On the Road Again ….. on the road again

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music, postaday2014, road trip, travel

I do not appreciate country music except for Willie Nelson, I love Willie Nelson; all of his songs, especially this one and the duet he did with Julio Eglesias “To All the Girls I loved Before”

As my hubby and I were driving back up to Massachusetts, we’re home hooray! Jack is thrilled by the way, so is the baby boy, his gigging went great but he missed Jack a lot. Willie Nelson was singing to me in my head as the miles melted under our wheels. New Jersey is one very long state, Washington D.C, Virginia, Delaware and Maryland are all mushed up, so that part goes by pretty quickly, because you have to concentrate on the road and staying on the right highway, but New Jersey just goes on and on and on. My favorite part of the road trip is going over the Delaware Memorial bridge, it always reminds me of my little sister and how much fun we had the few times that I went to pick her up when she was a student at University of Delaware. The bridge is a beautiful one, twin suspension and it makes a gorgeous backdrop to the grand river below.

I know that a few of my friends are big country music fans and while I don’t like most of it, I do love Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Tracy Atkins; those three in my mind are more than country, they are great music, classic that will always stand the test of time.

Daily prompt: Outsiders

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outsider, postaday2014, travel

Tel us about the experience of being outside, looking in — however you’d like to interpret that.

I remember one night quite vividly of when my sister and I felt like outsiders or at the very least, left out of the fun. It was during our backpacking trip through France, Italy and Greece; we had arrived at Monaco, the local train left us at the city of Monte Carlo, the only stop in the Principality of Monaco and we went off to get two beds at the Princess Stephanie Youth Hostel. We spent the day sight seeing, visiting the old city and the new city; later, we had drinks at the cafe right across the street from the Hotel de Paris adjacent to the Grand Casino. We saw Ferraris and Lamborghini’s, Porsches as well. There were spectacular evening dresses and gorgeous jewels. It was a sight to behold. Later on that night, my sister and I were by the port sitting at another outdoor cafe having another round of port wine and we could hear champagne corks popping, the sound of laughter drifting down from the rooms up above of the Hotel de Paris and I felt left out. All of the fun and excitement was being had by the rich and the beautiful, while my sister and I were downstairs feeling very small and inconsequential.

During the day, while we were sightseeing and visiting the palace and the museum, we felt part of the city’s experience. Walking along the sidewalk and window shopping, gazing at works of art, we didn’t feel held back at length, we felt welcome to come share in the bounty and beauty of Monaco and its history. It was only at night when the museums and shops were closed that the exclusivity rose up from behind closed doors and made itself known. There was definitely an unspoken rule of where you did not belong if your wallet was small.

Did we have any bitter feelings that night feeling left out and bored downstairs in that cafe while the sounds of merriment and fun were cascading down towards our ears? No I wouldn’t say bitter or jealous, I just remember realizing that the barrier was very tall and wide between my world and theirs and that was a fact of life.

I do remember that when my sister and I left Monaco and hopped on the train to Florence, meeting three amazing Australian girls on the way and becoming a group during our stay in Florence, my sister and I had the best time exploring the city of Florence with Natalie, Jennifer and Fiona, the three travelers from Brisbane. There weren’t any apparent exclusive spaces, sights or events that we were consciously aware of, I remember feeling very comfortable and welcomes in the city of Florence. Those 4 or 5 days were so very wonderful. They outshone our short visit in Monaco by a long shot. I am not sure if it was the addition of our friends or if it was the more egalitarian nature of the city that made it so much nicer as a memory. Either way, I still treasure the entire trip as a tremendous souvenir of my youth and freedom, my sister and I had quite the adventure back then.

Home sweet home

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Christmas, Home, postaday2013, travel

We are back home in Massachusetts. Jack was one happy camper when he saw out house as I pulled into our driveway. He is always happy being with us, but he is infinitely happiest when he is back in his house with his backyard and all of his perches. He loves his couches, his beds and his lounge chaise. I love our fireplace in the living room.

The drive back was uneventful except for the one time that the car from the middle lane tried to come over to the left lane and the very spot that I was presently occupying, I didn’t panic, I veered quietly to the left and sped up to get out of his way, all the while making sure that I was clear of any other option that I might have needed. The baby girl and my hubby were barely aware, my hubby actually looked up after I had finished with my maneuvers and said “Good save”.

Other than that, we are safe and sound at home. As soon as we came in, I turned the Christmas light back on, to make it more festive, the days after Christmas are so anti-climatic, a little light brings much needed cheer.

Celebrating Christmas in New York

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Jack, postaday2013, toddler, travel

The baby boy couldn’t come down to New York with us due to both his work and music commitments so Jack came in his stead. The four of us drove down, we left in snow and arrived to clouds and slightly higher temperatures. Last night after we had our Christmas dinner and I cleaned up, I packed up my overnight bag, which with all of my traveling recently is more or less always ready to go, the baby girl has been packing her own bag for years now. That leaves Jack and packing for him is just like packing for a toddler. He has his own travel bag and I make sure that his wee wee pads are packed, both his water and food bowls, his toys, his food, his treats and his coat are all packed. I remember doing the same for both the baby boy and the baby girl, but it has been years since I have had to pack as much necessary stuff. Jack brings all these happy memories to the forefront, our little baby Jack. He is a cutie. Even my mother thinks so and she was the one who held out like the trooper she is against getting a puppy. He makes himself right at home and she doesn’t even mind. I suppose it’s because she knows that he isn’t a permanent addition, just a temporary visitor.

Back on the road

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hotels, Jack, postaday2013, travel

Back on the road, this time with Jack. The baby boy went off to Romulus Michigan to make another music video. The baby girl is coming back from school this week, so she will be finishing the Christmas decorating, all that is left is putting the Christmas candles in the windows and to hang the stockings on the mantle, otherwise the house is more or less set for Christmas.

As you can see, Jack is situated right where he likes it best, on me. As I am fairly sure you have noticed, he definitely has some poundage to lose, his rear end is on the wide side. I got the necessary Healthy Weight dog food so hopefully in one month’s time, Jack will be a little slimmer, the poor lamb. The baby boy hopefully will stop calling him Fatty Magoo, it does suit him, but for his well-being he needs a healthier nickname.

The only downside about traveling with Jack is dealing with his quirkiness regarding where he will or won’t go to the little boys room. I bought the doggie pads, but I am hoping that he will find an acceptable spot somewhere outside. I would have never thought that a dog could be so picky over where to go or where not to go.

Our little Jack is definitely a character.

Hooray we are home!

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children, foliage, Jack, Miami, postaday2013, travel

We are missing our baby girl and saying goodbye was bittersweet but it is nice to be back home in Massachusetts. We missed both the baby boy and Jack. My feet are a little cold because it is a cool 55 degrees as opposed to the 85 degree humid soup we left. There were some gorgeous views out in Miami, but when we were flying back home and getting close to the ground, the fall foliage was breathtaking seen from above. All the rusts, oranges, yellows, reds and greens made me think of pumpkin pie, apple tartes and hot chocolate.

I am exhausted and I am definitely looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight as I am sure that Jack is looking forward to sleeping with his Maman and Papa. lol. Here are two pictures of our little baby boy Jack.

Family Weekend

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Family Weekend, Miami, postaday2013, transfer student, travel

The University of Miami has each year a Family Weekend for the incoming freshmen and the transfer students to get the families together at the campus after more than a full month of school, primarily, I think to alleviate any lingering doubts or concerns the parents may be having over their children adapting to their new home away from home. We had always planned for my hubby to go alone because I had already been, but at the very last minute his ticket still hadn’t been booked yet. We can never book anything in advance because with his position within his company, he all too often has to cancel. Once he was all set to go, I was looking online and there were some incredible specials available. If you can do it, waiting until the very last minute can save quite a bit of money. My hubby became very excited when I threw out the idea that perhaps I can go as well. I had never booked a flight blind before, basically you give the dates that you need and you are guaranteed to fly between the hours of 6 a.m and 10 p.m, arriving the same day and you aren’t flying standby, you definitely have a seat on the plane. You just don’t know which airline, how many stops and at what specific time you are leaving or coming back. It’s an adventure and in our case, it wasn’t bad. Delta is our airline, we have one stop each way, Detroit, and we left very early and are arriving very late, so not too bad for pretty cheap.

When the baby girl found out that she was getting both of her parents, she was really happy, so here we are and we are definitely happy to see her. I am especially happy to see her so bubbly and relaxed, I have been very worried about her since I had left her at the end of August. In the beginning having her call home all homesick was nerve wracking because all you want to do as a parent is to fix it and make it better, but she was down in Miami so all that I could do was try to say the right things and that more often than not doesn’t work for homesickness. After that, was the difficulty of the classes and how Miami was so different from her old school, that was difficult as well, trying from long distance to give her the positive reinforcement and emotional support from so far away.

So when we both saw her smiling and laughing and having her take us around the campus, giving us our own private tour of her personal experience at Miami made us both proud. She told us both that she now loves it and she feels comfortable in her classes and with her small circle of friends. We both feel infinitely better and we are having a great time with her.

At first I thought the Family Weekend was a bit too soon, but after having spent four solid weeks giving the baby girl various pep talks, I can see why the Weekend was devised because it probably takes everyone about a month to figure it out and the University wants the parents to see that even if the beginning weeks were tough, their child does eventually get it and will flourish.

Heading back home

Tags

car ride, postaday2013, travel

Friday afternoon traffic out of New York, my hubby’s nemesis. He hates traffic, I know most do, I don’t mind it as much, at some point it does ease up. And why get upset over something you can’t change?

I can’t wait to see Jack, our baby canine boy. The human baby boy will probably be with his buddies or at work when we get home. So the only one waiting anxiously for us at home is Jack. That is what happens when the little ones get old, they don’t look to be with you as much as they used to. My hubby and I are resigned to the fact that only Jack lives for our company.

We aren’t part of the cool crowd, we’re just the parents. Lol

On the road again

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airport, flying, Miami, postaday2013, travel

I’m on the road again, in the airport Miami International, sitting in a Starbucks, writing this at 6:02 in the morning waiting for one of my flights back north, back to my hubby, the baby boy and to Jack. The baby girl will be fine and she is now embarking on an exciting journey in a safe, intellectually challenging world that is the University, I am so happy for her and proud of her.

I am flying to Boston to meet my hubby and we will go home together. I figured that I would write this small missive now because who knows how I will feel after two stops and many hours later. I am flying to Tampa, changing planes and airlines (this could be a little crazy) and then flying to Newark, New Jersey, changing planes and then off to Logan airport in Boston. So my first plane leaves at 7:40 a.m and I finally get to my destination at 3:40 p.m. I will be tired and stale afterwards so I definitely think it best to get my words out while I am relatively fresh and awake at 6:08.

Starbucks has a great Banana Walnut bread, I highly recommend it. I was hoping for their peach, raspberry granola yogurt parfait but all they had was strawberry, blueberry and I am allergic to strawberries so that is why I opted for the Banana Walnut bread. I just looked up and caught a lady eating oatmeal, I had completely forgotten that Starbucks had oatmeal on their menu, I wish that I had been a little more awake when I had ordered, oatmeal is good for me, much healthier than the banana walnut bread but what can you do? It was really good.

Today is going to be a long day, not in a bad way just a long day. I can’t wait to see my hubby, our baby boy and of course Jack. I do miss my baby girl but she is about to have fun and learn a lot and that is what I need to remember and focus on, she is doing what is going to lead her to great things.

Daily prompt : Far from home

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far, far from home, Home, postaday2013, travel

Tell us about the farthest you’ve ever traveled from home.

The farthest that I have ever traveled away from home to a place where I didn’t know any one at all was Las Angeles California back in 1989. I have traveled elsewhere in Europe, but I always had family somewhere close to where I was, so I wasn’t going off into the great beyond, not like I did when I went off to L.A to start the location scouting and product management of the furniture and accessories going into the catalog. I had forgotten to mention, I was the catalog coordinator of Conran’s Habitat and my trip out to L.A was, at the tender age of 22, my first business trip, talk about pressure, it was sink or swim, the rest of the team didn’t come out to join me until six weeks later. It was a tremendous learning experience for me, I learned that I was a very capable person and that I didn’t sink under pressure or challenges. That was one of the best molding experiences of my life.