RIP Angela Dresch (Service 11/10-11 Funeral 11/12)

RIP Angela Dresch  – a 13 year old from Staten Island was found in the debris near her that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Angela Rose Dresch was an 8th grade student at Totten Intermediate School.  Andrea’s mother, Pat Dresch is a CCD teacher Our Lady Help of Christians School in Tottenville. She was found alive, near the home and taken to Staten Island University Hospital.  Angela’s father, George Dresch’s body was first reported missing, but his body was found blocks away from the home today, November 1st. Prayers for Andrea’s mother, sister and friends.

Funeral Service: Our Lady Help of Christian’s RC Church Monday, November 12,2012 10:00AM

Visitation: Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home Saturday,November 10,2012 & Sunday, November 11,2012 2-4 & 7-9PM

Angela Dresch and their neighbor’s home was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. 

Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

RIP Connor and Brandon Moore

After Hurricane Sandy, NY’ers held their breath and said a prayer for the two missing boys, Connor and Brandon Moore – age 4 and 2 respectively. Glenda Moore left her home Monday evening because her house lost power. She was driving to her sister’s house in Brooklyn when her car stalled. Glenda got out of the car, took her boys out of the car seat and carried her younger son, while taking the hand of her old boy. A tidal surge overwhelmed her on Father Capodanno Boulevard and she was unable to locate her children.  It was reported that she asked neighbors in the area for help, but no one came to her aide. The next morning, around 8:00 am, she flagged down a police officer to get help.  

The boys were found in the marsh today 11/1/12.

Damien Moore, Glenda’s husband is a city sanitation worker who was in Brooklyn when the incident happened. RIP Connor and Brandon. Many prayers for Glenda and Damien. 

See more here and here

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

RIP Jessie Streich-Kest

Twenty-four year old Bushwick high school teacher, Jessie Streich-Kest and her friend, Jacob Vogelman were walking Jessie’s dog, Max on Monday night.  A  tree became uprooted from the harsh winds and killed the couple.  They were found Tuesday morning.  (See here and here)

See memorial pictures here

Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Devastation Around Brooklyn

Trees down here – this is nothing – compared to the devastation people are feeling in Brooklyn/Queens and Staten Island.

I live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn just two blocks away from the water. When I heard the news about the winds we were expecting, I wondered if the 30 foot tree outside my house would survive the storm and if it didn’t, who would I call to remove it. Unlike other trees in the area, this tree is inside my gate and on my property, rather than the city’s property. And you know, worrying is contagious because after I worried about the tree falling, I worried about the tree falling and hurting someone’s car or worse, a person.  

Thankfully the tree stayed in place and Hurricane Sandy left us unscathed.

Many people on television are seeing the police rescue Brooklynites from their flooded homes. Yes, people were told to evacuate, but after many years of the news hyping-up storm reports, no one took this news any more serious than the news reports of the last twenty years. For readers who don’t live in the area, hurricanes are just rainstorms here in Brooklyn. In Long Island, hurricanes are always like this storm, but Brooklyn has never been affected like this before.

Unfortunately the stormed harmed many people in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. I left my house yesterday because all of the cash machines in the area were empty. We drove around a bit and saw the devastation left by the storm.  Of course there were branches all over, but I didn’t expect to see so many trees uprooted from the ground. The further I went from my home, the worse things got.

SeaGate, Brooklyn after Hurricane Sandy

We went to Breezy to see a friend because our phones are down (a Verizon tower in the area went down) and we weren’t able to call her and see if her family/home was okay. My friend was fine, but viewing the  blocks where the fire happened was devastating. I cried for the people who lost their homes – their dreams. Many of them were in the area and I felt like I was witnessing a funeral because they were so crushed.  But the real amazing thing about the fire in Breezy is that about 100 homes were destroyed and not one person died. So their lives aren’t over, but they will have a difficult year rebuilding. Above the devastation of the fire is life.

And of course one of the best things about Brooklyn is how people are pulling together to help those who were hit by the storm.

EDIT: Tonight I saw some pictures of my friends home in Staten Island……..her beautiful house was ruined. The water was over 6 feet high (as seen by the lines of their walls. The refrigerator and the contents and all the furniture was knocked over. And every room was covered in sand. The bathtub has six inches of sand in it. Heart-breaking…..I can’t imagine walking in and finding my home like that. I’m grateful that my friend and her family weren’t in their home and are safe….that’s all that matters. Things can be replaced – people can’t.

Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Are NYC Public Schools Closed on 10/29 for the Hurricane?

Yes! Mayor Bloomberg announced that NYC public schools are closed on Monday 10/29 for Hurricane Sandy. They have to be because MTA is closing down tonight and many schools in Brooklyn, QUeens and the Bronx are being used as evacuation centers.

Bloomberg thought Governor Cuomo and he coordinated the preparation for this hurricane well. he said our police and firemen will help other areas outside the city if needed, Bloomberg said that the high tides and the wind will bring in a lot of water and flood a lot of areas in NYC – estimated at 6 to 11 feet, The worst of the storm will be on Monday night. Bloomber said that tomorrow night we are expected to be hit worse than tonight.  

I am sure he will get the MTA to open back by Tuesday though.

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Storm Hype

All over the city people are stocking up on food, water and batteries because they are worried about Hurricane Sandy.

And then there are school children who are already beginning to wonder what time Sunday they will hear the sweet message from Mr. Bloomberg, “All NYC schools are closed on Monday” or maybe they will hear those words on Monday night or……………never at all. Because the storm hype is probably just that – hype.

As for me, I would love to stay home and sleep in. I brought up my work just in case the weather isn’t good and NYC schools are  closed on Monday.

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mindy Sigg is a hero.

Mindy Sigg isn’t a name most people know.  Although, her 17 year old son, Austin’s name is all over the news though for the murder of Jessica Ridgeway in Colorado. 

Mindy called the police and told them about her son’s involvement in 10 year old’s  murder.  When the police arrived at the home, Austin turned himself in. *This morning I thought I heard that Mindy discovered something on Austin’s Facebook page, but I wasn’t able to find that tonight in the news.*  But tonight there is news that he strangled the little girl in his car and put her body under the house – UGHHHHHHHH. So Mindy was probably tipped off by the smell of decomposition in her home.

Many mothers want to know how Mindy Sigg could turn her son in?  Mindy turned Austin in to the police because she had to. It’s not Mindy’s fault that her son harmed one or more people, but if she lets it go because he is her son, she would also be responsible for children being harmed. Besides murdering someone, Austin has mental issues that need to be dealt with.  Some parents know that their children have problems, but look away from the problems because they don’t want to deal with them. When a young person does something so morally corrupt, there is a mental issue that needs to be handled.  Many parents don’t want to deal with serious issues and ignore it because they think their genes caused the problem. 

For Mindy Sigg, calling the police was probably the hardest thing she had to do. But now Colorado is a bit safer. And even thought Austin Sigg has been arrested, parents are probably a little less eager to give their kids freedom because there are so many other Austin Sigg’s out there. 

RIP Jessica Ridgeway.  I was so hopeful there was going to be a better ending to your story.

Tweets on twitter about Austin are of course pointing to bullying, but bullying doesn’t make teens  kill little children.

Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

What Scares You?

This weekend we had the great pasta sauce cookoff. Our cousin Mike’s sauce won hands down. The kids all wore their costumes and bobbed for apples (Do you know that no one bobs for apples anymore?) While the Halloween mood was the air, we started to talk about times when we were each really scared. Some people retold scary/funny stories. but when a friend mentioned a particular story, I wouldn’t let her tell it because a lot of our kids were present. Cemeteries are spooky enough without an adult adding their story to them. I didn’t want them to be afraid of cemeteries like I was when I was a kid. My story is more funny than scary, besides the fact that it takes place in a cemetery.  So I told everyone I would tell it here.

On a cold day last winter, my friend and I were riding out to sign the papers to rent a timeshare for the summer. I told her that I wanted to stop at the cemetery and plant something. When we got there, the grave still had a mound of dirt over the grave was still high. My friend was scared of the large mound,  so I told her to stay in the car. Besides, it was very windy and she hates the cold. I, on the other hand love gusts of winds because I always feel like I feel God’s presence in wind.

I walked to the grave, squatted down and dug a hole while the wind howled around me. While I was digging, I thought I heard a small voice say, “I’m here.”  I looked around the cemetery because I thought someone must have been talking to their family members and the wind carried their voice, but there was no one in sight.    Again, the voice said, “I’m here.”   There was no one around, but I answered the voice, “I heard you.”  I said it very definite and strong way even though I wasn’t sure I was speaking to a human. My heart beated a little faster as I stood up and scanned the graves – no one was there. I looked at the plant I planted and slowly I turned to go back to the car, there was my friend behind me.  I jumped when I saw her because she scared me – big time.  She was sobbing, but stopped when she realized she scared me so much. She said, “I thought you knew I was here because you said I heard you.”  When I told her what I really thought, the two of us stood there and laughed.

Topics: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Do you Hate Sunday Nights Too?

I hate Sunday nights…..not Sunday – just Sunday night. 

This weekend was pure bliss. It was everything a weekend should be. And then Sunday night comes and ruins it all. Yes Sunday night, I know I can’t hang out with my family/friends and do whatever we want all day long tomorrow. Yes,  I need to go to work and school tomorrow morning. 

I don’t really hate Sunday night. 

Because Sunday night reminds me to be grateful…..for my family & friends, for the comforts of life, for simple pleasures, for laughing, dancing and singing all weekend long. 

**And to all the  people who were at our home this weekend – please join us Wednesday night after work (anytime after 5:30 pm) for an a plain hot meal and some more laughter. We don’t want to wait until the weekend to see you again. **

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

RIP Amanda Todd

Another child gone because of bullying. Just 15 years old. She was from Canada.

A beautiful girl who felt no one cared for her.

Amanda created a YouTube video – you know the type with the little signs and no spoken words to release all the pain she felt……….And because SHE FELT like no one liked her. She also wrote: “”I’m struggling to stay in this world, because everything just touches me so deeply,” Todd says. “I’m not doing this for attention. I’m doing this to be an inspiration and to show that I can be strong.”   HEARTBREAKING.

HOW DID WE LET A BEAUTIFUL KID FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS? And when I say WE – I mean all of us. This kid didn’t feel important to anyone so she gave up.

We need stronger laws against bullying.

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Home Appraisal – What Happens During a Home Appraisal?

What does a home appraiser look at?  We’re refinancing our home so we needed a new home appraisal. An appraiser checklist may look similar to this

How much does a home appraisal cost? The bank charged us $400. I think most appraisals in Brooklyn are going for $250 – $300, but the bank tacked on a bit more money for the bank.

When we first purchased our home, we weren’t present for the home appraisal because the real estate agent brought the appraiser by so we didn’t know what to expect with this home appraiser. We knew that they took pictures of the home, measured and friends who had one done recently were low-balled on the home’s value. We live in Bay Ridge and the homes here haven’t decreased in price. In fact our home was used as a comparative home for several readers of this blog :)   You can find out the comparatives for your home for free (and no registration either) here.

The appraiser came and was at our home for a total of 7 minutes. He measured the length and width of the house with a digital measuring device. He had drawn a rough outline of the rooms already and recorded the measurements on his paper. He took one photo of our living room (pointing toward the sofa not the fireplace), dining room (of the dining room table/China closet), kitchen (granite countertop),  top  bathrooms (towards the toilet in one of them because our toilet is small), bedrooms (from the door towards the beds) and the laundry room (towards the machines rather than the counter space)  He took of the picture of the backyard, garage and front of the house. He measured the length and width of the backyard. And then he was gone.

What the appraiser did not look at: the boiler room, closets, our security system, Jacuzzi tub or any of the homes amenities including the snazzy molding.

The appraiser said it was a beautiful house and he said the backyard was beautiful, liked our awning and asked for the name of the company who put it in. On the way out he said he would have the appraisal paperwork to the bank in two to three days.

And that was it.

What should you do to get a high appraisal? Your home is valued around whatever the homes in your area are valued at. Of course you want to get the best appraisal for your property. Here’s what we did:

• Trimmed our bushes and raked the front and back yard (good curb appeal helps because it is the first thing the appraiser sees)
• Painted the white trim in the house so it was fresh
• Waxed the floors because we have wood floors throughout and they look amazing waxed.

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Pottery Barn Friends and Family 2012

Just got the invitation that Pottery Barn is having their Friends and Family Sale on Thursday, October 11th to Monday October 15th. AND MY STICKER SAYS IT INCLUDES FURNITURE. I wrote that in all caps because the Friends and Family even has only included things in stock items and not furniture.

Yeah it’s from PBTeen, but it says it is good at all stores.

Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »