Our wedding plans were squelched by Prop 8, but our trip home is on, nonetheless.  We’re really excited to be able to see everyone.

We land Wednesday.  Thursday day is probably lunch with Renee, Thursday night is dinner with friends Christi and Pat.  Friday night is dinner at Rich’s.  Saturday morning (hopefully) is breakfast with Debbie and Chris.  Saturday night is the infamous Celia’s dinner - Pop’s paying for the last time.  Sunday morning should be breakfast with Susan, and then  Sunday dinner at Eileen’s.  Monday is dinner at Harrington’s downtown.  We’re staying at The Hyatt Regency because our train leaves early Tuesday morning.

If we had just been allowed to get married, we would have been able to see everyone at once instead of having to run all over the damned Bay Area.

Yes.  The train.  We’re doing Amtrak cross-country from SF to Paoli, PA.  First Class, of course.  We have a compartment with bath and shower, and all meals are included.

We’re bringing lots of movies, iPods, and laptop computers.  I went out and got cellular access for the laptops so we can blog about the trip whilst travelling across the country.  We’ll be able to post in real-time.  What fun it shall be!

We’re going to be hitting the Omaha station at 6:00am on Thanksgiving morning if anyone wants to come down and wave to us!

You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade,
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You’ve got to be carefully taught!

We saw South Pacific last night at the Lincoln Center Theatre in New York.  We were upper west side while McCain and Obama were making nice-nice downtown.

The show was one of the best performances I’ve seen.  It’s truly amazing how the show is so relevant today - 59 years after being written.

It’s easy to see how the original show ran for 5 years.  May this show have the same incredible luck.

Two years to the reunion.  One year to the reservations.

This is it, folks. Reunion 2010.

Click here for details.

What a day! Pop would have been proud of us..

It started with sobs closing the casket (it was not easy) and then laughter like you wouldn’t believe driving from the mortuary to the church. Folks were out front of the church steadying themselves for a sad group getting out of the car - we were laughing our heads off!

We started talking about Pop and one thing led to another… Right before we pulled up to the church, Eileen said to the driver “I’ll bet you hear a lot of stuff…” He replied “Not like what I heard today!” We laughed louder.

The Fire Dept honor guard saluted when Pop went up the steps - and that brought tears galore and then right after the processional, Mike gave the eulogy - followed by Danny Boy. I know all the words.  It was rough..

And that damn Irish brogue of Father Ryan… Just when everything seemed to be okay, something was said to get the tears flowing. And then, OMG, the flag and the bagpipes. Yeah, Amazing Grace is getting old, but he played a couple other songs that were great - and he was an Irish bagpiper, not Scot.

Down to the Irish Cultural Center… We all stood there with shots of Jameson Irish Whiskey - even me. I did a little one for Pop, and that was enough for me. (I haven’t had a shot of whiskey in over 20 years, but it seemed fitting for Pop.)

And then I started talking to people I haven’t seen in years and years… We had a blast. 4 hours later, we changed clothes and headed to my sister Eileen’s house with Aunt Peg, Tom Ed and Dan from Omaha, and the fun continued. (There was an open bar at the Irish Cultural Center…)

And we ate and laughed and drank and ate and laughed some more. We had fun.

Pop had given Marty Kelly his fire department helmet ears ago, and Marty gave it back to my brother. I had every single person at Eileen’s - from  Aunt Peg to 3 month old Madison take a picture with the helmet on. Not sure what I’m going to do with all of the pictures, but it’s going to be fun.

It was a total emotional rollercoaster most of the day, but damn, we had a good time.

We did Pop proud.

Back in December I received an email from Tom and Barb saying they were coming to Philly in March for a conference with Barb’s work. We wrote back, said give us details of when and where so we could get together. It was months away so I didn’t have to think about it. I promptly placed it on a back burner, thinking it would be really nice to see them, but, again, it was months away.

And then it became March… Mid-March. They’re going to be here in a few days…

They had limited time because of 2 functions they had to attend. After almost 6 years, my schedule had just changed a few weeks ago and I was now working Saturday. Not looking good. I did a quick “I need to leave early on Saturday” plea with work (no problem!!) and made plans to meet at 3:30 at an Irish Pub a few blocks from their hotel.

What we didn’t plan for was this being March 15th - 2 days before St Patrick’s Day. Every college kid and their Italian roommate has put on their green and are packing the city’s three Irish bars. So much for a quiet cocktail and conversation.

We were in Center City, a block from Broad Street, so we headed back to see what was open. We turned the corner and there was the former Bellevue - with a Park Hyatt now on top. What the hell…

Up to the 19th floor - XIX Bar - and we were ensconced in comfy chairs and low tables, and talking a mile a minute!

In the blink of an eye, 2 and a half hours had passed. Too fast. Way too fast. They had to go to a dinner at the Marriott and had less than an hour to change and get there.

We stopped a perfect stranger in front of the Bellevue to take our picture and as soon as I get a copy I’ll post it here.

And T&B - we’re serious about NYC in September!

How often do you get to see your picture in the paper with a famous rock star/humanitarian?  Me?!?  Pretty much, never.  But it seems as if a couple of the cousins have done it!  Tom and Barb’s daughters Peggy and Julie, along with their cousins Mehgan and Shannon met Bono at Dundee Dell on Sunday, December 16th.  Bono was in for breakfast and the girls just happened in - or something…

Here’s a link to the World-Herald article: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10211469

Nice goin’ ladies!