Wrapping it Up in Day by Day

I finished the tribute to my brother. I’m leaving out the story of how my brother got my husband tossed in jail but am including the go-cart story. We’re holding his memorial at the posh hotel in Tampa that my brother designed the interior for. They’ve comped the room as well as comping all hotel rooms for out-of-town relatives (7 rooms that I know of…one of them is for me and my husband, which is pushing it since I’m only 1 hour out of town but more on that in a bit) AND are providing free shuttle to and from the airport. These are the same people who visited my brother in the hospital. Guess I’ll have to re-think my opinion of corporate America. Anyway, Tampa Bay will be filled with a lotta love, tears, and laughter on Friday. SIL said she’s planned the “party of the century” as my brother requested.

So why are we taking one of the room comps? Well, step-mom and brother will be here for two nights, as will several cousins on the Italian side (will be fun to watch the mafioso and the rednecks mix! HA!), and I always want to see them, but mostly our foster daughter (all grown up now & thriving in NYC) is also flying in for two nights and I am not about to miss one second of her time! Some day I will retell the story of foster daughter, how she came into our lives and how she found us again and how it made our family whole again. It’s a good reminder to us all that life has a way of righting wrongs and if you wait long enough, good prevails.

The other thing I’m wrapping up is my very first ebay sale! Since the boys have made it very clear they do not want the stuff that’s been handed down through the generations, I’ve decided to sell it. I decided to start with the Wedgewood collection and sold my parents’ Bridge set: cigarette jar and four individual ashtrays, one in each suit (heart, diamond, spade, club). Some on ebay call them candy dishes, but there’s a groove for a cigarette. I never used them when I used to smoke as the ashtrays only hold one butt and that’s a pain in the…well, butt…to empty constantly. Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see how the others do. And if I get scammed. I’ve also listed it all on etsy, as well, since that was recommended to me.

And now I am going to wrap up my woefully neglected coin collection.

I’m making pizza tonight since the heat and humidity has returned. I get lazy about cooking when summer arrives. What are you planning for dinner?