Beloved Boston...A Re-Post

You can't live in Boston today and not reflect on the events of a year ago. 
This was posted on Tues April 16,th, 2013, the day after the bombings.

I wasn't there.

Neither my kids nor my husband were there. We were all safe.

She in NYC, is the one who alerted me of the events via text. He, safe on the golf course with my dad, 70 miles away from the war zone. My husband ensconced safely at his desk and I, enjoying a rare day off with my mom.

I wasn't there, but I could have easily been there like I had so many years before.
I can only share with you how most of us Bostonian who live here felt when the first waves of info came in:

It was 3:15, and I'm shopping at Neiman Marcus in a local suburb. Frick texted me. It read, "Mom, did a bomb go off at the marathon?" "Are u there?" "No."I replied." H/O"

I stopped, and searched the web on my iPhone. I googled Boston Marathon 2013. Nothing. I searched some more nothing. I then searched "bomb at Boston Marathon." I found the footage. I clicked on to the raw video and heard the news that a bomb had gone off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The report  said it was a, "horrific scene". It went on to describe bloodied streets and loss of limbs and I immediately went into safety mode. I started mentally checking off my family members.

That's what everyone that lives here did.

The first text was sent to my best friend. She lives in Boston and is an avid runner. I knew the answer before I finished typing the text, so I immediately placed a call to her seconds after I pressed the send button. I couldn't wait. She answered, "I'm ok." She was crying.
"Thank God," I said. "Were you there?"

"Can," she said between sobs. "I was right there. I had just decided that it was getting cold and that I had shit to do and that it was time to go home." "I felt the blast behind me and turned to see the smoke."
I was so glad she was ok. So glad she was safe. So shocked that she had been so close. She hadn't even called her mom. I let her go, telling her I loved her and to call her mom.

Then I went over the familial list:
I come from a large family and the majority of us are 20-50. Prime Marathon viewing years. The texts began furiously. While I was walking through the store, word got out and people everywhere could be seen either talking on their smartphones or looking at their smartphones. I drove home because no one really wanted to NOT be in front of a TV at this point and we listened to Boston Sports radio, which turned into news talk on the ride home. It was an uneasy next few hours as we awaited word on the family safety. It wasn't until 6:15 that we knew for sure that both my 26 immediate family members were ok and my husband's 11 members were safe. We were lucky.

Then the worst news of all came.

3 people had died and one of them an 8 yr old boy.

Hundreds of people had been injured. It was worse than we could have imagined. I felt at that moment that life had changed.

We were glued to the TV for the rest of the night as I'm sure you were too.

Trying to make the best of a horrid day which was no happy holiday after all.

1000 Things I Need To Say

Somewhere along the way in this crazy, fast paced thing I like to call my life, I let a little milestone pass without proper fanfare. And the funny thing is, I just kind of noticed it all nonchalant and then it hit me. I reached 1000 posts. One thousand posts on Candy's Daily Dandy!!! To date, this will now be 1016 posts.

Maybe now Cinemax, HBO or Showtime will come a calling and turn my blog into a fabulous series starring Sarah Jessica Parker as me!!! Right? Turn a dream into reality. Just sayin and dreamin..There can't be only one Candace in the world that's a famous writer. One can only hope.

Anyway, 1000 posts comprises the largest body of my work to date. Some of it complete crap, some of it brilliant, some of it hilarious and some of it poignant and somber. I've shared with you my life, my kids life, my crazy family moments my childhood, my friends and general trivia, news and junk that no one really cares about except maybe us. And let's not forget the comments!! Bloggers, you never cease to make me laugh out loud, cry, and think and inspire me to keep going every day. For you and your loyalty I am grateful. Without you it wouldn't be nearly as rewarding. Heck, Heff, Scope and Zibsy, you all made it into my children's toast at our wedding. Really. I've never met any of you, yet you are all an important part of my life. Thanks for coming along for this crazy ride.

And this crazy ride, so far, has been....one of the greatest things I have ever done. (besides Frick and Frack) My blog is right up there with my favorite things in life. And you are all a big part of it, and for that I thank you and I love you and I am eternally grateful that you take a moment out of your busy day to see what kind of Dandy Candy has to share today.

I'm gonna keep on sharing little Candy Dandy's Daily and I hope you all will keep coming.

1000 Thank you's just doesn't quite seem enough, because I get so much more from all of you.

Today Is The Day

Four years ago today I met a great guy. In honor of this great man, I am re-posting this Daily Dandy from October 3, 2008.

The reasons still remain the same.

In honor of tonight's dinner conversation and to see if you do occasionally read my blog, this one's just for you:

Top Ten Reasons Why He's My Guy:

10. He's waaay cute! There are a million more sexy adjectives to describe the way he looks but I will save them for our private discussions.

9. He's a great conversationalist. I am never at a loss for things to talk to him about. And because he loves me he will even engage in girl talk from time to time. Within reason, of course.

8. He gives great advice. I never make a big decision without bouncing it off him first. He is so smart and nine out of ten times he calls it correctly. Which can also be annoying because he's aware that he has a winning percentage. He does the math.

7. He has a Porsche and I drive it more than he does. Enough said.

6. He's a sports fan. A pre-requisite for my guy. Although he hates it when we get into a lively debate about sports and occasionally I end up being right. He also knows I love Tom Brady and he's OK with it. Sort of.

5. He is generous. With his time, his love, his possessions, his wisdom and his life. My children and I are so lucky to have found him.

4. He loves my children unconditionally. Even when they are hard to love, he makes his point firmly while trying to show them that there is a better way. Most of the time they get it, but sometimes they don't and he doesn't give up. He offers them solutions so that they can make better choices.

3. He is tolerant. It hasn't been an easy road and he has been beside me every step of the way and sometimes he has carried me.

2. He has integrity and he is honest. I couldn't ask for a better role model for my children.

And the number one reason Why He's My Guy:

1. The love, friendship, companionship and life he shares with me make me a better woman.

I love you!!

Happy Aniversary.

C The Centennial Celebration

The Roman numeral, C stands for centum, the Latin word for 100. Today’s post marks my 100th Daily Dandy, a momentous occasion. When I think about reaching 100, my thoughts range from TV shows celebrating their 100th episode, to companies celebrating 100 years of business and human beings celebrating 100 years of living. Although I may not have reached these lofty heights with my centennial, I do, however feel as if there is cause for celebration.

The question that keeps popping into my mind is, “what have I accomplished” with 100 posts? I guess my answer would be that I have put my words, my thoughts and ideas out into the world. However small that contribution is, none the less it is my daily offering and I am grateful for the opportunity. If I did a Google or Yahoo search for Candy’s Daily Dandy, by golly, my blog URL appears, with more than one entry. Not bad for a few months of aimless ramblings. Before August 2008, there was not a single reason for searching anything even closely related to me personally, besides my phone number and address.

Since I have joined the bloggersphere I have laughed till I cried, learned, been challenged and commented with much enjoyment. I have discussed sports, kids, death, marriage, divorce, insanity, sex, movies, food, morality and so much more. I have connected with some great people and I have asked for your help to which you whole heartedly responded. I have, at times, bared my soul without being ridiculed or judged-some of you even shared similar experiences to let me know I was not alone. You have shared in my joys, laughed at my jokes, offered your support, participated in my contests, given me awards, and responded more often than not with a wink and a smile. Without you, I don’t think there would be a 100 to celebrate. It’s a big part of the reason why I got to 100 and hope to continue for 100 more.

Where will I be in 100 posts from now? I can’t say for sure. It took me 159 days to get here, and on May 14, 2009 it will be 100 days from today. I hope to continue to be going to my computer to every morning to write about something, knowing someone will read it and share in my discussion. On my first day as a blogger, I had no idea that 100 posts later I would have a large body of work to show to possibly present to a prospective employer, with a little more than a few sprinkled in that I’m quite proud of.

If I had $100.00 for every post I have written, I would have $10,000.00 to show for my efforts. A lucrative undertaking to say the least, but if I’ve said it once I’ve said it 100 times, I don’t do it for the money. Blogging has enriched my life in 100 other ways. I could never put a price tag on it.

So for that, to all of you, I say 100 Thank Yous from the bottom of my heart.