Old Home Week!

Last Thursday evening, I again participated in a fundraiser for the Greater Norristown Police Athletic League.  It's always a good time!

I love to donate to worthy causes - in particular, to causes that help children.  PAL has done that in my area for many, many years.  So, it's my pleasure to whip up cookies and cakes to serve about 1,000 of PAL's supporters.

After a long summer of hard work with cooking camps, it's nice to have the time to socialize.  Born and raised in Norristown, I have such deep roots here that I seem to know a lot of people in the area - and in particular, people who come to this event.  Some of the folks I saw are Jim McCrudden, the former "personnel" manager at Genuardi's who hired me for my first job as a checker at Sandy Hill when I was just 16; Santino Ciccaglione, owner of Sessano's and former classmate at Kenrick; Rita Ferman, DA - I met her through her work with Mission Kids (another worthy children's cause); Poncho Venezia (not so heavy anymore!), who owns a pizza place and went to grade school and high school with my brother Tim; Kate Harper, state rep - I attended LaSalle with her and we took a PoliSci class together in freshman year; Pete Reinert, another old Kenrick classmate - we laughed over antics in our German class with "Herr Schilling"; Jim & Cindy Serratore & their daughter Alicia Hemmerich - Alicia is one of Kitchen Wizards' instructors and Cindy was a neighbor and good friend of my cousin Maureen when they were kids; Dale Hood (in photo), a friend of my sister Mary and her husband Alan; the Owads and Autrys - I taught their kids at St. Pat's when they were in 3rd grade; Kathy Champagne, who was another Kenrick classmate and we're mutual friends with Laura DeSimone - we were bridesmaids in her wedding; Debbie Repas, who I met at LAFitness in water aerobics class; James (formerly Jamie!) Myers, a 3rd grade student at St. Pat's and the current publisher of the Norristown Patch - he took this picture...and so many more familiar faces!

It always feels like an episode of "This is YOUR Life" at the PAL event.  This smattering of faces from my past is one of the reasons I LOVE being from Norristown!!!