Springtime is for Nuggles.

Here is an outdated SPRING blog that I never got around to finishing or posting. That's just classic me right there. It's hard to believe that we are in the end of July! I don't hate everyday NEARLY as much as I did last year at this time. That's a good sign right? Maybe we are getting things figured out and more balanced? Only time will tell! I'll check back in with more up-to-date info, but for now.... here is our Spring a few months late:

"Nuggle?" is what Kiera says when she is asking for some love... some sNUGGLES! It melts my heart. I can be running 45 minutes late with unbrushed teeth and if she says "nuggle?" I basically drop everything to bolt to the couch with her. Many times she would like her sippy cup to join us in our nuggles, usually she needs her blankey as well and on occasion, she will request that anywhere between 3 to 7 baby dolls join us too.

This Spring has been very wet, but also very fun! We have two new golden retriever puppies....Baxter and Bailey. They are brother and sister and we are having fun getting to know them. They are obviously a handful and we are told on a daily basis that we are stupid/crazy/insane for taking on even more responsibility with our busy lives, but as always, we will make it work somehow! That being said, we have all agreed that we should probably draw the line here for awhile :)

Leary's Landing held it's annual Kentucky Derby Party again this year and, thanks to my sister Emily, Bar Harbor was FULL of fantastic hats. She spent hours making nearly a dozen Derby hats for just about anyone who asked if they could have one. Then... the day of the Derby, she came down with what I have named the "Bar Harbor Plague." It is a horrible illness that is spreading through our town, kicking ass and taking names. Although she didn't get to enjoy much of the party, she did make an appearance and all three of the top 3 nominated hats were her designs. Pretty darn crafty.

Probably the biggest achievement of my LIFETIME (warning, I'm being dramatic) was that we turned 3 of our properties into very cool weekly rentals. You can see them here: www.youngfamilyrentals.com . Jeff has lived in the Quarry House for 20 years and has had 3 kids along the way and multiple (not as cool as me) lady friends :) haha! Transforming that very full house into a clean, neat, and nicely decorated rental home was right up there with childbirth in difficulty (again, the drama.) But the point is that it is DONE, and cleaning out the house that thoroughly is good for the soul!

We celebrated Lexi's 8th grade graduation in June and we're all looking forward to the road that she has ahead of her. If she continues to be this respectful, fun and well rounded little individual I don't think that she will have a single problem excelling in the next 4 years :) I'm pretty proud of who she is, and I wish that I had had more to do with it, but I'm just lucky to know her from here on out.

Lexi with one of her favorite teachers - Ms. Allen

For Example....

So, you know those great adult role models from my childhood that I referred to in my last post? Well here is a perfect example :) Our dear friend Liz Hollingsworth (the woman who first taught me to use a pottery wheel and play dress up) sent us a gift recently. Everyone who I show this to is in awe and so I thought that I would share it here.....

She is a VERY talented artist. She makes one-of-a-kind masks and owns a company with her husband called Earth Spirits Masks. They are pretty amazing, and we're honored that she made one modeled after our own daughter. The resemblance between these two is uncanny to say the least. You can see for yourself! I love that their masks just exude emotion and spirit. This one will be a treasured in our family forever!

Big Kids and Little Kids

I've been realizing more and more everyday how lucky my kids are to have such great adults in their lives. I'm sure that neither Lexi or Kiera realize their great fortune, but one day they will look back and consider some of our closest adult friends a part of their extended family.

Emily and I grew up camping, partying and running around like hippy children with some of the COOLEST adults in the world. Our "Uncle" Phil taught us how to paddle a raft down Goose Creek to find clay beds and then to load the raft up with clay to take back to our campsite to make pottery. haha! He also taught us how to use a metal detector to find metal artifacts from the CIvil War, build a tree fort, build a twigloo (yes, an igloo made of twigs) and so much more. He used to sit patiently in our "music room" for hours while Emily and I put on hour-long performances which included singing, dancing, acting, unicycling and so much more.

Liz and Beth were also two of our biggest influences. Two aunts... one adopted and one real. Liz taught us the art of playing dress up and using a pottery wheel while Beth taught us how to drive stick shift at the age of 12, how to entertain, laugh whole heartedly and to be a good friend.

These were just 3 of the many many influential, kind and fantastic adults in our lives. They unknowingly helped shape us into the people that we are. Many of them are our friends today.

Between Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Babysitters, Friends and our Co-Workers, Kiera and Lexi are surrounded by a strong set of smart and fun adults. This is a giant THANK YOU to the people who have made my children a part of their own family. You treat them like your own by guiding them, laughing with them and most importantly being a good example.

Being 13 makes you a bit less interested in photo-ops, so unfortunately you won't see much of Lexi in the following collage but that doesn't make her less loved by these crazy people :) ALSO, I couldn't possibly include a photo of every great adult that we know, because we are blessed with too many. You know who you are, but here is a little sampling :)

That all being said. There is no doubt that the biggest influence in Kiera's life is (and probably always will be) having Lexi as an older sister. I don't see Kiera love anyone the way that she loves LaLa. I can't put my finger on it because she spends more time with others, but LaLa is her sister and I know from my own experience that NOTHING beats that.

Slacker Mom

I did it again. I let so much time pass between posts that I got too overwhelmed and avoided my next post like the plague. So now here we are with another 2 months of life behind us, Holidays that have been celebrated and survived, children who are 2 months older and about 3 more feet of snow on the ground. So let's just all forgive me (I'm talking to myself here) and move on :)

Here are a few changes that are just TOO good to let pass by without mentioning...

-Lexi made the honor roll last trimester and to say that we are proud is an understatement. We've watched her come a long way. Lexi got annoyed with me when she made the announcement that she had gotten all As and Bs and I was in such a state of excited shock that I blurted out "I never thought that you could do it!"... but to be honest I didn't. That sounds very harsh and mean.... but hear me out. I always knew that she was more than CAPABLE of doing it, but I didn't think that she would care enough to make it happen. No matter how smart you are, it takes effort to do your homework and care about your work. There was a big shift in her and she got focused and I think that she saw how good it felt to work hard and be rewarded. As a result of all of her hard work, we took her on a surprise trip to see Justin Bieber live in Boston with a friend and also sent her on a surprise trip to North Carolina to see her friend Laura. She has earned it. When we go into her school now, it's rare to come across a teacher who doesn't stop to tell us how well Lexi is doing and how proud they are of her. It never gets old ;)

-Kiera is at an exceptionally adorable age. She can understand almost all of what we say, but she can't talk back. She can still throw a scary tantrum with the best of 'em, but at least she can't say anything mean... yet. I've also come to realize that she has no fear or concept of danger. Totally normal for this age, but still nerve-racking. If it weren't for her sheer joy as she throws herself off of the coffee table and onto the couch (which is a foot+ away) I would think that she was on a suicide mission. I spend 100% of the time that I'm with her diving in front of table corners, open dishwashers with knives in them, cat litter boxes, chairs, bar stools, fireplaces, etc. while she runs around trying to give me a heart attack. All of that aside though, she is pretty dang cute... and she knows it, which is a recipe for trouble. She laughs a lot and she makes everyone else laugh a lot. She is constantly learning new words and ideas and skills. I know that none of this is unusual for a baby at this stage, but it's still fun to watch your own child go through it.

-Kiera is in obsessive love with 2 things..... toothbrushes and Lexi. Lexi is called "LaLa" and anytime that Kiera can even get a glimpse of her big sister is the greatest moment of her life. If she can get away from Jeff and I for even a second, she runs as fast as possible for Lexi's room to bang on the door. Also, when LaLa leaves for school in the morning, Kiera begs to be put up on the counter where she can watch her walk down the driveway to the bus stop. This is where she presses her face against the window to say repeatedly "Bye Bye La La." When the bus comes Kiera yells "BUS!" It's funny to think about how capable Kiera is of unconditional love, and you see that when she's with Lexi.

Much has happened in the past 2 months with birthdays, holidays, anniversaries and so on, but at the end of the day, we are still working hard, laughing hard and loving each other. The rest is just details. Maybe I can get back on track with this blogging. Look for my next post, which will have updates from our first real-life actual FAMILY VACATION in Florida. We have gone on family TRIPS as a 4 person fam, but we are making this one a VACA!

Dear Ollie

Dear Ollie,

It didn't take your death for us to realize how lucky we were to have known you. We knew that we were lucky all along. Even if we had somehow been oblivious to how special you were, we would have eventually realized it from the never ending comments and compliments that you received from friends and perfect strangers. When we first met your litter we immediately had our eye on you. You were our perfect match and you were meant to be with us.

In the first few weeks of having you in our lives we couldn't believe how many people, especially complete strangers, would approach us on the street to tell us how amazing you were. At first we thought that it was just because you were a puppy. OBVIOUSLY puppies are cute, and you were no exception. But it didn't stop. The attention kept coming long after you outgrew your puppy stage. Sometimes we would leave you outside of a restaurant or store and would watch dozens upon dozens of people flock to you just to give you love. When they would discover that we were your parents they would gush over your sweet demeanor and handsome looks. Your dad used to joke that your head was going to be rubbed off by the time we got back to you. We wondered to ourselves if all dogs get the same reaction that you did or if you were something special. We knew that WE loved you, but how did you stop so many people in their tracks? We were told every single day that we were lucky to have you as a dog and we never doubted it.

In your short 2 1/2 years you became very popular. You went everywhere that your dad went and saw everyone that he saw. From job sites to lumberyards, gas stations to hardware stores, the Cafe, Lexi's sports games, parties, boats and weekend getaways. When we got in the car it was rarely ever a question of whether or not you would be joining us.... you were part of our family. When the news of your death spread we were flooded with comments, calls and messages from friends who had been affected by your life. So many people missed you, loved you and couldn't believe that you were gone.

Do we wish that we had done anything differently? Of course. You may not understand this, but sometimes humans take things for granted.... even the things that we love the most. We take each other, our jobs, our homes, our food, our vehicles, opportunities and... our pets for granted. I know that you don't understand this because you appreciated every single thing in your life. You treated every meal, walk, game, boat ride, snuggle on the bed and moment with us as if it were your last. You especially never took us, your family, for granted. You were there when we needed you, patient when we didn't have time and appreciative when we did.

If we had known that you were going to leave us so soon, we probably would have fed you another bone, taken you on a long walk, let you ride in the front seat all day long, let you eat the cat food in the pantry without being yelled at, given you more room in the back of the Suburban, been grateful that you loved us enough to follow us around rather than annoyed, taken you for one more swim in the freezing ocean, let you shake your wet fur all over us... I could go on and on. The point is that while we loved you more and more every day, we still took your devotion for granted. But thank you for never doing the same to us.

We know that you had a good life, heck you had a GREAT life. What other dog spends every single day with his dad, plays in lakes and the ocean, rides on a jet skis, snowmobiles, excavators and goes tubing on a lake with a bunch of kids? You lived life to the fullest and never passed on an opportunity for fun.

Even though you may have been a little jealous of Kiera at 1st, you didn't show it. You loved her and the attention that she gave you. "Ollie" was her 1st word... even if she didn't say it perfectly. You were the reason that she learned to clap and as soon as we pulled her into bed with us every morning she would pat the bed and call your name to jump up and join us. I think that it was some kind of deal that you 2 had worked out ;)

Thank you for sleeping in bed with Lexi every night - it comforted her and she misses you more than you could know. She has had a hard time sleeping since you left. Thank you for potentially saving our lives. You went out in a blaze of glory. We know that you sensed danger near your family and ran toward that bear to protect us, but we are so sad that it cost you your life. It doesn't surprise anyone that you would do such a thing though, because you loved us more than anything. No other dog will ever compare to you in our eyes.

Thank you for sharing your amazing life and spirit with us and for reminding us how quickly we can lose our loved ones. Thank you for protecting us and for loving us unconditionally. You will always be remembered as the dog that saved our lives :)

Excitement, Change and Heartbreak

Kiera at the Blue Hill Fair

Our lives have been eventful these days between vacations, Lexi's sports, both of our businesses, making plans for business expansion and growth, chasing a 1 year old around, etc.. Some events have been fun, some have been life changing, some have been downright heartbreaking. Let's start with the fun and move our way down:

Somehow I made the decision to go to my 10 year high school reunion, and then I convinced Jeff that it was a good idea. THEN we bought the reunion tickets, the plane tickets, reserved the rental car and hotel room..... and then there was no turning back. What had I done? Was I really going to travel to Virginia (and drag my husband and baby with me) to go have small talk with bunch of people who probably wouldn't even remember me?? Ya see, after graduation I had sort of walked away from the whole experience, I went to college in Florida, failed to keep in touch with many high school friends, and never looked back.

Although I tried to convince Jeff that we really didn't NEED to go to the reunion, we could just hang out in the hotel room, he obviously insisted. I'm happy to report that I had a great time and was able to reconnect with some of my favorite people from the past. Finally, after 10 years, I'm at peace with my high school experience. My only 2 regrets are that I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures and also that there were about 30 people who I never got a chance to even say "hi" too. Oh well, there's always the 20th reunion I suppose!

Since my last post we've moved back into our Hall Quarry house. In other words, we are no longer living in the 500 square foot apartment that's attached to our restaurant. What a relief to come HOME at the end of the day. We all agree that living at the restaurant during the summer was absolutely necessary, but now we are incredibly appreciative of the space that we have. Kiera has her own room where we have finally crib trained her and she is sleeping through the majority (sometimes all) of the night. Lexi has been decorating her room and keeping it mostly clean most of the time ;) and I can actually wash loads of laundry. I'm suddenly appreciative of the space to clean... because there is actually SPACE to clean.

Lexi's soccer team recently won their division championships. They played the championship game on the big high school field and it was tied all the way until the final penalty kicks. In her 8th grade year she got lots of playing time, started in many of the games and genuinely enjoyed being part of the team effort. I always comment to her on what a great teammate she is, and it's true. I think that it's something that Jeff has instilled in her. He never lets her blow off practices or games, even if it means rescheduling an orthodontist appointment for a fourth time. She made a commitment to be part of a team and she definitely followed through with it this soccer season. Without even a week between the two sports, basketball practices have started. I personally love basketball season and can't wait for the 1st game!

Kiera is a riot lately. She's learning new words and phrases all of the time including "baby," "kitty" "thank you" "more" "Mommy" "Uh Oh" "Ollie" "Big Girl" etc. Even though we are still very busy and (thankfully) the cafe is still bustling I have had a lot more time to appreciate my family and the girls and the time that we get together.

The heartbreaking part is hard for me to blog about, because... well it isn't called "heartbreak" because it's fun...

My sister Emily and her boyfriend Justin, who were expecting a child, found out at their 14 week ultrasound that they had lost the baby. The news was entirely unexpected, as I'm sure that it usually is, and we all felt so much grief to have to say "goodbye" to someone who we had never met but still managed to love so much.

The sadness that I've felt for Emily and Justin has consumed me. While I was obviously looking forward to a playmate for Kiera and for my sister and I to raise our children together, that is not where the greatest sadness came from. It came from watching 2 people who I love so much lose something that they loved so much. I've determined that feeling grief for someone that you love is JUST as painful as feeling it for yourself. My mom was fortunately at a wedding in Connecticut and she came up to spend a few days here after we got the news. I know that we will all recover form this, but for now I just don't think I can feel "normal" until my sister does. That will just take time.

There's no doubt that everything happens for a reason, and this is no exception. So we will just take this time to heal and be there for each other. Like all hard times, this is making me appreciate all of the good in my life.

Emily, Mom, and I out for Halloween and missing Aunt Beth, and "Jerry"

Our friends Peter and Christina got married and it obviously turned into a crazy dance party... to say the least

While in VA for the reunion we got to see my mom and John. We took Kiera to a Zoo and went on a safari type ride. So fun!

Visiting with a great high school friend and her family. Carla and I got to reconnect and Kiera and Kaylee got to know each other :)

Yes, we are nerds.

With Raine at the reunion - one of my oldest and best buddies.

With some more high school lovies - Me, Gabby, Tintin and Rose. Sorry for the crappy quality, but you get the basic idea!

We Made It!

So I've learned that summer isn't really "blogging season" in Bar Harbor, which would explain my recent absence from the blogging world. But I TRIED! Between work and work and family and work and life and weddings and family in town... I really did TRY. I pulled up my blog list and saw 5 drafts that I started late at night over the past few months but never had the mental stamina to finish. Just like anything in life, I will need to ease back into it and just give a basic rundown of the past few (insane) months.

August has slowly loosened her overbearing grip on my life and I'm finally beginning to feel like a human again rather than a robot restaurant slave. I've never been so glad to see September. If you've ever lived in Bar Harbor during this time of year you know what I mean... if you have owned a business here then you DEFINITELY can relate. The good news is that the Cafe is busy busy and we are getting rave reviews. The other good news is that Kiera's daytime babysitter Jillian has been a blessing to us and everyday that I pick Kiera up from her house, she is a smiling, well-fed, clean and happy baby!

This has been a summer of sacrifice in many ways. We asked Lexi to move with us to a teeny 500 square foot / 1 bedroom apartment that's attached to the restaurant. We asked her to work 3 days/nights each week all summer as a babysitter to Kiera while we work. We all gave up our fancy free lifestyle to buckle down and dedicate our efforts to both of our businesses, we've given up our Sleep Number Bed, our laundry room, our privacy, and our ability to take a full day off. Lexi has been a trooper and we have made the best of everything. Jeff and I sneak away for "dates" whenever we can and we are loving the fact that we don't have to drive back and forth from Hall Quarry to Bar Harbor multiple times per day. In fact, I think I will miss this little place once we move back to our house in October!

This has also been a summer of new and exciting experiences for Kiera. As busy as we may be, we're still having fun with her. We have been escaping to our boat on the pond, taking her to the swimming pool, playing in the park, watching her master walking (which has turned into running), and seeing her bond with all of her family members grow... especially Lexi. I'm not really sure where or how we found time for these things, but occasionally, we did.

To be honest, I want to write little stories from the past few months like I would in a normal blog... but I can't. I blame the month of August. I'm embarrassed to say that this time period in my life was officially a blur. I hope that it is the last blur that I experience, because it all goes by so fast anyway (without the help of 16 hour work days and anxiety attacks.) I've learned a lot though, and I will be more prepared for next year. I will know my limits, I will know my staffing needs, and I will be able to take care of myself a little more.

Every day was about the restaurant and the kids. Jeff and Lexi were super stars who helped wherever it was needed. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but it was almost like we went into survival mode, like everyone was just doing whatever had to be done to get the job done. We fell into a sort of routine as a family. I woke up most mornings saying something like, "OK Jeff, what is the game plan for today? I will start feeding Kiera if you can bathe her while I open the restaurant. I can take her to Jillian's while you head off to work but then I'm serving lunch, so how will she get picked up? Can we get Lexi on that? Also, Lexi wanted to go tubing with some friends so maybe we can run over to the pond in between lunch and dinner. Do you think maybe your mom can take Kiera for a few hours afterward while you wash dishes and I bartend during the dinner rush." That was a fairly standard day.

At times I'm super jealous of stay-at-home moms and at other times I'm not. Both lifestyles have their pros and cons, just like anything in life. Both lifestyles are very hard work, but just in different ways. I will say that owning my own business has allowed me to work for a living while also keeping Kiera close by... sometimes right in my arms....and that's pretty special for me. When I was opening the restaurant and 6 months pregnant just about everyone told me that I was crazy. I didn't agree at the time, but I stand corrected. But here we are and we are making it work. Some days are easier than others and BOY don't I appreciate those times a lot more now.

The big news this week is that Kiera is turning ONE!!!!! Her B-day is this Saturday, but we are having a party for her on Sunday. I'll be sure to post photos :)

Oh and other big news is that Side Street Cafe won and placed in MANY categories on the "Best of the Best of MDI ballot." Our amazing customers voted us for the Best Burger in town AND the Best Lobster Roll in town. We were also voted for Best Business Lunch, Best Healthy Lunch, Best Chef (Kris), 2nd Best Wait Person (Megan), we placed 2nd and 3rd in many other categories as well. It was fun to participate and to be recognized. Young's Building Contractors was voted as Best Building/Remodeling Company and he was voted Best Carpenter! It almost makes us feel like our hard work this summer really paid off!

I did manage to take some pictures this summer, but uploading them hasn't quite happened. Here is what I could come up with for now:

The famous Side Street Lobster Roll.... lobster straight from the boat to the cafe, handpicked, lightly tossed in mayo and then LOTS of it stuffed in a grilled roll.

A sprinkling of a "secret ingredient" on top :)

One of our 1st boat rides of the season out to Spectacle Island with our great friends

Our nephew Evan graduated high school and entered the Army. This photo was taken before he left for boot camp.

He made us all proud by graduating and has been stationed in Texas for more training. We miss you Evan!!!

This is how I felt at the end of most days.