Thursday, August 14, 2014

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Tonight's picture was taken on August 12 of 2009. That day Peter and Mattie were in the hospital's child life playroom assembling battery operated cars. Peter had two going at once and literally the joke was they labelled one car the "Red Sox" and the other one the "Yankees." These two cars were basically fighting each other in the playroom and crashing into each other. Not unlike the animosity that exists between the two baseball teams! Needless to say Mattie thought the whole thing was hysterical and it brought him great joy to watch this whole scene. 


Quote of the day: To have a good friend is one of the highest delights of life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings. ~ unknown

I am eagerly awaiting the end of the writing phase of this book chapter. You know when you have been on a project for so long, that two things seem to land up happening????!!! One you are so close to the project that what you are writing does not make sense to you any more and two, you are so tired that you just don't have the energy anymore to process what you are reading. I have reached both one and two. I thought I was done, but today, I had more to do. I worked on a section that relates to end of life care and bereavement. These vital issues seemed to be missing in the chapter to some extent. That just couldn't be!!! I could live with this, because that would be negating a whole segment of the cancer population.... the segment in which I fall into! The segment which I believe are the forgotten ones. I felt I couldn't continue perpetrating the same oversight in the literature.  

The highlight of my day and perhaps my week is that my friend Linda came to visit me. I have become friends with Linda this year. My friend Christine introduced Linda to the Mattie Blog and the Foundation and Linda reached out to me on her own. The rest is history. As I tell Linda all the time, she is a great Mattie Miracle Ambassador and I wish I could clone her! Linda wanted to see my garden in person and I must admit I am so used to visiting friends in Alexandria that it is rare when someone says they want to come and visit me. So I was honored. I showed Linda all our renovations and Mattie's things. She has seen them on the blog, but it is different to see them in person.

Linda and I both spend a great deal of time working in front of a computer. But today was different. We both walked to Washington Harbor and had lunch by the Potomac River. We experienced a new restaurant called, Fiola Mare! Fiola Mare's website says the restaurant "Evokes the seaside dining experience found along the coasts of Italy and the Mediterranean, Fiola Mare specializes in the freshest, most pristine seafood prepared with elegant simplicity through delicate and subtle additions of color, flavor and texture. Fiola Mare is a place to enjoy the highest quality seafood and wines paired with the finest hospitality and service in the city. Fabio Trabocchi’s (chef and owner) passion for cooking grew organically beside his father and grandparents growing up in Italy’s Le Marche region." 

The above photo was my view of the River from where I was sitting. Boats and cruises were leaving from the dock all afternoon long. You can see the red Pirate ship docked in the harbor and there were kids waiting dressed in costumes eagerly awaiting their cruise. 

Food was an experience today and our waiter seemed to love food as much as I do! He enjoyed sharing his knowledge and walking you through the menu and he made it come alive for us. This was my lunch entree -- Rockfish -- Melted Leeks, Kusshi Oysters, Prosecco Lemon Zabaglione! If you like lemons and zabaglione sauce, well this sauce was sinful. 

Linda ordered Ahi Tuna Carpaccio which came with  San Marzano Tomatoes, Meyer Lemon,Taggiasche Olives, and Pantelleria Capers. Though the pansies on top caught our eyes for sure!

Naturally the amazing food, service, and views were very special! But the friendship, conversation, and mutual sharing of thoughts and feelings to me was very special. A day to remember by the Potomac.