I'm kicking myself right now for not bringing my cable to download my pictures! Ugh!!! Those will have to wait. We've had such a nice, exciting, exhilarating, exhausting day. We got a late start this a.m. mostly because we didn't get into bed until 1am the night before after an exhausting but good day of travel.
There were a few things about our travel yesterday that were noteworthy. Grace did pretty well and only cried inconsolably about 2 or 3 times. But what was really amazing was hearing the conversations our children had with the strangers they were sitting by. Because we were such a large group we had to split up a bit. On the first flight Caitlyn and Emilie sat next to "Joel". He was the nicest guy, and seriously enjoyed talking to the girls. There were TVs in the seats, and he said to them "you can watch TV anytime, let's talk." You just got the feeling he got a kick out of these girls. Then on the second stretch Caitlyn and Jake sat next to a little old Hindu woman. Can you tell where this is going? If you know Caitlyn, you do. Anyway, she just comes right out and asks this lady if she worships Mary. To which the lady replied, "Yes, I worship a lot of people." (Or something to that effect.) Caitlyn asked, "Well, are you a sinner?" And the lady said "No." Then Caitlyn said, "Well, if we aren't all sinners, then Christ didn't have to die." Then, that was it. On to the next subject. I was amazed. I wish I had my daughter's boldness.
On the other side of the aisle, Cole and Emilie sat next to an older gentleman. Out of curiosity he asked them, "Do you know who our President is?" Emilie answered, "Yeah, Obama's our President, but we don't like him."
Cole: "Yeah, we don't like Obama, he's a mean man."
Emilie: "He's not a mean man; we just don't like what he's doing."
Cole: "Well Obama's not a Christian."
Man: "He says he's a Christian."
Cole: "He's not a Christian, he doesn't know the gospel."
Tim and I are hearing bits of this conversation carry over the white noise of the plane and are helpless to do anything about it. Later, we found out from Rob and Jana that this man was probably the only conservative living in NYC and was quite pleased with their answers. Whew...!
TODAY:
The best and most challenging part of the day is having the kids with us. I seriously don't know how the locals do it. I'm so paranoid about losing sight of any of them. (And remember we're traveling with Rob and Jana so there are 5 kids to keep tabs on.) I'm scared to death of getting separated on the subway, or that a crazy cab driver is going to plow us down as we cross a street, or that some crazy person will snatch them away when my back is turned. Not to mention, the challenges of navigating a very un-stroller-friendly subways. Tim and Rob have gotten their workout today carrying that stroller up and down stairs and setting off alarm bells, because we can't get through a turnstile. Come on, NY does no one else have this problem? Ah...life in the big city. I'm conscientious of these safety issues at home, but here, it's cranked up times 100. Ok, that's the challenge, but the joy is getting to see the city through their eyes for the first time.
Today, we visited some new sights. We started down on Wall Street and saw Trinity Church. You know, the one Nicholas Cage digs down below and finds the world's biggest treasure. It was actually quite beautiful. We explored the old graveyard next door seeing headstones dating back to the 1700s. The church was a beautiful gothic building. It's Episcopal, so while it reminds me of some the Catholic cathedrals I've visited, there weren't any crucifixes, or over-the-top Mary-worship. The stained glass behind the altar had Jesus in the center, rightfully sitting on the throne.
Then we went down Wall Street. Very cool! One of the most striking things about it was the security measures they’ve taken. It’s totally closed off to traffic and there are metal barricades in the middle of the street. We also got to see the NYSE. The kids didn’t get it, but I thought it was really cool to see in person what I’ve only seen on TV. Then we say the place George Washington was sworn in as President. That felt like hallowed ground to me. Talk about a piece of real estate that changed the world.
Speaking of changing the world: then we walked over the WTC site. They are building at 100 story building and beautiful memorial gardens there.
After that we headed down to Battery Park. We were amazed and how tired and lifeless the kids were until they saw a playground and ran around for a half hour. Then we walked over to the Staten Island Ferry to go by the Statue of Liberty. The kids leapt with excitement the first time they saw “her”. After that roundtrip, Gracie finally fell asleep in her stroller and we headed up to lunch in SoHo, and then found a little chocolate factory for some sweets.
Then we headed back up to Central Park. Ah…Central Park! I love it every time I’m there. It’s so refreshing to see green and trees after wandering through the concrete jungle of Manhattan. Central Park was teeming with life. People were playing softball, reading, rock-climbing, splashing, making out (seriously), riding bikes and walking. It was like this microcosm of life. The kids loved it and enjoyed climbing the big boulders most of all. Again, where they get their energy is beyond me.
After that instead if hailing a cab (which was my idea), we drug those tired little
monkeys another 10 or so blocks back home. Everyone really did awesome today. It was just exhausting. Tomorrow, we’re going to go to the shore with our local friends. It’s supposed to rain, but it will at least be a nice change to the miles we put on today.
If anyone has read this far, I’m impressed. I’ll try to blog again soon. Signing off.
