Oh nothing. Just strolling the neighborhood

Coney Island is like a street festival that never ends. And there is no better way to navigate a festival than on your own 2 feet.

Something about road trips

We took a weekend trip up north. We hopped in our new for us Explorer and we went. We needed to take care of some business and stayed with Rob's parents.

As we drove I was able to think and contemplate. To think about nothing & everything at once. Rob was asleep. The kids were asleep.

I watched as we rolled through the mountains that looked like giant bunches of broccoli. I chuckled as we drove through them. I watched the sunrise over Virginia. It was an awesome sight to see and made me feel so small in the world. Very humbling.

We made a few stops on our first trip "home." Everyone got to stretch their legs and goto the potty.

We even got to see the capital building in Harrisburg, PA complete with enormous fountain.

Here's the thing about going "home". It no longer feels like home. When I anticipated my first drive back up north since moving, I assumed I'd feel a sense of nostalgia. Some feeling of attachment to NYC. I actually felt quite the opposite.

That's not to say that I didn't miss certain things about NYC. I certainly miss the salty sea air and our close proximity to Coney Island. I miss being able to goto the beach any time I want to get an iced cream cone or visit the aquarium.

Meredith was so excited about seeing her ema & epa. It was all she could talk about & ask about. It was her version of "are we there yet?" "Mommy. Are we going to see ema today?" "Yes baby." Rinse & repeat for 14 hours. 4 hours longer than it should've taken because of the traffic & torrential downpour we drove right into. Humpf.

But we arrived. Exhausted, but.... in one piece.

And we lived it up. We went to Coney Island to play in the sand & surf and tried to enjoy the Mermaid Parade. Unfortunately it was way to hot to be in a crowd that big. We also couldn't get to Denny's iced cream stand because of the parade so we'll have to go when we go back up. Apparently it's the last year Denny's will be open. I'm kind of saddened by that. He has the best soft serve pistachio.

Meredith was not thrilled with the heat & crowds either.

But all was right with the world when we made it down to the surf.

Lady M even impressed me. She went INTO the water. Until this year she's been really afraid of the water. She wasn't always, but she got knocked over by a wave when she was an infant and that was it for her.

After Sean woke up from his short lived nap, even he joined in the fun. He was not as thrilled as Meredith, but..... I know he missed that salty sea air as much as I did.

Once he finally realized "Hey! This is pretty fun...." he was all in. 

While we battled the crowds we got to see some of the parade.





We all had a good time. And we'll miss you old friend. See you in a few weeks.

Dear Kayla: Guest Blogger Flat Samantha

Dear Kayla,

I hope you're winter is going well & that you're having a lot of fun. I know I am. Jennifer & her family are treating me very well. Even though I'm having so much fun, I miss you very much. Jennifer reminds me that I will see you soon and then we're off on another adventure. 

Sean & I have gotten very close. He makes sure I'm involved in everything. I love it!! 

This passed week we went to Jennifer's grandparent's house for a visit. Sean made sure that I didn't feel strange in someone's house I didn't know. It's always so nice to have a friend in a strange place. We played and danced. 

And then..... Meredith & Sean's great grandma taught Meredith & me how to play the piano. It was so much fun. 

I also met Meredith & Sean's great grandpa, but he was feeling a little camera shy that day. 

And today we played on the beach. I've always wondered what it would be like to build sandcastles. And today I got to find out. 

No trip to the beach is complete without being buried in the sand. Right!?

Jennifer said I could even bring some home. Can you believe it? We collected shells too. I can't wait to show them to you. 

After all that fun, I was so hungry. So we went to Nathan's. They have the best lemonade! 

In a couple of weeks, I'm going on a big plane. It'll be so strange to travel to see friends and not be in an envelope. I can't wait to see what the people part of the plane looks like. And I'm going to see a whole new state. I'm going to see North Carolina. Maybe even South Carolina too. Jennifer said I can even help her pack for her big move when we come back home. 

I hope things are good back home. 

Love,

Flat Samantha

Salty Sea Air

It's no secret that I'm in love with salty sea air. So when the opportunity presented itself to goto the beach today, I was so excited to be able to go. I haven't been feeling so great lately. It was just what I needed. 

Being there today gave me a sense of renewal. A last chance to say goodbye to our current life & a chance to say hello to our new life. 

I breathed in the salty sea air and all was right with the world. It didn't matter that Sean had sand in his runny nose or that he fell face first into the sand. It didn't matter that Meredith was covered from head to toe in sand. It didn't matter that I felt like someone rolled over me with a steam roller because no one has slept well in weeks.

We had fun. We enjoyed ourselves with some sun, some surf, a breeze & some shovels. Once again proving that the best things in life are free.

Today was probably the last time we'll be to the beach before we move in March. That statement makes me sad. I'm really going to miss living so close to the beach. In fact, it's probably the one thing I will miss the most.

So I took it all in & made the most of our time on the beach. We saw kites shaped like jellyfish and explored the beach. Meredith learned about muscles & barnacles. She even saw some snails.

I showed my husband that once it's written in sand.... it's forever.

So by the same token......

I am living up to my hopes. I spent today focusing on my family. Making sure they know they're my biggest priority.

Meredith got to act silly & spread her wings making sand angels. Which as anyone who's anyone knows, that's what you do when instead of snow you're without a jacket in January. She got to run around without a care in the world and we got to watch as she spread her little wings & soared.

Sean lived it up in the sand & soaking up as much sun as he could. There's nothing better than watching him figure out how to do things. To watch him play and get excited...... I could do it all day long. 

I got to watch today as Sean showed us that there are things he understands that no one could've guessed. 

"Seany do you see the parachute jump?" "Why yes Mommy. It's right there."

Seriously, he amazes me every single day. 

And to see a genuine curiosity come out at every turn.... it's nothing short of breathtaking. It helps to keep me grounded and remind me that the kids are only little for a short time. 

Salty sea air is just what the doctor ordered. It helped us all to feel better and gave us all exactly what we needed. Even if everyone needed something different. 

So long old friend. We'll meet again soon.