Hi Friends! It's time for my favorite post of the month! The time when we share "what's up with us!"
Before I get started, I wanted to remind you that TOMORROW is MONTHLY MUSINGS! Please join Patty and me as we talk all things Spring and Easter! Check out our questions...
NOW Back to Business! Let's chat....
What We're Eating This Week
Monday- Mimi's Homemade Pasta Shells with Sauce and Ricotta
Tuesday- Chicken Quesadillas, Guac and Chips
Wednesday- Cornbread Taco Pie
See the recipe HERE
Thursday- Breakfast for Dinner- Eggs, French Toast Sticks and Strawberries
Friday- Friday Night Pizza and Salad Night
What I'm Reminiscing About
It's funny. We went to see the high school's production of Oklahoma last weekend so it had me reminiscing as we did the show during my sophomore year in high school...brought back some wonderful memories!
What I'm Loving
All of the Middle School "tea" that Diana is sharing...about her show...she is sooo excited...and all of the middle school gossip...just glad she still tells me so much...I don't take that for granted!
What We've Been Up To
We enjoyed a beautiful and ultra relaxing vacation in Aruba (most relaxed Mama has been in years)
Pidge got a Big Girl Hair Cut!
Diana placed FIRST in the NH PTA Reflections Competition in the category of Dance Choreography
We voted!
Mama loved watching Sam in the NH Cheer Competition- Windham placed FIRST!
There has been lots of Remi snuggles :)
The Fab Four enjoyed their Annual St Paddy's Day Celebration- this year with an overnight to Beantown
Eva had a blast competing in DI
Eva and Daddy LOVED
the return of the Daddy Daughter Dance- unlike Diana, Eva loved dancing
with Daddy and he actually got to relax and enjoy himself- HA!
Mama and Diana loved leading the Stations of the Cross at St. Matt's
Date Walks have returned- WOOHOO!
Eva wrapped up her hockey season with Top Gun and she will start with the Cyclones next fall!
Diana had a blast with her Dance Besties when they came to sleepover
and QT with Lea always makes Mama happy
Eva tried out for softball and got placed on a team with the BEST coach and pals AND she was chosen to play on the All Star Tournament Team this Summer- we are so excited! We loved the experience Ally had on this team growing up and we feel like we are coming full circle!
Mama loves most Tuesdays in the office and before the cold front moved in, it was time for the first iced coffee of the season!
Daddy was appointed Vice Chair of the School Board for his very last term...
and Diana and Ryan got to perform their monologues from Charlie Brown for the board on the same night!
We enjoyed the high school's production of Oklahoma!
and Mama is holding on tight to Saturday Mornings at Starbucks...know these days won't last
We loved celebrating Mimi and Papa Bob's Birthday all together!
and thrilled to watch the girls at the 2022 Performance Awards at LDA!
What I'm Dreading
Nothing at the moment!
What I'm Working On
My Full Time Job- Managing our Household- a Spring full of WMS events and my last season of PTA and finally, Planning for the 2022 Blackout Cancer Charity- woosh- plenty to keep me busy!
What I'm Excited About
Oh so much! Spring weather...seeing our girls perform on stage again...Easter...Eva's Birthday...and a work celebration next week!
What I'm Watching/Reading
I found I needed to decompress more than ever this month because of how crazy busy work is...with reading and a new obsession...kinda embarrassed to say/write...
I became obsessed with True Crime documentaries...who am I anyway?
Dear Zachary
(almost as good as "There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane" but close 2nd)
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 American documentary film written, produced, edited, and directed by Kurt Kuenne.
The film is about Kuenne's close friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered
after Bagby ended a relationship with a woman named Shirley Jane Turner.
Shortly after she was arrested as a suspect, Turner announced that she
was pregnant with Bagby's child, a boy she named Zachary.
Kuenne decided to interview numerous relatives, friends, and
associates of Andrew Bagby and incorporate their loving remembrances
into a film that would serve as a cinematic scrapbook for the son who never knew him. Kuenne has stated that Dear Zachary
began as a project only to be shown to friends and family of Andrew
Bagby. However, as the events unfolded, Kuenne decided to release the
film publicly.[2]
Dear Zachary premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2008, and received a limited theatrical release before being acquired for distribution by MSNBC.
It has received critical acclaim and has been noted for its editing and
emotional weight. In 2010, after watching the documentary, MP Scott Andrews introduced Bill C-464 (also known as "Zachary's Bill") to the Parliament of Canada.
The bill, which helps protect children in relation to bail hearings and
custody disputes, was signed into law. Kuenne is donating all profits
from the film to a scholarship established in the names of Andrew and
Zachary Bagby.[3]
I Love You Now Die- The Commonwealth vs. Michelle Carter
In July 2014, 18-year-old Conrad Roy died by suicide in his car at a
parking lot in Fairhaven, Mass. Police soon discovered a series of
alarming text messages from his girlfriend, 17-year-old Michelle Carter,
that seemed to encourage him to kill himself. This discovery sparked
sensational headlines nationwide, leading to a trial that raised
difficult questions about technology, social media and mental health,
while asking if one person can be held responsible for the suicide of
another.
In 2012, teens Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy fell in love. They
lived hours apart and met in person no more than five times, but
exchanged thousands of texts over a two-year period. After Roy was found
dead in his car in July 2014, what appeared to be a standard case of
suicide by carbon-monoxide intoxication took a shocking turn when
investigators discovered alarming text messages on his phone. Carter, 17
at the time, had urged Roy to kill himself, even after he had second
thoughts and removed himself from his car.
Directed by Erin Lee Carr (HBO’s At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal and Mommy Dead and Dearest) I Love You, Now Die
explores the complicated relationship between Carter and Roy, drawing
on some of the thousands of texts they exchanged over two years to
chronicle their courtship and its tragic consequences. Featuring
unprecedented access to the families, friends and communities that were
forever changed by this unusual case, the documentary explores the
changing nature of the justice system today, following a story that has
wider implications for society at large, both online and in real life.
The film presents a well-rounded look at a bizarre tale that was a
deadly convergence of mental illness, loneliness, pop culture and
technology.
In July 2017, Michelle Carter was charged with involuntary
manslaughter in the suicide of Roy. In August 2017, she was found guilty
and began her 15-month prison sentence in February 2019, following a
failed appeal.
I Love You, Now Die includes footage from Michelle Carter’s
trial, where the filmmakers had the only camera allowed in court and
supplied the pool camera for this historic case. It also features
interviews with key individuals in the story, including: Conrad Roy’s
immediate family; Joseph Cataldo, Michelle Carter’s defense attorney;
Dr. Peter Breggin, an expert witness for the defense; police detectives;
and journalists who covered the case extensively.
Alice Is Still Dead
In an intimate and unflinching account dealing with grief, 'Alice is
Still Dead' tells the story of a murdered loved one from the victim's
family perspective. From the detective's notification to her family to
facing the killer in court, we see the pain, anger and heartbreak a
family must endure while the nightmare is investigated. The filmmaker is
the brother of the late Alice Stevens and, in this tribute, ultimately
asks if it's even possible to move forward after such a traumatic event.
American Murder: The Family Next Door
The film tells the story of the 2018 Watts family murders, which took place in Frederick, Colorado.
It uses archival footage including social media posts, law enforcement
recordings, text messages and home video footage to depict the events
that occurred. 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters disappear
in Colorado. With the heartbreaking details emerging, the family's
story made headlines around the world.
I also binged two great series!
Pivoting
Three women make a series of life-changing decisions following the death of a childhood friend.
and
Life and Beth
After
an unexpected incident, Beth starts having flashbacks to her teen self
and learns how she became who she is and who she wants to become.
I was also a reading machine...it helped that I stuck with a light, romantic series that I love...I am reading the Beach Plum Cove Series by Pamela Kelley! You will see below that I made it through the first four books in the series!
First was
The Nantucket Inn
Next was
Nantucket Neighbors
then
Nantucket White Christmas
and next
A Nantucket Affair
What I'm Listening To
It has been a lot of the Charlie Brown soundtrack in the car so Miss Thing can practice...1.5 weeks until opening night!
What I'm Wearing
It is a constant battle right now between thinking and dressing spring and bringing out all of the Lilly
to dealing with the tail end of winter and keeping on all of the black...sigh
What I'm Doing This Weekend
So looking forward to this weekend...Friday night I will get to have a cozy night at home after I pick Eva up from dance...yeah! Daddy has a gig and Diana is going to a ballet. Saturday means getting lots of errands done and hanging out with our besties that night for dinner and Sunday will mean mass and getting organized for the week BUT the girls and I are especially excited to take them for their dress fittings for Kayla's wedding- YEAH!!!!
What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month
Seeing Diana as Sally in the WMS Production of "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown"...so excited!
What Else Is New?
Really looking forward to our Easter traditions too...especially the Living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday Evening
That's a wrap! Can't wait to see what you have been up to! Linking up for What's Up Wednesday HERE
