The season of Fall happened about 3 weeks ago in the state of Connecticut and with it comes decreasing temperatures, lots of fallen leaves on the ground, dark skies and squirrels running amok. Soon I will be packing up my golf clubs in advance of the next season: Winter. But for now I am still managing to hit golf balls despite the broken twigs, crispy leaves and tree debris.
Fall for me also means it’s time to head back to the kitchen. Anyone who knows me knows cooking is not my thing however I do enjoy cooking when Autumn arrives…
We have also finally entered Phase 3 in the state of Connecticut which means that restaurants can serve folks indoors at 75% instead of 50% capacity…
personal services, hair salons, barber shops and nail salons can also operate at 75% percent capacity, indoor performing art venues at 50% capacity, and churches and other places of worship can have 50% capacity, capped at 200 people. All, of course, with masks and social distancing…
Working hybrid continues for me and my colleagues on the News 8 sales team. What this means is we are split into 2 teams and half the team works from the office on one day and the other half of the team works from the office on the following day. The managers all go into the office each and every day. It has been like this since mid-March when Covid 19 totally changed our world.
On every other day
The Presidential election is quite literally right around the corner so I encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote. It’s more critical now more than ever…
With the arrival of Lent it got me thinking of what I would like to give up this year. But before I get to that, here are 20 things I do not want to give up in 2020 (in no particular order):
Kombucha – I discovered this delish drink during Dry January at the beginning of the year when I was purposely seeking out cool refreshing drinks with a kick (smile). Kombucha hit the spot and the fact that it is Gluten Free and Dairy Free is an added bonus.
Red Wine – It’s no surprise that this one made my list before: 9 things I do not want to give up in 2019. My new favorite reds are Pinots and my new favorite Pinot (discovered on my recent trip to Fort Lauderdale, FL) is Meiomi.
Kickboxing – I joined the specialty gym I Love Kickboxing this month because I needed something that was going to challenge me and kick my butt all at the same time (smile). So far…so good.
Golf – It’s still cold here in New England (at least for another month or so) but once it warms up I will be back with my ladies hitting the links in Golf Fore Women 401.
Hot Green Tea – I like to order hot green tea when I eat in or out of a Japanese restaurant. It not only tastes good but it’s extremely good for you.
Speaking of Japanese, I def do not want to give up Sushi this year, it’s become a regular part of my bi-monthly cuisine and just thinking of it makes me want to call in an order or two (smile).
Staycations – what a novel idea – discovering fun things to do in your own state. I feel like when we staycate in Connecticut the time to go back to work moves slower (smile).
Bikini Waxes – Summer is not the only time to get a bikini wax (Vacays count too!) and Tommy K’s Wax Center offers your first bikini line for free, ifyou are a first time customer.
Blueberry Ale – I’ve never been a big beer drinker but Elm City Market in New Haven has this delish brand from Wachusett Brewing Company that tastes more like something you eat than drink.
Oysters – I can eat this delicacy any season of the year but I have to admit that they taste infinitely better in the Summer than they do in the Winter.
Homemade Soups – I love soups made from scratch especially in the Winter so I’m truly enjoying the likes of homemade Lentil, Split Green Pea, Red Kidney Bean, 16 Bean Soup and more~
Candles – I like burning things in a safe way (smile) so scented candles are high on the list Put your slippers on….
Bananas – I buy and eat bananas on a daily basis as the potassium and fiber help me out during super intense workouts – and I buy organic so I don’t have to worry about pesticides.
Salad – This was on my list before because it is also something I can eat any time of the year (as long as it contains protein). Cafe Java in New Haven has my all time fave Bosco Salad which I probably eat at least once a week…
Spinach and Mozzarella Pie – Bar Pizza in New Haven has the best Spinach and Mozzarella Pizza I have ever eaten – I love veggie pizza and this place gets it done!
Edamame – Steamed lightly salted soybeans are my favorite appetizer before a japanese meal. They are high in protein and fiber and relatively low in calories so for me they are an obvious snacking choice.
Trail Mix – I might have hiked maybe once, maybe twice in my lifetime but if you saw me eating raw trail mix you might think I was an avid hiker (smile).
Sirius (XM) radio – I love listening to music and happen to have eclectic tastes so my satellite radio (at just $6.99 a month) puts Terrestrial radio to shame and keeps me entertained (smile).
Netflix TV and Movies – I just love the original content of the re-occuring Series on this channel as well as the Movies. It takes binge watching to a whole ‘nother level for me…
My Iphone – I won’t leave the house without it, I won’t sit still anywhere without it nearby, I won’t rest knowing that it needs re-charging, am I addicted (the answer is a resounding Yes!)
My big sister Dana passed away from stage 4 lung cancer on November 9th 2019. She was 65 years old. It was a shock to anyone who really knew Dana as she was truly larger than life. Ironically Dana never smoked a cigarette a day in her life…
And as what usually happens after we lose a loved one, we often think about what we would say to them if we even had just 1 more day…The following is what I would say…I purposely chose to express myself in the form of a letter though as Dana was instrumental in encouraging all of her siblings to make good use of the written word – whether it was by writing letters to her when she was stationed at Pope Air Force Base wayyyy back in the day, sending heartfelt thank you cards to family members for birthday or holiday gifts received, or writing witty post cards from their own travel adventures. Here I go…
Dear Dana,
I truly believe that you are the strongest woman I have ever known in the 57 years I have been on this earth. I distinctly remember watching you (when I was a just a little girl) navigate your way through life. You had 6 brothers and sisters all younger than you, yet you somehow managed to do a remarkable job babysitting us while still figuring out what you had to do to manage your own up and coming existence. You were exactly 8 years older than me but it may as well had been a lifetime for all that you seemed to possess in the way of knowledge and from what very little I knew…
At night I would lay on the top bunk of my twin bed (which I shared with our sister Elena) and marvel at the “bedtime stories” you shared with us. I hung onto your every word although I honestly did not “get” what you were saying (smile).
You were a remarkable storyteller, taking Elena and I from the craziness of your junior high and high school worlds in Groton, CT to the mysteries of wide world events. I must admit, the wide world events you told us about really scared the heck out of me (why would anyone want to bomb anyone?!?) I would think, finding it hard to go to sleep.
Dana I also remember when you left our home at the tender age of 18 (with your red Samsonite luggage in tow) to make your way out into the world. You chose to enroll in the United States Air Force. I was all of 10 then and admired your decisiveness and bravery. You made a promise to all of us that once you got yourself settled and bought your first home, you would come back each Summer (to Groton, Connecticut from Fayettville, North Carolina) and pick one of us up to spend the entire Summer with you. I would have been 16 but I ended up being 15 when it was my turn to go (something came up for Elena that Summer so she could not take her turn). I was never so excited that year as I had not experienced much in the way of travel. As you very well know, Growing up Hollis (family of 9) we would (in our two-toned station wagon) regularly visit our cousins in Newport RI, and sometimes visit our paternal Grandfather in Niagara Falls, NY, and/or our paternal Grandmother in Newark, NJ. That was the extent of our travel so Fayettville, North Carolina was a real treat and a completely different way of life which I’m still thanking you for. I learned a lot those two summers down South and grew in so many ways.
By the time you completed your stint in the Air Force and moved back to Connecticut, you were now married to former Air Force Sargent Clifford Babb and had 2 young children – Keedah and Ahmad. This was my first real experience at being an Aunt so while you were busy working full-time on the 3rd Shift at Electric Boat in Groton, CT, taking courses part-time at UNH in West Haven (Groton campus) and being a full-time wife and mother, I would help you out where I could in the babysitting department. I was in high school then so I too had an inordinate amount of energy (smile).
After your employment at Electric Boat ended, you relocated to Baltimore, MD where you worked for a number of good companies: PharmaKinetics, KPMG Peat Marwick and finally Enron (before the collapse) where you would travel back and forth to Enron’s headquarters in Houston, Texas living out your dreams.
I had graduated from college at this point so me, our late mother Jean, our sister Casandra, my girlfriends Sherry and Thais, their mother Yvonne and my girlfriend Gina would “shoot” up and down the highway from Connecticut to Maryland in the Summers to enjoy long weekends with you and the family which mostly included a Crab Feast to NowhereBaltimore Crab Feast!
We got to know downtown Baltimore very well because of you Dana and really enjoyed our time in that part of the country (smile).
Dana, you had a sixth sense and were way ahead of your time as I distinctly remember you talking to us about how you had to get out of Enron years after you started as you feared something terrible was about to happen. Being the big- hearted person you were, you tried real hard to convince your co-workers to leave with you but no one took you seriously…
Being the go-getter that you were, you quickly obtained new employment out of state as an Independent Contractor with New Jersey Transit Authority. It was here where you worked your way up to Project Manager and spent the next 17 years honing a lifetime of skills and finally performing the gratifiying and rewarding work you were made for.
Dana, you lived in a beautiful apartment home in Newark, NJ the first half of your career so me and the family were also able to witness the true gentifrication of the City of Newark. We had visited Newark long ago when we were children so we were all completely surprised by the ‘new’ Newark (smile).
You then purchased a large home in Hillside, NJ so that your daughter and 4 grandchildren (whom two you now had custody of) would all live in one place and belong to a better school system.
Dana, your life was extraordinarilybusy in New Jersey as now you were working full time at New Jersey Transit Authority; regularly taking Continuing Education courses in your industry in various states; raising your 4 grandchildren; working on Concrete Roses and Boys to Men: the Summer programs for At Risk Teenagers you both founded and directed; volunteering at your AME Church; doing travel consulting on the side with Cruise Planners – The Yellow Brick Road; etc., so we were only able to get together with you and your family maybe 3 or 4 times a year (at combined birthdays and holidays). We made the best of what family time we had together though didn’t we: often sharing pictures from our own individual adventures or telling stories about shared family history over meals.
Dana I must say I’ll never forget the weekend of July 4th 2018 as God called and directed me to have a family barbeque at me and James’s house in Connecticut where we were to celebrate allof the Summer birthdays for the months of June, July and August (as well as Father’s Day). Your birthday was on June 19th so you were included in this joint celebration. I remember you sending Amazon box after Amazon box to our house well in advance of the date just to make sure you did not forget anyone. You had such a big heart and truly took the time out to pick out gifts that the person would never look to return (smile). Everything, and I mean everything fell into place on that fateful day…
Dana enjoying some of her own birthday gifts while brother Michael looks on.
Dana and the family enjoying the barbecue and festivities.
I did not of course know that you would be gone the following year but I did notice that you seemed awfully tired that day and not your normal energetic self…
What happened to you between October 2018 and October 2019 was a flurry of emergency room visits, hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation visits, at-home care, chemo treatments and such. Me, my brother Michael, my sister Casandra and our Dad Jonie B., would visit you in New Jersey as often as we could and once there, try and make it the best day it could possibly be.
Here is one of our earlier visits when you were in the Rehab Center of the VA Medical Center in Lyons, NJ.
We also supplemented those in-person visits to New Jersey over all of those months with weekly family calls so that we could all stay connected. You’ll be happy to hear that we decided those family calls should not go away but continue, as they truly help us all cope.
Dana I love you and want you to know that I truly believe you are in a much better place where there is no more anguish and no more pain, just lots of joy and, not to mention, family reunions.
P.S. Here is your obituary – it was truly a labor of love that me, your daughter Keedah, our sister Casandra and your granddaughter Rashidah all collaborated on – please cut, copy and paste onto your browser to enjoy:
You’ll also be equally happy to hear that your brother Michael delivered your Eulogy on Saturday, November 23rd to a packed house with a not a dry eye in sight!
Michael delivering Dana’s Eulogy to a packed house.
As anyone who regularly reads TVFL knows, this girl has been blogging about taking care of her health and well being for the past several years. It was precipitated 8 years ago when I was diagnosed with colon cancer: A Place of Desert…(almost) 4years cancer free So it should come as no surprise to anyone that my most shared blog post, My clean living life… is up to Part Six. Namely because health and wellness is something that I (and apparently others in or not in my age group) struggle with. And I’m not ashamed to write about it. However, don’t get me wrong, if I could wave a magic wand and become the healthiest girl alive overnight, I would’ve been there done that soooo many years ago (smile).
As is stands, working out at the Edge Fitness Center 5 mornings a week, eating clean and healthy, getting the proper ZZZs at night and imbibing only on the weekends can get old (smile).
Especially when you work on 100 percent commission in a pressure-cooker environment each and every weekday…
But I’m not one to throw a pity party for too long…I like to look on the bright side of life. For instance, my quest for good health and wellness affords me the following rewards: a brighter, sunnier disposition, faster metabolism, increased energy and overall improved health.
There’s something about the number 7 that is lucky for me. Here are a few reasons why:
I am one of 7 children
My birthdate2-14, with the single digits added together, equals 7
My actual birthday 14, divided by my birth month, 2 equals 7
My first name Lajeune has exactly 7 letters in it
The first letter of my first name L and all of the letters in my last name Hollis equal 7
And finally, the city I was born in Newport (RI) has 7 letters in it
Speaking of the number 7: 7 years ago, after experiencing excruciating stomach pains, I finally got a colonoscopy and was subseqently informed by my Gastrointestinal doctor that I had colon cancer A Place ofDesert…(almost) 4 years cancerfree.
At my pre-surgery consultation I told my soon-to-be Yale New Haven Healthcare surgeon, Dr. Schlessel, that I had already planned a trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina the following month (July) to spend some quality time with my niece, great niece and 3 great nephews from New Jersey. I also told Dr. Schlessel I had already rented the condo, the mini -van and even bought additional car insurance…
Incidentally, while this was all happening, I was getting some serious opposition from different people in my life who felt that I was crazy to take the trip. They all pretty much said the same thing: ‘you have Cancer, what if something happens to you on that long road trip?!?’ I listened to everything these folks had to say and then asked my surgeon for his honest advice. He said (and I’ll never forget it) “Go! And when you return we head straight to surgery!” Here is a what I remember of that fateful trip:
The mini van
You can’t take a long road trip involving children without the use of a mini-van (smile). I rented a Chrsyler Town Car Mini-Van for our 10 day vacation…I left New Haven, CT very early on a Friday morning in mid-July and approximately 2 1/2 hours later, picked up my niece, great niece and 3 great nephews from their home in New Jersey.
This mini-van was equipped with all of the amenities…
After about 4 or 5 food/gas/bathroom-breakstopsalong the way (each time resulting in a driving-duty swap with my niece Keedah) we made it (18 hours later!) to Hilton Head, SC. Miraculously my stomach did not bother me at all the entire time and my energy level felt pretty normal…
Hilton Head, South Carolina
My first thought was: Hilton Head is lovely. This was my first time here and I was so impressed with the look of the town as well as the good vibes I felt in the air. The endless sunshine didn’t hurt either…But first things first, our ‘home away from home’ for the next 10 days:
The condo complex
We had a mini-nightmare when we arrived after Midnight in Hilton Head Island. Our GPS took us to the wrong condominium complex! Apparently there are a ton of condominium complexes in Hilton Head plus the roundabouts throw the GPS’s off. Long story short, we almost thought we would be sleeping in our mini van the first night as my key would not work to what we thought was our unit. Thank God the realtor was up and returned my frantic call. He quickly re-directed us to the right complex and we were happy, tired campers. Whew, that was close (smile).
This is the complex where we stayed, and, as it turned out, one of many condominium complexes in Hilton Head
The grounds…
More of the grounds…
We spent our first morning in town doing some heavy duty grocery shopping at the Piggly Wiggly. Incidentally, I never worked so hard in my life while on vacation – I was the hostess, the cook, the waitress, the bottle washer, the driver and the dirty clothes washer (smile).
Let the fave-TV-show fights begin…this happened each and every night around 7pm-ish – the fights over the remote control – and this was also when, because of my illness, I would start losing energy and retire for bed…
The outdoor pool at the condo complex
It sure was nice to have a pool at the complex for those few occasions when we did not feel like packing up the car and heading to the beach…
Beautiful outdoor pool at our condo complex
The kiddies all enjoying themselves in the outdoor pool
My rambunctious great nephew Rasoul being thrown into the pool by one of the residents
Coligny Beach Park
I was so impressed with the South Carolina beaches (they truly are beautiful). However, one of the nearby beaches – Coligny Beach – stood out! The sun, the sand, the surf was unbeatable!
We all loved Coligny Beach so much we came back almost every day!
My great nephews Kenyon, Ahmad, Jr. and Rasoul and my niece Keedah all “Beaching” at Coligny…
Sand play and jumping into the waves, life is good (smile).
My niece Dimitrica (who drove down from her home in North Carolina) to spend 4 days with us
My great niece Rashidah and great nephew Kenyon enjoying the endless sunshine; my great nephew Rasoul playing in the sand and me, contemplating the waves
My niece Keedah and I enjoying our new beach umbrella and chairs (we stopped renting the beach umbrella and beach chair after Day 1) my great niece Rashidah and great nephew Kenyon “Beaching”
Me and my great nephew Rasoul enjoying our time in the sun – by the way, I discovered that all of that Vitamin D every day was good for my illness…
Savannah, GA
We decided to spend Day 5 of our 10 vacation days in this beautiful, cultural city which was less than an hour away.
I had heard nothing but good things about Savannah and I liked what I had watched on The Travel Channel. So it was a no-brainer to take a Day-cation there, especially since we were so close to the border.
Once we arrived, the first thing we did was head to the free ferry to quickly explore the 4 corners of the city…but not before feeding the meter…
My great nephews Kenyon and Ahmad and my niece Keedah wait while my niece Dimitrica feeds the meter
Free ferry ride with a scenic view of the Savannah river
The actual ferry boat
My niece Keedah and great niece Rashidah inside the ferry boat
My great nephews Rasoul and Ahmad, Jr. and I enjoying ice cream we had picked up at one of the 4 corner stops on the ferry boat ride. Despite my appetite, which I must say was pretty decent, I was still losing at least a half a pound a day…My niece Dimitrica shopping in Savannah
The kiddies sightseeing in Savannah
Looking for lucky coins in Savannah
Clowning around in Savannah
Back in Hilton Head, SC
We spent the remaining days of our vacation ‘Beaching’ at Coligny or ‘Pooling’ at the condo complex. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner inmost days and truly enjoyed the lovely weather. I was starting to feel tired earlier in the day now so I was glad it was nearing time to head back.
And driving back was much easier as well because this time we left on a Saturday night (approximately 12Midnight to be exact) and drove straight through the night with only one or two stops – getting back in record time the following Sunday.
Can’t say I’ve driven so far since that time but it was most definately an adventure to remember (smile).
And, as a bonus, I was not only tanned but refreshed. And as my surgeon would have noted, ‘ready for surgery.’
