Category: Family stuff…

Movie Buff

From as far back as I can remember, I have always loved going to the cinema to see a movie.  Coming from a large family of 9 (two parents and 7 kids) my mother Jean, who was the original Hollis movie buff,  would, on a rainy day, load all 7 of us Hollis kids in our two-toned station wagon and drop us off at the Saturday matinée.  And we were never without our snacks.   My mother was the ultimate planner so on one of her many trips to the supermarket, she would buy large bags of candy and miniature chocolate bars and then proceed to put them in smaller Glad baggies with twists so she could save $$ at the movie concession stand.  To this day I cannot watch a movie at the cinema without having something to snack on (smile).

I saw 3 really good movies last week while on my Staycation in Connecticut. All 3 of these movies had just opened at the theaters in 2016.   However, these movies were all from Red Box so we watched them right from the comfort of our living room.  Things are real different today then they were back in the day…Brand new movies don’t stay in the theaters long so you don’t have to wait before plunking down a mere $1.59 to rent them from Red Box.   Or another option is to pay $4.99 or more and watch them On Demand from your local Cable TV service.   Unless it is truly something that has to be viewed on a super large screen for the visual and audio effects, I am okay with watching it on our own big HD TV screen at home with the volume turned up real high (smile).

Incidentally  the 3 movies we rented from Red Box couldn’t have been more different from each other in genre and/or story line.

The first one  was a comedy called  Central Intelligence starring The Rock and Kevin Hart.  I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who has not seen it, but I was really surprised at the serious undertone it took with the whole Bullying aspect that is so prevalent in today’s society.

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The second was a drama called Legend of Tarzan starring Alexander Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson.  I have to admit that the idea of seeing another Tarzan movie made me queasy (my childhood memories of Tarzan movies were not pleasant to say the least)  but my S.O. James assured me that this one was done well…he was right and I was pleasantly surprised…Enough said (smile).

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And the third was a foreign flick and drama (my personal fave) called The Lobster which my S.O. James handpicked for me.  It stars Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz.  Can’t say enough about this movie except you should absolutely see it as it will open your eyes WIDE to a whole ‘nother world…and make you feel grateful for your own (smile).

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Those are my movie picks ~  Apprecier le films!

Thanks(Giving)

One of my favorite holidays growing up (besides Christmas) was Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving in my mind was Christmas without the presents and I mean that in the best way.  You see, I grew up in a large, dual-parented family in the small town of Groton, CT.   I was one of 7 children and the ‘baby girl.’

My father was in the U.S. Navy and my mother was a housewife (today she would be called a ‘stay at home mom’).

Here’s a picture of my  parents when they first met.  My mother Jean was 17 and my father Jonie B. was 19.

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In my humble opinion, holidays were and are so much more fun when you can share them with your parents and siblings and the bigger your family, the better.  I was 6 years old in this picture of me and my six siblings, I’m the second one in from the right.

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My mother was the ultimate multi-tasker and as such super organized so the bigger holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) afforded her the opportunity to show off her skills.

She would take one or more of us with her to the grocery store to buy the turkey, the trimmings and the holiday themed tablecloth, plates, cups, cutlery and paper machete turkey.

Between making sure that the house was spick and span clean as well as decorated, each and everyone’s clothes washed and folded, and the food prepped and ready, she was also genius at balancing our lives to ensure that we were where we needed to be at any given time.

I had no cooking skills whatsoever so I marveled at how my mother could wash, stuff and prepare the turkey, bake multiple pies with homemade (not store-bought) crusts and then cook a ton of side dishes with ease.

On the big day, the food was blessed and then we would go around the dinner table and share what we were most thankful for that particular year.  This would usually elicit misty eyes…

Then my father, Jonie B., would do the honors by carving the turkey.  If he was out to sea during the holiday, my older brother Michael would handle it.

The Thanksgiving menu was not light.  It usually consisted of an oversized turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, giblets, sweet potatoes, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens with ham bone, corn, mashed potatoes with gravy, string beans with fat back, hot dinner rolls, pumpkin pies, sweet potatoe pies, and apple cider to wash it all down with.

Huge mounds of food on serving plates would be passed around the table, laughter was heard throughout and we all knew that we would be eating leftovers for days!

Football was on TV all day long, Macy’s parade as well.  Good times.

Fast Forward to today:   with the holiday season quickly approaching, I sometimes catch myself getting caught up in a lot of the negativity of the world.  My solution a few weeks ago (inspired by my good church friend, Bobo) was to start a (daily) blessings jar to remind myself that I still have plenty to be thankful for.  It works like a charm (smile).

One of the first blessings that I wrote and put in my jar was how thankful I was (am) for my late mother so this blog post is written in loving memory of  Jean Anna Tinsley Hollis, gone but not forgotten…

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Sports Nut

From as far back as I can remember, I’ve been playing sports and/or keeping busy with physical activities.   I have an inordinate amount of energy so this works out just fine (smile).  And Growing up Hollis, both my mother and father always made sure that their 7 children were kept busy with physical activities and/or sports all year long.

Today it’s the gym (Edge Fitness Club in Hamden, CT) that keeps me active and sane.

But back in the day it was either organized sports (during the school year) or any kind of sports, activities or games (indoors or outdoors) with my 6 siblings and/or our neighbors.   I grew up in the ’70s, a time when there were no smart phones or tablets or laptops.  R U Social?   We played games with each other and if you needed to see someone, you simply hopped on your no-speed bike and peddled your way over to their house (smile).

Speaking of houses, this is the house where we grew up in the small town of Groton, CT – lots of really good memories were made here –  Easter Sunday back in the day…This is an updated version of when we lived in it as this picture was taken just two years ago.   For instance, back in the day we had a car port, not a garage…

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Organized Sports:

  • Softball – I started playing softball in a Women’s league when I was just 11 years old.  I ended up playing every position on the field with this league by the time I turned 15. I even won the team ball (which was signed by all of my teammates before they carried me off the field).  To this day I still own that ball…
  • Bowling – I starting bowling in a league at a local bowling alley when I was 11 as well.  Bowling Date
  • Judo – I started when I was 12 years of age and ended at age 16.  I almost made it to ‘purple belt’ and my rugged gi (purposely made to be loose-fitting) fit me all 5 years.
  • Track & Field  – I started running track in high school ( 10th through 12th grades back then).  My events were the 220, 440, mile relay and the long jump.  I have to admit: although I was a decent runner, I had nothing at all on then Fitch Senior High School track standout,  Sherry Johnson, whom we were all in awe of because her legs never seemed to quit :)).

Outside during the Winter – I (we) enjoyed sledding, playing ice hockey, building snowmen and/or snow caves, as well as ice skating Ski Date.

Outside during the Spring/Summer  – I (we) alternately participated in or played:  kickball, badminton, field hockey, dodgeball, roller skating, bike riding, and volley-ball  Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!

I (we) also walked on tall stilts, played on swings, climbed monkey bars and skipped rope.

A fave toy of mine back in the day was Big Wheels.   We lived on a cul-de-sac so I could easily (and safely) ride up the street, around the circle at the end of the street and back down again for hours at a time.  Once I picked up speed,  I would take my feet up and off the pedals, stretch my long legs out in both directions and whiz away!

big-wheelsIf it happened to be raining outside, I would ride my Big Wheels up and down our driveway underneath the car port (as long as my father was working) which meant that our oversized two-toned family station wagon was not parked underneath it and not in my way (smile).

Speaking of rain, Inside on rainy days:  I (we) played Klik Klaks, Clacker Ball, Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Monopoly, and pored through novels  Put your slippers on…plus I (we) enjoyed clap games like Patty Cake and Miss Mary Mack, musical chairs, blowing Bubbles and playing Freeze Dance or Monsters.

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Outside  in the Fall – We played Hide and Seek, Hop Scotch – tossed with a bean bag, Jump Rope, Jacks, Marbles, Red Light-Green Light, Mother May I?, Simon Sez, Tag, and Slinky.

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Life sure was different back in the day.  Electronics did not rule, our arms and legs did and, dare I say, we were better for it…

 

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to me!  On August 5, 2016 I will celebrate 5 years (Colon) Cancer free.  Yay!  IMG_7945You see on Friday, August 5, 2011 I had surgery to remove the colon cancer so I count that day in August as my anniversary date as opposed to counting when I actually completed my 12 chemo treatments which, by the way, was in February of 2012.  I’m not going to get into it here as I have already blogged about the actual experience which can be found under Blogs on my site, lajeunehollis.com (“A Place of Desert…”).  

Although I tried unsuccessfully to put on a Colon Cancer Cruise in 2015 (“Colon Cancer Survivors Cruise Info”) it was still a learning experience that left me much richer for it…

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The month of March will forever hold a special place in my  heart as it is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and without the colonoscopy I received back in June of 2011, I would not be sharing any of these stories with you today (“True Blue”).

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Eating healthy and nutritious foods is a way of life for me now, not just a passing fad (“My Clean Living Life – Parts I and II”).

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Working out at The Edge in Hamden is a great stress reliever for sure but it also serves the dual purpose of keeping me physically fit (“Pit Bull or Poodle?”).

And participating in seasonal sports and/or activities on a regular basis brings me right back to my childhood as my parents were always good about keeping all 7 of us Hollis kids busy in a good way (“Ski Date”).

Having good friends to lean on during a major illness (remember that old saying about the fact that you don’t really know who your real friends are until you encounter major illness) rang so true for me.  Also, making new friends as a direct result of my Cancer experience was humbling to say the least (“Friends are like jewels…”).

Family is crucial and I honestly don’t know what I would have done without the love and support of my father and my siblings during this trial (“Easter Sunday Back in the Day”).

And finally,  growing up in a religious household made all of the difference in the world in terms of how I viewed my illness and how I responded to it (“A Desert Place…”).   Having faith and a church home (for me, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, CT) was completely necessary for my sanity and my survival.  I was then, and continue to be now, truly blessed.

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Made of Wood…

I’m listening to a ’70s station on the radio the other day and one of my favorite songs by The Dramatics comes on, “Whatcha see is Whatcha get,” and it really got me thinking…

They don’t make music like they used to…

It also served to remind me that I grew up in a time when records were made of vinyl and album covers (LP or “long playing” covers) were a small work of art.  Records (disc formats: 33s, 45s and 78 RPMs) were played on boxy turntables back in the day and we even owned one that had a needle that needed a penny on top of it just to keep it stable (smile); and they were affordable!  A 45 single could run you somewhere between 75 cents to one dollar and a whole album (LP) could run from eight to ten dollars… Also, your favorite song wasn’t as accessible as it is today.  There was no Google or other search engines to go to when you just had to hear  that song.  You actually had to wait and hope the DJ would play your song on the radio or better yet, your parents owned the record so you could hear it at your leisure.

I loved Saturdays though because although we did not have YouTube, what we did have featured a lot of Rhythm & Blues & Soul music all in one place.   It was called Soul Train (the musical variety show on TV).  It was the center of my world back then and my show!  I planned my Saturdays around it.

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I marveled at the dancing, the fashions, the too-easy-to-solve word puzzles, and Don Cornelius’s ability to use his charismatic personality to captivate audiences each and every week.

I wanted his job, as it seemed like it was more a labor of love than a daily grind.

At any rate, the 70’s were a special time, there were no smart phones for people to listen to music out of and dare I say, we were far less distracted as a result.   Plus, music seemed to possess real meaning, as we sang along to heartfelt lyrics which oftentimes conjured up deep thoughts.

‘Watcha see is Watcha get’ by The Dramatics is just one example from the ’70s of a song with meaning.   As it turned out, it was far more than a song lyric, it was a way of life for me, a pre-teen coming of age in the small town of Groton, CT…