Post from December 9, 2010

We're in Idaho.

But we were just in Pheonix.

Then St. George.

Then home for a few days, just the girls.

We're basically just following Braden around, while we still have that option.

Just minutes after writing the previous croupe post from weeks ago, Braden called to tell me that it didn't look like his missions were going to finish until Thanksgiving. And then he would have to go right to Idaho after that for some more training. And that training is because a few weeks before that, he called me to say that he got a call that he will be deploying soon. He doesn't always call with such crappy news. Sometimes he calls to tell me to look up a really funny Youtube video he found. I like those calls. Or sometimes he calls to tell me about a really yummy sandwhich shop he's eating at. Those calls are hit or miss. If I happen to be eating pancakes for the 6th time that week with the girls they tend to not be well received.

ANYWAY, stacking 9 weeks of training on top of a 6 month deployment has not done wonders for my general life excitement.

So when he called me and told me that he would be delayed, I packed a bag and put the girls in the car and we drove to Pheonix to be with him. The croupish bug spread through all of us gals. We have stayed in hotel rooms and TLF with nothing to do the whole day but wait for Braden to be done. Maisey does her cool trick where she cries for a few hours at night unconsolably which is less helpful when we are all squished together. At least the weather was nice in Pheonix so we could walk to a park. Here, it is 15 degrees and we seriously don't go anywhere. In fact, we didn't even get out of our jammies today. BUT, we did eat a freezer lasagna together, and that's basically what I'm after. I will take what I can get.

And in a few days we'll go home, all of us together. In our house. For a few weeks at least. I'm feeling very excited about that. I'm trying not to let the dread take over and ruin what little precious time we have. It's a task you know. A constant mental fight that I don't always win.

But it is a blessing to realize, really truly understand, how valuable family time is. How much it means to have dinner together, even if it's in a hotel room and even if it's some crappy frozen lasagna that gives me heart burn for the next three hours. Jack Johnson said it best, "It's always better when we're together".

These photos are from Pheonix. Besides getting to see Braden, we got to hang out with some of our favorite people, who also happen to be family. My cousin, Melanie, who I cleverly refer to as Cousin. When I'm 33 I want to be exactly like her. I haven't figured out how I'm gonna pull off her deceptive ability to lie and maintain a cold-hard poker face, but I won't back down until I get there.

One of the very best things that happened is that Lila started to smile again. And laugh. It was nothing short of medicinal for me. It causes me great agony and worry to see her so burdened, apparently with the instability of our family of late. To see her regain some joy has brought me relief beyond description.

Just some pictures of splishy splashy fun

For some anyway.

Lila has croupe and therefore contributed in no way to the lake that surrounds the base of the toilet.

Apparently Anabelle & Maisey are a little low on compassion and high on energy.

We spent the bulk of the day either at the hospital or the base clinic. Not my favorite way to spend the day with these lovely ladies.

Nevertheless- let the official record show that Lila is a rockstar.

Hallow-EEK!

Although my children failed to retrieve me a single Almond Joy, I would say the whole endeavor was a success in the end.

As always we went to several different parties over the course of the month, each time in a different costume. I didn't take pictures because Lila was hating dressing up and screamed if I tried recording the event. And that screaming. Oh that screaming. Truth be told, it's been the scariest part of October for me.

On Halloween we went to Jeff's for dinner and then I brought them back to our hood to trick or treat.

It was funny to watch Lila trick or treat for the first time. After every house she asked, "Mom, where are we goin?". It took her a while to figure out what was happening. Now she is usually the poster girl of lolly gagging. If she never gets the nickname "Stealth" it won't shock me. But mix in streets filled with babies, puppies, and costumes, and a steady stream of candy flowing in all directions, and you can imagine what effort it required to keep us moving. Anabelle was great, getting candy for the littles if the hike to the door was to big for them. I heard her say, "Can I get 2 more for my sisters in the stroller? They will be jealoused if they don't get some too."

A certain highlight of my night was when one house had a haunted house and Anabelle was excited to go in it. Noting that Anabelle has a tendency to be....how should I say this....a bit of a softy and just a touch dramatic, I was curious how this was going to go. I waited and watched her as she marched in all by herself, and when she emerged she said, "That was AWESOME!" I was relieved. It offered me some hope for all of our futures.

I bought myself a birthday present

It is a flip video camera. Upon recieving it in the mail, I turned it on and was walking down the hall in search of something filmable.

I got what I was looking for.

I think this wll be the gift that keeps on giving.

The week I didn't change a single diaper

Or cook a meal. Or do any laundry.

But it wasn't just about what I didn't do, it's about all the stuff I did do.

And who I did all that cool stuff with.

Shopping, eating out, sight seeing, people watching...everything you would want to accomplish when your children are thousands of miles away.

Real NY pizza! A soda and a slice for $2. Hard to beat that. And why would you want to?


I must say, we met people that changed our life while using public transportation. If ever our relationship seems low on laughter and inside jokes we have decided to clear our afternoon and buy a metro ticket. I wish we didn't derive humor from staring at other people but, we can't help ourselves. May we never forget Dirty girl and Bobble Head.

This is the graveyard of St. Paul's Chapel, across from our hotel and Ground Zero. The church is from the 1700's and served as a gathering point for relief workers after 9/11. A very emotional and sobering place to visit.

When it was time to re-do the church after workers had been using it for months, it was decided that they would leave the benches as they were, full of scratches and scrapes from the boots and walkie talkies of the firemen who would come to nap for a few hours in between shifts.




This is the view from our hotel. Our second hotel, that is. Our first hotel was in Queens, and although we felt enriched by the diverse culture we were exposed to, I wanted to go home to my children at the end of the week. This is ground zero; the huge holes are what they have turned the twin towers into- memorial fountains.


Once we discovered this place we went back and ate there every chance we got. We bought a bag there to remind us of their pizza. And their sandwiches. And salads. And quesadillas. Dang, that place rocked my socks.

Braden waiting for the "choo choo" as he called it. I was trying my best not to look like a tourist but it made it hard when he kept calling it that and studying maps everywhere we went.

A few years ago Braden read in a magazine about an old railroad in NYC being turned into a park. I remember him telling me about the article. So when we were there he remembered wanting to see it and we committed a morning to it.

It's called The High Line.
It's a 1-mile section of the former elevated freight railroad spur, which runs along the lower west side of Manhattan; it has been redesigned and planted as an aerial park.

You get to see the iconic metropolitan world meld together with tranquility and nature. Very cool to experience both simultaneously.


They turned the support beams into a hip little bar and we snagged some awesome little tacos there.

This is what it looked like before. Well, this is the end of where they have re-built. And now look at it. I love that they left all the railroads in place.






The purpose of this picture is so Braden could build me my own loungers. I put it on his list.

I really would loved to have had a book and some sunshine and I could have spent the whole day there.

Phantom
Yes, those are our heads against the back wall of the Majestic Theatre. Because we had back row seats. Which cost $80 somethin bucks each. And might I say, it was totally worth it. I almost cried at the end just because it was over.

I have told Braden for years that my dream date was to get all fancy and go to our Brazilian restaurant and get Mousse de Mararcuja and then go see Les Mis on broadway. It wasn't exactly that, but we came pretty close. And I was happy. We had a great time.








The Statue of Liberty
For those of us who have always wondered if our heads would fit into Lady Liberty's nostril...


A bronze replica inside the museum, just to give some perspective of size. The base of the statue is a museum which was really interesting. They had some hand written letters people had sent describing how it felt to immigrate here and finally see the statue and know that they had made it, and the hope it represented. It was touching.






"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

We were really glad we took the time to go see it. So were all the Brazilians Braden kept meeting as he became the official Portuguese (or if Anabelle were there "pork-you-cheese") photographer.

I love NY. Looking forward to a return trip. If Les Mis ever goes back on broadway I will be there, no questions asked. Who's with me?