Time to Go Home

It seems unreal to me that three months have passed so quickly but they have and I will be going home in just three days.  As I have said in my earlier posts, this experience has exceeded my expectations in too many ways to count. I have learned a few things that I would like to share.

1. Being a grandparent is everything and so much more than everyone always tells you before you become a grandparent. You hear the standard jokes about this but it is a fact.  It is a miracle to see the child of your child.

2. I truly feel that the past three months with this wonderful boy, (and his parents), has helped to ease me out of my decade long "mid-life crisis" in which I was trying to figure out who I was and what I was "supposed" to be doing with my life. The fact is that sometimes you have to just let life happen and enjoy what you have.

3. Reuniting with family members from your childhood is a very sweet and important thing to do if you can.  I have been so fortunate to have been able to spend time with first-cousins that I enjoyed during my childhood.  We shared very special grandparents and as children we got together at least every two years even though we lived a thousand miles apart.  The years and our own family responsibilities have unfortunately caused us to see each other more often when someone passes away than when good times occur. We were able to reconnect as they live in the New York area and it is as if we were always friends.  This is very special to me.

4. New York is NOT a scary place.  It is an interesting and complicated city that is surprisingly easy to navigate.  It has endless possibilities and I could live here for years and still discover new and amazing things to do every day.

5. I really love the theater and have neglected that fact over the years mainly through a degree of laziness.

6. Living alone for a few months is okay.  Quiet is not so bad.

7. There is alot to say about the benefit of having your primary mode of transportation being your own two feet. I did not miss driving for a minute. I also actually enjoyed the subway. I rarely took cabs.

8. A glass of red wine most nights does not hurt you. It can actually help you. It is not a sin to drink this wine when you are alone. On occasion if this glass of wine is accompanied by a small piece of chocolate it is even better.

9. I have an exceptional husband. Tom did not hesitate for a minute when I decided to become a Granny/Nanny for three months.  He did it for Jack but he also did it for me and I will always be grateful for that.  His life actually changed as much, or more than mine did during this time. He had to maintain his job as usual but he also had to do all of the things that I did in our life. I am a very lucky woman.

10. Last and definitely not least I have discovered that wonderful things can happen when you least expect them.  After a year of frustration trying to sell our house we took it off the market.  We were not sure what we were going to do but I was leaving town and we would deal with it when I returned.
A month ago our realtor called and told us that someone had seen it online and was interested.  This family looked at the house and bought it. Who knew? Well, it has been an extremely busy month and I returned to Chicago for one week in April and we were able to find a condo that we feel is perfect for us. It has been a challenge to arrange everything long distance but it looks like three weeks after I return home we will be moving on to a new experience.

That is it for now. Maybe in the not too distant future there will be a "Grandma and the Second City" Time will tell but I will never forget all of the happiness that Brian and Lindsay and my darling Jack have given me on my little adventure.

The last Weekend

As I sit here on a Friday night it is almost impossible to believe that this is the beginning of my last weekend in New York.  A week from tonight I will be on an airplane traveling back home.  This has been such an incredible experience for me in so many ways and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.  I will talk more about this later this week. Life has been so busy over the past month that I know that the frequency of my postings has decreased.  This is not a reflection of my interest in sharing my experiences or of the depth of the changes in this period of my life.  It has been the level of activity in my life that has rendered me too exhausted for the most part to write on a consistent basis.

I was struck this morning on my way to the subway that most of the time my life here has become somewhat routine on a day to day basis but I still have moments when I just look at my surroundings and can not believe that I am actually here.  This weekend Brian has traveled to Chicago for a bachelor party so he will enjoy, among other activities, a rooftop ticket to a Cub's game.  Michael and Tom are also attending the same game together so I know that there will be a reunion of my guys and that makes me very happy.  They share a special bond that is sometimes enjoyed on a different level without "Ma"  I am not at all offended by this fact.  Lindsay will enjoy a little very well deserved Mommy and boy time.

I will enjoy my final Broadway show tomorrow.  This will be my sixth show since I have discovered my new love of the theater.  This is one of the aspects of New York that I have enjoyed the most.  I will go to the tkts booth and stand in line with the other theater lovers and buy a ticket for 40 to 50% off the regular price.  I did this last Saturday when my sister was here for her Yoga Journal Conference so while she was vigorously doing her yoga from 8am until 6:30 I was standing in line for two hours so I could purchase two tickets to the new show "Once"  It was well worth the wait. I have to tell you how enjoyable my two hours in line were.  It was a beautiful warm and sunny day and I made friends with several young theater lovers in the line.  I totally held my own in the big city as we discussed our favorite shows and our preferences for the day's performances.  Who knew this suburban grandma could converse so ably about the hottest and most desirable shows?  I almost felt guilty when they discovered that I had seen "The Book of Mormon" as it is so popular that the tkts never has tickets for the show. I was very touched and impressed by some of the young people that I met.  These are students and people who share a great love for the theater.  It is a very important part of their lives.

So tomorrow I will see some show that I have not decided on as yet and then I will meet my friend Erin for brunch on Sunday and that will be my last weekend in New York.  Sounds like a good one to me.

This is a picture you just had to see.  The season has changed and my boy needs a hat that protects him from the sun.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

I know it has been a while since my last post but life has been crazy for the past two weeks.  What was to have been a relaxing week in South Carolina with two great friends ended up being a week in Chicago to take care of some necessary business.  More on that later but as I returned to New York I began a wonderful weekend.  Tom and Michael accompanied me on this part of the adventure and a great time was had by all.
We spent the weekend enjoying the company of Lindsay's  Mom Joanne who had come to spend the week with Jack and his parents. It is always great to see her and catch up on life. Michael had not seen his nephew since Thanksgiving when Jack was three weeks old so I could see that the initial fear that he had of holding Jack was replaced with a true sense of comfort and fun.  As Mike said there is nothing like knowing that you have the ability of making that kid laugh.

Lindsay knows how much I love her and how much a part of our family she has become so I can talk about how fabulous Sunday was without the fear of offending her.  Sunday was a reunion of the original four.  The boys and their parents enjoying a sporting event like we did for so many years. Who could have predicted that the Bulls would face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on the very Sunday that team Ross was reunited. Corny as it sounds it was definitely one of the best days I can remember for a very long time.  We met at an Irish Bar before the game and the boys, including Dad, did a shot and a Guinness.  What a proud mother I am.  The usual banter between my guys brought back so many of the great times we had over the years on spring breaks or at other sports events. Honestly, as we walked from the bar to MSG I felt such a rush of pure happiness that  it surprised even me. So much has changed over the past ten years as the boys have become men but when the "Original Four" are together we still have it.  Yes, Ma is still the butt of many jokes but it is in such an endearing way that I love it.

I had to include this due to the incredible matching sweaters. Jack has style just like his Grandpa Tom.

The game was spectacular even though the Bulls lost 100-99 in overtime.  It was a real rush to be a Bull's fan in a sea of Knick's fans. I was only sorry that we did not have the forethought to wear our Bull's t-shirts.  That would have been sweet.  I will think about this wonderful day for many years to come.  In a few years Jack can join the fun and wear his Bull's t-shirt.

The Ross boys enjoy MSG and the Bulls