NE Vacation, Days 4 & 5

We reluctantly departed Aunt Pat's house after breakfast on Monday. Our plan was to go to Plymouth Plantation. We drove to Plymouth and had lunch at a nearby Friendly's. While there, I noticed the Thursday forecast had turned to rain. I told the kids that while there was plenty of time for the forecast to change, if it did rain, we would not be able to go to Battleship Cove. We decided to skip Plymouth and go to Battleship Cove instead. Plymouth sounded super fun, but also very similar to Jamestown. And, since the replica Mayflower is out for renovations, I think it was the right call.

Battleship Cove is the world's largest collection of World War II naval vessels. It also has a maritime museum. I went there as a kid, although it did not have as many ships or exhibits then. We walked around a destroyer, submarine, and battleship. They give you pretty much free rein to walk about the ships. There are some areas that are blocked off, but for the most part you can explore freely. They had a few volunteers onboard and in other areas, they played taped recordings of former crew members discussing their jobs. It was fun and Jack especially loved it.

After Battleship Cove, we went to our rental house, which is amazing! I actually like the floor plan better than our regular house. Jack agreed to share a room with Luke, since Luke did not want to be alone. The girls each have their own space. There is a washer and dryer and plenty or room to spread out. It is very nice and in a good location for the sites of Southern Massachusetts. We went out to dinner and then to the store to pick up breakfast foods.

Tuesday, we took the kids to Edaville. It is a regional amusement park. Again, another place I visited as a kid. The heat index was 105! It was ridiculous. But, the fact that it was a Tuesday and swelteringly hot meant light crowds. The kids walked on all the rides and we did the train ride around the cranberry bogs. The train ride was almost an hour when I was a kid and you could get off on the other side of the lake and fish. Now, the train ride is only 20 minutes and it is pulled by Thomas the Train. But, it was cool to see the cranberry bogs and we all enjoyed it. One crazy thing was the park had the most insane bumper cars. They were super fast and pretty violent. I was riding with Luke and Jack bumped us and half the car lifted from the ground! We were very careful to avoid any head on collisions! We stayed until about 4, when we couldn't take the heat any longer. We got Chinese food for dinner and relaxed at our rental house for the rest of the night.

Everyone loves a little drop tower

They're 2, they're 4, they're 6, they're 8 shunting trucks and hauling freight...

They were posing like mannequins

New Hampshire

When I was 10, my family moved from Massachusetts to Florida. In doing so, we left behind all of our extended family. My mom had 3 siblings and my dad had 6. All of whom lived in the area. Many of them I haven't seen since we left. The one I probably have had the most regular contact with is my mom's sister--Patricia (Pat). We didn't visit Ma often, but we always saw Aunt Pat when we did and she came to FL a couple of times. Thomas and I had Thanksgiving dinner at her house the year we were in Newport for Justice School and she and her brothers visited when my mom was sick and were there for her funeral. In fact, Aunt Pat gave her eulogy. So, it was very important to me to see her during this vacation. We spent two nights at her house to start the New England portion of our vacation.

Sunday morning my Aunt prepared a brunch for some family members. In total there were 15. It was nice to visit with family we rarely see. One cousin I don't think I have seen since I was 10. There were 3 other "kids" there, but they were a lot older than my kids. However, they were super patient and spent a lot of time playing games with our kids. Luke discovered a new favorite--Spot It. He must have played 30 games with two of his sweet cousins. The food was delicious and we had a really nice time. It was fun to talk about DNA with the kids and tell them that they shared genetics with 14 people in the room (one cousin by marriage was the sole exclusion). 

After everyone left, we wanted to see the Clydesdales at the Annheuser Busch factory, but the stables were closed for a wedding. Instead, we went to the local outlets and bought Anna some sneakers. She brought an older pair and they were just too small. I was pretty annoyed at her, since she has sneakers that fit, but with all the walking we are doing, it was important to get her a good pair. Fortunately, they had a Nike outlet and we got a great deal. It was a really nice outlet mall. Then, it was back to Aunt Pat's for dinner. She had made a lasagna with salad and chicken. It was a great meal. In fact, our whole stay was full of great meals. Aunt Pat took fantastic care of us and was a good example to me of hosting. I am not nearly as gracious or prepared as she is when we have guests! 

Aunt Pat had printed out some of my mom's e-mails and let me read through them. The only part that made me sad was I don't think I was as caring as I should have been when she was diagnosed with the cancer (especially the first time, since she died so quickly after the reoccurrence). I just don't remember being there the way I should have been. I also don't think I conveyed to her how wonderful I thought she was. I hope that I am wrong and she knew how much I loved and appreciated her. As Thomas can attest, I always loved and admired my mother, but I do think it took on new meaning when I had children of my own and could see the perspective of both a mother and a child. I think of her on a daily basis and there is so much I wish I could share with her. Being with my Aunt was a bit like being with my mom. They have similar mannerisms and patterns of speech. It is hard to explain, but I could definitely see my mom in my conversations with her. It was reassuring to be with someone who knew her and loved her. I asked lots of questions about my mom and my grandma and it is a definite highlight of this trip.

But all good things must come to and end and we left after breakfast on Monday. My kids kept remarking, "you were right mom, she is so nice," I felt like I introduced them to a piece of my mother. Obviously, they are very different people, but she is more similar to my mom than anyone else on the planet and it was a comfort to me and I was grateful to introduce her to my kids.

Freedom Trail

We got to Boston just before 10 and were able to find a parking spot in the Boston Common’s lot.  We walked all through the park, which was incredibly beautiful, before starting the Freedom Trail.  

I took this cool picture of Kara and Thomas with a George Washington statute...

A nice man offered to take a family photo, but Luke wouldn't cooperate and he cut off the General's head!

These pictures don't convey, but it was so beautiful.

The Freedom Trail connects 19 of the Revolutionary War sites. My favorite was the Old South Meeting House. In 1773, 5000 Boston residents (about 1/3 of the city’s population) squeezed in to discuss the injustices being inflicted upon them by the British and specifically what to do about the 3 ships full of tea currently in the Harbor. When the British took over Boston, they knew the importance of the building and therefore turned it into a horse riding school! They gutted the church and brought in 8000 pounds of dirt. After the war, it took the congregation 8 years to make it usable for worship. They had a fun scavenger hunt and everyone had a great time. It was a very cool building. And, we learned, among other things, where the term sounding board came from.

The thing hanging over them is the sounding board, which help amplify the speaker.

After the Old South Meeting House, we saw an old used bookstore. Thomas, Kara and Jack went inside to look around. Luke was sitting inside his stroller when a little Origami flower came floating down from the sky, landing in his cup holder. We looked up to see a little girl waving from an open window a few stories up. It was a very surreal moment.

Luke holding his flower in front of the building it dropped from.

There were lots of other cool stops. We really enjoyed seeing the Old State House. On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read there publicly for the first time. They had lots of great exhibits.

Luke in front of John Hancock's door. It was a pretty cool piece of history.

Jack signing some important document.

We saw Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church. We walked through old cemeteries and across a big bridge. We got to tour the USS Constitution, which was pretty awesome.

Kara with Paul Revere's house

One if by land, two if by sea...

Taking a well-earned ice cream break

Inside the USS Constitution. So many canons!

About 6 hours from the time we started, we finally made it to the last stop, Bunker Hill. Everyone was tired, however, some were determined to climb the stairs. But, Luke had to go to the bathroom and frankly, I was happy for an excuse to skip it. I remembered being sore after climbing the steps in Antietam and this one is considerably taller (294 steps). Thomas, Kara and Jack climbed up. They said it was really hot and crowded. Luke, Anna and I hung out in the air-conditioned gift shop. I think I made the right call!

They don't look the least bit tired!

We took a more direct route back to our car and left the city. We stopped for dinner at a Cracker Barrel on our way to my Aunt's house. We arrived around 7:15 and were able to catch up a bit before sending the kids to bed. It was an exhausting, but super fun day.

Car Problems and Vacation Day 1

On August 11, I was taking the kids to our Six Flags to go to the waterpark. Suddenly our car just stopped working. It was crazy! There was probably less than 20 seconds of notice. One minute we were driving, then it stopped accelerating. Before I could process what was going on, the car was stopping. I didn’t even have time to get it fully off the road. Fortunately, we were on a two-lane road and not a highway. Also, fortunately, we were at an area where I could pull off and there was a line of sight so I wasn’t worried about us getting rammed into, despite my bumper being in the roadway.  I called Roadside Assistance and after going through a completely automated process was informed that a tow truck would arrive within 45 minutes. I also called Thomas and told him what was going on. He left work to come meet us. I was close to an hour away from his work. But, he arrived before the tow truck and was able to get the car to start. He decided to drive it back and I followed him with the kids in our car. The check engine light was the only sign the something was wrong. We brought it straight to the dealer.  They didn’t have a chance to look at it until Monday, when they said nothing was wrong, but they were going to check a couple more things “tomorrow” (tomorrow became a recurring theme).

Long story short(er), by the end of the week, they had finally found the problem—the catalytic converter had burned out. Since that doesn’t happen on a car with 11,000 miles, they figured something was wrong with the car’s software.  They had given us a loaner, but it was not big enough for the family. I was not okay with having another weekend with no family car. Also, I was very worried about our upcoming trip. Chrysler Cares said they would give me up to $45/day for a rental and once one of the dealer’s larger rentals was available, I could take that. However, when I called our local car rental place, a minivan was 3x that much! And, Chrysler (doesn’t) Cares said the money would run out as soon as the car was ready and if I took a loaner, I would have to return it when my car was ready or pay the hefty rental fee. So, if we left for our vacation on a Friday and our car was ready Saturday, we could be looking at well over $1000 for the loaner. I was very upset with all this. Our car is less than a year old! There was nothing CC could do, but forward it to their escalation department, who had one business day to call me back. Since it was Friday, that meant they would call Monday (which, they didn’t).  I went to the dealer and talked to 5 different people before it was worked out that I could have a rental minivan and keep it during my trip regardless of when our car was ready and not have to pay overage miles. The dealer was actually very nice, helpful and reasonable. The Chrysler Cares people were not! To this day, I have not been able to speak to the people in the escalation department. They called me several days later, but I could not answer and I have not been able to get them on the phone since.  Our car is still not ready, the Engineers are trying to work out why this happened and they expect to have a solution by the “end of the month.” We shall see. Since we were able to go on our vacation with a minivan, I am not nearly as upset as I was. But, our car is much nicer than the rental and since it is a hybrid it uses way less gas. Plus, we have to pay a fee to use their EZ Pass and several other minor inconveniences that are frustrating when we are paying a lot of money for our vehicle.

For our vacation this summer, we decided to go to Massachusetts. I have wanted to take the kids to the place of my birth for many years. But, the trip kept getting postponed. This year I was determined to make it happen.  And, here we are. It is Sunday morning and I am sitting on my Aunt’s couch in New Hampshire while everyone else is sleeping.

We left on Friday at 6:15 in the morning. Day 1 of our trip was Six Flags New Jersey. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned, Six Flags passes are good at any of the parks. Our home park is America, which is near D.C. But, the one in New Jersey is infinitely better and we love going there. Since it is on the way, we added an extra day to our vacation to visit. We made one stop along the way and rolled in at 10:15. The park was much more crowded than when we visited in May, but still very manageable. We had a great day! Luke has suddenly gained ride bravery, which coincided with him hitting the 42” mark. He enjoyed the little roller coasters and we even got to ride a fun family ride—Escape to Metropolis, which I know I wrote about earlier this year.

A fun "big kid" ride!

We left there around 6:30 to continue our drive. I used the Waze App to try and plan out the best driving times, or at least reasonable ones, since driving at 3AM on a Sunday morning was not an option. Our primary concern was getting through New York City. Although we haven’t made the drive often, one thing that stood out from previous trips is that it is always miserable to try and get through NYC. And, it was. We wanted to get most of our driving done on Friday, so I had booked a hotel in Sturbridge, MA. It took us 4.5 hours to drive the 220 miles. Which wasn’t terrible, but probably amounted to about an hour of sitting in traffic.  The kids all slept, at least briefly in the car. Luke was playing his Kindle when around 8:45 he remarked on how he wasn’t tired at all. I told him that he would probably have more luck sleeping if I took his Kindle. I knew how exhausted he was when he did not protest. I barely had it out of hands before he fell soundly asleep.

Everyone fell asleep easily at the hotel. We were all up by 7:30 the next day, which is actually pretty good for a hotel. We showered and had our hotel breakfast and were back in the car by 9. Saturday’s plan was to visit the Freedom Trail in Boston and then get to my Aunt’s house between 6-7.

Marta and Elizabeth

My sister's family left on Sunday. Thursday, our next guests rolled in around dinner time. It was my good friends Marta and Elizabeth. They arrived just in time for dinner. We had a nice, quiet evening together.

I took Friday off from work and we drove to Kings Dominion. The forecast was vacillating on whether it would rain, but we decided to chance it. And, the gamble paid off. It was the least crowded I have ever seen the park. And, the rain never came. We got to see their Cirque show and walked on every ride we wanted to go on. Almost everyone tried something new. Jack went on their giant roller coaster--the Intimidator. I rode as well and it was too much for me. I like fun roller coasters, not death defying ones. Intimidator was just too fast. But, Jack, Thomas, and Elizabeth liked it. Kara went on her first looping roller coaster and she loved it! Me, Thomas, Jack and Elizabeth all tried out one of their newer rides--Delirium. It was pretty fun too. Luke went on their kid's roller coaster, which is medium-sized and his biggest to date. He has attempted it before, but always chickened out once we got to the front of the line. But, this time, he tried it and he loved it!!! The park was so empty we were the only ones on and we rode twice in a row. He is ready for Splash and  Big Thunder Mountains! All in all it was a perfect amusement park day.

Marta and the kids

Elizabeth, Marta and the kids at the top of the Eiffel Tower

View from the top

Saturday, Thomas, Anna and Elizabeth went into the city to tour the Capitol building. The rest of us went to the movies and saw Hotel Transylvania 3. Sunday, we had a barbecue. I think we just stayed at home and played games. It was really hot outside. They had to leave on Monday. I went into work in the morning but left at lunchtime to spend a few hours with them before they left.

It was a really nice visit. I am very grateful for Marta's friendship. I am not sure if I have written about her before. Shortly after graduating, I went out to lunch with my mom and sister and Marta was there having lunch with some mutual friends. I mentioned I was looking for a job and after telling her my degree was in Psychology she told me to give her a call. She was hiring for the Winter Haven Hospital's behavioral health department. I interviewed and got the job as a case manager. It was my first professional job. Marta was a great boss. She happened to live in the same neighborhood and we went to the same church. Almost immediately, we became very close.

I only worked for her for a year, but the friendship stayed strong. She took me to look at law schools, paying for the entire trip. That trip is what lead me to the decision to attend Washington and Lee, which is where I met Thomas. I would not have been able to go without her. She has been there for the birth of each of our children. Unfortunately, my mom died shortly after Jack and Anna were born. Marta helped fill a giant hole in my (and their lives). I am not sure what we would have done without her. She watched Jack and Anna when Kara was born and watched all 3 when I had Luke. She has been present for many milestones and even came to Tennessee to watch the kids so Thomas and I could have a much-needed weekend away. We often stay with her when we visit Florida (she has more space than my other family members). In other words, she is an integral part of our lives. I like to think that I have also played a large, positive, role in her life, although I am sure the impact is not nearly as great.

We have been close now for almost 20 years. My children call her Grandma Marta. Obviously, no one can replace my mother, but since they have no "real" living grandmother alive, it definitely fills a void. I am so thankful for Marta's friendship. And, I have watched Elizabeth grow from a tiny toddler to a beautiful, smart, woman. We all adore her and I love being part of their lives!

And, just for fun, some ride photos:

Silly pose for the camera.

Jack and Elizabeth can handle the speed.

Thomas' necklace kept whacking him in the face

He liked it more than his face lets on.

Personality Tests

Recently, our office spent a day doing Emergenetics. Similar to the Myers Briggs (INTJ) and other personality profiling (Red), I wasn't expecting to gain much insight during the process and I didn't. But, I did enjoy a day out of the office and self-exploration is generally an interesting way to spend a few hours. This particular test divides your personality into 4 areas: Structural, Analytical, Social and Conceptual. I was 64% Structural,  24% Analytical, 8% Social and 4% Conceptual. This means that I am governed by rules and numbers. This is similar to the majority of the population, although my structural (rules based) is considerably higher than the average and my social and conceptual considerably lower.

The other part of the test provided a scale of three qualities on a spectrum. I scored at the far left on the expressiveness scale, meaning I am much more quiet than gregarious. On the assertiveness scale, I was more easygoing than driving (which surprised me) and the last scale said I am focused and not welcoming to change.

Thomas scored similarly to me in all areas. It was nice that he got to take the test, although I think I could have accurately predicted his results. As we went through the day, I found myself wondering about my children. Where do they fall on these various scales and how does that affect our interactions? The older, and more introspective, I get, the more I realize how strong the "nature" aspect of personality is. When I was younger, I genuinely did not understand that two people could have the same experience and perceive it in two completely different ways. That is still something I struggle with. And, if people have different perceptions, then they have a different reality. So, how I parent one child may be ineffective for another. Understanding this, and putting into action, particularly when I have my own personality preferences, does not come naturally to me.

On a somewhat related note, in the class they gave an example of a group wanting to go to lunch. What would one person do when the group they were with wanted Italian when they really wanted Thai? Some personalities would work hard to change the mind of the group, some would go along with the group happily, convinced that Italian really was the best option after all. Some would vocalize their displeasure and others would be silent. I know exactly what I would do--I wouldn't try to change the group's mind, and if it really mattered to me, I would leave the group and go get the Thai. I know this is true because this exact situation happened to me recently. I was with coworkers at a symposium at National Harbor. When discussing lunch options, one person mentioned Chinese and the group as a whole nodded in agreement. When asked if I was going to join in, I simply responded negatively, that instead I was going to get a lobster roll. I had walked by the lobster roll place the day before and had decided that I would visit for lunch the following day. I didn't try to convince anyone to join me (although, I would have been fine if someone did); I wasn't swayed by the fact that I would be dining alone and the only one not eating with the group.

I didn't think much of it at the time, but when the example came up in class, I realized that not everyone would react the same way. And, my personality test had accurately predicted those very results! It is very interesting to me to realize that someone who really wanted Thai food would eat Italian just to be part of a group, just like it is probably very interesting to another personality type that someone would forgo the social interaction of a group lunch and eat alone just because they preferred a different type of restaurant (especially considering I like Chinese food). My expectation is generally that people will react and behave in the same manner I would and it was a good reminder that I need to be conscientious of innate differences.

Overall, I am content with who I am. Although, I do wish I was a bit more social. I wish I was better at maintaining friendships and I wish I knew more of the right things to say.  I also know I lack some other basic social skills. I am not thoughtful, even though I want to be, I am terrible at acknowledging birthdays and special occasions (except with my kids, but that is easy). And, I am lousy listener. It is often hard for me to tune in to what others are saying.  But, I am very loyal and a great secret keeper and I try very hard not to gossip and to be kind.

On the one hand, it is nice to have justification for the things I need to work on. On the other hand, I know logically it is just an excuse. So, while I didn't gain any insight, I did get a much-needed reminder to be patient with myself and those around me.

And that, my friends, concludes today's inner thoughts.

July, Part 2

On Thursday, July 19th, Thomas and Kara went to a Bowie Baysox game. The Baysox are affiliated with the Orioles and were playing the AA team affiliated with the Tigers. Thomas has been talking about going for years and I am not sure why we waited so long. He and Kara had a great time. They sat right behind the Tiger's (actually the Seawolves) dugout. Since Kara is a cute kid and was wearing Tigers gear in a crowd full of Orioles attire, she obviously gained favor and got tossed a ball. The whole family returned on Friday, Kara brought the ball and got several autographs.

It was NASA night and there were lots of booths set up around the stadium with displays. We saw cool pictures of outer space, learned about asteroids and even got to try controlling a robot. Thomas and the girls were walking around at one point and saw one of the Tigers top prospects in line at a food stand (he is a pitcher and wasn't pitching that night). Thomas called the girls over and got a selfie. He was super excited! The girls were confused, they thought Thomas was asking the man to take a picture of them and wondered why he was getting in the shot. A little bit later, another top prospect was walking by and Thomas grabbed Luke (the big kids were walking around) and got Luke to ask for an autograph. It was funny, he was saying, "I need a kid, where are the kids? Luke, come on!" 

It was a fun game and they had amazing fireworks after. Hopefully, we can go back and see more games with the Seawolves.

Thomas the girls and the future MLB Tigers pitcher. Thomas said he was very nice.

NASA night!

The 21st was my birthday. The big 41. I have lots of thoughts about getting older. But, I don't want to focus on the today. Thomas cleaned the kitchen to an amazing level, getting everything off the counters and put away (although, it is starting to creep back in). And, he ordered me a pillow from Hilton. We had stayed at a hotel several months ago and I commented on how much I loved the pillow and he tracked it down for me. He is a very thoughtful gift giver. The girls made some gifts and everyone was nice to me. I went to lunch and a movie with my friend Kayce and had a nice day.

On Sunday, my sister, niece and nephew arrived from Florida. My brother's wife, Sheryl came down with their kids (my brother was out of town). This meant almost all the cousins from my side of the family were present for the first time ever (just missing Sarah, who is 24 and lives in Arkansas). It was great to see everyone and we had a nice dinner together.

Almost all the cousins from the Hubert side

I took Monday off from work, we dropped Luke at daycare and headed to DC for some big kid fun. We went to the International Spy Museum, lunch and the American History Museum.

It was a fun day. I had to work on Tuesday. I took Wednesday afternoon off and we went bowling. Thursday, I had to work, but met everyone for lunch at Nicoletti's.  On Thursday night, Thomas and I took Jack to see Hamilton! The tickets were bought well before we knew the date of my sister's visit, but she was kind and offered to watch the other kids for us. We had a great time, although we preferred the New York cast. The cast in DC played the characters in a more silly way. It was especially noticeable with Burr, who seemed almost like the caricature of an evil villain.  The play just didn't have the same emotional weight. Maybe some would prefer it that way, but we liked the way Burr was portrayed when we saw it in New York. Regardless, it was still a brilliant show and Jack loved it. Friday, I was off from work and we went to the DC zoo.

The girls 

The cousins and Kolten :)

It was a very full week. We had a great visit with them. I love my sister and wish that we lived closer. I am glad that my kids get to know their cousins, much more than I did growing up, although I wish they could have even more time together.  Unfortunately, all good things must end and Saturday was the end of their visit. My brother and his family came down for a couple of hours to say goodbye. It was hard to say goodbye to everyone. But, we made ourselves feel better by going to Star Wars night at the Blue Crabs. It was fireworks night and they played Star Wars music during a fairly lengthy display. The fireworks were pretty amazing and we had a fantastic time!

The 23rd was Thomas' birthday and he was pretty neglected. I did make him a carrot cake (a day late, but didn't do much else for him).  I would like to say the baseball game was his gift, but it wasn't. Sorry Thomas!