,,: NY-Odds and Ends

I'll admit, I wasn't the most diligent with taking pictures while I was there...I was kind of in survival mode the whole time! But I'm really hoping I captured enough to remember the trip by.

So in the tiny little town that I grew up in, we have a teeny tiny little general store. It's in an old house...and by old, I mean over a hundred years old...as are most houses in the area. Anyway, this tiny little general store makes delicious sandwiches, NY style sandwiches....white french bread rolls, meat, cheese, basic toppings, and always with the option for sub sauce, it's like Italian dressing. It reminds me of home.

My mother works as a town clerk just down the street from the house, and they have a cute little playground right next to her office (another 100 year old house), so we took our sandwiches from the general store and ate them in the park. It was nice to have a relaxing day where we didn't need to drive 2 hours to get somewhere.

Traveling on the plane completely shot my poor feet; swelling all the time, BUT, if I can put them up for an hour or so in the middle of the day, they do much better. So here I am just hanging with belly!

There was a day we had planned to take the kids swimming at the lake, and about 45 minutes before we left, my sister was carrying her little girl down the stairs and tripped, Owen was in front of her and they both came crashing down. Tabitha twisted her ankle, poor Clara was scared to death, and Owen's foot was squished in some form or another. Poor Owen was crying pretty hard by the time we got to everyone. We ended up not going swimming, but honestly, I think maybe it was for the best. You know those moments when you just feel like something awful has been prevented, even if it means a minor inconvenience? That was kind of how I felt about this experience.

Jacob, my little brother, came home from a week of camping on Sunday, and the kids absolutely *clobbered* him. They loved him and they thought he was hilarious. He kept saying he wasn't enjoying all the attention, but we could all see that smile on his face. Here they all are ganging up on Jacob.

This is my son. This is how he looked when we watched a portion of Star Wars for the first time. Absolutely enamored. Not a sound, or a movement...not even acknowledgement when you called his name. Such a boy.

I was so sad that I didn't have anyone to rub my feet that week, but finally when Jacob came home, he begged for a trade, so I offered him a head and back scratch in exchange for a foot rub. Jacob is an excellent foot rubber, and I told him my fingers were too swollen to do any kind of massage, but I could at least scratch, so he accepted. After a week without foot rubs, it was heaven!

Monday night, our last night there, we went up to my grandmother's house where my uncle still lives and met with Aunt Brenda and her family for a mac and cheese throwdown. It was so nice to see family, I always miss being able to see them more. I asked my aunt if I would be able to take some of my Grandmother's handwritten recipes home with me; I would love to be able to have an actual piece of her memory and heritage in my home. So my plan is to take her recipes, frame them and hang them in my kitchen. She generously allowed me to take some, and I've brought them home, made copies to send back to her and I'll be on the lookout for the right frames!

After the throwdown, I took the kids just up the street to the cemetery where my dad (and his side of the family) is buried. It's my first time back since the funeral last year, and I miss him so much every day. A good, good man taken far too soon.