Tavern on the Green says good-bye and more....

It has been a rough couple of years - economically, etc. Lots of new hope this year... last too - with the election of a new president, a supposed "comeback" for the retail and other vital financial worlds. I've heard from others, too, that the decade in review is not faring well - 9-11, the war, all sorts of scandals and other sad situations. You know - I think all decades would read like that, though, wouldn't they? This isn't the first of morose retrospective New Years (remember the Y2K panic???). Anyway - yeah so Tavern on the Green is yet another goner in a long list of such closures and good-byes (granted, it is a "back in the day" type place - where my Mom and her ladies that lunch would go when visiting NYC, but still...). Ugh - where to begin - where to stop. I supposed I'll START with a list of 10 things to be thankful for from the past decade a la one of the very cool bloggers that I follow - Amy at Callapitter (and, btw - when I say that blog title, I cannot, for the life of me, say the word the "correct" way :-):

1. My kids.
2. My husband.
3. Friends and family (especially Barb - who comes to mind as I write this because she took my wonderful Dad to see my Olivia play basketball -which was totally HIS game - back when I was in the hospital with Milo - I knew my Dad was terminal and my Olivia played starting Point Guard like a champ - AND, she even lost a tooth at the game - baby tooth - no worries - and brought it over to Grandpa in the stands while the ref stopped the game - what a moment! Turns out was the only time he would see her play because he died two months later. Also warrants mentioning here that I am eternally grateful for all the "signs" that made it OK for me to come back to OH from VA - waaaay back - hang with some of my friends, some of whom are no longer with us - eat pasta, see bands, have ethereal retail experiences, etc. ;-)
4. My old, drafty, eclectic house (my kids consider it Mecca - except for Olivia who feels the size when all the babies are running about ;-).
5. All my "food / chef channels" like Food Network, Bravo (seriously - I mean it - at least today - might not make the list tomorrow - ???) - for inspiring me to create and comforting me with some trivial, totally media-focused background "noise" and support (it's a stay at home mom thing - deal with it :-).
6. The failed, stressful design studio job that took me to Ohio (to spend time with my Dad, who, at the time, did not know his time was limited) - allowed me to buy a house - caused me stress - gave my daughter a great all-girls school experience in which to thrive - took us back to Pitt where we bought bigger house - allowed Olivia to go back to her beloved first grade school, whereby teaching her to appreciate what she has (in a way) - where we eventually had our wedding, our kids, etc. - all the better for the experience ;-).
7. Our decisions and ability to travel over the years (tremendous bonding and adventure potential tapped!!!).
8. My blog (because I've "met" so many open, fantastic people).
9. Dance (because it has been me since I was two - and always will be part of who I am - AND allows me to be quite limber and energetic - such agility comes in handy for my current "job"....).
10. My decision to leave my last marketing position because... though I have often lamented no longer having a career - not contributing to household income - not having interaction with adults, etc.... it has allowed me to tap into my affectionate, creative, patient, hopeful, sentimental, productive, optimistic, etc. "sides" / "angles" - facets to my personality - whatever...... In a nutshell, made me a better person - taught me not to stagnate - to keep growing....

Two year old who wants to examine my face closely with a magnifying glass beckons... If I don't see y'all before - see you in 2010!