Tonight I had the opportunity to find closure on one part of my life that has been a roller coaster over the past six years or so. From the beginning, I tried to be the one on the roller coaster, as well as the attendant controlling the roller coaster! And, time and time again, it proved to not work that way. I was on the roller coaster, yes, but could not control it no matter how hard I tried, or even prayed, for it to be the way I wanted.
Finally, after learning the hard way (sadly over and over many times), I gave up trying to control and just sat back and tried to enjoy where the ride went over the past 18 months. Although it didn't go the way I planned and prayed endlessly for, I feel at peace. I learned many things along the way, and am glad it has ended so that I can now move on to a different ride and hopefully this time just sit and enjoy and not try to control it as well.
I am also grateful for the gift of time. I wouldn't have been able to feel this way a year ago, or maybe even a month or week ago about getting off the roller coaster. I probably would have demanded another ride! Some lessons are harder learned than others, especially when I am stubborn, but are needed for growth. This one was hard, very hard. Closure hurts a little when I realize my hopes, dreams, and plans were not fulfilled in this area (yet), but my faith remains strong in that there will be another ride, an even better and happier one as well! Until then, who wants to join me on the happy, peaceful and calm merry-go-round? :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The start of my new job :)
I recently started my new job... two days after I got back from Alaska (that post is still to come!)! I thought that was great timing and was grateful to have secured a new job before leaving for two weeks.
It has been quite an adventure, but it's been fun! I met the family for my first day of work in Philadelphia because the parents needed to be in the city that day for their work. Despite having grown up 30 minutes from the city, I do not know my way around it at all! We did go in as kids, but I was never driving or paying attention, and since then I really haven't been in the city very much... mostly because I don't really think it lives up to it name "The City of Brotherly Love"
But, because of taxi's we had fun going to a bookstore, then heading to the children's museum, and then back for a late lunch in downtown Philly (where we went to four different places for four different preferences of food... but fortunately they were all on the same block!) The children's museum was neat and I highly recommend it for anyone visiting the city with kids!
We met up with their dad in the late afternoon and headed back to DC on Amtrak. As a child, I was always on Amtrak heading between PA and RI to see my parents, but have not been on it since I was a teenager. Riding again brought back many happy memories of riding with my brothers and I always love watching the world pass by and we travel up and down the coast.
I spent the next two days with the kids in DC, but then on the 3rd day we left for two weeks on Nantucket Island! (I did a lot of traveling in August!) I had been to Nantucket with my uncle and his family when I was a teenager, but had not been back since. When I lived in Boston, we always went to the Cape, and when we visited my dad in RI we always got our fill of the beach, so there was never a strong desire to go to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.
I flew from DC to Nantucket and I would have to say that's the best way to go!!! (rather than driving ten hours and then taking a 2 hour ferry!) The island was just beautiful from the moment I first saw it on our decent and my appreciation and awe for that beauty never left. Someone described it as "magical" when I was there and I think that sums it up much better than I could put into words.
The island has done a great job of maintaining its unique culture and design. I love that fact that you wouldn't find a McDonalds, WalMart or CVS. Businesses are locally owned and the design of the buildings are similar. Those who live and work on the island take pride providing quality service and merchandise. Within 24 hours I had changed from being a person who's car was my home because I was in it so much, to being a person who walked, ran or biked EVERYWHERE I needed to go... literally. Everyone in the family had bikes. With the amount of people/traffic on the island's limited roads, biking/walking is the best way to travel because their bike paths are extensive and well taken care of. It's also a basically flat island, making this new form of travel easy and possible.
The first time I got on my bike, everything looked OK to me. But, man, by the time I got to my destination a mile away I was huffing and puffing and my legs were so sore! I thought I was just really out of shape. It looked like everyone on the island was in better shape than I was! My return trip home was just as bad and I initially thought I wasn't cut out for this island!! But, the next morning I had the chance to borrow another bike and got to my destaintion like it was a breeze! This got me thinking there might be something wrong with my bike and not something wrong with me!
So, the next chance I got I stopped by the local bike shop and asked them about it. They said my bike looked OK but maybe could use a little air. Well, I can't even describe my joy when I got back on that bike and biked around like I was walking on air. IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER! Lesson quickly learned (the hard way) what a little air can do for your tires!
One of my favorite things about the island was the yacht club to which they belonged. The club had two locations. One had the pools, tennis courts and snack bar. The other location was just on the edge of town with the main clubhouse, "sportsbarn" (with a fitness center and spa) and sailing program. Most of the time I was with the kids during the day was spent at the pool/tennis courts, but we did spend a lot of time just biking, playing in the yard and playing cards (I taught them UNO and they LOVE it!). On my days off, I loved spending time in town and at the main clubhouse/sportsbarn reading, relaxing, writing, people watching, or exploring. I loved coming to the club for lunch on my days off and sitting here enjoying the view.
So relaxing. So beautiful!
A picture of the main house with four floors and then a widow's walk on top that you could get access through my room. The pictures below are taken from the widow's walk.
Our entrance to the property. We are four blocks from the beach!
The pool and some of the backyard area.
The other side had a kids junglegym
The guest house!
It has been quite an adventure, but it's been fun! I met the family for my first day of work in Philadelphia because the parents needed to be in the city that day for their work. Despite having grown up 30 minutes from the city, I do not know my way around it at all! We did go in as kids, but I was never driving or paying attention, and since then I really haven't been in the city very much... mostly because I don't really think it lives up to it name "The City of Brotherly Love"
But, because of taxi's we had fun going to a bookstore, then heading to the children's museum, and then back for a late lunch in downtown Philly (where we went to four different places for four different preferences of food... but fortunately they were all on the same block!) The children's museum was neat and I highly recommend it for anyone visiting the city with kids!
We met up with their dad in the late afternoon and headed back to DC on Amtrak. As a child, I was always on Amtrak heading between PA and RI to see my parents, but have not been on it since I was a teenager. Riding again brought back many happy memories of riding with my brothers and I always love watching the world pass by and we travel up and down the coast.
I spent the next two days with the kids in DC, but then on the 3rd day we left for two weeks on Nantucket Island! (I did a lot of traveling in August!) I had been to Nantucket with my uncle and his family when I was a teenager, but had not been back since. When I lived in Boston, we always went to the Cape, and when we visited my dad in RI we always got our fill of the beach, so there was never a strong desire to go to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard.
I flew from DC to Nantucket and I would have to say that's the best way to go!!! (rather than driving ten hours and then taking a 2 hour ferry!) The island was just beautiful from the moment I first saw it on our decent and my appreciation and awe for that beauty never left. Someone described it as "magical" when I was there and I think that sums it up much better than I could put into words.
The island has done a great job of maintaining its unique culture and design. I love that fact that you wouldn't find a McDonalds, WalMart or CVS. Businesses are locally owned and the design of the buildings are similar. Those who live and work on the island take pride providing quality service and merchandise. Within 24 hours I had changed from being a person who's car was my home because I was in it so much, to being a person who walked, ran or biked EVERYWHERE I needed to go... literally. Everyone in the family had bikes. With the amount of people/traffic on the island's limited roads, biking/walking is the best way to travel because their bike paths are extensive and well taken care of. It's also a basically flat island, making this new form of travel easy and possible.
The first time I got on my bike, everything looked OK to me. But, man, by the time I got to my destination a mile away I was huffing and puffing and my legs were so sore! I thought I was just really out of shape. It looked like everyone on the island was in better shape than I was! My return trip home was just as bad and I initially thought I wasn't cut out for this island!! But, the next morning I had the chance to borrow another bike and got to my destaintion like it was a breeze! This got me thinking there might be something wrong with my bike and not something wrong with me!
So, the next chance I got I stopped by the local bike shop and asked them about it. They said my bike looked OK but maybe could use a little air. Well, I can't even describe my joy when I got back on that bike and biked around like I was walking on air. IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER! Lesson quickly learned (the hard way) what a little air can do for your tires!
One of my favorite things about the island was the yacht club to which they belonged. The club had two locations. One had the pools, tennis courts and snack bar. The other location was just on the edge of town with the main clubhouse, "sportsbarn" (with a fitness center and spa) and sailing program. Most of the time I was with the kids during the day was spent at the pool/tennis courts, but we did spend a lot of time just biking, playing in the yard and playing cards (I taught them UNO and they LOVE it!). On my days off, I loved spending time in town and at the main clubhouse/sportsbarn reading, relaxing, writing, people watching, or exploring. I loved coming to the club for lunch on my days off and sitting here enjoying the view.
So relaxing. So beautiful!The weather was just perfect for all but 3 days of our trip and it didn't get humid till the end.
Internet service was a luxury to be had when the winds were flowing in the right direction! Ha! I don't know what makes wi-fi work and what doesn't, but some days we got a connection and some days we didn't. No one could explain why, but people would try all sorts of tricks to get some connection in town. There were times when I missed it, but then just threw up my hands because it was out of my control and decided to make the best of it! This allowed for more game-playing time, reading, talking, and napping!
I did have the opportunity to go to church on the island. The island is 14 miles in length, but fortunately for me, church was held in someone's home literally a half a mile from our house, so I just hopped on my bike and went!
Church was a unique but wonderful experience. It was me, the local dentist and one family which consisted of two teenage boys, a mother and a father. It was not an official meeting or location, but getting to the main island for church every Sunday is impractical so they have their own sacrament meeting and Sunday School together! It was abbreviated church, but the Spirit was there and I felt so fortunate to be able to be a part of the worship service. It was so interesting to realize that for these boys there was no weekly mutual or other youth activities. They attended seminary by calling in every weekday morning to a class on the mainland. There was no youth program for them. I thought about how much I relied on my youth program for my friends, my social life, and for my testimony at that time. I also thought of how much I looked up to my leaders. I loved going to mutual to see my friends. Then there was Thursday night basketball practice year-round and Saturday games during the season. My youth group experience got me through my teenage years. I depended on it much more than I realized at that time. As I thought about this in Nantucket, my admiration for these valiant boys grew. One of them shared with me his EFY experience and how he replied on that strength, and what he felt there surrounded by all those youth, to help him through the year! Awesome!
The house the family owns in Nantucket is in a very cute neighborhood with many other children. Some of the houses are rented with guests changing weekly while others are permanent summer or year round owners. Normally, we would have stayed both weeks in this house, but because they had some family and friends coming into the area, we moved to a different rented house for a week so their friends and family could stay in the house they owned. This house was incredible!
Internet service was a luxury to be had when the winds were flowing in the right direction! Ha! I don't know what makes wi-fi work and what doesn't, but some days we got a connection and some days we didn't. No one could explain why, but people would try all sorts of tricks to get some connection in town. There were times when I missed it, but then just threw up my hands because it was out of my control and decided to make the best of it! This allowed for more game-playing time, reading, talking, and napping!
I did have the opportunity to go to church on the island. The island is 14 miles in length, but fortunately for me, church was held in someone's home literally a half a mile from our house, so I just hopped on my bike and went!
Church was a unique but wonderful experience. It was me, the local dentist and one family which consisted of two teenage boys, a mother and a father. It was not an official meeting or location, but getting to the main island for church every Sunday is impractical so they have their own sacrament meeting and Sunday School together! It was abbreviated church, but the Spirit was there and I felt so fortunate to be able to be a part of the worship service. It was so interesting to realize that for these boys there was no weekly mutual or other youth activities. They attended seminary by calling in every weekday morning to a class on the mainland. There was no youth program for them. I thought about how much I relied on my youth program for my friends, my social life, and for my testimony at that time. I also thought of how much I looked up to my leaders. I loved going to mutual to see my friends. Then there was Thursday night basketball practice year-round and Saturday games during the season. My youth group experience got me through my teenage years. I depended on it much more than I realized at that time. As I thought about this in Nantucket, my admiration for these valiant boys grew. One of them shared with me his EFY experience and how he replied on that strength, and what he felt there surrounded by all those youth, to help him through the year! Awesome!
The house the family owns in Nantucket is in a very cute neighborhood with many other children. Some of the houses are rented with guests changing weekly while others are permanent summer or year round owners. Normally, we would have stayed both weeks in this house, but because they had some family and friends coming into the area, we moved to a different rented house for a week so their friends and family could stay in the house they owned. This house was incredible!
A picture of the main house with four floors and then a widow's walk on top that you could get access through my room. The pictures below are taken from the widow's walk.
Our entrance to the property. We are four blocks from the beach!
The pool and some of the backyard area.The other side had a kids junglegym
The guest house!It was a busy two weeks with their party/birthday weekend celebrations, and just the many things the kids wanted to do! I loved the mornings where I got to get out early fr a run and explore the area. I didn't go on many of the bike trails, but maybe someday I'll be back and explore more. I loved just looking at the ocean and the boats, reading and relaxing (when I had time off!) and watching the sun set. There is something about nature, warm air, and the water/ocean that brings peace and serenity!
Now--- it's back to real life and off to the races!
Now--- it's back to real life and off to the races!
Monday, September 6, 2010
A tribute to my “little buddy”
A little late in coming... but wanted to take time to write it!
I love each of these kids A LOT.
Look at that SMILE!!MAKES MY HEART MELT... :)
But, Jeremiah has a special place in my heart because I have known him since he was born, and we spent the most time together over these past five years. This past year he officially became “my little buddy” as we explored and paled around DC together. He was such a fun shopping companion too!
On my drive from NYC to Philly after dropping off the kids, I thought a lot about my little buddy and all the many things about him that would make me smile each and every day! I’ve included a brief rundown, but really, just his smile would light up anyone’s life!
He’s always running… always. In the house or on the sidewalk. Sometimes running circles around you if you’re going to slow.
He’s excited about ABSOLUTELY everything. I was reminded of this on our drive to NYC. Every truck he saw on the highway, every new sign, every change in landscape, he would point out something cool about it and think it was the neatest thing he’s ever seen! He would get me so excited about the littlest details I would usually just take advantage of and dismiss even thinking about how “cool” it is! “SO COOL” with an extended drawn out emphasis on the “SO”.
Jeremiah awoke with a smile on his face and enthusiasm for a fabulous day 98% of the time! It was a pleasure to get him out of bed in the morning… especially if I was tired or groggy, looking at him would help me change my attitude!
Being SillyHow he’s “SO HUNGRY” even after just eating a meal! Of course, he’s only “SO HUNGRY” if it entails cookies, desserts, a snack food or something else that appeals to him. Or, even if someone is having something and he’s not, he’s always SO HUNGRY at that moment and the only thing that will satisfy him is to have some of what they’re eating
The special bond my mother and him share for their LOVE of OREOS. Jeremiah would find all the hidden ones. He was so good at it and sneaky too! (Not a good thing… but looking back on it, it makes me smile.
He LOVES to be tickled and to be read stories. We had a very fun nightly ritual when I would put him to bed of reading two stories (usually about a train or fast cars) and then I would ATTACK him with tickles as he got under his covers. Of course, this did NOT help his ability to quickly fall asleep, but it was too precious a time for me to give up! And, he wouldn’t go to sleep without me doing it!
How much he loves to make desserts with me! I am not a good or fancy cook – AT ALL. But, one thing I LOVE is to make dessert!! And, Jeremiah adopted this passion of mine as well. Since he got out of preschool at noon, we would often make some kind of dessert together for his family after dinner or for when his brother and sister got home from school. I loved going online and trying to replicate those cute Betty Crocker fun desserts for kids… etc, but ours never turned out like the picture. It had a lot of love inside though!
My TARGET BUDDY! Jeremiah and I made almost weekly Friday afternoon visits to Target. He was a GREAT shopping companion because he didn’t try to get me to buy everything he saw and liked. In his own subtle way he would try and talk to me about how neat something was or when he remembered having such and such… hinting that we should get it, but he always took “no” or “not now” and move on. And, because he was always such a fun companion at Target and very patient on LONG Target runs, I would always get him a Blue Slushy. He made shopping so much more fun for me because it was someone to talk to and he is a fun conversationalist!! Not the best with fashion advice though
Jeremiah is the youngest, so he talks loud in order to be heard… and he LOVES to talk! So, the noise level in the house is louder than a typical family! He also tries so hard to keep up with his brother and sister. He wants to run as fast as them, but his little legs have to work twice as hard! He wants to do homework just like them and convinced his preschool teachers to give him some every night! He also wants to stay up as late as them and I LOVE how when I would let him, he would TRY so HARD sometimes, but it was adorable watching him slowly give into his tiredness and completely fall asleep. THEN, he would deny it and fight the truth of it to no end the following morning!
Even though this irked me at times, I had to mention his absolute hatred of having to play by himself. The worst times were when a sibling had a friend over and they wanted some alone time to play (which I think is totally fine but I know some parents think everyone should play together (siblings included). My rule was that they could have some time alone with their friend but they would also have to have some playtime with another sibling if home. Jeremiah would get so irritated by this in having to play by himself, but I am also a believer in that every child needs their alone playtime to use their imagination or create their own play rather than having someone or something tell them what to do! Oh – he would wander around ad complain he had “nothing” to do… it was so cute to watch. I would come up with like ten different ideas and he would just get more frustrated with me!
Jeremiah and I spent a significant amount of time in the car together… running errands or taking people here there and everywhere after school. It was not unusual for me to catch him singing quietly along with the radio. So adorable to listen to and he knew the words better than I!
Jeremiah LOVES to swim. He was a fish this summer, whereas last summer he HATED to put his head or mouth anywhere near the water. He would scream bloody murder!! And, showering was torturous as well. But, somewhere this year that all changed and I could not get him OUT of the pool!Jeremiah has a GREAT memory! When I first arrived in DC he had been there for a few months. He was only three then, but he immediately told me when I was going the wrong way or which way I needed to turn! His memory was also very impressive when you promised to get him something or do something for him that he really wanted. He would remind you over and over to ENSURE you didn’t forget!!
So cute!!!
Just reach out for a BIG BEAR HUG!!He is such a special little boy. He’s adorable and has the cutest eyelashes that will make girls swoon… but more than anything they will love his fun personality and zest for life!!! Each of these children has touched my heart and left imprints never to be filled... , but this child has left me with a renewed desire to have ZEST for LIFE and LOVE IT!!!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
July... what a month!
Where have I been and what have I been doing? Gosh – many answers… but much fun was had!I wanted to start with a picture of the street I have known very well for the past year. I say goodbye to it at the end of this post...
and to this house... after I tell you what I have
been up to for the month of July!
J being silly
The kids hanging on for dear life
and, relaxing at the end of a slide
and, more of the same.
I thought they were so cool!
This was ONE huge one...
hard to tell in the darkness in the cave though!
Well, they also have other attractions… like this old car show, which was filled with life-size dolls. It reminded me a lot of my grandmother who was a HUGE doll collector! The boys went through and chose the car they wanted. They have nice taste!
Celebrating in the pool (above) and being a fish (below!)
This one was much better though!
And, I had to get one with the boys in their suits!
So cute!!
Jeremiah had a few really good friends, but he seemed to particularly like Gabe, and to be honest, I REALLY liked Gabe as well! He is a good little kid and he and Jeremiah got along really well. It made my job as a babysitter MUCH easier when they were together because they just had fun and basically entertained themselves!
At the Constitution Museam where you could pretend you were on TV!
Leo was so excited to SEE THE CRACK and learn all about it!
They also thought it was cool to have their picture taken with George Washington (above) and Benjamin Franklin (below) since we had learned so much about that that day!
A picture of Independence Hall!
And, (one of the) famous cheesesteak places in the city! YUM!
It was the boys first cheesesteak!
Me and my ANGEL mother :)
The tippy, tippy top... We didn't venture up past the 86th floor. That was high enough :)
Doesn't this picture make you just want to reach out, lift him up and twirl him around in a great big bear hug!!!
Good Ol' "W" Street in Washington DC
and to this house... after I tell you what I have
been up to for the month of July!
July was a very filled month with a very active job search, decisions to me made in many areas of my life, nannying full-time while also helping their family prepare to move, mucho car problems, preparing for and beginning my five weeks of travel… and lots and lots of F-U-N!
Activities with the kids:
I take a little pride in the activities I come up with for the kids to enjoy! I am a firm believer of getting out of the house, away from TV and Wii and learning about or exploring the world around us!
It was STINKIN’ HOT for most of June and July… and the trend is continuing for August... so I am glad I got out! Brutal almost with the humidity. Even the pool wasn’t fun to be at on some days because of the weather. So, I looked for many indoor activities and this is what I found:
House of Bounce!! Love this place and the kids did too. A large room filled with 8 or so different bounce structures.
J being silly
The kids hanging on for dear life
and, relaxing at the end of a slide
Another favorite was the Maryland Museum of Science in Baltimore. This place was INCREDIBLE. I have been to a few science museums in the US and this one tops it all. I loved it and the kids did too. There were so many activities for them and they were really engaging for all of us! I only wish I had discovered it earlier so we could have gone a few times before they moved to Boston. In one exhibit we held these flashlights and moved them as quickly as we could for a minute. This is the picture we created!
Next, I had the boys for a weekend while their parents were away so we did a lot of fun things… like an Eastern Market Saturday morning breakfast, bowling (with Evan, Madison and my mom too!), and then I took them to the Luray Caverns in Virginia. I remember seeing these caverns with my dad on a family vacation when I was probably 8 or 9! They were amazing!
A little history of the caverns can be found here:
Here are some pics from the caverns.
We were given these headsets and you could choose the adult version to listen to as you walked through the caverns or the kid version. The adult version was interesting and thorough, but the kid version was entertaining and FUN to listen to. I enjoyed both and the kid version kept their attention for the hour we were in the cave!
This is a picture of the stalactites
reflecting on the water below.
and, more of the same.
I thought they were so cool!
This was ONE huge one...
hard to tell in the darkness in the cave though!
Well, they also have other attractions… like this old car show, which was filled with life-size dolls. It reminded me a lot of my grandmother who was a HUGE doll collector! The boys went through and chose the car they wanted. They have nice taste!
It was a HOT day but they still wanted to do the Garden Maze there as well. Ugh… I still have nightmares from when I was probably 6 or 7 and my mom and dad sent me through a mirror maze on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. Of course she sent my older brother and I in together, but he immediately left me!! I wandered for a bit in the mirror maze, but panicked that I would never find my way out and just sat down and cried and cried. Of course, the attendant and my mom immediately ran into the maze to get me and take me out, but I remember the fear and panic I felt while being stuck in there! Needless to say, I was not very excited for the garden maze. It wasn’t mirrors, but still a frustrating process. And, it was HOT. Fortunately they had these water spray things you could walk through, so I did my best to put a smile on my face and get excited for the boys! We made it through!!! Much to my relief.
It was such a great and fun place to visit… and just a perfect weekend with the boys!
Celebrating in the pool (above) and being a fish (below!)
Their family also had a very unique opportunity to have a family picture taken with President Obama as a thank you to David for working for almost two years in his position. I helped get everyone ready, so we took some pictures before they left for the White House! The boys were very excited they had gone shopping with their dad and had gotten REAL suitcoats, shirts and Leo even got a real tie that he had to have his dad show him how to tie because I had no idea! So precious!
I thought this picture was so funny.
Just looking at Leo's eyes and Cecilia's face.
I think I caught them off guard!
Just looking at Leo's eyes and Cecilia's face.
I think I caught them off guard!
This one was much better though!
And, I had to get one with the boys in their suits!
So cute!!
Well, the last week the kids were in DC, we really crammed in a lot. They wanted to see all their friends so we did lot of large group playdates, but I had also promised Leo for his birthday in May that I would take him to Six Flags this summer… and we were running out of time! But, on Monday of that week we went to Six Flags America. It was perfect for the two boys, because Leo doesn’t like things that go too fast and Jeremiah doesn’t like things that go too high! So, they played well together in the two little kids areas and we spent most of our time at the huge water park they had there!
Jeremiah had a few really good friends, but he seemed to particularly like Gabe, and to be honest, I REALLY liked Gabe as well! He is a good little kid and he and Jeremiah got along really well. It made my job as a babysitter MUCH easier when they were together because they just had fun and basically entertained themselves!
Well, my last adventure with the boys was to drive them to NYC to meet up with their grandparents for a few days. This allowed their mom and dad to finish with the movers packing up their house, then travel to Boston with the movers and hopefully unpack before their grandparents arrived with all three of them! (Cecilia had been at a sleepaway camp for three weeks so that’s why it was mostly pictures of me and the boys and then her grandparents picked her up the day after I dropped the boys off!)
Well, as luck would have it we left DC on Thursday morning with the idea we would stop in downtown Philly for a couple of hours to see the Liberty Bell etc and then head up to NYC before nighttime… BUT their grandparent’s flight was canceled allowing the boys and I to spend a longer day in Philly and then the evening and night with my mom just outside of the city! It was such a great visit! It’s been so long since I’ve been to see the historic section of Philly and it was great to experience it again with the boys who had never seen it!
One thing I love about the boys, especially Leo, is HOW interested he is in learning new things! He’s got a very curious mind and LOVES gathering new information whether it is science, sports, history, or really ANYTHING! He’s so fun to take anywhere because he loves doing something new and he just LOVES to learn!
So, we basically did it all. We saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Constitution Museum…. And GOT REAL CHEESESTEAKS! They loved seeing people dressed up as colonists, and learning about the people who were so influential in shaping our nation!
At the Constitution Museam where you could pretend you were on TV!
Leo was so excited to SEE THE CRACK and learn all about it!
They also thought it was cool to have their picture taken with George Washington (above) and Benjamin Franklin (below) since we had learned so much about that that day!
A picture of Independence Hall!
And, (one of the) famous cheesesteak places in the city! YUM!
It was the boys first cheesesteak!
After our day there, we drive to good ol’ Audubon! It was fun showing the boys where I lived and they always have fun joking around and playing with my mom! We had my favorite Genuardi’s pizza dinner… followed by dessert at one of my favorite ice cream places that I knew the boys would LOVE! Zwahlens!! We each got a good amount of ice cream and then took pictures outside the store by their beautiful flowers on a gorgeous summer evening. Oh – I just love these boys! It was also just so great to see my mom as well!
Me and my ANGEL mother :)
The next morning we left early for NYC. The boys were great with all the driving because Leo is not a big fan of it. He was such a good big brother to Jeremiah too and kept him entertained a bit while we drove. He also decided it would be good to rest for part of the trip since he knew we’d be doing a lot when we got to NYC later that morning. I love how he thinks through things in advance and tries to make the best decision. He seeks advice from adults, but mostly he makes the right decision on his own! And, when he gets corrected for something he’s done that’s wrong, he talks it through with you and really tries hard to do things right the next time. I’ve even caught him a few times about to do something he knew he shouldn’t and he’ll STOP and think out loud why that’s not a good choice! It’s so great to see!! He really listens to the adults in his life and really tries to be the best he can be!
Jeremiah, on the other hand, is a work in progress! He likes to test the waters a bit more than Leo, but “my little buddy” tries hard and has a great role model for an older brother!
Back to the story… now we were off to NYC. The drive was good until we got near the city. Now, I don’t consider myself a timid driver what so ever, but even I got white knuckled driving in downtown Manhattan. Ha – there seemed to BE no driving laws that were followed. You want to go through a red light – OK. You want to just cut in front of someone with inches to spare – OK. You want to cross three lanes of congested traffic in a matter of seconds and have everyone stop for you – OK! UGH!! It was CRAZY! But, we had to get to the Lincoln Center because we were staying in a hotel there. (Also, I love staying here with their grandparents because it’s in a great location… but also we can see the Manhattan LDS temple from our hotel room window because it’s only two blocks away!)
We arrived safely, but with traffic in the city, it was later than I had planned. It was still OK though because their grandparents hadn’t gotten in until about 3 AM and were exhausted. We unloaded and chilled for about an hour in the room, but then it was off to explore the city!
It was a remarkably beautiful and cool day. Temps over the past few weeks had been EXTREMELY HOT and HUMID, but this day was pretty cool (80 ish) and there was a breeze, so it was very nice walking in a city type of day! We set off walking about ten blocks for some hotdogs at one of their favorite local restaurants in the city, and then took a cab to the empire state building! AWESOME!!
We decided to do this combo tour that first showed you a 3D movie where the platform you were seated on actually moved and it felt like you were moving with the movie. Meaning, the movie was a helicopter flying through the streets of NYC showing all the highlights and giving an explanation about each place. So while we were seated there, we also felt every jolt, twist and turn of the helicopter! Pretty cool!
Then it was off to the top of the building. We waited a bit to take the elevator up to the 80th floor and from there you can either walk up six flights of stairs or wait to take another elevator! The boys were DONE waiting in line, so we all walked up six flights. WELL worth it! We got to the top and it was absolutely STUNNING! I took pictures of all four sides and can’t remember which side was which in each picture, but here they are. I know in the pictures there is the Chrysler Building… and central park, but OH – I can’t remember the rest. Without my GPS and an address I am TOTALLY lost in NYC. I don’t even understand the four boroughs of the city. Fortunately, Noni, their grandmother, knows it very well, so she just took charge!
The tippy, tippy top... We didn't venture up past the 86th floor. That was high enough :)
Views from the top!
Doesn't this picture make you just want to reach out, lift him up and twirl him around in a great big bear hug!!!
I realized as I spent the day in the city, that NYC is way too big and too impersonal for me. I definitely would not like to have to live there – ever. Everything is so expensive, people are not nice, and I just feel so lost, crowded and dirty when I am there! It was fun to spend the day with the boys there… and maybe if I was a millionaire and had not a care in the world about money, I would enjoy NYC… but other than that, I really am content not being there… or even visiting!
So, the inevitable had come. I had just chosen not to think about it because I hate “good-bye’s”. I am more like a person who thinks… that it’s just going to be a while before I see you again and not a good-bye, but I had to say good-bye to the boys. If it hadn’t been utter chaos when I was leaving, I think it would have been harder, but the boys were being silly and full of energy but tired as well, they had to get ready for dinner with their cousins and there was just a lot going on… so I took that as my chance to make it less hard on me and to just give them a big hug and tell them how wonderful and special they are and that I loved them… and would see them sometime! They didn’t really comprehend how their life was changing now that they were moving back to Boston and I really think just assumed I would be coming along – even though they’ve known for forever I wasn’t. But, just like I’ve been with them for the past five years and then moved to DC just after they did… they didn’t really understand that I wouldn’t see them as often in Boston! I don’t think anything really hit them until they actually got to Boston and started living their “new” life back in Cambridge! For kids that age, they really can’t remember how life was like a year and a half ago!
So, I left and drove back to PA. I was sad, my heart definitely hurt as I was thinking about them, but I had learned a good lesson recently. Don’t regret or feel sad about the past. It’s over and done with and change is good. BUT, what you can do is be so grateful for what you’ve been able to do and for the people that have been in your life. Remember all the fun times you had with them and be grateful for it! I’ve really tried to do this and it has REALLY helped and made a huge difference on my outlook on all the change in my life in general! Sometimes I yearn for the past and my heart hurts for the way things were. It’s just so much better to think about the HAPPY times and how grateful I am for them!
I spent the weekend with my mom and then drove back to DC on Sunday… because she was following two days later on Tuesday to come meet me for our trip out west to Seattle and ALASKA!!! (Next Post... in a few days)
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