Rosalie

My niece Rosalie was born today @ 4:21 am. She is 21 inches long and weights 6lbs 8 oz. She is so beautiful and tiny.

53... tick tock tick tock

53 days to go.....

It seems like many but feels like few....

Pre Cana went well..... I went for my dress fitting yesterday and we're going to put in a laceup panel in the back. I really need to find myself some motivation and self control. Its like, "Self-you have 53 days... get with it already!" I don't know if its that I'm comfortable being the size I am, if I'm just lacking will power, or what.... I'm hoping now that my after school committments are no longer, that I will resume Curves and going for walks. Over the summer, along with eating right, I made progress- noticeable- in my appearance/weight. Even if I can't maintain a habit of this, at least I should be able to do it for 53 days, right?

On another note, I've been addicted to Modcloth.com lately. I found a PERFECT dress today! I was pretty bummed about a similar one that was out of stock. So when I came home today and saw this one I was thrilled:




Seriously, the dress is called: Dorothy's Date Night

56 and counting

Fifty six days and counting until the wedding day..... where did the time go??

So we had our first session of Pre Cana today and it was really nice. The couple that ran it were such nice people and made the experience very real and not a dictation of what you should and shouldn't do. It was nice to hear first hand experience as well as not be lectured about the "rules of the Catholic Church in regards to marriage."

After Pre Cana, Jonathan and I decided it was time to get our rings. We went to every store in the mall and I ended up getting my first choice, from the first store we went to, Zales. I looooooove my ring and no other store had it. While they had similar rings, this one was just perfect. It was exactly what I wanted and looks fabulous with my ring. My engagement ring is uniquely shaped so it was difficult to find a ring that fits. This ring just dips enough that it looks great with my ring as well as alone. I applied for a store card, was approved, and 15 minutes later we walked out with my ring (since I'm the standard size) and Jonathan (who is not standard sized, not even close) is on order.......

I'm so glad that I got my official engagement ring in January. While my other one is meaningful and I know Jon was on a tight budget... this one just fits.
Tomorrow is session 2 of Pre Cana.

Two Months To Go

Holy wow... there are two months to go before the big day. I cannot believe how fast it has come. All the pieces are finally coming together. We've figured out the flowers, centerpieces, favors, and all the pieces of the puzzle. It is now crunch time to actually put those pieces together into the whole. I cannot wait to marry Jonathan. I've been doing a lot of thinking about how far he and I have come to get to this point. From the first time we met, 11th grade United States History and Government class- 7th period, to now. Its been a long road but definitely worthwhile. I would never have imagined back then that Jonathan and I would get married. I can still remember the day that it just clicked. I look forward to spending forever with him.

Here are some pictures of Jonathan and I dancing/together at various weddings throughout our relationship:


Stephanie and Taylor's wedding: June 2005


Emily and James's wedding: October 2007

Joe and April's wedding: October 2007



Dana and Adam's wedding: September 2009


Trish and Kevin's wedding: February 2010

5 Generations

I've been feeling very nostalgic lately since I've been seeing many old family photos. This photo is of 5 generations of mothers/daughters. I understand that this is indeed quite a rare thing. The woman in red is my great great grandmother, Josephine Ligarzewski. Her daughter is in the white shirt to her right, which is my great grandmother Hedwig (Hattie) Martin. Her daughter is to the left of my great great grandmother, and that is my grandma, Patricia Ritchie (hmmm intersting right, yeah, I'm named after her), to her left is my mommy, Debbie DiToto, and the baby in the picture is me, Patricia Ritchie.

I think that it is amazing to have something like this. Such a strong tradition of mothers to daughters. While I have no memories of my great great grandmother, I do have some of my great grandma Martin. I remember she had loose, soft flabby skin on the underside of her arms. I used to stroke it with my hand because it was soft and hit it softly. I remember making meatballs at the round table upstairs in the dining room. (My bedroom growing up used to be a dining room before it became my bedroom) I remember drawing houses on paper with her on the couch. She was a fantastic scenic artist. We have some of her art hanging up in the house. I have glimpses of other memories about her but can't put the words together to describe the picture. I know that might sound weird, but it just is. One of my most vivid memories of her is from her viewing after she died. I think the memory is slightly tainted by recollections my mom had but I remember seeing her at the viewing and talking to her. I thought she was sleeping. I was four and it was October.

Memories are wonderful. I've been truly blessed to have amazing maternal bonds in my life. My grandmother watched me during the day while my mom was at work. She used to watch my cousins too but I was lucky enough to be with her full time. My mother and I lived with my grandparents until I was 14 years old. (that's when my mom married my popadoodle and we moved in to our house) But I remember songs my grandma used to sing to me to go to sleep, I remember sitting in the recliner with her, I remember eating Social Tea cookies, and much more. Even in my adulthood the memories keep growing. We now swap books together since we are both bookworms. In one respect I am a mini Patsy.

In another respect, I am my mother. My mother is my best friend and my toughest critic. She has always demanded excellence from me and never lets me settle for second best. She pushes me to achieve my dreams and she gave up so much in order to guide me down that route. I am the woman I am today because of my mother. I have many memories of my mother and continue to make more into my adulthood. My mother wrote me a song she used to sing to me at nighttime:
"You're the light at the end of the tunnel,
The rainbow after the storm,
When those nights are long and cold,
You're there to keep me warm"
She was there for me for every heartache, heartbreak, failure, success, happiness, dissappointment, achievement, and every life moment I've had. She's been in my corner no matter what and no matter what time, place, or circumstance. I know that I can always count on my mom and that when I'm a mom I want to be just like her. She truly has made me the woman I am today.