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Snow Season Begins

Posted on October 29, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL.

When we drove to get NHL at school on Thursday, I told you that it was snowing. I do not think that you believed me since it was small, pellet-like flakes with the rainy mist. I knew it was snowing and had no doubt you would soon believe me.

After we tried to get NHL’s percussion set in school, we stood outside and big white snow flakes started to fly around. You were in heaven. You ran around screaming “Mommy you was not lying to me – it really is snowin’!”

Of course, I told you I would never lie about snow. That was what we call sarcasm, something that you will probably be very good at dishing out one day soon enough.

By the time we got home and settled in, the ground was getting coated.

Friday morning on the way to school, you tossed on your rain boots and insisted on parading in the snow before it melted away. The bad news, it is pretty much gone. The good news (at least as far as you are concerned), tomorrow morning you may wake up to 5-9 inches of fresh new white snow to play in. I know you are excited, but I am not ready for the winter to be here so early.

Love,

Mommy

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Dear Kid Saturday jsl kid talk photos weather winter

Disney Anniversary Dreaming Again

Posted on October 24, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It has been almost two months since we had to cancel out 10th Anniversary trip to Walt Disney World. TechyDad and I had planned a five night stay in Orlando without the kids. When we finally decided to splurge and go to a location for our ten year anniversary, Disney just seemed natural to us. A magical honeymoon and subsequent trips back with the kids made it a quick and easy choice. We were going to bring the kids to stay with Bubbe and Grandpa while we went to Disney alone. Then, as I wrote after the case Mother Nature had other plans.

Looking back at the trip that never was makes me sad. I see people Tweet and talk about restaurants that we had advanced dining reservations for. What was harder at the time, I saw pictures from people at the parks Labor Day weekend and the Magic Kingdom was decked out in fall decorations. Each time I saw a picture, a piece of my heart crumbled more and more. Of course, as time moved past the trip, I was ok. I knew that we made the right choice. We were responsible adults. Then, as school started, there was no time to dwell on what could and should have been. I was focused on getting the boys back into the swing of things. We had to adjust to nursery school five days a week and life in third grade.

Now, it is almost November and my heart is heavy again. I long for a time to get away with TechyDad.

We are trying to see if we can figure out a time that will work for us to get away. It will probably have to wait until the kids are done with school because their crazy schedules really do complicate things. Nothing is really set in stone yet, but I think about it often. I wonder when we may finally get a chance if we will be able to get reservation to California Grill in time for the fireworks. Will we be lucky enough to snag a time to eat at other places that were on our agenda? I suppose only time will tell. Until then, I know that we were safe during the storm, and that we will one day have a magical adventure to our favorite destination again.

P.S. I am not the only one that wrote about our trip that never was. TechyDad also did a Travelogue of the Trip That Irene Canceled – Part 1 and Part 2.

Categories:
Disney dreams looking back me moments photos TechyDad weather

Apple Picking Field Trip

Posted on September 22, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Living in New York State, we are lucky that we have a lot of apple orchards around us. Not only can we get fresh apples during the right season, but in many instances we can go and pick our own. Last year, JSL’s school was supposed to go on a trip. Thanks to the weather, it was canceled. This year, we hoped that the weather would behave and the kids would be able to go apple picking at Indian Ladder Farms.

When we got up Wednesday morning, the fog was thick and it was pretty wet outside. A light drizzle was in the air, but nothing too bad. Thanks to this, the ground was not very nice, but it could have been a lot worse. JSL wore his boots and was all set to go.

I had worried that we may arrive late since we had to travel a bit after dropping NHL off to school, but we made it in time and were able to wait with the other kids and families there for the fun morning. While we were waiting for everyone else to arrive, we decided to buy a bag to pick some extra apples for home.

The main reason we opted to do this is thanks to the selection that would be picked today. The Jonagold are a favorite and we hoped to find some of these to share with TechyDad and NHL.

The little guy was very excited to get into the fields to pick some apples. We quickly realized that he was smart to keep his hood up. Thanks to the damp morning, you were rained on as you pulled the apples off the branches. Not to worry though, JSL thought this was pretty funny and got into the apple picking.

Some of the trees were not in the best of shape. I’m not sure if this is because they were already picked over, or if Hurricane Irene had something to do with it. JSL and I still managed to move a few rows into the trees and found lots of apples to take home.

Going alone with the little guy was special. He was so proud to pick apples on his own and put them into our big bag. At one point, I made sure to stop him for a photo with an apple that he had plucked off a tree.

Before too long, our bag was filled and it was time to head to our car.

Yes, we have a good amount of apples to hold us over until we are able to go apple picking with the entire family. The little guy was so upset that he could not lift the bag, but I told him it just meant that we did a really good job.

After moving the car, the classes took turns going on a hayride around the fields behind the big store/barn.

Even at about 10:15, it was still really foggy. The fog lifting off over the mountains was gorgeous. Here’s a quick shot I was able to snag:

Then, we had snacks under a tent – JSL enjoyed the donuts that the nursery school brought (I promised to buy cider donuts to take home).

The kids were given money to buy food to feed the animals. I wish I had gotten a shot of JSL – he was brave and tried it, but I was helping him with the machine. The goats ate it too quickly.

Of course, there were even more animals down a bit from the first group.

Then, it was time to say goodbye to everyone from nursery school and head into the Indian Ladder Farms store. Here, we picked up from cider donuts and a bread for home. Of course, JSL was able to have one of the donuts in the car since that is a tradition after going here.

Despite the rain that greeted us in the morning, we had a fantastic time at the apple picking location. I know that JSL and I will have fun thinking of ways to use all of the apples we picked and heading back with the rest of our family to get more apples soon.

Have you gone apple picking this year? If you have what are your plans for all of your apples?

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food glorious food fun jsl Local Business me moments milestone photos sahm school weather yummy

Enough With the Weather

Posted on September 9, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Weather – not exactly the topic of choice for a blog post, yet it is one that is on my mind. You see, in my part of NY, we expect weather issues in the winter. Ice and snow often keep us home, make driving treacherous, and cause damage to our home. This is not usually true in the spring, summer, and fall. These seasons are relatively quiet most years.

Mother Nature apparently decided that she was going to get our attention this summer. Over the last two and a half weeks, it has been wild, wacky, and down right deadly in certain locations.

Tuesday, August 23 – The boys and I just got into our car that had been serviced. As I turned the key, the car started to buck violently. The boys did not seem to notice. I got out of the car. This is when I felt dizzy and like my knees were going to go out from underneath me. This should have been my clue, but I was tired and getting ready for a romantic 10th Anniversary getaway with TechyDad. Thanks to Twitter, I quickly learned that what I had felt was not my car – it was an earthquake. Yes, in NY we were experiencing the quake that started in Virginia. Linda Carmical wrote about the social media connection and how word spread.

Sunday, August 28 – Hurricane Irene, came up the east coast and left a major impression on regions that were a lot further inland than ever expected. Thanks to this monster storm, we had to cancel said trip to Disney World. Roads were flooded throughout NY, bridges closed, and rivers running into homes that are gone. We were so lucky, but so many others were not.

For a few days, the weather was quiet. The sun came out. People started to clean up, repair homes, and move back into areas that had been evacuated by the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. Then it changed.

Sunday, September 4 – While at a birthday party, my father called us. He wanted to let us know that there were tornado warnings throughout the area. Sure enough, when we looked outside the wind was wild and the sky rather black. The party was over and we knew that closer to our house was getting better. As we left Chuck E Cheese, a clap of thunder shook the entire parking lot. A car alarm went off, and the sky was lit up with bolts of lightning. As we drove you could see the ominous sky fading behind us. By the time we reached our home the news of a tornado in Amsterdam had been confirmed. Here is a video that was filmed of the Tornado crossing the NY State Thruway (at about 5:48 in the video):

This seemed to open the rain up to the area again.

Monday to Thursday, September 5-8 – Yes, Mother Nature decided to dump more water on the area already inundated with flooding after Hurricane Irene. Welcome the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee. Pieces were not picked up and inches of water were back all this week. Back to school has been gray, rain filled, and nasty. The Mohawk and Hudson Rivers, along with countless other creeks and waterways are over their banks. Watching the reports out of Binghamton, NY and other areas just breaks my heart. At midnight on Wednesday, areas in Schenectady County that had been evacuated during Irene were once again in chaos. People were told to leave immediately as water started to spill into the streets.

My heart goes out to all of those who have been dealing with this horrible weather and damage. We will be working on a project to help locals with items that are needed. Of course, I so wish we could bring some of the water to those in Texas. Thanks to the drought that area could really use it to help stop the raging wildfires.

So my question to you this week:

Do you recall many natural disasters from your childhood? If you do what were they and how did they change your life? Dare I ask . . . how is the weather by you?

I hardly recall any other hurricanes in our area. I remember them going to Long Island and places south of us, but no flooding in our region like this. This week, we are expecting the sun to return, which is much needed. Of course, this flooding will be an on going issue with any additional rain for months.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #168

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Aloha Friday bad news looking back messy photos real world news summer twitter weather

The Trip That Never Was Thanks to Hurricane Irene

Posted on August 29, 2011 9:50 am by TheAngelForever

For weeks, I have been writing up posts to schedule. At one point I had two weeks set and would not need anything until after Labor Day. Two guest posts are set for this week alone. I was on a roll, things were flying onto my computer from my fingertips. Then things changed. Our world became obsessed with watching the news, checking on weather reports, and debating what to do.

I should be on the road to Long Island, NY right now (writing this Sunday afternoon). Instead, I am home watching record amounts of water fall outside my home. I am numb. Worry for family, friends, and our own home is not letting all of the reality set in. All I can do is sit here and wait on my bed with power (for now), but no internet or cable

You see, Tuesday morning I should be getting on an airplane. TechyDad and I decided in late July that we were going to just do something crazy. We were going to figure out a way to do a 10th Anniversary trip. We looked at several different options. In the end, we wanted something magical, something that would remind us of our honeymoon. Of course, that was a trip to Walt Disney World.

My in-laws agreed to watch the boys for the first time ever. I was nervous about a quick trip (we booked in the end of July) and leaving the kids to only get back home the day before school started, but they would be fine and we needed this.

Then something happened. Hurricane Irene decided to slam everyone up and down the east coast. My in-laws asked us to try to go on Saturday. I could not do it. The storm appeared like it was going to be so much more in the NYC/Long Island area that I wanted to be at home to keep an eye on things here. Friday night, I was so restless. I tossed and turned. The what if aspect of everything was killing me. Sure, perhaps we would have a flight, but could we guarantee being able to travel from here to there? Right now, TechyDad’s parents have no power. There was no way I could leave two young kids with them for five nights without power. That was not fair.

So, just before noon on Saturday, I made a tough call. It was time to call our airlines and travel agent to cancel our trip. We needed to focus on getting ready for the storm and not worry about how/if/when we could get to our flight. Our airline was fantastic. We are not reimbursed, but have credit that must be used with us back home by a certain date. We can handle that.

When I tried to call Disney to cancel on my own, the woman asked how she could help make my day magical. With tears in my eyes and obvious sadness, I told her she could make Hurricane Irene go away. She immediately got serious and said she was so sorry. In the end, our agent called and we were reimbursed for the package we purchased.

Now, as the storm is likely at the worst. How will this week be? I know I should be thrilled that my family and friends are safe. I am, do not get me wrong. Still, with each passing day from Tuesday to Sunday it will sting. I will think about the meal we are missing. I will morn the special trip that should have been. I will be ok, but it hurts. I shouldn’t complain since the last six weeks of dreaming of the trip helped make the summer bearable. The weeks went by as we planned to meet friends, eat special meals, and more. This last week of summer vacation for the boys is going to be hard. We will be picking up the pieces from the storm, assessing damage in our basement, and wondering how and when we can reschedule the trip that we needed. Yes, I really am ready for 2011 to be over since she has been so very evil in too many ways.

Update from Monday morning: Sunday was a long day here. The rain intense and the wind got worse into the dark evening. We were SO lucky here. Some issues in our basement that we now have to look into, but no major damage. Unfortunately, others within our area were not so lucky. Irene may have only been a tropical storm when she came into our area, but she packed one hell of a punch. Mud slides, dams bursting, lakes in front of houses at the base of mountains – a massive mess. We never lost our power here, but across the street they have none right now. Sheer exhaustion from no sleep for days caught up. I went to a room where I could not hear the howling wind and fell asleep on TechyDad’s chest. Today, he managed to get to work after closed roads leading to Vermont were just reopened. Now to see what we can do around the area to keep our minds busy.

One other thing, I really wish people would stop talking about the over-hyped nature of this storm. Should more people have died? Perhaps they have not seen some of the damage and more that is coming NOW thanks to all of the flooding that is still not at the worst level. I think a lot of people living inland and in parts of South Carolina and Virginia would beg to differ. No, NYC was not destroyed, but lives were forever changed up and down the east coast. The fact that people were safe is not a fail, but something we should celebrate after the mistakes from Hurricane Katrina. We need to remember that less is more in the case of a hurricane – especially when it is not as much damage in some very populated areas. To those with damage and picking up the pieces – my heart goes out to you.