Welcome to my blog!

At last! You found me! In the words of my Mom Leona, “take off your wonderlust shoes and sit with me for a spell.” (See Mom – I was listening, even if I still have those shoes on). I am so glad you decided to join me – I have been expecting you. You are in for a wonderfully wicked ride —–

This blog is to be a place to explore the hodge podge of stuff that lights my fire, causing me to wake up at 3am — stumble into furniture in search of paper and pen (more on pen and paper preferences in another post) to capture those fleeting moments of genius, before letting the dog herd (i.e. an old man Jack Russell terrier, a Bischon who hates being groomed, and the baby – a black German Shepherd) out for late night bladder relief while I do the same (giving birth to four children does that to you, ya’ know).

Dinner anyone????

What, pray tell, what might this blog include?

Being raised by second generation Americans … in the 70’s … in the Orthodox Christian faith … with an EXTREMELY LARGE family (there were 18 kids in my Dad’s family  – that is NOT a typo – and 6 in my Mom’s family)… RITUAL and FAMILY TRADITION are my middle name, and as much a part of who I am as the blood in my veins. In Traditions Old and New, I will share my memories – of the simplicity of growing up in the seventies, in rural Pennsylvania, with a Lebanese father, a Yugoslavian mother, and all the foods (yes – that includes recipes), habits, holidays, customs, and beliefs that came along with it – not to mention the new traditions we are now building with our own family – my Italian American husband, and four children aged 23, 17, 9 and 4 — again NOT a typo (don’t worry, we figured out what was causing it and at our age another toddler might just do us in). From Uncle Tony’s meatballs to Tita’s Syrian Bread to my quest to replicate Grandma Lugar’s apple strudel – — to making lasting memories that will live on with my children’s children – you will find it all here.

I will blog about the finding my birth family in 2003 at the age of 35, after a lifetime of searching, and tips on how I finally found them so quickly (yep – you guessed it – in four days). Come for a tour of closed adoptions, and finding the roots of whence you came. Just think – when I write the book and sell the movie rights – you can say you knew me when….

A well-hidden gem in the Commonwealth of Virginia is the area which my family calls home – southside Virginia. There is so much to do here, I want to share it with the world. So, if you are looking for something to do for an hour, a day, or a weekend, check out the posts in Southside Virginia Meanderings and explore all that our region has to offer!

And what blog would be complete without Musings – a place to post all the funny and embarrassing moments that make up my daily life. As a self-professed closet tree-hugger-scholar, a blog needs a place to post  all the ecclectic things that make me do cartwheels every year for my birthday and talk 90 miles a minute to anyone who will listen. Consider this my verbal Pinterest section. Book reviews, favorite bloggers, the bee’s knees Amazon purchases, movie and tv show reviews, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens …. My Favorite Things will be posted to help you enhance your own favorites collection. The great part about this is it also includes a place where I can embarrass my children – yes kids, it’s payback time. (Lolo – remember how you use to wake me up 6 times a night as a preschooler, or randomly throw items on the floor in the grocery store, or scream bloody murder in the middle of the night only to have me enter your room in absolute terror while you were lounging with your little legs crossed, one hand under your head, and the other arm outstretched leisurely requesting a bottle refill? Payback time is here…. bahahahahaha).

Check back frequently to see new posts, and thanks for letting me share with you! May this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Love~

Chris

Phoebe – the princess (and she knows it)