The Epic Adventure Continues...

I put together some steel cut oats in the crock pot before I collapsed into bed that first night, knowing that it would be great to wake up in the morning to an easy, yet sustaining, breakfast to start off our big day (seriously, I really should break this day up into 3 separate posts). I was right-- it was perfect. We knew we had to get out of the house fairly early to be able to make the ferry. That's right, we were headed to the Statue of Liberty! I was seriously so excited about this.

The weather was beautiful, just perfect for the day's planned activities. I can't even explain how much I loved using the subway and walking a ton to get around. It really fed my inner urbanite and made me realize how much I hate using a car to get around all of the time. But, I don't really like lots of people and the thought of having a little land excites me, too. What to do?? Clearly, the answer is just to visit NYC often. 

One of the things I loved about the city was all of the fabulous older buildings tucked in amongst the ginormous modern high rises. My sister, Art, thought it would be fun to capture pictures of me feeding my addiction to capturing pictures. I love it. I had to take this shot on our way to the ferry from the subway.

We loved the name of our ferry; she was like a pageant queen, minus the sequins. Art's extra-long arms sure did come in handy on this trip. She was our very own human-selfie-stick. 

You can tell how much fun we were having. I mean, just look at our faces!

I took a few different photos as we were making our approach to the island, both of the Lady and looking back to the city skyline. I can't believe I was there and got to take these photos. So very cool.

It seemed pretty unreal, all of it. But so fantastic!

We didn't get tickets to go up to the crown (we tried in August and they were booked until November!), but being able to go up to the pedestal was good enough for me. 

Just inside the museum, they have the old torch. Can you believe they used to let people up in it?? With only a single 54-rung ladder leading up to it, and just that little waist-high railing to keep you from falling? Yikes! Overcrowding became such a huge issue that they closed access to the public in 1917. Yeah, I wouldn't want to be on that little thing when it was overcrowded. 

The museum was fascinating and I learned a ton. The construction process amazed me. But, I think what stuck with me the most was when I learned that women weren't invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony when Lady Liberty was dedicated, even though they'd been involved in many aspects of making the whole thing happen. Suffragettes rented boats and circled the island during the dedication in protest. Awesome. Just think where women would be today if our predecessors hadn't stood up for our rights that way. Super cool.

There was a long line for the elevator up to the pedestal, so we decided to take the stairs. As we entered the stairwell, there was a sign that said, "Pedestal: 195, Crown: 354" My sister, Martha, who was trailing behind me and the others asked what the numbers meant and I told her it probably was the number of steps we had to climb. She responded, "I certainly hope not!" Well, it was. I think she grumbled something about wishing we'd taken a vote on whether we should take the elevator or the stairs. Ha! I think the stairs made it more of an adventure. :)

Sisters!

I took a ton of photos of the statue, but for me it's also about the little details I see. I loved the green tinge everything has because of the water run-off from the copper.

We ate a fabulous sack lunch (lovingly packed by Opera and Art the day before while they were waiting for us to arrive) there in the shadow of the statue before we caught the ferry to our next destination. Even the seagulls that were stalking our food seemed cooler in a place like that. Or maybe it was just their NY attitude shining through. 

Next up...Ellis Island!

More photos on the ferry ride, of course. This is me, after all.

I've learned the general stories about Ellis Island, but taking the audio tour and learning the details really brought it all to life. So, so fascinating.

And, I mean, look at this:

I'm just really glad that no one used a hook to peel back my eyelids to look for trachoma when we arrived. Look it up. Eeeek!

We weren't sure about our ability to fit in our next stop, but Opera wanted to show us the location of her very first job when she moved to NYC and also give us a look at Wall Street. I was kind of ambivalent about whether we went to Wall Street or not, but boy am I glad we did. It was nothing like I expected. At. All. 

It actually ended up being one of my favorite places. I know I'm weird, but it almost felt cozy. And, oh! The Trinity Church. Fabulous.

Maybe it was because my brain was trying to process all that we had seen and learned at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island earlier in the day, but this stop really felt like an oasis to me. 

I know you probably won't believe it, but we had one more big thing scheduled for the day. And I mean big. 

Yup. The World Trade Center Memorial and Museum. Talk about heavy. And overwhelming. But so good and important to see. We headed in with some daylight still hanging on.

I read some firsthand accounts of 9/11 in the month leading up to our trip. That, coupled with the things to see and learn at the museum made the whole thing so much more real to me. It wasn't just something I had seen on the news from afar anymore, it was something that I felt much more deeply. So sad. So moving. So uplifting. I can't really describe all of the emotions I went through while we were there. Exhausting, I know that. 

I even reached the point where I stopped taking pictures. I just needed to absorb it all. Wow.

After the day we had, it was definitely time for some good food. We lost Opera, who had to go to rehearsal (bummer), but the rest of us forged on toward sustenance. We found just the thing in a delicious meal at Maison Kayser.

It hit the spot, but we still felt in need of more emotional support. What to do? Where to go? Why, to Big Gay Ice Cream, of course, so Martha could get herself a Salty Pimp!

Seems like enough for one day, doesn't it? So amazing, I know that. Okay, next up...museum day! But first I have to get some more steel cut oats ready for the morning...

The Trip of All Trips: #SistersPeteNYC

All I can say is WOW. Seriously. I don't even know where to start. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to break this up into several posts so I can do it justice, so buckle up!

My sister, Opera, lives in New York City and has been urging us to come visit her for years. Finally, with an opportunity to see her perform as the perfect reason, my mom decided that we needed to make it happen. A trip to New York City with my mom, sisters, and one sister-in-law? Yes, please! It was such a bummer that my other sister-in-law, Jazz Hands, couldn't come because she has a new baby, but we promised to do our best to make her feel like she was there by posting lots of photos (a tough one for me, I know). And so, the planning began.

We tend to be a more than slightly anal organized family, so over 100 emails in the chain and one Google doc later we had the perfect plan for our 4 days in NYC. It sure helped that Opera lives there now and my older sister, Martha, used to live there. They made sure to group things that were near each other so we could maximize our experiences. (We have since had friends request the Google doc for help planning their own trips.)

The adventure started bright and early (5:45 am!) on a Wednesday morning as my mom came by so we could drive to the airport together. I'm not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, but for some reason it's a lot easier to get up super early to go to NYC than it was to get up to do my paper route in high school. Gee, I wonder why. Ha!

When we got to NYC, my mom and I waited at the airport for Martha and Jewel to arrive from Portland. Then we took the air train from the airport, bought ourselves Metro passes and boarded the subway. So fun. This would be my first taste of what our week was going to be like. Lots of subway and bus rides around the city (and A LOT of walking-- like 61,000 steps in 4 days!). I'm just glad that all I had to do was follow the people who knew where they were going. 

Martha found a great place for us to stay via Air B&B. The top floor of a Harlem brownstone, just a few minutes walk from Opera's place. Light, bright, clean, and a great deal (with 2 bathrooms!)--perfect. I actually really liked being able to leave the craziness of the crowds behind at the end of the day to return to our quiet place and unwind. I can't imagine staying in a busy hotel in the middle of it all. My sister, Art, got there a little earlier than the rest of us, so she took a few photos out the windows of where we were staying. So cool.

Since it was pretty late in the afternoon by the time we got to the place we were staying, we only had two things planned for that evening. First up, dinner at Harlem Shake:

We were super sad that Jazz Hands couldn't be with us. 

It was a bummer that Opera couldn't join us, either, but she had rehearsal. That's why she's in some of the photos from our activities but not in others. We were just glad that she was able to do as many things with us as she did. 

I can hardly believe the next place we got to go. I mean, I used to watch the show on tv when I was a kid! Yup....

I'm at The Apollo for amateur night! We bought some cute earrings from a fabulous woman with a table set up outside the theater. How I wish I'd gotten her picture. Loved her!

I took a photo in the bathroom of the theater because it reminded me of Jazz Hands-- they used to have black sinks in their bathroom and she hated trying to keep them looking clean and spot-free. It almost made me feel like she was there with us in spirit. :)

Having a great time.

Two of the contestants were handicapped-- one blind, one in a wheelchair. There was NO WAY we were going to boo them. I mean, would you be able to? 

We were all pretty tired from getting up so early to make our flights, and we knew a big day was ahead, so we were pretty happy to head home and sleep after the show. And, since the next day is so big it really deserves its own post. Maybe even two or three. (Boy, how to condense it all? This is kind of daunting!) I guess I'd better just go for it. 

October's On

Pen's birthday got October off to a great start (like it always does). There were just a few other things that went on in the first couple weeks of the month. It was actually pretty low-key and enjoyable.  

We finally got to experience our first real fall-feeling day of the year. The girls convinced me to take them to get a hot drink by telling me that they'd buy me one, too. Okay, twist my arm! It was nice to sit out in the crisp-ish feeling air, talking and sipping. Such a fun thing to do with my teens.

Edith knows what October is all about. And since she's growing, she knows she's running out of time to sport her favorite costume. What a cutie. Everything about my childhood would have been so different if Wonder Woman had actually ridden a horse. It was only for the day, though, because her invisible jet was in the shop.

We watched Ginger play in her last few games of the season (so sad it's over). I'm glad she had such a great time playing with her team. I hope she's able to play again next year because I really love to watch.

There were seagulls flying overhead. A bunch of them. I kept one eye on the game and one eye on them. They aren't to be trusted.

Big had plans to sport this awesome wig for crazy hair day at school, but ultimately decided it was too itchy. Isn't he lovely?

Edith was hard at work on her new novel: The Camel.

I love how Ginger has no problems just being herself. I walked in one afternoon to find her listening to music on her phone like this:

Safety first. Always.

The biggest thing to happen in the first part of October was that we launched a Kickstarter for the kids' video game! It is so important to us to fulfill the promise we made to them a few years ago that we would find a way to make their game. It's a fabulous idea and it deserves to be made-- especially with all of the hard work they put in. I know that the kids thought we had pushed it to the side and that it would never happen, but Rophone never gave up on finding a way. We're super excited that the kids are getting to see how important it is to work hard and never give up, and if you've never done something you learn and study so you can! 

I can't wait to see what happens. I love my family and the things we do. I'm excited for more!

The Dancing Queen

It's true! Now that Pen is officially seventeen, we can call her that. ABBA says so. We didn't do anything super grand for Pen's birthday, but sometimes low-key is just perfect. 

Pen is a part of Dance Company at school and she was supposed to be with them the weekend of her birthday, competing at a Shakespeare festival a few hours away. Bummer for Pen that she had to stay home to retake the SAT (since the test was administered incorrectly the first time). So, we tried to make it up to her by pulling her out of school and taking her to lunch. I ended up having to stay home with a sick Edith, but lucky Ginger got to tag along. I'm just happy they brought some Thai food home for me.

After dinner that night, we opened gifts, of course. All of her siblings made her a little card and gave her something small (sometimes re-gifted). :) It was so sweet. 

I went for it and made Pen a vegan chai tea spice cake for her birthday. We forgot to buy the vegan butter to make the frosting, but thank heavens just about everything is good with powdered sugar on it. This cake was so good in fact, that I doubt anyone would ever guess it was vegan if you gave them a slice. Bud wants it for his next birthday, de-veganized with vanilla bean whipping cream frosting. 

I still can't believe Pen is 17!

  

Happy Birthday, Dancing Queen! We love you!