My mother-in-law is a genius!

(Never thought you'd see/hear those words, huh??)

Well, let's just say that for the first time in MONTHS, I managed to make it through an entire book. I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't put it down and read it in less than 12 hours!

It was a bit of fantasy, lots of romance, a good amount of suspense, likeable, relatable characters and an on-the-edge-of-your-seat plot.

The authors?
Scott's mother and aunt, sisters who have written a trilogy together, mostly over the phone and through e-mail, over the years and who have self-published their first book!

(I even got an autographed copy!)

What a life, Chochie

My "chochie" (Great Aunt) Marie, passed away yesterday morning at age 91. It's terribly sad to lose anybody, but for our family, it is our matriarch and our last member of my grandparents' generation.

Marie had a massive stroke Friday and was on life support. She never regained consciousness and never suffered, doctors say.

She lived a long, good life and was feisty til the end, spending decades after her husband's death with her daughter and son-in-law in sunny South Carolina.

Scott only met her once -- at her brother's funeral in 2007, actually -- and he loves remembering her HUGE personality, even to a then stranger.

We were sitting at a repast, a customary dinner following a viewing and funeral in the Ukrainian Orthodox religion. There were loads of emotions surrounding me and all of my loved ones that day. Over comes this short little old lady who pulls a chair next to Scott and says, "What's your name?"

Scott answers.

"OK. I'm Marie I'm gonna sit next to you."

Scott laughed and spent several minutes talking to her.

"She's great," he said afterwards.

She was unable to make it to our wedding last month, but sent me a note explaining that she didn't feel up to it but that she was so happy for us. She enclosed bits of advice in her pretty cursive that I will treasure always.

Chochie Marie's daughter told family that in her last couple of weeks, the elderly lady walked around calm and pleasant, explaining once that she had done all she could in life and that she was ready to see her husband and other lost loved ones.
How amazing.

I am unable to make it home for her viewing, funeral or repast this weekend, but I like to imagine that I would have to pick some unassuming cousin's boyfriend or significant other and say loudly, in my best Jersey accent, "What's your name...?"

You are an inspiration and a huge source of strength.
You will be missed.

Til we meet again...
(Please give hugs and kisses to Mommy, Pop-Pop, Grandma, Uncle John, Cuz Nick, and all the others...)

Like a big brother

My cousin Dan from the D.C. area came to visit us this past weekend and it was great - although that's no big surprise.

Dan is a really important person in my life.
I will never, EVER forget him offering some really honest, strong, helpful words a few years ago when I was going through a very dark time.

He's so much fun and I look to him like a big brother.

Here are some photos from his visit... rockin' out, enjoying the mandatory pizza stop ('pizza' was my first word!) and just having fun.

Make all the Jersey jokes you want.

As a Jersey Girl through and through, nothing makes me quite so happy as returning to the land of Turnpike exits, thick accents, the glorious shore and malls every 10 miles.

For the first time in SIX MONTHS (!) I am heading to Jersey this weekend. I'll be staying with my mom's sister, Aunt Alice, Friday and Saturday and will make a stop to see my dad and family Sunday on my way home.

I'm heading out by myself this trip, only because we couldn't find anyone to watch the pets, but also to a: let Scott get some things done around the house and b: to give me and my aunt some one-on-one time.

My aunt and I hope to figure out wedding favors (she's helping with those) and to pick out a dress for her to wear at a super-special occasion on Sept. 26. :-) Other than that, I can almost guarantee there will be hot dogs from world, er Bayonne-famous Petridis, down the block from where my mom's family grew up, some laughs and several bottles of wine.

I desperately need a Wendy Time-out (part of the reason for my lack of blogs lately) and there's no better place in the world for me to do that than my ole home state.

Of course, I will most definitely miss Scott.
Don't laugh, but we actually have not been three days apart since the very beginning of our relationship... say, three years ago! It's not a big deal, I know, but in a way, it sort of is. We manage to be together much of the time without being joined at the hip. And we have a great "friend" relationship, too. Of course, I'll be ditching him two more times before our wedding -- for some bachelorette party/bridal shower shenanigans in early August and then of course the night before the nuptials.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right??? :-)

My car has new brakes -- and a new horn! (Ask me sometime about how I broke.my.horn)
Scott even cleaned ye olde Santa Fe!

I'm packed. (sort of)

I have my Bruce Springsteen CD in the player in my car, ready to go.

I am ready.
The Jersey Girl shall return!

You'll be the first thing I cut, witch. Cheers!

I spoke to my dad and step-witch, er Janet tonight.

The highlight? Wait, those are what I got in my hair the other day.

Oh, that's right, talking with this woman only offers lowlights...
Janet: So when you come out to see us, bring your wedding stuff and we'll make adjustments.
[Scott hears this, raises his eyebrows and ducks out of the room. Smart man.]
Me: What do you mean, 'adjustments?'
Janet: Well, I know you were talking about doing flowers for centerpieces...
Me: [interrupting] SILK flowers.
Janet: Well, flowers are expensive.
Me: [again trying to get a word in edge-wise] Um, cheap SILK flowers. They'll match my bouquets...
J: Uh-huh ... So I was thinking, most caterers offer like a mirror and candles for free. You can just do that.
Me: [ Thinking about the TWENTY-FIVE extra people she and my dad INSISTED be added to the guest list last month] I don't think we need to make any adjustments like that. I want the flowers.
J: Oh, sure, I mean, after all this IS youuuuur day...
Me: Right. Thanks. So...
J: ... But it will still be nice without the flowers. So that's the sort of thing we could talk about. Be sure to bring an itemized list (she actually said that) with you of what you've paid and what services you get for that... be specific as possible... oh, and then when the balance is due.
Me: ::Gulp:: mumble, mumble.
J: I didn't hear what you said...

At that point, I had strolled over to the dining room, where our dinner was getting cold, grabbed the bottle of wine Scott had just opened and let it hang for a moment over my glass. Then, I smiled, flipped the bird toward the phone and PUT THE BOTTLE TO MY MOUTH. And chugged.

Repeatedly.

I have an idea of where I can put the empty bottle, too.
Any guesses???

Auntie update

Aunt Alice is OK.
The original test that came back positive last week was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

ALL of the pap tests from her doctor that day came back with a false positive result, due to a reagent issue at the office.

Phew. (understatement of the year)

"I am just so scared right now," she said.

I realize I lose some sense of humility by saying this, but I truly believe that I am a strong person -- that no matter the obstacle, hardship or heartache, I've somehow always bounced back and gotten back up on two feet, in a reasonably quick amount of time.

Because of my strength, there aren't many other people in my close group of family and friends that I consider really strong. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who are beautiful inside and out; people who are incredibly intelligent; people who would do anything for me or someone they knew without hesitation; some that can make me belly laugh instantly.

My aunt, however, is strong in every sense of the word. So when I saw those six little words typed in a message box last night from her, I knew something very serious was going on.

My mother's sister received word from her gynocologist that there was something "irregular" from her most recent exam, something that involved her cells and would require specialized testing. I think everyone thinks the same thing in a situation like this, so I'm not even going to say it.

The scary news isn't bad by itself -- if you don't happen to be home alone this week like my aunt (My uncle is away on business) and if my aunt hasn't already dealt with so much heartache that no female should have to endure -- giant tumors, polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility in her 20s and then, the harsh reality that she would never bear a child.

If it can happen to this beautiful, strong, fearless woman, it can happen to anyone. It can happen to me. (I do, after all, have a gyno appointment in six weeks, with my own recent laundry list of questionables and not-so-good's to bring to the table.)

I have no magic fix-it-all for my aunt, but I told her to change that "I" to a "we" because she's just not in this by herself, despite the 300 or so-odd miles.

We are just so scared right now.

Hoppin' down the bunny trail -- hippety, hoppety, hippety, hoppety

Hope you had a happy Bunny Day, with a reminder that Eastertime is all about remembering that there is hope, or "Death's outta here," as our pastor's message said this morning in church.

Love,
Wendy, Scott, Eva, Clara, Proud...

... and Izzie and Rocky, who hope to Hell that their parents lose the *@)$ ears before next Easter...

Maybe he was late for a Superhero Convention

Scott, my dad, Janet and I went to a tuxedo shop in a quiet little town late Saturday afternoon to get my dad measured for his wedding tux.

Nothing too exciting there, except for the poor taste in toupees by the store owner. But that's a totally different topic.

We walked outside, my dad and Scott getting in Scott's truck and me and Janet getting in my car.

I look up just in time to see a young man in a head-to-toe Spiderman costume RUNNING DOWN THE STREET.

I did what anyone would do -- grabbed my camera and caught him in action just before he rounded a corner.

You should be able to just make him out on the right side of the photo.

I finally uploaded all of the photos from the last month...

I used to be phenomenal about uploading photos from my camera regularly. If there was an event, whether it was a vacation or a get-together or a home project or even a doggie haircut, the photos would be in loved ones'
e-mails before visitors got home or the groomer was paid.

Not anymore.

So, here's your visual walk down memory lane. At least three or four weeks' worth of memories...







Spring finally arrived at the McZook household in late March, with crocuses, irises, tulips and daffodils (planted by the former owner) sprouting up through the leaf and debris-covered dry dirt.























I love Rocky's positioning in both of these photos. He did the one on the top, sitting like a little gentleman all on his own -- perhaps because Eva squished him out of a more comfortable position. The one on the bottom was aided by some of Scott's friends who came out to celebrate Scott's 26th b-day.






Spring also brings out budding Scott's, apparently. Here he is taking a break from yardwork and sitting on our garage.

Which is a totally normal thing to do, of course.















This was the view from our backyard just before dusk a couple of weeks ago.

I still have to pinch myself.












Scott, Dad and Janet pose outside of our reception location during the 'rents' visit to PA last weekend.













While we checked out the hotel we're using for out-of-town wedding guests, my dad got mesmerized by the large flag at a nearby establishment.

I swear he was just gazing up at it, watching it ripple in the heavy winds for several minutes.

I had to snap myself out of my own trance in order to take the photo.







On Monday evening, I arranged for the "neighbor kids" (Scott's boss's two children) to come over while Scott was bowling so that we could color eggs together. It was a blast!

After they flew through the egg-dyeing, we made some cookies and played games. I gave them easter baskets, too, and the little girl just ran over and gave me the biggest hug.



Happy Bunny Week!

I'm going to get on my little horse and proclaim to the townspeople, "The parents are coming! The parents are coming!"

My dad and Janet are visiting this weekend and should arrive later today.

On one hand -- we'll call it the Dad Hand -- I'm really excited.
On the other hand -- Perhaps called the Stepmother Hand -- I'm slightly dreading it.

I could really use some one-on-one time with my dad, but that usually doesn't happen b/c of Janet, so we'll see.

We don't really have any plans, other than going to the reception hall and dress shop tomorrow (for about the fifth or sixth time already).

I'm sure they'll get lost somehow, too, especially since there's no cell service for about 5-10 miles on either side of our house. That seems to make it more complicated for these Jersey folks to arrive easily and on time.

Wish me luck.
Armor? Check.
Sword? Of course.
Fake smile? Warmin' it up.
Gritted teeth? Ow.

:-)

Nieces are made of sugar and spice...

During a chat with my 9-year-old niece in New Jersey on the phone tonight, my niece gabbed about school, her new tutor, her annoying little brother and much more. It is always a delight to hear her cute little voice share all of the world's ups and downs with me.

My favorite moment, bar none, was when she said: "Every inch of my body loves you. I miss you so much."

I miss her too.

Somewhere between today and tomorrow

If there were a Leap Year in 2009 and my mom were still alive, she would have turned 61 years old.

Maybe you can look at it like she's really only 15.25, hehe.

The worst part, however, is that I can't celebrate, physically at least, with her. She passed away in 1994 and missed her 50th and 60th birthdays... and of course, my middle and high school graduations, college, romances, meeting Scott, our engagement... and much more to come.

I love her so much. I miss her more.

I like to imagine that she's up there in whatever Heaven we paint for ourselves, waiting for a special extra minute in between 11:59 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. that no one else will notice, and then, with all the angels singing behind her, she blows out candles made of bits of clouds, smiles, looks down on me and blows a kiss, letting me know that everything will continue to be OK and that she'll never, ever be forgotten.

Happy Birthday, Mommy.