My Recent Favorite Things

There's so much going on these days with friends and families -- 2 weddings, several graduations, prom, violin concert/recitals, end-of-year school activities, charity events -- that there's too much to talk about.

Instead of boring you with all the gory details, I've decided to let you in on some of my recent favorite things. Click on the highlighted text and you will go directly to the appropriate internet site. Enjoy!

1. Some of my favorite news websites: www.newsweek.com, www.huffingtonpost.com, or www.slate.com, 2 NY Times blogs: Nikolas Kristof's blog and Lisa Belkin's blog.

If you need a quick update of all the latest news, and AOL or CNN seem too brief, these websites always provide interesting reading. If you are interested in all things Washington, D.C., then check out www.politico.com to find out which senator supported gay marriage, etc. As of this morning, Politico had not less than 9 stories about Sonia Sotomayor. They also had a story about the upcoming "Real Housewives of Washington, D.C." Now there's a scoop; have to confess I tune in every now and then to see how the housewives of Orange County and NYC are doing. Can't believe they are so bitchy, ugly, money-grabbing, and narcissistic. Of course, half of all the episodes are completely staged, but who cares. It can't be any more boring than watching endless rounds of Golf on TV ....!

2. Some of my favorite Shopping Websites: www.dealnews.com, www.stylenotes.com, www.dealhunting.com, and www.shopstyle.com. These websites offer promotional codes, including discounts and free shipping, on all sorts of items at all different websites. Stylenotes and Shopstyle focus particularly on apparel and accessories, but cover all stores in all price ranges.

3. What I'm Reading:

I just finished the first-person book, Standing By, by Alison Buckholtz. It is Buckholtz's memoir/expose of her life as the wife of a Navy pilot, raising two children in Anacortes, Washington, while her husband is on deployment. My sister-in-law, Jen, recommended it due to her own experiences as a Navy wife raising three children while her husband (my brother, Rob) is occasionally on deployment. After reading it, I passed it on to my mother and sister as required reading for Anyone who has a loved one on military deployment. The book provides lots of insight into largely unseen military/Navy operations, and gives lots of first-hand perspective on the community of military families. Buckholtz also spends a fair amount of time examining her Jewish faith, and searching for recognition of that faith in the Navy, where the overwhelming majority of personnel are Christian.

Olive Kittredge, by Elizabeth Strout, is next on my list. Strout won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel in short stories, revolving around a women's life in Maine.

4. A Great Idea (This should really be No. 1 in this list) :

The Healthy Shelf. I searched high and low for a way to get paper towels into my guest bathroom without placing a holder on the back of the lavatory. Since I have a sink attached to the wall, there was no ledge or shelf for a guest towel holder. And, I had to get rid of the cloth hand towels; just not sanitary. Lo and behold, I came across this little gem. It comes in several different colors and styles, and looks like a piece of furniture. I love it. And, if you decide it is the right option for you and I see it on your bathroom wall, I will assume that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Love It!

5. My favorite new (old) recipe. From the New York Times Magazine (and Gourmet Cookbook): Pasta Primavera a La Cirque. I made it recently as an accompaniment at a family BBQ. It can be made well ahead and served at room temperature.

Pasta Primavera Recipe

Serves 10 as a first course, 6 as a main course
Active time: 1 hour
Start to finish: 1½ hours

First introduced at the starry Le Cirque in New York City in the 1970's, pasta primavera rapidly became one of the most popular pasta dishes in America. Don't let the long list of ingredients faze you; once you've done the prep work, it's easy to throw together. One of the nice things about this version is that it calls for dried morels, frozen peas (more consistently sweet and tender than "fresh" peas), and asparagus (for better or worse, practically seasonless these days), so you don't have to wait until spring to make it.

1 ounce dried morel mushrooms
1½ cups warm water
½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ pound green beans, preferably haricots verts, cut into 1-inch pieces
¾ cup frozen baby peas, thawed
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Rounded ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ pints grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1 pound spaghettini
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup (1½ ounces) pine nuts, lightly toasted

Optional garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings

• Prepare the vegetables: Soak morels in warm water in a small bowl for 30 minutes.
• Lift mushrooms out of water and squeeze excess liquid back into bowl. Pour soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into a small bowl; reserve. Rinse morels thoroughly to remove grit, then squeeze dry. Cut off and discard any tough stems. Halve small morels lengthwise and quarter larger ones.
• Add asparagus and beans to a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt per every 4 quarts water) and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes. Add peas and cook until beans and asparagus are just tender, 1 to 2 minutes more. Immediately transfer vegetables with a large slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking; reserve pot of water for cooking pasta. Drain cooled vegetables.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and rounded ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, just until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add drained vegetables and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; set skillet aside.
• Cook the tomatoes: Cut half of tomatoes into quarters and halve remainder lengthwise, keeping quarters and halves separate. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over moderately low heat. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and remaining rounded ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, just until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add quartered tomatoes, with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, about 3 minutes. Add halved tomatoes, vinegar, and water and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and halved tomatoes are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm, covered.
• Cook the spaghettini: Return pot of water to boil and cook spaghettini until al dente; drain in a colander.
• Immediately add butter, cream, zest, and morels to (empty) pasta pot, bring to a simmer, and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in cheese, then add pasta, tossing to coat and adding as much of reserved morel soaking liquid as necessary (½ to 2/3 cup) to keep pasta well coated. Add green vegetables, parsley, basil, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to taste and toss gently to combine.
• Serve pasta topped with tomatoes and, if desired, Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.

Luckyyyyyyy

What's Luck got to do with it? Nothing? Everything?

I had a conversation this week with my oldest son, Will. He and some friends were playing reindeer games at school a week before finals when he fell squarely on this knee, severely injuring it. X-rays at the emergency room in Charleston confirmed that nothing was broken, but it sure was (still is) swollen and hurt like heck (Will has a very high pain tolerance, which was not a good thing when he was young, but is certainly good for him now). He was given a two-day supply of painkillers, a relatively strong brace, crutches, and ice packs. With some supportive phone calls from home, real assistance from several friends -- in the form of rides AND therapeutic trips to the beach -- he made it through finals. His father and younger brother then flew down to South Carolina to move all of Will's stuff into storage and brought him home.

Several doctors appointments and one MRI later, we discovered that he had NOT broken his kneecap, nor torn his patellar tendon. However, he did come as close as possible to breaking his knee and extended his ligaments as far as they could possibly go without tearing off the bone. His prognosis is excellent, requiring a strong brace, crutches for a few more days, and then 6-8 weeks of physical therapy.

Will's conclusion? "I have an angel protecting me. Things always seem to work out."

You can imagine, I almost drove off the road.

WHAT? An Angel? Are You Kidding Me?

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for angels. And, I'm all for things working out, especially for my children.

However .... Why, Will, do you think you didn't break your knee? Did it have anything to do with strong bones, athleticism and relative wise choices? Lots of milk? Healthy living and eating? The doctor actually said, "Good thing he's an athlete," or the bone would have smashed to bits, along with the ACL, MCL and any other "L" capable of tearing.

And, by the way, do you have any idea how hard your father and I work, and have worked, to get you to where you are today? To help you through difficult situations, at school and in life? To fully prepare you for an independent, mature life as a successful, productive adult? To make sure you will be able to support yourself well, be happy, and make a contribution to the world?

Well, let me tell you. Will got an earful. Just to let him know that Luck had very little to do with his current situation.

Except, of course, that he's right. He Was Lucky. We Are Lucky. Life is full of hard work, but almost every day I realize how lucky we are. We do work hard, on our careers, on our family, on our home, and with/for our children. But all our hard work is nothing without a large amount of luck.

When my father died suddenly almost 8 years ago, I thought our luck had changed forever. And, maybe it had, for our lives have become forever affected by his sudden absence. But, consider this.

Last week, late Friday afternoon, a father (48 years old) from St. John's Prep was driving with his son (15 years old) in the car. It appears the father suffered a heart attack, because he inexplicably careened at full speed across traffic head-on into a telephone poll. He died instantly; his son, a freshman basketball player, died the next day at a Boston hospital. Classes were cancelled for today and the entire school, including Ethan, is attending the funeral.

I cannot imagine that family's pain.

Sometimes, Luck has everything to do with It.

A Busy Time Of Year

Whew! Where have you all been??? Only kidding, of course. Where have I been? Seems like I've been around the world and back since I last blogged. Hard to believe my last post was about Susan Boyle, who just seems so ... oh, I don't know, yesterday's news? I actually stopped paying much attention to her after her Burberry makeover. Hopefully she'll get some good advice and won't pluck her eyebrows into oblivion.

Life for the Sullivan family has been crazy and fun over the past several weeks. Aside from the everyday excitement -- golf season has finally begun, for example (yawn...) -- two highlights include events marked by the slide shows I've included here.

First, Bill and I took Julia and my niece, Charlotte, to Washington State to visit Kristen & DJ. As many of you know, Kristen and her husband moved to Bellingham, WA about six months after their wedding in April of '07 (for those who joined us then, can you believe it's been two years?). Bellingham is approximately 2 hours north of Seattle, and is, well, completely gorgeous. I have never visited the Pacific Northwest, and was overwhelmed by its sheer beauty and magnificent natural features. When you stand at the edge of the ocean, you are flanked by farmlands (cows, tulips, silos, etc.) on one side and mountains (Mt. Baker, Canadian Rockies, Cascades) on the other. The mountains are huge (sorry, NH White Mt. fans) and the landscape breathtaking. The awesome beauty of the natural features created by glacial melting is truly incredible. Highlights from our trip included walking the boardwalk through Bellingham and Fairhaven, tugboating to and then hiking around Cypress Island with DJ's parents, visiting the tulip festival before having a delicious dinner at a restaurant by the oyster flats, driving into Canada and spending the day at Stanley Park in Vancouver, and then, finally, staying overnight in Seattle, with a fabulous dinner, funky hotel and quick stops at Pike Street Marketplace and the Space Needle. The girls Loved everything, though the highlight for them -- other than jumping off the back of the Bernardi into the freezing cold waters off Cypress Island -- may have been the Microsoft surface table at our hotel. Bill wants one for Christmas, but unfortunately for him (luckily for me) the table is still only available for purchase by businesses or entertainment/hotel retailers.

Shortly following our return, we had the privilege of attending my brother's Change of Command Ceremony in Brunswick, ME.

Now, I'll assume that most of my readers have no idea what this is, so here's a very brief explanation, probably with some errors (sorry, Rob). The U.S. Navy's airplane fleet is divided into squadrons, based on type of airplane. Each airplane in the fleet (not sure if fleet is even the correct term) has a specific function. Rob's current airplane performs surveillance functions.

Every few years, leadership of the squadron changes hands. The squadrons' leadership is handled by (in descending order) the Commandant, the Commanding Officer (CO), and then the Executive Officer (XO). Rob just became the XO of the squadron, and will become CO at some point down the road.

Let me just say, the Navy certainly knows how to do it right. The Change of Command ceremony was carried out with all the military honor and hoopla you could hope for. It began with the officers' families being escorted into the airplane hanger by junior officers in their dress whites. After we were seated, all the female relatives present received beautiful bouquets of flowers (I told Rob afterward that this was a moment that Julia will remember all her life; her jaw literally dropped -- and stayed open for a long time -- when the airman came over with a bouquet with her name on it). A military band played a few songs, and then various officers delivered speeches. Following the formal ceremony, we were treated to cake and coffee and escorted on board the actual airplanes that fly the squadron's missions. In the slide show below, you will see pictures of the airplane with Rob's name on it (you may have to zoom it open a big larger).

You will have to take my word for it when I say that until you are part of it, you have absolutely no idea of the full extent and scope of this largely separate military world. Reading the news and seeing it on television isn't the same. Not until you meet the men and women up close, in their environment, in their uniforms and surrounded by the customs of formalities of their daily lives, do you begin to have an understanding of the commitment, difficulties and honor of a life in the military. I can say with some certainty that if my brother weren't in it, I would have little if any knowledge of it.

I can also say with certainty that having a brother in the military is one of the highlights of my life and of my family's life. We are incredibly proud of Rob, and so proud of what he and his own family do every day for us and for the country. Pride in military service does not belong solely to republicans and conservative-minded Americans. There are plenty of liberals out there who no doubt share my deep faith in and appreciation for the men and women in uniform.

In a couple of weeks, Rob and his squadron will be deploying for six months at sea. My sister-in-law, Jen, has already taken on her recurring role of family manager to my two nieces and nephew, coordinating their very full life down in Jacksonville, Florida, while awaiting Rob's return in mid-December. When Michelle Obama talks about the need to support military families, we can totally relate.

Please keep Rob and Jen in your prayers over the next several months.



Congrats, Rob! Fly safe.