See Ya' Later Suckers!

"See ya' later suckers!" That was pretty much the reaction of our favorite nine year old as we dropped him off at his first week long sleep away camp. As we were planning summer camps for the boys, knowing that I would be in school for the better part of the summer, I had asked the boys if either or both of them wanted to go to Camp Roger. William had gone last year and it had been a very positive experience. He loved it and came home so self-assured and proud of himself. But both boys said they were not interested this year. We let it drop and planned day camps instead. However, when a Groupon offer popped up in my inbox for 50% off for the very same week that we had originally wanted to send the boys, I asked again. William was still a no, but Romney had changed his mind and was excited to go off on his own for 6 whole days. Without the benefit of even one single friend accompanying him, nor an older brother to show him the ropes, Romney has been incredibly enthusiastic about having a turn to be on his own. I secretly wondered if as the time grew closer he would begin getting nervous or have doubts but he only became more and more clear that he was ready and anxious to go. With bags packed, he loaded up the car with a giant grin on his face. On the drive up, he kept asking how close we were to arriving at the camp. He met each camp counselor with a big smile and an "I am so excited to be here!" His only concern-- he had heard from one of William's friends that the bottom bunks were better than the top and he wanted to make sure he was first to check in to pick out his bunk. Alas, he succeeded and got first dibs and his perfect spot. He unloaded his belongings onto his shelf and pretty much let us know we could leave now. Romney had lectured me at home this morning about not embarrassing him at camp. No crying, no tearing up, no weird mom stuff was allowed. He said if I embarrassed him as he was trying to make his first camp impression it might ruin it for him, that everyone would always remember that he was the kid with the over dramatic mother. I promised I would not tear up and that if I did, those tears would stay safely behind my sunglasses. I told him no tears, but one quick hug at the very last second to say goodbye was a non-negotiable. He agreed. I kept my end of the bargain without so much as a wet eye, and so did he. Have you ever seen a bigger smile on any kid anywhere? I can't wait to hear all about his independent adventures when we finally get to pick him up again on Friday, where I promise again, no tears, only hugs!

P.S. Now that the week is over, here is a report. Romney gave us a good scare by looking incredibly stone-faced in all of the photos we got from camp during the week. Even in photos where everyone was acting silly. Everyone but Romney. It took all I had not to run up the mountain and rescue him. Thank goodness I did not. He had an amazing time. He wants to go every week this summer, but will compromise with one week at home, one week at camp. He feels very proud of the dog-tags he earned. One archery, one mountain biking and the final dog-tag of "Responsibility". He said he picked that goal to work on since he felt he could improve on that at home. He was torn between Responsibility and Respect. He said he could improve on "Respect" at school. He made a very cute little buddy named Sam and had a wonderful attitude the entire week. He had a great time teaching everyone the evils of the chicken farming industry. His poor counselor couldn't finish his chicken nuggets after Romney explained the ins and outs of cruelty to animals. That's our little man. Oh, and when asked about looking sad in all the photos Romney said "I just prefer to look serious in pictures, Mom."

An Open Letter to NYC

After the twin towers came down and left New Yorkers forever changed by the events of September 11th, the Beastie Boys wrote an anthem called "An Open Letter to NYC"; a love letter to the city. This is my "Open Letter to NYC" of sorts, in which I will try to convey using words and photographs the two and a half day blitz that was our 15th anniversary trip; our attempt to get a small taste of the big apple. Between Bill and myself there are not that many major cities in Europe and North America (and parts of Asia) that have yet to be explored, by one or both of us. That we like to travel is not a hidden secret. What was a wonderfully hidden secret for the better part of a month-- that to celebrate 15 years of wonderfully blissful married life, Bill had planned a surprise trip to NYC, a city neither one of us had visited (though that seems scarcely possible) to serve as the perfect adventure to start building the next 15 years worth of memories. Children safely placed with willing family and friends, we embarked on our adventure and disembarked in New York City. Hiring a taxi to drive us in from JFK and watching the names of places previously only heard about in song or seen in popular media the first hours seemed almost surreal. It was already late afternoon when we arrived, but not wanting to waste any time after depositing our bags we headed straight out of the hotel door to explore the most touristy of all tourist spots, Times Square, just a mere block or two away. We explored the theater district, walked through Bryant Park, found a vegan Korean restaurant with the most perfect ambiance and tasty kimchi, and rode the elevator to the top of the Empire State building where we took in the romantic energy that comes from gazing out from atop that lofty man-made artifice over the electric gleaming landscape that is Manhattan by night. After a late second dinner and a brief sojourn of sleep in the hotel, we woke to once again personify the consummate NYC tourists. We grabbed Bill a breakfast bagel and hit the fashion and garment districts. The MOMA was atop of my list of must experience NYC institutions and it did not disappoint. I was turned onto a new personal favorite female photographer, Cindy Sherman, whose work will forever be locked in my feminist consciousness. Again, we donned our tourist personas to board the tour boat that gave us access to the NYC skyline from all angles of island. It also brought me up close and personal to another female NYC icon, Lady Liberty herself, who was stunning and absolutely the only thing in New York that was the same size as I had imagined in my mind. I feel confident in saying that I don't believe it is humanly possible to do anymore in that city in the amount of time we had than Bill and I did. Our tired and bandaged up blistered feet carried us all over that tiny island. A few highlights include a quick photo op at Radio City, a glimpse of Columbus Circle, a walk through Central Park, a tour at lightning speed of the MET, Rockefeller Center including the top of the Rock. Following the lead of many tourists who had paved the way for us we made it to the World Trade Center memorial pools to experience ground zero eleven years later, rode the subway (though we quickly realized we were not such fans of the dirty and unreliable system that is the NYC metro), ate dinner in Little Italy, shopped the touristy junk shops of China town, unsuccessfully tried to use the bathroom at Trump tower, climbed the stairs to take in High Line Park, explored the ghost town that was the financial district on a Saturday afternoon, and watched street chess matches in Union Square. We walked and ate our way around the upper west and east sides. We covered some serious ground for only 2 1/2 days. Did I mention the food--mmmmm...yummy! Really the whole experience was incredible. It was perfect. And that is my ode to New York City; thank you for setting the scene for the perfect way to celebrate 15 years of this life I both lucked into and chose. Though my ode to New York may be over, my love letter to Bill is constantly being written. In the seemingly more mundane moments of our day to day to the magnificent adventures we experience together, I couldn't possibly have found a better companion to accompany me through the journey of life. I love you! .