I'm going home

It's been a stressful past couple of weeks. I am, though, looking forward to a trip I have coming up tomorrow. I'm traveling up to Chicago to spend some quality time with my Great Aunt Dorothy. I am really excited about having some great one-on-one time with her, which I now value more than I ever had before. While that is the main focus of my visit, I am also going to meet up with a colleague of mine from work who lives in Chicago, spend some time with my closest friends, shop and eat great food, all the while missing Penelope and Grant a ton.

I grew up in Chicago and really miss the city and all it has to offer. Luckily, I have been able to make frequent visits to the city in the past few years either planning my wedding, going to my friend's wedding or visiting family. I am trying to convince Grant that one day we should live in Chicago. Our last trip up was in December and it did not help my case nor did the flurries in the weather forecast for last night!

I will be sure to post some photos and speak of my time in Chicago next week. Sometimes there is nothing much better than quality time with your girlfriends. Perhaps Grant will make a special blog appearance while I'm out of town! Yeah right!!

All grown up

I've always been the oldest in my family. First born in my immediate family. First grand child born on each side of my family. I've enjoyed being the first for a lot of things growing up. Next Sunday is another first for me. My first college graduation for one of my brothers. Nick is graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism.

Nick and I have had our moments growing up, as most brothers and sisters do. We've probably fought more than we've been friends, until college. In college I spent much of my time as a resident assistant and graduate hall director in the dorms. When Nick was a freshman he was able to select his residence hall. I was shocked when he chose to live in Mallory Hall, the residence hall I supervised. Actually, I was more than shocked, I was touched. I was really happy that he could put aside our differences and that he would chose to live so close to me. Perhaps it was a good taste of home for him every now and then.

While we lived in the same building we rarely spent much time together, both so busy in doing our own thing. Now that I look back on it I really wish we could have done more together. When else will we both be able to live away from the rest of our families, yet so close to one another. Other than that regret, we were able to truly work on our friendship over the 2 years we spent in Mallory Hall.

I have one memory that I'd like to share. One Sunday night my phone rang. It was Nick. He had just returned from a weekend at home. It turns out that he wanted to take a shower...but...he had forgotten his towels at our parents' house. That is probably one of the moments he was most happy to be living a floor above me.

In the past four years Nick has grown into a remarkable young man. He has been ridiculously successful in his professional endeavors as a sports journalist. Some might think that it comes easy to him given all that he has accomplished. Writing does come easy. He has a way with words. However, I've seen him work for everything he has gotten. He is by far one of the hardest working and most diligent person I know. Perhaps not when it comes to cleaning his dorm room, but in just about everything else he gives a consistent 150%.

This week I got a phone call from my mom. She told me to read Nick's last column in The Alligator (a local Gainesville newspaper that Nick has written for while in college). I looked it up online and read it. While reading it I felt my eyes swell with tears. It was Nick's last column in The Alligator, a paper I read every day while in college and grad school. Nick was a staple in the sports section. He went from covering golf and women's basketball to 3 National Championship in 12 months. It was heart-felt and quite touching how he was able to find meaning in some of the hard times he's had and we've had as a family this year. He wrote about faith, timing, friends and the future. The future will be quite bright for Nick. According to his fellow writer's column,

"Nick Zaccardi, you have been the glue that has held the sports department together. Nobody works harder than Nick, and nobody has worked more unselfishly to help make the sports section something to be proud of. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the best college sportswriter in the country."

Nick has touched many. From his fellow writers, friends and classmates at UF to his family here and elsewhere. I look forward to all that he will accomplish and most of all, a life of memories with an amazing man, brother and friend.

Elvis lives...at the mall in Ocala

So a few weeks back I promised my Mom I'd go with her to one of my brother Zack's basketball tournaments in Ocala, FL. For those of you who don't know, Ocala is in the middle of the state, right in between Gainesville and Orlando.

We met at a high school in St. Augustine at 9:30A on a Sunday. We drove in a caravan with Zack's coaches and other teammates all the way to Ocala. We arrived at about 11:45A, just before Zack's first game. When we arrived we were told that Zack's team would play at 12:30P and and 4:30P...so that meant we had to find something to do to pass several hours in Ocala. This was not exactly my idea of fun.

After the first game Zack's assistant coach said that Ocala had a "huge" mall where we could spend all afternoon. I was a bit skeptical. I had never heard of the malls in Ocala. We drove to the mall. It looked pretty small from the outside. We went inside. It was tiny. I think there were 3 department stores: Sears, JCPenney and Dillards. I was not impressed. That was the last time I'll trust a guy's opinion of a mall!

We had lunch at the food court, circled the mall a few times and then I saw him...

There was a man dressed up as Elvis, dancing and wearing shades. I was determined to get a photo with Elvis. Who knew Elvis lived in Ocala?!

Timing is Everything

Sometimes it can be hard to see God working in your life...sometimes it can be crystal clear.

Two Fridays ago Grant and I planned to drive down to Fort Myers. That same morning my Great Aunt Dorothy was scheduled to have surgery in Chicago. I asked my boss if I could leave around 1P to make the 6 hour drive down to Fort Myers during daylight. He said I could leave early. Grant was able to take a 1/2 day at work as well.

I left the office at 1P, went home, packed up Penelope and had lunch. Then, we hit the road. About 30 minutes into our drive we were on I-95, Grant was driving, Penelope was in my lap and my phone rang. It was my Mom. I answered.

I asked her how she was doing. She didn't sound that great. I asked her how things went with Dorothy. She said not too good. My heart sank. My mom went on to tell me, in the strongest voice she could find, that my Great Aunt Dorothy had stage IV colon cancer and was given 6 months to live.

Do, as we all call her, has been there for everything. She was there at all of the birthday parties, graduations, celebrations for anything, church, you name it, she was there. She used to take us to church every Sunday. I remember one Sunday on the way home from church we convinced her that we could lead the way home (we were in elementary school at the time). My cousin Kari did the leading, telling Do when and in which direction to turn. We ended up at Kiddieland - a little amusement park for kids. Do laughed.

It is hard to believe that someone who you thought was so healthy and vibrant could really be so sick.

God's timing is everything, though. The fact that I was not in the office and that I was not driving when my Mom called to break the news, the fact that I was able to have a great weekend with family to get away and take it all in - God has a way with showing you his presence especially at times when you need it most.

I've talked to Do a few times in the past week and a half. She is in good spirits. I cannot wait to see her and give her a big hug. Until then, I'll continue to pray, knowing that God is looking out for me and for Do.

Camillllooooo

So a while back I posted about how I won a world-wide fantasy game on PGATOUR.COM. The grand prize was a trip for two to the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii, a spot in the Pro-Am tournament, air fare, hotel, rental car...the works. Unfortunately, I could not accept the prize since I work at the TOUR. It went to the runner up, Moose1. He ended up taking his wife and staying in Hawaii for 2+ weeks this past January.

Fast forward to last Wednesday. We had a New Media team meeting at work over lunch. We went over typical business stuff and updates. However, the highlight of the meeting was a complete surprise to me. Lee, our VP and GM of PGATOUR.COM, recognized me for winning the fantasy game out of every TOUR fan who participated. He noted that I never really got a prize. Then, he reached out for a bag under the table...in it was a photo frame. The photo in the frame was my favorite Gator golfer, and TOUR Pro, Camilo Villegas. He was crouched down reading a putt.

It gets better...

The photo was signed by Camilo! He wrote: "Becky, Thanks for believing in me. Camilo Villegas"

I love it!! =) It means a lot because I chose Camilo to be on of the four players on my team and he was the kicker. If I would have picked a different player from his tier I would have lost. I cannot wait to perhaps meet him at THE PLAYERS Championship in May. =)

A Taste of Home

Last weekend Grant and I took Bella (our new BMW) and Penelope for their first road trip. We drove down to Fort Myers to visit Grant's parents. Grant's brother Eddie and his wife and 3 kids all were in town visiting as well.

Grant and I were both able to leave work just after lunch, affording us some much needed daylight to make the 6-hour trek. Penelope was great in the car. We stopped for dinner at a Quizno's near Tampa and were able to walk over to a PetSmart that was right next door! It was a nice break for Penelope I'm sure!

We arrived at Grant's parents about 30 minutes before Eddie and Cari did. Perfect timing! That night we were able to introduce everyone to Penelope and spend some quality time with the family. It was really nice to see everyone and meet Eddie and Cari's 6-month-old daughter Brenna. She was absolutely adorable! It was a good baby fix for me!!

On Saturday the kids went straight for the pool while we hung out and went shopping. Penelope enjoyed all of the attention she got from Meredith. I think she misses her a lot now!

Saturday night I was able to meet up with my good friend Mandy. Mandy and I shopped a bit and then met up with Grant, Josh, his wife Adrienne, Nate and his girlfriend Rachel. It was so nice to be in town the same weekend that Nate and Rachel were visiting from LA. It was also nice to see Adrienne. Her and Josh are expecting a baby girl in July. =)

Me & Mandy

Nate & Rachel

Josh & Adrienne

On Sunday we all went to church and then I went to drop in and see my friend and former RA, Kellie. Kellie and Jon have one of the cutest 1-year-olds I've ever seen, Lorelai. She is really quite amazingly adorable. Lorelai really liked our new car!Right before we left for home, we had a birthday lunch for Grant, who is now 26! These next few weeks between now and June 23 are some of my favorite because I can joke around with Grant that he is older than me! ;)


It was a really fun weekend.

Danielle's Visit

One of my very close friends, Danielle came to visit last weekend. Danielle and I worked together as Resident Assistants in Broward Hall - by far the best dorm on the UF campus - while we were undergrads. We became close friends after taking Jogging class together - yes they have such classes at a first class institution such as UF. Danielle and I have been places together. She came to Jacksonville with me one year for the Florida Georgia football game - also know as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. We planned a Spring Break trip together to Miami and Key West. While in Miami we partied with P. Diddy. We vowed to save money that we'd eat only Balance Bars the entire trip. It was a good time.

Right after college Danielle moved to Pensacola, then to Atlanta and now lives in DC. While she lived in Atlanta she helped me shop for wedding dresses. In DC she has taken me to Annapolis, the Washington Monument, the Holocaust Museum, Old Town, GWU and so much more. In the middle she was a bridesmaid in my wedding.What is truly remarkable about our friendship is how it has grown over the years despite the distance. I've learned since college that it is much harder to make close friends in the "real world" than it was in college. However, all of my "real world" experiences have helped to bring me closer to my core group of friends though many live so far away.

Danielle came to visit last Thursday. We spent most of our time at the beach and hanging out with new and old friends at night. Danielle got to meet Penelope and go for many rides in my new car. We stayed up late talking about everything and anything. What is best about great friends is that whenever you are together it is hard to remember that you really live apart.

On Monday, I had to take Danielle back to the airport. It was bittersweet. While I hate seeing her go, I know that it will only be a few short weeks or months until we see each other again - in DC, Jacksonville or maybe somewhere new.

One of the bizarre events of the weekend happened on Friday night. We were out and I looked across the bar and saw this guy who looked very familiar. I knew that I knew him. This happens to me a lot. I remember faces, but have a hard time of remembering names or where I know the face from. I was convinced this time that I knew this face from housing at UF. I turned to Danielle and asked her if she recognized him. She said she did. We both tried to think of where we knew him from...was he an RA? a student at UF while we were there? Danielle went up to him and said that we thought he looked very familiar. He said he went to UF. We said we did too. That is pretty common around these parts. Then he did a double take and ran to get his friend. He turned to his friend and said do you know who this is, pointing at me. He was in shock. They said omg you were our RA! It turns out they lived on one of my floors in Broward Hall. It was great to catch up with them. Back in the day they were both Freshmen, now they are grown up with real jobs, serious girlfriends and in town to go to a wedding. Crazy!