Happy 1st Birthday Bloggy Blog

 This April marks one year since the birth of this little blog. . .

. . .and I'm celebrating.

I know in the grand scheme of things,

 it's not really that big of a deal.

But it's a big deal to me.

I was a Creative Writing Major in College.

And after I threw that black cap up into the sky, 

 I entered the corporate world,

and the whole creative writing thing took a backseat.

Nice backseat by the way.

In my first five post-collegiate years
I got so caught up in life outside of college:

in the new world of paying bills, of writing business proposals,

memos, meeting minutes and marketing material. . .

. . .that I forgot to take the time to write for me.


I've always written. 

If not a letter, a poem. If not a poem, a journal entry.

 If not a journal entry, a scribbled thought.

And I missed it.
I missed the human connection and the clarity it provided.

And then it hit me, why not start a blog?

To me, it was about finding what made me tick.

 I wanted to take off my blinders and pay

attention to what was happening around me.

To stop. To capture. To reminisce.

And to let this mind of mine go wild.

To write about things that make me laugh.

I love me a good flow chart.

To try and capture my life experiences,
that, without reflection, could've slipped by unnoticed.
And what a shame that would be. 

Because you know what I found out? 
This blog made me realize more than ever, 
that which moved me to write the most was the people who surround me.

Family.

Here's me with my mom and brothers, Sean and Brian. 2004.

 

The whole Mc Crew + sig others. 2011.

Me and my Mom-in-Law, Toni. 2012.

Friends.

I've been friends with these girls 10+ years...some even 20+.

Laughlin 2012.

 

Amber is a serious besty. Dodger game 2012.

Jessica & I. Cambria 2011.

My super sweet husband.

Vegas 2011.

My crazy, cute pups.

Guinness and Raja sunbathing. 2011.

 
This blog has reminded me that is it important to take a break 
from this busy world and enjoy the little things that life has to offer.

To share the things that make life worth living.

The things that make me smile, and laugh, and well, sometimes cry.

Things that make my internal wheels spin.
Because I find it usually makes someone else's wheels spin too.

I've learned it's priceless to share the things you love.

To spread the word.

Because if you haven't heard:

Many thanks to all of you who have
reached out and offered a pat on the back.

You help keep me inspired.

Little crumbs of encouragement go a long way,

and I eat it right up knowing I am not alone in this.

That somehow, my world is something you can touch and feel.
Because it is through my connection to others
that I find a purpose in going on with this blog-o-mine.

A special thanks to my husband, Travis,

who has put up with me sharing my time with this little blog.
When I get lost in the world of computers, he calls me "Digital Bobby."
I have no idea where he came up with it. But it makes me laugh.

I imagine Digital Bobby might look something like this:

Not to be confused with Bobby Digital:

That's something totally different.

So when I am getting ready to jump into the blogging world,
I tell Travis "Digital Bobby is going to get didgy didge,"
and it is known, I'm going to be gone for a while. 

But I will reel him back in,
because he is my sounding board, 
my proof reader who I've had check, double check,
and sometimes triple check every little change I make.

He understands when I'm obsessing over the little things,

because he knows, it's the little things matter to me.

Thanks sweets. You rock.

And you are also very skilled in the pint stacking department!

And thanks to you, dear readers, it's been really fun.

Cheers to many more posts to come.

XO

Aimee
(aka Digital Bobby)

Here are some of my favorite posts:

Catch & Release

Happy Father's Day

On the Brink
Magic Chef

Dear Santa

Dogs: An Obsession
Girl Scout Cookies

Happy 100th Birthday Grandma!

Today is my Grandma's 100th Birthday,
and although she passed away 13 years ago,
I thought it proper to honor her just the same.

She was pretty awesome.

This is my favorite picture of her.

Frances (McAullife) McMahon

She was in her 20s here, and it was the 1930s. 

She reminds me of me.

Don't cha think?

 She was the only grandparent I was lucky enough to really know.

My Mom’s parents died when she was relatively young.

Her father when she was 14, and her mom when she was 24.  

My Dad’s dad died when I was 6, and being that he lived

on the other side of the US, I only met him once or twice.  

This is my Grandma and Grandpa McMahon.

Paul Richard McMahon, Sr. & Frances (McAullife) McMahon, 1936-ish. 

Is it weird to say I think Gramps was kind of hot?

You go Grandma!  

And Grams had some pretty chic fashion sense.

I think she got it from her parents.

These are my Great-Grandparents, Mary and James McAuliffe. (1945)

Doesn’t this picture make you want to live back then?

You know, minus the whole Great Depression thing.

I love the old cars and how everyone dressed up and wore coats and cool hats.

Total wannabe right here. . .

 My Grandma was ahead of her time, 

receiving a Masters degree in Mathematics with a Minor in Home Economics

 from Regis College in 1934.

Regis was a small private all-girls Roman Catholic college

located in Western Massachussetts.

And later she became a volunteer at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT.

I did not inherit either of these capabilities.

(My math = calculator. Blood & guts = Me passing out.)

I did however, inherit her giggle,

which I think might be one of her best qualities.

Grams mid-giggle (c. 1936).                 Me mid-giggle (c. 2012).

And as any devout Catholic,

Grams was also a constant support to St. Augustine's Church, 

which was literally across the street from her house on Barker Street.

St. Augustine's Catholic Church.

The homefront. 187 Barker Street.

If they needed something, anything,

she was always sure to find a way to help,

 often enlisting one or more of her brood to be of assistance.

Her brood. Well, you know, many years later. 1999.

My Dad has so many wonderful stories about his Mother.

And I can listen to them all day.
(Which is good. Because once he gets started, well, it's going to be a while.)

One of the things I love most about it all,

is that this family is rooted so deep in history,

and my Grandma, a Matriarch of Matriarchs,

has so much to do with that.

Her children and grandchildren congregated around her,

not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

She was a woman of wits, and spirit and selflessness.

This is my Grandma as I remember her.

My Grandma & I at my Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Ellen's wedding. 1990.

And even though she lived in Connecticut,

 and I in California, we were quite close.

We wrote each other letters on a regular basis

and would enjoy some intermittent phone calls here and there. 

Since her birthday was on April 2nd, 

 it was our family tradition to call her

on the 1st to say "Happy Birthday" as an April fools joke.

And she'd fall for it every time.

"Ooo! Is today my birthday?"

Her 'Ooo' had this way of sounding almost like an owl's soft coo.

She lived to be 86.

I was 17 and a Junior in high school when she died.

And even though it has been 13 years, I still get warm fuzzy feelings

remembering her giggle, her voice, her smile.

Love you Grams!

XO

Aimers

See my post on her Irish Bread recipe here.