Much has transpired since April 2014 when I last posted to my blog. Where do I begin ? I celebrated my 54th birthday. Finnian celebrated her 5th month. Connie, Darci's mother, was living in Oak Park, Illinois. We were living downtown Chicago at the Architrave. Life was good. Business was good. We were very happy albeit a bit sleep deprived. April and May also found me working in Rome on another Vatican exhibition for The Green Collection. Darci and Finnian traveled to Rome with me and we lived at the Hotel Bramante. This was Finnian's first international trip and I was so happy that both Darci and Finnian could be with me since I was gone for three weeks during the month of January 2015 working on an exhibition in Havana, Cuba for The Green Collection. I MISSED Darci and Finnian soon much. I would return to Rome, in June/July with son Billy, to de-install the Vatican exhibition. A wonderful experience for both Billy and I however Billy was having "stomach issues" that affected him daily. Bill Tosch and Weezie joined Billy and I for a few days at the end of their Italian Villa vacation with their friends. Shortly following our return from Rome, in early July 2014, Connie suffered a MAJOR stroke at her Oak Park apartment. My brother, Jim and his wife, Ann were visiting us in Chicago at the time of this tragedy. Connie would survive the stroke but suffer the loss of her ability to speak and her ability to use her right arm and hand. We decided to move from the Architrouve and purchase a ranch style home in North Barrington. We closed on the new home purchase and with the help of nephew, Kyle Tosch, we moved our entire home and business to North Barrington. Connie would move in with us and become a daily focus of our family. It was wonderful for Finnian to have daily access to her Grandmother but also a sad reminder of Connie's decline. We eventually turned our home into a home hospice for Connie. Shortly after Thanksgiving, Connie decided to stop eating and end her life. This has become an extremely sad period in our lives as Connie died on 02 January 2015. We love you Connie and miss you very much. We feel your presence and love every day. Finnian misses her Connie-ma !!
