Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2011!

Oh yes we did....
    And it was actually quite enjoyable! I thought for sure that everyone would be ready to punch each other in the face to get a better spot, but everyone was smiling and so full of joy! Our viewing point was from Central Park West and we got there just before it started so we were pretty far back. It was ok with us though, because the balloons are so huge that you can see them from any spot and have a perfect view. The temperature was slightly cool, the air was still, and the sun was shining brightly in cloudless sky. As the parade went on, we kept scooting closer and closer to the front. Eventually, we ended up by the barricade leading to the "VIP" area (in other words, you have to know somebody to get reservations) and a wonderful member of team NYPD let us go into the MUCH less crowded VIP zone! Just in time to see Santa :)
  
     After our parade viewing, Dylan went out in the street to play with confetti. Then we walked through the park, got toasted almonds from a street vendor, and took a nice relaxing subway ride back to Woodside. Yes, I said a nice relaxing subway ride! The people on the subway were SMILING. Can you believe that? Two musicians jumped on board and started playing. The passengers, who normally don't bat an eye at performers, actually applauded! It was like the holiday fairy just passed over New York City and sprinkled happy dust on everyone.
  
     Anyway, I love the holiday season in NY. The sparkles, the smiles, the beautiful shop windows... I love it all. 

Grumpy day in New York town...

     Today should have been a great day, because I was asked to go to my son's Kindergarten class to make corn muffins for the Thanksgiving feast. I decided that I needed an energy boost so I drove over to Starbucks beforehand. In the drive thru (which typically, I don't even use) I scooted a little too close to the car in front of me and made a tiny screw head sized scrape on her bumper. In the past on two separate occasions, I have had college aged girls bump into and make dents and I just let it go But when I make a teeny little scrape, an old lady jumps all over me. Shouldn't I be having good karma for being so nice to strangers?
    
     Oh well, I guess that I have to have a really crappy day every now and then, otherwise I wouldn't appreciate the great days. After all, I did make it to the corn muffin project, and Dylan's little sunshine smile made me feel better. It's easy to forget the important things in life when you start concentrating on upsetting events. In my little family, we are all healthy and thriving and that is really all that matters. What is life about anyway? It's certainly not worth wasting my energy on being upset about a little accident.

     No matter how trivial your impact on the world may seem, you are a significant part of someone's life. Whether it be your children, your spouse, your extended family, friends, or even just yourself. Each and every one of us play an important role. We all should just be happy and grateful that we have the honor of playing a part in the play, with all of its positive and negative attributes. That alone is enough to make me realize that I shouldn't be upset about such a silly thing. After all, they are called bumpers for a reason; I just made it live up to its name :)

     I don't feel so grumpy anymore...

 This is the view that I described to you of the multiple colored trees intertwining...

This image was so beautiful with the golden sunshine illuminating the leaves. The camera didn't capture the true colors...

Grey skies and my children's book...

     For two days, the atmosphere has been grey and humid. On these days, I like to stay indoors where it is nice and cozy. Don't get me wrong, I love this weather. I have every curtain open so that I can be surrounded with it somber beauty. Nature produces these days for a reason. These days are for slowing down and relaxing. The sun energizes you, while the rain relaxes you. It's all tied together you know...

     

     I have been trying to work on my book, Annie the Purple Cat. I always get to the point where I start overanalyzing my work and become tempted to just throw the whole thing out. I have never written or painted anything and just sat back being completely satisfied with it. I have resigned from writing my stories on paper, because it is too easy to toss it out. On the computer, I just throw it back in the folder and leave it alone for a few days. I supposed that I could do that with paper also, though the physical presence of it being in the same room with me annoys me. I know it sounds incredibly strange, but it makes sense to my psyche so that is all that is important. 

     I'm going to go the art store today, because it always fills me with inspiration to be surrounded with creative tools. I'm thinking about getting two simple picture frames to make myself a paper maker. The last one that I had was crooked, but it worked very well. I might add some of the beautiful Japanese maple leaves into the paper and make some pretty stationary. Either way, I'm betting that my friends and relatives are going to be getting some handmade cards this year. I may even make some extras and put them on Etsy.com. Who knows? My creative ideas come in waves and go right back into the ocean of my mind only to remerge in time. I suppose that most people are that way.

     The human mind is but a fickle thing...

My Child: The Comedian

     For those of you who read my last post, you are probably not surprised that I'm afraid of knives at the moment. I was in the kitchen, cutting up some green onions with scissors for the egg drop soup that I was making. Dylan comes into the kitchen and watches me for a moment, then with a smirk on his face he says, "You'd better be careful... you don't want to cut rest of your finger off..."

    

Connecticut

Ah what a weekend....
     Yesterday, we rode the ferry over to Connecticut... just to see what was out there. It was a pretty landscape, full of small mountains and trees. We went to a boating town called "Mystic" and spent the entire afternoon just meandering through quaint shops. It was relaxing and slow paced, and it felt strange to be in such a calm environment. I realized, that for the past 6 months I have been moving at full speed!
     When darkness fell upon us, we started our journey home. We made it from the far east end of Connecticut to NY in 2 hours. I want to go back, because we didn't really get to explore very much and I feel like we've missed some things.

      If you have a queasy stomach, do not read the rest of this post:

This morning, I cut a bit of my fingertip off. It was pretty gruesome but I will survive. I feel a bit tired and groggy from the pain medicine, so that is why this post is slightly less descriptive. It seems like I'm always getting injured. A few weeks ago, I fell down a flight of stairs (twice in one shot) at the pier in NYC and sprained my ankle. Then, about 2 weeks later, I twisted my other ankle in pot hole. I'm a walking disaster guys... seriously. No guitar playing for me for awhile... but thank goodness, I only use one hand to type :) I knew that would come in handy some day!

                                                Pitifully Yours,
                                                       Jenny
         

Amateurs, Leaves, and Walnuts...

     I awoke this morning to discover that someone had sloppily tried to break into my car. It must have been a child because the covering of the keyhole had been pried off but the dummy didn't realize that the keyhole is attached to the door... not the handle. Well, I guess that anyone who goes around trying to break into cars at night, isn't exactly going to be the sharpest pencil in the box. 

   

     The leaves are changing into the most beautiful shades of red, orange, and gold. Occasionally, while walking the dog, I will find all three colors intertwining with one another and it is breathtaking. This morning, I just stood under the trees and listened to the moisture dripping between the leaves, from the heavy fog that was just beginning to fade. I inhaled the damp earthy scent of wet, decomposing leaves beneath my feet. It was a serene moment. We forget how important it is to just stand still and take everything in. At least for a few seconds. To just... activate every sense one by one.

I didn't have my camera with me, but later today, I will take a picture and upload it so that you can see it firsthand. Any description that I would try to express would simply not be enough to fully embrace the image. 

     Now, for a humorous note:

     Last night, I was making dinner while Dylan was in the bathtub. He calls out, "Mommy, I think that I have just pooped in the bathtub..." I pause, thinking that surely he must be joking. I then storm down the hall responding quite seriously, "You better not have pooped in the bathtub! You are going to be in big trouble!" I step into the bathroom and look down into the bathtub. There is my child squatting. He stands to reveal a little brown lump stuck to the bottom of the bathtub. I shrieked, "Dylan why on earth did you do that??" He reaches down, picks it up, and hands it to me... it is a walnut shell. 

Day 165...

So, yesterday, we took the train from Long Island to Manhattan, and we spent the afternoon playing with Dylan's remote controlled car in Central Park. We watched the sun setting between the buildings and the trees. It is such a beautiful transformation to watch. Daylight gives way to the glowing reflection of the sunset on the skyscraper windows and as it fades, the illumination of the buildings slowly begins to sparkle in the dark sky, like stars confined in transparent boxes. It softens the realization... that there are no real stars in the sky. They are only implied.

First... a little information.

Dear World,      

         If I were an efficient person, which I am not, I might have started this blog on my first day in New York. However, I will begin my sharing my journey 169 days later. Which is better than nothing... for those who are interested. 

         Let me begin by telling you about my family. I am the mother of one child, a five year old named Dylan. He is a witty conversationalist, who loves the dramatic arts and interpretive dance. Not one day passes without laughter and smiles when this little guy is around. My heart belongs to my fiance, Connor, who is a native New Yorker with a vast knowledge for all things business related. The last two in this family are my adorable Golden Retriever, Phoenix, who has been with me for longer than anyone else in this family, and our cat named... well, Kitty. We met Kitty back in Arkansas while we were walking Dylan to school. he followed us home and decided to stay. Unfortunately, we cannot have cats in our apartment, so poor Kitty stayed back in Arkansas with my parents. However, when we move closer to NYC next summer, Kitty will rejoin us.

         Let me clarify, that I am not a native Arkansan. I was born in Southern Louisiana and my family and I moved quite a bit. You should hear my accent! It is a mixture of everything but it's heavily midwestern. Strangely, everyone assumes that I am from Wisconsin, which is one place where I have never lived. I'm thinking that the accent developed when we lived in Michigan. For those of you who are aware of the different regional accents, mine is obvious in this area. Everyone in the NYC region speaks without using "R's" and with my accent, the "R's" are very dominant. So I do not blend in... at all. 

         As for a description of myself, I am an aspiring illustrator and children's author. For the past few years, I haven't had time to explore my creative pursuits. Now, I have complete freedom and I am practicing sketching scenery. My favorite author/illustrator is Tomie de Paola because his work is beautiful and simple. I am also a musician, as a hobby. The guitar is my instrument of choice and I also like to sing... but only to Dylan and when I'm alone or in front of strangers. I'm odd like that.

         I have decided that this blog will be a direct description of my feelings, encounters, and experiences. I'm not going to proofread or do any editing. It's just going to go from my mind to this page with no hesitation. A virtual diary for everyone to read. I'm sure that among the millions of New Yorkers, there may be a few newbies like myself who might enjoy reading this. Now, on to the blogging...