New Beginnings

Its been a while since I've found the time to update! You'd think that with all the changes, I'd be a little more "free" to get creative.

The New Year brings new changes in my life...and I am hoping that all good things are about to happen. With the loss of a 15 year job and 3 year relationship, its definitely giving me a CHALLENGE as well as a CHANCE to start all over.

I must say, that it is my friends and my family that have become the mainstay in my life. They are the constant..they are my source of strength and my inspiration to achieve all that I set out to do.

I believe there are always reasons for the changes that occur. It allows us to follow a path on a new, undiscovered journey of ourselves. It gives us the chance to see just exactly what we are made of. Can we go the distance?

So, heres' to new beginnings...new life adventures....I am ready!

Tiger Falls From Grace

Is it just me, or is anyone else out there feeling like Tiger cheated them too? I can't tell you how many times I sat in front of the TV and rooted Tiger on...tournament after tournament...like he was part of my family. When he lost, I was sad. When he left for surgery, I missed him. When he would grind out for those birdie putts, my nerves were as raw as his.

Now what? Surely, I can't find myself cheering this man on anymore? Hoping for him to win even more money, only to toss it away on a careless lifestyle. I can't support a man who thinks ONLY of himself, and not of his wife and children. No more sitting on the edge of my seat, wishing for the ball to drop into the hole once more for this man.

Tiger, you have kinda spoiled the game for me somewhat. But, like the many other fans of this "gentleman's" game, we will continue to watch. We will continue to root for our hero to win the Green Jacket. To sink every birdie putt possible. To out drive, out play and out class the others he is up against. The big difference will be, his name is PHIL MICKELSON. A True Hero of the game.

Remembering A Dear Friend

I am dedicating this post to my dear friend and mentor, Ann Rodriguez, who lost her brave battle with cancer last week. Annie hired me to work for her company 16 years ago. It was a new challenge for me, in an industry I knew nothing about. I can remember our first meeting when she interviewed me, I walked away thinking she was probably the "coolest" person I had ever met! After three days of not hearing back, I called her up and said "Ann, have you made a decision, cause I really want to work with you!". I can still hear her laughter in my head when she responded "Didn't I say yes before you left?..." From that point on, we became fast friends and I can tell you that she taught me more about life, about living, about being gracious, classy and a strong woman, than anyone else in my life. We went thru the best of times together and the worst of times together.

16 years later I am still in the same industry, doing the same thing that Ann mentored me through. Thanks Annie! I had the chance to have lunch with Ann just a few short weeks before she passed away. It amazed me, but didn't surprise me, how she still had her sense of humor and her compassion to know if I was okay. In true Ann spirit, she always made the people around her feel like they were the most important person in her life.

I am happy that Ann is no longer in pain. I am happy that those of us who were fortunate to know her are better people because of it. I am happy that she leaves her son Paco a legacy of the true human spirit. But I will miss her so very, very much. Although we didn't talk on a day to day basis, it was the "knowing" that we were a phone call or a quick lunch away that made it even more special.

God Speed Ann.

Enjoying Lauren's 21st Birthday.

I can't believe Lauren is now 21....it seems like such a short time ago I was reading her bedtime stories. My little girl is a woman now..a beautiful one too. Its no surprise that the "party" was the event of the season for sure. I love you girly!!

And THE DAY FINALLY CAME !!!

For those of you who know me well, you know about my "slight obsession" with Alan Jackson. Yeah, I have been to so many concerts that they actually recognize me at the show. As a matter of fact, at the last concert, Alan walked over to me from the stage and said "I remember you!"...

So, you can imagine what a thrill it was for me to receive a letter from the fan club telling me I was chosen to meet Alan back stage at his concert in Columbia, MD. First, I thought it was a joke..but then the reality hit and I was beside myself.

I can tell you, it was all I thought it would be and more. Alan is a gracious, humble, wonderful guy who deserves all the accolades he gets. Not only Alan, but his crew were terrific to me and to top it all off, gave me FRONT ROW seats for the concert the following night.

One more thing to mark off my "Bucket List"...it was magical.

What the Heck Happened to the Summer !!!!

Wow....I miss blogging but find it hard to find the time these days. Where did the summer go? Fall is in the air, and I can't even remember soaking in the rays of summer.

Its been crazy all around the "BAY". We've been moving in and out, going all around the place but at last, everyone is settled in. Having Justin, Leslie and the boys leaving right down the hill is one of the greatest gifts in my life. I can't even begin to explain the absolute JOY seeing my grandsons all the time has brought into my life so I won't even try. Those of you who are grandparents understand!

Taylor is back home in Southern Maryland which is where he belongs. So, here I am, with all my children around me again. Life is Good.

I am hoping that now I can get back on track with my blog/journal now....My new office at home (thanks babe!!) awaits me to dig in.

Some of the summers bright moments are captured in pics.

Member Guest at Breton Bay

The Member Guest Tournament was a great success thanks to the hard work of many people. It was a wonderful chance to see old friends and meet new ones as well.

Thanks to everyone who busted their humps to bring a great weekend to our club.

To view the pictures of our event, see link below


http://picasaweb.google.com/NoniFoster/MemberGuestTournament

Reflexing on Friendships

Not sure what has prompted this post..or why I woke up this morning feeling a little "bluesy" about missing my girl friends. For whatever reason, I wanted to write about it.

I've been blessed in my life with many friends. Most of us have that blessing I believe. And, as you get older, you realize just how important those bonds are. But then something happens...something really unexpected...you get busy. Your kids begin to take over the "extra" time, then its grandkids. The job takes the very life out of you, and you have to make room for the hubby somehow. You start thinking to yourself..."if only I could carve out a couple hours in the week, maybe then I could get my nails done".... Its crazy! I, for one, always was under the assumption that the older I became, the more "ME" time I would have. I would dream about all the things I would do for myself. Sort of like a Dr. Seuss book "Oh the places you will go". Not TRUE. As a matter of fact, at 50 years old, I keep reminding myself to "exhale" once in a while.

All this ciaos has caused me to give up the precious time I use to have with my girl friends. It use to be Nothing for me to load the kids up and head to Florida, or Alabama or Georgia, and visit some of them. Now, just the thought of my 2 hour commute to work turns my stomach flip flops!!!

But, I miss them. I love them. And for the most part, in those rare occasions that we do find the time to get together, we pick up right where we left off. Laughing, loving, learning from each other. I am going to make a promise to myself that as soon as the ferris wheel I am on right now slows down a bit, I am going to FIND the time again. Until then, you know who you are...I love you! You are the true treasures in my life and I thank GOD for placing you into it.

This entry is dedicated to you!

To Much of a Good Thing...Is a Good Thing!!!!

For all of you that know me, and know me well....you know how I feel about one Mr. Alan Jackson. For the past 20 years, I have been following that poor man around from Concert to Concert. I've flown across the country, gone to back to back shows in a single weekend, and even made a visit to Tennessee to stand outside the gates of his house hoping to catch a glimpse..

I know, I know...call me crazy. But there is just something about this man, his music and the way he lives his life. Its more of a tremendous respect thing, than a crush thing. Face it, he and I are only a month apart in age and "crushes" are long since gone. Besides, I think his wife Denise is top knotch as well.

So, imagine my shock to find out that he is coming to my home town in September. Good old Calvert County, Maryland will play host to my hero! I am done...!!!! It will be the icing on the cake for a long time fan like me to welcome him here. I've promised my fiance, Bob, the world if he can somehow get me backstage to meet Alan. Yeah, I've talked to him from the seats, I've gotten his autograph about 50 times...and he even handed me his guitar string once... But, to actually meet him, have my picture taken with him...that would be the ULTIMATE. Its the one thing on my "Bucket List" of things I would like to happen before I meet my maker.

So, all you friends and family, put your heads together and lets make this happen for me okay??? I mean, seeing as how this will be concert #25, I am hoping for a miracle.

BTW, did I mention, I will be attending his concert on Saturday, Sept 19th in Baltimore and then going Sept. 20th to Calvert. Back to back Baby....!!

Taylor Graduates....

Well, the last one finished up high school this week. It was a proud moment for Mom to watch her baby, her last child graduate from high school. I don't know about other Moms but the whole time I kept thinking about all those homework assignments, art projects, teacher conferences, field trips...all the worry, all the stress and you have this big sigh of relief knowing that it is FINALLY behind you. Then all of a sudden, you think...oh no...now what? Taylor has filled my days for the last 18 years...he was the last one I had...so he got away with so much more. And, of course I babied him....what Mom doesn't want to hang on tight to that last one?

We had a dinner celebration before the ceremony and having all three of my kids there was a very special moment in time for me. It's so funny to me how they all argue about "who's Mom's favorite" and "why"....I looked at the three of them and thought "Dear Silly, Silly Children...don't you all know that you are all my favorites for different reasons?" They will get it one day, when they sit where I am sitting now and look back.

Another milestone in my life...watching my son celebrate a milestone in his

Having My Tigers Here for the Summer

Wow, where does a "Noni" begin? When Justin told me he would be bringing his family up to spend the summer, my heart skipped a beat. Could I actually be so lucky as to have my beautiful grandsons with me for a whole summer? Like, for real, just go see those faces anytime??? And, to have my son and daughter in law right down the street??? Well, I am here to tell you, its W O N D E R F U L. While I try my very best to make sure I am not a constant P-I-T-A, whenever possible, I go for it. Life's simple pleasures are so much more enjoyable when you share them with your grandchilden. Playing outside, going to the pool, eating crabs, playing games.....These photos are just a taste of how I am enjoying this wonderful opportunity. I've said it before, and I will say it again, Grandkids are AWESOME.

You're My Best Friend

What a treat to have one of my Best Friends come for a short visit. Just when I thought I couldn't take another stressful event to happen, in comes Laurie to make it all better. I realized when she was here that although we don't get to visit that often (she lives in GA)...as soon as we connect its like we are still next door to each other. Laurie and I share so many wonderful memories...and ofcourse we our "ALAN JACKSON" stalking habits keep us on the hunt at all times. I love you Laurie, and I can't even begin to explain to you how much you mean to me.

Good Friends, Great Times

Bob and I finally took a break from Work, Cleaning, Golf, Mowing, Kids, Kids, Kids....and spent some time with friends on the water last week. What a great show put on by the Blue Angels..always a treat to watch them preform. Our friends made our day tho...it is always so nice to spend time with them laughing and carrying-on. Thanks Frankie, for a wonderful day on the water.

Singing the Night Away

The "Sisters" got together for a night of Karaoke at the Club and what a time we had. Both "Bob's" rocked the house, Brandie killed em' and Robin was signing autographs as she left. I can't remember having this much fun in a long time! Watch out IDOL...we are on a roll!

Wedding Weekend

I love weddings....I love seeing two people commit their lives to one another with such passion that you can't even stand it. I love seeing family and friends that you haven't touched base with in so long you wonder why you wait? I love the freedom that comes with dancing like you never have before because everyone else is too so why worry? Weddings are fun.

Seeing my nephew Josh, and his bride Erin tie the knot was so special. They are truly meant for each other and I couldn't imagine any two people more deserving of this happiness. We love you guys so much.

Tiger Woods Wins Again.

Well, its official. Tiger is back in the race with his first win since surgery. I don't care if you are a Tiger fan or not....(which I am, HUGE)...this tournament was exciting right up to the last putt. What an awesome thrill Tiger brings to the game. I mean, Phil is great...and I love when he wins..but Tiger is the Master and watching him is like nothing else. Welcome back!

Karaoke at the Club

Attention All...Breton Bay DOES have some talent other than golf!!! Fun was had by all at Karaoke night at the Grill Room. We had a great crowd, got to visit with old friends, and heard some very interesting sets. What a ton of fun....put this on your TO DO list for the next event. You are sure to be entertained.....