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You ain’t never had a friend like me! A number of years ago when we were still dating, Kevin mentioned something to me that sounded like “our genie.” I thought he was being sarcastic about having his very own genie from a lamp, something along the lines of the masterful, musical genie from Disney’s Aladdin. Turns out, Kevin was perfectly serious…about the name of the local power company: Rochester Gas & Electric (a.k.a. RG&E). To this day I’m amused whenever people in the area talk about the power company, because they always say RG&E (often pronounced “our genie”) so quickly that it really sounds like they’re talking very seriously about their personal genie.
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Boys and their toys. This past Tuesday our two youngest nephews from Kevin’s side of the family came to the cottage with their girlfriends and their jet skis. They were out in the water when we got back home. It hit Kevin that his influence of being a gearhead, who looks to speed for thrills, had greatly influenced the interests and spending habits of his nephews. He apologized for this, only half-kidding, that he had some responsibility for their passion/obsession. I informed the ladies that the penchant for motor vehicles and being a gearhead does not subside as the guys get older. One of them said something to the effect of, so “we should get out while we still can?” Kevin suggested starting a women’s support group instead, for those who love gearheads.
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How full is your water glass? For my mom’s birthday last Sunday, she, her youngest brother, his wife, their two children, my husband Kevin, and I went to a delicious restaurant on the canal called Aladdin’s. My mom had called ahead and made reservations, but when we arrived, we weren’t on their list. They made room for our party of seven downstairs, but not outside, where my mom would have preferred to be. The food was delectable and the desserts quite decadent which helped distract us a bit from the fact that the waitress helping our waiter was not all there, to put it nicely. Refilling our water, bringing us napkins, and forks when it was time for dessert was apparently a greater challenge than one would think. She provided the perfect foil for the waitress we had at lunchtime at The Cheesecake Factory the next day, who not only was on top of what we asked for, but who also had the foresight to anticipate what we’d like next and bring it before we even asked.
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I’m a little intimidated. After having such a good experience with the on-the-ball waitress at The Cheesecake Factory, the seven of us went up to the hostess station and requested to speak with the manager. He came out in a minute or two, and upon seeing my uncle Rob, who has a solid build and claims he’s 6’9” (but whose head brushes against standard height doorframes), he admitted, “I’m a little intimidated.” My uncle assured him there was no need to be, that we just wanted to let him know that our waitress had done a magnificent job and was to be commended. My uncle’s also a laidback kind of guy, so he isn’t someone you’d need to fear anyway, even though he is super tall. You could see the manager’s relief.
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No, I don’t. Do you play miniature golf? When we were growing up, people would always ask my uncle Rob if he played basketball because he’s so tall. He’d shoot hoops from time to time, but that wasn’t his favorite sport to play, so really the answer was no. I can’t remember if we saw his answer to this often-asked question on a T-shirt, but we thought it would be perfect to get him. My sisters and I get our height from our mom’s side of the family. My mom’s older brother is 6’5” and he prefers golf over basketball, too.
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Give us this day, our daily bread... As a juvenile diabetic, my husband wouldn’t get too far without sustenance. For many years, he’s been in the habit of carrying some type of food or candy with him in case his sugar gets low. The first summer, I lived with my grandmother in Rochester, so I could be closer to Kevin, I often went to daily Mass during the week. I went during the day while Kevin was at work, but even then I thought and prayed that God would change Kevin’s heart and mind about the Catholic Church. I longed for him to return to the faith, take part in the Sacraments, and seek to center his life on the Lord.
I can’t help but marvel each day when Kevin and I are holding hands together at daily Mass, both wanting to be there, fully participating in the Mass, and aware of the Lord’s Presence in the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist. I never dreamed that someday, even while we were on vacation, that my husband would join me for daily Mass, make it a priority, and look forward to it as much as I do. God is truly amazing!!
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If you like piña coladas…then you’d be in vacation heaven with me this week. My beverage of choice is a piña colada smoothie at Sips. Earlier this week, I got to indulge in a most delicious slice of piña colada cake cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. I spread the indulgence over a few days. Kevin has had a penchant for mango, especially on vacation. First, he was ordering a mango fruit freeze, now he’s moved on to a Mango Tango smoothie at Sips.
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Check out Jennifer Fulwiler’s 7 Quick Takes Friday series and her high-traffic for good reason blog Conversion Diary.
