Reflections of Vacation

It has taken awhile to recover from vacation. As soon as you hit the door you begin the ritual of unpacking, laundry and rejuvenating the house after your absence. Then your body attempts to recover from the tug of the "other" timezone that you saturated yourself in. Now, a week later it all seems as though it was a dream, except for the 742 ( yes that's correct) digital pictures my son took. We have his wonderful pictorial chronology of our vacation with what seems to be only showers and pit stops omitted.

This was more of a "kids" vacation than the ones we have taken in the past. As the kids have grown older I have attempted to change up the itinerary to insure they have a great time. They are teenagers now and mom,( aka Nana) can't inspire them with stories, which make historical adventures that adventurous anymore. An example, when they were 7 and 8, stories of pirates, and Indians were great inspiration for 17th Century historical sites on the East Coast. Last year we traded that for Cleveland's ,Rock "n" Roll Hall of Fame ,and the infamous amusement park, Cedar Point, in Sandusky. Yes, we did make it to Putin Bay, by way of Ferry, and saw the monument and museum of Gen. Perry's sea victory on Lake Erie, with the British. However, that was brief and we toured the island in a golf cart on what could only be described as a Party Island filled with eye candy. They pulled a fast one on me!

This year it was, Pearl Harbor and Fort De Russey for me and all the rest FUN. We para sailed, snorkeled, surfed, sailed, jetskiied , shopped and ate! We rented a car for the last couple of days of our stay and drove around the island and indulged in roadside stands of shrimp, fresh corn, pineapple, chilled coconut, shaved Hawaiian ice, and those addicting macadamia nuts! I don't think we ever stopped "oohing and aahing" at the scenery of lush green vegetation and turquoise water. Some of us were lucky enough to swim with sea turtles, they are protected in Hawaii and can be seen easily. The plane ride from LAX to HNL was the worst part of the whole thing , 5 and 1/2 hours...that's a lot of water! This is especially true when meals and snack service is omitted and if you do want something it is a purchase with credit card ONLY for yucky stuff!

Yes, vacation is about the FOOD! grumble, grumble, grumble...... and weight gain ... gasp ;>)

A Note From Oahu

Here in Oahu all is well and absolutely beautiful. We have been here for 4 days and I cannot believe how peaceful and gorgeous this island is. I was not excited to come here this I admit, but wow, wow...this is really something. We have relaxed, taken in little by little the most beautiful sunsets, sunrises and activities...sailing...jetskiing...hula dancers, and music such soothing music.

This is a blast and we have , regrettably only 4 more days to do as much as possible and we are determined to give it our best shot...para sailing, snorkeling on the North Shore with the sea turtles and another sail...just have to do another solo group catamaran sail around Diamond Head. The kids are having a great time and I am finally relaxing.

It is true, beautiful golden tans, the kids are so golden and a little glowing pink, unlike some people who couldn't bear to listen to advise and put sunscreen on his feet......OMG! Aloe anyone!

To Tan or Not To Tan...yep That's the "?"

I have been told that I have lost my sense of humor, by numerous people, I think they may possibly be right. After the experiences I have had over the past week I should be laughing my glutes off ( wouldn't that be nice..that would save a bundle). Yesterday took the cake, so to speak ( been on a stupid diet forever CAKE..chocolate cake with fudge frosting...digressing) .

I have been preparing my lists for my next trip, Oahu - not my idea of a vacation spot but who am I to complain, and there it is in big pink hi-lighted letters...TAN. Ok , I researched the possibilities in town for a tan fix. Well, at my age there is no point in adding risk and additional wrinkles to this fast maturing body. I ruled out a tanning bed, been there done that..nope. Ok, we must have a" Ross" place around here somewhere (Friends, count to 10 and turn around...ok) after all, this is Sunny California, yes sunny and I'm not going out there without sunscreen..so what would be the point. Here we go, I opened the mail and found that my skin specialist was running a special on spray tanning..just what I wanted. I called and set up an appointment. As I climbed the stairs to the luxurious office of cranberry reds and golds accented with black, I began to think ( great timing). I wonder what one wears to such a tanning process, I mean if it spurts you, won't stuff get painted or dipped or something...

I walk into the office and sit down, grab a bottled water, eye the cookies ( yes one of these places) and I see all these lovely tanned ladies..feel'n pretty good..good choice. Then this sweet "tiny" 22 year old peers around the corner and calls me back.

Tiny ( b....) young lady- I don't know how modest you are but I have these for you ,( handing me two teeny tiny itsy bitsy ( what the hell is this) black thingies). Just put them on and I'll be right back.

Me- back? Ugh what about Ross? You know shut the door count to 10 and turn around?

Tiny ( bi...)young lady- laughing ..oh no, see that? (Pointing to a beautiful silken wrap lying on the floor in front of a wall draped in what I can only describe as Harem Curtains with bells and tassels) you're going to stand there and I am going to spray you down.

ME- laughing nervously, oh sure you are, you mean like a spray painter? Dear lord my father was a spray painter...no, no, no....

Tiny( bit..) young lady- laughing..oh yeah I did my mom yesterday and she looks gorgeous.

ME- really?! well...let the games begin... I'll be right with you.( Young thing exists) ok, now ( removing the glad wrap...) what the heck is this...ok ..dear lord...ok..and there is a mirror in here....shit...( note to self.. this area needs lipo too).

Tiny ( bitc.) young lady- Are you ready?

Me- Uh well, maybe I should be asking you that question. Are you really wanting to see what you could look like in another 30 years? It will take real guts to walk through that door honey and I thought I had the hard part.(.stupid little teeny tiny itsy bitsy .....thingies UGH!!!!).


Well, she entered the room and began air brushing the most gorgeous tan on me that I have ever had. I laughed my butt off over this one and she was cry'n before we were done ( those "After" shots are hell on a poor young thing).

Well mark tan off the list , dear lord now I have to visit the Vietnamese pedicurist :0(

My Grandson

I rarely speak of my grandson. That is because he is in my thoughts almost continuously and I miss him. He looks like my oldest daughter, his mother, who in turn looks like her dad ( my ex-husband). From the moment I was able to spend time with him in a real sense, he has captivated me with his energy and stolen my heart. We have had many adventures over the years, frequent trips to the park, lunches, trips to Sea World, the east coast, beach, mountains and anything Nana could come up with. My youngest and my grandson are 6 months apart ( mine is the oldest) and that made life interesting and rich beyond my dreams.

From the beginning of our relationship, this fella was full of life, adventurous, magnetic, curious and charismatic. As a toddler, he had the most infectious giggle I have ever heard and an imagination to match. In the park the other children would gravitate to him and those who didn't got drafted. The years go by so quickly and now he is 15 1/2, going into his sophomore year of high school. It only seems like yesterday when I would run and play with them ( he and GJ) in the park, chase them up the ladder to the slide and see who could make it down first. I would create names for our Parks, our favorite was the Peter Pan Park. No , it didn't look anything like Never Never Land, but I would make up stories about pirates and Peter on the way there and the game would be on.

When the boys were 6 and 7 we began taking summer trips back east to Virginia. I would prepare them ahead of time with stories about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington and the brave Patriots who won our freedom. The boys immediately got into the roles of Revolutionary soldiers, as we made our way around Willimasburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. It was just the three of us because dad was on a working vacation. Through it all the boys shared laughter, contagious giggles, made up stories and were the best of friends. I felt wonderfully alive with these two creatures and deliciously entertained.

My son was calm and my grandson a "boy" in every sense of the word. We bonded on those 12 day vacations due to the constant togetherness. He started playing the guitar when he was 9 years old, and I immediately knew he was a genius. In the 6th grade Talent Show, he played Johnny Be Good, and blew the roof off of the cafeteria. The teachers raved about it and my daughters and I felt 10 feet tall. When I was attending the local university, this guy would attend History classes with me as well...answering questions posed to him by the professors!

Time moves too quickly, he has grown into quite the young man. He is handsome, witty, charming and quite "full of it" at times. He is a great kid, son and brother.High school has brought about a great deal of changes and we don't see much of one another . I don't hear the stories about the teachers he doesn't care for or the class work that he only tolerates, or his latest interests or new passions. I miss that, but I understand it too. He has joined the teenage set and his interests have changed and he is flexing his independent muscle as well as enjoying himself as only "he" can do.

The same spark is in his eye, the same zany giggle, it just belongs to this young man now. I miss the little boy who could speak a million miles an hour, handle a sword, man the wheel of a pirate ship and defend Nana from Captain Hook. Where did he go?

He is too big to travel with us this year on vacation and I for one will dearly miss him and his mischievous ways. I knew the time was coming and I have been preparing myself for the last couple of years. Now that it is here, I must admit that I didn't prepare well enough. Well "E" :

A dragon lives forever but not so little boys Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more And puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

Your Nana loves you!

Reflection

I reflect allot about my life here, what I believe in, and how I perceive my small corner of the world. That is why I chose this picture, I remember the day I took it as if it were yesterday. It is one of the most peaceful places I have ever been and I feel connected to something bigger than myself here. It represents transitions to me.

Two hundred years earlier James Monroe was traveling down this road on his horse contemplating a new country, new direction, unification and perhaps his family who was waiting for him up around the bend. A few decades after that the new owners of this property were holding on to their southern traditions and sending loved ones off to defend them. Loved ones waited to see them return and ran down this road to meet them, hold them and tearfully walk up around the corner to their home.

Life is full of changes, transitions, the passing of the baton from one period of time to another, one generation to another, and new roads open up and beckon us on new journeys. Sometimes we are reluctant to go, but we shouldn't be. Life is an adventure, to be experienced, to be shared, to be enjoyed and sometimes it is worth letting go to find it. Transitions on a personal level are healthy, it becomes unhealthy when you do not recognize that it is time to let go and move on.

I have been either extremely lucky or highly co-dependent. I have three wonderful kids, two are very grown up with lives of their own. My oldest is happily married with 3 great kids, a new home, a dog, chinchilla, one newly deceased hamster and a hoard of baby frogs. The other daughter, is 27 and lives with her dad and step-mother and her "friend". My son is 16 years old a sophomore in High School and the subject of many of my entries. The three of us, plus grandchildren, had always been very close until two years ago. I was coming to the end of my studies at the local University, my youngest daughter was melting down regarding graduate school and my oldest was busy with her family.

My youngest daughter melted, moved out and into a seedy part of town with a woman 14 years older and my oldest daughter's husband changed jobs and their lives changed dramatically. Each situation has taken these girls on their own journey, which has required time and effort for one and something totally incomprehensible to me for the other. I can't fix it, I can't compromise ( I have tried) and now it is time to let go and simply allow the journey. It is time to simply go about the business of living and redirecting my life.

I have a job I enjoy and many interests I have left untouched. I have reconnected with several friends from my past, the old days, and intend to cultivate those. I lost me for several years and now it is time to get reacquainted and do the things I had hoped to do, but never found the time.
The Public History books I wanted to write, the pictorial projects I wanted to see through to completion and the team work between the University and Community that I wanted to help establish are all on the list.

Sometimes, letting go and moving forward can be a difficult transition, but it can also be a richly rewarding one as well. One that serves as an example and one that says solo journeys are ok and sometimes deeply needed for personal growth.

What A Trip- NYC

We are back! Five days ago actually and I have been too tired to post a thing, with the exception of posting a comment on my daughter's blog ( Amy's Musings). She is a wicked kid, some days I only admit to giving birth to her ;0)

The trip was one for the books and one these remarkable kids will never forget. Their dedication and ability to adapt to situations has amazed me. Out of three groups that performed at Carnegie Hall on the evening of May 27, 2007, our group was the only one to receive a standing ovation. They premiered three new pieces by composer Mark Hays, who conducted them with such artistry that we were all deeply moved. I especially love the fact that they love and have an appreciation for ALL musical genre.

After the performance, which was preceded by two days of rehearsals, the kids were able to relax. They (we) celebrated by boarding the Spirit of New York, a cruise ship, which provided a night of dining, dancing, and cruising the New York Harbor until the wee hours of the morning. Yes, we were in the city that never sleeps ( I thought that was Vegas) and we didn't depart from our cruise until 2 :30 a.m.

Memorable moment: Cruising around the Statue of Liberty..she is beautiful. I thought of the immigrants entering our country and passing through Ellis Island, which is just passed our Lady in the Harbor. I thought about the GI's, Marines, Sailors all coming in from the front lines and seeing her standing there so reassuringly, welcoming them home. It was so moving. Then from the darkness, spontaneously, voices began to be softly heard as the choir made their way to the top deck railing and began to sing our National Anthem, and The Lord Bless You and Keep You. The choir director could be heard saying, " shhh...I hear my kids" and then he removed his handkerchief and turned away.

It could have been that we were all exhausted, it could have been we were riding high on a night of celebrating Music in Carnegie Hall, or it could have been just what it seemed to be. A breath taking view of our Lady standing in the darkness, lit by a sky filled with a multitude of stars and the lights from her crown and torch that moved all of us so. She is a reminder of what we believe in as a Nation, a symbol of freedom and hope.

Long may she stand.