Teachingmommy: Auntie Vanessa's Visit

Monday, January 26, 2009

Auntie Vanessa's Visit

My wonderful sister Vanessa was just here for a visit and we love having her! She lives in Seattle now (which I would move to in a second if I had the chance) and is a manager of a gorgeous flower boutique there so she doesn't get a whole lot of time off. The last time she was here was for Maelin's 1st birthday so she got to see a lot of new things: our new house, Maelin counting, Maelin saying her ABC's and all sorts of other stuff.

We had a fantastic time. We picked her up from the airport and headed downtown to Osteria Marco. Wonderful restaurant. Can't say enough good things about it. GO if you get the chance. We had lots of fun hanging out there with our other sister Heather, Aunt Kat, my friend Emily and Vanessa's friend Charity. The best part was at the end when our rich (?) sister whipped out her credit card at the end of the meal and paid for everyone...hmmmmmm. Maybe she can afford to pay for Mae and I to go visit her this year too...

The rest of the weekend was pretty chill. We hung out at our house a lot and played with Maelin. We went to Green Chili Night at my Dad's house (which he is famous for) and we took Maelin and her two cousins, Ryan and Cole to Casa Bonita! They LOVED it there. We were all laughing because nothing has changed there. They haven't updated or changed a darn thing in the 20+ years we've been going. In a way that's comforting, but disturbing at the same time.

Anyway, Vanessa finally had to go home and after she left, Maelin walked around the house saying "Auntie?" with her hands in the air. Where did Auntie go? Very cute and sad. Here are a few pictures of our time with my "Single and Fabulous!" sister!

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Spanish Steps: Rome, Italy

Must Read Books & Great Authors

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a novel by Betty Smith first published in 1943. It relates the coming-of-age story of its main character, Francie Nolan, and her Irish-American family struggling against poverty in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. The novel is set in the first and second decades of the 20th century. The book was an immense success, a nationwide best-seller that was distributed to servicemen overseas.
"Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. This is my all-time favorite book and you MUST read this at least once in your lifetime. It has won the Pulitzer Prize, it is available in 31 different countries and it has been hearlded as "The Great Amercian Novel"
"My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult is a heart-wrenching novel about what it means to be a good parent, a good person and a good sister. Kate has had cancer since childhood and her younger sister Anna was concevied to be a perfect-match bone marrow donor for her. As Anna grows up, she struggles with how she and world will see the rights of her own body. This novel is the first book in years that had me crying. It was very well written and very enjoyable if you're in the mood for a tear-jerker.
"The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls is a memoir about a nomadic, deprived childhood told with the wonderment of a child who always wants to believe that Daddy will be a hero in the end and that Momma really does know best. You are enrapt reading about Walls and her siblings rifling through trash cans at school looking for food, doing the skedaddle in the middle of the night, or waiting for Dad to come home after another bender. It's a riveting story and a testament to Walls' desire to rise above a life that could have easily turned her into just another tragic headline. I really appreciated this story because of the very real probability that some of my students are living this very life.
One of my favorite authors (I have everything she's ever written) is Marian Keyes whose stories are set in Britian or Ireland. She is the internationally bestselling author of Watermelon (which is my favorite), Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Rachel's Holiday, The Last Chance Saloon, Angels, Sushi for Beginners, Under the Duvet, and her latest, The Other Side of the Story. Her books have touched readers around the world, and they are now published in 35 countries and in many different languages.