The Upper East Side

We enjoyed a gorgeous spring day in NYC.  We took Metro North into Grand Central Station.

The ceiling in the main room never gets old.  We took a quick detour to the little museum/gift shop to see the quilt exhibit.  GCS is celebrating their 100 anniversary and they had a quilt challenge.  It was fun to see how quilters used fabrics and motifs in the small wall quilts.

From there, we walked to Rockefeller Center and to the mega Lego store.  All around the skating rink is an exhibit of eggs, in the Faberge style.

They reminded me to the differently painted Olympic mascots that were all over London in 2012.  I must have taken about 30 pictures of different eggs.

My favorite

Butterflies for Grampy Robert

Maps!

We decided to visit the Lego store first so that Selim would have some satisfaction before going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  He bought a Star Wars thing and happily continued with his day.  Last year we took our picture outside of the store, so here is the two of us a year later.

We walked to the subway at Lexington and 51 Street.  A minutes later, we got off at 86 Street and walked to the Met.  Heather took Joshua and Selim to the Egyptian section and I went to the Lost Kingdoms exhibit.  I wanted to see the Buddha sculptures.  May be I was hungry, or tired, or not exactly in the right frame of mind to enjoy the pieces.  But the room was dark, with spotlights dramatically illuminating the art, and I had trouble reading the descriptions.  And there were fewer Buddha pieces and more Vishnu and Shiva than I had expected.  There were benches in front of pieces that I didn't find very compelling and no place to linger and contemplate in front of the ones that drew me in.  May be I should get a Buddha for my garden and call it a day.  Or better yet, I should just go over to Mom's and sit in front of the apple tree garden and enjoy her flowers and small Buddha.

I met up with Heather and the boys in the cafeteria.  Fortified, we went to the Arms and Armor gallery.  Score!  The boys loved it and I really enjoyed it as well.  Tons of photo opportunities in those rooms.

I nicknamed him rat face.

Marching through the gallery

Prayers to Allah inscribed within the armor itself.

The other activity planned for the day was a few blocks of Central Park.  We stopped at the Alice and Wonderland statue,

and the Hans Christian Anderson.

We are done!

And then my favorite, the underground section of the Bethesda Terrace.  Why archways and tile sooth my insides,  I have no idea.  But I could have stayed in there a long time, provided I had brought something to sit on.  There was a  cellist playing at one of the entryways and his music filled the space.  Magical.  A balm.  Cross between reminders of India and Turkey.  Heather took the boys for ice cream as I lingered.

On sore feet and tired hips, we made our way out of the Park (taking one last selfie) and back to the subway at 68 Street.  Our timing was perfect in that we made the last off-peak train out of the city to Heather's.

A lovely day and a great way to spend part of our vacation.

Racing stripes

When we were little, we used to tease Mom about painting racing stripes on our car and wearing helmets in the back seat.  To used a cliche, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Selim and I made it to Harrison in 4 hours 20 minutes, including a pit stop.  Fastest trip ev-ah.

Driving through the center of town, before turning onto Heather's street, Selim started laughing.

"What is so funny?"
"Did you see that sign?"
"What sign?"
"Wells Fargo.  If you added a T to the middle, it would be Wells Fartgo!"

Nine year-old potty humor, got to love it!

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite people pictures from this afternoon's playground fun.

And the scenery:

Easter BBQ

Last night Nedim was working on the boat and called the house to ask me what I thought about having some people from the Turkish Cultural Center over for a BBQ on Sunday.  Me, looking around the house, said no thank you.  It wouldn't be a big deal he told me, the grill was in the back of the truck and the people coming would bring most of the food.  Estimated start time of the event, 1:00pm.  And then I realized he was letting me know that the event was scheduled, not actually asking me if we should host or not.

Around 9:30 this morning Nedim and Selim were taking chairs out to the backyard and getting everything organized when yesterday's snake made a reappearance.  This time, he was on the far left side of the retaining wall.  I took more pictures, even catching the pink tongue.

The snake has gone up through the wall, the head is framed by the grey rock.

It wasn't too long before the first few people started coming.  Somebody set up a computer and speakers on the porch and soon the familiar Turkish music was filling our yard.  The men set up two grills and the ladies came into the kitchen to prepare the food.  People moved from outdoors to inside easily and I had to give up the embarrassment of the messy house and just accept.  Hard for me to do.

Around 2:00 we had close to twenty people enjoying music, food, soccer, and lots of laughter.  For me, this was the nicest gathering of these types in a while.  The ladies spoke English and actually used it instead of reverting back to their native Turkish when I was in their company.  I was able to participate in conversation instead of hovering around the periphery.

We made pots and pots of tea.  And washed rounds of glasses and more glasses.

Our fried Pat got dressed up to play his bagpipes, combining his Irish heritage with that of our company.

Late in the afternoon, people started disappearing into the back bedroom or to the secluded back corner of the yard to pray.  I always find the outward, physical demonstration of prayer very moving.  And to have people so at ease that they could comfortably slip out of the action to attend to prayer and then seamlessly rejoin the group -- that is a lesson to me to be strong in my own conviction.

That reminds me of a church announcement board I saw last weekend.  I need to spend more time in prayer and remembrance.  And definitely, pray boldly is in order.

While I was not looking forward to a house full of people, I felt like I made friends today and that is a gift.  I also scored wife points by baking chocolate cake when asked, not hiding in my room, and not flipping out and then peeling out in my vehicle when the first people arrived before 10:00 when I didn't think people were coming before 1:00.  All in all, I can't complain about spending a day with my family, even if we were joined by 20 or so others.

Back in the garden

Selim and I worked in the garden for a while today.  First up, cleaning out the raised beds.  We hadn't pulled up all the kale stalks in October, so that was first up.  The roots were really impressive.  As I turned over the soil, Selim hacked the stalk into smaller pieces.  It was an activity he thoroughly enjoyed.

We worked well together, and it didn't take us too long to have all four beds weeded and the soiled turned over.

From there we moved to the  lower section and began clearing out by the pea fence.  I found the big leaf rake and that worked somewhat.  But I really need a smaller one for the boarder area.  As I was clearing out the area by the azalea, the rake hit upon something soft.  I looked down and this snake slithered out from under the leaves.  I jumped, screamed, dropped the rake, and ran into the house to get my camera.

When I got back outside, the snake had returned to the warm bricks of the retaining wall.

I decided to take a break for lunch.  But before we left the backyard, I snapped a picture of Selim and I.

In the front yard, two little tete-a-tete flowers bloomed.

The daffodils will pop soon.  The tulip leaves are getting bigger.  And my mother's day flowering quince has bud clusters and leaves just starting to show.

Finally, signs of life after a long winter.  And I think I am slowly coming out of my funk.  For weeks now, I had been in this work limbo -- feeling like a senior in high school.  I had been told that I would be returning to first shift in the near future, possibly May.  I got excited and started planning for and imagining a regular / normal family life.  I would help with homework on a nightly basis; we could eat dinner together; I would have a chance to sleep more than 5 1/2 hours a night.  But weeks went by and nothing else was said.  I didn't enjoy limbo and feeling adrift sent me into a tailspin.  Emotionally, I crashed.

This week I started pressing for more information.  Thursday, I got it.  I didn't hear what I wanted -- that I would be going Monday when the first of the three new supervisors join our shift.  And it won't be after he finishes his orientation in two weeks.  But I am flexible, and I can adjust.   Reality is I love the management team on second shift.  We work really well together and I have a great team as well.  If my working hours weren't so difficult for the family, it wouldn't matter so much.  The revised plan is that I will go to first shift when the following new supervisor gets his/her security clearance.  If the process is true to form, that should be three months or so.  At least now I know.   I don't have to wonder.  I can stop feeling like the vision of the life that I want is just out of reach.  I can settle back into rhythm that is difficult, but that I have managed to maintain for the past 23 months.  I might get some of the summer on day shift.  However, when Selim starts his fourth grade school year at the end of August, I should be home when he gets off the bus in the afternoon.  That is something worth celebrating.

Feels like spring

I had to get up at O-dark hundred today so that I could be at work at 5:30 am to open the cabinets before adjudicators were allowed in the building at 6:00.  As I cruised down the empty highway, listening to Shakira at top volume, and enjoying the lack of traffic, I kept thinking that this will be my routine when I go back to first shift -- alarm going off at 4:30, keeping as many lights off in the house as possible as I shower and get dressed, tip-toeing around the kitchen getting my breakfast to go, and kissing my guys goodbye as they sleep.  And I am keeping my fingers crossed that day comes sooner rather than later.

After my shift ended at 11:30, I drove over to the marina to meet up with Selim and Nedim.  The sun was out and it felt like the first day of spring.  I pulled up to the row of boat all covered in shrink wrap or tarps.  It was hard to tell which boat was Turkish Delight.  I knew I was in the right place because I saw Nedim's truck.  Then I heard a voice calling out to me.  I looked up.

Good thing he is such a monkey...I mean good climber.

I hesitated before going up into the boat, it seemed too big and far off the ground.  But after a few minutes on deck I forgot about that aspect and enjoyed the warmth brought on by the lack of wind and greenhouse effect of the tarp.  I went from sitting up to laying down in no time.  I could have stayed and napped, but Selim had other plans.  Anticipating upcoming days in the upper 50s and lower 60s, he was on the hunt for some new shorts.

We went to the mall and had a successful stop at the Gap.  We bought one pair of shorts, sunglasses, and a beach / swim shirt.  Now I just have to find where I put the shorts from last summer that I cleverly put away for the winter and he will be all set.

In keeping with the spring theme, this afternoon we did a quick bulb check.  The daffodils have progressed from two tips partially hidden from view in the dead grass,

to multiple clumps in the past 7 days.

And the tulips by the mailbox have also sprouted up this past week, from wee red shoots to slightly furled stems.  Progress!

Lastly, Selim had another "first" this weekend.  He was invited to go see Captain America at the movie theater.  I've offered to take him to the movies before, and he has always said no.  He debated a few days before responding in the affirmative.  I guess going with four boys from school trumps the mom factor.  He said yes to his friend Aidan and had a blast.

Mom guilt

I don't suffer from mom guilt too much anymore.  I'm almost at my two year anniversary of returning to second shift.  I see Selim 45 minutes a day during the week and as much as I can on weekends.  I am a pro at homework over the phone as I sit in my office during dinner and hash out math problems or review spelling words.  I've been to some school activities because I'm home in the morning.  When he has been sick, I've stayed with him on days where I don't have mandatory meetings or training.  I've tried my best these past 22 months.  I don't know what inner turmoil he has going on, but outwardly, he doesn't let it show too often.

This past Tuesday tested my resolve.  Selim had a dentist appointment to have a tooth pulled.  When I made the appointment, I assumed I could go into work an hour late and it wouldn't be a problem.  Then a mandatory, combined shifts, management meeting with the HR team got scheduled right at the start of my work day.  I picked Selim up at school and brought him to the dentist.  I stayed through the Novocaine shots.  Then I kissed him on the forehead, told him he was very brave, reminded him that the kid Motrin was on the bathroom counter, and walked out of the dentist office as Nedim came in to take over the parental responsibility.

I drove to work with blurry vision as the tears leaked out.

Later in the afternoon I called home as soon as I could.  Selim was fine and Nedim had managed not to be a wreck watching the tooth pulling.  I was still a mess.  I called again before bed just to be sure everybody was still OK.  Selim read me his note to the Tooth Fairy.

I had forgotten about the Tooth Fairy aspect of the event.  It had been a long time since a tooth had fallen out.  I tried to warn him that the $100 he requested might be a bit of a stretch.  He said he would still ask.

He woke up to find five-one dollar bills wrapped up in a note.  The Tooth Fairy thought that the dentist experience was worth more than the usual way.  However, due to the other children with teeth under their pillows, $100 was not in the offing.

He was happy with the $5.

Yesterday was warm enough to play outside without a jacket.  We still have a snow pile on the front lawn, but it is shrinking.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the nor'easter predicted for Tuesday night into Wednesday will drift farther out to see and not give us 6 to 12 more inches of snow.