4.29.2014

family project 17



The Monday before last Pat and I took Henson to Marlboro College, which happens to be the place where we met. It had been seven years since I had been back to "the hill."

Marlboro was not the easiest time for me. Without going into too much detail, I was forced to deal with some things that no eighteen year old should have to deal with. College was supposed to be a time for me to socialize and study. Unfortunately this time was riddled with drama and since then I have been carrying a huge sense of regret. However, Pat and I were celebrating our tenth anniversary since our first date and one of our professors is retiring, so it seemed fitting that we return to campus. It was a beautiful day and I was amazed by how much the place had changed.

What hasn't changed is the library. There are so many memories in that place. I couldn't bring myself to climb the stairs to the second floor for fear my heart would explode from bittersweet nostalgia. In hindsight, those days were so wonderfully arduous.


It is such a small school (300 students or so) in a VERY rural part of Vermont. As we sat chatting with our old professor it seemed much quieter than I remember. Maybe I was just louder back in the day? I kept looking over my shoulder searching for familiar faces. It is such a beautiful place but without those faces it seemed empty.

As Pat and I wandered about, I came to the realization that without the individuals you remember a place is just a place. It was nice to visit and see that the college is still so beautiful, but there was an emptiness that was new and disconcerting. Those people that helped shape who we have become are gone. What I am left with are little flashes of memory that cause my heart to flutter.


It is true that time heals all wounds. That may seem like a no-brainer but I had been harboring so many negative feelings, and then all of a sudden they were just gone. I realized that all those crazy, mixed up days helped me figure out who I am and ultimately made me wiser.


Thank you Marlboro College for the chance to study art and travel to Vietnam. Because of you I have a best friend, a husband and so many memories. Of course there is a financial debt, but any negativity I had for you is gone. I've gained knowledge and wisdom and self-awareness through those struggles I endured. Thank you.

Do you have any places you have revisited? Did they change for you? This was a very surreal experience and I am so happy to have had it. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.


4.21.2014

family project 16

I missed a week. Ugh!! I was doing so well too! I took some photographs but somehow missed photographing my boys together. Sigh. I have to keep going though. Yesterday I was able to document the boys playing "catch"and it was so cute! Notice Henson's baby bald spot? It is slowly fading and his hair is coming in. Too cute.


Today, we are headed out for an adventure to celebrate our anniversary. Should be an amazing day. Happy Monday everyone! Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

4.20.2014

hoppin' down the bunny trail


Happy Easter!! Easter is definitely my favorite holiday complete with all the pastel colors, tulips and chocolate . Plus, Pat and I were married during Easter weekend so I always get very nostalgic. The sun is shining and we are preparing a lovely brunch.  It is going to be low key and perfect. Hope everyone has a great holiday. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

4.18.2014

smoothies are the best

Hello everyone!! Last week I had my wisdom teeth pulled. Although it wasn't as bad as I expected, it was nice to sleep, watch a little Mad Men and drink smoothies. So. Many. Smoothies. YUM!!! It is so fun to put a bunch of things in the blender and see what happens. Here are some of my favorite concoctions:

Vitamin C Blast: ice, cantaloupe, pineapple, orange juice, honey on top


Dessert First Smoothie: ice, strawberries, almond milk, a dollop of chocolate pudding...because dental surgery calls for chocolate pudding!!


Simply Delicious: ice, banana, almond milk, peanut butter


Paradise Smoothie: ice, pineapple, banana, cranberry juice...it was so good!! Like something you would eat on an island vacation.


I don't drink cow's milk but you could totally use it instead of the almond milk. You could also use agave syrup or honey to sweeten. So many possibilities!! What smoothie combinations do you love?? I want to perfect a smoothie using spinach and/or carrots next. I would love any suggestions. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

4.15.2014

6 months of little things

This letter is a bit late. Between going to Vermont, my dental surgery and then Henson and I both getting colds, things have been a little crazy around here. Now that life has calmed down and the weather is beautiful, I am beginning to feel like myself again.

To our little Doodle,

Happy six months. Half a year. I can't believe it. When you were sick we prayed that you would get better and that everything would be normal by Christmas. At that time, the winter holidays seemed so far away. Now it's Spring! You are a happy baby with a round belly and so much laughter. During those first weeks I never imagined how things would be and my goodness life really is wonderful. You are an awesome little doodle and I have really enjoyed watching your personality grow.




You really enjoy:

chewing on your towel after a bath
the Addams Family theme song (we sing it to you to signify that we are going out) 
grabbing your feet
"the ants go marching"
bananas
your walker and racing through the house

you really dislike:

napping alone but I don't mind

Your dad and I love you so much. We are constantly talking about how awesome you are. Thank you for being such a neat child. Your happiness astounds us and we have been speechless on more than one occasion. Seriously Hens, you couldn't get any greater. We love you. Happy half year. 
Love, mama.



4.10.2014

Goals for April

Hello everyone!!! I know I have been slacking on my monthly goals. February and March were so cold and crummy that I didn't feel like doing anything but it is time to get back on track. I can't give up now!! April is my favorite month and with spring blossoming all around me it is time to wise up. This month I will:

Get my wisdom teeth pulled. I am recovering as I write this.
Stock the freezer with homemade baby food. 
Write directions on how to make a super quick/easy quilt.
Sit down and watch Frozen. I have had a serious girl crush on Idina since her Rent days.. am I the only person that hasn't seen this movie yet?
Clear out the plant beds.

I think that is good considering April has started. I'm going to go now. My face hurts and I have a baby that needs me. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.



4.08.2014

family project 14


Henson is feeling under the weather. We are trying to keep him entertained with songs and silly faces but he just wants to sleep. Looks like snuggles and naps are the only things scheduled for today. Hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

4.07.2014

bitter and sweet

Sometimes life needs to be bitter.  You need the bitter or else the sweet wouldn't be so sweet right?



Even with a swollen face and tooth pain Henson is so happy. Just the happiest baby. 



We went to Vermont for the weekend. Henson was such a trooper and I think he handled all the activity better than I did. Sometimes I get stressed out with so many people around but Henson's good mood helped me keep my cool. I sure am learning a lot from this little guy.

Also, I would like to thank everyone for the huge response to my blog post about Liberty. I was hesitant to share something so complicated but have loved all the messages and supportive feedback. I will keep everyone posted for the new shop is now open! Thanks for commenting, thanks for all the positive thoughts and as always, thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

4.01.2014

r.i.p. 853

Yesterday I mentioned that my husband is dealing with a lot of shop drama. In the past few months this "drama"  has cast an extremely miserable shadow over our home. My husband has been so distracted and is dealing with so much crap. He hasn't been able to be here for Henson and it is starting to take its toll.

This has been so tough for me to write about. I am not kidding when I say this is my twelfth attempt. Maybe it is because I am so overtired or maybe it is because my feelings are a conflicted mess of sadness and hope. Whatever the reason, I have been unable to find my voice during this drama. Please bare with me as I try and find the words and struggle through this.

I must start by saying that Pat is one of the most determined people I have ever met. ...years ago he decided to quit being a piercer and focus on a tattoo apprenticeship. Traditionally, being a tattoo apprentice is tough work. Apprentices often deal with harassment, abuse and general hazing (similar to practices found in a fraternity induction) from their mentor and peers. Pat's experience was no different. We had just started dating and I watched as he coped with some serious abuse. He dealt with it and would come home after a long day to practice his art for hours. I would often wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of a stirring paintbrush in a water glass. Pat would scrutinize everything he did often until dawn. He was determined to be a good artist and to this day it is not uncommon for me to pull giant paintings out of the trash because according to Pat they just "aren't right."

All his stress has paid off though because he has become extremely talented. Sometimes he will show me photographs of tattoos  and I am actually surprised that he did them!! I have seen his talent blossom as he has gained great skill. People have taken notice and we are often stopped at the grocery store, concerts or restaurants by people all too willing to show off the work Pat did.

Even with his talent Pat's scrutiny has not gone away. When he and his business partner (ironically, his mentor) set out to build their own shop my husband analyzed every step. Pat does not dive in (that's my job) and after meticulous planning they opened Liberty Tattoo LLC in 2008.


In those early days I remember going to garage sales to find furniture for the shop. I remember Pat's physical pain as he lay tile and painted walls. Those days were tough and we had to rely on help from friends and family. Eventually, after a lot of physical labor, Pat and his partner had a shop that was open for business.

Through the years the shop has grown into a successful business. Liberty has added new employees and the clientele has increased. Last year, I was in class (in a town MILES from the shop) and a fellow classmate recognized me from Facebook, realized I was Pat's wife, and began raving about how great Liberty was! So awesome.

I was so proud. My husband had built a thriving business in the midst of a shitty economy and had been able to provide for his family. So imagine our alarm when we heard that the building was going to be torn down! Yep, through the grapevine Pat heard the building was being sold and demolished to put in a parking lot. My poor husband had worked so hard and this rumor was traumatizing. Of course, panic set in as we tried to clarify what exactly was going on. After many phone calls we learned that Liberty's landlord was selling the building, it was going to be torn down, and they had to wait for a letter that would indicate when they needed to be out.

All of a sudden we had no idea what would happen to Liberty. Originally, I was supposed to stay home with Henson and Pat would tend to the business as usual. All of a sudden everything was up in the air. We had waited to start a family until the shop was established. We had a plan! We were supposed to be thriving and basking in the glow of parenthood. Instead we were agonizing over what our lives would look like in a year. Everyone was stressed out. I began looking for work. We were more careful with our money because we didn't know how long it needed to last. Life is tough enough with a newborn and adding such bizarre circumstances put my family on serious edge.

That being said, I never lost faith in Pat. It is possible that I was just too tired to lose sleep over the whole situation. I was still recovering from childbirth and Henson's stint in the hospital so maybe I was too stressed about too many things to give the shop my focus. Early on, Pat told me I had to stop telling him that things would work out (he's a bit of a pessimist, and rightly so) but I always believed they would.


Once the anger subsided, the boys at Liberty began looking for a new location. That is when the true struggle began. It turns out that even though Liberty was a successful business some people were not very accepting of my husband and his collegues. In a time when everyone has tattoos we assumed that the town Liberty was in, Berlin, CT, would be more welcoming and accommodating. Poor Liberty. Just when we thought it had a new location and things were going to work out, everything would get tied up in red tape and a small town political agenda. It was a disaster. Pat and his partner would talk to their realtor, find a location, get everything planned and then it wouldn't work out. This happened over and over as the moving date drew closer.

One night, Pat came home and told me that Liberty would have to rent a storage unit because they couldn't find a new location in time. The sadness was paralyzing. My husband had worked so hard and had been so careful. Our life had been flipped upside-down due to something we never would have imagined. We have always had a little money saved in case of an emergency like car repairs or a broken water heater but the idea of closing up a successful business was insane. I kept looking for work. In January I sent my resume to nineteen different job listings and in February I sent it to twelve! I searched, I called, I typed emails one handed while I rocked Henson. By the end of February things were looking pretty hopeless.


Spoiler Alert: if you work as crazily hard as my husband does things will work out.

After many failed attempts Liberty had a new home with a cooperative landlord in the beginning of March!! Once they had the keys the boys set out to make a tattoo shop unlike any other. They built walls, lay tile, put in plumbing and painted. Everyone has worked together and there is light at the end of this horrible tunnel. The journey has been so insane (and it is not over yet) but as we wait for inspections I am overwhelmed with hope.

I was always told that if you work hard you can accomplish anything and all this drama was a real testament to that. It is so disheartening to think that you can sacrifice so much and work so hard just to potentially lose it. I need to believe that business can thrive and that good people can prosper. We will never be millionaires and I will continue to look for a job, but my husband has given the worst case scenario the bird. Through blood, sweat and so many tears Liberty is turning into a beautiful shop that will be stronger than ever. They are adding more artists and all the rooms are private. The new Liberty is going to be amazing and I can't wait to get tattooed in the new space! Congratulations Pat and the boys at Liberty. This next chapter is going to be fantastic.

Phew! Thanks for letting me vent. After the final touches are complete I will blog about the new place. Thanks for looking. Love, Ms. Kate.

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