The Stories We Will Always Share Pt I

There are some things that happen and will go down in family legacy. Things we will laugh about, things we will remember and tell stories about over and over and over. I think we have a few of those stories already with TJ, and it is fun that he takes part in telling those stories too.

Of course his version is, "T.J. what happened when you saw the shark?"

He replies, "AAAAAHHHH!"

"then what happened?" We cue.

"Whaaaaaa!" He responds.

Yes. That is the story of the day we were at Universal and went on the Jaws ride. What were we thinking taking a 2 year old on that ride before his nap time? As if he was not already overstimulated enough. But regardless, the family boarded the boat and set off for an enjoyable tour of Amity Island. We hear the music. The adults are at the edge of their seats knowing that the great white lurks. TJ hasn't a clue. And then, wouldn't you know it, Jaws pops out of the water right on our side of the boat, right next to TJ! There are teeth. There is blood. There are loud noises. Fire. Theatrics. Enough to get a 2 year old's heart racing in terror. And so he screams and clings to mommy. And then, yes, once the panic is over he starts to cry.
We tried to tell him how brave he was afterward. We tried to make light out of it by going up to a stuffed animal shark and saying, "Bad shark" as we bopped it on the head. But, I think we scarred our boy a little bit that day. And I know that because every time we drive over a body of water, he is sure to say, "Shark!"

Oh, swimming in the ocean for the first time this summer will not go well.

Welcome Home

We are moved into our new home.

In the back of my head I hear James Taylor singing, "Carolina In My Mind." Of course that's quickly drown out by Billy Joel's, "New York State of Mind." You can the boy out of New York, but you won't take the New York out of the boy.

Our move went very well thanks to an amazing family who are friends to Lisa'a friend, but strangers to us. They showed two hours after the movers left and began to unpack us - kitchen first. By the end of our first weekend we were seventy-five percent unpacked. We were so far ahead of schedule that I was able to have my Army Reserve boss over for dinner that Sunday night when she flew into town.

The past ten days seem to have flown by. The weather has been the biggest contributor to the passage of time; it's only been cloudy one day and the temperatures have climbed as high as 65* here. In other words, we're not trapped inside to avoid single digit weather like we would back in New York.

I've spent some time driving around and the area reminds me of the northern part of Orange County out near Montgomery, or even Andy's in Wallkill. There are horse farms and rural areas that dominate the landscape here. And while the area is generally flat as compared to where I grew up or where we left, there is still a certain hominess to Willow Spring, NC. And, within twenty minutes I can be in the city of Raleigh.

I drove to Raleigh yesterday. Driving is going to be my undoing. North Carolina drivers, worse than New Jersey drivers, will be the bane of my existence here. As we explore the capitol I worry that my expletive vocabulary will increase.

Through all of this TJ has been a Rock Star. He very easily made the transition from one home to the other, he easily transitioned into day care with other kids, and he has been as sweet and carefree as he ever was. He misses Samantha, as we all do. I find myself paying extra attention to her room so that she'll be happy with it when she comes down. The house is still a little empty without her here. Of course getting the news that Samantha made the Honor Roll at her school was a big, big deal. We were pleasantly surprised because we just didn't think to push her towards a defined goal like getting on ther honor roll - she just did it.

We hung the last of the pictures that we wanted to hang today. Until we find a place to buy and call home for the next ten years (plus) we are as settled as we going to get. We're content. Sinatra is singing, "New York, New York" in the back ground.

Saying Good-Bye

My house. Our home. With tears Lisa and I said good-bye to the house.

That little house was good to me for ten years. I have only live in my parents home longer. I never expected to stay there as long as I did. It was a fluke to rent it for as cheap as I did, and then a few years later, buy it for a steal.

Over the years the house began to fit like an old, worn sweatshirt; not the classiest piece of item but certainly something you felt comfortable in. In that house I got divorced and pulled my life back together. I watched Samantha go from two year old in potty training to a beautiful young woman. I brought Lisa to our first home together, and two years later, our son to his first home. Over the years we brought the house into the present by gutting the kitchen and starting from the studs out, redoing the bathroom, painting, and adding a ceiling fan here or a new light fixture there.

I know it's silly to think that house even cares. After all, it's just an inanimate object that demands time, resources, and work to keep up. But, still, I'll miss the creaking of the floors and the big red maple that sheds it's leaves late every year. I'll miss the low beams in the basement that always made walk with my head titled to one side. I'll miss the mural on Sam's wall and tinkering with some project around the house in my free time. I felt a relationship with that little old house. Does that make sense?

We're on the road to North Carolina. The snow is behind us, although for fun, I let the snow pile on the roof of the Rav4 to see how much I could bring down south. Leaving the house was the last paragraph in a chapter that I'm proud of and I'm looking forward to the next part of the story.