how do you spell winner? E-M-M-A

You’re amazing!

Having left the safety and comfort of Woodman Park behind after five years, you entered Middle School, filled with a whole new level of requirements, mysteries and challenges.

did that slow you down?  did that make you timid?  did that scare the living daylights out of you?

No way… au contraire, you went forth and conquered:

First semester Middle School = Honors

Second semester – High Honors

Way to go Emma, we’re proud of you.  Smart, talented, charming, kind, helpful, beautiful. 

You’re the complete package.

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Multitudes of Merry!

The 2016 holiday season was filled with wonderful experiences together including the annual Dover Christmas parade; Middle school concerts; a Christmas Eve get together at Surrey Lane; Christmas day at the Clickman’s (the Beaupre’s were in Maine this year); and a big day after celebration – all together – at 30 Shore Lane.

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here’s to turkeys and pies in the face

Thanksgiving 2016 was a day filled with fun, food, laughter and being together.  I even got a cream pie in the face, thanks to my buddy Camden!  I told him… “just remember, you don’t know when or where or how it will happen, but revenge will be mine.  You better sleep with one eye open!”

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98 amazing years, happy birthday Great Gram!

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Great Gram’s real name is Etta Gwendolyn Buzzell St. Laurent (Buzzell was her maiden name).  She was married to Bernard “Nard” St. Laurent for 53 years.  She grew up in Dover, and he was a Somersworth boy.  They had four girls, Marcia, Nancy, Brenda and Karen (also known as your Grammy).  Her husband died in 1992 at the age of 73 (the same year my Dad died at the age of 67).

Over the past 24 years, Great Gram has lived on her own on Pinewood Drive in Somersworth. She does her laundry, cooks her own meals, goes grocery shopping, takes a daily shower and can hear a pin drop on the other side of a room (otherwise known as good hearing).  She’s still sharp as a tack, meaning mentally sharp… able to listen attentively, able to join a conversation and express herself in every way.

What makes this somewhat ordinary set of things extraordinary is the fact that she turned 98 years old October first.

98 years old! 

She’s been blessed with a loving family and very good health (she was only admitted to the hospital twice in her life besides giving birth to her daughters).  Most people (A) never live that long and (B) if they do, have lost their health, can’t hear, can’t walk, can’t talk, are in nursing homes, and aren’t mentally sharp.  Among other challenges!

Almost a century old, she was born in 1918, the same year World War I ended.  Woodrow Wilson was President, the Red Sox beat the Cubs in the World Series (they wouldn’t win again until 2004).   The average annual wage was $1500.00 (today it’s $50,000).  A house cost $4,820 (today it’s at least $300,000.00 for a decent house in the NH Seacoast).  A car cost $360.00 (today it’s $33,000.00).

Amazing huh?  Happy birthday Great Gram, you are living, breathing history!

11 cool things about you as you turn 11

  1. You’re an amazing girl Emma, a gift for the world to see and experience.  You’re a positive vibe, ‘good karma’ person who’s fun to be around.
  2. I love the hugs you give, the way they make me feel (good, happy, warm, appreciative).
  3. I love your easy-going, natural smile, it always makes my day!
  4. Your helpfulness is so rare for someone your age (heck for any age).  You don’t ask if you can help, you just roll your sleeves and help.  You’re an example for all of us… a doer who makes a difference.
  5. Your social consciousness is in your DNA.  You make the world a better place with random acts of kindness.
  6. You’re in tune with the world around you, always preferring to be in the moment, engaged in a conversation, in tune with the reality of now vs. escaping into your own world.  This rare quality is known as “mindfulness,” something people strive to achieve every day.  You’ve already figured it out.
  7. I love your creativity – the way you see and experience the world.  We gave you a Frankenstein bust for your birthday… it was cool to see how you transformed it into your own creative vision.
  8. Over the past year, Grammy and I have seen a growing maturity; you’re leaving the little girl behind, becoming a young woman for all to behold.
  9. You were never into fashion or typical girl style fashions, but lately you’ve embraced a more stylish look that goes beyond sheer comfort.  Fun to see!
  10. Whether soccer, Girl Scouts or school projects, you get along with others and have many friends. Remembering the shy little girl you once were, it’s amazing to see the comfortable person you’ve become.
  11. Your love for others extends to animals & pets... you love Apple & Ruby and they love you in return.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA, I love you lots!img_9972 img_9985 img_9991 img_9995

beach days, summer 2016

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It was a beautiful summer with a couple notable twists: the Clickman clan lived there from June 30 through August 15; it featured phenomenal weather with the longest stretch of sun and clear skies I can remember in our 20 years of owning the beach house.  We had our annual 4th of July party, there were sleepovers, lots of boogie boarding, yummy deck food grilling, drippy castle building, freeze pops; river and lake building and visits to the Scoop Deck.  Here’s a visual recap of July & August:

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a hot time on our summer 3M adventure

Something fun. Something spooky.  Something yummy.  Something cold.  Something beautiful.  Something unexpectedly scary.  Something rewarding.

That was the lineup for another classic 3M August day, which kicked off sunny & hot.  It ended up being an epic day of sorts, the last day we’d have an adventure via the white GMC Yukon. Seven days later, it was traded in for a new Ford Explorer.

Something fun:

After getting a bite to eat at Dunkin Donut’s in Hampton (which had a big wooden eagle in the lobby, who knew??!!), I used my GPS to find a mini golf course I’ve heard good things about in North Hampton.  img_1012

It was tucked away across the street from a driving range, hidden from Route 1 above.  Three highlights: (1)  we were the only people playing on the course, a first, (2) one of the holes featured a profile of the Old Man of the Mountain (see pic below) and (3) at the end of the course, you guys decided to golf backwards, hitting the balls back up the tubes that emptied to the holes.  You weren’t hurting anything or bothering anyone, (and honestly it was cool seeing the colored balls shoot up into the air).  I soon joined you in the madness.img_9035It was already getting pretty darn hot. As we made our way to Portsmouth, the temperature was in the mid-80’s.

Something spooky:

Next up, the Historic John Paul Jones House. The guide taught us things about the house and even posed a few questions to each of you.  I had read it was one of Portsmouth’s haunted locations, so we stayed alert for ghosts and spirits.  The spookiest part were the many old portraits in the foyer… as we moved up the staircase, their eyes followed us!

img_9042across the street is the Portsmouth African American burial ground; we paid a quick visit

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something Yummy: 

Hungry hippos, we ate yummy subs at Googie’s on State Street, one of Ben’s favorites.

then something beautiful:

after filling our bellies, it was time to walk off our lunch.  Nearby Prescott Park was just the place to do it… the splendor and beauty of their gardens in August can’t be beat.

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hot scare – the sun was beating down; the temperature had risen to 90 degrees.  After we relocated to Market Square, we walked around a bit, and all of a sudden my head was woozy.  I felt like I was going down, about to pass out.  It was a little scary.  I reassured you guys, but we jumped into the Youk and soon the AC  blasting onto my face got me back to normal. You guys weren’t sure what to think… it was the first time you’ve seen me in a weakened state, and I hope it was the last time.  Sorry about that!

something cold…  high time for a refresher, we ventured across the street to our favorite ice cream shop.  You loved your Superman multi-colored waffle cones!

something rewarding…

Off we went on our final escapade… to Dover Bowl for late afternoon arcade fun.  You earned thousands of tickets (over 5,000), enough to get three giant bouncy balls.

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a summer you’ll never forget

Hello Summer!  Happy Summer! Historic Summer!

On June 30, your family moved into our beach house after selling the house on Prospect Street.  Talk about perfect timing!  With the two best months ahead, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Clickman kids to chill out, eat freeze pops, smell the best smell in the world, feel the warm sand under your toes, veg out, boogie board the Atlantic, eat Congdon’s donuts, look at the views (front and back) and lick ice cream from the Scoop Deck.

Among many other things!

You had it all at your ready disposal… a beach house right on the beach.  A private beach to boot!  Sun, surf, sand.  Living La Vida Loca…

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Emma, you set high goals for the summer… you wanted to boogie board at least 300 waves but ended up catching 540 over the six weeks you stayed there. Go Emma!

Ben had his own bedroom and was able to chill, playing his games, doing his thing before starting 8th Grade…. what, 8th grade?  Yowza I would totally chill too.

Molly ate a ton of freeze pops, played video games, laid low, swam in the natural beach pools and had fun.

Jack, you stayed busy, playing with trucks, army men, making drippy castles and becoming much braver with the Atlantic Ocean!

On August 14, you left the beach and moved into your house on Richardson Drive… just in time for school opening on August 31st.

Here are some photos from your memorable summer, a time img_7490img_9777you’ll always remember:

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