Tag: #Connecticut; #GrotonConnecticut

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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Hot Mess!

What is it about hair stylists, hairdressers, salon owners, etc. that make you want to spill your guts?!?   I’ve been going to one or another hair salon in Connecticut now for years (at least 30 years) and I must say, some of my deepest and most meaningful conversations have been with my stylist.  It’s almost like something happens to me when I sit in her (their) chair, it’s almost like all of my inhibitions go out the door and what’s left is talk, raw talk.  I can’t explain it, I just know that I feel the need to share and share BIG…

I came of age in the early 70s  (pre-Afro days in our house) so natural hair and afro picks were not in yet for the Hollis girls – press and curls were –  and we were truly a product of our environment…I’m the one with the yellow blouse and matching yellow headband…my oldest sister Dana was missing in this picture.

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Again, I am one of 7 children (5 girls; 2 boys) in a family of 9 and the baby girl at that, so my earliest memory of getting my ‘hair did’ was not going to a salon (we didn’t have that luxury) but waiting most of a Satur(day) in anticipation…You see, on Saturdays the Hollis kitchen became a makeshift hair salon.  One sister after another (the oldest to the youngest) sat in the kitchen chair closest to the oven so my mother could easily place the hot comb back and forth (from hair to electric eye).   My two brothers didn’t know how good they had it!  They had no clue…I can still recall smelling Blue Magic hair dressing and fried hair all day long…Being the baby girl, I was always the last to go which meant that by the time my mother got to me she was not only tired, but cranky.  And God forbid someone called on the telephone during my time in the chair!  I was in for some neck burnings then!   Consequently, I do not have fond memories of these two things:

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So, fast forward to today, one of my favorite ways to pamper myself  is to get my hair done once a week.  Elite Hair Salon in Westville, CT is my salon of choice now and they come highly recommended (smile).

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Put your slippers on…

As I’ve gotten older,  I’ve truly started to take note of the things that make me happy and relaxed and conversely, stay away from the things that make me sad and/or stressed out.  It sounds simple in theory but in practice, not so much…

At any rate today it’s the little things that make me happy and/or relaxed.   And they don’t necessarily involve a lot of money.  Here are a list of them:

  • Sleeping in on Saturdays – Growing up Hollis, my father,  Jonie B., would not allow his kids to sleep in on the weekends – he was a “military man” and sleeping in was a sign of laziness…conseqently, this is a big deal to me today…you notice I only mentioned one weekend  day…
  • Taking long bubble baths on the weekends –  Growing up Hollis  and being one of 7 children, I used to have to share my bubble baths with my sister Elena to not only save water, but time…today I consider a bubble bath strictly “me time” and a luxury not enjoyed enough…

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  • Burning incense and candles – I love to burn things in a safe way (smile) so burning candles and incense has a unique way of relaxing me when I’m feeling stressed – watching a fire burn in an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire pit also does the trick
  • Eating comfort “snacky” foods – Growing up Hollis and being a “daddy’s girl” I used to pop “corn” for my father and watch Football with him so this snack has always held a special meaning to me
  • Reading a good book on a rainy day – There’s something about curling up on the sofa with a good book and cup of hot tea on a rainy day…

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  • Spending quality time at the beach -Water has always had a way of relaxing me and making me feel at peace with the world – I grew up in the small Shoreline town of Groton, CT where we had 5 beaches so I spent a lot of time with my siblings at the beach

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  • Getting pampered – feet, hair, nails, etc. – love to have someone else that I’m paying do these things for me – did not know that luxury growing up so it feels extra special now…

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  • Watching a good movie at the movie theater complete with snacks – my late mother Jean used to drop her 7 children off at the movie theater on Saturdays armed with snacks so going to the movies will always hold a special place in my heart
  • Spending time outdoors during the warmer months – Living in New England and dealing with such changeable weather, I love being outdoors when the weather is nice and I fully take advantage of it.  Whether it is playing sports or just lounging around, the sun becomes my friend
  • And finally, putting on my “jammies” and slippers as soon as I get home from a long stressful day at work – I work in a super stressful, highly competitive industry so as soon as I get home I take a nice hot shower and put on my “jammies” and slippers – – I can still hear my late mother Jean’s voice telling me,  ‘put your slippers on’ after an insanely busy day and miraculously, it worked!

 

 

My VDay BDay

I was born in a blizzard on Valentine’s Day in 1962.  While growing up my mother always told me it was the worst blizzard Newport Rhode Island had ever seen..so I literally just now looked it up.  The closest news item I could find was from WPRI-TV 12 which reported that the year 1962 had the snowiest winter on record with 30.1 inches…so  yeah, I’m officially a ‘blizzard baby.’

Having a birthday on Valentine’s Day is a double-edged sword.  But when I was little girl growing up in Groton, CT, it was not that big of a deal.  Here’s why:

We Hollis kids always had our birthday celebrations on the closest Saturday to our birth date.  My sister Casandra’s birthday fell on the 24th of February so we would celebrate both of our birthdays on one of the Saturdays in between both of our dates.  My parents had 7 children so this was the most efficient and effective way to celebrate. So consequently I never really focused on the actual day or date, just the month of February, and I was fine with that.  After dinner (where our mother would cook our favorite meal!) me and Casandra  would also have our own individual cakes and ice cream.  My cake was vanilla with red frosting (courtesy of food coloring!)  I usually had vanilla ice cream.  Casandra’s cake was strawberry with pink frosting and strawberry ice cream.  We would blow out our candles, eat our cake and ice cream, unwrap the  gifts and spend the rest of the night playing with our new gifts.   I always felt extra special though because each and every year of my actual birth date, until I was 18, my mother would give me a small, heart-shaped box of chocolates.  My mother is no longer alive so I still get tears in my eyes when anyone gives me a heart-shaped box of chocolates on my birthday…

Here is a picture of me (in blue with the cute little birthday hat) and my sister Casandra (Standing with balloon in hand) celebrating our 4th and 8th birthdays with my older brother Michael (seated behind me) and my younger brother Shawn (with frosting on his face) (smile).


At Mary Morrison Elementary School in Groton, CT, Valentine’s Day was not just my birthday, it was an event.

We were asked by our home room teacher to purchase enough Valentine’s Day cards to hand out to each and every one of our classmates.  This would ensure that nobody was left out on this holiday celebrating love.  Me and my classmates got around this by handing out the bigger Valentines to our faves!

 

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Nowadays Valentine’s Day has morphed into such a massive Hallmark holiday that I feel as if my birthday pales in comparison (smile).    Also it feels waaaaaay too commercial to me.  You can’t walk or drive anywhere in the month of February, in advance of the holiday, without being bombarded with big mylar balloons, chocolates, candies, roses,  greeting cards, jewelry store specials, restaurant dinner specials, retail gift items, etc.  You would truly have to live under a rock to not know that February 14th is Valentine’s Day (smile).

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As an adult I have so gotten used to the usual remarks concerning my birthday from: ‘Oh, you’re so lucky, you get 2 gifts, right?’  to:  Oh, you’re not lucky at all!  Your gifts are probably rolled into one…’

No matter, I celebrate in my own way.  For instance every year me and my girls (Gina, Thais, Sherry) celebrate our respective birthdays together over dinner (usually Japanase cuisine for mine) the night of, or closest Saturday night to, the birth date.  We’ve been doing this for over 20 years and we are all in our 50’s now so it’s always a good time.

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Me and my S.O. James have had some memorable Vday/Bday celebrations together – most recently was in the Dominican Republic when we (with a bunch of other travelling vacationers) were on a catamaran party boat on our way to a day trip on the private island of Salinas…that was special…

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And I always make a point of taking my birthday off from work every year as this day is much too special to me to spend it working…Besides, I’d much rather pamper myself that day (hair/nails/feet/facial/back massage), etc.

I’m turning 54 this year and my upcoming  BDay/VDay falls on a Sunday so I have not yet decided if I will take that next day (Monday) off…we shall see.

So happy Valentine’s Day everyone!  And let’s make this year more about the presence and less about the presents…

 

 

 

 

 

Clams on the half shell…and roller-skates!

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I am truly a Child of the 70’s.  I was born in a blizzard in Newport, Rhode Island on Valentine’s day in 1962.  So I really came of age in the 70’s.  Which is why, to this day, the 70s is my favorite decade of music to listen to in my car on Sirius radio.   Growing up, I loved listening to music on my 8 track player.  Because of my eclectic tastes in music, I could be listening to the sounds of Motown,  Earth Wind and Fire, Chicago, Boston, Chic, Zeppelin and/or GQ.

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My sisters sported Bell Bottoms and tie-dye t-shirts.   Huge afros with picks in the middle were our hair style of choice.  My favorite color in clothes was blue because my mom said so and the only adult conversation I was privy to was when I had my ear against the hall door during one of my parents couples-only parties at home.

During the summers which were sooooooo long back then, l played with my Dawn doll, went rollerskating for long periods of time and ate Little Debbie’s, washing them down with cold whole milk.   Me, my brothers and sisters and the neighborhood kids kept busy with games of kick-ball in the middle of the street we grew up on ’till the lights came on. Neighbors were friendly then and you didn’t mind borrowing sugar from them.

Back then, children were seen and not heard, telephones were connected to the wall and had long cords that we could carry into a closet if we needed privacy.  Walking home alone from school was not a problem and pets (our dog) ate right from the table and were never walked.  Our male dachshund would sometimes disappear for days at a time and we never worried that he would not come back.

Vacations consisted of us all piling up in the oversized two-toned family station wagon and going to visit ‘the cousins’ in Newport, Rhode Island or my father’s side of the family in Newark, New Jersey or Niagara Falls, New York.

Those were the days…

With 2 parents and 7 kids in the house, Halloween was an event.  We would dress up, take our own pillow sack (flimsy plastic bags would not do!) out into the neighborhood and gather as much candy as we could carry home.  Once home, our mother would put all of the chocolates into separate containers for freezing and then store the rest of the candy into places unknown to us.  We were literally eating candy for the next 6 months.  The dentists had to love us!
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I would not trade my childhood for the world.  Having a stay-at-home mom and a traditional dad allowed me to reap the benefits that I am still enjoying to this day.  Good times!