The Big Move

This weekend marks a monumental day! My father moved out of the house that I grew up in. He lived there for a grand total of 23 years. Honestly, when we first moved in, we thought we might only be there for a few years at most. But as the years passed, we both grew quite comfortable in our super tiny home. We watched the neighborhood change over the years from "not that bad" to "little salsa-ville" to just plain "ghetto." (Please don't be upset with me for my descriptions. I'm as open -minded as they come, but when you grow use to traveling circus Oom-pah-pah beats, you start to think that something is wrong with the neighborhood.)

When I moved to the East Coast I begged and pleaded my Dad to try and find a new place to live. It wasn't an easy task, and frankly, I think we both knew in the back of our heads that it would take a major life changing moment to pick up the roots and move.

Well, as many of you are aware, my Aunt passed away a month and a half ago. She lived with my grandmother, who will be celebrating her 85th birthday this November. My Aunt's passing was the major life changing moment that allowed my Dad to uproot himself and take over where she left off. He is moving in with my grandmother (his Mom), and I am utterly grateful for this, on so many levels.

He will have someone to come home to, and talk with. He has a new found purpose, and has been spending more time outdoors, mowing the lawn, stacking wood for the winter and taking care of Nana's property. I no longer need to worry about his well-being in his own house. (Nana lives just outside of town WAY up in the mountains. Now the worst thing I could even worry about is that he doesn't get sprayed by a skunk.)

But what brings the biggest smile to my face, is the knowledge that both Nana, and my Dad are together. My family in Oregon is incredibly small, just five of us, and with my Aunt now waiting for us on the other side, now is the time we need to bond together even tighter.

So celebrate with me, and say goodbye to the house I grew up in. I wish I could say that the next family to live there would build such happy memories as my Dad and I did in it, but sadly, I doubt that the new tenants would stay that long. Goodbye little Stukel house. I'll miss you.This was taken a few years after we moved in. It was such a cute house, wasn't it?To this day I still enjoy shoveling snow. Strange, but its something I've done since I was child, and I find it so peaceful.Whenever we had a snowfall, I'd try to dig a path from the front door of the house to the driver's side door for my Dad. I was alway so worried he slipped and hurt himself. This photo is one of the last shots my Dad took as he was moving out this past week. He rented a dumpster to help clean out the clutter from inside.In case you can't read the red type. The top says, "The blue roof is my old house. The red car is my Dad's car." To the left reads, "This is my elementary school." and to the right reads, "This is my Church."

Celebrating America's Beauty

This Fourth of July weekend Christian and I decided to head out to the Delaware Water Gap on the New Jersey/Pennsylvania boarder and do a little hiking. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves in to.Being the avid National Park fan that I am, of course I stopped in the visitor's center to ask the rangers for hiking suggestions. They gave us a map, circled several trails and told us to go have some fun.

We headed off on our first trail. After walking about two miles on it, we figured out it was actually the Appalachian Trail, which for those who aren't familiar with, starts in Georgia and ends in Maine. We made the wise choice of heading back to look for another trail. The cool part of making this first pick of trails, not only can I now say that I've hiked part of the Appalachian Trail, but we also saw this... (press play)

As we meandered back to look for another path we had a chance to pass by nature working her magic. So of course, there I am, surrounded by it and I have camera in tow. Here are just a few of the beautiful things we saw on the way back down.

Our second pick for a trail was suppose to be "hard" according to the park ranger that I had spoken to. It was a steady climb to the summit of the tallest peak on the Appalachian Trail, but she told us that it had the best views, and was well worth the effort. So Christian and I headed up our second trail.

After just a little effort, we arrived at a lookout point, which we thought was the summit. We were amazed at how easy this "hard" path was. Until Christian looked up and saw a steep-rock filled pathway with other hikers walking down. It dawned on us, we were not at the top. So we carried on, determined to see the summit.A little taste of the mile and a half "path" that created a challenging hike. (Below a look down at the rocks we had just hiked up)
Finally we reached the summit and were ever so pleased to sit down! The ranger was right, the view was spectacular. And even though the quickest way back down was the way we came, we chose to play it safe, by searching for an easier, yet longer trail, that twisted it's way back down the mountainside.

When we arrived home, after a long day's adventure, with the Empire State building as a back drop, we were treated to New York City's firework display on the Hudson River from the comfort of our apartment. So enjoy the show and I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July. Christian and I certainly did.

Semper Fi

Semper Fidelis is the United States Marine Corps' official motto. Translated from Latin, Semper Fidelis means "Always Faithful." This week a new class of ever faithful Marines graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Richard Alex Laszok was among those proud few who have spent the last four years devoted to studies, hard work, and perseverance. He is also a member of my family through my husband Christian and I am proud to call him my cousin.

Friends and family refer to him simply as Alex. Well, most of the time we do, although there have been those moments when other names have seemingly been more fit. Names such as, human-garbage disposal. I don't know if its just the military lifestyle or not, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone inhale banana after banana, much like how a chipmunk inhales nuts before the winter, and still he has room for two helpings of dinner.

We've also lovingly called him beast, or monster, or freak of nature. Again, I have to wonder about the military influence and if the 5 am physical training sessions Alex routinely and religiously does, plays a factor in this, but he is built like a brick! Solid, strong, and unstoppable.

But for me personally, I've always called Alex my Buddy. He has a heart of gold, and will do just about anything to see a smile on the face of his friends and family. No matter what job Alex has been given, I have never heard the slightest peep of complaint from his lips. I've seen photos of him covered head to toe in grease and oil when he worked in the bowels of a huge transportation barge. He told me it was over 100 degrees and the smell sunk into every pore, and yet in the photo, there is Alex with a huge grin on his face, loving every minute of it.

So it gives me the greatest joy to share with the world my buddy, the families freak of nature, and bottomless pit, and truly a man who is and will be "Always Faithful",

Second Lieutenant Richard Alex Laszok!We love you and are truly proud of your great accomplishment!
Congratulations!

Our Dads

Christian and I have been blessed by the love of our Dads. They mean so much to us that we'd like to share with the world how truly wonderful our fathers are.

Christian's Dad has always been a wonderful provider. As Christian and his three younger brothers grew up he often worked two jobs, with little side gigs here and there. He selflessly gave of his time to insure that the family had a roof over their head and food on the table. He coached all his boys in various sports and taught them the true meaning of teamwork. He is the first one to offer help, no matter how big the task or how difficult the chore. He's a Captain of the Jersey City Firemen, and has saved lives, help bring lives into the world, and had shed tears for those he could not reach in time. Christian has told me, "My dad is always there when I need him. He loves his family. He's a great Dad!"
My Dad was given lemons in life, yet he always has a way of making lemon-aid. My Dad raised me as a single father, a task that many men would find to be too much. But my Dad never gave up on me or our tiny little family. He is patient and kind, and has always led by example. He is a dreamer, an idea man, and has helped me grow the talents of my imagination. He supports me in everything I do. He is calm, and loving. Because of my Dad I share a love of music and theatre. He brought me up in a world full of culture, art, and the beauty of nature all around us. My life may not have been a cake walk growing up, but with my Dad by my side, it sure was fun and beautiful.

Happy Father's Day to our Dads!!

Dad's First Adjustment!!!

I am still playing catch up with the blog. So much has gone on in the last few weeks, and I've wanted to share it with you all, but simply have not had the time. So here is yet another entry from my father's visit last month that I sadly, never got around to sharing.

For those of you who have never met my father, he was born with only half of a hip. He's had several surgeries throughout his life, starting as a child, and running through his adult years, to attempt to build a hip for him. Because of this abnormality my father has always walked with a limp, and in these past twenty years or so he has walked with the aid of a cane. He's also the type of person to not complain when something physically is bothering him, because well, he's lived with discomfort his whole life, and so he knows how to deal with it.

That being said, he has NEVER been to a chiropractor! For one reason or another he felt he didn't "need" it, and so he never went. Well, his daughter fell in love with and married a chiropractor, so I'm sure you can imagine how frequent in the past four years he's heard me say, "Dad, you should get your spine checked!" So when he came out for a visit last month, Christian and I brought my dad back to office after we had closed up shop and Christian gave my dad his very first chiropractic adjustment!

Dad couldn't get over how easily his neck turned, and a pain in his lower back, which he had been "dealing" with was lessened to the point where he couldn't even feel it. But what truly blew him away, was that his whole life, walking with a limp, and with a cane, Christian balanced his hips and his leg lengths evened out!

I'm so proud of my Dad for allowing us to go outside his comfort zone to do something positive for his health. Needless to say, he was adjusted several times by Christian while he was here in New Jersey, and his daughter (me) went out of her way to find a wonderful chiropractor in Oregon so that he can continue care and enjoy what he said makes his body "feel like a teenager again."

Dr. Christian checking out Dad's posture, then showing him what it looks like. (Remember the office was closed when we did this, hence Dr. Christian's super chill clothes. hee hee)

Happy Dad having x-rays taken.

Dr. Christian palpating Dad's neck to show him tender spots that really shouldn't be there.

Dr. Christian checking Dad's leg lengths that have balanced out with the aid of S.O.T. blocks (Its a Chiro thing. hee hee)

Dr. Christian using A.K. to find subluxations in my Dad's spine. (A subluxation is a misalignment of the vertebra in the spine.)

Dad just chilling out, totally relaxed and really loving his adjustment!

For those who wish to learn more about Chiropractic, or to find a chiropractor in your neighborhood check out our office website. BornToAdjust.com

Clavicle/PT update

Popoolie's Visit to Jersey

This entry has been delayed due to my Aunt's passing. I wasn't really in the best mindset to post about how much fun my dad and I had while he was visiting Jersey a few weeks ago. So without further delay here are just a few images of what we did for the way too fast week that we spent together.I took my Dad out to West Caldwell and he had the chance to walk through the house that Christian and I are in the process of purchasing. (This is big news for many, I know. We haven't really talked that much about it because we've had a track record with our offers of falling through, but we're almost finished with the process and in the next few months we will call this house our home.... after it's been fixed up of course. Trust me, a lot of work will be done, but it will look beautiful when it's all done!)

I took Dad into Chinatown in NYC. We spent the day walking through crowded streets, rummaging through tiny little shops, and eating authentic Chinese food. Then I took him to Grand Central Station for a photo op, followed by Time Square for another photo location, and finally we caught the train home at Penn Station right next to Madison Square Garden.

Dad waiting for the subway in Chinatown.Looking for my ticket for the train, which we almost missed, at Penn Station.

Several months ago Dad was watching the Food Network, and saw a show titled, "Dinner's, Drive-ins, and Dives." The host was in a little hot dog place called Rutt's Hut, which is just five minutes from where I live. Dad had to stop in and see if their hot dogs were really as good as they claimed to be. Meanwhile, I had a hamburger. (Not too fond of the good ol' dog on a bun)
As a surprise for Dad, Christian and I took him down to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and spent a day visiting the Amish. We toured an Amish house and farm. We had a history lesson on how they began, how they live, and what every day life is like for them.

We saw several Amish buggies on the roads. It was pretty nifty.Christian and I posing as Amish farmers. I think Christian would still be pretty darn cute in plain Amish clothing.

I had transfer day at Seton Hall University. Dad attended with me and spent the morning walking the campus grounds as I spoke with academic advisers trying to set up classes for my Speech Pathology/Audiology and Deaf Studies degree. (However, after all this, I'll be attending a different university in the fall. But it was still nice to have Dad see a campus, even if it wasn't the one that I'll be spending my days on in the fall.)

Dad spent an afternoon taking the ferry over to Ellis Island. (I was at work while he did this, otherwise I'd post a photo from his outing. But he said it was pretty cool!)

Finally, to cap off the trip, my father-in-law John spoiled both my Dad and me by getting us tickets to a Yankee's game. We got to spend the evening cheering on the Yankee's in their brand new stadium, while they played the Oriels, and won by a landslide 11-3.

My wonderful Father-in-law decked out in Yankee gear!

The other cool thing, when we arrived at the stadium, we were unaware that it was a give-away night. The first 18,000 people to the stadium received Yankee's Baseball hats. Dad had already purchased one several days earlier, so here he is wearing the one he bought on top of the free Yankee Stadium hat.

It was great having my Dad visiting. I love having him around.