As you know I started ski journey when I met My Valentine. Skiing is his passion, and I wanted to tag along on the airline ski weeks. They sounded amazing. Therefore, in January of 2019 when I was the young age of 42, he took me to Steamboat Springs. One of the ladies in our group took me on the bunny hill to give me the basics, and I picked it up. I skied three days that week and it was tough! My legs were burning terribly, and as you more mature ladies know fear is a huge factor! I had been doing CrossFit for three years, and I couldn’t believe this was so hard. I didn’t understand. But I loved being on the mountain, and I enjoyed the people I was meeting.
I wanted to get some lessons because the better you are at skiing the more fun you have. In December 2019, we took Sweet Gram to Copper Mountain because we couldn’t find anyone to stay with her and she goes where we go. We decided to take her and the two friends we shared a condo with were extremely helpful in keeping an eye on her and giving her a banana or a mac and cheese snack throughout the day. She had a great time and loved seeing the snow. She would sit by the fire and stare out the window as she did in our hometown when it snowed. We still see people who remember her at Apres ski.
That year, I skied another week at Steamboat Springs. I was so excited that I could finally ski to a bar on the mountain that I wasn’t able to ski my first time there because the only runs down were hard blues and black diamonds (higher level). I was getting more comfortable on skis and tried to learn from anyone willing to teach me. Then Covid hit that March. In December, our normal ski week was canceled so we decided to create our own ski week with friends in Park City where we skied Deer Valley, Solitude, and Snowbird. I was able to make the trip because in October of 2020, we made the difficult decision to put Gram into assisted living. She had fallen too many times, and we felt keeping her at home was unsafe.
Even though ski weeks looked different than in the past we were still able to travel and get to different resorts that allowed me to continue my ski journey. Gram passed away in February 2021. I still miss her and her cute smiling self. And there are so many times I wish she was still here to enjoy all these adventures with us. She would absolutely love them and enjoy seeing the snow.
Life has been crazy since she left us because my husband and I believe in the philosophy of never being home LOL. I have since been able to join my love on all the airline ski weeks since then. Although we live in Florida, we average about 25 days of skiing a year. This has helped me go from the bunny hill to black diamonds. The harder runs still scare me to death but I love that I can keep up with the team and see the backcountry. In my short skiing career of six years, I have been to 23 resorts in five countries on three different continents! I still pinch myself and wonder if it’s real.
Although I never dreamed of being a skier, my dreams of seeing the world are coming true. And seeing the world from places that many people never even get to is amazing. I am not sure what percentage of the population gets to view the world from the tops of the mountains, but I imagine it’s not high. Some people have no desire to leave their hometown let alone climb or ride to various mountain peaks. But here I am living my dream and continuing my ski journey. As a kid, I remember writing out my bucket list. My goal was to get to all 50 states, all seven continents, and as many countries as possible. At almost 49, I have been to 44 states, 23 countries, and three continents. Excited to be living out my dreams, and I thank God and Gram every day that my journey led me into this exhausting life of being a Pilot’s Wife.
Friendship. What does it mean to you? My Rock and I have amazing friends as I have stated time and time again. I am not sure why we are so lucky, but we are blessed with the best of friends from our childhood, college years, and adulthood. Even the new people we have met have become the best of friends. We are forever grateful for our amazing friendships.
I am not sure what friendship means to you or if you keep score in your friendships. I hope not. It doesn’t matter who called last or whose turn it is to visit. Just make it work. To me, it is a feeling I get as I meet and get to know people. Maybe I am different but when I make a bond with someone, I feel like it is forever. Even if I don’t talk, text, or communicate with that person on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis, it is a bond that stands the test of time. I believe we all know that everyone’s lives are super busy. And as friendships grow we need to understand that circumstances change. We can’t expect that person to be there every minute of every day but what we can expect is that each person will make an effort to keep that friendship going in whatever way they can.
According to the Internet and Wikipedia, the following is the definition of friendship. Friendship is a hard concept to put into words and each relationship is like a snowflake…unique and different in its own special way.
“If you look in the dictionary it will tell you that the definition of friendship is a state of being friends; friendly relation, or attachment, to a person, or between persons; affection arising from mutual esteem and goodwill; friendliness; amity; goodwill. That all sounds nice, but it doesn’t cover the fact that a true friendship is a relationship that can survive the test of time and remain unconditional.”
“Friendship for most people is a combination of affection, loyalty, love, respect, and trust. The general traits of a friendship include similar interests, mutual respect, and an attachment to each other, and in order to experience friendship, you need to have true friends. The emotional safety provided by friendship means not having to weigh your thoughts and measure words. True friendship is when someone knows you better than yourself and takes a position in your best interests in a crisis. Friendship goes beyond just sharing time together, and it is long-lasting.”
As we continue on this journey we call life, we need to realize how important friendships are. In my single days, my friends were there to help fill the void of a significant other. I had friends I could count on to go to church with, to play sports with, and to go shopping with. As a single person, you do have to learn to do a lot of life on your own, but with good friends, some tasks can be made easier by sharing them with another human being.
When I met My Pilot, I didn’t know what I was getting into. I knew that I had the best of friends. I didn’t realize that he also had the best of friends. We both keep in touch with friends we have known since elementary school. We keep in touch with friends from college. We keep in touch with friends we met at ski weeks. We keep in touch with people all over the country and the world.
Sometimes it is overwhelming. Sometimes I need a break from all these friendships. Sometimes our social life is too much. But honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love that our friends understand that we may not remember all the life events or their kids’ life events or even names sometimes:) but we love them and will do our best. But when we get together, it will be like no time has passed. I love that we can call friends up at the last minute (and they can call us) and say hey we are coming to town. Are you around? And usually, we are welcome with open arms.
A little over a month ago, we had our Fifth Anniversary Party on New Year’s Eve. We had a weeklong party celebrating with friends from all walks of both of our lives. Sometimes people like to keep their friends separate, but My Love and I both don’t believe that at all. All of our friends are so awesome that they should meet each other and love each other like we love them.
What we found was true. Our friends truly had a wonderful time getting to know each other and spending time together. We even got a note from one of our single flight attendant friends and she said this:
“You attract amazing friends! That’s saying something as I don’t usually enjoy “all couple parties” but yours was absolutely AMAZING!”
We cannot be more appreciative of our beautiful friends. We love and cherish you and your friendships. Count your blessings if you have amazing friends and foster those relationships. If you don’t, then it’s time to let them go and make new amazing friends!
If you know me then you know I absolutely love an automobile made by Volkswagen from 2007-2016 called the EOS. EOS means Goddess of the Dawn, which is one of the many reasons I think the car is cool. The car is a hard-top convertible with a sunroof that also opens. Many people ask me why do you need a convertible AND a sunroof. Well, if you never had both, you wouldn’t understand. But I need both.
I remember back in 2007, I was at a teaching conference in northern Virginia. I was pulling out of the shopping center from the hotel, and I saw this cute little convertible. In my head, I was like what kind of car was that? It seemed fancy. I. thought maybe it was a Lexus or a Volvo, which would have been out of my price range. I looked closer and it was a VW. Hmm, I was intrigued. I knew it wasn’t a Cabriolet, so what WAS it?
I don’t quite remember the exact order of events, but I know I was home in Pennsylvania and my mom, dad, and I went to the mall which is about a 30-minute drive from our house. On the way back, I convinced them to stop at the Volkswagen dealership so we could check out this car.
We went into the showroom, and there it was. The top was down. It was so pretty. The salesman told me it was an EOS. They just started making them. He said would you like to see the sunroof? I said, “The sunroof???” Wait, what? Yes, please show me.
I couldn’t believe it! This was the car of my dreams! Every car I had owned since I was 16 had a sunroof. I loved having it open and the wind in my hair. At that time, I lived in Virginia, and I felt the weather was more conducive to a convertible, and this was the one I wanted.
This car, this EOS had BOTH options! A convertible and a sunroof! My dad just looked at me directing me with a roll of his eyes to calm down. He didn’t want the salesperson to think he had me already. There would be no negotiating. I needed that car.
For some reason, I wasn’t in a position to buy it at that time, but since I knew what the car was, I could make some moves. A few months later, I went back and signed the papers. Ellie Dawn EOS was mine all mine. She was black with black interior and a stick shift. I loved her.
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I had her for six or seven years and put about 140,000 miles on her. The roof leaked and there were some flaws, but it didn’t matter. Once I sold her I ended up with a white 2013 with black interior that I bought at CarMax with 5,000 miles on it in 2014. She also was very good to me and stayed parked at my mom’s place when I did my teaching stint in Thailand in 2015.
When I moved back to PA and started taking care of Gram, the car went with me. Sweet Gram and I had plenty of fun in Ellie EOS II. We put the top down and cruised the back woods of Pennsylvania exploring all the local ice cream stops. We took her up and down the coast from Fort Myers to Richmond and back. One unlucky 4th of July in 2017, we were on I-95 on our way back from RVA and traffic stopped but we didn’t and Ellie II was totaled. Thank God neither of us was hurt and the airbags didn’t deploy. I was so sad.
I was a realtor who was living in Pennsylvania taking care of Gram at the time. Therefore I decided it would be more practical to have more of an all-wheel drive vehicle with some room in it for the winter months and my job. I invested in a Honda CRV. It had a sunroof of course.
In 2018, Gram and I moved to Florida to be with my Prince. After being there a couple of years, I decided I needed another EOS. We had a Jeep, but I was done with the Honda. I wanted another EOS. It was 2020 and Covid was about the shut down the country. I found one in Naples and the salesman drove it to my house for me to test drive. My Valentine was out of town but a good friend from home was there to help me assess the flaws.
We decided it was right so My Rock bought it for me for my birthday. I was so excited to be back behind the wheel of the EOS. The top was down most of the time but it was always nice to have the option of the sunroof when there was a little chill in the air.
Then Hurricane Ian hit in September 2022. Four feet of water and muck took over the garage and my cute little car. Ellie III was white with tan interior and she was gone. I couldn’t believe it. But I was thankful that the garage and my car were the only things we lost. Many of our neighbors were not as lucky.
After 10 days of clean-up and dealing with insurance companies, we went back to Pennsylvania as we do in the summer. Our insurance company was good to us and the search was on for yet another EOS. If you don’t know, they quit making them in 2016 so at this point, any EOS was going to be at least six years old.
Before we returned in November, I found one. It was a beautiful blue 2014 with tan interior. We bought it sight kind of unseen as we had a friend in California who took it for a test drive for us. He said it was almost perfect except for the new radio and windshield wipers they needed to put on it. When we returned she was waiting in our garage. I was in awe of how perfect Ellie EOS IV really was. She only had 23,000 miles on her and seemed flawless.
I said I would not let her go. I said if a storm hit I would get a friend to come move her out of the garage if we weren’t here. I said I was going to have her forever. Well, in September 2024, Hurricane Helene went up the Gulf. It wasn’t even near Fort Myers. It didn’t even make landfall close to us. A friend came to the house that afternoon after the storm had passed. He reported that we had a few inches in the garage but nothing to worry about.
Well, in the middle of the night, that nothing to worry about turned into 28 inches of water in our garage. I am not sure if it was a storm surge or what but our street flooded again. After the water receded, our friend went over and became the bearer of the bad news. She was gone. Again. I couldn’t believe it. She was perfect.
We went to Florida for a few days to clean up the garage again, and I actually went to Naples to look at another EOS. Thank God I didn’t buy it because 10 days later Hurricane Milton hit and it would have been flooded as well.
I have spent the last four months searching. I wanted an EOS between the years 2010-2015 with a power passenger seat, navigation, Bluetooth, and a backup camera with less than 50,000 miles on it. They were few and far between. I was getting frustrated. Where was the perfect one? Therefore, I tried to convince myself to leave the EOS in the past. I test-drove a beautiful white hard-top BMW convertible but when we left I cried because it didn’t have a sunroof. I was hopeless. My sweet husband put up with my mixed emotions and let me struggle through this journey of finding a new car.
I knew if I wanted a nice car I needed to let EOS go. I also kind of wanted a standard but they quit making them in the EOS in 2012. I was torn. Do I go older and get a stick in the EOS or do I move on and try a different make? I literally test-drove every convertible I could think of…Porsche, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, and Audi. I didn’t want a soft-top but they quit making the hard-top convertible a few years ago. I tried so hard to move on, but I wasn’t in love with any of them.
Then it happened. A few weeks ago, a black EOS with black interior was in Fort Myers. My Heart and I looked at it, but it still wasn’t right. We found a white one in Miami so we started heading over to check it out. Halfway across Alligator Alley, we stopped, and I said, “Let’s turn around. The headliner is messed up and it’s not worth the two-hour drive.” I said, “Let’s stop at Ford. Maybe I should try the Bronco. Let’s check it out.”
Therefore, we stopped at Ford. We looked at the Broncos but it wasn’t what I wanted. The top wasn’t automatic and it would be a pain in the butt to wash. Back in his truck, we went. As we were pulling out, I spotted her! A blue EOS parked right there. I couldn’t believe it. How did we miss it on the way in? We stopped, and I hopped out of the truck. I looked in the window and it was a stick! The interior was gray. I couldn’t believe it. I was ready to run into the dealership and ask whose car it was. But then I saw a piece of paper. There was a note on the windshield. The note said the clutch was stuck to the ground and that the owner’s dad had bought a truck there and to call if there was a problem.
I was so excited. I knew it was an older model because of the front. I wasn’t super thrilled with that but it was the right color, the exterior was in good condition, the tires were new, and it was a stick! I called and left a message. The next day I didn’t hear anything. I texted the number and asked if they would be interested in selling. He said, yes! A few days later, we went to get a closer look. It was a 2007 and had 93,000 miles on it. I was hoping for a small miracle that it was a 2010 with 50,000 miles on it, but the price was right, and I was tired of looking.
The next day I had the car towed to a mechanic. Clearly, the clutch needed fixed as well as a few other things. Two days later, I picked her up! Ellie EOS V was mine all mine! I was so excited! I drove her like a race car driver all the way home (because that’s what you do when you drive a stick:))
She is a bit more mature (I don’t want to say older) than the last three I have had. Honestly, it took me a minute to get used to going back in time to 2007, but I believe it was meant to be in the way we found her, and I have faith she is going to be good to me. And I love driving a stick! Thank you, Cousin Pat for teaching me way back when.
I imagine after reading this you think I am a little crazy and as my best friend said I do have some weird obsession with the Volkswagen EOS. I can’t help it, and I don’t know what I will do when I have to move on. Until then I am going to enjoy this little ride for as long as I can!
I love being around people who are all there to have a good time. I love not having to worry about what I say. When you are around people who aren’t uptight and don’t take offense to the little things, that’s how you know you’ve found the right people. Surround yourself with these people who make you comfortable enough to be you.
I like when I don’t have to be careful with what I say. That’s when you know you’re with the right people.
Sometimes it’s hard to realize this and sometimes hard to let go, but when someone has treated you disrespectfully, you no longer need that person. And if you decide to let them go, you don’t even have to have that final conversation with them. Life is too short to let others put you down or mistreat you for no reason. Be strong, my friends, and let those people go.
Maturing is understanding that you don’t need that final conversation to find closure. Their dishonesty, disrespect, lack of care, and refusal to take accountability were all the closure you needed.
Christmas Eve is when My Rock and I celebrate with my family. It has been a tradition since I was little to celebrate the Polish tradition of Wigilia on Christmas Eve. We always helped Gram, Our Matriarch make pierogies the day before. Then they would chill in the garage because it was always cold enough in northwest Pennsylvania to leave them there. Traditionally, we would make potato and sauerkraut, mushroom, and cottage cheese. Eventually, we started cheating a bit and added in cheddar cheese and bacon pierogies, even though you are not supposed to eat meat on Christmas Eve.
Our Wigilia dinner is supposed to have 12 dishes to symbolize the 12 apostles although I don’t remember eating 12 things. We always had cream of mushroom soup, haddock, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, and pie for dessert. But my memory may be fading so those dishes may have been on Christmas Day as well! We all loved Red Lobster, so at some point we added in shrimp scampi and even lobster tails for a few years.
Before we eat we go around to each person breaking the opłatek, which is a Christmas wafer to symbolize the gift of daily bread. We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Wikipedia also states “there is in places a belief that whatever happens on Wigilia affects the incoming year; if a quarrel should arise, it foretells a quarrelsome and troublesome year.” Let’s hope that everyone has a peaceful day and no quarrels arise.
I always remember on Christmas morning my sister and I would wake up super early and head downstairs, wide-eyed to see the beautiful tree and all the gifts from Santa. I love waking up to Christmas tree lights. It’s my absolute favorite. We couldn’t open gifts until Gram and Gramps got there, which usually didn’t take long as they were only two blocks away.
After our gifts, we would get dressed and head up to my grandparents. We would eat the traditional Polish breakfast of kielbasa and eggs. Then we would finally get to open gifts at Gram’s.
As I am sure most kids did, we played with toys, tried on new clothes, and celebrated with family. But we also went up to the Alliance College gym and jumped on the trampoline or played basketball. I was obsessed when I was little.
Since 2012 most of our Christmases have been in Virginia. My sister had given birth to my niece and I lived there as well. Dad had passed, therefore mom would drive my grandparents down to Virginia. After Christmas, they would continue to Fort Myers to Gram’s Condo.
Although we continue to celebrate in Virginia with the kids, life has changed. We no longer have my grandparents or my sister but we have a bonus family of my brother-in-law’s girlfriend and her three children. We celebrate Wigilia at my mom’s and then head to church. We finally get to open presents on Christmas Eve (which I always wanted to do!).
Whatever your holiday traditions are I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas! I hope Santa is good to you this year.
We need to always do our best. Whatever our task is give it your best effort. Why go through tasks halfway? Put your best effort into everything you do. When you know what to expect than you can always do 1% better every day.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”
Let’s stop worrying about what other people think of us and be ourselves. Let’s be 1% better every day only compared to ourselves of yesterday. Only compare yourself to who you used to be.
“The minute you start caring about what other people think, is the minute you stop being yourself”
Friendships come in all shapes and sizes. They say people come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. As you have read, my husband and I are truly blessed with amazing friends and family. We love all of you, but today, I want to talk about one special couple who inspired me to take chances.
“True friendship resists time, distance and silence”
A few weeks ago My Rock and I made our annual road trip from Pennsylvania back to Florida. We stayed with a couple that we usually stay with up and down the coast. I have known him since I was five years old and her since I was in sixth grade. My Prince just met them in 2017 and luckily everyone gets along very well, probably too well (lol). Even though we live 5 hours away from each other, and only get together a few times a year, when we get together it is so easy. I leave every weekend with them with my cheeks hurting from the smiling, laughter, and shenanigans we end up getting into. These weekends are absolutely some of my favorite times.
I reconnected with the couple after a pretty long hiatus because we both moved away from our small town. The story is one of randomness and chance happenings. My mom was driving my grandparents home from their condo in Fort Myers to Pennsylvania when their car broke down in northern Florida. They decided to rent a car in Florida and drive to my sister and me in Virginia. Once the repairs were done, someone had to go back to Florida to get the car.
Even though I hadn’t talked to my childhood friends in a long time, we were from the same small town. We had been good friends back then because our parents were friends, too. To me, we had a bond and it didn’t matter how long it had been since we had talked. I asked if we could stay with them for a night to break up the trip while my mom and I headed back to Florida to get this car. They kindly opened their house to us.
We reconnected as if no time had passed. We learned about each other as adults and reminisced about our childhoods. It was one of my favorite nights.
I learned they were selling their house and most of their possessions and buying an RV. They were huge mountain biking enthusiasts and in their mid 30’s they felt they needed to go. They had saved money and made a plan. They were leaving from Florida, traveling up the east coast then heading out west. I thought it sounded amazing even if I wasn’t into camping or mountain biking. I was so proud of them for taking the Leap of Faith and going on their adventure. Most people wait for retirement to do all the things they’ve ever wanted to do. And sometimes, like my Dad, retirement is too late.
On their way up the coast, they stopped to see us in Richmond. We had a fire and had a great time catching up. They visited our houses, and we spent some time at their campground. I have to say they were part of the inspiration that lead me to quit my job that fall and go to Thailand to teach English. If my grandparents’ car hadn’t broken down and my mom wouldn’t have left it in Florida or if I didn’t have the guts to give them a call, I wonder where I would be and where our friendship would be today. What opportunities would I have missed out on? Things happen for a reason, my friends.
Since that phone call in the spring of 2015, we have stayed in touch and seen each other two to three times per year. They have welcomed us into their house each time we drive up and down the east coast. They were even generous enough to open their home to Sweet Gram and the cat! We don’t need to call each other every day or check in every weekend. We send texts when we miss each other, and we make plans when we want to get together.
I am truly blessed to have this couple in my life, along with so many others that make friendships and life easy. I believe our small-town childhood created deep bonds within us. I believe that friendships should bring you joy. Friendships should make you laugh. We need to remember that we are all busy. We may not hear from our friends as much as we want to at any given moment but we need to not take it personally. We can’t make assumptions unless we are assuming our friend loves us and just can’t get back to us right now.
Anyway, I hope you are blessed with a few easy friendships where you can catch up and laugh your face off until all hours in the morning. I hope you have people in your life that make it easy, that support you, and that love you. So Happy Halloween, my friends! Although we aren’t dressing up, we are off to Las Vegas to spend another weekend with these amazing friends.
