Kuntry Kids in the Big City

Our Big Apple excursion began bright and early at 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. With the exception of airport security throwing away my hair gel, hair spray, face soap, and shaving cream because it was not proper "travel size" (can you tell I'm not a frequent flyer) and receiving a full body pat-down at the Chattanooga Airport ( including the baby bump) the flight went smoothly. Jimmy quickly reassured them when they pulled out the scanning wand that that was indeed a baby under my dress, not hidden explosives.

I got a little nervous at LaGuardia when we hadn't even left the terminal and our taxi meter was already up to $7.25... but 20 minutes and $20 later we were at the Mave Hotel on 27th and Madison. I feel very confident after spending 3 days there, that what New Yorkers save in car payments, auto insurance, and gas money, they more than make up for white knuckling it in the back of a taxi watching the meter climb... whoo, scary!

We checked our bags in and had an hour or so before our room was ready so we took off down Park Avenue in search of food. After we got checked in and changed we headed back out to make our way down to Chelsea Piers where our Sunset Adirondack Sail was departing. We had several hours to kill and after walking for what felt like miles we decided to add one more mode of transportation to our Planes, Trains, and Automobiles day and braved the subway. We figured in a matter of 24 hours, we had been in a car, plane, taxi, train, and boat... we'd done it all.Total dork, I know. We had tourist written all over us!

We got several pieces of advice from friends who had been there. "Don't go north of Central Park on the subway (especially after dark)... NOTHING good happens there." " Do not make eye contact with people on the train and don't attempt to talk to them... they don't want to talk to you"

Good to know.

You can only imagine what people were thinking when we get on the subway and actually start taking pictures! To make matters worse, I started talking to Jimmy during our short ride and realized, if possible, I had developed an even deeper southern twang by simply flying north of the Mason Dixon line. He was like... "just shut up and hold on." ha!

The weather didn't seem ideal for a "sail" around the Hudson on an open air boat, so Jimmy asked if we could trade it for an enclosed one. It left an hour later so we had a while to look around and eat dinner. We ate at the Chelsea Brewery overlooking the marina with flat screen TV's in ever corner broadcasting the final round of the PGA Championship, gotta keep the hubby happy!

I have seen this so many times in the movies... the 5 level driving range that hits out into the Hudson. Kinda sad, when you have to go all the way to the southern tip of Manhattan to find a patch of grass large enough to hit a golf ball across and then pay $25 for a bucket of balls. Totally different world than ours!
We boarded the Manhattan, a glassed in 1920's Criss Craft for a wonderful ride around the New York harbor. It was truly breathtaking! Although there was no sunset because of the rain it was still a great way to see the skyline, Statue of Liberty, and Brooklyn Bridge.

There were 25 m.p.h. winds, 3 foot seas and drizzling rain the entire time, but we braved the wet decks, held on tight and went onto the front for some pictures. I wasn't about to miss this view.



As we were riding, we passed the boat we were supposed to be on and the poor people soaked to the bone in yellow rain coats, holding on for dear life. We felt very fortunate we got to change boats! As we docked, we saw the sailboat... notice all the rain coats hung over the rails drying out.
The next day, we took a taxi to Time Square and bought double decker bus passes. For $54 a piece, we got a 2 day pass and could get on and off whenever we wanted. WELL worth the money! It was a perfect day, a little overcast with a light breeze and felt great sitting so high where you could see everything. You literally couldn't stand up going under red lights or signs or you'd get your head knocked off. Enthusiastic (and tall) picture takers beware!
Look who Mommy met! So far, this has been the only picture Trace has been impressed with.

The Twin Towers sight... very surreal to see. I noticed that every time a New Yorker would talk about 9/11, they would say, "and the people that were murdered here that day." So true! It was amazing to see in person what I had watched on TV for hours on end during that time and to see the impact it had and still has on that city.

China Town massage parlor... you could almost hear a little giggle from all the men on the bus. Sadly for them, it wasn't one of the "hop off" spots!
We got off the bus and went to "Top of the Rock" at the top of Rockefeller Plaza. It is nearly as high as the Empire State building.

Beautiful view of Central Park...
Empire State Building...

Whew... I was in dire need of that hair spray and gel they confiscated at this point!
I could fill up 3 posts with all the pictures I took on this trip, but I'll spare you.

We grabbed a hot dog and pretzel off one of the 10,000 vendors in Manhattan and my animal loving husband insisted on feeding half of his bun to the pigeons. One of them thanked him afterwards...
the culprit...
He texted my brother and Kadi later that night and said, "We've been here a day and I've already saved your sister from being run over by a scooter, set off the smoke alarm twice and just got pooed on by a pigeon."

I didn't know how he felt about the city until I saw the text Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly... far, far away from here (from Forrest Gump), he sent to his buddy. ha! That was early on the first day, when he couldn't find a tree or blade of grass in sight. He said at first he felt claustrophobic, because all you can see are buildings and people, but he got used to it.

When we got back to the hotel that night, there was a big crowd gathered out front. We went in to ask and they said they were shooting White Collar on USA. You could really tell the tourists from the natives. The tourists where trying to catch a glimpse of a star and snap tons of pictures, the natives where just waiting on "cut" so they could cross the street and get on with their life.

We watched for a while and saw the star of the show (don't know his name)...
Then we recognized Tiffani Amber Theissen (in black dress) from Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills 90210. You can see her name on the chair behind her.
Her husband and baby girl, Harper, were on set.The day we left we had lunch at Bread and Butter. It was SO good and huge I had to take a picture from the mezzanine area up above where we ate. I could eat there everyday and never have the same thing twice... salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, sushi, fruit, Mexican, pizza, etc...

We were eating there when Sisty called after picking Trace up from school. This was only his 3rd day in his new class and we had been gone for 3 days so I didn't know how he would do. It was the first real conversation we had with him since we left other than a quick hello as he ran by the phone on his way to play. Being with the grands for 72 hours straight was like a dream come true for him, I'm sure.

Today, though, he was captive in his carseat and figured he had nothing better to do. I'll admit, I teared up when I talked to him, I was really missing my boy by that point. He said, "Hi Mommy, somebody cried at school today, but it wasn't Trace! I love and miss you, are you getting on the airplane to come home?"... cue, tears.

We headed to Central Park for the afternoon and to see as much of Uptown as we could before we headed to the airport. We were lugging our bags with us since we had to check out of the hotel and were wondering how we were going to manveur around massive Central Park with luggage until we saw one of these...
He gave us and our luggage a ride around the park in his Rickshaw. Can you imagine his calves?

The fountain where the Friends opening was shot.
We saw the Kennedy's penthouse, where Brad, Angelina and their brood call home and then headed over to the Plaza.

The line "I want my wedding...at the Plaza... in June" kept coming to mind. After seeing it, I would too!

We were rolling our luggage so we got treated like royalty since they thought we were actually staying there... ha! Little did they know we probably couldn't afford to eat lunch there, let alone stay the night.

Finally, it was time to hail a cab for the last time and head back to Queens for our flight home.

We had such a good time, and it was something I will never forget! I have to say, we were pleasantly surprised at how nice and helpful everyone we met was. New Yorkers get such a bad rap for being rude, but we didn't encounter any at all.

Everyone has to experience New York City at least once in their life. I can't thank Diane enough for all her help and advice, she made our trip so much easier and fun!! Thank you!

Lordy Lordy Daddy's 40!

Jimmy turned the big 4-0 on Sunday and I couldn't let it slide by without a little corny ribbing...

After that, I'm a little fearful of what will happen in 5 years when I turn 40. I did the sign on Friday, and on Saturday Jimmy was fishing a tournament and started getting texts from various people saying basically, "Like the sign, Happy Birthday!" He had no idea what they were talking about but quickly concluded who was behind it. Our preacher even called to give him a hard time.

Strangely, I can remember as a teenager when both of my parents turned 40, which proves yet again just how old I am to be having a baby... but hey, at least I'm not 40 (ha... sorry dear!)

I took Trace to River City Pottery last week to make Jimmy a "memorable" birthday gift that he can always keep (until it smashes into a million pieces on my tile floor). If you've ever met my child, you probably appropriately cringed when I said "Trace" and "River City Pottery" in the same sentence.

Think Bull in a China Shop...that was my morning.

My mom offered to accompany us, and I figured since my brother was once much like my little "enthusiastic" man, she would know how to tame and keep down the devastation. We left an hour later with a half painted, partially wet coffee mug, and extremely high blood pressure! I have to take it back to be glazed and fired, since I waited to late to start :(
You can't see the walls of the store in the pictures, but they were covered with shelves and shelves of various pottery you can paint. The mug he chose was $15, so I spent the entire morning mentally calculating how much this birthday gift would cost me if he dumped over an entire shelf while he made countless, unnecessary trips back to the paint supply counter and hairdryer.
His attempt at painting right handed... he's a lefty like his Mama.

He stenciled a fish on one side, and then the lady put his handprint on the other. I highly recommend that place for a special gift for someone... just not with a 3-year-old boy!
On our way home from picking up Daddy's ice cream cake. He got a teaser cup of Wild n' Crazy sorbet.
So, I decided back in March, to surprise Jimmy for his 40th with a trip to New York City. He has never been and I have a good childhood friend who used to work at one of the hotels there and helped me plan every part of it! Diane was WONDERFUL and I couldn't have done it without her. It is so nice having an insider view to a place like that. I can't tell you the countless e-mails we sent in secret making arrangements.

Even more surprising was that I was able to keep it a secret from him until his birthday. I gave him this book/card I made that sang the Sinatra song "New York, New York" and then gave him a file folder with plane tickets, tickets for an Adirondack sunset cruise, double decker bus tours flyers, and dinner reservations in it. We are leaving early Sunday morning and get back late Tuesday night... it will be a quick trip, but hopefully a memorable one!

Trace's card to Daddy. The top is a ladybug, middle are triangles he cut out, and the bottom is a boat???
He "signed" the card. He made several attempts at the c and e but finally got it... sorta.
That night we went to Jim and Sylvia's for a low-country boil. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the mound of shrimp, potatoes, sausage, corn, carrots, and onions... it was delicious!!
After about the 7th attempt of spitting/blowing out the candles of Daddy's cake, Jimmy decided if it was still going to be edible he better do it himself.
Ah... finally!
I wish this picture were clearer but it was dark and I was taking it from far away. My dad drove his boat up to Jimmy's parents house but had to anchor it out in the lake instead of tying it up to their dock because of so much boat traffic. So my dad decided to use Trace's float to paddle himself back out to his boat and then pull in to get my mom. It was hilarious!! The float was so high that he had to lay on his stomach and his fingertips and toes barely touched the water. He finally made it and climbed in after much effort.
All in all, I think Jimmy had a great birthday and got a few good surprises. Can't wait for our trip this weekend... pictures to follow!!!

Summer Summary

I have been so lazy about blogging this summer, and have realized I need to catch up for "memory" purposes.

Whew, I'd forgotten how completely exhausting it is to grow a person and have used the precious time Trace has been sleeping (which is usually when I blog) to nap myself.

So hold on to your hat because I'm going to do a "Summer Snapshot" which, I must warn you, contains mostly pictures of Trace in various water related activities. When the heat index is 105, where else would you be??? And yes, I only bought him 1 bathing suit for this swimming season (poor boy), but I promise it was washed often. ha!

Early this summer, we spent a couple of days at Jimmy's grandmothers in Alabama with the cousins and they had a blast. Notice... no water wings in the shallow end!

Trace and Sara Kathryn praying before dinner at Mimmies... pure sweetness.
I can't write a proper "summary" of our summer without mentioning the fact that we have spent the majority of it in prayer...

I can honestly say, Trace has not put a morsel of food to his lips without first reciting...

God is Great, God is Good
Let us thank Him for our food
(then it gets a little garbly...)
Amen

He caught me the other day munching away on an apple and quickly said, "Oh Mommy, you need to say your prayers." Yes, sir.

If there is the slightest pause while eating whether it be to retrieve the ketchup from the fridge or between dinner and dessert, we must re-pray.

The other day, after he put Ginger's food in her bowl, I saw him down on the kitchen floor sitting eye-to-eye with her saying the prayer before she ate. She looked up at me with this, "Seriously, what is this kid doing, does he know how old and ornery I am?" look on her face... it was precious!! Nothing is quite as heartwarming as seeing your toddler and nearly 14-year-old dog bowed in prayer over dog food.


Sara Kathryn finally convinced Trace to be her "prince" after much pleading and chasing. She would look at me and say (after he'd run down the hall for the 20th time)... "But who will take me to the ball?" Baby brother Nelson behind them was just glad he didn't have to wear the tiara for once.

We went to a dear friend of mine son's 3rd birthday party the other night and Trace discovered the diving board for the first time. Needless to say, we never went back to the shallow end and Jimmy spent the rest of the evening treading water.

Jack (the birthday boy) and Trace... cutie pies!

Gettin fancy...
Sadly, as pleasant as the evening began, Trace made some poor, very 3-year-old choices when he was told to get out of the water when the party ended. He got his first taste of the "long car ride home" and dreaded walk up the stairs to his room before mom and dad came a callin. They weren't kidding when they said, "this is gonna hurt us son, more than it hurts you."

The next morning we had my cousin Abram's 5th birthday party at the zoo. I CAN'T believe he's 5 and starting Kindergarten... where has the time gone?
Afterwards all the cousin's went back to my aunt's house to swim.

Less than 24 hours after he jumped off a diving board for the first time, here he is going off without swimmies... fearless.
This picture absolutely makes me laugh out loud! It looks like my Aunt Gail is about to do a very painfully executed dive off the board and/or about to be pushed in head first. But due to my lack of photography skills, you fail to see the little cutie pie that she was "dropping" off the diving board. She had my cousin Lucas by the arms and dropped him in to his daddy but all you can see of him is the splash.


All summer I have been meaning to take Trace downtown and do all the fun stuff like the Passage, Aquarium fountains, Splash and Play, and Coolidge Park. Frankly, my plans were much bigger than my energy level. We finally went the other day and had a Mommy and Trace date... complete with a carousel ride and all.


At Riverpark loving his bicycle... thanks Aunt Penny and Aunt Lynda! That was one exhausting trip. I grossly underestimated the speed in which a 3-year-old can pedal.
On the pontoon boat with our friends the Ramseys and their kiddos Elle and Mac...

This "tube" is MUCH more child friendly than the last!!

It has been a wonderful summer full of great memories!

We find out on August 24th if I will be buying loads of pink or re-washing all of Trace's hand-me-downs in Dreft. Let's hope the Lil' Squirt (or Lil' Squirette as Jane has renamed it) cooperates and lets us see all the important parts.

Most importantly, we are just wanting and praying to see a healthy baby!! I need to work that into Trace's prayer regime!