't like waiting--especially when it comes to answers about someone I love?

Two weeks later, we finally got those answers. What Mom has is so rare that there really isn't much info out there about it. We were handed a printout that read 'Idiopathic Myelofibrosis', but yet we were told that she doesn't really have much fibrosis in her marrow. That's good news, but frustrating at the same time. I have a serious problem with researching and understanding things. Why can't it be more simple? Why did she have to be one of the two out of one million people that get such an uncommon disease? And with those odds, why can't she win the lottery? ;)

Yup. Attempting to add some humor to the seriousness of the situation.

The official name for what she has is 'Philadelphia Negative Myeloproliferative Disorder'. Get your mouth around that one! It isn't curable, but is treatable. I don't really know how I feel about the 'non-curable' thing. I guess I really wanted to hear that everything was fine and all of this was just a mistake. How unrealistic is that? ;)

They started her on oral chemo a few weeks ago and it has helped her WBC come back down, thank goodness. It looks as though she will have to remain on it indefinitely--her WBC seem to shoot back up when she's off the chemo. The key is to find the balance of the perfect dosage. The meds not only lower the white cells, but knock down all the others, too. If they aren't careful, she could end up on a roller coaster of highs and lows with blood transfusions thrown smack dab in the middle for extra thrills.

You know that I am joking about that, don't you?

To save us from the drive up to Atlanta every week, her doctor at Emory will be working hand in hand with another hematologist who is a little closer to home. Our first visit with him will be next Tuesday. We're keeping our fingers crossed that things go well. We've done our research and know that he is a great doctor, but we hope that he has a great bedside manner, too. That's so important with a family doctor, but even more so when you are living with a disease no one knows much about!

She will also continue to be monitored by Emory, and we are so happy that it is a teaching/research hospital. In her next batch of blood work, they will be looking for a particular mutation gene and an enzyme that is linked to it. They believe that this enzyme is what causes an overproduction of blood cells. They also believe that this particular enzyme could possibly be inhibited with treatment. If all of this wasn't happening to someone I love so much, it would be very, very interesting.

So that's what's been happening in the world of the Badelves. I know that none of you asked for all that information and you probably fell asleep right in the middle there. ;)

Either way, as time goes on, we hope to get back to our regularly scheduled blogging. Our days and weeks have calmed down a bit, but now we are playing some serious catch-up.

Oh. And could someone please inform Mother Nature to wait for me to get back into the swing of things before she sends Spring our way? There are only so many hours in a day! LOL!

Flashback Friday

As some of you may know, Mark is a huge baseball fan. Huge!

He's also a Yankees fan, but I believe that is the subject for another post. ;)

When his dad handed me this photo of Mark as a little guy, I just had to smile.



Cute and determined!

It sounds silly, but it warms my heart that he's been able to carry the love of the game with him for all these years. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had that chance?

Flashback Friday

A short time ago, Mark's Dad gave us a huge box of photos. To our delight, mixed in with the typical growing up shots, were photographs taken during some of their family trips to WDW. Renee was especially excited, because she could see what Disney World looked like back when her Daddy was a little boy!

Look at the Dwarfs. Aren't they adorable? As far as I can tell, they really haven't changed all that much.

But I can definitely see some differences in the next two. Goofy's face is sort of hidden, but look at Donald! What is going on with his eyes? I never knew ducks wore black eyeliner!

Awwww, there's Tigger and a nice view of Pooh's little backside. Tigger has kept his youthful looks, but I bet if Pooh turned around, we would see that he's had a little 'work' done since then. ;)

I guess that's what we love about Disney World. Time may pass by, improvements may be made, but there's always that feeling of familiarity that makes us feel so content and happy.

Flashback Friday

On a previous Flashback Friday, I talked about my little cake decorating business.

Today, let's talk about decorative painting, okay?

After we lost my sister, I needed something to take my mind away from the grief that seemed to consume it. While picking up cake supplies, I noticed that my local craft store was offering a decorative painting class. It was held on a night that Mark worked late, so it seemed perfect. Sign me up!

That short class in the store led to longer classes in the teacher's home. Before long, I was hooked! But in order to afford the better brushes and supplies that I liked to work with, I needed some extra cash. Hmmmm, can you say, "Craft Show"?

Craft shows led to home shows, and before long, it was another side business for me. What can I say? I was a little entrepreneur!

Recently, I found some photos of the work I did while living in NY. Would you like to see? =)

I can't even tell you how many of these I sold. While shopping a clearance sale, I picked up some wine barrel slats. Originally, I had planned to paint long, skinny snowmen on them. When someone needed something 'Tuscany like' for their newly renovated kitchen, I thought those barrel slats could be used in a different way.



After that windfall, it became a challenge to see what I could find to paint on. How about a mailbox?



Everyone loved them! And since townhouse dwellers needed a smaller box to fit on their front porches, I began to paint some for them, too.



What could be better than free supplies? We had tons of slate scattered around our mountain property, so I decided to see what I could do with it.



After looking at these photos from the past, I am totally inspired to find the time to pick up my paint brush again. Isn't it funny how visiting the past can be so stimulating?

Flashback Friday

Today's flashback takes us to Renee's first trip to WDW. Our little Princess was just two and a half at the time, and as you can see, Mark was more than happy to give her the royal treatment.

Didn't I just say something earlier this week about the years going by? ;)

Flashback Friday

Our town's 4th of July parade last week brought back some memories of another patriotic parade many years ago. I was probably about nine or ten at the time, and my personal parade float was aptly named Jolly Hot Rock.

Jolly Hot Rock (more commonly known as Joe!), and I are in the middle. He is the chestnut with the star on his forehead, and I am the little girl riding him.



It was a Making Memory moment that I will never forget.

Flashback Friday

As you can see from my post this past Wednesday, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my Dad lately.

For today's flashback, I'd like to take you back to a time in Dad's life. This was a time of traveling, taking chances, and some pretty amazing memories.

Yes, that's my Dad.

Yup...he's riding a bull.

Up There, I hope he gets to ride 'til the buzzer each and every time.

Flashback Friday

Fourteen years ago, on this very date, Mark and I arrived for my very first trip to WDW. I can't even wrap my head around the fact that it has been that long!

Back then, the parks didn't have a queue area where guests could wait patiently (or not!) for a moment with their favorite characters. What I remember is a mad free for all, with lots of parents pushing and shoving their children towards the character. It was utter chaos, even with an attendant standing nearby.

I was never a 'push and shove toward the front of the line' kind of girl, so I politely waited my turn.

Ha! You know where that got me, don't you? Hot, sweaty, and standing alone while the vultures had their way with their prey!

Okay, so it wasn't that bad, but Mark and I never did end up meeting Mickey...or anyone else, for that matter.

On our very last morning, our friends had made reservations for all of us to enjoy a character breakfast at the Polynesian. Mark and I were very excited-what a wonderful way to end our magical vacation!

And guess who came to visit our table?



See? Good things do come to those who wait!

Flashback Friday

Today's flashback might make you a little hungry.

Before I became a Mom, I had the time to focus on my own creativity. I spent lots of time creating new garden spaces, painting on anything I could get my hands on, and decorating cakes.

The cake decorating thing was sort of an accident. A dear friend of mine was throwing a baby shower, and she remembered the amazing cake that Mom had made for our wedding. She was wondering if I could bring a cake instead of a salad. Sounded good to me, as long as Mom didn't mind.

No, she didn't mind, but as I watched Mom pull all her decorating supplies out of hiding, the bug bit me! I wanted to try to do the cake myself, and that's all she wrote.

A few classes, lots of cake scraps, and a ton of buttercream later, 'Cakes by Mare' was born.

I hope you will excuse the quality of this photo-I had to scan it!

This was the last cake I did before Renee was born. Our friends, Rudy and Dawn, had gotten engaged in the rose garden at WDW. Her colors were a periwinkle blue and white, and all she asked was that I represent the mouse in there somewhere.



It was one of my most favorite creations, and most appreciated wedding gift, ever.

Oh, and it was delicious, too!