What am I waiting for?

I've been thinking about what kind of fabulous piece of jewelry I want to purchase for myself, which I plan to do on or near Valentine's Day. A tennis bracelet? Earrings? A pearl necklace? I've always wanted one of those. I saw a ring at Zales that I liked and I have been browsing jewelry counters and stores hoping something catches my eye.
I was lying in bed the other night and my eyes glanced at my jewelry armoire. I had a random thought about my Great-Grandma Jaquith's diamond ring, which was given to me as a teenager after she passed away many years ago. I never wear the ring, mainly because it is too big for my tiny fingers. At sometime during the past few years, I somehow came to the decision that I wanted that diamond removed from its current setting and placed in my engagement ring or wedding band. My boyfriend/fiance' to be would have to get the ring from my parents before he proposed, a way of him asking for my hand in marriage. But, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw, "I can't help but wonder..." what if that doesn't happen? What if I do not end up getting engaged/married? I am saving that diamond for a day that I don't know will ever come. I don't know where life will take me or who it will lead me to, but I do know that if I never get engaged/married, the ring will never have been worn. It will remain in a gray box in my armoire, worn only on special occasions, taken to the jeweler on occasion to make sure the prongs are tight.
So, the question is...what am I waiting for? Why am I waiting for someone else to give me a ring I already own? I can't think of one good reason NOT to take the ring to a jeweler and have the diamond placed in a new setting. OK, money is a factor, of course, but this is what payment plans are for, right? :) The point is that I can't live in a future that I am so unsure of. What I AM sure of is TODAY and that I have a beautiful diamond ring that has been in a box way too long. I'll be on this Earth once and once only. I have one life and I don't get a do-over. So, again, I ask...what am I waiting for????

When life gives you apples...

...make apple cider! Yesterday I went to Hollenbeck's Cider Mill in Virgil, NY. Note to self-- DON'T go to a cider mill on opening day! It was packed with community members (I even saw one of my students) waiting in long lines for donuts fresh out of the fryer and cider fresh from the vat. I went with my favorite neighbors, The Mead's. Aidan is their 6 year old grandson and a Kindergarten student at my school. Together we watched the workers show how the apples are pressed for the cider. I can't believe I have never seen this done before! I am 32 years old, for heaven's sake! I left the cider mill with a 1/2 peck of apples and a 1/2 gallon of cider. On the way home, I cheated on my diet and ate a plain donut...DELICIOUS! I figured since I am only one pound from my goal weight, I deserved a little treat. :) The Mead's also sent me home with 2 pieces of Dutch Apple Pie, made at the mill. I ate a piece for snack last night and can't wait to eat another!

As you can see from the photo, Aidan was exhausted after our trip to the mill. I'm sure he had a donut when he woke up.

GO AMERKS!

Well, I've been scheduled to sing at two upcoming Rochester American games:

Friday, November 6th vs. Syracuse (7:05 game)
Sunday, December 27th vs. Binghamton (5:00pm game)

They are giving me 4 tickets to each game that I will pick up on game day. Not sure who plans to attend at this point (i.e. my parents?) but hoping my cousin, Megan, will meet me at the game and be my hostess in Rochester for the night! I'll keep you all posted if I have any extra tickets!
I wish Baxter could come. I mean, he's about the size of a zamboni anyway, and could probably clean the ice a lot faster. :)

Can you believe this is actually going to happen? I keep asking why I ever waited so long to do the things on my list, and I have no excuse other than that I never WROTE THEM DOWN. I always say things in my head like, "I want to go to Chicago" or "I want to sing at a semi-pro hockey game" but I have never acted on them. Seeing these things in print and crossing them off my list is changing my life more than I ever thought it would. It's an amazing feeling to believe in yourself, in who you are, and accept that you are the only one that controls your life and your attitude. Life feels great and I still have about 26 items left to cross off--- can only imagine how I'll feel when I cross the final item off. :)

Oh, by the way-- I talked to the organizer about what I should I wear when I sing at the game...but I think I'll buy a new outfit anyway. ;)

SUSHI!

So last night I ate sushi for the first time! I went to Syracuse's "Sakana-Ya" in Armory Square with my colleagues/friends Wendi and Irene. "Sakana-Ya" is a sushi bar. There was no menu other than the beer/wine menu. I ordered a glass of red wine and watched as a variety of sushi plates passed in front of me on something similar to a conveyor belt. I had NO IDEA what I was looking at! Thank heavens Irene loves sushi! She told me what was in the different sushi-- eel, tuna, shrimp, avocado, crab, etc. I kept watching what was passing in front of me, and nothing really looked good to me until I saw a sushi covered in what looked like a chicken-wing sauce. I grabbed it in and set it in front of me. On top and on the inside was fried crab meat. Now I had to eat it...with chopsticks! Forks were not even an option and were nowhere to be seen! Somehow I managed to break apart a small piece of the sushi without having to stuff the whole thing in my mouth. I noticed something dark green colored inside.

"What's that green stuff?" I asked Wendi.

"Seaweed." she replied.

"And I'm supposed to eat it?" I ask.

"Yep."

So, I placed the sushi in my mouth and "oh, my God, I am eating seaweed" was the only thing going through my mind until the spiciness of the sauce kicked in. That sauce was one of the spiciest things I have EVER eaten! After a few minutes, I stopped and said, "I can't believe I am eating sushi..." and thought of my list. I ate 2 out of 4 pieces of my sushi and that was enough for me. All I kept thinking was "I want some ice cream. I wonder if 'Super Cream' is still open...". :) Overall, I thought the sushi good, but I wasn't overwhelmed with love for it the way I am for chocolate cake or bagels. :) I would definitely eat it again but would get something more simple, although the thought of eating raw fish still creeps me out a little bit!

I got home at around 10 o'clock and grabbed a cup of rice pudding out of the fridge. It wasn't ice cream, but it would do.

Update...

Sushi with some gals from work this weekend!

Plan to make a turkey dinner for my sister and her boys when they are in town for Pumpkinfest the first weekend in October.

Anchor Bar visit October 11th! Stopping by on my return from my 10 year college reunion at Fredonia. Buffalo friends-- drop me a note if you want to meet me there!

Apple picking with my brother and his fam in Mexico, NY on October 17th!

Mom wrote last night and said she'd teach me to make sauce before Thanksgiving.

E-mailed the Syracuse Crunch and the B-Sens last night. Got an e-mail from the Binghamton Senators office today:

Thank you for your interest in the Binghamton Senators.
I have forwarded your information onto our Director of GameDay Operations - Christa Reese .
Regards, Terry Buczkowski

Feeling GREAT about my list. I've never felt more driven or motivated in my life. Seeing my goals on paper and remaining committed to them is making more difference in my life than I ever thought it would. So, again, I ask you, what's keeping you from making your list?

Semi-Pro Hockey, Anyone?

So, I'm walking through TOPS after work today and my phone rings as I contemplate which size Ziploc bags I should purchase. I toss my 24 pack of toilet paper on the ground and grab my phone out of my fake Prada. A (585) number? Who on earth is calling me, I think to myself. Is (585) the psycho toothless guy who won't take no for an answer? I slide my phone open and cautiously say, "Hello???". On the other end is the sweet voice of a woman named Shannon, the person in charge of the anthem singers for the....ROCHESTER AMERKS! Yes, it's going to happen. I am singing at a semi-pro hockey game! Shannon is e-mailing me a game schedule so I can see what dates work for me. "You'd really drive 2 hours to do this?" she asks. "OH, YES! I have plenty of friends in Rochester!" I reply, thinking of my list, wanting to tell her about it, but don't. "Do you know the Canadian national anthem?" she asks. "Ummm, no...but I can easily learn it..." and I note that I am a Fredonia School of Music graduate, to which she says, "Well, knowing you come from that background you probably won't need to audition then..." :)
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited! Not only will I sing at a game (or possibly gameS), but I will get 4 tickets as well-- so who will join me??? I'll probably need a place to stay, so Rochester friends and fam, don't fail me now!
Now I am more motivated than ever to contact the Binghamton Senators and the Syracuse Crunch. Clearly, I've got nothing to lose!
But now, the IMPORTANT question: WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR? ;)

"Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories..."

I never would've thought a movie made in 1957 would capture me the way "An Affair to Remember" did today. What a beautiful movie... there's just something about older movies that makes love stories so much more dreamy than the love stories of today. I can't for the life of me figure out what took me so long to watch such a great movie. It is definitely going on my Christmas wish list-- it's the perfect movie for a snow day!

As I watched the movie, I found myself thinking about my grandfather, who passed away 8 years ago (see photo above, Fortunato Family Christmas, 1999). I would have loved to watch this movie with him. I can almost see him rolling his eyes at the lovey-dovey parts, then looking at my Grandma and saying, "I luv ya....". :) It was not uncommon to visit Grandpa in the afternoon and find him in his recliner watching an old movie (actually, we could hear it when we pulled in the driveway because the volume was up as high as it would go). :) He would always tell me the names of the actors, and I would ask him if they were still alive. Reflecting on that now, there are so many other questions I wish I would have asked him, not about the movie, but about his life. And even though I didn't like old movies then, I would watch them with him. His smile was so sweet when he would laugh at the movie--I can see his dimples as I write. Of course, at the commercial break, he would take me to the kitchen and make me a sandwich or heat up some soup, or take 18 (at least) containers of frozen goodies out of the freezer for me to take home, pausing only to ask me why I "wear that crap" on my fingernails. :) If any of my family members are reading this, I know they are laughing because that was him, our Grandpa, and I am positive they all had similar experiences with him. I think for us he's "A Grandpa to Remember"... ;)

So, what's next on my list??? Apple picking and a visit to the cider mill...and yes, Grandpa, I'll be thinking of you with every apple I pick...

"The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city." ~Terry McKay, "An Affair to Remember"