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.

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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

Throwback Thursday - Paul's Concussion

(Written by Paul)

The date was January 16, 1975. Debbie and I were spending a Friday evening with new church friends, Rusty and Patty Gosselin, at their house.  Debbie's father and half sister Lori were babysitting for our kids.  Lori was just getting into babysitting and her father was there to back her up.

Rusty and I had planned an evening of ping pong, a sport that we both played very aggressively. I remember, believe it or not, playing the best ping pong of my life and I really had Rusty's number that night, much to his frustration.

On our way out, Debbie went first and told me to watch out for the ice.  The next thing she knew, I was lying on my back, not moving.  I wasn't getting up and Debbie thought I was fooling and kept kicking me and telling me to get up.  When they realized something might be wrong, they brought me into the house.  They started to question me and were still not convinced that this was not a joke.  I asked Rusty what we were doing there and he told me that we had been playing ping pong in the cellar.  I said, "I didn't think this house had a cellar."  They finally decided that something was wrong.  Rusty brought me to the Emergency Room at Baystate Medical Center, which was called Medical Center of Western Massachusetts at the time.  All the way there I kept asking him where we were going and why.  He would answer me and then I would go on and on about my great group insurance.  This cycle happened several times on the way.  While we were waiting in the waiting room, I kept telling Rusty that I had to go to the bathroom.  This kind of shows that I wasn't right because normally I would have just found the bathroom and used it.  Rusty brought me to the bathroom.  I was in there just a few seconds and came out.  When we got back to our seats I told him that I had to go to the bathroom.  Rusty thought to himself, he forgot to go while he was in there.  Finally it was our turn and they asked me why I was there.  I told them that I really didn't know and that they would have to ask my friend.  Rusty explained and we were eventually seen by a doctor.  The doctor interviewed me and gave me some mind tests.  I could tell him who the last several presidents were but I couldn't tell him a thing about today.  Rusty struggled to convince them that I wasn't taking drugs, and for the most part succeeded.

They then put me in a temporary holding area with several beds.  I kept asking everyone I saw why I was there.  I kept thinking I might have been in an accident and my family was hurt.  I was driving everyone a little nuts.  Finally I asked Rusty if he could write down what happened and put it where I could see it so I wouldn't have to bother people.  Rusty asked the nurse if that would be okay and she replied that anything that would quiet him down would be a good idea!  So he wrote the little note above and put it where I could see it.  I saved it all these years.

Rusty left in the middle of the night.  By then Debbie had called her father to tell him what was going on and they decided to stay overnight.  Debbie decided to just stay at the Gosselins.  Debbie has often asked herself why she didn't go to the hospital but she thought I would get checked out and come back to the Gosselins.

I spent the night in the holding unit trying to find someone who would take the group insurance claim form that I kept in my wallet.  I'm sure they all heard about my great group insurance too.  Finally, someone took it and said she would take care of it - probably just to humor me.

Another odd thing happened in this shared room.  In the bed next to me was a teenager who had tried to commit suicide.  His dad spent the whole night with him.  The dad must have had a resemblance to Debbie's Uncle Lee.  The following morning I asked him if I had already asked him if his name was Lee.  He said, "Yes, a 100 times."  I must have driven him nuts all night asking that.  I'm sure this added more grief to his very bad night.

Some of these things I actually remembered; others were told to me by Rusty.  Several days later Rusty and Patty came over to our house.  Rusty told the entire story of what happened that night.  Rusty and I laughed so hard that we were actually rolling on the floor holding our sides in pain.

My memory returned the following morning (Saturday).  During the morning I was examined by a neurosurgeon who released me to go home.  I was so relieved that they were letting me go home. This was proof to me that I was OK. I was actually worried that something permanent might have happened to me. By the way, I never forgot the neurosurgeon and brought Deb's Aunt Dot to him many years later when no one else could figure out what was wrong with her back. He said "I can help you, Dorothy" and he did.

I went to work on Monday because it was critical year end closing time.  I performed my duties but an odd thing happened.  Evidently, I had never brought my briefcase home from work on Friday because I didn't have it Monday morning.  During the day, I became very, very concerned about the briefcase which was not at home or at my desk.  After looking everywhere, I was afraid that someone had put it in the big dumpster out in the alley behind the building.  I was so fixated on this possibility that I needed to do something before the dumpster was emptied, so I went out and actually climbed inside the dumpster and started going through all the trash.  One of our managers, Carl Allen, walked by and heard the rustling thinking it might be a raccoon or something.  Coming closer, he saw me and said, "Is that you, Paul?"  "What are you doing?"  I told him I was looking for my briefcase and he said, "Oh", walked away, and the incident was never mentioned again.  I finally found my briefcase by the coat rack at the back of the room where I had left it Friday night.

This entire incident, with a few additional twists, was repeated many years later during a New Year's winter storm in Maine, but that's another story!

Both times they said I had a concussion with no bleeding, but I have often thought that maybe it's a good thing I didn't play high school football.  I seem to have enough problems dealing with icy walkways.

Throwback Thursday - Weekend+ Trip to Misquamicut 1973

Lately I have been on a roll to blog my pictures chronologically, and this was a weekend trip to Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island, just me and Paul.  Paul's mom, Priscilla, took care of Kristen from Thursday night, August 23rd to Monday, August 27th.  She was turning one that weekend, and I felt some guilt that I was going to be away on her birthday.  Priscilla told me that she was too young to know the difference, and that we would have her birthday party when we got back.

This beach was just down the road from Misquamicut State Beach.  We have recently been by there a few times looking for the hotel and I think we found it, but I can't remember the name.  The next time we go there I'll write it down and update this.

If you look closely, you can see me on the upper deck.  You can see me a little better in the second picture.  This was on the deck right outside our room.  It was the first time I had ever stayed in a room right on the beach.  I remember waking up in the morning and the whole room was damp from the ocean air.

About the only other thing I remember about that trip was that it was the first time I tried scallops.  Up until that time, I ate no seafood.  Nothing.  I still only eat scallops.  They have to be fried and they have to have a lot of tartar sauce on them. There was a restaurant right next to the amusement park, still on this strip of beach, that served seafood.  Again, I don't remember the name, but it is still there.

So that's it for vacations for 1973.  We found out that it's not so easy to pick up and go with a baby on board.