Lighthouse #2

During our stay in the Outer Banks, we were lucky enough to be within walking distance of this beautiful brick lighthouse:

At the base of the lighthouse:

The Currituck Beach Light station began work on the North Carolina coast on December 1, 1875. The exterior was left unpainted to distinguish it from other regional lighthouses (photos of those to come). It has 214 steps that wind up 162 feet. There are about 1 million bricks in its walls.

The girls were very excited to climb- Ella was insistent on doing it all herself- and she did. She climbed every last stair of the 214 stairs- all the way to the top. She couldn't stop talking about it afterwards ("Ella go up lighthouse!") and still to this day, over 2 months later, she still talks about the lighthouse.

Standing on the landing alongside the Fresnel lens.

Very Windy on top! That's the Atlantic Ocean behind us.

Matt& Ella

View of the lightkeeper's house from the top of the light station (zoomed in a bit).

View of the Outer Banks from the top. Ocean on the left side of the photo, Sound on the right side.

View of the hundreds of vacation homes & ocean

Summer Catch Up: Part 2

The next morning we left Jenni's house and headed to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to rendezvous with the rest of my family (my grandparents & their progeny: 3 children + 1 spouse, 7 grandchildren + 3 spouses & 2 boyfriends & 2 great-grandchildren = 20 poeple). This was a special vacation because when I was growing up my whole family (grandparents, cousins & us) would go to the Outer Banks to vacation- we haven't all been there together in over 10 years. And every single one of us made it this time! We stayed in one large house with 7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, laundry, pool & hot tub, great living/dining/kitchen area, 3 levels of decks and very close beach access.

It was a week of joy! We spent nearly every morning and every afternoon sitting/playing/swimming at the beautiful beach! I learned to use a boogie board. My cousin rented a sea kayak & a surfboard and everyone took turns riding the waves. Amazing sand sculptures were built. Sunrays were caught on our skin. I had peaceful morning runs down the beach. We watched dolphins in the water, sand crabs in the sand, helicopters and plans buzz the beach. Alexis braved the waters every day until she finally gave in to their alluring call and immersed herself (on the last day!) pretending to be a dolphin. We took bike rides & toured some nearby sites (more on that in following posts).

I didn't take a single picture on the beach (shame on me) but there were multiple other photographers who caught all of the action. Here are the slideshows from our hours on the beach(they're long!). We had a most fantastic time. There were so many other adults around that I didn't have to worry about Alexis and Ella hardly at all. It was a true vacation for me!

Summer Catch Up: Part 1

This summer was filled with travel for us. Forgive me for backtracking a bit, but there's lots to report on! I'll go back to day 1 of our trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

We left Manhattan at a decent hour Saturday, June 28th. We drove for a few hours, headed toward DC, and stopped on the way to see the Concord Point lighthouse on the northern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Delaware & the quaint little town of Havre de Grace that surrounds it (including the pawn shop for Matt to hunt out guitar equipment). Unfortunately it wasn't open when we were there (we arrived about 11 AM and it didn't open until 1 PM) so we didn't get to go inside, but it was still a great spot to get out and stretch our legs and let little ones run around.

Concord Point Light is a 36-foot tower that was built in 1827. It is the second oldest tower lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay and the oldest continuous lighthouse in Maryland. The tower is built at the point where the Susquehanna River meets the tidal flow of the Chesapeake Bay and navigation is very hazardous around this area.

Looking out at the Bay


The Chesapeake Bay




The Lightkeeper's house (it was closed when we were there)

After our stop in Havre de Grace (did I mention the homemade candy? De-lish!) we continued on down the interstate en route to my mission friend Jenni's home where we planned on spending the night. As we were following our mapquest directions, we turned a bend and this popped up in front of us:

The Washington DC Temple! So we decided to stop and visit the grounds. The girls really loved it there. We were lucky to see a bride also, which is very exciting for 2 little girls to see! We spent some time in the visitor's center and walking the grounds.

And then we made it to Jenni's house! Our kids ran with their kids. We ate grilled hamburgers & delicious homemade blueberry crisp (warm from the oven with ice cream on top!). We talked and talked and reminisced about the mission & just had a great time! They have a beautiful new home (where we were the first guests in the guest room!). Her son, Connor, had had a pirate party that morning, so the girls were loving all the pirate paraphernalia. I'm pretty sure we snuck off with a couple of pennants from the front lawn.

All our kiddies together

Lexi loved Connor- I think he was still debating his thoughts on this extremely energetic & sassy New York girl

Thank you, Jenni, for being such a wonderful hostess. Next time, we're staying a week!

Musing on Dylan

Whenever I come back to my home town I feel a little bit like this Dylan lyric:

"You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way" (Mississippi, Love and Theft).

I think a lot of you folks will understand that sentiment. I spent 19 years living in one place and that place has moved on quite well without me. People have changed, places have changed, whole communities have changed. All it takes is the ride from the airport to realize that this isn't my home town anymore. I am just a visitor. This year I even run out of reasons to why I am not moving back (when people inevitably ask me that question). We have moved into the stage of "we love living in New York, it is our home and we are staying indefinitely." That being said I love coming home and spending time with my parents, brothers and friends. It really is such a privilege to have this time off and be able to spend it with my parents. It is especially great for the girls since they are getting to know their grandparents so well despite the distance. So thank you Mom and Dad for your charity and generosity in letting us stay so long and dominating your peaceful lives.

Usually after a while the itch to go home returns; right around the time I realize that am losing all sense of reality (this happens to teachers every summer). When this starts to happen this Dylan lyric starts to creep into my head:

"I'm going back to New York City, I do believe I've had enough" (Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Highway 61 Revisited).

We will be flying in at night and I can't wait to see the Empire State and Chrysler buildings welcoming us home with their lights. If we are lucky we will get to see the George Washington Bridge representing our neighborhood. So here's to coming home and knowing that you are truly home. Reality awaits.

Laura 4 Provo!

I'm excited to introduce you to my sister-in-law, Laura Cabanilla, who is running for Provo City Council!  She is a wonderful woman with a rich life history. She is motivated, accomplished, and one of the nicest women I know.  Please take a moment to browse her website.  She's also on Facebook (Laura Cabanilla for Provo City Council) and Twitter (Laura4Provo).

And Spread The Word!

Laura is the second of eight children. With her father attending  medical school, completing his residency and getting his career under way, Laura’s chilhood and formative years were spent in such diverse places as Guadalajara, Mexico, Winnepeg, Canada, Green River, Wyoming, Springville, Utah, and El Paso, Texas.

Laura and her husband, Dave, met in religion class at BYU, and were married in 1982.  A few years later Laura and Dave became the parents of triplets:  Paige, Cliff and Sierra.  Born prematurely, the triplets faced a lot of challenges, but  today they are normal, healthy, beautiful 21 year olds. Next year, they – along with younger son Marc, will all be attending colleges in Utah.

Laura paid entirely for her own education through her military service and a variety of jobs.  As many young, busy mothers often do, she squeezed in study and class time during lunches, after work, and after the kids were in bed. With her youngest child still just six months old, Laura  completed her degree from BYU Law School in 1994.

After completing law school and serving as a clerk for Judge Ray Harding, Sr.,  of Utah’s  4^th District Court she accepted a job as an Orem City Prosecutor – learning first-hand the legal challenges involved in managing a city.  Following her time with Orem City ,Laura joined the Utah County Attorney’s office.  Among the cases she handled for Utah County were the prosecution of the “gentleman” bank robber who shot a BYU police officer as part of a cross country crime spree, as well as the high-profile MovieBuffs pornography case.

Laura is now a Partner with the respected Provo law firm of Esplin|Weight.

While still in college, Laura joined the Army Reserves – in which she still proudly serves.  While admittedly drawn in part to military service by a sense of adventure and love of challenge, her fundamental motivation in serving in the Reserves is a deeply felt  responsibility to country.  She strongly believes that those who have been blessed have a responsibility to give back.

While in the Army Laura quickly learned discipline and gained confidence. After basic training she returned to BYU and enrolled in ROTC as the only female in the program that year.  Laura continues to support and encourage young women in the military and has taught in the ROTC program at Brigham Young University.  Having experienced first-hand the evolution of the reserves and National Guard from “standby” forces to essential and active elements of America’s  front-line military, she knows and has lived the challenges faced by Utah’s many service families and the communities in which they live and work.

Laura now holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Laura’s unique life experiences have made her an effective leader.  Working hard; dealing with challenges;  managing career, service and family – all of these  give Laura the understanding, the skills and the values to help lead Provo to an even better future.

M.I.A

I know I've been "MIA" for the past couple of months.  We've been busy.  The end of June and early July found us in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and visiting friends in the DC area.  Then back to NYC for Matt to teach a summer program and to pack up our apartment.  We moved everything into storage for the month of August while we're visiting family & friends in California and Utah.  Then we'll be back to NY where we're moving into an apartment not far from where we were, but in a bit of a better neighborhood.  Alexis will be starting Kindergarten after Labor Day.  We're excited with the changes, but obviously the blog has suffered.  After we're in our new place, I can update with photos from the summer vacation.  It's been wonderful!

Pillows

Here's a little peek for you, Andrea!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

(Ella sitting on a bench in the subway waiting for the train)

It's been raining for about 2 months here. Off and on. Mother Nature, we don't live in the Pacific Northwest. And it's June. Yesterday it was 56 degrees in the morning. Now, I'm not begging for 95 degrees or anything like that. And I really don't mind that we haven't had to use the air conditioners yet. But a little sun so we can get out to the playground would be very much appreciated.

Another Quilt

Here's quilt #2 all done for my friend Joni. Her babies were born on June 11. Luke, Ella and Anna. I'm done with the girls' quilts and just have Luke's to finish up. Hope to have them done by the time they come home!

Two Little Princesses

Grandma Susan picked up these lovely dresses for the girls. They got about a million compliments today! (the photo's not so great, as I only had my cell phone with me to take a picture).

The Giraffe Path

On Saturday, June 6th, we joined the Horey's and many other New Yorkers to Hike the Heights and follow the Giraffe Path (a series of giraffe sculptures created by local youth). We started out at 147th Street & Bradhurst Ave and hiked all the way up to the High Bridge Water Tower at 173rd & Amsterdam. Alexis walked the whole way, and Ella walked most of the way. At the end of the hike, there was a festival going on- crafts, food, music, hula-hooping. A very fun activity and wonderful way to experience a little more of the neighborhood we call home.

Ella's Birthday

June 5, 2009- Ella is 2 years old today. And we are happy she was born! We didn't throw a big party or anything like that, but we did have Grandma Susan, Aunt Allie & Zac come with us to Chuck E Cheese. We all had so much fun playing games and winning tickets. Grandma was a whiz at some helicopter game- the tickets just kept pouring out. Alexis' skills were very impressive, too, and she was able to score an impressive amount of tickets as well. Between all of us, we won over one thousand tickets! We had some left over from the last time we were there (my birthday!), so combined we had over 1300. Both the girls were able to get a cool prize- a squishy ball for Ella and a beading-jewelry kit for Alexis.

Then we headed home to our apartment to open presents and eat cake. Here are some videos of those events. Ella blew the candle out with no help!











Some things about Ella:
Her favorite color is Yellow.
She has over 50 words in her vocabulary.
She loves to sing.
She loves to read books.
She loves to wear a little backpack around and push her little stroller (with no baby inside).
She loves to help with everything- putting food away after a trip to the market, putting laundry in the machine, cooking dinner, swiffering the floor etc.
She knows how to use a cell phone. (She called Allie the other morning- sorry, Al!)
She can put the movie into the DVD player and start it up.
She loves to go to the park.
She still wakes up in the middle of the night at times- she just needs water, or help laying back down.
She can unlock and open the front door- and left the other day without me realizing it! (she ended up at our neighbor's apartment, who brought her back to me).
She's a climber! And she can keep up with big sister at the playground.

Happy Birthday, little one!

Golden Friends

This is Heather. She was in our ward here in NYC for several years. Her husband was the bishop. She and I served in the RS presidency together. We giggled about Bella, Edward and Jacob together. She introduced me to peanut butter noodles. She is tall, just like me! She taught me to close my eyes a little bit when a photo is taken so to not appear as a deer in headlights (I'm still working on that). And she is just a warm, wonderful person. She's one of those people that is just full of love for everyone. And you can't help but love her back. Her oldest, Desmond, and Alexis were little buddies. About a year and a half ago, she & her little family left for Kazakhstan and have been living quite a different kind of life over there. We sent them some small tokens of our love for them (including a pirated DVD of Twilight that I picked up downtown somewhere). Heather was back in NY this week and we were able to see her & her darling babes. The first thing Lexi said when she saw Desmond was, "Wow. He's a lot bigger now!" I guess even kids notice that they grow up. (but they wouldn't let me take a picture of them together).

It was so nice to see you again! We miss you around these parts.

Little Singer

Ella really loves to sing lately. She'll just make up some nonsense words and play with her voice. It's a joy to hear, especially because she has never babbled, until now, and she is finally discovering what those vocal cords can do. But, of course, once I pull out the camera, she gets a little shy about it.

Memorial Day 2009

On Memorial Day we went into Elmira to see the parade. Pop-Pop was in it, so that was very exciting. We then stayed for the service at the National Cemetery where Pop-Pop participated in the gun salute and Uncle Doug sang in the choir. The girls had a hard time sitting still for so long, so we ended up walking through some of the cemetery. Soldiers from the 1800s are buried there. There are even some confederates buried there- they had been held as POWs in a local prison but then all died (mostly from disease and malnourishment I believe) and so were buried there close by.




This was my attempt at an artistic photo.


I love parades! They make me cry with joy and pride and patriotism!

And who doesn't love a good bagpipe rendering of the Marine Corps anthem? SEMPER FI!




Thank you to all the men and women who have served and are serving and will serve our country. And to their families for sharing them with, and for, the rest of us.

Upstate

Over Memorial Day weekend we went upstate to see Nanny & Pop-Pop and Uncle Doug & Aunt Barbara. I have such wonderful memories of spending time my grandparents home when I was Alexis' age and I am confident she is making those same types of memories. They let her help with everything and have so many great experiences for her to have while she's there- whether it's decorating cupcakes with Nanny, or working in the garden or building something fabulous with Pop-Pop in his shop, I know she really loves to be with them and that makes my heart swell with happiness. I really wish we lived closer (or at least could make the trip more often).


Here she is getting all the plates ready for Pop-Pop's Saturday morning omelette. Lovely presentation, doncha think?


And placing the plates on the tray to carry them into the dining room...



One thing I wanted to do while upstate was get Lexi's hair cut (much cheaper up there!). She insisted she wanted it short. We talked about it a couple of times to make sure she was sure. And she was. So we cut it short. This is just after her salon experience with her new flag & star to wave at the parade.


Finishing her birdhouse. She made 3 that day with Pop-Pop. She did all the hammering and staining of the wood.




Saturday evening we went to Eldridge Park in Elmira to ride the carousel and see the new dragon boats. Aunt Barbara, Grandma Susan, Ella, Dad, Alexis & I all rode....


Alexis and Ella are both really interested in dogs right now. (Can we get a dog, mom? is a familiar question around here these days). Ella got a chance to take a little one for a walk and feed him some hot dog. Sorry, girls. No dog as long as we're living in Manhattan.

Move Over EmmyLou

We have a very generous neighbor, Michael. He gets gifts for the girls every Christmas and even remembers their birthdays. He came by the other day with a guitar that he just "happened to have lying around" that he thought Lexi might like. And like it, she does! Matt has spent a little time trying to teach her the basics....

Bubbles!

Ella absolutely LOVES bubbles right now. Anything associated with bubbles. Anything that makes bubbles. In the park, in the bath, in the house. Bubbles. Bubbles. Bubbles.
She got some bubbles at a recent birthday party and couldn't wait for me to open them. I had to take a photo of her cute face, though- remnants of a chocolate cupcake around her mouth and all.

Pre-K Field Trip

On May 14th, I went with Lexi's class on a field trip to the NY Botanical Gardens. It was a drizzly day, but we had a good time anyway. I think the kids like the bus ride the best!


The class in front of a caterpillar made of plants.


This is Freddy (?) Frog- you can stand on lily pad leaves around his pool to make water spring up around him.


The kids got to plant a little flower to take home. Unfortunately, Lexi's mom has a black thumb and hers died a few days later. Burned up in the sun on our windowsill.


But it was pretty to look at!