Viva La France

In late May into early June, Tim and I took a trip to France to further celebrate my milestone birthday. On our first day in Paris, we walked all over the city and went to the Rodin Museum for a few hours in the afternoon. Pictured above: the Eiffel Tower; Rodin's 'The Thinker;' and the Rodin Museum.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

The gardens at our home in Connecticut are really taking shape. Springtime in New England is very special with flowering trees, shrubs and flowers ablaze with color. After the bountiful winter snow and spring rains, our senses were aroused with the beauty of the season.

'Ah! Spring you have come.'

Top Photo: Tulips planted along the stone wall. Middle Photo: Lilacs, a childhood favorite. Lower photo: The Sargent Crabapple Tree in our front courtyard was in beautiful bloom.

Mother's Day 2011

Mira and Noah had their first official dinner at a restaurant for a Mother's Day Brunch. They did really well and enjoyed people watching and sitting at the 'grown-ups' table. Above, Noah 'talking it over with Grammy.' Top: Grandpa Tim, Kendra and Mira.

Mother's Day 2011

What fun it was to celebrate my birthday AND Mother's Day with Matt, Kendra, Mira, Noah and Tim. Above, Mira celebrates her Mommy's first Mother's Day.

My 60th Birthday, May 2011

Tim conspired with my sisters, Cindy and Penny, to throw a surprise party for my 60th birthday. It wasn't totally a surprise but I was overcome with happiness and surrounded by loving family members and friends. We had a delicious feast and wonderful time at La Tourelle, in Ithaca.

Pictured above (l-r): brother-in-law, Jay O'Leary; Penny W. O'Leary; Tim Tyson; Amy Tyson; Cindy Helmer; brother-in-law, Tom Helmer; niece, Jamie Condon; nephew-in-law, Mike Condon.

Happy Birthday TO ME!

Tim's Birthday, April 2011

The above photo was taken at our son and daughter-in-law's New York City apartment. Tim is opening a special birthday gift as Kendra and Mira look on.

It's Been Too Long......

....since I last posted on my blog and I will try to offer an update of the past month that won't cause you to doze off whilst reading!

We were able to spend some time on the weekends at the end of February and early March with Matt, Kendra, Mira and Noah before they went on their trip to North Carolina. Poor little Noah ended up with a terrible cold/stomach virus that was a doozie. He rallied a bit and seemed better when he and his sister went to their pediatrician before their departure. The doctor cleared Noah for travel and gave the babies their next dosage of their flu shots. Matt and Kendra loaded up the family truckster for the ten hour drive to North Carolina. Daddy Matt drove through torrential rain storms while Noah vomited, Mira had it coming out the other end and both cried, non-stop, from the state line of North Carolina to Kendra's parents' house in Cary.

Unfortunately, everyone who came in contact with the babies (who Kendra's Dad affectionately nicknamed the 'Typhoid Twins') came down with the virus. Mira and Noah, Kendra and Matt, Kendra's parents, Tim and I and some of Matt's friends were all ill and couldn't shake our colds, congestion and other nastiness for almost two weeks.

Matt had asked for time off from work to go on tour with his band 'Goes Cube.' After getting Kendra and the babies ensconced at MiMi and PaPa's house, he and his bandmates did a mini-road trip, playing several 'gigs' on their way to the SouthbySouthwest Music Festival, in Austin, Texas. It's a BIG deal to be invited to perform there. Admittedly, their music isn't quite my style but I am fiercely proud and supportive of their talents and ambitions. Check out this review: http://thenewreview.net/reviews/goes-cube-in-tides-and-drifts

While the younger set of Tysons was on the road, I planned a trip to our home in California from March 10-19. Tim had planned to spend about five days there, as well, but some work commitments got in the way so, I shortened my trip and was there only five days. Sadly, that allowed my virus to really take hold and left me feeling miserably for the entire time I was away. I cancelled most of my plans and rested at our Newport Beach home....which is not a bad spot for some relaxation and recuperation.

I had made plans to get together with my friend Pat for lunch and a tour of the Orange County Philharmonic Design house and wasn't going to miss that! We chose a newer restaurant in Newport Beach called the 'True Food Kitchen.' It's is part of a small and exclusive chain of restaurants opened by Dr. Andrew Weil. The concept of the menu is based on his anti-inflammatory Food Pyramid. Perfect, I thought, and ordered a natural juice called 'Medicine Man,' the 'Anti-inflammatory Soup' and an herbal tea. The Home Tour was wonderful and I enjoyed catching up with Pat.

Our niece, Rebekkah, and her husband, Eddie Brown, welcomed their beautiful daughter, Emma Belle Brown, on March 21st. Mom, Dad and baby are healthy and well. Grandma Susie, (Tim's oldest sister) was there for Emma's birth and the week after, which was nice for all of them.

At the end of March, we drove to Ithaca to visit with Tim's Mom and Dad, his sister, Natalie, and her family for Tim's Dad's 85th birthday. It was great to see them and to be able to celebrate Dad Tyson's milestone birthday. Our niece, Emily, had made some killer desserts for the occasion! We also visited my Mom, who resides at Crouse Community Care. It was wonderful to get together for lunch, after, with my sister, Cindy, and her husband, Tom and (newlyweds from last summer) my sister, Penny and her husband, Jay. Mom's husband, Bud, has been ill of late and all of us paid him a visit after lunch. We also met my high school chum and our long-time, dear friend, Janet Lang, to celebrate the first leg of our '60th birthday party tour.' Janet's sister, Joan, and her husband, Dan, joined us and it was great to get caught up with all of them. We visited Joe and Mary Basile, who are like second parents to us, on Sunday morning before returning to Connecticut.

April has started off with some sad news. My Dad's oldest sister, Jean Westbrook Dedrick, who had been ill for some time, passed away in Sacramento, CA on April 1st. She was a sweet and wonderful lady and we all feel so fortunate that we could spend time with her at Penny and Jay's wedding last summer. She will be remembered at a memorial service, at the end of April, and interred near her parents, in Brooktondale, NY. My Mom's next oldest brother, Robert Bradshaw Ball, died at Groton Community Healthcare Center, on Monday, April 4th. He and his wife, Audrey, had moved to Florida in the late 1980's and Uncle Bob moved back to upstate NY after Aunt Audrey passed away. My three sisters were able to spend some time with him before he passed away and I know that he was comforted by their presence. He will be buried next to his wife, in Trumansburg, NY. Rest in peace, Aunt Jean and Uncle Bob.

The bright spot in an otherwise sad weekend was an overnight visit from Kendra, Matt, Mira and Noah. The babies turned 8 months old on April 4th and are so much fun! They giggle and squeal and are such a delight. They truly bring a ray of sunshine to our lives!

Here's hoping all of you are well and that you are enjoying the rebirth that springtime brings!

Sunday Night at the Academy Awards

Alright, ALL READY.....this is one of the biggest television nights of the year. Even if we didn't see ANY of the movies nominated, millions of Americans tune in to watch the Academy Awards. This is the 83rd Annual Show and it promises to be the same long and boring show that it always is. How many people can say that they stay tuned in and turned on by over three hours of droning acceptance speeches? The high points are few and the show runs SO looooong but still we persist. This year, I decided to capture some of the highlights in photographs. As it turned out, it helped the time go by much more quickly.

We were able to get in only three of the TEN films nominated for 'Best Movie' this year. Happily, I think they are three of the best....

Maybe it's my British lineage or the fact that we spent over four years living in London....whatever it is, 'The King's Speech' really resonated with me. There were so many outstanding performances: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and, the unsung hero of the film, Geoffrey Rush. I think 'King's Speech' will dominate this year.

I thought 'The Fighter' would be Rocky X (or whatever number we're on). It was so much more. Christian Bale was truly mesmerizing in his role as Micky and Melissa Leo's performance, as the Mom, was spot on.

Social Network was smart, relevant and really well done. I don't think they'll win this year because Hollywood will probably swing back to a traditional pick after 'Hurt Locker' surprised everyone last year.

Here's the view from my seat for the 2011 Academy Awards, complete with my heavy faux fur throw....it was cold in Hollywood and Connecticut on Sunday night.

This year's hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, were hired to add a younger vibe and hipper attitude to the 2011 Academy Awards. I liked the opening montage, save the oldy-moldy 'Back to the Future' scene and I thought Hathaway proved how talented she is. Ultra-cool James Franco made a reference to 'Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon' and challenged viewers to Google it. That's so 1994, James.

Anne Hathaway changed her outfits and hair seven or eight times, I think. She came off as a bit desperate trying to 'bring the funny' by swinging her fringed dress. Annie worked her fanny off while Franco seemed aloof and disconnected.

I'm posting this because I like the photo I captured. Randy Newman was weird, funny and irreverent during his acceptance speech for 'Best Song' for 'Toy Story 3.'

The ageless and beautiful Halle Barry paid tribute to Lena Horne. There's no sign of it in this photo I took but her dress was my favorite of the evening.

The elegant and talented Lena Horne once said, 'It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.'

England's HBC had two 'Royal Roles' this season. One of her fans tweeted, 'I really want to be friends with Helena Bonham Carter. She brings the crazy.' I DO love her style.

Scarlett Johansson's hair was a bit too messy for the occasion and, despite her gorgeous figure, her dress looked a bit like a raspberry-colored doily.

Gwyneth Paltrow is a multi-talented and courageous woman. I loved her in her role as Holly, on Glee, but didn't see her in 'Country Strong.' Sadly, her performance, posture and dress selection on Oscar Night were all lackluster.

The first thing that Robert Stromberg, winner for Art Direction for 'Alice in Wonderland,' said was: 'I wish I'd lost those 20 pounds.'

The Academy Award for the Live Action Short Film went to 'God of Love.' Luke Matheny bounded to the stage to accept his trophy and muttered, 'Uh, I should've gotten a hair cut,' then thanked his Mom for doing craft services for the movie.

Oprah Winfrey presented the award for 'Best Documentary Feature,' which went to 'Inside Job.' I was trying to get a photo of the beautiful dress Oprah was wearing but the camera stayed fixed on her from the waist up. I say, 'Come on camera person (it must have been a MAN),' and give the award for 'Breast Presentation' to Lady O.

One of my favorites in the 'Best Actress' category was Annette Bening. She is such a talented and, seemingly, lovely woman. She is not afraid to take risks with the roles she assumes nor show that she is aging-very gracefully and naturally.

Following suit with other awards show of this season, Natalie Portman took home the trophy for 'Best Actress' for her performance in 'Black Swan.' I have not seen the movie but understand her performance is compelling. 'Natty,' as I call her, won my award for 'best dressed pregnant lady.'

Resplendent in red, Sandra Bullock threw zingers at each of the Best Actor nominees..

To Jeff Bridges she quipped, "Dude, how much is enough? You won this last year.'

Back stage, James Franco gave a wry smile when Ms. Bullock told him, 'You're the reason so many kids are picked up late from school.....their Mom's are home watching you on 'General Hospital.'

Colin Firth gave her a reluctant little wave when Snappy Sandra started in on him then walked away with the trophy for 'Best Actor.'

No surprise for best movie: 'The King's Speech.' The story and the performances were, as the Brit's say, 'Brilliant.'

A favorite moment of the evening was the unabashed joy with which the students from PS 22, in Staten Island performed 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' What an incredible experience for those young people.

Until next year....Goodnight, Oscar!

Too Old For Facebook

Yes, it's true.....at almost 60, I'm too old, I don't fit in on Facebook. I've tried to be cool, posting photos, responding to posts using all of the appropriate lingo...LOL, LMAO, @Amy, etc. It's not working for me and I'm not comfortable there. I am a Facebook dropout. I will miss seeing photos of the nieces, nephews, friends and their families and getting updates on what is happening in their lives. I know there are thousands of us in the same boat....we want a way to network that will satisfy our need to share news, write what we are thinking about, stay up-to-date and read things that are relevant to us.

Seeing posts about hating work, not liking your boss or trying to resolve a relationship issue on such a public forum begs the question 'What are you thinking?' I want to counsel these kids/adults that current

and potential employers are scanning Facebook to see what their employees are posting and doing background checks on potential hires. BUT, I'm on Facebook, I'm supposed to be cool so, I don't say anything but 'tsk, tsk, tsk' as I'm reading it.

When a Facebooker posts a photo of themselves looking scarily drunk, scantily clad or just plain stupid, I cringe. I really dislike the 'duck lips' pose that a number of young women assume in their photos. Maybe I'm just jealous? If I did that, the wrinkles around my lips would make my mouth look distinctly like the other end of my body.... No one likes to see terrible photos of themselves. I think there are some Facebook 'friends' who post bad photos of others to make themselves look better. I mean, really.....

I've realized that I actually want to write things that are meaningful to me and, in doing so, I can be what some might call 'wordy.' On Facebook, it isn't cool to write more than a few words, two lines at most. More than that and you are a geek. There are rules for texting, tweeting and Facebook posting that I just don't get!

I know that when a younger person receives a text from me they cringe. You see, in my book, it's alright for a text to be as long as an e-mail. I say what I want using as many words as is necessary.

So, welcome to my blog, FaceLift. It's uncensored and raw, even down to the photo of myself without makeup or enhancements. The musings of a post-menopausal woman. A proud new grandma's ramblings. A baby boomer's place to vent. Photos. Recipes. Travel log. Links to things I like. I would love to have you comment, write whatever you want and keep in touch by e-mail or, dare I say, a hand written letter or note.

UTNT (Until The Next Time)

Amy