spring break

Spring Break 2013 was a perfect mix of family, relaxing, exploring, touristing, tasting, remembering and 'breaking' from the norm.  We went to NJ to see my parents and planned many NYC adventures to start our few months of saying goodbye to the East Coast. 

Our first stop was to Brooklyn, my old stomping ground.  We stopped for pizza and then said hello to the places we used to live - 584 Carroll Street and 420 3rd Street - in addition to my old beloved preschool Beth Eloheim (bottom right) where I started on a path of some crazy diversity in life. 

Empire State Building was calling our name!  We had a clear day - no warmth but clear.  Madeleine thought our hair was hilarious.  As a side note, the other day in church - 6 weeks after this trip - there was an oboe musical number and she was asking what instrument it was.  "It's an oboe Madeleine." Her response, "oh, an oboe.  Hmmm, looks like the Empire State Building."  So clearly this outing had an effect on her. 


Spencer and I headed over to the Intrepid and had such a fun time exploring - despite the freezing, windy weather.


Next up - the warmth of an indoor Circle Line Tour.  So fun to see the city by water - and sitting!  By this point I was completely exhausted from walking so the boat ride was even more magical.  This city will always be special to me.


We went to the September 11 Memorial and were so impressed.  Loved everything about it and can't wait for the buildings around it to be completed.  I remember being in high school AP Calc class when it happened.  My friend was pulled out of class (later I learned she was told her dad was okay - he worked in the building) and when she came back in, she gave me a look that said, "this is big."  About 2 minutes after that, an announcement was made that a plane hit the World Trade Center and so instinctively we turned on the TV to watch the news in class.  Little did I know we wouldn't be turning off the news for days. 

After calc, it was World History.  He had TV on, but on mute.  He insisted on talking about history.  We thought he was crazy and he finally put the textbook down and said, "you better hold on to everything you can, because after today nothing will be the same"  He was the only one at the time to really internalize what was happened.  Ironically, it was during this class that the second plane hit.  Total shock and panic started setting it, adults and students alike. 

It was in AP Chem that the buildings actually collapsed and all pandemonium broke out.  It was a very strange, personal, unsettled feeling.  I went to the office and basically told them I was driving home - I wasn't the only one. 

My mom was the RS President at the time and probably 80% of those working in our ward, worked in the city.  I left school with a few friends and drove up to a ridge and could see the pillars of smoke - a sick feeling came over me.  Safety became vulnerability and uncertainty.  I dropped off my friends and when I got home, my mom was busy getting a hold of every single ward member to see if they had anyone in the family in the city that day and if they had heard from them.  This was before widespread cell phones - as a side note we had one for our family at the time.  The cell towers were down and communication was difficult. 

To be honest, it was a relief I came home and could help my mom with a task.  Tasks give you focus and priorities in a time of chaos.  We went through lists, marked people's names and eventually sat there in awe of the incredible stories that were trickling in throughout the day.  "I was the last PATH train in - the doors didn't open and the train just went in reverse - we had no idea what was happening."  "I decided to stay an extra day in London" "I went in late that day and saw the whole things from the ferry" and that was just the tip of the iceberg.  The members instinctively all congregated at the stake center and many spent the night as tunnels, bridges and public transportation were all shut down. 

It happened on a Tuesday and we didn't have school for the rest of the week.  There was only one channel that wasn't affected by the towers collapsing so we all watched the same news for days.  I remember one night my sister Abby, 12 at the time, quietly left the room and started crying.  "I can't even tell what is happening but it just seems so serious.  I can't watch any more TV"  She was right.  With so much craziness happening - there was a need to take a step back and remember what is important.  Family prayer was the answer. 

One night I went with friends and her parents to volunteer in Jersey City - directly across from the towers at the ferry terminal.  We were assembling hygienic kits, food, towels, and general supplies to be sent over across the river while the ferry boats were returning with people injured, and firefighters who needed a break.  It was so close and so real and yet I was shoulder to shoulder with complete strangers and felt completely safe.  No 4th of July has ever produced so many flags and so much patriotic unity as was felt in those days following.  It was absolutely amazing. 

I remember feeling panicked the first time I heard/saw a plane overhead.  We lived about 20 minutes from Newark Airport so we were used to hearing an occasional plane, but that was such a weird feeling.

I've never felt so much unity with so many strangers in such massive form.  We went to a Yankees Game soon after 9/11 where they hung the flag found the rubble and a police officer sang the national anthem.  First time I've cried at Yankee Stadium - me along with thousand of other mostly grown men.  Then and during the 6th inning playing of Frank Sinatra's, "New York".  Can't imagine that ever happening again but who knows. 

I never intended for this to be my memories of that day, but with the recent events in Boston, I felt like my kids should have some way of reading about our experiences.  Not of the play by play, but of the unity, collaboration, peace and fortitude during a monumentally disruptive time. 





Times Square, stopping for treats - at the BEST pastry shop in NYC and not pictured seeing Annie on Boradway.  And let's not forget getting treated to handicapped seats because I looked so pregnant.  Milk it Kenz.


We did about half the things with the kids - the other half of the time they were thoroughly entertained by Grandma and Grandpa.  Carousel rides, sewing lessons, snow surfing in the backyard, whiffle ball lessons and let's not forget potty training.  This was Henry's "Happy St. Patrick's Day" pose for you, Abby!