Friday, March 23, 2007

Spotlight on the Moms -- Sue Stodola!

Sue Stodola was born Sue Jorgensen in the overalls capitol of the world, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She grew up in the same yellow house on the same tree-lined street that her father had grown up in. In the third grade, she met and became best friends with Linda, who remains her best friend to this day.

Sue attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison for one semester before being lured back to the campus in Oshkosh by parental promises of a car. She graduated in 1966 with a degree in Social Work, and after a brief stint in a small Wisconsin town that her daughter can’t remember the name of, she moved to Milwaukee with her new husband, Ed (“Eddie and Susie,” as the folks back home called them). In 1972, her son Justin was born. Several years later, the young family caved to a sense of adventure and moved to the Adirondack town of Lake Placid, in upstate New York. Not long after, her daughter Sarah was born. While in Lake Placid, Sue became an avid volleyball player and developed a severe distaste for endless northern winters. She mostly avoided work during this time in order to care for her two young children, although she did subject herself to serving as a high school study hall monitor at one point.

While spending a year in the early 1980s living in Boone, North Carolina, in a glass house on a river often featured in Mountain Dew commercials, Sue earned her Master’s Degree in Counseling. She subsequently returned to Lake Placid for a couple of years, and then moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where she worked in social work. Then one year, she quit her job in order to “take the summer off.” One might say that turned out to be one long, hot summer, as it has not yet ended!

Sue has become a dedicated tennis player in recent years, and prides herself on routinely defeating women half her age on the court. She’s an absolute sucker for cats, and currently lives with four of them. Sue frequently visits best friend Linda in Columbus, Ohio, and makes her unbearably jealous about her upcoming New York Mom’s Weekend.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Meet the Moms! Spotlight on Jean Neibauer

Jean Neibauer, Anna's mom, was born and raised in the Iowa cornfields in the late 1940's. The eldest of 5 children, Jean was a shy girl who enjoyed reading and playing with her cat. She majored in Spanish at Detroit Mercy College (where she regularly played tricks on the unsuspecting nuns). In the late '60's, Jean spent time living in Mexico, where she worked at an orphanage and took 200 girls under her care (she makes a mean Mexican breakfast!). She acquired her M.A. in teaching English as a second language, a degree which took her around the country and the globe, teaching in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Iran. In 1978, Jean moved to Waterloo, Iowa to raise Anna in a bustling, colorful townhouse apartment complex in which Jean's sister, Liz, also lived.

For nearly 25 years, Jean has worked as an academic advisor at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa (adjacent to Waterloo). She counsels students on their majors and career choices, empowering the students to follow their passions by pursuing nontraditional paths, studying abroad, and generally breaking free from hovering parents - Go Jean!

Jean enjoys reading (especially fiction, politics, and fantasy), movies (she's a hopeless romantic, and is particularly enthusiastic about the Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and Star Trek series), travel, meditation, all things food-related (and is a wealth of information on nutrition and health), and she's a self-proclaimed news junkie. Unable to sit still, Jean is proud to have walked a marathon in 2005. In the last few years, Jean has taken up slightly less physically-demanding activities like pottery.

Jean loves NYC and is extremely excited for our weekend together!

More mom bios to come.........

Skate Scoop

As you know, we plan to visit the Central Park skate circle on Sunday. Skating is not mandatory, but should you want to rent skates, we can stop by Blades Skate Shop near the park. They rent all the gear you could ever want for a day of disco rolling:

Blades Skate Shop, 156 West 72nd St. (between Columbus Ave. and Broadway), Manhattan

The skating runs from 2:30-6:30, with
professional DJ accompaniment. We like to arrive around 3:00 and skate until 5:00ish, then slip into some sneakers and do some serious dancing until we collapse in exhaustion or they turn the music off - whichever comes first. We think you'll agree that the skate circle is truly one of the most inclusive, welcoming, fun-for-all-ages-and-skill-levels places around. We think you will feel right at home amidst the colorful chaos.

As for attire: think comfort, with a little flair (if you have the inclination). Nothing is too outrageous to flaunt in the circle, so if you have something a little too glittery or flashy for your everyday life, feel free to rock it that Sunday - it is sure to be appreciated and complimented. Ed's Stride Zone offers an in-depth glimpse into the visual scene that awaits you.


One of the greatest "features" of this skate community is the abundance of willing and able individuals just waiting to instruct, guide, hold up, and encourage. You will have dozens of teachers and physical props with enviable patience at the tips of your skates....

Rock n' roll!




Thursday, March 1, 2007

Welcome

Welcome to your number one source for all things Mom's Weekend NYC 2007!