June 16, 1990

It was nearing the end of the day that Friday when I received her call at work. I picked up the phone and knew immediately who it was. “Hey! I have great news!” she said. It was my high school best friend and college roommate, Carey, and she had a real excitement in her voice. She started off by telling me that the financial decisions she made recently were finally squared away. She was beyond happy and it seemed as if a big weight had been lifted off her. I was very happy for her too.

After chatting about it a few minutes, she mentioned that she, our roommate, and a few other friends were heading to a neighboring college that evening to attend a party. Knowing it was my turn to make the trip to my boyfriend’s family’s home that weekend, she asked “Why not call Mark and tell him to come here instead? That way we can all go to the party together!” I must admit I seriously gave it some thought those few moments, but knew Mark and his parents were expecting me to arrive at their home within the next few hours. The change would have been very last minute and it probably wouldn’t have gone over well. “I wish I could, but I better just stick with going to his place.", I told her. "Don’t have too much fun without me though!”

After spending a whirlwind day and a half with Mark, I cozied up on his family's fold-out couch in the den. He went off to his bedroom to get some sleep. I was exhausted, but eager to spend Father's Day with him and his family the next day.

The sunlight peeked through the windows in the early morning hours, attempting to wake my body...but I would have nothing to do with it. I rolled away from the sheer-covered window to avoid having to actually get out of bed. In my haziness, I could hear someone in the adjoining family room mention the words "Carey" and "her car was so small"...I thought it was part of a dream I was having.

Mark opened the door to my room and I knew it must be time for my butt to finally wake up. I rolled back around to see that he was carrying a newspaper and had a look on his face I'd never seen before. "I don't know how to tell you this..." his voice cracked, as he handed me the paper. I looked at the front page and saw Carey's name immediately, even before reading the headline. "What?! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" I wailed. "That's not right! It can't be real!"

The headline read, Three Die in Wrong Way Accident .

I continued to read in confusion and disbelief to see that Carey, along with our good friend Jeff, and my roommate's boyfriend, Frank, had all been killed by a drunk driver in the early Saturday morning hours as they headed home from the party. Two others, my good friend Kathy and roommate Carm, were left in critical condition. The drunk driver had unknowingly entered an exit ramp of the highway and headed westbound into oncoming eastbound traffic. My friends were one of those heading east.

I found out later that day, I wasn't contacted sooner with the news because those that knew where I was that weekend, were all in the car.
It took nearly three years for me to be able to tell Carey's story, or to even bring up her name for that matter, without getting a huge lump in my throat - without having tears well up in my eyes. It was very similar to what I am feeling now as I write this. We were inseparable.

So to Carey, Jeff, and Frank - We recognize greatly twenty-one-years-old is way too young to be taken away from us.

Twenty years later you are all still loved and very missed.

Enjoy Your Weekend

There aren't enough days in the weekend. ~Rod Schmidt

I took this photo today at the Geauga Maple Festival in Chardon, Ohio while enjoying time with my family. At days end, I knew our weekend plans were a hit once I heard my five-year-old proclaim it to be the best day of her life!

It made me smile...a lot.

My Three Daughters

If you haven't met my girls before, I'd like to introduce each of them to you. We're all friends, right? I, myself, have four sisters and no brothers so honestly, having only girls in my family is all I've ever known. I am happy to say these three sweeties are the main reason for my absence in blogland most times. As many times as they drive my husband crazy, they melt his heart 100 times more.
Meg
My baby, Margaret, is the most "talkiest" little thing you'll ever meet. Apparently she has a lot to say. She is my *girly girl* and absolutely refuses to wear anything but a skirt or dress on a daily basis. This five-year-old tiptoes everywhere in her invisible high heels and tries to keep her thumb sucking habit away from our eyesight. (She's working hard on conquering this addiction.) Whatever you wish to call her - Margaret, Meg, Meggie or even Megert - she'll make sure you won't ever forget who she is.
Ellie
Elisabeth is one six-year-old who knows what she wants. This could lead to a really successful life for her later on, but you can imagine the regular *debates* that occur here. ;) Ellie Bean (or E.Claire as she's also known) is extremely loving and quite sensitive, and she always shares the most beautiful smile. She currently takes swimming lessons, enjoys spending time with her kitty, Domino, and is looking forward to Art Camp this summer.
Maddy
This ten-year-old may be small, but she packs a lot of punch! Madeleine is my firstborn and definitely got my curls...which she HATES. She is my over achiever and does well in almost everything she sets her mind to. Being accepted into the gifted 6th grade program for Fall/2010 and excelling in gymnastics competitions are only a couple of her accomplishments. I will be very interested in seeing what Maddy wants to do with her life.

So now that you read about my girls, I hope you understand why I am not blogging as much as I used to. My husband and I recently surprised our girls with vacation plans that we knew they'd be really excited about. We'll be headed to Orlando next month to meet the Mouse! (And for some, more importantly, the Princesses.)


I am happy to share my money-saving tips for a Disney World trip for you and your family! So please, check back often for future budget friendly posts. I don't just "junk" you know! ;)

Rogers Flea Market - Rogers, Ohio

As a mom with young children, it can be tricky getting away without kids in tow. Thanks to my husband, I was able to spend this past Friday any way I chose. Somewhat of a "Candy Allen's Day Off" sort of thing. I'm sure it won't surprise you which direction my van ending up pointing. To the local flea market!

New to me, but not to Ohio, Rogers Flea Market boasts 1600 vendors for their open air market every Friday and also holds weekly auctions on various days as well. Check out their website for full details. http://www.rogersohio.com/ Let me tell you this place does not disappoint! Just like with any flea market, get there EARLY so you miss some of the crowds and have a bit more elbow room to shop.
Isn't it funny anytime you come across a booth selling vintage signs, that song immediately pops in your head? You know what I'm talking about.

How sweet is this? I ogled quite a bit over this metal 4-1/2' sign. In fact, I was drawn back to it sometime later to give it another once over. Or would that be a "twice over"???
Understanding and abiding by vendor rules is always important. I made sure to follow this particular vendor's #4 rule, but I think he may have been sorry I did.
I purchased this awesome carnival game sign and posted about it on Facebook during my "flea" time. Amazed at my ability to lug it approximately 1/4 mile to my van by myself, I estimated it to measure 7' x 1' in my status update. Imagine my surprise finding out it actually measured 8'3"! Haha! No wonder my arm muscles were a wiggly mess hours later!

Old ribbons are a lot of fun for projects, don't you think?

Let me tell you, I could have curled up on this daybed (made from an old crib) and taken a nice, long nap! And might I add how much I loved the beautifully coordinated fabrics. Just gorgeous!
What do you think of this neat cupboard/buffet? The fresh color combo would make for a fun jumping off point when choosing a style for your room!
The crowds were out in full force, here in Ohio. With temperatures reaching the mid 80's, this flea was the place to flock to.
Chippy, rusty goodness. Need I say more?
Okay, I will say more. Chippy, rusty goodness in a can.
I guarantee you'll be a fan of this place! So much to do...so much to see!