Thursday, September 29, 2011

The loss of Lena

By K.J. Cardinal

I was deeply saddened this morning when I learned of the passing of Lena George and would remiss if I didn't take a moment to recognize such a wonderful lady.

One of the most selfless and caring people I've ever met, Lena was the matriarch of the George family. The mother of some of my favorite people in the world, Lena was a do-it-all type of person that was there at every turn for her family, her friends and her community.

The Cardinals and Georges have a long history together in Farmington, which was taken to the next level when Tiffany and Pete got married back in June of 2003. The marriage of our families has always been such a treat for us Cardinals and I was psyched to be officially tied to the Georges. There is not a family on this planet that I respect more than the Georges and this all stems from Lena.

Her amazing traits and characteristics can be seen in all her children and it is why I admire her so much. While she is no longer with us, her legacy is for sure to live on through her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids that she leaves behind.

If I close my eyes, I can hear Lena's distinctive "down home" voice tell me about her latest escapade at Foxwoods or how good Sam did at his baseball game. Just the thought of her brings a smile to my face.

My deepest condolences to Pam, Karon, Billy, Pete, Paul and their families. Lena will be missed, but I know you all will continue to make her very proud.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Anna mastering scissors, hair fearing life

By K.J. Cardinal

Well, Anna's preschool introduced our little girl to scissors and it's all downhill from here. She's doing a solid job of mastering how to cut things out, but I know it's only a matter of time until she lops off a big clump of hair.

I'd like to think that she's above that, but it's inevitable, right? That's a rhetorical question.

I have already convinced myself that it's going to happen, so I won't be shocked when it does. Call it reverse psychology if you want, but I call it being a realist.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Missy gets married

By K.J. Cardinal

One of Angie's best friends, Missy, got married on the Cape this weekend and we such had blast.

The ceremony was on Friday in Orleans, followed by a cookout at this amazing house they rented in Truro. With Angie being a bridesmaid, I knew Anna would get a kick out of Mommy and Aunt Missy dressed up as "princesses", so I made the up and back trip on Friday so the kids could enjoy day one of the wedding festivities.

Leo dominated the dance floor, per usual, and Anna had the time of her life playing with her new best friends Ayla and Aiden.

On Saturday morning, Vo Nezzie came to pick up the kids for the night and I was able to bum a ride back out to the Cape with Juan and Trish for the official reception to cap off the weekend bash.

There seriously is no better group of people on the planet than Angie's college friends and all the relationships that have spawned from them. With so many weddings and babies lately, we've been able to get together more than usual and it never disappoints.

Congrats to Missy and Corey and thanks for a great weekend... and one of the most spectacular sunset views I've ever seen...

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Keithaholic at it again...

By Katie Cardinal

I had the most amazing time in my entire life this weekend on my Canadian Keith Urban Road Tour with Sydney James. Check out MY blog at www.keithaholic.com to hear how awesome it was...

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A tribute to Jack Grinold

By K.J. Cardinal

While The Cardinal Blog is all about the Cardinal family, I'd be remiss if I did not post this amazing tribute to a great man, Jack Grinold.

As a co-op student at Northeastern, I was fortunate enough to work for Jack for four years in the Sports Information office. Jack had a huge impact on my time at NU and the direction of my career path. I have never met someone more dedicated to his work and his work was truly his life.

Kudos to Northeastern's Joe Case for putting together this amazing video. It's a 10 minute video, but believe me, it's worth your time. Enjoy...

[WATCH VIDEO]

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Payback's a b*tch

By K.J. Cardinal

For months now I've been saying that I can't wait for the day when Leo is able to dish out a little punishment to his older sister because Anna is forever torturing the kid. Well, it looks like that day has arrived.

This evening, Anna and Leo were being so cute just sitting on the couch together watching a movie, which prompted me to pull out the video camera and capture the precious moment. Precious indeed. Finally some sweet revenge for the little man :)


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Anna goes to preschool

By K.J. Cardinal

Our little girl is off to school. If you would've asked me prior to this morning, I would've bet that I would be somewhat emotional and sad about Anna's first day of preschool. But shockingly, I'm not.

She was just so excited and so cute about wearing her backpack and going to school that I found myself being more proud of her than emotional about the whole ordeal.

It is still absolutely mind-blowing that she's going to be four-years-old and is in preschool, but I'm OK with it... she's still Daddy's little girl... for now.