Donna Matthews

Category: Uncategorized

  • The year ahead

     

    If you read this blog you will know my desire to see 2013 draw to a close. I am unsure, as everyone else is, how things will be in 2014 but I have a good feeling about it.  I think both professionally and personally this year will bring opportunities for growth. On the personal side I hope the growth will not relate to size but rather as a human being. i have a few resolutions this year, yes the ever popular weight loss but also I want to learn enough Italian to feel comfortable using it when travelling to Italy. I want to obtain my British Citizenship (if I can pass the Life in the UK Test which most Brits find difficult with questions like how many teenagers live in the UK?)  Lastly, I’d like to finally take a pottery making class, not sure why but it is something I’ve always wanted to do. Okay, what are your resolutions for 2014?

  • Are you ready to see the back of 2013?

    I don’t know about the rest of you but for my family we definitely are ready for 2013 to pass into the history books.  Okay, a few good things did come out of this year; two pregnancies and two wedding engagements (not to the same people) but other than that this year has been full of drama, pain and loss. We will be ringing in the New Year with more gusto than usual, 2013 can’t end soon enough. I know every year has its ups and downs but this one the downs won big time. his Christmas instead of reflecting on the year gone by I will be focusing on the upcoming one. 

    Now 2014 on the other hand looks like it will be a fantastic year. New babies, weddings, milestone birthday bring it on! T  I’m looking forward to a more normal year with its normal balance of ups and downs. I hope you have all enjoy your holiday season and that you are surrounded by the ones you love, because that is what really matters.

  • The end of an era and a family name

    On Saturday afternoon my grandmother passed away at the age of 98.  She was an incredible woman who lived a long rich life.  She was married to my grandfather for over 60 years and they had two children.  Unfortunately for the family name they had two girls and no boys. So on Saturday not only did I lose my grandmother but it was also the end of the Cassaro family name.  I think all three of us grandkids have had ideas over the years on how we would carry on the Cassaro name but sadly we never acted on those ideas.  However, my niece Megan (one of 9 great-grandchildren), decided she would do her part by getting a “Cassaro”  tattoo. I was blown away by the gesture and it shows how strong our family links are. It is a shame that that branch of our family tree will now end but other branches are spreading and new memories are being created everyday.  The Cassaro name may not get passed on now but the legacy, traditions and recipes are being passed on through the Matthews branches of our family tree.This Christmas we will celebrate those traditions and the lives of the Cassro’s through the generations the Italian way…through food and wine!  Have a great Christmas and remember “mangi”

  • Surprise Thanksgiving

    Okay, you know that part in my earlier blog today where I said I would not be having Thanksgiving dinner or pumpkin pie…well I was wrong!  I was surprised by my British family with a complete Thanksgiving dinner. I walked through the door to the sound of the National Anthem, into a kitchen decorated with American flags, Red, White and Blues candles and a fantastic spread of traditional Thanksgiving delights. There was even a bowl full of my favourite American sweets like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s Kisses and even Tootsie Rolls. I was completely blown away. A huge thank you to Sarah,Matt, Ellie and Pam. This was one of the most special Thanksgiving Days ever.

  • Happy Thanksgiving!

    This is a strange holiday for me since moving to the UK.  Here, it is just another work day towards the end do a normal work week. I always try to take time out to remember what the day is all about for all Americans. A time for reflection and giving thanks for everything important in our lives. It also has it’s other side, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the football games and the food!  I can now get most of the football games on TV but the Thanksgiving dinner is another matter. I did try to take the day off in those early years but it is just got too hard to do that huge meal with work the following day.  So, here I am taking a few minutes away from work to stop and think about all of the Thanksgivings past and to think about what I am thankful for this year. Top of the list are my mom and dad. My dad has had a very rough year this year medically. In fact he just got out of a rehabilitation centre yesterday, after recovering from his latest surgery. Just knowing he is home with my mom today means so much. I have so much to be thankful for I could not possibly list everything and hopefully those close to me already know how thankful I am to have them in my life. There may not be any turkey or pumpkin pie today but it is still Thanksgiving in my heart.

  • Today’s Installment of Life on the Train

    Well, this morning we started with a 35 minute delay out of Swindon owing to “train problems earlier, on the line”.  Once we were actually on the train and we got to Bristol Parkway (my first change of the day), I made it to my connecting train with seconds to spare. Deep breath we are back on schedule.  Now whizzing our way to Birmingham, 30 minutes in we stop and we wait…eventually the train manager announces that there are cows crossing the track so we will wait for them to cross.  The waiting continues and then we hear that we are being diverted because said cows are enjoying the grass alongside the track!  We change direction (driver running from one end to the other) so we can follow the diversion.  We get to the diversion point and lo and behold we are advised the cows have now sought greener pastures and we can return the way we came.  Poor driver hoofs it down the track once again to change direction. Finally back on the correct track, literally, we are now delayed by 35 minutes putting us in Birmingham precisely 10 minutes after my connecting train leaves the station.  Upon arriving at Birmingham I now get to sit and wait for an hour until the next train which will get me to my destination exactly 35 minutes before my meeting starts in a nearby town 30 minutes away!  Yep, my colleague who is picking me up in Preston will have to put his foot down and hope the roadways do not experience any of the same problems that the railways suffered today. 

  • On the Train Again….

    You know when people ask you what the most embarrassing thing is that has happened to you.  Well, I usually have to think pretty hard because I’m quite a cautious person in the first place I don’t do risky things.  This morning I am on the train on my way to the Northeast of England again and on the first leg of the journey (at around 7:30 A.M.) I fell asleep. I only realised this when I heard the loudest snort come snore I have ever heard.  I jerked my eyes open and realised that horrible sound had come from me!!  My face burned with embarrassment as every eyeball in that carriage was starting straight at me.  Even worse I think I may have been sleeping with my mouth open because when I jerked up my mouth slammed shut!   I could not make eye contact with anyone again and was so relieved when everyone got off within about 2 stops.  Not a good way to start your Monday or your journey on a day of taking various trains across the country to get to my afternoon meeting.  I can only hope that my mega embarrassing moment this morning will be the last for the rest of the day.

    Enjoy your Monday and if you slip up today just think of me and you won’t feel quite so bad.

  • Long Train Journey

    I have the pleasure of taking the train today from Bristol to Barrow-in-Furness, for those of you in the US who are not familiar with our UK geography it is a very long trek up the country just shy of Scotland.  I always enjoy my train trips because you can gather so much information by just listening.  Sometimes however, I wish I could stop listening.  That is how it was for the first 2 hours of my journey.  I was sharing a table with two gentlemen travelling together and a young woman who did a great job of acting like the rest of us at the table were invisible, she actually looked through me a couple of times.  The two men of a mature age were re-telling stories of their working days.  Apparently this was a reunion of some sorts that they were on their way to.  I got to hear all about the various things they got up to “back in the day”.  They were heading for a week in Blackpool.  Again for those who have  not had the pleasure to visit Blackpool, I’ll try to explain.  Think of a city wearing more bling than a super model.  Then add the cheesiest carnival you have ever seen and multiply that by 10…you now have Blackpool.  It is all penny arcades, fair rides and lights.  To think that these two guys were going to spend a week there and they were very excited was almost too much for me.  They couldn’t wait to get a few pints on board and head for the rollercoaster! 

    You never know what you will hear on a long train ride, I wonder what the next 4 hours will hold?

  • Imagine This…

    You are putting a large jigsaw puzzle together and when you finish you have a lovely picture.  Now, break the puzzle up again into pieces and put it back together but this time I want you to get a different and bigger picture.  Yes, using the same pieces….what, you can’t do it? 

    No surprise really but to certain project managers this is the expectation.  You propose a plan to deliver a project and they accept it.  You start working (putting the puzzle together) and then they come back and say.  The plan needs to be revised because we have more to do and less time to do it in.  Can you give me a new plan and oh, you don’t get any more people to help you do it.  So, in essence they are saying using the same puzzle pieces I want you to produce a different and larger picture in less time.  Any rational, semi logical person on this planet can tell you that is not possible!! Yet, this is what we are faced with over and over again on projects.  Incredible!

  • Is it just me?

    A question for you. Why is it when you get a calf cramp during the night you lose all sense of dignity and relationship to time and you just want to scream out for your mommy? We all get cramps and they are never an enjoyable experience but why when they hit you in the middle of the night do they feel even worse? All you can do is grab your leg and cry out in pain. The leg grabbing doesn’t actually help it is just pure instinct and the crying out is primal? It feels as if a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys has a hold of your toes and is trying to press them back far enough to meet you shin!
    Why does this happen when you are safe in your bed sleeping? You are in a blissful dream one second and the next…agony. Then after it has finally passed and you fall back to sleep you forget it ever happened that is until you take that first step in the morning and bang the soreness in your calf hits you like a brick. This is one of life’s many mysteries I guess.