Happy Halloween!

We had a fabulous Halloween! Finally, we live in a neighborhood where we can just walk out the door and down the sidewalk to trick-or-treat, and we took full advantage of it. The kids were so excited about going! Bitty had enjoyed some treats at school before I picked him up, so he was all sugared up and could hardly stand still to get ready. I acquired some colored and sparkly hairspray, which provided just the right finishing touch. I stuck with the sparkles, but the girls had pink hair and Bitty opted for green. Halfway through our walk, they were shocked when a car pulled over to the curb and Gramma jumped out! That was my own special Halloween treat for them. Thanks Gramma and Grampa for making this year's Halloween even more special!

Anticipating the Great Pumpkin

On Thursday, the girls got to go to the Pumpkin Patch with their Daisy troop, so we all went today after soccer. We got some awesome pumpkins! They had a great variety of sizes and types. The ones we chose include the standard large and small orange for carving and pies, and also a turban gourd, a cinderella pumpkin, a ghost variety, and another greenish-blue one. Yea for pumpkins!

Later in the evening, we went to the Halloween party at Bitty's preschool. They had fun wearing their costumes, and all three braved the haunted rooms. Interestingly, Beanie was the most scared, and tried over and over to get all the way into the room with the ghost bride. She finally made it through!

Batty Day

Because I'm insane, I volunteered to make bat wings for 18 first graders who are having a "batty day" today. I also made some for Bitty, because I knew he would l-o-o-o-o-ve them. And I was right!

A Sad Farewell

There was an old hymn we used to sing in church when I was a kid, and the chorus included the words, “Dear friends, there’ll be no sad farewell, no tear-dimmed eyes…” I kept thinking of that song while I was with Tracy last week. I knew, going in, that this trip would be bittersweet, but I still hoped to give him a happy farewell.

When I left Austin on Wednesday afternoon it was hot and pouring much-needed rain. Needless to say, the temperature in Philadelphia when I landed was much lower, and I was glad to have brought along a jacket. Tracy met me at the airport and we drove into the historic downtown, enjoying the cool air and cooler architecture. Little did we know that the Phillies had just won the National League Pennant. We turned down street after street full of pedestrians cheering and drivers honking! Everyone was celebrating. As we neared our hotel, it became apparent that we were stuck in the middle of a block. The fans demanded honking, smiles, and high-fives before letting us pass. Even though we aren't Phillies fans, we were happy for them!

We stayed at the Sheraton Society Hill. The hotel is small and cozy, and perfectly situated for exploring downtown. We spent Thursday doing just that. We had lunch at Rotten Ralph’s, then enjoyed the colonial ale and bread sampler at City Tavern. The sampler includes four ales made from historic recipes of the Washingtons and Thomas Jefferson, along with some traditional colonial breads. We liked George Washington’s porter and the molasses bread best. We wandered all over the City, from the Head House market area to the Liberty Bell to City Hall, including stops in a historic graveyard, two music stores, and a tattoo parlor.

Around 8:00 Thursday evening, we left Philadelphia and headed to Atlantic City, where we met up with two other couples. I had no idea that there is no “last call” in Atlantic City! After spending a lot of time – and more money – in the Toga bar at Caesar’s Palace and some little Irish place around the corner, we finally made it back to our room at Bally’s a little after 7:00 am. I watched the sun rise over the Atlantic while soaking in the big garden tub, then we napped for a few hours. After breakfast, we took a very chilly walk on the beach before heading north to Monroe, NY. Driving north through New Jersey on the Garden State Parkway, we began to notice beautiful fall foliage. By the time we got into New York and stopped for a break, the air was crisp and the trees were brilliant. We arrived at Joe and Julie’s around 7 pm, thoroughly amazed by the incredible colors blanketing the hillsides and by their gorgeous property on an old dairy farm.

Originally, we had planned to go into the City for dinner and stay overnight at Julie’s brother’s place, near Central Park. Instead, we chose to stay with them in their beautifully renovated old farmhouse. Joe and Julie were so welcoming, and their three girls were so charming, that we really just didn’t want to leave. We enjoyed sharing their Friday night “Greek feast” and sat up talking and looking at photos until midnight. Saturday morning, we helped them get ready for their 5^th annual Pumpkin Party. They were expecting 40+ families to decorate pumpkins, play games, and generally just enjoy the beautiful fall weather. We were tempted to stay, but honestly, I was a little overwhelmed. As much as I enjoyed our visit, I couldn't help but think that Tracy should have been holding his own kiddos. It was a little dose of reality that I hadn't expected.

We headed to Liberty State Park just as the Pumpkin Party guests were starting to arrive. From there, we had planned to take the Water Taxi over to Manhattan. Unfortunately, it was having mechanical problems, and we missed the last Statue of Liberty ferry while we waited on the taxi. We persevered though, and caught the subway from a station that was close by. One of our main purposes for this trip was to visit Ground Zero. We came up from the train on the southwest corner and walked around. The site is completely surrounded by construction fencing and it's difficult to see much. As we walked past the Millenium Hilton, we both had the same thought: maybe we could see into the site from inside. We went in and up to the 55th floor, but no luck, though we did get a great photo of the skyline to the north. On the way down, having stopped at 7 more floors, we encountered an accommodating hotel employee. We went back up to the 55th floor where he opened a "room with a view" and told us his story of the events on Sep. 11, 2001. It wasn't possible to photograph the site from our location; we were too close and nearly on top of it, looking down. But it was amazing, and moving.

We left the hotel and continued around the site, hoping to find the visitors' center open. It was closed, so we wandered into the deli next door. Coincidentally, the Essex Deli served as the Liberty Street Medical Center on 9-11. There were many framed mementoes on the walls, including the identifying sign. After some yummy quiche, quesadillas, cheesecake and tiramisu, we walked over to the viewing area for the site. You can still see where the foundation of one of the towers was. I believe this will be a reflecting pool in the new design.

We left Ground Zero and walked a little ways, heading to Wall Street, passing by Trinity Church on the way. Then past Tiffany's and the NYSE, headed to the Empire State Building. By this point we were beginning to realize how cold and windy it really was, and decided to take the train rather than walk the 20+ blocks. I love riding subways, and my first NY experience was perfect. There were a lot of people, and a few of them were freaky or scary or both, which is just what I expected! We came up a block from Madison Square Garden and checked out the adjacent Borders store. Everyone needs to have a book store shopping spree now and then, and we did! Our purchases included "Goodnight Moon" for our soon-to-be-born nephew, "This is New York" for our kiddos, and several Afghan/Taliban/Islam related books for ourselves. After that, we began walking toward the ESB, beautifully lit in purple and orange. We changed our minds, though, because it was late and cold, and headed back to the subway via a souvenir shop instead. On our ride back to NJ, several young men were sitting across from us. We noticed that they appeared to be middle eastern and that one was reading an Arabic newspaper and carrying a backpack. I thought about that for a long time. I was wholly unconcerned with them, but in many places in America, they would be targets for insults, rage, or worse. Tracy is defending their freedom as much, or more than, mine.

We finally left NJ about 10:00 Saturday night. We were tired and neither of us was looking forward to what came next. After a couple missed exits we arrived at our hotel near the Philadelphia airport. Our last night together, of course, was nowhere near long enough. Before we knew it, it was time to head to the airport. Tracy wanted to park and come in with me, but I made him drop me at the curb instead. Who knew that a parking barrier at the departures terminal could hold such a special place in my heart? I checked my bag and we said our goodbyes in the chilly pre-dawn air. And in spite of my best intentions, and my promise to him that I wouldn't "get all teary-eyed", it was, indeed, a sad farewell.

sick, sick, sick

On Tuesday, the school nurse called to tell me that Beanie had broken out in a red, itchy rash. I picked her up a few hours later and brought her back to work with me, where my admin said, “Wasn’t she out last week with a fever and sore throat? I bet she has scarlet fever!” And then she pulled up pics online to prove it. Needless to say, I took her and Pook, who kept us both awake coughing all night, to the doctor the next morning. At first she said that Beanie’s rash (mostly gone by then) was probably just an allergic reaction. Then she examined Pook, took one look at her throat and said, “She has strep, and that’s scarlet fever.” After throat cultures confirmed her diagnosis, she said, “Don’t you have another?” I nodded. “Go get him!” she said. Sure enough, Bitty’s culture tested positive as well, in about 2 seconds flat. After resting at home for a couple days and getting antibiotics, they were all cleared to go back to school today. I happily came to work, full of plans for catching up and completing assignments before my trip to the east coast next week. And now it’s noon, and I have chills and fever, and a bright red throat…sigh.

I'm cravin' some straight talk, folks!

Ill be the first to admit that Sarah Palin handled last night's debate better than I expected. Still, sequester me with her crack-pot team of advisers for a week and I could convince you that I'm capable of memorizing a script, too. It's too bad she didn't prepare as well for the Couric interview.

I disagree with McCain/Palin on almost every issue, including some with which Obama/Biden don't disagree. But there are three issues that I'm focusing on.

1. The importance of refocusing military operations in Afghanistan. Granted, I am biased on this point because I believe my husband will be better protected by the Obama/Biden policy. Regardless, the presence of terroristic threats in this region has dramatically increased over the past five years. The August attack on our base in Khost province (across the border from Waziristan) included organized waves of at least 10 suicide bombers, almost all of whom were shot, rather than detonated. We must find a way to address this threat, and work with Afghanistan and Pakistan to stabilize the border and tribal areas. Our work in this region is as, if not more, important than our work in Iraq.

2. I am, and will always be, pro-choice. Thankfully, I never had to make the decision whether to keep, give up, or abort a baby. In all probability, I would most likely have kept the baby in that situation. I firmly believe that we should address the causes behind unintended pregnancy, whether they are age, ignorance, cultural, whatever. Education about our bodies and our options, and empowerment of oppressed demographic groups, leading to improved self-image and expectations, are the keys to overcoming this problem. I am not willing to raise every child whose mother has been convinced not to abort, and thus I think the decision should be hers, not mine, not yours, and certainly not the government's.

3. I subscribe to the school of thought in which the president is more intelligent and more experienced in governing than I am. In fact, that is my only concern about Obama. I have looked for his candidacy since he was elected to the Senate, and I believe he is up to the task largely because he has the good sense to know his weaknesses. He is extremely intelligent and has chosen advisers who complement his positions and provide the expertise he lacks. As a Senator, he understands how the federal processes - legislative, budgetary, judicial - work. He is a candidate who understands the importance of our eroded trust in the judicial branch and can remedy that by extricating the administration from its management and restoring its political impartiality. Sarah Palin's first involvement with the state budget was FY 2008! It is possible, though unlikely in my opinion, that in time she could develop qualifications approaching adequacy. But she does not have them now. I do not appreciate her colloquial manner, which she refers to as "straight talk" for the "folks". Sarah, I am not part of your carpool, I am not sitting at your kitchen table. I am - we are - intelligent, informed citizens who deserve visionary leadership and logical, experience- and knowledge-based policies in exchange for our votes.

4. Okay, I lied, there are four points. There goes my political credibility. I am a veteran, married to a veteran who is currently serving, I work in municipal government and my husband is a police officer, we have a mortgage, two cars and three kids, I am a soccer mom, I am in the PTA, I drive a minivan...this is who I am, average American, and as this woman, I am offended by McCain's lame attempt to grab my vote. The republican party is home to many experienced, qualified women who offer substance and reliability. While I would not likely agree with their politics, I would at least be able to respect their records.

Whew! I didn't really expect all that. Apparently I have some strong feelings about this election. Please, vote for change.