Honesty

One of the things I learned when I was teaching was that if you are honest and respectful people tend to understand each other. You will not always agree but you know where each other stands and makes the conflicts manageable.

As I watch the news about the US attorneys scandal and I wonder where the honesty and respect went. Politics is not a clean business but it does not have to be this dirty. There was a day when honesty and accountability were more the norm. There was a day when you were more concerned about doing what is right for the country and not watching your back. This whole business disappoints me a great deal.

The justice system is supposed to be free of bias. There should be no firing of people because of the way are affecting your political plans. It may be well within the constitutional rights of the President but I am not sure that is the spirit in which it was written. What happened to the respect for this system?

If you have nothing to hide, why hide? I understand that the President does not want to get pulled in front of a panel for every whim. But to give conditions to have it be informal and not on the record and not negotiate, what does that say. The President said at the beginning of this Congressional Session that he wanted to work with them, but I have yet to see it.

Leaders do not need to be absolute. In fact, in this country they are supposed to be balanced and work with others. For some reason, that is completely lacking in this President. And all this looks like is a man desperately trying to hang on to something that may not have ever been there. And I am afraid he has lost any respect he had ever earned. Which is evident in the fact that people can question his honesty frequently and with cause.

Please use the next couple of years to figure out what means a lot to you and find the candidate that represents it. I do not care if we agree on that person but I care that you participate in the process. And the process in the next presidential election is going to be very important. We have a chance for something big. Let us make sure that it is a big positive for our country.

Bits of News

Things have been busy around here lately. And things have been on the move, literally.

1 - Grace is now walking all on her own. Thursday of last week, she realized that if she let go, she could walk straight across the room instead of all the way around it. It is so fun to watch. She is wobbley and straight-legged still. And she falls a lot. But she really likes it.

She is into everything now too. I cannot believe the things that she has found that she had not noticed before. Most of it is fine except for the fact that my hutch is one of the things she has discovered. It seems that the only way I know she is in it is when a dish falls. Luckily nothing has broken yet but it seems destined to only be a matter of time.

2- Caroline believes that markers are like Mom's make-up. She had put it on herself and her sister a few too many times. So now this is a marker free house. No more confusing markers for make-up.

Amazing how when she put it on herself, she got it pretty much right. But when she put it on Grace, it was not quite right.

3 - Sadly, Kris's grandmother passed away over the weekend. Alice was 96 and living happily in a nursing home in Willmar. She passed peacefully and painlessly in her sleep from an illness. We will miss her but are thankful for the time we have had with her. And more importantly, we are thankful that she is now with Jesus, her husband, and Chuck (Kris's Dad). She had aged happily but she missed them and was ready to go. It is good to know she is still smiling and will be forever.

Love you Grandma Alice.

New York, the Finale

Saturday morning, we had an unexpected wake up from within the hotel. At 4:15, the fire alarm started going off. We both got up (Kris did a little sleep talking first) Kris checked out the hallways and I called the front desk and it ended up being nothing. It is hard to get back to sleep with that kind of noise though.

We then got up around 6:30 so we could get ready and check out. We headed to Penn Station and caught the trained to our very good friend Jason's house in New Jersey. I enjoyed the train. It was easy to get to, easy to use, and relaxing to ride on. (At this point, we have now traveled by every possible means. We had flown, ridden taxis, the subway, ricksaw, ferry, walked and train.) It took about an hour to get there.

Jason picked us up and I had to stop at a Dunkin' Donuts right away. I had not had one yet and when you are out east, you just have to stop there. The thing that stuck out the most while we were en route to his house was that, in New Jersey, to go left, you must turn right. Almost every interection has a cloverleaf.

Then we went to his house. He has a great place. We received a great tour and then just hung out. It was nice to just sit, relax and catch up. He took us to a local diner to experience some uniquely New Jersey food for lunch.

Jason's living room and the Outside of his house

I was tired and not feeling the best, so we went back to Jason's to hang out. That night for dinner, we went to The Prime Rib steakhouse (http://www.theprimerib.com/index.shtm) in Philadelphia. I wish I had been feeling better because it was such a nice place. I would like to have enjoyed it more. I had been looking forward to the conversation and environment.

The next morning we had a relaxing morning at Jason's. Then we went into South Philly for some CheeseSteaks. We went to Pat's King os Steaks. It was a cool experience. They have a particular way to order. They have directions posted and if you get it wrong you need to go to the back of the line. I was nervous because my stomach had been a little upset but it sat really well. (It turns out I just needed to eat more. We had been so busy and I had been so faciniated, I was not eating enough) You cannot miss it if you are in the area.

Pat's King of Steaks, South Philly

It was then time to head home. It was good to see the girls. They seemed to have missed us. Grace did not let go of either of us for quite a while. And Caroline gave us a run down all the goings on.

New York Pt 2

Friday I enjoyed sleeping in again. Really, I love my kids but doing things independently is great. We had breakfast with James and Chrissy and then said good-bye. We were not going to see them again until we got back to Minnesota.

We switched hotels. Kris has always wanted to stay at the Marriott Marquee. This is a great hotel and it is right in the middle of Times Square. It was probably the fanciest hotel I have ever stayed at. Thanks to Kris travel for work in the past, we got to use points to stay for free again. It was more than worth it. The view alone was amazing. (And this is where the camera was really great. The night pictures were way better than I have ever taken before.)

Our room (the darker one does the rooma truer image) and the view

We caught our bus again. This time we were going to do the downtown loop. We did NOT sit out in the cold this time. It was warmer but the side of the bus that I was on had advertising over it. You could see out of it fine but the pictures are a little cloudy.

We started out by driving through the garment district. The guide (who was a true Brooklyn native; heavy accent and attitude to spare) was a hoot. He said that 70% of the clothing made in the US is made there (if I am remember correctly anyway).

We went past the Empire State Building. We were going to get off, but we wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty more. So we were going to go on the way back. We ran out of time though. Next time, we will go.




Then we went past Macy's. That was likely the biggest store I have ever seen. It was 8 stories high and and filled and entire city block. That whole space was retail. Really cool. We did not make it in, but some day.




We made our way through SoHo. We saw a lot of expensive boutiques for clothes. The tour guide made a comment on how it seems that the less clothes they have in the store the more expensive they seem to be. And every store we went past for the next few blocks looked like it was going out of business.

Following SoHo, we went through Greenwich Village. We did not learn much in this neighborhood except great places to eat and go listen to music. He goal was to get us out of the Times Suare area and experience some real New York. He said there were great places for eating and he even had prices (way cheaper). Then they have great clubs to go and listen to Blues and Jazz. They do not have cover charges, so if you do not like them you can just get up and go next door without feeling like you are wasting money.

We then started to get closer to the World Trade Center. He told us some stories and how we can get the best views of Ground Zero. I have to say that I was affected by the whole thing before but listening to New Yorkers talk about it made it more real. There are still some spontaneous monuments standing. It was good to hear. We did not get there because we were touring the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. But I think that hearing stories from New Yorkers was enough for me.

One of the Monmuent to September 11. Tiles made by children as a form of therapy.

We passed the Brooklyn Bridge next. I really get amazed by engineering and architecture and this was trully great. I have a picture but it does not due it justice. Did you know that they sent all the elephants from the circus across it first so that people would see that it was sturdy enough to hold people?

Brooklyn Bridge (from a distance).

We got to Battery Park next and got off to go and see the Statue of Liberty. This was something that I was really looking forward to. My geekiness about History and all this Civic related really showed through here. The line to get on the ferry was super long and moved at weird rate. We came to find out that we had to go through security that was a little more picky than the airport. It was bit of a pain to take all the layers you have on to stay warm off but I guess I understand. While we were waiting in line, there were James and Chrissy. Now, I did not expect to just run into people in a city that size. So, we rode out to Liberty Island with them.


It was really cool to see the Statue of Liberty up close. The view from the ferry to the city was great. And watching her get closer was really great. We split from James and Chrissy again to do different things. We decided to try the audio tour they offer. It is good at both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. If you are there, Do it. It was really great. They have so much information and make the places come alive.

1- View of city from ferry, 2- View of Statue from ferry, 3- The Statue up close

Ellis Island is so alive with History. With the audio tour, you can really hear and see how scary and overwhelming it must have been. This whole trip was more interesting than everything that we had done. We got so caught up in that part of the tour, that we did not get to see the signatures of people who came in. We needed to head back to get ready for out night of theater.

The Ellis Island museum, The Great Hall (The first stop for immigrants)

We caught the ferry back to Manhattan. As we were getting off, we ran into James and Chrissy again. So we took the subway back to our hotel together. It was funny the first time, but running into them again was starting to get weird.


We got dressed up and went to dinner at an ok but forgettable place in Rockefeller Center. Then we headed to our show. We saw Wicked. A Broadway show is an assault on the senses. The sets and props were like nothing I have ever seen. The story was creative and funny. It will change how you look at the Wizard of Oz. And the talent, the main charactors were especially wonderful. The way they could sing, I have never heard anything like it. I was mezmorized the whole time.


And wouldn't you know it, on the walk back to the hotel we ran into James and Chrissy on the street. Apparantly, we are bonded in an unique way ;-)


We ended our time at a great lounge at the top of our hotel. They have a rotating bar area so you can see a 360 degree view of the area. It was breathtaking.


There will be one last installment from our trip to Philidephia to see our very good friend Jason.

New York Pt 1

New York was a lot of fun. It was great to have some time with James and Chrissy (Kris's brother and wife). And it was so cool to spend some time together as a couple.

We arrive on a Wed night (around 7 est time). Our flight was very delayed getting off and it had to circle before we could land. But it was fun to get there. We checked in to our hotels. Kris and I stayed at the Hilton Times Square. It was a great hotel in the middle of it all. We used our Hilton Honors points to stay there, so all of our other daily spending paid for it. It was well worth it.

The view from our room. Time Square and the Hudson River

Then we all headed to a comedy club for the late show. I then had my first experience with the subway. That was fun. At the show, we saw one of the guys from VH1's best week ever, he was really funny. As we were sitting there, I noticed the guy from 30 Rock (on NBC, if you have seen it, he it was the guy with the big glasses, crazy long hair that always wears a hat) walking around. He must have been part of the first show. I am not a fan of that show, but it was fun to see. We finally got back to the hotel around 1 and I was beat. Caroline had been up at 4:30 that morning and traveling is always exhausting. So I slept like a rock.

Thurs morning, I slept until I woke up. That may have been the best part about the trip. I rarely had to worry about when I woke up. No one woke me and I could be a little lazy. Plus, when I took shower, there was no one in my bathroom screaming because they could not get in. And I was talking about Grace, get your minds out the gutter.


After breakfast, we took a Gray Line bus tour. They are great tours and I would recommend them. They are guided so you get to learn a lot of information plus you can get on and off whenever you want.



But it was freezing while we were there and Thurs the only room on the bus was on the top which is open air. The unexpected bonus of this was the pictures were pretty good. Kris even took one of me that worked out well. Which I do not think very often of pictures of myself.

Me

We did the uptown loop that day. We saw Hell's kitchen, Morningside Neighborhood (basis for Seinfeld's neighborhood), Harlem (we saw the Apollo and Bill Clintons office from a distance), many view of central park.

The Apollo

We got to see many of famous aparment buildings including The Dakota (John and Yoko's building, which an apartment in it now costs $20 million), the San Remo (Oprah and a couple other people) and, my favorite, 1040 5th Ave, Jackie Kennedy Onasis home. They are all right on Central Park. I cannot imagine

The Dakota and Jackie's Apartment Building

We went past many amazing museums. The Met, Guggenheim, Grant's Tomb and Fricky (The largest mansion built on 5th Ave and the family had an extensive art collection. When the father died, he left that house and his art to the city, I think, for a museum) art museums. We will likely go in a few next time we go, we just did not feel like we had time to get our moneys worth.

The Met, Grant's Tomb, and The Fricky Museums

We got off on 5th Ave. We went into FAO Schwartz, Tiffany & Co., Disney Time Square, and St Patrick's Catheral. My camera had died by then. The only time I was really disappointed by it was when we were in St. Patrick's. It was really beautiful and Jack and Jackie had been married there. It was really peaceful for such a big place. I will need to go back again sometime so I can get some pictures.

We ended our day of touring at Rockefeller Center. We saw the rink and the Today Show set. Then we walked back to the hotel to try and warm up a little. We were both chilled to the core.

We met up with James and Chrissy for dinner. We went to an American/Seafood resteraunt call The Redeye Grill. It was perfect. It was casual and good food. I had a hard time swallowing the prices for food there in general, but Chrissy and I shared and entree here. Which ended up to be perfect. The seafood is very fresh and really good.

Following dinner, we went to the Marc Cohn (Walking in Memphis) concert at Carnegie Hall. This was the reason for the trip and it was really worth it. I think it may be my favorit concert ever. I could listen to him sing and play the piano all day. He was an easy host and it made you want to listen to him. He has a new CD coming out and we heard some of the music. They were great, relaxing songs. I cannot remember the name of his new CD, but keep and eye out. You will like it.

That is the end of part one. More soon.

We're Back

Well, we have been back since Sun. And I am soon going to blog about the trip. But I got sick the last couple of days and am not quite well yet.

So, soon more info on our trip. It was fun.

L

New York, Here We Come!!

Well I am excited to say that I am on my way. Kris and I are headed to New York. I am really looking forward to spending some time with him. We are not taking the kids (Thank you Grandparents!!).

I will let you know how it goes. It should be great.

P.S. I get to play with a new digital SLR camera. I'm excited!!

Doctor

Well, today was an interesting trip to the doctor. We had to go in this morning a little unexpectedly (Caroline was coughing so much she was not breathing really great, but all is fine).

Now my kids are really very good at the doctor. They have never fussed about getting their ears checked or any of the other things that they do. They only thing that had upset them was shots.

Well, we discovered a new thing to freak out over. Caroline needed to use a nebulizer to make her breathing easier. She freaked out as soon as she saw it. It took me holding her in a basket hold with me wrapping my legs around her legs and the nurse giving her the medicine. She was supposed to inhale for 15 mins. If we got 10, we were lucky. She was really freaking out. For a while, I thought that she was going to pass out (which probably would have made it easier). The nurse (who was great) was even trying to hold Grace who was getting a little scared over the whole thing.

I was a wreck. I was sweating, tired and crying. I felt so badly for having to put her though that. But it worked and she was able to relax some which helps her not to cough so much.

Later when I was trying to make up with her, I realized that she was able to seperate the scariness of the situation and me. That makes me feel better.

So, now it is snowing (a lot) and we were instructed to be as relaxed as possible. So it is movie day at our house. Caroline loves them and the weather seems to be agreeing. It is turning into a good day.