New York, New York!

My 18 year old daughter and I just returned from a trip to the Big Apple, and it was fabulous.  We took in the sights, rode public transportation, ate NY food, and had a great time together.  A few of my thoughts:

• NYC and NJ transportation can be stressful.  But my competent daughter had all the apps (I did too) and led us confidently all over the place.  We learned a few things  1.  a Metro unlimited pass cannot be used by two people, unless you want to wait 18 minutes between uses,  2. if you don't wave a NJ city bus down, even if you are standing directly by the bus stop sign, it will fly past you without a second glance,  and 3.  it is amazing how many people can be packed onto a subway or bus.
• Broadway shows are unbelievable.  We saw two - Come From Away (the story of the diverted 9/11 planes to Newfoundland), which was funny, poignant and full of talent; and The Play That Goes Wrong, which was a hilarious slap stick show complete with a collapsing set.  Both shows took place in impressive old theaters, full of history and Broadway tradition.  We loved them both!
• Our NBC tour and taping of Late Night with Seth Myers were highlights for my daughter (along with Come From Away).  She watches SNL and 30 Rock, so it was really cool to be in that building seeing so much of what we've seen on TV.  I was hoping for a chance sighting of Jimmy Fallon or Al Roker, but no such luck.  We did have our tours done by NBC pages, which made us think of Kenneth (they were not as funny as Kenneth, sadly).
• We ate at Shake Shack and a couple of other NY places, but we really didn't spend much time or money on food, oddly. We were focused on seeing what we wanted to see, and neither one of us needed a big sit down meal during the whole three days.  So we ate here and there quickly, in between all of our walking (and walking and walking!).
• There are a LOT of people in NYC.  Of course we knew that already, but Times Square after our Broadway shows let out was insane!  I wouldn't want to be in that kind of environment all the time, but it was fun for our few days!
• A "quick" trip to IKEA on the way home netted lots of college gear too - BONUS!

The best part of our trip was simply spending time together.  We laughed and talked and laughed some more.  I am thankful for the time we had there!

The Week(ish) In Pictures

A little summary of the last couple weeks, photo-style:

This is a picture of our stairs, lined with Bath and Body Works Limoncello Body Cream.  This stuff is the best consistency and the best scent ever made.  And since I love the scent, it was destined to be discontinued (read more about that here).  I was in BBW with the kids (if you haven't been to BBW with multiple children, you haven't lived, btw) and saw they were on clearance.  I bought as many as our budget would allow, and some jokester lined them up when we got home.  I may keep them there as new decor.

This little cutie sits in my spice cabinet, full of cinnamon and sugar.  When I was a girl, we had this very kind of shaker for our cinnamon and sugar, so when my mom found one, she snatched it up for us.  Every time I get it out for one of the kids, I am taken back to the 70s and my happy childhood.

Two pictures from my daughter's graduation party.  We had a chalkboard theme and I looooved it.  After a few weeks of buying decor for the party, I had to give myself a little lecture about overbuying cute chalkboard items.  We had chalkboard stuff everywhere - it was so fun!  My 16 year old son didn't think so, though.  He wandered through the dining room during the week of the party, saw the chalkboard paraphernalia being lettered and prepped everywhere, and proclaimed humorously, "All this chalkboard stuff is obnoxious!  There is no way we are having a ridiculous theme like this when I have a party!".  He cracks me up.

(And for the record, we will be having a theme for his party. :)

The other day I was at the eye doctor with three of my kids.  Our appointment was scheduled for 3:30, and we had to be at a baseball pregame practice by 5:00.  I knew time would be tight and I had prepped my son's coach that he might be a little late.  As we sat in the waiting room, a nice gentleman across from us struck up a conversation.  We talked about sports, hedgehogs, pet rocks, jobs, school and vision problems.  He was very friendly and after we had both been waiting for 30 or more minutes, he asked which doctor I was seeing.  When I told him, he said, "Oh, you must be scheduled after me".  With an inward groan I looked at my watch, knowing that we were going to barely make it for the start of the game.  A few minutes later, the nurse came out and called the man for his appointment.  He called her over and said he'd like to switch appointments so we could have his.  "I'm retired", he said.  "I'm not in a hurry."  I was so touched and thanked him.  Back in the exam room as we waited longer, I wrote him a little note and left it with the girls up front when I left. Such kindness and thoughtfulness to a stranger!  We were blessed by his generous heart!

Graduation Reflections, Part Two

Our girl has graduated high school.  It has happened.  Between Baccalaureate, Graduation, prepping for her open house, and hosting her open house, things have been a little crazy over here.  A few thoughts:

• Upon hearing Pomp and Circumstance, I was instantly taken back to my own high school graduation ceremony and it felt quite impossible that I was not, indeed, 18 years old myself, but was watching my own 18 year old daughter enter the theater with her class.  
• The only time I got choked up the entire weekend (can you believe it??) was when she and her class were instructed to move their tassels to the other side of their caps, indicating that they were now alumni of Marian High School.  Alumni!
• Prepping for a graduation party is a lot of work.  We decided to do all the food and cupcakes for 100+ people.  But - I enjoyed all the preparations with my daughter, mom and mother-in-law.  Thanks to google, we were able to calculate how much of everything we needed (and even though we had more people than we expected, we still had leftovers).  We browned hamburger, baked cupcakes, shopped for decor, bought taco toppings, and generally had a great time doing it all.
• We went to church on Saturday night so we could prep on Sunday morning for the party that afternoon.  All the girls and moms sat at the island, laughing and icing cupcakes.  My dad blew off the deck and sprayed for mosquitoes.  Everything ran smoothly and I thoroughly enjoyed the time we had together as we pulled it all together for our girl. That morning's preparations will remain embedded in mind as some of the best memories of the weekend.
• Extended family arrived and with them, two of my dear friends from college.  They drove 8+ hours to come and run the kitchen for me during the party.  Yes - that was their purpose in coming - to celebrate our daughter, and to work. And work they did!  As people arrived, my husband, daughter and I stayed near the front door, greeting everyone, while my friends worked tirelessly, refilling food, drinks and cupcakes.  And looking fabulous while doing it!  I was beyond moved by their generous outpouring of love for me and my family. I guess I was wrong above, because I cried for the second time that weekend, when they left to head back to Missouri.  How grateful I am to have such friends as they are!
• After everyone left, and all the dishes were washed, and the chairs and tables returned to church,  we sat down with our immediate family while our daughter opened her cards and gifts. After awhile we sent the younger kids to bed and it was just us with her.  And the emotions of the weekend caught up with her.  As she read everyone's kind words of support and love, she was overwhelmed.  What a blessing to feel overwhelmed with such things!

And now, as things are shifting from graduation into summer, we are able to rest again a bit.  What a beautiful week/weekend it was, watching her take that step toward college and adulthood.  She is ready and equipped for it.  There is so much ahead to look forward to!