I'm Back!

It has been a while since I last posted. Those of you who have been faithful to continue following me, thank you! "Every journey begins with a single step".

We have been on quite a journey these past 3 years. My husband found a good job in MN and he moved away from me and our four children in MA to begin work. We put our home on the market in MA and waited. A year later, we finally got an offer and said, "Goodbye" to our home with 2 acres, our friends and neighbors and we packed up the last of our things in two cars, our four kids, our dog and two old cats, and headed West to MN. I will tell you about traveling across half of a country with two cats and four kids next time!

 We will never say "goodbye" to the memories that were created in those 10 years. 

We are now reunited as a family in MN.
We found a foreclosed home in a charming town North of the  "Twin Cities". It needs some work, but I think in time we will make it feel like ours. 
Our four children are adjusting very well to the changes we have been through. I think children have a better way of coping with change than we adults do. 

They have made school and neighbor friends easily. They have each other as well; and I have them. They have become my closest friends through this journey.
I grieve "home". Home had become the East Coast for me. Even though I was born in Southern California and lived most of my life there. There is something magical (I don't think that is the right word) about New England.

I feel like I grew more in New England than I ever did in So. Cal. (I definitely weigh more)!
Of course, I experienced some monumental things in our 10 years in Massachusetts. This may play a role in my love for this area of our country.
We are now in the Mid-West. I wonder what kind of transforming experiences we will have here?
Seeking the blessings in the journey, Rebecca 

Road Trip to NYC Part 2 (a book signing)

I had planned on leaving Massachusetts late in the afternoon or early evening on Friday but, I found out late in the day that one of my friends had a death in her family. Her daughter died unexpectedly. She was only 48. This changed my day. I had to go visit Barbara and make sure she was okay and was going to be cared for and supported. The pastor was there giving her kind words of support. 

I woke the kids at 3 and left for New Jersey.

They slept as I drove.

It was 8 in the morning when we arrived at our motor lodge.

They were awake and saw the free jelly doughnuts in the lobby.

I saw the two double beds and picked the one in the corner, turned on Saturday morning cartoons, closed the curtains and begged them to be quiet so Mommy could sleep for a little while.

I think I did. I probably even snored.

By 10 we were out the door and drove into New York City to Books of Wonder.

Why would I take on such an exhausting task you may ask?

Why would I subject myself to four children in a confined space for hours on end?Because, I know what it feels like to be 3,000 miles away from family. And, my brother Troy has had this dream of being a published author for a long time. I am so proud of him and wanted to support and share in his success. Family is very important to me. 

Our children are really good travelers. They are actually fun to be with (most of the time). They love road trips as much as I do. In fact, when we were heading for home on Sunday afternoon, they asked me to drive to California instead so they could see their cousins. It was tempting. 

 We got to see my brother, "Uncle Troy", read from his new novel The Dragon of Cripple Creek. The kids were full of interest and brought a fun energy to the back of the bookstore where the five authors were. A small crowd had gathered to hear the authors read and promote their books. I was glad I was there with our little ones.
It was so special to be with my brother again,
His book is great! Go get yourself a copy and I think you'll agree.

After the book reading, question and answer time, we browsed the store and bought more books (if you are ever at our home, you'd see we have enough books to start our own store or small library). Troy signed at least 100 copies of his book and then we headed out to have a late lunch. 

We ended up at a unique Thai restaurant (Qi) a few streets over.  There were no children in the place. It seemed to me that everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at us. Thankfully, the waitress seated us in the back at our own cozy table. The food was delicious and the ambiance of the place was nice. In fact, ambient, trance type music was playing and the wooden ships hanging from the ceiling and the rows and rows of beaded abaci hanging on the walls gave us plenty of topics of conversation. 

 After lunch, we drove back into Jersey City to have naps before the evening. We had hoped to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the photo exhibit of Stieglitz, Steichen, and Strand's work. Edward Steichen's faces had moved me when I first discovered his work in High School. Then, I discovered Alfred Stieglitz's photos of hands... phenomenal! Paul Strand is an American classic photographer. No one can touch Alfred's work. It is timeless and powerful.

We used the Tom-Tom one of my friend's had loaned me to find the Met and drove around the City a number of times. We kept trying to get to the Museum but the navigational device kept steering us to some museum near the pier. Time was passing so, we parked near the Empire State Building to take the kids up to see the view. 

We must be naive. Dear readers, did you know it costs a family of six approximately $100 to get to the 86th floor and an additional $15 per person to get to the 102th floor or if you want to cut to the front of the lines (the security line, the ticket line and the elevator line) you can pay an extra $26 per person more and can get to the 86th floor within 20 minutes? There is also an option to watch a short IMAX movie about the Empire State Building (this costs extra). If you want to go to the 102th floor, I think you have to wait in a line, although there may be a person willing to take you up quickly if you have the cash. You can read all about the complicated pricing and options here if you are interested.

Instead, we landed our cold bodies in a Starbucks smack dab outside the Empire State Building and I had my favorite chai tea latte. Troy had a double espresso and the children all had hot chocolates. We enjoyed looking at the Empire State Building views hanging on the wall in Starbucks. Painted by David Kleiner.

After our tasty beverages and the children exhausting their scavenger hunt for lost coins (found on the floor), we headed to Penn Station and said our "good-byes" to Uncle Troy.

The children were asleep within moments as I drove back to Jersey. I love seeing New York City at night. There is something crisp about NYC in early spring. The window dressings reflect an eagerness for warmer days.

 

 I headed through the Holland Tunnel and we five slept well in our two double beds. Coins in pockets, images in memories, books in bags and love of family in our hearts.

(this was the view from our hotel room window)

 Sunday was sunny and bright. The children wanted to hear a Disney favorite CD all the way home; over and over again. I heard The Monkey's Uncle sung by Annette Funicello, The Spectrum Song sung by Paul Frees, Let's Get Together sung by Hayley Mills, and The Ugly Bug Ball sung by Burl Ives at least 20 times.
It was good to be home in the country again.
People are sweet and it's quiet here.

Road Trip to NYC (Part 1)

Why are our children holding dragons in a bookstore you ask?

Could it be that they are waiting to hear someone special read to them about a dragon?

Maybe it is their Uncle Troy?

 Yes! It must be.

Here is it at last! 

The Dragon of Cripple Creek by Troy Howell! It is a modern day tale of the last dragon, a girl, greed and gold!  I will post more tomorrow about our road trip to New York City to see my talented brother, illustrator and now published author Troy Howell sign his new book!

winter break in minnesota (road trip)

We decided to load up the van with the kids and Pup and head to Minnesota last week. It was the children's winter break from school. 

We had planned to leave by early evening on Wednesday but, my Beloved had an assignment due for school and I was still cleaning and packing. We put the kids to bed after 8 and by 10 our Ben was vomiting. 

Bless his heart. He fell asleep on a pile of clean blankets on the floor while I was changing his bed.

I began another load of laundry. By 3 in the morning we were ready to go.

We weren't sure if we should. Benjamin is emotionally intelligent. He is articulate and reasonable for a 6 year old. He was ready to go. No fever, no sickness so, our little troupers found their seats and buckled in for the 26 hour drive.

Pup joined us and usually sat between the driver and passenger seats on the center console. Our Honda Odyssey has made the trek to and from California, to Wyoming and back, and up and down the Maine to Massachusetts coast. Now it's made the trek to Minnesota and back. We pray before every journey.

I began the drive and drove and drove while the others slept. I drove through sleet and freezing rain; through hail and snow. Driving the toll roads gets expensive but, they are clear and salted and sanded and safe.By morning it was time for me to have a break. We entered Indiana  covered in ice. The morning sun sent silvery spikes through each blade of ice. It was magical looking. Every tree encased in ice. Miles and miles of trees encased in ice. Pennsylvania covered in ice. Ohio covered in ice. Indiana covered in ice. Illinois covered in ice. Wisconsin covered in ice. It was surreal.

We made it into Minnesota by 5 in the morning. 

We crashed into beds and had naps.

We promised our children a day at the Mall of America.

We dropped Pup off at the best doggie day care. Peanut's Place. They were ready for him.

The Mall of America is in Bloomington, MN. It is ginormous. 7 acres BIG. There is a theme park in the middle of it and a Lego store smack dab next to the amusement park. It is a young boy's dream of a place.

The wall of Legos is impressive. Of course, Lego is smart in it's marketing. The store is like a museum with little cubbies filled with characters and buildings and themes. 

Walls are packed with Lego boxes. Lego statues are on the ceiling and in the store. The whole store structure looks like one big Lego.

We had to pull the boys forward and out of the store. Thankfully, the amusement park is eye candy too.

We purchased the all-day passes for all 6 of us. That seemed to be the most cost-effective.

We spent the day riding the rides. Over and over again. I highly recommend going to this amusement park on a Thursday when their schools are in session. We had the place to ourselves. There were no lines to wait in, no pushy people or restroom stalls to wait for. It was our own private playground. Fun!

We hadn't had fun like that in a long while. With the prospect of income in the very near future, there was a burden missing from our shoulders. It was a lot of fun watching my Beloved with his sons. Grant and Max are the roller coaster riders. They went on the log ride over and over again. Charlotte and Ben are the more gentle riders. They loved the Backyardagain swings.

We took a lunch break at Johnny Rockets. The vanilla malts and french fries are the best!

It was fun dropping nickels in the counter top jukebox and selecting songs. The Lollipop song, In the Jungle, and Joy to the World (Jeremiah was a bullfrog) are the favorites.

By late afternoon, we were all tired and ready to fetch the Pup and rest in our hotel.

Pup was thrilled to see us and his newly trimmed nails looked great.

We slept well. Friday we explored Minnesota. We checked out my Beloved's new place of employment, looked at neighborhoods and schools and lakes and towns.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions. When will my Beloved begin work? How long until we need to move? Should we try to keep the kids in school here? Will we break even on the sell of our home or lose money? Where should we live there? What can we afford?

One day at a time. Sometimes, one step at a time.

Thankfully, we have the love and support of many.

We left for home on Saturday. It was good to be home. Home is here.