This Crazy Life of Mine | Tag Archives: daddy

Favorite posts of 2013

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Nanci

Another year is coming to an end… As I look through posts from this past year, it’s amazing how much has happened, how much was accomplished. Running, weight loss, personal growth, and more…. My blog has turned out to be the best form of a scrapbook I have ever done. And now it’s time for me to share my favorite posts of 2013. Since I just shared all my race recaps for 2013 yesterday, I did not include those in this list…

I have so much to look forward to in 2014 and continuing my blog is one of them. I hope you’ll stay with me and follow along!

Have a safe and Happy New Year! I hope you have a wonderful 2014!

Another successful year for Jingle Bike For Kids…

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Nanci

This was our second year collecting bikes for kids. Hubby and I started Jingle Bikes For Kids last year and knew we had to do it again this year. We hope to do it every year, bigger and better each time.

Last week, our collection of bikes grew as we picked up several and one was delivered to us. We just loved seeing all the bikes in our garage. Last year, we delivered them directly to the Toys For Tots distribution center. This year, we decided to deliver them to the Toys For Tots toy drive at the Walmart in Oldsmar. It was a beautiful, cool morning and it was such a fun time.

We had a total of 13 bikes this year. There is nothing like seeing a truck full of bikes headed down the road to deliver. Hubby and I also purchased helmets for any that did not have them. In addition to the two bikes we purchased ourselves, we would like to thank:

Nancy D. (my mom)
Nick & Jenna D. (my brother and sister-in-law)
Erika G.
Corinna B.
Caroline C.
Carey & Melissa Birch
Tori & Patrick
Carol & Ken Lynch

Magic 94.9 and Fox 13 were broadcasting live and the 501st Legion was there. It was very festive!

And now, I will let my pictures tell the rest of the story…

When we delivered the bikes, all I could think about is how proud my dad would be to see all those bikes lined up. He loved nothing more than making a child happy at Christmas, and we hope to carry this on yearly to honor that wonderful Christmas spirit that my dad had.

If you have any questions about Jingle Bikes For Kids, or if you would like to donate a bike in 2014, please feel free to contact me at nanci.cernak@yahoo.com or via our Facebook page.

Currently | December Edition

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Nanci

Happy Friday! I feel like the best way to end this crazy week is with this month’s Currently post!

Current book:

I just finished a wonderful book by an author who I have had the pleasure to meet, Trish Doller. If you are a fan of YA Lit and are looking for a good book, this is it. And if you are local here to Tampa Bay, you’ll enjoy it even more because it is set in Tarpon Springs!

Current music:

It’s December, so that means Christmas music. And while I love a wide variety of Christmas music – new, old, and in between, I am very sentimental about the Christmas music I grew up on. My dad loved Big Band music, so it was always Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and more…. Now more than ever, it just makes me smile to hear it. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I would have to say this one….

“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Frank Sinatra””

Current guilty pleasure:

Christmas movies. I can’t get enough of them. If the TV is on (and when is it not?!?!), there is a Christmas movie one. I love all the cheesy ones on the Hallmark channel, as well as the fun ones on ABC Family like Christmas Vacation or How The Grinch Stole Christmas. I will be sad when they go away in a couple weeks.

Current drink:

Water. I cut WAY back on coffee the last few weeks and I’m drinking enough water for two people. Plain, ice cold water is my favorite. I don’t like it warm, although I will drink it that way if I have to. I also like it with lemon, but other than that, I never add anything to it.

Current food:

The last couple of week’s I have enjoyed lunch with my mom at Jason’s Deli with my mom. They have the best tomato basil soup. I always get a cup of it with half a sandwich, roast beef on whole wheat with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and sliced avocado. It is so good and not too awful on points. It’s very filling too!

Current show:

Did you watch The Sound of Music, Live! last week? I DVR’d it and finally watched it. I loved watching the original movie growing up and I am not ashamed to admit that I love “My Favorite Things”. I also love Carrie Underwood, and I loved her version of the song on the live show. Did you watch it?

My Favorite Things–The Sound of Music, Live!

Current wish list:

I have my eye on this adorable Christmas ornament for our tree. I don’t have any running-related ornaments and I think it’s time I have one.

(Source: Milestones Sports Jewelry & Apparel)

Current triumphs:

Three weeks later, I am still riding high from my awesome PR at the Women’s Running Series Half Marathon. It will be awhile before I forget this one…

Current links:

DailyMile – I love this site to track the miles I log running or walking. It gives you a weekly total and at the end of the year, I get a total for the year. It’s always fun to look back at progress. If you are on DailyMile, add me as a friend!

The Daily Mel – Melissa is a fellow blogger and WW friend. She loves all things WW like I do and her blog is full of great information about the program and more. If you visit her blog, let her know I sent you!

Katy Widrick – Katy is a fellow blogger, runner, and all around cool girl. She has some pretty great content on her blog and her baby girl is too cute.

Current needs:

I always have a hard time answering this. I don’t’ really *need* anything. I would like to 2013 to end on a positive note, so I guess who could say I need that.

Current indulgence:

Four words…. Cake in a cup. Have you tried this yet? Holy yum, is it good. It feels like an indulgence because it’s so sweet and warm and delicious, but it’s only 4 Weight Watchers points plus value. And it takes 70 seconds to heat it up in the microwave. Hard to beat that!

Current outfit:

Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, the answer to this one is my little black dress I wore to the Christmas party this past Tuesday. I haven’t even put it in the closet yet – it’s hanging on the door where I can see it. I felt amazing in that dress, especially after realizing it was a size 6. I just love it….

Current excitement:

Today we are dropping off bikes for Toys For Tots as part of our Jingle Bikes With Kids program my husband and I started last year. I believe we have 12 bikes this year. It makes me so happy to know that 12 little kiddos will get a brand new bike. I remember how much I loved my bike when I was little.

Current mood:

December is a hard month, no way around it. This year, I am having a little harder time getting into the holiday spirit. I just miss my dad. But we enjoyed a gorgeous sunset on the 4th in honor of him. I know he’s with me always, but I feel it most when I’m standing by the water and looking at a sunset like this….

What are you currently enjoying? Share!

Three years.

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Nanci

This past month, my mind has been a mess of memories, thoughts, and feelings. I feel like I am in sensory overload. Three years ago today, my dad passed away and I can still remember every day he spent in the hospital, his last month with us. I wonder if that will ever go away or if will just fade into the back of my memories.

The day that he passed away, I made myself a little note on my phone, just moments after. It seems like an odd thing to do, but it was important to me to do at the time. And now, it’s one of the few things I have left on my phone from that very moment. It simply reads….

1:53pm 12/04/10 Goodbye Daddy… I love you so much and can’t believe you’re gone. My heart is broken.

And even still, as heartbreaking as that moment was, there was no where else I ever could have been. I needed to be there, with my family, holding his hand.

I think of my dad every single day, sometimes many times a day. A song, a movie, a memory, wanting or needing to talk to him, a meal…. Or it could be my wonder in seeing my niece and nephews and knowing that he would be amazed at how much they’ve grown. It could be anything. We talked about him on Thanksgiving, laughing about what he would be doing if he were there with us, sharing memories that we as a family have of him. The holidays will never be the same without him, as hard as I try. I have our Christmas tree up and it’s beautiful. I am hoping that the spirit he enjoyed at this time of year will somehow find it’s way to me this month.

If I could sit with him just one more time and talk with him, I often wonder what I would say. I need help solving some problems and more than ever need his guidance, but that seems selfish. I could share my excitement with him about losing weight. Or how proud I am of myself for running half marathons, something he never knew I could do. I could tell him about our crazy dogs – he knew Blue, but he never got to meet Ozzie and we’re sure they would be best buddies. We could share a favorite meal and a bottle of ice cold Peroni beer, his with a straw in it, his preferred way to drink it. Or we could listen to his favorite Big Band music….

But mostly, what I think I would say to him is how very much he is missed and how his life left such an impression on this family – his family – that anyone who knew him could easily see. I would tell him how different life is without him here to guide us along. I would share with him how he is with me everywhere I go and that we watch the sunset at Crystal Beach every month in honor of him. And most of all, I would tell him how very much I love him, how very much I miss him, and how he will always be my hero.

Jingle Bikes For Kids 2013

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Nanci

jingle bikes fb cover EDIT 3

Last year, our hearts were touched after my post about helping for the holidays. In memory of my dad, we set out to donate bikes to children in need. My dad was the ultimate family man and he loved nothing more than taking care of his family, as well as helping a child in need. A little behind the scenes of how we came up with this wonderful idea…

About 10 years ago, my dad did something that would not shock anyone that knew him. My dad was the definition of “family man” and he loved nothing more than a happy child during the holidays. One particular Christmas, my dad was at Wal-Mart and saw Toys For Tots outside. He wanted to buy a toy and make a donation. While in the toy department, he overheard a little boy asking his parents for a bike and they said they could not get one that year. My dad, being the generous man that he was, did something wonderful. He offered to buy the bike for the parents to give to the little boy, and they accepted, very much overwhelmed by his generosity. If that doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will. And, that is a glimpse into the person that my dad was.

Here are my posts from last year about donating bikes…

We had a total of 12 bikes and helmets donated last year. It was a wonderful thing to deliver those bikes to the Distribution Center and know they would end up in the hands of a child who was in need.

bikes loaded

This year, we are hoping to be able to donate more bikes to Toys For Tots. It was about this time last year that my husband and I went to Wal-Mart and put two bikes and helmets on layaway. We are doing the same this year. We would love to be able to have more than 2 bikes to donate again this year.

If you are interested in donating a bike and helmet, please contact me at crazylifeofmineblog@gmail.com. We also have a Facebook page.