Today's the DAY!!!

Today's the day, kittens!  What day, you say?  THE day!  THE day I return to blogging!!!!  And why today?

I have NO idea.  All I know is, I woke up inspired and THAT is a good thing.

I have not posted since May 1st.  3 months and 11 days.  Does that mean I haven't caught JOY in those 103 days?  Hell NO!  JOY is around me and when I reach for it, it is there waiting for me.  The trick is in the reaching!  Haven't I told you that before?  Silly kittens!!!!

I've actually been in the oddest place since coming home from the greatest vacation in 3 years!  We spent a week back down in the Outer Banks.  My husband and I have been frequenting Cape Hatteras Island since 1996.  We stumbled on this little complex of beachfront cottages on a blustery March day when we were out for a "ride" - ummm - well, we actually had a week off and decided to get in the car and drive and that was where we ended up!

And this is our front yard.

The moment I set eyes on the front "yard" - energy shift!!!!  

It honestly does not get much better than this.  I immediately went into vacation mode.  Set up the beach chairs, opened the book and there I sat for 7 straight days - literally from sunup to past sundown.  Heaven!  I say!!!  HEAVEN!  And of course JOY.  Caught it for 7 straight days.  

But back to the "oddest place".  Usually when I return from a great vacation, I definitely go through a grieving period.  Not so much this time.  But I do feel in limbo - like I'm waiting for something before I can get back in the proverbial "swing".  Could it beeeeeeee - SCHOOL STARTING????????

Why YES - I think it is!  I DO believe I have had enough and it is time for them to go.  I love the three little pigs - but not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 2 straight months!!!  I was dreading the summer as  I have a "bit" of a verbal fighting problem with my 11 year old.  We are like oil and vinegar - or is that oil and water?  (I don't know - I get those sayings all messed up these days.)   I have done a pretty good job keeping it together but quite frankly - I'm DONE!!!!!  Bring it ON Middle School!!!!!  

Not to beat a dead horse to death (or is that Beat a dead horse with no "to death" on the end?  LOL!), but seriously?  Why are they in the house when they have 65 acres and a beautiful Hollywood cement pond to play in?  Are you kidding me?????  Whining away about how bored they are or fighting with each other non-stop or each watching 1 of three stupid bitch boxes.  Seriously!  Do we really need three tvs and do they really need to be on all day?????  Every day?????  I'm exhausted!!!!!!!  Ah yes - beating that dead horse TO DEATH!!!!

But I am catching JOY.  Among other activities, I have been bringing them and their friends to the beach regularly and they are old enough to go off and stay out of my hair so I get a mini vacation in my beach chair - book in hand.  

Speaking of...

Shadow of Night!!!!!  It is the sequel to Discovery of Witches.  I loved it!  It's a big ole fat book that kept me busy for my whole beach vacation.  If you have the opportunity - read the first and then the second.  Can't wait for the third.  Some people do not agree with me but I miss the characters and can't wait for the last book.  Definitely enJOYed this one.

I had a reading block for many months in 2012.  I FINALLY started reading again and I am back to loving it.  I read 2 Dan Brown books and now I'm reading a Ken Follett book which I am loving.  Never read Follett before.  So reading JOY is back.

Oh!  Oh!  And guess what?  I had new bloodwork after 4 months doing exactly what my naturopath said to do and guess what?  Perfect bloods.  ANDDDD I dropped 10 of the 15 pounds I woke up with one morning back 2 plus years ago...ummmm - yeaaa aaaa - that be JOY!!!!  

Part of the above-mentioned JOY is coming up with and sharing recipes with clients and friends who are into the no carb, high fat, moderate protein lifestyle I have come to know and love over the last 6 months.  Look for recipes in the coming weeks as I post regularly again.  That is a challenge I am making.  To post daily - if only a small plop of a post.  Let's see what I have to say!

One last thing before I really bore the ever loving crap out of you.  I caught some JOY way back June 8th of this summer.  I was going through my emails one morning and opened one to find a surprise. Here is part of the email:

I just clicked on Trish ********'s links and came across you blog, "Catch the Joy as it passes by".  I totally enjoyed reading a few entries this morning.  It is inspirational, intelligent, as well as entertaining.  I read about the elderly lady and taxi driver, and watched the video on the 911 boatlift.  I thought, I need to read more stuff like this every morning!!! I kept reading, and stopped after the entry about provolone/table cheese, and Italian bread, and thought, oh Lord,  she loves that "pungent" stuff just like me!!!, Is this blogger Italian???  hmmm "Grandma Ida's" ??, So,. Hartford?? is she from CT?  Then I saw the name "Joey", and wondered, "'Who can this 'Joey?' be?"... CONTACT THE TRAINER!!! Mystery solved, you're cousin Bobby's wife!!!

How cool is THAT?!!!!!!!  She lives in Japan.  I'm global!!!

So -- see you sooner, kittens - with some better "joy stuff"!

PS - This post is dedicated to my college friend Judy who's parting words last week were "I'll be looking for the JOY"

  

Small JOYS even in the Saddest of Circumstances

I had a little sniff or two today.  But there was JOY to be had also...

A sweet lesson on patience.

A NYC Taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly..

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice..'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired.Let's go now'.
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug.She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.. Behind me, a door shut.It was the sound of the closing of a life..

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day,I could hardly talk.What if that woman had gotten an angry driver,or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

And THIS one blew me away.  I had NO idea about this historical happening on 9/11.  I am SO glad I know about it now.

The Cheesiest!

This post has been a long time coming.  Anyone that knows me - friends, relatives AND clients - know how much I ADORE cheesecake.  Not just ANY cheesecake.  MYYYYYYY cheesecake...or should I say "Sharlene's Cheesecake", as the recipe is titled.  My SIL Annette gave me this recipe that she got from our friend Sharlene.  I am a cheesecake purist so I do NOT ruin my cheesecake experience with cherries or strawberries or pumpkin flavor or chocolate cheesecake.  Nope - I'm pure all the way baby!


So my friends know I love it and sometimes get a treat when I make one and hand out pieces or bring one to a gathering.  My relatives know I love it because I make it for EVERY freaking family get together.  AND my clients know I love it because I KICK THEIR *SSES every time I eat a whole cheesecake in one Thanksgiving weekend 3 or 4 pieces on a holiday weekend.  In fact, they FEAR holidays now.  Because they KNOW who will pay in the gym on Monday!  There is no JOY like Cheesecake JOY!


When I got my new oven in November, my cheesecake baking started to suffer.  For some reason, the cheesecake got way too brown - almost burned - and they cracked and had to be "sculpted" to remove the dark top.  SO I turned the oven down the next time - same thing.  


Then I looked it up on-line and found a cooking method and brought a BEAUTIFUL cheesecake to a college reunion brunch and it was a DISASTER.  Raw in the middle!  Ever see Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase when Katherine makes the turkey and it explodes because it's so dry, when Clark makes the first cut? 





Well mine exploded in the opposite direction - raw batter oozing out all over the place.  Ughhhh.  SOOOO pissed.


So - this Easter, I tried placing a piece of foil over the top after about 30 minutes and VOILA!  PERFECT cheesecake.  So psyched!


But - I still had the dilemma of about half a cheesecake left. (apparently we had too many desserts on the Easter dessert table my family members are not huge cheesecake fans)


So after consuming FOUR pieces in 24 hours (yea that diet's working...uhuh), I knew that cake had to go.  So I texted my friend and told her I was dropping her some cheesecake - which, oh by the way - she had been begging me for!  Then I proceeded to drive around town and drop off pieces of my cheesecake to 4 of my friends, before I ate another 4 pieces.  Here's the text I received about a half hour later from the begger:


(This text is not for the faint of heart.  I apologize in advance and suggest you stop reading this blog right NOW)

Now THAT'S a happy cheesecake eater!!!  (Do I REALLY have 426 photos on my phone?  That's ridiculous!!!)


Anyway - here's the recipe.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


VERY IMPORTANT:  I put the eggs, sour cream and cream cheese on the counter overnight so they are perfect room temperature.


32 ounces of Philadelphia Cream cheese
2 cups of sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
6 eggs
32 ounces of sour cream


Mix the  cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until creamy, (I used the store brand once and it just didn't taste the same,  so I always use Philly),  When creamy and lump free, add 1 egg at a time, blending between each egg, until you've used 6 eggs.  Add TWO (yes TWO) 16 oz containers (YES 32 ounces!) of sour cream and fold in until blended.  Pour into a graham cracker crust in a 10 inch spring form pan.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in overnight or until the oven cools down completely.  Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.


THE JOY BOMB!!!!!

There Are No Coincidences

So I opened this women's gym back in 2005.  I named it THE FITNESS CONNECTION.  Little did I know that Connection would be the operative word rather than Fitness.  I see approximately 70 women 2x a week (and a man!  Yes - men DO come and the women KICK their ASSES they get their ASSES kicked!  Trust me!)


When there is THIS much estrogen in one place?  ALOT gets accomplished.  Well actually - with my demographic, there is less estrogen than one would think.  LOL!  Afterall, most of my girls are either peri or in full blown YOU KNOW WHAT!  Ha!  

Anyway - back on subject...


My friend Robin sent this to me the other day and you know what?  My story that follows, really gets to the heart of this matter.  Here goes:


'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.'


So here's the scoop.  As the years have gone by, it has been pointed out to me that my gym not only offers a great body to it's clients but so much more bang for your buck.  It offers:  Therapy.  Friendship.  Bonding.  Encouragement.  Sympathy.  Empathy.  AND INFORMATION!  I can not tell you HOW many connections are made on a weekly basis. 





 Need a painter?  You'll find it at The Fitness Connection.  An orthopedic doctor?  The Fitness Connection.  Need a daycare?  The Fitness Connection.  A contractor?  Fitness Connection.  Need someone that wants a job?  You got it - THE FITNESS CONNECTION.  My girls have hooked up piano sales, painters, jobs, doctors, babysitters, clothes sales, dog sitters, exercise equipment, interior decorators, a masseuse, DOGS!  It's unbelievable.  The Fitness CONNECTION is more than just a gym.  Connections are made EVERY SINGLE DAY and it is mind blowing.  The following connection is so far, THE best ever.


One of my Tuesday/Thursday clients - I'll call her Irish Mist - was feeling ill in the middle of a workout a few weeks ago.  She felt a migraine coming on and decided to leave.  Irish Mist has a history of seizures and she had been complaining to her Neurologist and her internist about a vision issue for a few days but her doctors were not responding to her pleas.  


The next week, Irish Mist just happened to pop into a Monday/Wed class (not her normal day for class) to make up a missed class from the previous week.  After class she was asked by another client - who happens to be a neurologist - how she was doing.  Irish Mist started telling Dr. "Angel" what was going on with her and how scared she was and also shared her frustration with her doctors not taking her seriously.  Dr. Angel suggested she visit the emergency room.


Well - long story short -errrr, Irish Mist did just that and after tests showed something was going on, she was referred to a Neurological Opthamologist (NO for short) for follow-up and diagnosis.  Unfortunately, Irish Mist called 3-4 NOs and all had a 4-6 week waiting list!  One could DIE before one gets treatment in this country.  It's INSANE!


Anyway - Dr. Angel, being the awesome person she is, called Irish Mist a few days later to find out how she had made out.  Irish Mist explained the findings at the ER and  how upset and worried she was about the long wait to get in to see an NO.


A day later, Dr. Angel called Irish Mist back with a small miracle in her black bag.  She had gotten Irish Mist an appointment to see an NO the very NEXT DAY.  Do you get the picture?  Women?  Connection?  Results?  Un-F'ing-BELIEVABLE!  


I can not express the JOY it brings me to see these connections unfold daily in front of my eyes.


Epilogue:  I'm not sure this should be coined "epilogue" because we do not have the complete results of Irish Mist's condition but...the very night Irish Mist told her regular class members about this "gift" from Dr. Angel, she told us the current findings and ended saying she really needed to be on a prayer line.


After the class ended, I texted a mutual client/friend who knows Irish Mist AND Dr. Angel from The Fitness Connection.  I told her about what had happened with Irish Mist and how in awe I was at the connections at work in my gym.  This is what she texted back:


"I love love love Irish Mist.  She is one of my all time favs.  I will put her on the prayer line..."  

  

My friends?  There truly are no coincidences...

     

I, Of Course...

A few days ago I received this text from my friend, Christine.

I, of course, SQUEALED smiled from ear to ear!  She told me she was in Homegoods and thought of me.  I, of course, SQUEALED immediately texted back, "Can you buy me it???!!  I'll pay you back!"  Ummm - did I ask how much???  Eventuallyyyyy....

Thank you, Christine!!!

Check it out!

JOYJOYJOY

I have THE best friends!!!!!! ♥♥♥

We Are THE DUDEK GIRLS

My family has not been at all close through the years.  I have 4 brothers.  Two older and two younger.  We DO acknowledge each other's existence.  (Actually, my little brother (ha - yea, little - ummm 50?) and I have always been close.  But I refer to the family as a whole.)  Some of us came together a few times a year at our parent's house or to celebrate one of my kid's birthdays but more often than not, it was a quick wave on the road, or news received through our parent(s).  I'm not sure why it is that "things" are like that but it IS, what it IS and after years of stressing over it, attempting to make it "nice", staying Switzerland neutral, I finally gave up and just went about my life and accepted we weren't the Waltons and we never would be. My nieces and nephew were in and out of my life from a young age but as they got older, sightings were far and few between.  My father's death has changed all that a bit.  I think it brought most of us closer together and I am quite content with that.

But one thing has really brought me GREAT JOY.  I have spent some quality time, recently, with my nieces, Erin and Kelly, who are 21ish and 36ish? (LOL - I don't even know!!!) I LOVE THAT!!!!!  I have had such fun being with them!

We are all ravenous readers and often read the same books and give each other recommendations.  Yesterday, we went to see The Hunger Games together on opening day.  (AWESOME job making that book into a movie, BTW!)  I had breakfast with Erin in the morning and then the three of us met up and sat in the theater blabbing, blabbing, blabbing before the movie.  We are all at such different stages of our lives so it's VERY interesting!  Erin is finding her way through her twenties and keeps us rolling our eyes  LAUGHING alot!  Kelly is successfully rising through the ranks of the corporate world and raising her gorgeous 4 year old son with her husband Justin.  And then there's ME.  Haaaaaa - well - need I say much about that - all you dedicated, entertained readers out there??  You get the picture.

The point is, as I think back on our conversations yesterday and then recall our last Dudek girl day making Grandpa's pierogis just before Christmas, my heart is happy and excited and very grateful to have this precious time with my blood girls.  We ARE the Dudek girls.  The only ones.  And we have found each other.   I am so joyful about this!

Oh wait!  I just realized - there are 2 MORE Dudek girls coming up the ranks!!!  My 10 year old daughter Brooke and also my almost 2 year old great niece, Taylor.  I just realized that THEY are Dudek girls, too!  Taylor is my nephew Nathan's daughter - Kelly's niece.  Any family tree experts out there?  Is my nephew's daughter considered my great niece??? 

 

 Wow - I love that realization!  There are FIVE Dudek girls!   

I love you Dudek Girls!!!!!!♥♥♥  I am so happy we are who we are!  

(We need some pictures, ladies!!.  Let's not forget on Easter!  We need a picture of the three of us and then another of the FIVE Dudek girls!)

 

What a Day!

It's March 20th and topping 70 degrees in New England!  I sat on the beach in my bi-ki-ni bathing costume 

both yesterday AND today.  Lord knows, I needed to sit in the sun and bake after the past 7 months.  Most certainly caught JOY as those sun rays warmed my body. 

 

I got home from the beach around 3pm and found an email waiting for me that completed my day.

 

It was from a new client who wanted to tell me,  "...thank you for the work you do...you are a real pro, and a gift to the community as well." 

Are you KIDDING me?  I LOVE this girl!!!!  LOL!!!  And you know what?  It reminds me that we should really go out of our way more often and tell people something good about themselves.  Because no matter how many times you hear it? It always brings you JOY and makes your day.  EVERY TIME!  (Thank you Margaret!)  

And thank YOU Mother Nature...for restoring my soul.