Breaking News: President Trump....

Those words put fear into my heart every morning when I read them.   Today there have been at least three of them and it's only 2 p.m. I've read that a psychologist coined the phrase--"Headline Stress Disorder" and I think I have it!

On the rare times when I am thankful for what President Trump tweets, like his willingness to sign an order keeping families together at the Mexican border, he quickly and incorrectly blames others for the situation.  When there is a chance for compromise on an immigration bill, he says he will not sign it and then he pleads with Congress to pass one.   While we are paying thousands and millions of dollars for security for frequent trips to his Florida resort, he is cutting dollars to reunite separated families.

When I am pleased that Melania Trump visits a center for children in Florida, I learn that she is wearing a jacket that says "I really don't care, do U?"  How did that happen?  What is her message?  Was it done in ignorance or with purpose?

President Trump  has an insult for anyone who opposes him--his own party or others.  I can't keep up with the changes in the administration and don't blame those who cannot work with him.  He praises dictators in Russia and North Korea and insults our former allies like Canada or France or the United Kingdom. 

I try to tell myself that when we protested the administration in 1968,  people were dying.   The same was true when we went to war in Iraq because of the "weapons of mass destruction" that didn't exist.  People lost lives.  The United States became an enemy of Iraqis like our dear Sister Luma whose family were victims as a result.  I need to put the situation today in perspective.

But I am ashamed and embarrassed that our president uses nasty and vulgar language and still meets the approval of so many.  Or that he can change his mind seemingly on what he hears on Fox News.  Or that he appeals to the racism and prejudice of his "base." (I have begun to hate hearing that word!)  Or that so many "evangelical" Christians continue to support him.  A poll reported today by the NYT says that his "base" is digging in and supporting him no matter what he does.  There are a few Republicans (Senators Flake and McCain) who object publicly but sadly most of them are not running for re-election.

I have emailed my representatives many times.  I doubt very much that my letters influence Representative Walorski or Senator Young.  I would like to give money to Senator Donnelly but I am reluctant because he is already using funds to post negative ads against his opponent and he has taken money from the NRA.  I don't want to give up contacting those with power but I am cynical about it doing any good.

 Those who call President Trump nasty names in return are not helping their cause.  Or those who refuse to serve Sarah Sanders at a restaurant or heckle Kirstjen Nielsen at a Mexican restaurant.   (That may not have been the wisest place for her to visit under the circumstances!)  The whole situation encourages a lack of civility and grace and love. 

I have shared occasional political pieces on Facebook but those are mostly just "preaching to the choir."  I have not posted anything that insults anyone.  But I am constantly angry about what is going on and regret that there is a silence on important issues with many I love.  I try to pray for our president.  I find myself also praying for his wife and his youngest son Barron.

So this is our life right now and that is why I am blogging about it  I'll hold it for a few days and think about it before posting.

The Remembering Self

Laura writes about the anticipating self, the experiencing self, and the remembering self in her latest book Off the Clock.  I am being the remembering self this week as I think of many good moments in our trip--already more than a week ago.  The anticipating self had some concerns about the energy it takes to travel and be the happy and appreciative grandma I want to be.  However the experiencing selves did very well.

Shall I do this in order?  Or just as the memories come back to me?

Reading Off the Clock on
New Jersey Transit

Getting off the train at Penn Station and coming out onto the busy 7th Avenue and 32nd Street.  This time Jim warned me to look like we knew what we were doing because one of the last times we accepted the help of a woman who then demanded $20 to feed her hungry children!  So we tried to act like New Yorkers, not tourists, even if we did have a roller bag.

Being upgraded by the Doubletree Hotel to a room with a view on the 22nd floor.  We could see the Empire State Building.  Later Dan had us changing the colors on the Chrysler Building with his app.  I thought he was pulling our leg, but he really did have an app for that!

Entering the room at Laura's book launching  party after a bit of a mistake in directions, greeting Laura and having her ask us if we had met Dan's friend Alex yet.  Alex was Dan's response to his Plus One invitation and we were very happy to meet her!

Shopping at Trader Joe's at 9:30 pm with long lines which moved quickly.  We were directed to checkout number 14 of the 20 or so.  I got my favorite candy bars, Jim got cookies and granola, and we got a $1 birthday card for Michael.

Getting out of the Uber ride on the very busy Flatbush Extension in Brooklyn and worrying how loud the traffic would be at the Hampton Inn.  But we were given a lovely room on the 12th floor on the quiet wing--a respite for us each time from the busyness of the streets.

Watching the sunset from the roof of Dan's apartment building--Alex's suggestion after our Habana Outpost supper.   The weirdness of the ride in Dan's elevator with the man with two dogs who offered them to Alex but then told her she would probably rather have children (!), and the man in a Superman body suit when the door opened on the 4th floor.  Remembering we were in Brooklyn and not South Bend!

Having churros for dessert--another Alex suggestion for the following night--at Dan's apartment building. Enjoying a really big hug from Alex when we said good-bye!

Having three-year-old A in bed with us at 6:30 in the morning in Gladwyne and playing silly games until 7:30 when we really had to let him out!

Listening to A who said he "sleeped " all night in his bed with R promptly correcting him "slept!"  When S said that people came from a seed from the mother and a seed from the dad, R said, "God made me."  When R insisted that we do a prayer in her room at bedtime.  I asked A if he knew about prayer  and he told me he knew what that was all about from his class (at church, I assume.)

Having R on my lap to watch J in his Son of Pinocchio play and delighting in it with her.  Going through the "rainbow" car wash with Michael and the kids and all the excitement that brought to everyone.  Looking at parodies of Mona Lisa and American Gothic on my cell phone with J--after telling him about the Grant Wood exhibit Jim and I had seen at the Whitney.  Seeing S in his Texas A and M shirt for baseball when he had grabbed the wrong one but the right color from his drawer.  And seeing him make two great catches to put others out.

Seeing Jeff dance in the Daddy's dance at the Dance Factory recital and seeing M's amazing tap dance skills also.  Having Katie explain how she choreographed a dance for her Momentum troupe at Duke last spring and then watching the video with her.

Seeing James singing expressively and doing the choreographed motions with his Princeton HS Choir at the absolutely marvelous Cabaret we attended.

And...having sangria and shrimp fondue with Jim at 10 pm as a final little party before we left for home the next morning.

East Coast Trip June Part II

Wednesday:  We treated ourselves to an Uber ride again  to Penn Station because it is so much easier than subways when there is luggage.  Plus you get to see NYC in all its glory and mess from above ground.  I am always surprised to see how large and authentic Chinatown seems, a place to live not just for tourism.

We took NJ Transit to Princeton Junction--this time on an uncrowded train.  We have developed some expertise in buying tickets quickly from the kiosks.  Jeff picked us up again and we had lunch at his house.  Then it was on to Gladwyne to Laura's home.  Google Maps took us on a bit of a run around and we probably should have trusted our own instincts.

Once everyone gets home from school, the noise and activity picks up considerably.  I played Chutes and Ladders with R while Jim played another board game with A.  Gabrielle, the wonderful nanny, fixed chicken salad sandwiches for supper.  There was more kids time in the basement before everyone finally got settled down.  R insisted some of us at least had a prayer time before bed--which she remembered from previous trips.  She still likes me to sing the same songs with her--always making the on purpose mistake of singing Laura's name instead of hers.  I wonder how long she will think that is funny.   I will be sad when she gets too sophisticated.

We didn't watch the Warriors beat the Cavaliers in Game 3 or watch the Cubs beat the Phillies but Jim gets the wrap-ups on his iphone.

Thursday:  A woke us up by jumping into bed with us at 6:30.  By 7:30 all four kids were in bed with us at one time or another.   By 8:30 it was quiet again with three of them off to school and A off on his adventures with Gabrielle. After getting a much needed load of wash started, Jim and I walked to the center of town and enjoyed an outdoor coffee at the Coffee Bean--as we do almost every time we come to Gladwyne. Again, it's a quiet day until 4 pm when the pace picks up considerably.

Laura suddenly had the opportunity to have an essay in the weekend WSJ. That meant she had to write and edit with an immediate turn around.   So we brought J to Bluet Theater at St. Joseph University for his play call at 6 pm.  We got a quick supper of pizza slices and a burger at Larry's Steak--not recommended.  Laura and R met us and we enjoyed Son Pinocchio--me with R on my lap so she could see past adults blocking her view.  J had a short solo as the perfect boy Lorenzo and then a speaking part as a pig.  He was on stage singing in the chorus almost all the time so he was our star!

Friday:  After helping out with transportation for the van's servicing, Jim and I used Laura's membership pass for the Barnes Museum now located downtown.  We saw the special Renoir and Son exhibit and then toured the regular galleries.  The building was beautiful. The collection which was left as stipulated in Barnes' will was eclectic and sometimes a bit strange with its juxtaposition of nude women and scenery and flowers and even a crucifixion scene.  We avoided  a very busy I 76 and had interesting routes through the city and suburbs.

We celebrated Michael's 50th birthday with all eight of us at Coyote Crossing, a Mexican restaurant in Conshohocken.  I had crab tacos which were pretty spicy and a very strong margarita.  The kids behaved decently in a grown up restaurant. Michael had wanted it to be a family celebration.  Ice cream cake was a great birthday treat afterwards. A highlight of the evening was the "rainbow" car wash en route and the Awesome Eggs sing-a-long on the way home.

S got the wrong maroon shirt
for baseball!

Saturday:  Laura's Fox and Friends scheduled TV appearance at a NYC studio was postponed due to the news of Anthony Bourdain's suicide (celebrity chef and writer).  So she was home to help with  simultaneous events of Jasper's play, Sam's baseball game, and our needing to pick up cousin James at his summer job orientation for Lavner Camps in Narberth at 11:30.  Google Maps helped us find our way!


M's dance recital Island Adventure at 2 pm in Trenton was next on our agenda.  A highlight every year is the Daddy's dance when we get to see Jeff do his thing!   M is a great tap dancer and jazz dancer.  Susan runs everything behind the scenes and Katie, a graduate of the Dance Company, helped as well.

We brought James back home, got ourselves some food and drink at McCaffery's and enjoyed a quiet happy hour at the Homewood Suites.

James's Princeton High School Choir presented a Cabaret in the evening.  It was a two hour show non-stop showing off so many talented and spirited singers.  It was fun to watch James in the chorus singing and doing the choreography. .

All the Princeton VKs were too tired to join us at Ruby Tuesday's for our traditional late night shrimp fondue and sangrias so Grandpa and Grandma had to party alone!

Now it's time for the long drive home after a really wonderful trip.

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We did the trip in one day this time--leaving at 9:30--692 miles via I 76 and I 80.  The rain was heavy and the fog with the rain on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was dangerous at times.  But Jim did well and we were safely home at 8:45.

East Coast Trip--June 2018 Part I

We left home around 2 pm on Friday, June 1.  I had made a reservation at a Hampton Inn at Exit 173 on I-80 but I thought it was at Exit 180.  We went sailing by Exit 173 when we realized my mistake.  Fortunately, the reservation was easily changed and we found a room.  We had dinner at a TGIF and I chose poorly--shrimp on naan.

After about seven hours driving on Saturday we arrived at the Somerset, NJ Homewood Suites.  Princeton was all booked up for the reunion festivities.  Jeff, Susan, Katie and Michael joined us at Ruby Tuesday's for dinner.

On Sunday we drove to Jeff's and he brought us to the Princeton Junction Train Station where we joined a multitude of alumni wearing orange pants, sweatshirts, or at least bracelets giving their year of graduation.  From Penn Station we walked to the Doubletree on 29th Street.

Laura's book launch party was from 6 to 9 at Rouge Tomate on West 18th Street.   We met several people who were important in the process of publishing--her editor, publicist, and others.  The wine was offered freely and so were some pretty fancy and unusual appetizers.  We  enjoyed meeting Dan's friend Alex.  The party after the party was at our room to watch the last quarter of the Cavaliers-Warriors game.

Our golfer admires 'The
American Golfer"

On Monday morning we saw the Grant Wood exhibit at the Whitney Museum of Art.  We walked the lovely and lush High Line back to our hotel just making our late check out time.  An Uber ride brought us to the Hampton Inn in Brooklyn where we had an early check-in.   We took it easy in our room--especially because I was really feeling sick to my stomach.

NYC Parking

Dinner was at Habana Outpost outside where I carefully ate one chicken taco and drank ginger ale.  We watched the sunset from the roof of Dan's apartment building and then walked back to our hotel.  I felt pretty sick for about half of the night.

On Tuesday morning we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and then wandered through a neighborhood to the south of it. Later we walked to the Fulton Street Mall area where I gave up on a very long line at a TJ Maxx and instead bought another top at Nordstrom Rack.  So many people were on the streets even on a Tuesday afternoon--and there was so much noise from cars blaring music and building construction and subways under the street.

Dan and Alex joined us for dinner at Caffe e Vino where Jim and I had eaten last December.  I ordered the very same meal and it was wonderful again.  So was the bruschetta and the Chianti.  Once again it was cash only--no credit cards.  Alex suggested churros for dessert--another eating adventure for us--which we enjoyed at the new restaurant on the first floor of Dan's apartment building.

We had five good nights in four different Hilton brand hotels.  Brand loyalty pays off with free breakfasts and upgrades to rooms with a view plus late checkouts.