Miss Ann Says

Tag: friendship

• Travel Tuesdays – S1E28 – Home for the Holidays

  Posted at 7:10 pm by missannsays, on November 26, 2013

  The holidays are upon us. Thanksgiving is “late” and Hanukkah seems early. Thanksgiving is Thursday and Hanukkah starts tomorrow and before you know it Christmas will be here with New Year’s Eve following close behind. The commercials on the television, the internet and radio talk about “being home for the holidays”. I have been pondering that concept. I grew up with very little extended family around. The holidays were always in my home with my mom, dad, brother and two sisters. My grandparents were in Oklahoma and England so we didn’t see them on the holidays. When I was very young we lived in Oklahoma but I have no memories of grandparents. We then lived in Utah and Arizona before moving to New Jersey when I was in the third grade. My mother’s brother and his family would eventually move to New Jersey from England via Canada and the holidays would then involve extended family and I have very fond memories of those times.

  When Bruce and I married we started the every other year tradition at Thanksgiving – one year (even) was my family and the next year (odd) was his family. We started that because when we were dating we ate two meals each thanksgiving and that is ridiculous. I still do every other year and for that reason I have never cooked a turkey. 🙂 I have hosted Thanksgiving on an even year either at home or the Barn but I am grateful that my brother-in-law cooks the turkey. This Thanksgiving I will share lunch with my 95-year-old mother in law in her new assisted living residence. Then travel to PA to have Thanksgiving with Meghan, Kyle and Kyle’s parents. Not two full meals but a light lunch (hopefully) and then the main meal. Yummy!

  As far as Christmas celebrations that we tweaked through the years. Van Hine celebrations usually were Christmas Eve and Clark were more Christmas Day & Boxing Day. Christmas mornings however were always just the two of us at home and then the three of us when Emily was born and then the four of us when Meghan was born. Last year was the first time in my entire life that I didn’t sleep in my own bed on Christmas Eve and it was delightful to be with my sister and her family. This year like last year Christmas will take place in a new way and that is okay.

  I love the holidays. I love everything about the holidays. I love traditions but I am also open to new traditions and new ways of celebrating. I want the holidays to be filled with the people I love, great conversations, yummy food, a little laughter, lots of hugs and hopefully at least one board game. So in thinking on this “home for the holidays” concept and I think home is more about the people you are with than the place you are in and the holidays is more about time spent with those people than a date on the calendar.

  Be safe as you travel this holiday season and don’t forget to enjoy the journey!!

  On a totally different note, do people really buy cars as gifts for Christmas? There seem to be a lot of car commercials.

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, travel

• Travel Tuesdays- S1E25- New York Botanical Gardens

  Posted at 11:31 am by missannsays, on October 29, 2013

  .

  Recently I spent a delightful day with friends at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. As I was traveling over the George Washington Bridge with one of my friends she commented “Tony said he thought the botanical gardens were in Brooklyn”. I chuckled because the night before I had thought wait, are we going to the Bronx or Brooklyn? So to clarify the New York Botanical Gardens are in the Bronx and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens are in Brooklyn. I haven’t visited the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens that is a trip for another day.

  According to NYBG website “In the late 19th century an eminent Columbia University botanist named Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife, Elizabeth, also a botanist, were so inspired by their visit to England’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, that they and other members of the Torrey Botanical Club determined New York should possess a great botanical garden as well. A magnificent site was selected in the northern section of the Bronx, part of which had belonged to the vast estate of tobacco merchant Pierre Lorillard. On April 18, 1891, the land was set aside by the New York State Legislature for the creation of “a public botanic garden of the highest class” for the City of New York. Prominent civic leaders and financiers, including Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J. Pierpont Morgan, agreed to match the City’s commitment to finance the buildings and improvements, initiating a public-private partnership that continues today.”

  I know nothing about botany or gardening but I can tell you the gardens were magnificent. My friends and I did a guided tour of the “KIKU:The Art of Japanese Gardening” Exhibition. We also rode the trolley around the 250 acres and strolled through the Halloween Pumpkin Patch. Since a picture is worth a thousand years I have posted a couple of photos and there are a few more at http://randomsightings.wordpress.com. Enjoy, I know I did.

  

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, Japan, travel

• all done up and dvds

  Posted at 10:02 pm by missannsays, on October 26, 2013

  On Thursday evening, I attended the 28th Annual Gala for the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Fund. What an amazing event. Over the past twelve years I have been blessed to receive a yearly check from the Benefit Fund. On September 11 of this year I meet the chairman of the board of directors of the Benefit Fund when we were both invited to ring the bell at the NASDAQ. This year when invitation to attend the gala arrived I looked at it more closely and thought maybe I will go. While having lunch a few days after the invitation had arrived, two of my FDNY widow friends decided we would get “dressed up” and attend together. We figured we would have fun being together and really why would you turn down an invitation to dinner at the Waldorf! We decided we would rent a limo so we didn’t have to drive and to be honest attending a gala at the Waldorf Astoria sounded like something you should arrive in a limo for. We sounded like three teenage girls planning for the prom. 🙂

  I decided my hair needed to be cut so I scheduled my appointment for the morning of the gala because my hair only looks really good right after my hairstylist has done it. I figured I probably should get my nails done as well. While I was at the salon getting my nails and hair done, my hairdresser commented “you should get your make up done, too” so I did. I was all “done up!”

  The entire evening was lovely. There was a cocktail hour, dinner,a live auction to raise money for the fund and then an after party. When we arrived we checked in and were given a Swarovski crystal bracelet and our table number. We were seated with other beneficiaries. Our table was right down front behind the head tables. Mayor Michael Bloomberg set directly behind me. Rusty Staub was at the Mayor’s table. FDNY Commissioner Sal Cassano was diagonally to my right. Mark Messier was one table away. There were probably many “movers and shakers” and dignitaries there but those are not the circles I travel in so I wasn’t aware. Plus my daughters say “I never know who anyone is” which is true. Before the event I was thinking that I might feel like Cinderella but to be honest I felt nothing but gratitude. I was grateful for good friends. I was grateful for such an amazing opportunity. I was grateful for a delicious meal. I was grateful for the generosity of people. I was grateful for the kindness of strangers. As we were transitioning into the after party, I made a point of thanking Mr. Staub for the invitation to attend the event as well as thanking him for the generosity of the Benefit Fund. He gave me a big hug.

  During the after party, they had a raffle. My friends and I each bought $20 worth of raffle tickets and proceeded to put our tickets in the containers of the items we hoped to win. There was a “Blue Bloods” gift basket with autographed DVDs, an autographed photo of the cast, baseball hat, beach towel and t-shirt. I placed two of my raffle tickets in that container and shared with my friends a story about Blue Blood DVDs. Every year my daughters ask what I want for Christmas and my yearly response is “Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men.” Last year when they asked I said “Blue Blood DVDs”. They responded “What no peace on earth, no goodwill towards men.” I chuckled and I said “yes I want that too”. Guess what, I won the Blue Bloods gift basket. I now own two sets of Blue Blood DVDs 🙂

  FYI according to their Facebook page “Since the Benefit Fund’s inception in 1985 by Daniel J. “Rusty” Staub, the Benefit Fund has distributed over $123 million to the families of New York City police and fire personnel who have been killed in the line of duty. Though the Benefit Fund was initially created to assist families of New York City Fire Fighters and Police Officers, we now include the families of Emergency Medical Services and Port Authority Officers as well. In 1987 we provided 320 families with annual financial assistance and by 2010, we made the same commitment to nearly 700 families. Our need has certainly grown, but our mission remains pure: help children and spouses who lost a loved one in the line of duty, charged with the task of keeping our families safe.”

  Thank you!!!

  Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, randomness, September 11

• aha moment!!!

  Posted at 10:36 am by missannsays, on September 14, 2013

  http://t.co/Sws01nnNLP

  I have to share this story. I know some people wouldn’t agree with me and that is fine. Some people may not even get it and that is fine, too. But this morning I just witnessed the most amazing example of God’s love for me. An example of his fingerprints all over everything.

  As I checked my email, I had my daily 9/11 list server email. I subscribe to this post and most days I glance down the list is see if there is anything I should know. I may or may not click on an article or YouTube video. Some days I delete it without reading anything. It helps to keep me informed about all things September 11 including books, the National Museum, etc.. Today a YouTube video by New York City Ballet was included. I clicked on it, watched a beautiful piece that was performed on the roof of 4WTC at dawn. 1WTC is visible in the background. The music, the choreography, the dancers everything about it is fitting and appropriate as a September 11 tribute which it is. New York City Ballet presented this as a “gift of remembrance”. It is stunning.

  I posted it on twitter because I felt it was worth sharing. My twitter account is connected to my Facebook page. So then on Facebook I tagged a few dancers who I wanted to make sure saw it because I knew they would enjoy seeing it. And then a comment of Facebook brought me to tears. Good tears. The kind of tears that remind me how much I am loved by God. I actually had an aha moment!! I suddenly realized what a gift this video was. Let me explain. As you probably know my husband was one of he 343 firefighters killed on September 11. Thus my interest in “all things September 11”. You may or may not know that as a little girl I wanted to be a ballerina. Starting in my teens and through most of my adult life I taught ballet. I taught ballet and other forms of dance for 40 years. For 35 of those years a friend and I owned a dancing school. We retired two years ago and were able to “gift” the studio to a wonderful, talented young woman. I have known that young woman since she was a little girl. Actually I have also known her husband since he was a little boy. Her husband worked on building the building the dancers in the video are dancing on. So here are all these parts that came together in this one video – September 11, ballet, the building. But it was so much more than that. It is hard to explain but I had a moment of clarity where I understood the Bible story of Joseph and I understood “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…”

  Social media connects us is marvelous ways. I believe God is constantly connecting us to each other and to Him. I am grateful and awed.

  Posted in daily life, faith, memories, relationships, September 11, then & now | 0 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, friendship, little things, September 11

• let’s do lunch

  Posted at 1:24 pm by missannsays, on August 26, 2013

  If you had peeked through the kitchen window, it would have looked like three women having lunch. And you would have been right but you would have missed all the other layers. There were three of us – myself, my neighbor and my sister-in-law. We were having a delicious lunch which was so generously supplied by my neighbor and served at my weekend house aka the Barn. But the luncheon was so much more than just lunch. It was a time for my sister-in-law, my neighbor and I to share our breast cancer stories. For my sister-in-law to encourage my neighbor who isn’t as far down the road as she is. It was a time for us to voice victories and concerns. A time to say “we hate all that pink stuff”. A time to remember how far we have come and how far some people still have to go. We laughed. We listened. We loved.

  And I was reminded that God doesn’t waste anything. All that you or I have experienced and learned along the way can help or encourage that person who is one step behind or across the street. Having lunch or maybe just holding the door open for that person who is one step behind is all that is needed. The bonus is you are encouraged, too. So who do you need to do lunch with? 🙂

  “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

  Posted in daily life, relationships | 1 Comment | Tagged cancer, friendship, little things

• Travel Tuesdays – S1E11- DUMBO tour

  Posted at 10:03 pm by missannsays, on June 11, 2013

  Today I had a delightful day touring Brooklyn with friends. A very specific part of Brooklyn called DUMBO. DUMBO is an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. At one point on our tour we were truly in DUMBO – Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. The Empire State Building can be seen through the arches under the Manhattan Bridge.  Our guide stated that the Manhattan Bridge was built before the Empire State Building and the bridge builder  “framed” the building perfectly in the arches like he knew it was coming.

  My friends and I started our adventure with lunch at Juliana’s – www.julianaspizza.com.  Delicious  pizza and yummy cannolis. We ventured across the street to meet up with our tour guide. Our tour was lead by Dom Gervasi, the owner and producer of Made in Brooklyn Tours – www.madeinbrooklyntours.com.  Dom started Made in Brooklyn Tours a few years ago. He was a wonderful tour guide. He was a wealth of knowledge but with the right mix of history and antidotes. Our tour lasted 3 hours and we ventured all around DUMBO even had an ice tea tasting at Mamselles Teas and Tarts and a bon-bon tasting at Jacque Torres www.mrchocolate.com.

  I learned the Brooklyn was originally well-known for manufacturing –  especially of sugar and coffee. During the “heyday” of manufacturing more people lived in Brooklyn than live there today. The area suffered greatly when manufacturing was no longer the main industry. There are train tracks visible in the street from when the barges would deliver supplies and then transport those items by train to the factories and then back to the barges. Today small coffee roasters are making their home in DUMBO. We visited Brooklyn Roasting Company www.brooklynroasting.com. Unfortunately we didn’t have time for coffee but it was great to see small business people.

  One of my favorite stops on the tour was Jane’s Carousel. The carousel was originally in Chicago (I think) and sold when an amusement park burned down.  It was built by the Philadelphia Toboggan company. Most carousels are sold in parts but this one was sold whole. It has been totally restored and the horses are beautiful. There was damage after Super Storm Sandy but it has been repaired and is open for business. It is in a “glass building” so it is open year round.

  The views of 1 WTC were amazing. I also learned which East River Bridge is which.  From South to North it is Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg aka BMW.  Makes me feel smart. 🙂

  Posted in daily life | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, travel thoughts

• Travel Tuesdays – S1E7

  Posted at 11:01 pm by missannsays, on May 14, 2013

  Today for the first time in a very long time I picked someone up at the international arrivals area of Newark Airport. To be honest I don’t think I ever picked someone up there before. When we had family visit from Great Britain when I was a kid, they flew into JFK. I was trying to remember when was the last time I ventured into the international arrival area of any airport. As I pondered that I realized it was a few years ago at JFK when my daughter Meghan returned from Ireland – I think. Meghan was my world traveler. During her high school and college days, she took full advantage of the travel/study aboard concept. She visited Italy (twice), France, Germany, Ghana, Ireland (twice), England and Scotland as well as a couple of trips to St Thomas. A few years ago when there were no trips scheduled outside of the continental United States, she had commented “this is the first time since 2002 that I haven’t left the US!” So I have a vague memory of watching and waiting to see Meghan at JFK but I can’t tell you where she had been. I do know it is always good when your child has traveled safely home and you are hugging them and waiting to hear all the details of the trip.

  Today I was at Newark Airport to pick up my aunt and uncle. I found my way to the international arrivals area but I wasn’t really sure if I was in the right place. I wasn’t sure this was the only place my aunt and uncle would be able to exit immigration and customs. An occasional flight attendant or pilot would walk out of the customs area, wheeling their suitcase, looking very professional. But there weren’t very many travelers exiting. I decided to take a seat and wait. I am grateful there were rows of bench type chairs. As I headed to a chair, a man was heading to the same chair. There was a funny moment as we realized we were both “aiming for the same place”. I changed my direction to seat a row ahead of my original destination and said “I won’t fight you for it. I will just sit here instead.” We both chuckled and sat down and I asked “Do you know if this is the only exit?”. He was hoping it was because he had been waiting for over an hour for his friend/family from Amsterdam. He inquired where was the flight I was waiting for from and I said “Manchester, England.” This lead to him sharing the story of being in England in 1955 as a young service man. I shared the story of my folks meeting in England just a few years before. He told the story of an English woman who was so very kind to him and his friend. He said she was about 25 years older than he was. He was just 19 years old and his English wasn’t good because he is from Puerto Rico. The woman’s name was Molly and she watched out for him and his friend. She took them to church. He laughed as he said she tried to “keep us out of trouble.” He would travel back to England through the years to see her. She would leave her house to him and his friend when she died because she had no family. It was an amazing story. After awhile I would see my aunt and uncle approaching, I said “take care.”. He extended his hand to shake mine and said “My name is Walter.” I said “My name is Ann. It was lovely talking to you.” Walter said “God bless you”. What a delightful encounter.

  Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged friendship, little things, travel thoughts

• “Happy” Mother’s Day

  Posted at 12:56 pm by missannsays, on May 10, 2013

  This past week the “ads” for Mother’s Day have been relentless. Every time I heard or saw an ad for teddy bears, flowers and jewelry, I thought of the women who this Mother’s Day will be hard. I thought of my cousins who are experiencing the first Mother’s Day without their mom. I thought of my friends who have lost their mothers this past year. I thought of the mommies of the children killed in Newtown and Boston. I thought of the moms of those who have died while serving our country. I thought of the young women trying to have children and it isn’t “happening.” I thought of the moms of children with serious illnesses. I thought of the children with moms with serious illnesses. And then I said a prayer. A prayer that they would find peace. A prayer that they could remember the hugs and love without too much pain. A prayer that they would know that there is a Heavenly Father that loves them, their children and their moms.

  Yesterday I had a lovely day out with friends. We are women who became friends because of our September 11 connection. One of my friends lost her only child on September 11. Another lost her youngest son on September 11. Still another lost her mom very recently. I was struck by it isn’t as simple as “making it through the first Mother’s Day since…” Mother’s Day will always be hard. So I pray that the good memories will outweigh the bad. That the loss will not overwhelm them. That there is someone around them to give a hug, a smile or an ear to listen. I pray that I can be that person to those I know.

  I am blessed and stressed that both my mum and mother-in-law are still alive. It is a challenge walking through these days but I wouldn’t trade it. Happy Mother’s Day to Mum Clark and Mom Van Hine. I love you 🙂

  Since I have aways worked with children, my daughters were accustom to “sharing me” whether it was at the studio, church or summer camp. There were times it was difficult for them to wait for me to be just their mom. They would even say “Miss Ann” when I didn’t respond to “MOM”. I would tell my girls that there are many children who call me “Miss Ann” but there are only two children in the whole world who call me “Mom”. I am very blessed.

  Posted in daily life, faith, memories, relationships | 4 Comments | Tagged following Jesus, friendship, kid stuff, little things, prayer, September 11

• Traveling Tuesdays – S1E6 – try something new

  Posted at 7:30 am by missannsays, on May 7, 2013

  In 2005, when my youngest daughter, Meghan, was graduating from high school, I wanted to do something special for her graduation and maybe incorporate that something special into “our family vacation.” We (Emily, Meghan and I) had tried to establish a “new kind” of family vacation after Bruce’s death. Our family vacations with Bruce had always been very special times. We didn’t have a lot of money but we did some great trips on the cheap. We had wonderful experiences and made priceless memories.

  So I asked my soon to be high school graduate “what would be your dream vacation?”. Meghan thought about and said “a dude ranch”. So I started planning a family vacation to a dude ranch. I investigated on-line and found the perfect place in Shell, Wyoming. In further discussion we decided to invite my very good friend, Carol, and her daughter, Jenna. The reasoning was that “mom needed someone to hang out with.” I asked Carol if she and Jenna would like to join us. I would finance the place, she would just have to pay their airfare and she said “yes”. Meghan was in shock. She never thought her “Auntie Carol” would say “yes”. I never doubted that Carol would say yes.

  We purchased our cowboy boots, our cowboy hats, our long sleeve shirts and our gloves. We purchased our airline tickets and packed our bags. We flew into Billings, Montana. I checked Montana off of my states to visit list. We spent the night in Billings and on Sunday drove to Shell, WY. The scenery was beautiful – wide open spaces, nothing, I mean nothing for miles and miles. Town signs announcing population 12 or 26. Amazing. The ranch was beautiful. The accommodations were great, the food was gourmet and the people who ran it were so gracious and kind. And I would visit there again but not to ride horses.

  This was a real working cattle ranch. They weren’t moving cattle around to give you something to do. They were moving cattle because that’s what they do. We had to help get the horses ready, then ride all day and truly move cattle. And I never laughed so hard in my entire laugh. It makes me laugh to think about it. The first day the wrangler had us ride around the ring so he could determine our riding skills. Meghan and Emily had taken riding lessons when they were younger. Carol had ridden as a child. Jenna was very athletic. So they all did well. And my riding skills were zero or lower. Did I mention I am afraid of horses? Well, maybe not afraid but definitely not comfortable with them. Horses are big and they can run fast and I am a chicken. As I rode around the ring, the wrangler commented “you wait and see by the end of the week, she will be good at this.” And my “family” commented “probably not!!!” The wrangler tried me on a new horse everyday. My first horse’s name was Cheetah but I kept calling him Cheyenne. Cheetah didn’t sound like a horse to me. Meghan would just shake her head. When I would see the baby cattle, I would think they are so cute I am never eating beef again. But when the bull would stand across the path and the cattle won’t move pass him, I would think give me a steak. Cattle are not very bright. They are noisy and it is hard to move them around.

  By mid afternoon on our first full day of riding, I asked the wranglers if they could just throw my body across the horse like you see the movies. The head wrangler said “remember I told you not to believe anything cowboys do in movies.” Oh, my!!! I hurt in places, I didn’t know you could hurt. I was really, really bad at horseback riding and herding cattle. But you know what I did it and I will never do it again but I tried. And I have used parts of this story to encourage many a child to “try something new” because you have nothing to lose. You may have a great experience and find something new you enjoy doing or you may never do that again but at least you tried. Or you may just get to spend time with people you love and laugh harder than you had laughed in a long time.

  http://thehideout.com this is where we went. They have a very professionally done video.

  Posted in memories, relationships | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, travel thoughts

• Tourist Tuesdays (S1E2) – random

  Posted at 8:48 pm by missannsays, on April 9, 2013

  Things I have learned while traveling and other random travel thoughts:

  Looking at your surroundings may help more than staring at the map. Years ago, a friend and I were at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. We wanted to go to the Eiffel Tower so we were studying the map. A police officer asked us if we needed help. This conversation was in French on his part and very limited French/English on mine. We asked “where is the Eiffel Tower?” He smiled, pointed behind us, and said “un, deux, trois” meaning any of the roads would take us there. It was right behind us?!?

  Some airports close at night. In 2005, my daughters, the same friend as mentioned above, her daughter and I flew into Billings, Montana. As we walked away from the gate, they were turning off the lights behind us. Also always check that the rental car headlights are on or you will be stopped by the police in the first moments of your vacation.

  First class is a cool way to fly. Wide leather seats, real utensils, hot towel, cookies and milk. I have only flown first class twice but awesome.

  No matter where you take your kids, the hotel or campground pool is the most exciting part.

  Once isn’t enough – seven places I have visited and would like to visit again:
  1. Black Hills of South Dakota
  2. The Grand Tetons
  3. Prince Edward Island
  4. Vancouver Island
  5. Alaska – different places than first visit
  6. Edinburgh, Scotland
  7. Ireland

  Twice isn’t enough for:
  1. Paris
  2. London

  Bucket List for outside of the USA:
  1. Australia and New Zealand
  2. Italy
  3. Germany
  4. train trip across Canada

  There are 6 states I haven’t visited and would like to so I can say I have been to all 50 states. I haven’t been to: Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, North Dakota, Idaho and Hawaii.

  Where would you like to travel to?

  Posted in daily life, memories | 0 Comments | Tagged friendship, little things, travel thoughts

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