As I told you on the plane ride back from NY, this was one of the best trips I have ever taken. From Oakely to New York City, rest stop after rest stop, toll plaza after toll plaza (thank you I-90), every trunk-side sandwich break, campground tent assembly, every cd and radio sing-along (I think we need to hear "Call Me Maybe" or anything by Rascal Flatts just one more time :), last-minute-we're-getting-too-sleepy-to-drive hotel booking, catching a glimpse of the Olympics on hotel nights, your enjoyment of my highly vocal belches (and other emissions), the "ABC" game and adding all our new rules (roadkill, tractors, windmills, boats on a trailer and animal road signs are all wildcards), geysers, bubbling mud pits, bison on the roadway, a local rodeo, your attempts at peeling an orange, all the animated characters and carousel at ella's deli, giant Dino the Dinosaur, watching you try to beat your own time on the "Assembly-line Game" at the Spam Museum, crazy horse's disappointingly tiny head, being awed by the presidents of Mount Rushmore, the size of the Mississippi, our reflections in "The Bean," getting drenched at Niagra Falls, crazy 8's on the train (you love that game!), the bike ride through Montreal ("my legs are burning!"), our shoe-buying adventure in Montreal ("i'm sure, they fit perfectly":), being dead tired and can't wait to hit the pillow at the end of every day, bandaging your blistered heels ("i don't need socks with these new shoes"), hearing you exclaim how much you enjoyed "Wicked," only to find out it was only half over, wandering through the hustle and bustle of Times Square late on a Saturday night, the stifling heat of the subways, waking up early, on 3 hours sleep to catch the first ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, walking down the Hudson Greenway to go see the 9/11 Memorial, having you save the day (or at least my weary sanity) by pointing out that we could use actual cash on the Metro Card machines, walking up the last six floors of the Empire State Building, the absolute cluster that was American Airlines' baggage tagging system at JFK, listening to you giggle on the phone with your siblings and mom and dad every night as you update them on the day's events...I loved every moment.
Thank you Tawni.
