Susan Mangigian, Chester County Life

Today is May 28 and  it's my friend Jesse Clifton's birthday!  If you get a minute, pop on over and wish the old coot young fella a happy 50th!  I say this with the utmost affection for a man that I have grown very fond of over the time we've known each other here. I am thankful today, for Jesse Clifton as one of the reasons I am smiling today.  Jesse is smiling because he has yet to return my slingback.

I like to write these Thankful Thursday posts because it keeps me grounded and drags me out of the blues that I can get bogged down in.  A dear friend of mine is at the end stages of her life.  As luck would have it, bad luck anyway, she has broken her leg and is right now in the hospital having surgery to repair the break and put some pins in it.  Why this has happened to a sweet 83 year old woman who is in hospice for terminal cancer I will never know.  What I do know is that I am thankful to have met her.  I am thankful that I had the time to visit in the hospital today.  This little lady looked at me and said, "I didn't know if anyone would know where I was, but I knew you would find me".  I have grown to love this little lady and I am very grateful that God found a way for us to meet, just last year, so I could spend some time with her.

I'm eternally grateful that I am busy showing houses to about 6 different buyers.  I will be even more grateful when they actually buy something!  It feels great to be working!

I am thankful that I got to see C Tann Starr yesterday while I was in Philadelphia.  I am also thankful that I got to meet and spend a little time with Sandra (The Shoreline Blogger) and Dan Cummings (The Running Realtor) and Krista Fuchs!  I even got a hug out of Jeremy Blanton and Kim Wood.  It was way crowded and I didn't stay long, but I went to see Sandra, Dan, Krista and my girl C., and see them I did!

I've got a trunk full of food to deliver to the food bank, compliments of two neighbors and Joyce McQuaid of Guaranty Northeast, one of my closest friends and a great mortgage person and all around great human being!  I am very thankful to be able to support such a worthy cause.

I'm thankful, as always, for my family, my sons, my mom and my little dog. 

I'm even thankful, that as I type this, someone is downstairs playing the drums.  That means my sons are home, where they are safe.

I am thankful for many things today, much more than I've mentioned.  If you haven't joined the Thankful Thursday Group that Mike Saunders founded, you really should.  It's a great way to start the end of the week and head into a happy Saturday and Sunday.

I have a lot to be thankful for today, as always, but I'm especially thankful for the nice surprise I received today.

Did you see my new header above?  Do you see the love of my adult life on the left hand side?  This header is the handiwork of my good friend Chris Fisher, who emailed me today to see if I wanted my little love, J.J., in my header!  I am thankful for Chris, who was so thoughtful to email me out of the blue!  If you've been thinking of a customized header, or a web page design and do not know where to start, I suggest hiring Chris.  She works her magic remotely, so you don't need to live near her.  Just let her get to know you and you'll be astounded at how she will capture you in her work.  Her area of expertise, as quoted from her blog is:

I enjoy creating a web space that reflects the owner's personal style.  That way when someone visits, they notice that it "looks like" the business owner/business branding.

Boy, is that the truth!  My header has my family, my garden and my little dog!!  You couldn't reflect me anymore if you put me in front of a mirror, unless, of course, you inserted a laugh track!

I've written about Chris before but it bears repeating.  Chris is a lovely human being, an artist, an animal lover, a good friend and as talented as they come.

So today, my Thankful Thursday post is dedicated to Chris Fisher and her generous friendship and thoughtfulness.

Thank you pretty lady! 

On Saturday, 5/17, The Pennsylvania Coalition of Motorcyclist, P.C.O.M. Patriots Chapter #03, along with their co-sponsor C.C. Iron, met in Honey Brook, laden with food and monetary donations, and made the trek, on a colder than normal day for May, to the West Chester Food Cupboard, located at 545 E. Gay Street. West Chester, PA.

They came in a group, the numbers down because the weather was so nasty, but they were flying the flag of The United States of America and they came with food!

Even their youngest member got in on the act, although he came in by car!

Here's a group shot of the big hearted bikers, that included men, women and one adorable child!

Two of the men are shown here behind the table where we separated their donations.

The flyer that they distributed to people in the hopes of getting donations said it best... "We believe all people are entitled to be treated with respect regardless of their financial plight". 

Larry Welsch, the Food Bank Manager for Chester County Food Bank, believes that any one of us can be just a circumstance or two away from needing the services of a food bank.  Nearly 1 in 10 people in Chester County miss meals due to lake of money to buy food.

There are many opportunities to volunteer your time and talent.  If you have the time, Larry has a job for you, volunteering of course!  Larry's email is lwelsch@chesco.org.

Volunteer opportunities are endless and include being a food mover, which would basically entail picking up food and delivering items to food pantries, centers and agencies.  Time commitment:  2 days a week, 2 hours in the a.m. 

Food Drive Schedulers would call companies regarding food drives.  This is something you can do any day of the week, any hour of the day, from your home phone.

If you are looking for a workout, you can work at the Warehouse, 2 or 3 days a week, you select your own hours, and you would be lifting food from delivery trucks and helping to organize the items in their Parksburg warehouse.

Last but not least, if you have a love of the outdoors, you can help with the Gleaning Program.  This is usually in the Spring and Fall, Mondays and Thursdays, 8:30 to 10:30 am at the 39 farms that participate in the efforts to grow food.

Anything is a help.  I was very proud of RE/MAX Preferred and Settlement Services of PA, because these lovely ladies and I donated our time and some of our baking abilities to provide refreshments for the motorcyclists and help Chris stock some shelves.  Pictured here are, from left to right:  Me (Susan Mangigian), Melissa Ford-RE/MAX PREFERRED, Chris Adams, the lead volunteer at the West Chester Food Pantry, Emily Ford-RE/MAX PREFERRED, Liz Facenda-RE/MAX PREFERRED and Evelyn Stilwell, Settlement Services of PA.  Liz Facenda and Evelyn Stilwell took all of the leftover goodies to a few local shelter

Volunteers can also call Chris Adams directly at the food bank, 610-344-3175 if there is an interest in volunteering locally. 

Right now Chris could use some donations toward the Summer Lunch bag Program for children. This is bagged lunches for the children they serve (about 360). Some suggestions:   Easy Mac, small cans of Spaghetti O's, peanut butter or cheese filled crackers (with pb or cheese as a filling between 2 crackers), small fruit cups, granola bars, microwavable soups, pop corn, meals (like you would take to work) and some lunch bags (plain or decorated by the participants. 

I am more than happy to pick up donations.  Cash or check donations, as well as gift cards to local supermarkets are also appreciated and can be mailed directly to West Chester Food Cupboard, 545 E. Gay Street, West Chester, PA  19380 or Chester County Food Bank, 692 Westtown Road, Suite 330, P.O. Box 2747, West Chester, PA  19380-0991, or you can go to the website, Chester County Food Bank Fund. 

A big thank you to C.C. Iron and P.C.O.M. Patriots for donating their time and coordinating the food drive.

This picture was taken at the Mother's Day luncheon that I wrote about last week, a gift to us from Evelyn Stilwell.  Pictured here, from the left is Connie, my girlfriend Joyce McQuaid's mom, me, my little Mommy  and my best friend Leann.  We always joke that Leann looks more like my mom than I do and when someone got a camera out the first thing I thought of was a post title!!  Are you my mother?  Leann and my mom look exactly like mom and daughter with their pretty blue eyes and fair skin.  Connie and I look like two peas in a pod, while Connie's daughter Joyce has beautiful green eyes and brown hair!  My mom always told me, while growing up, that she bought me from the gypsies because my dark hair and skin are so different than her family.  But our hearts are the same.  I am happy that while we look nothing alike, Betty Carlini is my mother!

As anyone who has been within shouting distance of me knows, I am in love with my little shaggy dog JJ.  He is simply the sweetest and nicest person I know and I never get tired of looking at his messy little head and his brown eyes and little black nose.  Well, JJ is a cockapoo and they have this nasty little undercoat that gets matted if you don't brush him.

He doesn't like to be brushed and he got very matted and the groomer sad she would have to shave him.  Oh, my poor little baby.  He was so upset, he created an entire hostage situation.  If you take one step closer, I'll eat my gun, I swear I will!

Well, the authorities were called in and JJ was disarmed and taken to the groomer.  My poor little shaggy dog is not a happy camper.  Please don't laugh, he's still very sensitive. 

Poor little puppy.  Still the sweetest and nicest person I know.  But he seems very depressed since his haircut.  I've never had a dog before, so I don't know if they can get depressed from a haircut, but he certainly isn't himself.  Any guidance would be appreciated in keeping him from getting this matted again.

Grab the kiddies and head on over to ACAC Fitness and Wellness Center on Saturday, 5/16/09 from 12 to 4 for a fun time!  ACAC is a premier fitness club with something for everyone.  I know I love it there and you will too.  It's state of the art, it's clean, the employees are so friendly, the classes are fun and it's my happy place!  If you haven't visited, make sure you stop in on Saturday.  If you are interested in a membership, make sure to ask for Jeanette Mills, my favorite membership person.  Jeanette will take great care of you.

Go to ACAC for a day of fun for
the whole family!

• Inflatable Obstacle Course and Bungee Run

• FREE Carnival Games with Prizes

• AM 640 Radio Disney Road Crew on-site from
1:00pm-2:30pm entertaining the kids and giving
out prizes.

Bring your bathing suit and relax in our Activity
Pool with Tumble Buckets, Water Slide, and zero
grade entry-perfect for little ones.

"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class."
-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

As a tribute to the moms in our office, for all we do, and feel and experience together as sisters in life, we got a special treat today.  Evelyn Stilwell, owner of Settlement Services of PA, treated the moms in our office to a lovely luncheon at Limoncello in West Chester, PA.   Evelyn was also kind enough to invite our moms, and some of us who are lucky enough to still have moms had the pleasure of three of these lovely ladies gracing our table.  We laughed, we talked, we laughed some more and it was a lovely time.

This Thankful Thursday is dedicated to moms everywhere.  To my Mom especially.  With a big thank you to Evelyn Stilwell for being a kind, sweet, generous person and the best title officer I have ever worked with.  If you need title insurance, and if you are buying a home you do, call Evelyn Stilwell at 484-356-2970.  Excellent and knowledgeable customer service with one of the nicest smiles you'll see!

 Photograph taken by: Susan C. Mangigian, Chester County Realtor, duplicating in any form is in violation of copyright infringement and a violation of privacy... family pictures.