This time, the cheesy prom pose was my idea

Last week I was in NYC for one of the conferences my company produces, and our emcee, for the third time in four years, was Steve Thomas. He is one of the smartest, most interesting, interested people I’ve ever met, and I love working with him. The first time I met him I was a little nervous -- after all, I had been watching him host This Old House on PBS for years, and then Renovation Nation on PlanetGreen… and how often do you meet someone you’ve seen on TV?

As you can see, he knows how to ham it up when the occasion calls for it. I wish I had taken a seriously-posed photo as well so you could better see how handsome he is, but I feel a series of celebrity cheesy prom pose photos will be my legacy.

Happy Mother’s Day

 
Mom and me, the day of her brother’s wedding, 1968-ish.

From my mother I got:

my face
my love for and ability to cook and entertain
my love of reading (although I remember my dad teaching me to read)
my sense of style
my need to make a house a home
my work ethic (she shares that 50/50 with dad)
my ability to be frugal when needed and make the best of a bad situation
my compassion
my ability to be a good sport, especially at card and board games
my preference for British costume drama (and afternoon tea and other British things)
…and my love of nerdy sci-fi.

Mom and me, sailing in Long Island Sound, 1987-ish.

I did not get:

Her way with houseplants. I kill them all.
Her unwavering faith. I question, question, question…
Her patience. Need to work on that.

Thank you Mumsie, I love you. Happy Mother’s Day!