Throwback Thursday - St Nicholas Orthodox Church

I don't like change much.  If you've followed me for any time or know me, this doesn't come as any surprise.  I especially don't like it when buildings are torn down.

This church in West Springfield was in my stomping grounds when I was a kid.  I always thought it was a Jewish synagogue.  I never saw anyone going in or out of it but the physical building intrigued me, maybe because it looked so different from any churches that I knew.

In later years it had been looking slightly neglected and worn down.  This week when we drove by it, to my total surprise, it was not there.  In its place were houses, new houses!  I made Paul turn around just to make sure that I didn't miss it.  Yep, it was gone!

A little investigation on the Internet and I found out that it was a Russian Orthodox Church and it has been gone since 2014!  Maybe it wasn't torn down right away and that was why it was looking so neglected and overgrown.  

The article didn't say why the church was no longer in West Springfield.  Maybe two congregations merged and they chose the better building, or the building where the major part of the congregation was from.  I just found it so sad that such an interesting building was torn down, and in its place two new houses built.  

Throwback Thursday - Kristen in her Christmas Dress and her first "Piece"

Christmas 1974; Kristen was 2 years old.

Just a little background.  Bethany, our church, in 1974 was not nearly as big as it is now.  It was located on the corner of Springfield and Armory Streets in Springfield.  Every Christmas season back then Bethany had a Children's Christmas Program where the Sunday School kids would say their "piece" up on the pulpit in front of the whole church.  Sometimes there was a little pageant that would go along with it playing out the Christmas story.  Afterwards the kids would all receive Christmas candy in an orange web type stocking or Christmas box.  I remember saying my piece when I was a kid, so this had been going on for a long time.  I'm not sure when they stopped doing this, probably when the church got bigger.

At any rate, back in 1974 they were still doing it.  Kristen came home from Sunday School with a "piece" to say.  She was only 2, so I wasn't sure if she would do it.  Paul's mom, GG, bought her a new dress and when the time came, she got right up  there and said her "piece".  She was the youngest one to do it.

I had written it down in her baby book and this is what it was:

Shining for Jesus - "A little star up in the sky can shine for Jesus, so can I."  I'm not sure if anyone else understood her but I sure did!  Needless to say, we were all so proud of her!

She also sang a song with two other little girls, Pammy Bennett and Heather Sorcinelli.  So cute.

Also, in looking through her baby book I found that in 1975 when she was 3, her piece was called My Wish for You - "A wish for you, it comes from me.  May your Christmas very happy be."

These pictures were given to me by someone from church years later.  I don't remember who.  The one above was from 1975.

The one below was from 1976 but by then I had stopped writing in her baby book and I don't have her "piece".  I do know that all three years she sang a song with these same girls.




PS - In looking through Mark's baby book, I never wrote down any of his Christmas "pieces."  The one thing I do know is that he did not start at 2 years old, lol!

December 2018 Scrapbook Pages

Trying to do a little catch up with Marley's older scrapbook pages. The top one is from 2007.

November 2018 Scrapbook Pages

Marley and her cousin Zach had their senior pictures taken together.  I love how they came out.  There were so many more but these were our favorites.

Throwback Thursday - Pantsuits and my first real job

My first real job was after I graduated from Holyoke Community College.  My degree was in Medical Secretarial, which I don't think they even offer anymore.  

During my second year, one of my teachers told me that she had received a call from the Director of Medical Records of Wesson Women's Hospital.  She was looking for someone to work part time getting medical records ready for microfilming (!).  My teacher asked me if I would be interested and I jumped at the chance.  So, I quit my job as a cashier at Roberts Food Bag and started working at the hospital.  The directer, Miss Hazel French, set me up in a conference room all by myself near the Medical Records Department with a boatload of medical records which I had to go through, making sure there were no staples or paper clips in the records.  The other employees felt sorry for me, saying that it was such a boring job, but I didn't care.  It was like a foot in the door of some place I would eventually like to work at full time.  

By the time I graduated in the Spring of 1970, Miss French offered me a full time job as a medical transcriptionist.  I was working with two other transcriptionists, Karen and Barbara pictured above, who helped me a lot.  Miss French was very meticulous and treated me like I was still in school, but that was okay because I had just gotten out of school, lol!

In the Fall of 1970, we were allowed to wear pantsuits to work.  They were a new phenomenon in the work place.  Actually, the first time girls were allowed to wear pants in school was my first year at Holyoke Community, Winter 1968/69, and only because the school's main building had burned down the year before and they were holding classes in many different areas of that part of Holyoke.  They figured it was too cold for female students who had to walk to the different areas to have to wear skirts, so they announced that girls were allowed to wear pants.  Thinking about that now seems like it was back in the dark ages.  

So, when we were told that we could wear pantsuits at Wesson Women's Hospital, we were excited.  They had to be real pantsuits, though, pieces that were sold together as one item.  They couldn't just be pants and a shirt.  Basically, we all had one pantsuit and wore it once a week.  

I still have the receipt for my pantsuit; it was bought at Forbes and Wallace and cost $30.  

My only complaint with the writeup in the hospital newsletter was that they called me Miss Debbie Radtke; after all, I had been married for a couple of months!!

I really loved that job.  I stayed there until I had Kristen in 1972.  

17th Annual Paul and Marley Zoo Picture

It all started back in 2002 when I took a picture of Paul and Marley walking at the Forest Park Zoo. My mother-in-law, Priscilla, loved the picture and a tradition was begun. Each year I have taken a new "zoo picture." Paul says the last one will be at Marley's wedding.

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012


2011


2010


2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002 

Throwback Thursday - Kristen's first kid birthday party, 4 years old

This is the only picture that I took at Kristen's 4th birthday party!!  It seems inconceivable to me now!

This was her first kid birthday party.  Most of the kids were from our neighborhood.

From left to right - Robin (she lived next door; her family only lived on our street for a few years), Karen Jacobek (she was the daughter of Ann, a lady who used to work with Dot.  We became friendly when we were pregnant at the same time.  Karen and Kristen are 5 days apart), and Michael Tassanari who lived at the beginning of our circle.  In the back I think are Chris Fitzpatrick (he lived on the other side of us) and Erica Marieb who also lived on our circle.

About the only thing that I remember of her party was that she was VERY excited.  She got ready early and asked if we could take a walk around the circle to see if any of the kids were ready to come to her party.

I don't remember if Paul was there or if it was while he was working.  Mark must have been there but I don't even remember that.

Of course, we had the family party at another time so I don't think there was any other family there.  I really wish I had been into scrapbooking then, or at least journaling!

Throwback Thursday - Weekend Camping Vacation 1975

In August 1975 Paul, Kristen, and I went camping for a weekend.  Mark stayed with Paul's parents.  We wanted to go to the big campground, Burlingame State Park, near Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island, but I think it was full and we went up at a smaller campground. I can't remember the name.

I asked Paul if he remembered anything about that weekend, which he didn't, lol!  Believe it or not, he has kept all of his receipts and checks from at least since we were married and probably before.  I asked him to look through the summer of 1975 receipts to see if there was anything from that weekend.  The only thing he found was a gas charge from Charleston, RI which is where Burlingame is.

I love looking at some of the details in these pictures; my Dr. Scholl sandals, Paul's Docksiders, our little Hibachi, the camera case for our old Instamatic camera, Paul's parents' tent, and our 1970 Volkswagen.  I still have those Tupperware glasses on the picnic table!

I know most of us take pictures of people, and I'm so thankful for that.  But these pictures remind me to also include details.  They may not mean much at the time, but years later it will be so much fun to look at them.

There is not too much about this trip that I remember except that we brought Kristen's little potty chair.

I think that might have been the last time we went camping, lol!

October 2018 Scrapbook Pages

(Mason's football card will go in the blank space)

September 2018 Scrapbook Pages

August 2018 Scrapbook Pages