For my DAD!

As Father's Day approaches, I'd like to honor my dad with a few comments.

My dad was hard-working and always did whatever it took to support our family of 9 kids, born in less than 12 years: 5 boys - 4 girls.   There was always a baby around but he loved kids, so he was thrilled to be blessed with so many.   Money was scarce, but we were never on welfare--because like so many men of his generation he took pride in taking care of his family.

He was the baby of 6 children, born to Sicilian immigrants and did not even speak English until he was 9.   But unlike many of the immigrants of today who want everything handed to them and in many cases even refuse to learn and speak English, he fully recognized the importance of fitting into our society, to the point that he would not even allow us kids to learn Italian........which would have been so easy as we always lived near my Italian grandma Rosa.

My favorite piece of advice from him was:  
"Getting your education is like constructing a building.   You must have a solidly built foundation or the entire building will crumble."

From the first day I started school, no grade other than an A was acceptable.  I'm fortunate because  in the 1950s, he stressed education for his daughters an idea that was definitely ahead of its time because at that time, most women were getting married right out of high school.

Being the oldest, he pushed me so hard that by 27 I had a degree in Accounting and an MBA.  At that time, in 1976, I was somewhat of an oddity as there were not many women in the business world, but I was grateful as my strong educational background gave me a real advantage in finding a job.

There wasn't any problem he couldn't solve and he always had a helping hand for anyone -- family or friends -- who needed his assistance.  I also love that he taught me to always take in "strays" for the holidays.  So, no matter how many family members we might have at a holiday celebration (upwards of 50 with all my relatives), he wanted us to make sure our single friends had somewhere to go.

He was an incredible dancer and even met my mom in a nightclub!   I have many fond memories of our times on the dance floor -- whether in the living room, at a wedding or even in a nightclub.  He's the one who made me a concert junkie as he took me to see Bobby Darin when I was just 11 years old.   We had the most fun though going to see the Ike and Tina Turner Revue at Club Imperial in St. Louis.  We were regulars at the Nightclub.  This was was back in 1961 when I was just 13 and way before they were famous.

Check out this  Luther Vandross Video as it's one of my favorites and reminds me of the many times I danced with my dad.  For all of you who are missing your dad on Father's day, this one's for you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hJu89k3d_w
  

Easy Dining

Looking for a fun way to meet new people in your neighborhood?
Then start a monthly EASY DINING Group.

It's sorta like the pot-luck dinners that we all had when we were in our 20s, except that it's really meant to be 'easy' because most people buy whatever they bring. Some nights I can tell that all the food was purchased at COSTCO!

It's usually 4 couples, but we also include singles in our dinner parties. One brings the salad, one the appetizer, one the desert and the hosting couple makes the main dish. To keep the cost down, everyone brings their own liquor.

To get it started, someone in the community needs to volunteer and organize the monthly dinners. Always hold it the same day, like the last Tuesday of the month. You can have a sign-up book in the clubhouse; advertise it in an HOA email, or do it all by email invites and sign-ups.

Last night I hosted and we had an Italian dinner theme -- bruschetta, salad, pasta with meatballs, bread with roasted garlic and an incredibly delicious Italian Almond Creme Cake. The main thing is to just keep it easy and have fun!

p.s. -- It's snowing again!!

Happy Holidays!

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends! We had such a great time at my sister Ginny's home. It was just so much fun -- more than 30 people were there. Being Italian, we're all very, very loud; so with that many people we should've passed out ear plugs at the door!

Here's a picture of my mom, Eleanor, on the left of Santa -- she's 83 and had 9 kids. We range in age from 49 to 60 -- so she was always on the go. On the right is my 90 year old aunt who we affectionately call Betty Boop.

There were 4 generations of my family there ranging in age from 5 weeks to 83. I felt a little over the hill when my brother-in-law reminded me that next to my mom and aunt, I was the oldest person there. I just hadn't thought about that, but it was true.

It was a joyous celebration and now I'm looking forward to New Year's Eve!