These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it. ~ Charles Barkley

These are my new shoes.

Or rather, shoe.

I got it at the Winchester Hospital ER. 

And it only cost me a $40 co-pay. Don't you just love a bargain?

It came with a sweet sprained ankle too.

Lame?  Verrrry.

But the story has an upside. In addition to the sexy shoe that I get to rock all week, I was reminded why my dad Vincent is the best dad in the world.

As my ankle starting swelling to a size that seemed larger than the Situation's ego, I called my dad, swore a lot, and begged him to help me. Twenty-five minutes later, we were en route to the hospital.  Through a sprinking of tears and a deluge of f-bombs...

Dad: What the hell happened?

Me: It happened so fast...I don't even know. What I do know is that my ankle hurts and I am humiliated. Mortified. I fell in front of a group of colleagues. And I'm wearing this dumb skirt. Why did I wear a skirt today, Dad? Shit. I hope no one saw anything...do you think anyone saw anything? 

Dad: Well I don't know about that, but... I think you look very pretty today.

How much do you love this man?

How much do you love Charles Barkley?  Trrble.

The Chairman of the Board

“You gotta love living, baby. Dying’s a pain in the ass.”

-Frank Sinatra

In addition to Ol' Blue Eyes, one of Sinatra's well known nicknames was Chairman of the Board. How classy is that?

Unfortunately, the origin of the epithet is not entirely clear. Some attribute the title to his founding of a record label, others say he earned it with his unreal combination of swagger and style and cool.

In any case, if the wolfpack had a chairman, Frank would be it.

His hit, New York, New York, was always one of my grandfather's favorite songs. When my grandfather was in a coma--just before his passing--I remember trying to make a mix tape of Sinatra to play in his hospital room. Since cds didn't exist yet, the final product wasn't exactly high sound quality. Nonetheless, my mom took the static ridden cassette to the hospital and played it for my Papa. I remember mom reporting back to me that she thought it helped; he seemed happier when the music was filling his small room.

I don't know if that is true; I'm sure it was just something she told me to make me feel better.  In any case, everytime I hear this song, I think of my Papa. If he was alive today, he'd be my favorite pack member.

“And thank you for a house full of people I love. Amen.” — Terri Guillemets

I'm so very lucky to have three of the greatest mothers in my life, and to get to spend this weekend with two of them.

My beautiful sister and her three kids.

Grandma, who must be magic because she raise eight kids,
with a whole bunch of us back in the 90's. Some of us had questionable haircuts back then.
And yeah, I'm the one with glasses and braces.  It was an awkward phase.

The best mom in the world.  No questions, no argument.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

xo kate