#TBT - Brady's 1st Easter, 2012

Happy #TBT! Today we are remembering the Easter of 2 years ago, right before I got preggo with Brynniedoll and around the time Brady was 6 or 7 months old. It was only 24 months ago, but I can barely remember it at all (prolonged loss of REM sleep will do that to you), so I am glad I have these pics to prove it happened! What a little goober he was, right?! Enjoy!

#TBT - Sibling Day

Happy Sibling Day! We are throwing back some sibling goodies to celebrate. Jason and I love our siblings more than they will probably ever know. They are our other halves, and without them, we wouldn't be ourselves. There are some things in life that only your sibling can understand, and I for one am super thankful to have a handsome, smart and successful brother with whom to share that bond (even though I spent my childhood pining for a sister :), hehe). I am lucky enough to have a wonderful sister in-law as well who is always there for us no matter what! Garrett and Courtney are about to have a BIG year getting married to awesome people, and we couldn't be more excited to be part of their weddings!

PSU vs. UMD Men's Basketball, December 2010

#TBT - Brady (vs. Brynne) at 8 Months - April 2012

Today's Throwback Thursday task is to compare my two little sweeties at 8 months old. So, we are throwing back to April 2012 in the picture on the left, when Brady was 8 months old, as compared to the picture on the right, which was taken on Saturday of Brynnie at 8 months. I see similarities in them every day, but looking at these two side-by-side, there doesn't seem to be much in common! One is the spitting image ("the spit" as the Brits called Prince George yesterday) of his mommy, the other is "the spit" of her daddy. I know one thing for sure--neither of these babies was/is a huge fan of sleeping at 8 months old! I love 'em anyway. See for yourself...



Brady vs. Brynne at 8 Months Old
April 2012/October 2013

 

Another thing is certain--my photography skills have gotten infinitely better since Brady was a baby! His photo was taken with a humble (crappy) camera phone, and Brynnie's was taken with a DSLR and low aperture lens. I tried to pick photos where they have the same look on their face. Sorry Brady! Just because I didn't know how to use a camera back then doesn't mean I love you any less. :)

Happy Thursday!

#TBT - Our Honeymoon - October 2010

After our beautiful wedding on October 16, 2010, we departed for an even more beautiful honeymoon in Paris, Burgundy and London. We stayed 3 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Burgundy, and 3 nights in London. In Paris, we stayed at the Hotel Raphael in a junior suite. We went to the Louvre, the Lido Caberet, up the Tour Eiffel, through the Cathedrale Notre Dame, walked all over the city, took a cab out to the Palace of Versailles and ate cheese and drank wine. Then we rented a car and drove through the Bourgogne Region in the heart of France for 2 days where we visited the medieval palace of Fountainbleau, some little towns and medieval churches, and stayed in a very romantic and secluded chateau. Finally, we flew to London for the remainder where we stayed at the Hazlitt's Hotel.  While we there we visited the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Harrod's, took tours, walked everywhere and ate meat pies and drank ale. It was a glorious, amazing 8 days that I will never forget. We had so much fun! We can't wait to go back to London someday, it is a city that has it "all" for us. We didn't even scratch the surface of everything we wanted to do while we were there! Bunch of pics, coming right up...

First day in Paris. Our hotel was right around the corner from the Arc de Triomphe! It was awesome.

Meandered down the Champs Elysees to Le Louvre

Notre Dame. You almost wish you were Catholic in a place like that!

On a bridge over the Seine at dusk

Paris at night is one of the most breathtaking sights the world has to offer.

Versailles. Simply gorgeous.

In front of Marie Antionette's chateau (Petit Trianon) on Versaille.

We stopped at some towns and visited some old churches on our drive through Bourgogne. This was one of them.

Fountainbleau, the medieval royal hunting lodge in Bourgogne. Pretty sure I was a French royal in a former life! Driving through the French countryside was so much fun.

At our Chateau in Bourgogne.

To the Tower! London.

I could not wait to visit this place again. I'm a huge medieval history nerd, can you tell?

Tower Bridge

Aaannd Jason with his ale at "our pub", the Dog and Duck in Soho. This is what "Happy Jason" looks like!

It was the vacation of our dreams. If I could rewind 3 years to these moments right now, I definitely would. Hope to make it back someday!

#TBT - Semester Abroad - Fall 2004

This week's Throwback Thursday is to a defining time in my life--my semester abroad in Florence, Italy in the fall of 2004. To that point, I had never been out of North America, so it was a huge deal for me. I chose a study abroad program with the American Institute for Foreign Study, Florence, Italy campus. We spent the first 3 days in London, followed by a stop at a beach resort in Lido di Camaiore (off the coast near Pisa) for the first 3 weeks to learn Italian (I had already taken Italian in college so it was advanced). Then we travelled to Florence. Our "campus" was inside a medieval Florentine castle, and the apartment I lived in was in the center of the historic district of Florence, just steps away from the Ponte Vecchio, which I crossed every day several times to get to classes. It was nothing short of AMAZING. I took classes in advanced Italian, Renaissance literature and art, and modern Italian art. There was only internet access at the school, Facebook had not yet been invented, and I had to "rent" a very old-school cell phone to use while I was there (it did not get text messages!). While many others traveled with friends, I knew nobody else when I enrolled. I ended up learning fluent Italian, making lifelong friends, and coming home much more aware of the world. I visited endless museums, medieval buildings and churches, and cities all over Italy (as well as Paris and London). I ate amazing food but lost a lot of weight on that trip (due to an emotional upheaval involving an ex-boyfriend, don't ask) and returned to the USA a different person in only 4 short months! Someday, perhaps I will tell you what the personal changes that occurred on this trip turned into. Some of you reading this already know, of course!

Here a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. I can't believe it was almost 10 years ago!! So much has changed since then, I barely recognize the "Brooke" in these photos.

Wow.

Cheesy, but necessary in Pisa. Wish that dude wasn't in the background, but what can you do? Late August.

Me with my roommates in front of the Ponte Vecchio on our first day in Florence. They were amazing girls who became very good friends! I loved each of them.

The breathtaking "citta di Firenze." Early September.



Il Vaticano in late September (?). Pope John Paull II was still presiding. How old do you (I) feel now?

My first trip to Paris with my roommate Erika in October. A typical Parisian fall--it was wet, windy and cold. However, the city of Paris was still love at first sight for me!



Spanish Steps, second trip to Rome. Early November (?).

Il Colosseo with a 14 year old Garrett Lewis, third trip to Rome in late November. My family came to visit for a week!

Visiting Pompeii with my family. November.



Throwing a coin into La Fontana di Trevi in Roma. This was in December during my dad's visit right before I went home. I did indeed return to Rome as the legend said! Incidentally, the baggy jeans from this pic were the snug ones from the Pisa picture.



#TBW - Vintage Brooke

I know, I know. It's been like 3 weeks since there was a new blog post. Sorry about that. My kids have been sick for nearly the past month now, passing back and forth the various diseases they caught at daycare. Such is life with small children! Being up all night with both of them for many, many nights in a row has left me tired. So very, very tired. Too tired to take photos, edit photos, and blog photos. Yesterday, however, I came across some old pictures that were fun to look at. They're vintage, so no editing (and thus very little work on my part) required. In effort to keep this blog alive (during my attempt to wake my brain up from the long period of sustaining itself on 4 hours or less of sleep per night), here ya go! These are circa 1984 (it's only Wednesday but we're throwing back anyway). Enjoy!

Some things I notice after looking at these photos:

1. Brady has my smile. And my eyes.
2. Brynne has my huge head (sorry, Brynnie!).
3. My affinity for water started young.
4. My face has apparently been a dog-licking magnet since the beginning.
5. 1980's couch fabrics were hideous.
6. I think my Grandma still has that mirror in that spot. (Maybe not?)

Ha! Love the 80's!

#TBT - Remembering My Friend

Today is a sad day for me. It has officially been 2 years since we brought Brady home from the hospital, which also means it's officially been 2 years since I said goodbye forever to the best friend I ever had--my Yorkie Kasey. Yes, he died the day I brought home my son, it was devastating and I still mourn him almost daily.

We got Kasey in 1996 as a puppy when I was just 12 years old. I wanted a dog so badly, and one day my mom finally gave the "ok." Excitedly, I ripped into the newspaper classifieds to find Yorkie puppies for sale. I knew I wanted a Yorkie because our neighbor at the time had one, and I loved him! My parents liked that he didn't shed, so it seemed like a good fit. We found one listing, a breeder in York, PA. I called right away, I wanted to see if they had any girl puppies because I wanted a girl. "We have one girl left and two boys," she said, "but you better come soon because another family is coming now and they want a girl too."

When we got there, the girl was gone, and one of the two males left had been spoken for. "This is the only one left. These are "burgundy" Yorkies, which means they will always be redder in color. It's a genetic defect," the breeder said. At this point I had spent just about my entire life desperately wanting a dog (we had a bad experience with cats), so I didn't care. "I want him!" I exclaimed.

Home he came with us. We named him "Kasey", after the poem "Casey At the Bat" (don't ask me why, Casey was not a nice guy in that poem!). I stayed up nights with him those first days home because he was missing his parents. I took him on walks and carried him halfway home when he got tired. I nursed him through injuries, seizures and in one awful mistake on my part--a flea-medicine overdose. I spent the next 15 years of my life loving him, and receiving his unconditional love in return. We grew up together, he was there with me and there for me through it all.

Everyone says this about their dearly departed dogs, but Kasey was truly one of a kind. He was the smartest dog I've ever known. Everyone that knew him knew that. He had a way of looking at you when you spoke that made you know he understood what you were saying. He loved treats, people food, taking walks, comfy pillows and squeaky toys. He protected his house and his people ferociously, even though he was only 9 pounds. He moved everywhere I ever went with me, he was my constant companion. He followed me to the bathroom in the middle of the night so as not to lose sight of me.

When I was on bed rest before Brady was born, I watched him deteriorate. At age 15, I knew it was only a matter of time. His health was failing, but to this day I know that he waited to see me get home from the hospital, to know that I was safe and that "our" baby was safe to say goodbye. He heard Brady cry one time before he left us forever, and even though he was nearly 100% deaf, I saw his ears rise up to hear the sound.

I love you, and I miss you, Kasey. I will until the end of my days. You were the best friend I ever had, and nobody will ever take your place. I think about you every day, and I hope that you are up there running free, without pain, and eating all the steak you want.

Until we meet again, my dearest friend...

"Santa VB". I called him "VB" for short. He loved Christmas like a child! He opened presents on his own every year.

With his buddy Bradley at the Enola house

Sticking his nose out the window riding in the car to "Grandmas". His fave thing. Even at age 14 he could still do it.

His last trip to hunting camp. He loved it there. No boundaries or rules, he could run free!

On a hike. Despite his size, he was an awesome hiking dog!! He would run way up ahead of us, and then consistently run back to check on me every couple of minutes.

With me in my childhood bedroom in 2008 before we both moved out for the last time. He never left my side, at night he slept between my legs no matter how big the bed was.

 With me on Christmas Eve, 2009

With his 2nd favorite person, his "manfriend" who gave him heaps of table scraps every day, took him for walks and let him roam the neighborhood at will without a chaperon. :) 

The last picture I ever took of him. I knew the end was near, his age became obvious.

 

Kasey Lewis

Jan. 13, 1996 to Aug. 22, 2011

Rest in Peace, Loyal Friend.

#TBT - August 2011

Today's Throwback Thursday can only be to one thing--the birth of my beautiful, inquisitive, loving, energetic and amazing little boy on August 20, 2011. His birth was a long and complicated one, and he has challenged us ever since, but every day I feel humbled and blessed to be his mother. He has a zest for life that is unmatched by most of his peers, and I just know he's going to make something special in the world someday. He has been "something special" to us since the moment we knew of his conception. Happy 2nd Birthday, my dear, sweet Brady Daniel, we love you more than you will ever know!



12:06pm on Saturday, August 20, 2011



After 23 hours of labor, a broken tailbone and a spinal headache, I was in rough shape!

But I still couldn't believe how lucky I was...




to finally meet the perfect new love of my life.




7 lbs, 14 oz, 20.5 inches long

The New Grandma Fischer

The New Grandma Wheeler

Grandpa Lewis, and...

Pappy Wheeler

Pop Fischer

Grandma Lewis

Aunt Courtney!

Uncle Garrett, and...

Aunt Jamie

Great Grandma Heisley, aka "Gigi", and...

Great Papa Heisley

Last but not least, Great Grammy Wheeler

 There you have it. One of the 3 most important days of our lives. Looking back at it now, I can't believe it was already two whole years ago. It seems surreal for me to celebrating my oldest child's 2nd birthday already, I feel like I just graduated from college yesterday. Time is fleeting, but some moments are truly forever.