Wonderful Wonders

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

All I Want For Christmas Is. . . I don’t know.  Please please please, don’t think I’m sad or angry or depressed because I’m not, it’s just really really hard to come up with something Santa can get for me because there is so very little I can do. Read More Here

Okay so I’ve been getting some messages that some people think I’m sad, or withdrawn, I’m not, I’m just being honest. Read More Here

What’s my purpose?  I think at some point everyone has wondered what’s their purpose in this journey called life right, well, me too, especially now.

We’ve all heard about those “aha moments” that so many people have that defined their purpose, helped them gain insight into their purpose, well for me, I was waiting for my “aha moment” before living this life #paralyzed and now I’m really waiting on it.

I’m beyond blessed to have a WONDERFUL man by my side for nearly 14 years!  Since becoming paralyzed 2.5 years ago my honey has had to do all the things I use to do (cook [although I didn’t cook much, I believe in supporting the local businesses, i.e. local restaurants, LOL], clean, laundry, etc.) all while holding down a full time job while I sit in this #wheelchair all day in our living room.   So now I’m left wondering not only what is my overall purpose in life but what do I bring to our relationship.

Now, without a doubt, my honey continues to tell me, every day, 5x a day, he loves me, he will do absolutely anything for me, he’s always making me smile & laugh and he tells me I’m a valuable part of “us.”
If I am honest with myself, before becoming paralyzed it was me that wrote out the checks & paid the bills, it was me that wrote out holiday/birthday cards, it was me that picked out and shopped, mostly online, for our household goods, it was me that remembered dates of events or appointments, it was me that reminded him of when cars needed to be inspected, if we were doing a vacation, it was me that researched the location, booked the activities, booked our lodging, etc. all this to say that for many years our motto was, and still is, “I’m the brains, he’s the brawn” so if that’s still the same, I wish I could get past feeling so useless. It’s a slow process for sure, but I’m thankful to have my honey, always loving, always encouraging, always here!

As always, I wish you days filled with wonder – take a minute to wonder what it is that made you smile today!

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Sadly we tend to lose “friends” at different stages of our lives.  Some may lose school friends due to college or marriage, some may loose friends due to careers and/or moves and yes, some may lose friends due to a tragic accident or unforeseen life altering situation.

I get it, it doesn’t make it easier but I get it.  I’m no longer able to jump in my car and have a girls night out, or go to lunch with my friends, I’m not longer able meet the girls for a shopping spree, etc.

When I first became #paralyzed I was overwhelmed and grateful with the many well wishes and very generous financial assistant from previous co-works, friends, family & neighbors.  Now, 2.5 years post tragedy, many of my friends have faded into the background.

Heck, because I have a stranger (a.k.a. aide) in my house M -F 6 hours a day I don’t like people to stop in unexpectedly because we (maybe more me) don’t feel comfortable or relaxed talking as we normally would.  As a result, no one stops in to visit.  And, sadly, for the same reason, not many call either. Lack of privacy in my own home has now isolated me even more than being #paralyzed.

For me, my weekends are my heaven, no aide = somewhat normalcy.  Being able to visit my parents, because my honey can pick me up and transfer me to the car and drive me there enables me to help them in the small way I can of helping with their mail, riding around doing a few errands for them and just being able to spend time with them warms my heart and of course it goes without saying, spending time with my honey, who always make me smile, laughing together makes the week bearable.

As always, I wish you days filled with wonder – take a minute to wonder what it is that made you smile today!

Please feel free to “SHARE” this post with your family/friends! And don’t forget to leave your comments below, we love hearing from you!

The benefits & costs of accessible independence can be out of reach for some people.  For me, I’m lucky & thankful that my honey is very handy Read the rest of this entry »

“Wondering” what defines disabled? The word #disabled, in my opinion, is, in part, a mindset. According to Merriam-Webster, Definition of disabled: 1a : impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition: affected by disability. Read More

If you followed me in the past than you know how much my honey and I use to ♥ our road trips and long weekends driving around the #HudsonValley, the #Catskills and sometimes even the #Adirondacks, but my medical issues the last few years have completely put the brakes on our road trips. Read More

It’s been a long time, 5 years in fact, wow,….I’ve Missed You!  Originally Wonderful Wonders was a place to highlight and feature the many wonderful people, places & things in and around the Hudson Valley, NY.

After a life altering situation a few years ago (which I’m sure I’ll get around to sharing more about in a future post), I now find myself wondering, wondering what’s it all about. Read More

We ventured out of our normal playground of the Hudson Valley and traveled into the world famous New York City to have dinner at the     Neely’s Barbecue  Parlor Manhattan’s Upper East Side on First Avenue.  Funny, I’ve grown up just about an hour outside of NYC and have never had an overwhelming desire to go into the city unless for a specific adventure/event or show and dinner and yet people travel from all over the world to visit the famous “Big Apple.” -Not that I don’t enjoy an evening in the city every now and then because I do, I just don’t know that I would make that my vacation destination of choice, perhaps that is because I have such easy access and can visit anytime….

Well, back to the Neely’s! My mother (Mama D as my honey calls her) LOVES to watch the cooking shows on the Food Network– including Down Home with the Neely’s.  So when my mother told me that the Neely’s recently opened a new restaurant in the city and suggested we go for dinner one night, we agreed. 

So we booked our table via Open Table and off we went.  Arriving a bit early, we enjoyed sitting at the bar looking around at the various dining rooms that surrounded the bar and chatting with Nicki.  Nicki and her friend “Wilbur” filled us in on the how and when Pat & Gina Neely came to be part of the Merchants and how warm and friendly they really are.  Each dining room is uniquely decorated each with its own ambiance and flare. 

As we normally do, we decided on two different dishes that we would share/sample.  First we started with the Candied Thick Cut Slab Bacon which is bacon strip coated with brown sugar & slow baked until it’s crispy and it was definitely crispy!   We then settled on the Pork Sampler Platter of Spare ribs, baby back ribs & pulled pork     and the famous “Blue Ribbon” Chicken (Aka Pat’s beer can chicken)    a free range chicken cooked with a pabst blue ribbon beer can in its belly!  The chicken came with 2 side dishes and the pork sampler came with one side so we had the delicious corn bread, the southern creamed corn and the sweet potato fries!   The chicken was great1 It was moist and juicy and I added the Neely’s Spicy sauce and all I can say is hmm hmm good!  The corn bread was delicious (which actually isn’t considered a side we just made it one of our sides) as were the sweet potato fries!  For me the southern creamed corn wasn’t all that creamy but, none-the-less it was good.

 Then of course there is desert, our favorite! Now, for those of you that follow WonderfulWonders, you know my honey and I always split a dessert, well, this time we didn’t . . .shocking right! We thought we probably wouldn’t be back to the Neely’s so we should be fair to them and experience as much as we could (LOL).  We did of course share; so together we shared the Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese icing, which honesty was a bit dry for my taste and the Blackberry Cobbler with vanilla ice cream which was my favorite of the two.

 A small selection of merchandise  is available in a small curio cabinet in the foyer and on their store page of the website.

 So, for all you southern folk livin here in the north, we would say the Neely’s Barbecue Parlor is a “must-do” the next time you visit Manhattan!

As always, I wish you days filled with wonder – take a minute to wonder what it is that made you smile today!

Please feel free to “SHARE” this post with your family/friends! And don’t forget to leave your comments below, we love hearing from you!

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  To all our military brothers and sisters that have served, are currently serving or have lost their lives for us, I say to you THANK YOU!

Turned out to be a great weekend!  We decided to spend Saturday out ‘n about on one of our famous “day-trips” in New Jersey (my honey’s home state). 

We started off at the Bergen Amateur Radio Association’s Spring Hamfest. A Hamfest is the “lingo” for ham radio flea market. Who knew that there was a flea market for ham radio stuff – not me until I was introduced to the world of ham radio from my honey who has his Extra Class Amateur Radio License. 

Then we traveled across the state stopping along the way to browse (okay and make a few purchases LOL!) at a few garden shops!  We stopped off at the Stone Mill Garden Center located on 769 Ridgewood Road, Washington Twp, NJ only to find they had the most beautiful bluebells calling my name (hee hee) and right along side the bluebells were a few other perennials that of course I couldn’t resist.  Of course they all needed to be added to my garden so in the car they went! Along with a great new garden flag proudly featuring our great America Flag!

Next stop was the Olde Lafayette Village is located in the heart Sussex County at the intersection of State Routes 15 and 94 in Lafayette, New Jersey.  I truly love these villages – there is something to be said for enjoying a beautiful spring or summer afternoon strolling along pathways, while stopping off and visiting various shops and meeting new friends!  A few places I loved here included:

• JUDY & UNA LEE’S PRIM PANTRY etc. and just as their slogan reads, this adorable little shop has a little of this and a little of that-I loved it!  Here I found this adorable little blue bird pot sitter which I immediately put on one of my window boxes!
• CAREY LANE ACCENTS was great! Here I found the most beautiful flower lights that had my name on but, I contained myself here and didn’t actually get this, this time, now I have a reason to go back!
• VILLAGE ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES was a treasure!  Here I purchased a beautiful table runner with lace trimmed edges surrounding a pattern of pinks & mauve roses!
• NIHAO FASHION BOUTIQUE was fun! I love to find those special things that are unique and different – well here I found an adorable pink popcorn shirt and very special Victorian lady necklace holder!   
• Everything Homemade Pastry Shop & Cafe and yes, our outings wouldn’t be complete without a little dessert, even if it comes as an afternoon snack while strolling through the shops of Olde Lafayette Village. 

As you know, we most enjoy the new friends we meet as we travel in and around the Hudson Valley and Tri-State area.  We are pleased to have had the chance to meet Don Thoenig, a.k.a. Don The Kazoo Man!  Don was a delight to chat with and most entertaining! If you haven’t yet visited this quaint little shopping village we say consider visiting on June 19 when you will be able to meet and be entertained by Don! 

Then, the surprise of the day was when we decided to get a bite to eat at The Chatterbox Drive-In, a family owned fifties and sixties style “drive-in” restaurant in Augusta, NJ.  From Memorial Day through Labor Day they  provide “Car-hop” service where you simply pull in and you will be served in your car by one of our waitresses! This will bring you back to the “good ol’ days,” even if you weren’t a part of them! But, back to the surprise, we pulled in only to find the Sussex, NJ Wanders Car Club was holding their Cruise Night! WOW, there must have been 200 or more amazing cars here! Check out some of the great cars!

We had another great day out ‘n about! As always, I wish you days filled with happiness and “wonder” – take the time to “wonder” what it is that made you smile today!