Christmas Angel

Christmas will never be the same again…..at 4:11 this morning Meeme passed away and became our Christmas Angel. For me this was especially hard, as I was extremely close to her. My heart is completely broken right now, and just trying to get through each moment.

Have you ever met someone that would give you the last penny in their pocket, or the coat off their back in subzero temperatures? If you have, then most likely you’ve met Judy. She’s the type of person that puts everyone else before herself, and thinks of you before anyone else. Well that is unless you’re at Nino Salvaggio and she runs the cart into the 4.99 a carton blackberry display and they fall over the floor. Of course, at that moment she’s out of there before you can blink your eyes and you’re left with a big mess that you have to apologize for and slowly back away from. Need a snack? She probably has one in her purse waiting for you. Need some good butter? She most likely has the sample size for you in her purse, because let’s be real if we are going to butter that roll it better be with the good stuff. 

Need a volunteer? Judy is right there willing to help you. During the holiday season she spent time volunteering at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen. You can’t forget about all the toys she donated to Toys for Tots, because she believed no child should ever be without. Who can resist a flamed-grilled Whopper Jr. from Burger King, especially when it is buy one get one? If you’re Judy the free one goes to the homeless lady who was sitting at a table drinking a coffee and eating a pie, because that’s all the lady could afford and Judy just can’t resist seeing anyone go hungry. If you’re ever at the Burger King at Avon and Rochester Road and see someone less fortunate think of Judy and get them a little something to eat.

Whether she’s stopping over to say hi or coming over for the holidays Judy never shows up empty handed. Returning Tupperware you know that it comes back with something in it, maybe it’s cookies or maybe it’s a little extra money – no matter what she made sure you had something.

Judy loved taking the bus to the casino, and the pickup was at Oakland Mall. Do you know what’s right by Oakland Mall? That’s right, Krispie Kreme donuts… yum. Judy would get a couple dozen donuts and share them with the ladies and gentlemen on the bus. One time she even brought a cooler on a bus trip and filled it with ice cream sandwiches because it was so hot and she wanted to make sure everyone would stay cool on the bus ride. Need more substance in your stomach? No problem, she probably has some tuna and egg salad sandwiches in a pita in that cooler as well. The casino was the thrill of it all, she wanted to win big, but not so she could be a millionaire and live in a big fancy mansion with six cars, she wanted to make sure her family was taken care of and the rest of the money would go to charitable causes. She never talked about what she would do for herself if she hit it big; she always talked about what she would do for others.

She saw the good in the world – like the time she was sitting at a slot machine winning, but noticed a purse sitting adjacent to her with no one in sight. She promptly got up from her winning chair, grabbed the purse and walked briskly to security where she turned it in. Only to find out that it was a decoy purse to catch bad guys, and she could of stayed at her winning slot machine…bummer.
Have you ever heard of the bowling team The Two Sisters? Well that’s Judy and Geri – sisters in real life, but despite popular belief by fellow members of the league not nuns. From strikes to gutter balls the memories created at the lanes were ones to last a lifetime.

Judy had an eye for decoration, especially during the holidays. At Christmas time step foot in the door and be welcomed by a life-sized Santa and see the beautifully wrapped family presents adorned with a bow of course, that add decorative detailing to the staircase. Walk into the family room and you can bet the table has a variety of candies and nuts to make sure her family and friends always have a little something to snack on. Turn to the mantle where you can see a perfect display of Christmas décor, featuring some of the most beautiful angels you have ever seen. On the opposite side of the spectrum if you want to be traumatized and completely afraid of the dark for the rest of your life, spending the night at her house was the place to be. Between dateline and ghost stories you can bet us girls are sleeping with a light on and our doors locked.

To her family Judy was known as Meeme, the best mom, sister and grandma that anyone could ever ask for. She had more love in her heart for her family than words can even begin to express, and when you look at the family you can see some of her most prized qualities in them.

xoxox Air

Travel Diaries: Port Huron – Sherman Woods

At the end of summer we had an amazing date in Port Huron. After the date he drove us through Sherman Woods, which was filled with some of the cutest houses that each featured unique characteristics. He informed me that Sherman Woods turns into the cutest little area at Christmastime, and that he would have to bring me there in December because I would love it. Let me be real with you, at that point I didn’t think that was something that would happen. To my surprise it did, this weekend as a matter of fact.  I have to give the boy some serious credit; he really goes out of his way to make things special. These pictures do not even begin to do this place justice, so if you’re local I highly recommend going to check it out. You might even spot some carolers – seriously they totally made our night. Michiganders do you have a favorite spot to visit for amazing lights?  

DIY: Gingerbread Train

When it comes to Christmas there are a few things that I look forward to, one of them being decorating a gingerbread house. This year when I mentioned we should decorate a gingerbread house he immediately suggested doing a train, of course I wasn’t going to refuse that  – I love trains. I have always decorated a traditional house, so steering from my norm was nice. The train was actually a lot harder to find than I thought it would be, but my mum actually ended up ‘saving Christmas’ and finding us one at CVS. When we started decorating the train he informed me that he had NEVER decorated a gingy house (train in our case) before. What the what! Don’t worry, I put him through the normal tortures of putting frosting on his nose, and of course cranking Christmas music. We worked perfectly as a team to create the cutest Christmas train, and thanks to his carpentry skills we even were able to jazz things up a bit more. Do you make a gingerbread house?

All Aboard the Polar Express

Relaxing December evenings involve cups of hot chocolate, a Christmas story and of course a roaring fire. What\’s your favorite Christmas book?

Gift Guide: For the Boater Babe

 
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2. Monogram Beach Bag – because everything should be monogrammed
3. Turkish Towel – my favorite type of towel… I even use them in the bathroom
4. Orca Cooler – so much cuter than a YETI
5. Gold Stripe Sea Bag
6. Boat Shoes
7. Waterproof Phone Case
8. Personalize Beach Towel