Last Saturday, Rachel, Drew and I had some time together at breakfast before racing off to do the usual stuff we end up doing -- in my case, I wanted to run some errands, but because of the hellacious week I'd had at work (in a good way; I edited my first project for The Post, which ran last Friday and extended over three inside pages) I ended up completely crashing on the couch for two hours while Drew took Rachel to a birthday party in Manassas and for a haircut afterward.
Anyway, here are two things she said:
"I like Noah," I said. (Noah is a kid in her class whose parents are both pilots for the Air Force. He was one of the few kids in Rachel's class who stuck up for women during Women's History Month).
"He's sweet on me," Rachel said.
"How can you tell?" Drew asked.
"Well, he stays near me a lot and on Valentine's Day, he sent me two valentines," she said. (She later told me that he had given her one similar to the one he gave the rest of the kids in class; and a second one that said, 'Roses are red, violets are blue, you are cool and I love you').
"I've never had anyone sweet on me and I don't like it," Rachel continued.
"Why not?" Drew said.
"It's EMBARRASSING!" Rachel exclaimed.
***
"Everything is awesome when you're living your...dream!" she half-sang as she was clearing up her breakfast dishes. "That's how you can tell I'm excited," she said.
***
"Ivy never wears long-sleeve shirts or pants, which I like to do," Rachel said. "I kind of like them, since you can NOT climb a tree in a dress. Otherwise, you show your underwear."
Okay, Jo March. Thanks for the update.:)
Friday, March 20, 2015
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Crazy Saturday
I was in a grumpy mood when we got home from vacation -- the house seemed messy, we had a lot of unpacking to do and a very full Saturday -- I really didn't want to do Odyssey of the Mind, I just wanted to sleep, and then Rachel had to sell Girl Scout cookies, and our synagogue had a Purim carnival on Sunday -- all I wanted to do was relax and slowly get back into the cold before I had to head back to work on Sunday.
I went to bed in a foul mood, but on Saturday morning I found myself with a lot of energy. We headed off to Odyssey, Rachel's team competed for all of 10 minutes (it was a weather-related theme that I can't really explain, but she, Libby and Simone were "weather girls." I had stayed up late making a rainbow to pin on her tie-dyed shirt that we had fortunately bought at the resort, since all the girls were supposed to dress in colors of the rainbow -- and at one point during the competition, she, Libby and Simone linked hands and twirled around trying to imitate a tornado. Don't ask).
Rachel got a purple ribbon for her contribution, and then she, Drew and I went out for a donut at Dunkin' Donuts to celebrate. On our way out of the restaurant, Rachel forgot her book and something else she'd brought, and I realized how much kids frustrate parents. It's like the part of their brain that you think would remember to gather up, oh, mittens, jackets, books, scarves, is just blocked until they're adults. Sorry, Mom and Dad, for all the times that drove you crazy.
Then we got home, I raced around unpacking and carting suitcases and summer clothes back up into the attic (when all I really wanted to do was sleep because I was exhausted), and at 12:40 we left to sell cookies at a Giant supermarket about 15 minutes away from our house. Out of guilt, I have volunteered to spend the entire four-hour shift at Giant and at the Ballston Metro station next Friday because I can't lead the troop or do the cookie-related sales stuff that Drew is doing. I've already volunteered to coordinate logistics for next year's Odyssey of the Mind team, so I can participate more in Rachel-related stuff.
Anyway, it was a sunny day and much warmer (46 degrees) than when we had arrived, so we set up a folding table and chairs, and Sydney and her dad, Chris, joined us. I thought he tried the hard sell a little to aggressively, but Sydney was a whiz with the math; she figured out quickly how much change people needed, and we sold a lot of cookies. More than 300 boxes by the time the shift ended at 5. (Rachel got upset when I let Sydney figure out the change, but as I pointed out to her, "You said you hate math, Rachel," which she had said, to my distress, early in the shift. So I put her in charge of noting down how many boxes of what cookies we sold).
By mid-afternoon we were out of samoas, tagalongs and thin mints, and then the savannah smiles, so by the end we had three boxes to choose from. We got lots of donations, too. Rachel's line was, "Girl Scout cookies for sale! Get them now...or next week!" She was remarkably poised and didn't lose interest (like some of the other kids who joined us later did). She also insisted on staying the entire four hours, which NONE of the other girls did, and Drew and I praised her profusely for her commitment. Chris bought us fruit and dates, and Kelly (Libby's mom and the troop leader) contributed apples, so we were fed, if not exactly full, by the time Rachel said, at 4:45, that we was done and "I just want to spend time with my family!" Both she and I were pooped, and my back was aching, but we kept at it until Drew arrived to pick us up.
At home we reheated pizza and watched "The Great Mouse Detective" about "Basil of Baker Street," a mouse who lived in England in 1897 and modeled himself (and his friend, Dr. Dawson) after Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The movie came out in 1997 and it was unexpectedly great. While Rachel and I were selling cookies, Drew gathered together our tax documents (he is attempting to do our taxes himself this year) and bought us a bunch of cupcakes for dessert as a surprise. So, we had pizza and cupcakes, and it was a very relaxed evening after a very hectic day.
After Rachel went to bed, we watched one episode of "House of Cards." Nothing like that show to get me right back into the swing of things as I prepare to head back to work and real life!
I went to bed in a foul mood, but on Saturday morning I found myself with a lot of energy. We headed off to Odyssey, Rachel's team competed for all of 10 minutes (it was a weather-related theme that I can't really explain, but she, Libby and Simone were "weather girls." I had stayed up late making a rainbow to pin on her tie-dyed shirt that we had fortunately bought at the resort, since all the girls were supposed to dress in colors of the rainbow -- and at one point during the competition, she, Libby and Simone linked hands and twirled around trying to imitate a tornado. Don't ask).
Rachel got a purple ribbon for her contribution, and then she, Drew and I went out for a donut at Dunkin' Donuts to celebrate. On our way out of the restaurant, Rachel forgot her book and something else she'd brought, and I realized how much kids frustrate parents. It's like the part of their brain that you think would remember to gather up, oh, mittens, jackets, books, scarves, is just blocked until they're adults. Sorry, Mom and Dad, for all the times that drove you crazy.
Then we got home, I raced around unpacking and carting suitcases and summer clothes back up into the attic (when all I really wanted to do was sleep because I was exhausted), and at 12:40 we left to sell cookies at a Giant supermarket about 15 minutes away from our house. Out of guilt, I have volunteered to spend the entire four-hour shift at Giant and at the Ballston Metro station next Friday because I can't lead the troop or do the cookie-related sales stuff that Drew is doing. I've already volunteered to coordinate logistics for next year's Odyssey of the Mind team, so I can participate more in Rachel-related stuff.
Anyway, it was a sunny day and much warmer (46 degrees) than when we had arrived, so we set up a folding table and chairs, and Sydney and her dad, Chris, joined us. I thought he tried the hard sell a little to aggressively, but Sydney was a whiz with the math; she figured out quickly how much change people needed, and we sold a lot of cookies. More than 300 boxes by the time the shift ended at 5. (Rachel got upset when I let Sydney figure out the change, but as I pointed out to her, "You said you hate math, Rachel," which she had said, to my distress, early in the shift. So I put her in charge of noting down how many boxes of what cookies we sold).
By mid-afternoon we were out of samoas, tagalongs and thin mints, and then the savannah smiles, so by the end we had three boxes to choose from. We got lots of donations, too. Rachel's line was, "Girl Scout cookies for sale! Get them now...or next week!" She was remarkably poised and didn't lose interest (like some of the other kids who joined us later did). She also insisted on staying the entire four hours, which NONE of the other girls did, and Drew and I praised her profusely for her commitment. Chris bought us fruit and dates, and Kelly (Libby's mom and the troop leader) contributed apples, so we were fed, if not exactly full, by the time Rachel said, at 4:45, that we was done and "I just want to spend time with my family!" Both she and I were pooped, and my back was aching, but we kept at it until Drew arrived to pick us up.
At home we reheated pizza and watched "The Great Mouse Detective" about "Basil of Baker Street," a mouse who lived in England in 1897 and modeled himself (and his friend, Dr. Dawson) after Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The movie came out in 1997 and it was unexpectedly great. While Rachel and I were selling cookies, Drew gathered together our tax documents (he is attempting to do our taxes himself this year) and bought us a bunch of cupcakes for dessert as a surprise. So, we had pizza and cupcakes, and it was a very relaxed evening after a very hectic day.
After Rachel went to bed, we watched one episode of "House of Cards." Nothing like that show to get me right back into the swing of things as I prepare to head back to work and real life!
Thoughtful little girl
There was a Disney store at the Orland airport, where I stopped to buy something for our Odyssey of the Mind coaches, David and Kelly, because I felt so bad not being there all week for them to work with Rachel on their weather-themed package. (David reassured me not to worry. Turned out that the week we were in Florida, D.C. got the biggest storm of the year. School was closed Monday, open Tuesday and Wednesday, and closed Thursday and Friday for parent-teacher conferences, which were cancelled because of the snow; as Rachel's teacher pointed out when I told her we were stranded in Orlando, "You picked an excellent time to go to Orlando." She had been there the week before we left!)
I was about to leave the store when I saw Rachel whispering to Drew a few feet away, and they ordered me not to come near. I had a feeling she wanted to buy something for me, so I hurried in and found a Mickey Mouse-shaped charm with peace signs on it for Rachel's book bag (in recent weeks she has begun collecting things and attaching them to the zipper of her bag) and bought it, intending to surprise her.
On the airplane, she surprised ME with a Mickey Mouse pin with the words, "World's Greatest Mom" on it. She had seen it in the store, rushed out to show it to Drew, and asked him to buy it. No prompting from him; it was a spontaneous gesture on her part.
As Drew noted later, every time I think I'm not a good enough mom, I should remember that Rachel thinks otherwise.
I was about to leave the store when I saw Rachel whispering to Drew a few feet away, and they ordered me not to come near. I had a feeling she wanted to buy something for me, so I hurried in and found a Mickey Mouse-shaped charm with peace signs on it for Rachel's book bag (in recent weeks she has begun collecting things and attaching them to the zipper of her bag) and bought it, intending to surprise her.
On the airplane, she surprised ME with a Mickey Mouse pin with the words, "World's Greatest Mom" on it. She had seen it in the store, rushed out to show it to Drew, and asked him to buy it. No prompting from him; it was a spontaneous gesture on her part.
As Drew noted later, every time I think I'm not a good enough mom, I should remember that Rachel thinks otherwise.
Stranded!
Rachel suggested the title for this post, which is a good one.
We were supposed to leave on Thursday, but it was snowing in D.C., with the weather expected to get worse around the time of our arrival (around 5:30 p.m.). We had planned our return in order to attend Rachel's parent-teacher conference on Friday, plus we needed to leave the resort on Thursday, anyway, and Friday was going to be a catch-up day; Drew had taken the day off from work; I had planned to make some calls on a possible magazine story, unpack, work on Rachel's Odyssey of the Mind and Purim carnival costumes, etc. etc.
When we heard about the snow, we were all hoping that would give us an extra day at the resort. (Our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until 4 or so, so we figured we'd stay the morning at the resort to get some last swimming in, then head to the airport in time to return our rental car and catch our flight). When Darryl notified Drew that he and Daniella's flight was delayed two hours, I told Rachel that that probably meant ours was delayed, too. We spent the next hour or so playing a new game called Rachelball (Drew and I tossed Rachel between us in the pool, to her delight, until our arms gave out) and hoping that the flight would be delayed, but noon came and it was still on time. Rachel burst into tears when I told her she had to get out of the pool, and I hugged her and said I wished we could stay, too, -- and it was compounded by the fact that the peace charm in her beaded braid had fallen off (we paid a woman $30 to work the beads, braid and ribbon in her hair at the beginning of the week; it was expensive, but she wanted it badly and it did make her look great).
We left the resort sadly, returned the rental car, boarded our plane...and sat. And sat. For about 45 minutes. At one point the pilot came on the air, tried to tell us what was happening and then said, "Uh, just wait a moment, folks, while I figure out what's going on." And then, we were told to leave the plane. Perhaps no one was more stunned that Rachel, who, as I pointed out, got her wish after all -- and then, while I called her Odyssey of the Mind coach to explain what had happened, Drew rebooked us for the next flight out -- at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
We got a discounted rate at a nearby residence hotel, courtesy of U.S. Airways, and Drew wisely talked me out of keeping the rental car because, as he pointed out, we probably wouldn't have much time to explore Orlando (I had called a former boss of mine who is now at the Orlando Sentinel to meet us for dinner, but he was running in a 5K that night and couldn't make it). We relaxed around the pool and fire pit, with Rachel reading and Drew and I talking to a guy named Randy who had a dead-on imitation of Donald Duck (which delighted Rachel).
We ate dinner at a steakhouse, where I had way too many martinis and ended up carrying Rachel back to our room (sound familiar)? I fell asleep at 10:30, woke up at 12:30, couldn't go back to sleep, tried sleeping in Rachel's bed (we were in a suite with a separate bedroom, so she got the sleeper couch while Drew and I took the king-size bed), then finally took a sleeping pill at 4:30 a.m. and was dead to the world until Drew and Rachel brought me back some breakfast from the buffet downstairs. I was groggy most of the morning, but we managed to extend our checkout; walked to TGI Friday's for a leisurely lunch, then back to the hotel and waited for the shuttle bus. We got to the airport and found that our flight had been delayed 40 minutes, so that gave us some extra time to shop, and then, finally, we boarded our flight. Rachel had discovered a Pippi Longstocking book at the airport bookstore and of course persuaded Drew and I to buy it for her; she spent most of the flight reading it.
We arrived to bitterly cold weather, but most of the snow had been cleared. We hustled Rachel to bed at 11:30, stayed up until 1:30 a.m. putting things away, and collapsed into bed only to wake up the next morning at 7 for Rachel's Odyssey of the Mind competition.
It's good to be home.
We were supposed to leave on Thursday, but it was snowing in D.C., with the weather expected to get worse around the time of our arrival (around 5:30 p.m.). We had planned our return in order to attend Rachel's parent-teacher conference on Friday, plus we needed to leave the resort on Thursday, anyway, and Friday was going to be a catch-up day; Drew had taken the day off from work; I had planned to make some calls on a possible magazine story, unpack, work on Rachel's Odyssey of the Mind and Purim carnival costumes, etc. etc.
When we heard about the snow, we were all hoping that would give us an extra day at the resort. (Our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until 4 or so, so we figured we'd stay the morning at the resort to get some last swimming in, then head to the airport in time to return our rental car and catch our flight). When Darryl notified Drew that he and Daniella's flight was delayed two hours, I told Rachel that that probably meant ours was delayed, too. We spent the next hour or so playing a new game called Rachelball (Drew and I tossed Rachel between us in the pool, to her delight, until our arms gave out) and hoping that the flight would be delayed, but noon came and it was still on time. Rachel burst into tears when I told her she had to get out of the pool, and I hugged her and said I wished we could stay, too, -- and it was compounded by the fact that the peace charm in her beaded braid had fallen off (we paid a woman $30 to work the beads, braid and ribbon in her hair at the beginning of the week; it was expensive, but she wanted it badly and it did make her look great).
We left the resort sadly, returned the rental car, boarded our plane...and sat. And sat. For about 45 minutes. At one point the pilot came on the air, tried to tell us what was happening and then said, "Uh, just wait a moment, folks, while I figure out what's going on." And then, we were told to leave the plane. Perhaps no one was more stunned that Rachel, who, as I pointed out, got her wish after all -- and then, while I called her Odyssey of the Mind coach to explain what had happened, Drew rebooked us for the next flight out -- at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
We got a discounted rate at a nearby residence hotel, courtesy of U.S. Airways, and Drew wisely talked me out of keeping the rental car because, as he pointed out, we probably wouldn't have much time to explore Orlando (I had called a former boss of mine who is now at the Orlando Sentinel to meet us for dinner, but he was running in a 5K that night and couldn't make it). We relaxed around the pool and fire pit, with Rachel reading and Drew and I talking to a guy named Randy who had a dead-on imitation of Donald Duck (which delighted Rachel).
We ate dinner at a steakhouse, where I had way too many martinis and ended up carrying Rachel back to our room (sound familiar)? I fell asleep at 10:30, woke up at 12:30, couldn't go back to sleep, tried sleeping in Rachel's bed (we were in a suite with a separate bedroom, so she got the sleeper couch while Drew and I took the king-size bed), then finally took a sleeping pill at 4:30 a.m. and was dead to the world until Drew and Rachel brought me back some breakfast from the buffet downstairs. I was groggy most of the morning, but we managed to extend our checkout; walked to TGI Friday's for a leisurely lunch, then back to the hotel and waited for the shuttle bus. We got to the airport and found that our flight had been delayed 40 minutes, so that gave us some extra time to shop, and then, finally, we boarded our flight. Rachel had discovered a Pippi Longstocking book at the airport bookstore and of course persuaded Drew and I to buy it for her; she spent most of the flight reading it.
We arrived to bitterly cold weather, but most of the snow had been cleared. We hustled Rachel to bed at 11:30, stayed up until 1:30 a.m. putting things away, and collapsed into bed only to wake up the next morning at 7 for Rachel's Odyssey of the Mind competition.
It's good to be home.
Best line of our vacation
The kids were discussing the origins of their names one night, and Rachel asked what her name meant.
"Little cow," Drew replied.
"What does MY name mean?" Valerie asked.
"It's from the Latin word for 'courageous,'" Daniella replied.
"You mean, she's courageous and I'm a COW??" Rachel said.
And with that, the adults cracked up. I banged the dining-room table so hard I thought I'd break it.
"Little cow," Drew replied.
"What does MY name mean?" Valerie asked.
"It's from the Latin word for 'courageous,'" Daniella replied.
"You mean, she's courageous and I'm a COW??" Rachel said.
And with that, the adults cracked up. I banged the dining-room table so hard I thought I'd break it.
Disney World, part 2
So...Tuesday was DISNEY DAY. So grateful that Mom and Dad took Daniella and I to Disney World when I was 8 and Daniella was 6. The memories came flooding back as we pulled into the park. We girded ourselves for long lines, no food (Drew had forgotten most of my lunch back at the resort; we had, on the advice of Darryl and Daniella, bought lunch the day before at Publix so we wouldn't have to stand in line and pay for Disney's overpriced food) and what I thought would be a pretty unpleasant experience.
It actually turned out to be FANTASTIC. Not as crowded as last year, apparently; we had FastPasses for three rides, which allow you to skip the long lines on popular attractions, and for the one ride we waited for (45 minutes), a slightly scary roller-coaster, the wait was worth it because of the quality of the ride and the little things along the way that they had to keep kids busy (a feature where you could stick your hand under the water and it turned different colors, for instance), so that the time seemed to fly by. We of course took Rachel on the "It's a Small World After All" ride (halfway through she said, "This is getting annoying," but later claimed she'd really loved it) that I remembered from way back when. Mostly we walked around looking at stuff and resting when we were hot, eating lunch and then drinks when we were dehydrated.
During one of our rests, Rachel turned to us and said, "Thanks so much, guys, for taking me to Disney World." That is one of the most wonderful things about our daughter -- she is generous about expressing gratitude.
I should note here that Rachel's first FastPass ride request was the Hall of Presidents. How many 6 1/2-year-old girls do YOU know who would choose that? (Thought so). Anyway, it was actually a good exhibit; they had some presidential tchotkes and a dress that one first lady had worn, and then there were animatronic (at least, I think they were animatronic) characters representing Lincoln, Washington, Clinton, and even Obama -- we all enjoyed it. (On a "jungle cruise" with funny cruise guides and animatronic animals representing different jungles of the world, the cruise guide seemed quite surprised that Rachel's favorite event so far had been Hall of Presidents. This is what happens when you have a kid who is as obsessed with history as Rachel is...)
Also at one point, after the slightly scary roller-coaster ride (that was a couple of hours after what I thought would be scary log flume drop, and I almost didn't go, but then said sure and was glad I did, because it was only 3 seconds and very doable, and then the teacup ride, which I thought would leave me horribly dizzy but wasn't so bad) I called Mom and Dad and said that now I know what Dad went through when he felt compelled to go on all the scary roller-coasters I insisted on going on (including Space Mountain, which is still there, Dad!). He wasn't much younger than me when we all went to Disney (I believe he would have been around 40 or 42), and I can't believe what I put him and Mom through (she reminded me that she and Daniella refused to go on anything scary, so they had each other for company). So...thanks again, Mom and Dad. Yet another small reminder that I get the whole parenting thing in some small way.
We had dinner at the Crystal Palace, which Darryl and Daniella had smartly reserved for 7:30. It was buffet-style and the food was quite good (I got to to try spoon bread, which I am now determined to recreate), and Disney characters kept coming around to our table -- Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore, Piglet and Tigger -- and Rachel got their autographs for her autograph book (the only thing we would buy for her; she was actually very good about not nagging us for things) and I took pictures like mad.
(The other thing we bought her was a key chain for her teacher, Mrs. McAdam, that says, "#1 teacher," because, as Drew said, "We're buying this for you because you wanted to get something for someone ELSE, not yourself.")
We finished up just in time for fireworks, which Rachel watched after sitting on Drew's shoulders, and then I offered to carry her back. And then, she fell asleep in my arms. Just totally conked out. Which means I carried her for what felt like 5 miles (was really probably 3, between the walk, and then holding her on the ferryboat back, and then the walk/wait for the tram, and then the walk back to the car); she is about 50 pounds and getting heavier by the day, but I refused to let Drew or Darryl help me. (Call it the legendary Lisa Lednicer stubbornness).
On the way back I whispered into her ear, knowing she couldn't hear me, "I hope you remember this, Rachel. When you're 13 and you hate me, remember I once carried you 5 miles -- 5 MILES! -- back from Disney World to our car."
I hope she'll remember this trip for the rest of her life.
It actually turned out to be FANTASTIC. Not as crowded as last year, apparently; we had FastPasses for three rides, which allow you to skip the long lines on popular attractions, and for the one ride we waited for (45 minutes), a slightly scary roller-coaster, the wait was worth it because of the quality of the ride and the little things along the way that they had to keep kids busy (a feature where you could stick your hand under the water and it turned different colors, for instance), so that the time seemed to fly by. We of course took Rachel on the "It's a Small World After All" ride (halfway through she said, "This is getting annoying," but later claimed she'd really loved it) that I remembered from way back when. Mostly we walked around looking at stuff and resting when we were hot, eating lunch and then drinks when we were dehydrated.
During one of our rests, Rachel turned to us and said, "Thanks so much, guys, for taking me to Disney World." That is one of the most wonderful things about our daughter -- she is generous about expressing gratitude.
I should note here that Rachel's first FastPass ride request was the Hall of Presidents. How many 6 1/2-year-old girls do YOU know who would choose that? (Thought so). Anyway, it was actually a good exhibit; they had some presidential tchotkes and a dress that one first lady had worn, and then there were animatronic (at least, I think they were animatronic) characters representing Lincoln, Washington, Clinton, and even Obama -- we all enjoyed it. (On a "jungle cruise" with funny cruise guides and animatronic animals representing different jungles of the world, the cruise guide seemed quite surprised that Rachel's favorite event so far had been Hall of Presidents. This is what happens when you have a kid who is as obsessed with history as Rachel is...)
Also at one point, after the slightly scary roller-coaster ride (that was a couple of hours after what I thought would be scary log flume drop, and I almost didn't go, but then said sure and was glad I did, because it was only 3 seconds and very doable, and then the teacup ride, which I thought would leave me horribly dizzy but wasn't so bad) I called Mom and Dad and said that now I know what Dad went through when he felt compelled to go on all the scary roller-coasters I insisted on going on (including Space Mountain, which is still there, Dad!). He wasn't much younger than me when we all went to Disney (I believe he would have been around 40 or 42), and I can't believe what I put him and Mom through (she reminded me that she and Daniella refused to go on anything scary, so they had each other for company). So...thanks again, Mom and Dad. Yet another small reminder that I get the whole parenting thing in some small way.
We had dinner at the Crystal Palace, which Darryl and Daniella had smartly reserved for 7:30. It was buffet-style and the food was quite good (I got to to try spoon bread, which I am now determined to recreate), and Disney characters kept coming around to our table -- Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore, Piglet and Tigger -- and Rachel got their autographs for her autograph book (the only thing we would buy for her; she was actually very good about not nagging us for things) and I took pictures like mad.
(The other thing we bought her was a key chain for her teacher, Mrs. McAdam, that says, "#1 teacher," because, as Drew said, "We're buying this for you because you wanted to get something for someone ELSE, not yourself.")
We finished up just in time for fireworks, which Rachel watched after sitting on Drew's shoulders, and then I offered to carry her back. And then, she fell asleep in my arms. Just totally conked out. Which means I carried her for what felt like 5 miles (was really probably 3, between the walk, and then holding her on the ferryboat back, and then the walk/wait for the tram, and then the walk back to the car); she is about 50 pounds and getting heavier by the day, but I refused to let Drew or Darryl help me. (Call it the legendary Lisa Lednicer stubbornness).
On the way back I whispered into her ear, knowing she couldn't hear me, "I hope you remember this, Rachel. When you're 13 and you hate me, remember I once carried you 5 miles -- 5 MILES! -- back from Disney World to our car."
I hope she'll remember this trip for the rest of her life.
Disney World!
So, the reason the blog has been quiet lately is that we've been to...Disney World! Rachel was so excited to see Valerie at the resort where Darryl and Daniella have a timeshare. Those two were completely adorable the entire week. Some highlights:
--They spent most of their time playing with we adults in the resort's two pools -- one of which featured a pirate ship; the other of which had a great water slide that Drew and I took liberal advantage of (we loved the rush of swishing down; it was addictive). We ate breakfast in the condo after buying basic groceries, and then lunch and dinner at the resort's grill. I tried several alcohol-infused beverages during the time we were there, and each one gave me a nice, comfortable buzz for the afternoon. The weather was perfect; it was raining when we got there, but then the weather cleared up fast and by Thursday (the day we were scheduled to leave), it was in the mid-80s. I lay out in the sun, went in the pool and played with Rachel and Valerie (I was a monster at one point and Valerie was delighted when I kept growling, "To the shippy!" as a way of dragging her and Rachel to the pirate ship), read from my vast collection of New Yorker magazines, went in the water again, went back out to read...you get the idea. For the first time in a long time, I really tried to just be present and in the moment. And for the most part, it worked.
--The resort had all sorts of activities, but they weren't cheesy or overbearing. They had a magic show the first night, and Rachel and Valerie spent most of the vacation practicing the tricks they'd learned. (And Darryl has mastered a perfect imitation of his daughter: "Can I tell you a joke? You wanna hear a joke?"). On two other nights, they had a campfire and s'mores, and Drew and Darryl got to help the girls roast marshmallows. There was a different guy who played acoustic guitar each night, and the combination of the guitar, the s'mores, the gorgeous sunset and the balmy air was incredibly relaxing and soothing. I didn't realize how much my spirit needed that.
--One night they had a "Downtown Abbey" event -- it was the last episode of the season, and the staff had baked some fancy little cakes and offered tea for guests to watch the show in the big communal TV room. It was lovely, and I got to bring several of the desserts back to our rooms, which Darryl, Drew and Daniella enjoyed.
--The last night we ate at a very good restaurant, the Bonefish Grill, and I was able to top off the meal with chocolate creme brûlée. Fabulous! We all ate well, but because Drew and I were so busy chasing the girls in the water during the day, neither of us seems to have gained any weight. Fingers crossed that we can keep up this trend...
--They spent most of their time playing with we adults in the resort's two pools -- one of which featured a pirate ship; the other of which had a great water slide that Drew and I took liberal advantage of (we loved the rush of swishing down; it was addictive). We ate breakfast in the condo after buying basic groceries, and then lunch and dinner at the resort's grill. I tried several alcohol-infused beverages during the time we were there, and each one gave me a nice, comfortable buzz for the afternoon. The weather was perfect; it was raining when we got there, but then the weather cleared up fast and by Thursday (the day we were scheduled to leave), it was in the mid-80s. I lay out in the sun, went in the pool and played with Rachel and Valerie (I was a monster at one point and Valerie was delighted when I kept growling, "To the shippy!" as a way of dragging her and Rachel to the pirate ship), read from my vast collection of New Yorker magazines, went in the water again, went back out to read...you get the idea. For the first time in a long time, I really tried to just be present and in the moment. And for the most part, it worked.
--The resort had all sorts of activities, but they weren't cheesy or overbearing. They had a magic show the first night, and Rachel and Valerie spent most of the vacation practicing the tricks they'd learned. (And Darryl has mastered a perfect imitation of his daughter: "Can I tell you a joke? You wanna hear a joke?"). On two other nights, they had a campfire and s'mores, and Drew and Darryl got to help the girls roast marshmallows. There was a different guy who played acoustic guitar each night, and the combination of the guitar, the s'mores, the gorgeous sunset and the balmy air was incredibly relaxing and soothing. I didn't realize how much my spirit needed that.
--One night they had a "Downtown Abbey" event -- it was the last episode of the season, and the staff had baked some fancy little cakes and offered tea for guests to watch the show in the big communal TV room. It was lovely, and I got to bring several of the desserts back to our rooms, which Darryl, Drew and Daniella enjoyed.
--The last night we ate at a very good restaurant, the Bonefish Grill, and I was able to top off the meal with chocolate creme brûlée. Fabulous! We all ate well, but because Drew and I were so busy chasing the girls in the water during the day, neither of us seems to have gained any weight. Fingers crossed that we can keep up this trend...
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