Together Again

It's finally happened....after two long months, the Otondi family is back under one roof! It wasn't easy getting to this point, but it is worth it to all be together now! I flew home last weekend to accompany the kids when they flew to New York. Don and my Dad were to drive here over the weekend. My dad got sick last week with kidney stones and then the stomach flu, so he wasn't able to make the trip with Don. Not to mention the horrendous snow storm that gripped the entire path of Don's trip. He had a very long and stressful three days, driving much of the trip at nearly 40 mph it made for very slow going. He also had our beagle Lucy with him. She did fine in the car, sleeping most of the way. Her excitement came anytime Don would leave her in the hotel room to go back to the car for something. I'm sure the people in the rooms near Don's weren't amused by her howling!
I was so happy to see the kids. Mzee came running from what seemed like a mile away yelling "Mommy! Mommy!" as I exited the secure area at the airport and he noticed me! It was a great feeling. Milan was all smiles too, but very quiet. She came right to Mommy, so I was glad for that.
Saturday morning Don ventured out for the trip to New York and I spent the day with the kids at my parents. Sunday morning my mom drove us to the airport. We had good weather for the drive, which we were thankful for. This would be Milan's first flight and she's known to be quite opinionated so I was a little worried about her. This would be Mzee's fourth trip on an airplane, so I wasn't too worried about him. As is his usual way, once we boarded the plane, he was making friends with everyone who walked by us to get to their seats. One nice woman gave him three candy canes. He was telling everyone "This is my first time on an airplane!" Milan on the other hand, started screaming before the door was even closed and screamed pretty much at the top of her lungs for the first 25 minutes of the flight! Once the pilot turned off the seatbelt sign I was able to stand up with her and could at least get her calmed down, but the minute I attempted to return to my seat she'd start in again. It became pretty obvious that she was just over tired (no morning nap) so I decided to stop trying to calm her down and just let her cry till she fell asleep, which worked pretty well. It only took about five more minutes until she fell asleep in my arms. I was even able to move her to her own seat and buckle her in, so I could tend to Mzee who by this time was happily eating his entire snack tray of crackers, cheese and salami. He was ready for more crackers by this point and then of course, had to use the restroom. Thankfully Milan was asleep, but I did have a little unease leaving her in the seat alone, thanks to a particular Jodi Foster movie I once watched!
Mzee entertained himself the entire flight just fine, he is a great traveler!
When Milan woke, she was a completely different child, happy as could be, and hungry. She had missed lunch thanks to her 'episode' and yes I did offer her food and drink which she flatly refused....but now with her nap behind her, she was clamoring for cheerios and inhaling them as fast as I could give them to her. I even managed to get a couple of pictures of her smiling on the plane.. I'll post them later, as they are still in the camera.
The weather wasn't great when we landed, it was raining and I couldn't tell how cold it was to know if I was going to have to deal with icy roads. Don's cousin was going to meet me at the airport to help me maneuver two kids, two carseats, a double stroller, a suitcase, a box and a backpack to my car. However, where she lives they had gotten snow and the traffic was horrible so she decided not to come, which was for the best. I wouldn't have wanted her to risk the road conditions. So, armed with determination, I got the kids bundled in their coats and deplaned last in hopes that our stroller would be off the plane and in the jetway. We had to wait a little bit for it, but not too long. I got Milan settled and had Mzee walk. Then it was off to baggage claim to collect the checked luggage and carseats. This is where it would get a bit tricky...I managed to pile the two carseats and the box I'd checked into the back seat of the stroller, and was able to hold the stroller and the rolling bag in one hand while holding on the Mzee's tether in the other hand. This way he wouldn't escape! We made our way to the first of four elevators to get from the terminal to the airtrain and finally to our parking garage. All in all it wasn't too bad and only took about 20 minutes. We had one or two close calls making our way in and out of elevators, but Mzee loved riding the airtrain, so we did just fine. Once to the car, I was thankful for our easy to install carseats....gotta love Britax! It didn't take me much time at all to get them installed...after 3 years, I should be a pro as many times as we've moved them around! Then we loaded up and headed for our new home!
Mzee was very excited, especially when I told him we were going to cross the George Washington Bridge...he couldn't wait for that. He wanted to know if there would be trolls on the bridge - thanks to the Three Billy Goats Gruff for that! I told him no - "do you promise?" he said. I told him I promised him there were no trolls on the bridge. He seemed to like crossing, even on the lower level which isn't nearly as spectacular as the upper level. Not too long after crossing the bridge he fell asleep, which is just as well, since I took what I thought was a wrong exit somewhere along the way and had to take about a 15 minute detour through town to find out I was actually in the right place to begin with, it just looked different in the dark.
We FINALLY arrived at the house and I took Mzee inside. He was ecstatic about all of his toys being here. I left him in the house while I went back to the car for Milan. It was very icy here, so I didn't trust getting them both in at one time. When I came in with Milan, Mzee greeted me with, "Mommy, I like our new kitchen." The kids both had a great night playing with their toys and Milan was tired pretty early and slept very well! By the time I was putting Mzee to bed he was asking a few questions about why the floors creaked. I crafted what I thought was a pretty good story about how it was just this old house welcoming us to come live here...however, it didn't seem to satisfy him as he was still troubled by the floors. At one point he even said, Mommy, if I hear a noise when I'm sleeping I'm going to run to your bed! Now, in case you don't know, even in our old house, it is quite typical for us to have Mzee at the side of the bed at about 4 in the morning, strange noises or not, so I got quite a kick out of this....so now he has a reason to come to our bed in the middle of the night!
I sat with him until he fell asleep, and yes he did arrive at his usual time, but he told me, "Mommy, I heard a strange noise!"
Monday, since Don was delayed by the storm, I couldn't go in to the office until he got here, so I played with the kids in the morning and did some unpacking. The kids were really enjoying the time with their toys. It was as if they were all new again.
Don arrived mid-afternoon, but before the kids naps. They were so excited to see him! Mzee showed him his new room right away and gave Daddy a tour of the house. This was the first time Don was seeing the house. By the time he got the car unloaded and the kids down for a nap it was really too late for me to go into work for the day. I did read some e-mail and then tried to do a bit more unpacking. After dinner, we ventured out to Target, and I showed Don and the kids the downtown area, where Mzee's new daycare will be, where the train station is, etc. It was a nice little family adventure, although Target was a complete zoo, and the checkout lines were insane. Everyone must have decided to do their Christmas shopping last night! I managed to find a somewhat short line, and got out of there as quickly as we could. We got home and got the kids to bed, and then I had to get everything ready for work the next day! We are all so thankful to be together again!

A Milestone Day

Things here are pretty much the same, more unpacking. The weather has been nice but we'll have measurable snow by the end of the week.

Big news from Grandma and Grandpa's today! Milan took two steps for Grandma while Don and Mzee were in town at the store. Grandma is pretty sneaky, she stood Milan far enough from the washing machine that Milan couldn't reach without taking a couple of steps. Well, Grandma has a pretty intriguing washing machine for little kids...lots of buttons and lights on the front. Milan couldn't resist and took two steps to get to those enticing buttons! And once she had done it, Grandma said she looked a little puzzled, as if to say, "what have I just done?" She's sure taken a long time to walk...and I was hoping she was waiting for Mommy to be with her, but I guess she is ready on her own!

Mzee had kind of a big day too. He has been a great helper to Grandma at meal time, helping to set and clear the table. Tonight when he was putting glasses on the table he tripped and fell down, breaking the glass he had been carrying. He got a small cut on his hand, but mostly he really scared himself! It took a long time for Don and Grandma to calm him down. He even asked once, "why are Grandma's cups made of glass?" There were a lot of tears, but luckily the cut was very small. I talked to him tonight and he explained the whole thing to me. He still sounded pretty sad about it.

I'm counting down the days until I can be with my kids and Don again!!

Christmas came Early

Well, it's been a whirlwind of a week! I've been very busy since I moved into our new house last week. I was happy to find that we aren't too far from a Target store. I tried one grocery store last weekend and was not impressed. However, today I ventured farther down the street that Target is on and found a great grocery store that will now be my regular store. The sales seemed great and the prices often are very close to what I paid in Omaha on some items...others are more expensive.

The big news is that the moving truck delivered our shipment yesterday, so I've been VERY busy unpacking boxes. The boxes never seem to end. I've made great progress though. The kids rooms are all set up and our bedroom is finally ready tonight. We had to buy a split queen box spring as our box spring wouldn't go up the stairs. Luckily mattresses bend! There is a great mattress store here that can do same day delivery. I was there when the opened today and had my mattress by 5:00 pm. Not to bad. So, tonight I can sleep in my own bed.

The house isn't empty at all anymore, in fact it's quite full. I've got most of the main floor unpacked, and the remaining boxes are all in the basement for the office, and the boxes of things that were in storage in our old house. So, not too bad. It's been like Christmas with each box I've opened. While the boxes are well labeled on the outside, some boxes have each item inside wrapped in packing paper, so as I unwrap each item, it is a surprise, since I haven't been at home for so long and many of our items were packed up long ago when we first put the house on the market.

I am missing Don and the kids now more than ever. Especially when I unpacked the toys....and Don's computer! They will sit untouched until next weekend when we will all be here together!

News from the Midwest, well it appears Milan has a bit of a stomach bug. She's been sick most of the day and just isn't herself. I hope it is a short-lived illness! I've talked to her on the phone a couple of times this week and she is so puzzled by the fact that she can hear me, but can't see me. Don and Grandma both report that Milan has become "Grandpa's Girl!" She loves to sit on Grandpa's lap and play with him.

As for Mzee, he is loving his little 'vacation' at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Christmas came early for Grandpa, he got a new Bobcat. Lucky for Mzee they've had snow a couple of times this past week, so he gets to go in the Bobcat with Grandpa to help move the snow. As usual, he never wants to come inside, even when the adults are freezing from the cold. Yesterday he and Grandpa went to town to see Great Grandma, and Grandpa took him for a hot fudge sundae. Mzee spilled some on his shirt, to which Grandpa said, "We're busted now!"

I'll have a very busy week trying to get as much packed as possible before I head home to get the kids on Friday. I can't wait to see them and finally bring them here with me!

I'm Home!

Today, I got moved into our new house! It's a little bare in here right now, as I only have one carload of stuff. However, the landlord and his mother-in-law both commented that they couldn't believe how much stuff I was unloading from my small car! I told them, I get my packing skills from my dad, which is true!

Tonight I did snag a free tv off of craigslist. It ended up being much bigger than I anticipated, so the previous owner was nice enough to deliver it for me. When I offered to pay him something for his trouble he wouldn't take any money. He had two comments for me: " You saved it from the landfill" and "Welcome to New York". I thought that was great!

After that I ventured to find some food as it was really too late to do any grocery shopping. I ended up at KFC for quite an interesting drive thru experience. First of all the woman in line in front of me must have taken at least 10 minutes to order her food from the time I got into the line. Needless to say I was frustrated by that. So, when I got up to order, I thought I ordered pretty quickly, given that I was conscious of the delay the previous customer caused me. However, what I ordered kept getting repeated back to me incorrectly. I ordered a Thighs meal and she kept repeating it back as a leg and thigh meal. But the sign clearly read Thigh meal! I should have known better than to persist given the previous woman's order time... When I repeated my order back the second time I was suddenly put on with the manager who asked what the problem was. The whole thing made me chuckle because I didn't even really care, I just thought they should know their sign was wrong. He did everything he could to get my order the way I wanted it...too much so really when he stated, "It sounds like it's been one of those days, so we'll get you what you need." That made me seethe. I didn't think I was being unreasonable at all. And to top it off, the guy in line behind me was now yelling at me: "What the #$%* are you ordering up there! Hurry it up!" At this point I said, that was all, got my total and pulled forward...only to find that the woman in front of me still hadn't gotten her food....take that guy behind me!! :o) I got my food and drove away, hoping the guy behind me in line didn't come after me for delaying his order!!

Commuting from Jersey is not my thing!

Today was the last straw...every morning as I am making my way to the bus stop I see a bus go by while I'm still two or more blocks away. These buses really seem to take the schedule as merely a suggestion...not to mention, when the next bus arrived the traffic had gotten so bad that it took me nearly an hour and a half to get to work from the time I got on the bus! Not the way I wanted to start my day, but life goes on...
Fast forward to the evening commute....I missed the bus I wanted to take as it always seems to leave five minutes early. So, I had to take the bus that drops me a bit farther from the house. I don't really mind the walk, but this bus stops so many more times, it takes a full hour to get home even on the 7:30 p.m. bus! For some reason tonight a lot of people were getting on the bus once we were in Elizabeth. This seemed strange because it is typically a commuter bus, where people mostly get off to go home. In any case, the bus reached a point where it was standing room only. This made it quite interesting when someone in the back of the bus needed to get off at their stop! At one point, there was so much movement in the aisles that the driver shouted out..."Don't squeeze the Charmin!" I nearly burst out laughing, and then to top it off the lady behind me shouted back...."Charmin bounces back, ya know...it's alright!" This was exactly what I needed to make the commute a bit more bearable. Luckily the crowd didn't last two long and by the time the bus got to my stop I had no problem getting off the bus!

Seeing the Tree Lighting....or not

I'm a few days behind...so bear with me. I'll be posting the last few days activities as I have time.

Wednesday night was the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. My friend Marlene was in the area for work and we were planning to meet in the city. I was already tipped off first thing in the morning by the woman I've been staying with me. She mentioned that I would see the tree lighting better on tv than in person. I already thought this would be the case, but decided I had to at least try.
So after work I ventured on the subway to Rockefeller Center. The subway didn't seem too crowded. When I got off the subway at Rockefeller Center though, I realized that we were being herded like cattle. They had all the entrances and exits to the subway roped off so that there was only one way traffic. It was quite a maze to even get to street level. Once I got to street level, I was in a sea of people unlike anything I've seen. Everyone was moving very slowly en masse. I called Marlene to see where she was and they were coming from the other side of Rockefeller Center. So, we decided to head toward each other and then call again. It took me about 5-10 minutes to go one block at which point I called Marlene again. They had reached a point where the crowd was so think they couldn't really move and had decided to head back. I agreed that the way things were going where I was I don't think I'd get anywhere close to Rockefeller Center. So, we agreed to meet up at a restaurant near Times Square.
Before I headed back, I did snap a picture of Radio City Music Hall all lit up...

And, in this picture, you can see an entire block away is the video screen where people who are standing a block away can see the broadcast, as they won't actually be able to see the concert as the skating rink is below ground...
The night turned out to be great! We had some wonderful food at this great Italian restaurant Marlene's friend recommended. It was family style and the White Clam sauce was amazing! We only got a seat at the restaurant by pure luck, as the waiting list was full by the time we got there. And, wouldn't you know, right nixt to our seats was a flat screen tv on the wall, where we could see the tree lighting ceremony. A warm restaurant, great food, great friends and the tree lighting right there for us to see....what could be better?

Back in New York

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving! We had an eventful one. I was back in Nebraska for a few days sorting out more things to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. I was able to enjoy a girls night out with a few of my friends, it was great to see them! We spent Thanksgiving at my parents. My mom made a wonderful meal, as usual!! The pecan pie was out of this world. When I asked Mzee what he was thankful for, he responded, "I'm thankful for pumpkin pie and turkey." It was great to spend the day with many of my family as it will be longer than usual until we see most of them again.
Friday was spent organizing and sorting and packing the car to bring back to NY. We even found time to go out to dinner with some friends at Mzee's favorite restaurant Sam & Louie's! Saturday my Mom and I ventured out with a very full car for a very long drive! We were blessed with wonderful weather, so the driving was pretty good! It took two full days to get to New Jersey. The scenery and landscape in Pennsylvania was beautiful. Everything went pretty well and we were making pretty good time until we hit New Jersey. The traffic really picked up and our mapquest directions didn't seem to match the signs I was seeing. Luckily, I had a bit of my bearings and recognized some road signs, so just went where I thought we needed to go. We were very fortunate to find our hotel without incident! We got checked in and then I went to where I am staying temporarily to unload part of what was in the car to clear out the back seat. We then walked next door to our hotel to have a nice dinner. We woke up Monday morning to pouring rain! We made our way to the train station - I got us lost once, but we eventually got there, with the help of a friendly police officer! When we got there, we just missed the train because we had to wait for the ticket agent to help the person in front of us! Fortunately, there is always another train. It was a long walk in the rain to work, but we made it. Mom spent the morning in the Visitor Center and we had lunch in the Staff Cafe, a nice sit down restaurant on the fourth floor of the UN. There are two cafes like this (one is a buffet) in addition to the three full cafeterias and several coffee shops throughout the UN campus.
Because of the weather and the busy post-holiday travel, Mom's original flight was delayed and would have caused her to miss her connection in Chicago. She managed to get on an earlier flight only to find out that her connecting flight would be delayed by an hour and a half anyway due to mechanical issues. Needless to say, she had a very long day getting home!
It's nice to have a car here, I can drive to the bus station, the train station and even to get food!
The kids are doing well and had a nice Thanksgiving. Milan is learning more words every day. She loves Grandma and Grandpa and has really become Grandpa's girl since I've been gone! Mzee has a sinus infection so is on decongestant and an antibiotic. He was concerned that Grandpa would be lonely while Grandma was with me driving to New York. I let him know that Grandpa was going to be working during the weekend and so would be ok without Grandma.
Tomorrow is the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, and I'm planning to go see it. I have a friend who is in town for work from Colorado so we are making plans to meet up for the tree lighting. It will be great to see her!

One Laptop Per Child

If you haven't heard about One Laptop Per Child, I wanted to let you know about it. Don and I have been following the project for awhile. It is a great initiative to put a laptop in the hands of every child in every developing country in the world. A friend at the UN actually knows someone working on the project. The technology is truly amazing as it runs on very little power, and can be recharged with a solar panel, or a pull cord. It is very durable, built to withstand heat, dirt, and bright sun!
If you want to read more about it check out laptopgiving.org and the NY Times article at the following link: NYtimes
It is really very interesting to read the NY Times article about the technology. If you are looking for a charitable organization to contribute to during this holiday season of giving, consider this one.
The organization is having a Give 1, Get 1 promotion through the 26th, if you'd like to have an XO laptop of your very own! And you'll put one in the hands of a child in a developing country as well....what a wonderful tool to further their education!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, today I had an interesting bus ride home. I missed the bus I meant to take but there was another leaving at the same time, but apparently running a couple of minutes late! I knew it would take me near enough to the house, though not as close as the bus I missed! I got on the bus and everything was going fine until I realized that the ride was taking longer and longer. Then I thought for sure I had missed my stop. I resolved to just ride the bus all the way to the end of the route and then back to my stop. I had a map with me and was trying to look at that as I struggled to see street signs here and there in the dark. I finally realized that we were still in the town before the one I needed to be at! So then it was back to watching street signs again. I finally spotted a bakery that I recognized, but it still didn't really seem like my spot. Something told me to head to the front of the bus though. I asked the driver what stop it was and lo and behold, it was my stop. Then I only had to walk about 10 blocks home. It was a nice night and a nice walk!

I'm flying home for Thanksgiving tomorrow, so don't expect to be updating until I'm back in New York again! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for! I'm thankful that I get to spend the holiday with my family! And I'm thankful for all my family and friends that I won't be able to see too!

The Sights of New York

I started the day moving to my temporary housing. I was very grateful to have a co-worker offer to pick me and all my luggage up and drive me to the house. I got settled quickly and then Carlyne (my hostess for the next two weeks) drove me to the train station where I took the train into the city. I arrived at Penn Station and after walking around for just a bit I realized the city is MUCH more crowded on the weekends, than during the week! My first stop was Macy's at Herald Square. It is all decorated for the holidays. The were having a one day sale and the store was so crowded you could barely move. I found the Ball that will be dropped from Times Square on New Year's eve and took several pictures. It's very beautiful and changes colors on display.

Shrek is the mascot for Macy's this season. He's on all the shopping bags and they have an inflatable above the door, similar to the balloons for the parade next week.


The crowds in Macy's were really too much so I made my way out of the store and found the nearest Dunkin Donuts (they are everywhere here) for a cappuccinno. It was pretty cold this morning, so a hot drink was definitely in order. Once I got warm again, I set out for the biggest Apple store in existence. Being a recently converted Mac user, I wanted to check it out for myself. I made my way there via subway and couldn't believe what I saw when I got there. First of all, the store is quite a sight to behold. There is just a clear glass structure above ground as the store is actually below ground. So, it is very cool looking. There was actually quite a line just to get into the store. Due to the popularity of the store, and fire codes, they can only let so many people in at one time. My first reaction was "forget about it, I can buy anything I need online." But then I realized that I didn't have anywhere I needed to be, and I noticed the line was moving pretty quickly so I decided I'd go ahead and check it out.The line did move pretty quickly. The picture below shows the circular staircase down into the store and in the middle of the staircase is the round elevator.
When I got inside, it was amazing. There were people everywhere and lots of employees to assist with whatever questions one would have. If you've never been in an Apple store, they are very interested in letting you interact with the merchandise, using the computers, iPods, etc. In this Apple store they even had two table dedicated to their smallest customers. They had kid tables with chairs all around. The tables were outfitted with iMacs filled with kids games. It was adorable! I know Mzee would have a blast, and I'm sure we'll take him there at some point. I did realize there was one thing I could buy there, a case for my iPod, but they actually didn't even have the one I wanted...go figure!
My next stop was Central Park. In all my visits to New York, I'd only ever been on the perimeter of the park, so decided that since it had actually turned into a pretty nice day, I'd take a walk through the park. It was amazing! The park is truly an oasis in the city. I entered very near the Central Park Zoo, so was able to see the sea lion show from outsize the zoo. I did discover that the zoo is very reasonable by New York standards, about the same price as Omaha's Zoo. Of course, I'm sure this zoo can't compare to Omaha's. They also have a separate Children's Zoo.

The changing leaves really made for some beautiful scenery in the park. It was just a great day to walk in the park and take it all in.



I walked through Strawberry Fields, where the memorial for John Lennon is.


After the park, I made my way back to 42nd street. I stopped in Bryant Park where they have free ice skating. The skating rink is surrounded by little structures containing shops where you can buy all kinds of things. It was a great place to sit and watch the skaters.
From there, I made my to Grand Central and then to get a bite to eat. I walked back down 5th avenue where I saw the Lord & Taylor all lit up. They have some of the most wonderful window displays for the holidays. I also walked past Macy's one more time on my way to the train, to see it all lit up as well. They were also starting to reveal their holiday windows.
All in all, it was a great day of sightseeing. I had an uneventful train ride back, where Carlyne was nice enough to pick me up at the train station.

The big news from home is that Mzee had his first sleepover tonight! He was so excited about it! I think they are having a great time! Milan is hanging out with Don and 'the guys' tonight. Some of Don's friends are in town, so they are having a small get together.

What Are You Thankful For?

Apparently Mzee is really missing his Mommy these days. This is according to Don, not Mzee. So, tonight Mzee and I talked a little longer than usual. On a normal night he won't stand still to talk more than two minutes as he's too busy playing. Tonight we were talking about me coming home for Thanksgiving. So, I asked him what he was thankful for. At first I got his usual response, "I don't know." But then, I asked again and he said "I'm thankful for watching Dora." There happened to be a Dora DVD on that Don had put on pause so Mzee could talk to me. I guess this was his way of telling me we'd talked long enough!
When we were saying goodbye, I blew Mzee a kiss into the phone and when I told him that I'd done that he said, "yeah, I caught it right here!"
Milan is doing well, her appetite has returned so her virus must be subsiding. According to Don though, she's become very clingy and wants to be held all the time. Of course, I like to think that she's just really missing her Mommy, but I'm sure it's just a phase!

A Creepy Home Coming!

Well, first you need to know that I came home from the city much later than usual tonight. After work I went to the office of the Baha'i International Community at the UN where there was a dinner where many of the Baha'i's working at the UN were able to meet and visit with one another. It was nice to meet other Baha'i's that work here at the UN. The woman that heads the BIC office lived for 15 years in the town we will be moving to, so she offered me lots of information. Anyway, it was a nice evening, but I didn't leave to head home until about 9:15. My commute home was uneventful, I listened to a podcast and worked a sudoku puzzle on the train ride home.

When I got to my apartment I stopped at the mailboxes where there were flyers indicating a water emergency in the building. Apparently a water main broke near the building and the water was shutoff in the building at some point during the day. I didn't think much of it and assumed the water must be back on by now. When I got up to my apartment I opened the door to find the light on and I could hear water running. Quite a creepy feeling. I walked into the apartment and into the bathroom where the water was running in the bathtub but the shower curtain was closed. I slowly pulled back the curtain to find the water on full blast and the bottom of the tub covered in black sludge...gross!

Once I got over the initial shock, I remembered that today was the day the cleaning people were scheduled to clean my apartment. The cleaners are provided by my rental agency...since it's just me, there is no reason for me to pay extra for that service, but since it's included, I do enjoy it! Given the water notice, apparently the water must have gotten turned off while the cleaners were cleaning my tub. For whatever reason, they must have forgotten to turn the faucet off. So, I spent the next 15 minutes attempting to clean out the bathtub. It isn't great, but it will do.

Other than that, my day was pretty uneventful. I had lunch with my "buddy" from the UN. She was assigned to me to be a sort of a mentor with regard to the UN system. She came into the UN through the same channel as me so knows the ropes. We had a very nice lunch and some great conversation!

It's Getting Hectic!

Well, it's been a few days since I sat down to update everyone. A lot has happened in that time! I was able to home last weekend to see Don and the kids! It was great to see them again! The kids are doing well. Milan has a virus of some sort, but otherwise is doing well. And Mzee is doing great! My parents came to our house for the weekend as well and we spent most of Saturday loading an entire large trailer with items we aren't moving out East with us! Much of it my parents will sell on one of there many garage sales, and some of it they will be able to store for us! Thanks Mom & Dad! It was great to see them and Mzee and Milan love visits from Grandma and Grandpa! We went out to dinner on Saturday night and the waitress mistakenly tried to deliver dessert to our table. She said: "I have ice cream" and something else I don't remember. In any case, Mzee was quick to say: "I like ice cream, I'll take that!" We all got a big kick out of that!
Milan is cruising all over the place, but still gets very nervous looking if you try to get her to take a step on her own. She loves to sit down hard and say "boom!" She'll also say "Boo" any time and if you say it back to her, she cracks up with the biggest belly laugh ever!
I flew back to New York late on Sunday night, landing at the airport at 11 pm. I then took a bus to the subway and had to transfer once to get to my apartment. All told it took about two hours. I really expected the trains to be deserted, but was shocked to see how many people are out and about after midnight on a Sunday night! In any case, I'm still recovering from that night of staying up so late...I'm definitely not as young as I used to be!
Everything is official on our new house, the lease is signed and at least I will move in the 1st of December! My lease at my current apartment ends this weekend. Rather than extending this lease, I am going to move in with a woman who works at the UN who rents a room out in her house. The price is great and I'll actually only be there about 9 nights! It's farther into New Jersey than where I am now, so I'll likely commute by bus!
I'll be flying home early next week to do some more work on sorting out things that won't make the move. I'll also get to spend Thanksgiving with my family! It will be great to see some of my extended family in addition to Don and the kids!
Things are heating up with our house in Nebraska. We put it up for rent last week and before it was officially up for rent got an interested party to look at it. They came back for a second look tonight, so we'll see how it works out. There is also an interested renter that may come by this week. So, hopefully something final will materialize in the next week or two. That would be a great relief!
Tomorrow Don is meeting with the movers to do a walk through of the house for our moving estimate. Once that is done, we should have a better idea of when our items can be shipped here. That information will then determine when Don drives out and I fly back to get the kids. They will fly out with me, since I thought 20 hours in the car would be a little much for them! So, hopefully the moving timeline will be finalized pretty quickly!
I hope this finds you all well!

Our New Home

The weather has turned colder here in New York. It's not too bad and we missed all the snow that the rest of the state got a few days ago. Things here are going well. I decided to skip the two subway rides tonight and walked all the way to my train. It was actually a nice walk on a crisp fall evening. I walked right down 5th Avenue past lots of the nice shops, including the big Lord & Taylor. They are starting to decorate the windows for the holiday shopping season. I saw on the news this week that the New Years Eve ball that will be dropped from Times Square is currently on display at Macy's. I'm going to try to go check it out next week.

I've been working hard testing the CRM system that we are going to be rolling out in the next couple of weeks. I am also attending an IT conference with representatives from the global UN offices, so am learning a lot about the overall IT infrastructure and organization of the UN. To put it in perspective, I was a little frustrated that it took five working days or more to get my phone programmed so I could make and receive calls. Earlier this week there was an article on the Intranet about a recent phone software upgrade in which they posted some interesting facts and stats about the UN phone system. There are approximately 10,000 phone units just in New York alone that they are responsible for. I guess 5 working days isn't so bad after all!

I'm heading back home this weekend to see Don and the kids, and to get some work done putting the items we won't be moving into storage (a.k.a. my parents place). We are still awaiting the final version of our lease, but I'm attaching a picture of our new house. It is in a great town very close to the city (28 minutes by train). It's a very small town that doesn't feel at all like the big city. But it is close to all the conveniences we'll need! There are two great parks in walking distance, so it will be a great place to call home for at least the next year.

A Weekend at Home!

I spent the weekend at home with Don and the kids! It was great for us to all be together, if even for just a short time. The kids were very excited to see me. Milan must have given me 50 kisses while on our way out of the airport. She's changed so much while I was gone. She can cruise quite well and has learned several new words. We played a lot of hide and seek and peek a boo. She loves that game.
Mzee has matured while I was gone too, and learned some new phrases: "I know everything" is one that comes to mind. He loves to build with blocks now and make tall towers with the Jenga game. He kept telling me all weekend, "Mommy, I missed you so much!"
My flight to New York was better than expected since there was a mechanical problem with my plane in Omaha, so they moved me to a nonstop flight back, which was great.
The house hunt is finished, I think. I got a call that one house I'd looked at that I didn't think was an option for several reasons, was available for less money. They are even willing to construct a fence as I told them that was a deal breaker. I went back to check the house out tonight and told them we would take it. It isn't the "perfect house" I'd mentioned before, but it is a great house and the neighborhood is wonderful! There are two parks within walking distance and the town has sidewalks so we can take walks like we do at home. And, the town is closer to the city, which means a shorter and cheaper commute everyday!

We Have a House...I Think

Well, the big news of the day is that our house decision was made for us. It seems the owner's of the "not so perfect house" aren't that eager to rent and are holding out for a purchase offer...don't ask me why they have it listed for rent...even our realtor is stumped! In any case, the owner of "the perfect house" called today to say that if we still want it they are willing to rent it to us. So, while I haven't actually finalized things with him completely, I believe by tomorrow we will officially have a place to call home starting the 15th!

I'm very excited about going home tomorrow! Don sent me a bunch of pictures of the kids that he's taken while I've been gone. I can't believe how much the kids (especially Milan) have changed in the three weeks I've been gone. Scroll down to previous posts, because I've updated with pictures as appropriate.

Every Thursday is Tumble Bus at Mzee's daycare center. Mzee absolutely loves it. Last week Don went on the Tumble Bus with Mzee's group and observed them. Here are some pictures - check out the running pose, dimples and all!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween in the city is quite an experience! Tonight on my way home there were lots of people in costume going out and about. I saw Fred and Wilma Flintstone and Hannibal Lecter among many others. There is a huge Halloween parade in Greenwich Village each year, but I didn't venture down that way tonight.

Tonight after school, I talked with Mzee on the phone. He was so excited because one of the preschoolers at daycare dressed up like A FIREFIGHTER!! I told him that maybe next year he could be a firefighter.

Mzee dressed up as a Husker football player and got to go trick or treating with the kids at Milan's daycare. Milan dressed up as a tiger, but it was too cold for her to do much trick or treating. Then after trick or treating Mzee got to hand out candy. He requested that he do it himself. Don tells me that he would stand by the door and open it before the kids could ring the bell. He told each of them, "don't ring the bell, or Lucy will bark."


I also got a call from Mzee tonight asking me how to say goodbye in Spanish. He knows "hola" means hello, but wanted to know how you say goodbye. So we practiced saying "Adios."

I sure do miss the kids, but it sounds like they had a great Halloween!

We are still waiting for word on which house we might be able to rent. Hopefully there will be news on that front tomorrow!

The House Hunt Continues

Well, I had a busy weekend of house hunting. Luckily this weekend was more fruitful than last weekend. We actually have two houses that look very promising! It's quite a complex process renting out here. You have to provide tons of documentation, even when renting through a realtor. The require information on income, taxes, bank accounts, etc. I think it might actually be harder than qualifying for a mortgage!! :o) One of the houses we really like is rented directly by the owner and he requires SIX references!!! I thought that was a bit excessive, but it is a GREAT house! I should know by the end of the week which house we will be renting. They are both pretty great houses, with great kitchens --one of my highest priorities, of course! But seriously, they both are very nice, one just seems much more 'perfect' for our family, with a great playset in the backyard and a gorgeous yard overall. But, there is one person in the queue ahead of us for the 'perfect' house, so we are also trying for the other house, which has plenty of room for us as well and will be great too!

Don has been staying very busy with the kids! He took them to the Air and Space Museum this weekend (see pictures below) and Cabela's. Mzee loves Cabela's because he likes to "shoot the skunk" at the shooting range in the back. Milan's cold has gotten much worse and she developed a really bad cough, so Don took her back to the doctor today to find she has an ear infection. So, a round of antibiotics for her! Mzee and Don bought candy today to give out to the trick or treaters on Wednesday. Mzee is very excited about that!




Yesterday the fire alarms went off in my apartment, so we all had to evacuate the building. The building is brand new and is still being finished on certain floors. It has a very high tech alarm system that actually announced right in my apartment in a lovely computerized tone: "Your attention please, Your attention please! There is a fire on your floor, please evacuate the building. Do not use the elevator...." I wasn't too concerned, but did make my way down the stairs right outside my apartment to the parking garage and then to the lobby. We had to wait for the fire department and it became quite comical....I assume the firemen knew that the specific alarm code for the building wasn't indicative of an actual fire because the firemen were quite literally just strolling into the building one at a time with some gear behind them. I am sure that in the case of a real fire, they move much more quickly! Mzee was very excited when I told him that firefighters came to my building. And as I was hanging up last night he said "I hope there isn't another fire in your building, Mommy!"

Happy Hour

It's Friday again! The week seems to have flown by. It's rained for two days. Luckily it hasn't been too bad during my commute. Although it is fun dodging puddles on the sidewalk...maybe rain boots are in my future...
Today was another busy day of work, trying to learn as much as I can...I even brought home some 'leisure reading' for the weekend, if I can find the time.
This afternoon, my division hosted a happy hour in the conference room on our floor. This was because there have been a lot of new people that have started and they thought it was a good idea to have some socializing, snacks and drinks to allow people to mingle. I have to admit it felt a little nostalgic, like an ACI "Friday @ 4" from back in the day. It was a great way to meet some other people on my floor, and I really enjoyed myself. I was able to show off pictures of Mzee and Milan, which was great! I did go back to work to finish a few things after it was over.
Tonight after work, I had to make a trip to the grocery store to get a few things. Its only about four or five blocks, so not bad at all...of course it was raining, so the trip home was quite a workout with four bags of groceries and an umbrella....I miss my car! :o) Honestly, most days I don't miss driving at all, but tonight in the rain, I was wishing I could have driven myself.
Mzee and Milan are still suffering from colds. Mzee got his flu shot today and got to run some errands with Dad after that. Tonight, Milan got to stay home with Tifanie, the babysitter, and Mzee got to go with Daddy to hang out with some of the soccer coaches. Mzee had a great time kicking the ball and scoring a few goals. See the picture here of him at the soccer field:Tomorrow, I'm geared up for a FULL day of house hunting...I must find us a house this weekend! I have quite a few houses to see so am confident one of them will be our new home!
And the big news of the day is that I bought my plane ticket to go home next weekend. I'm SO excited to go visit even if only for a couple of days! I miss Don and the kids a lot and can't wait to see them! I think I told everyone I saw at the office today that I have a ticket to fly home next weekend!

The Real Work Has Begun

Monday I had a meeting with my manager and he asked me to get involved in three separate initiatives. I've only started work on one of the three and have been very busy the last few days! I am currently working on the current UN talent management system known as Galaxy. It is a home grown system developed at the UN where all applications are routed through among many other things. I've been testing some new workflows and putting into production some things that needed to be there to correspond with an update that is going into the system tonight. The system is very complex and I am learning a lot about it as well as the corresponding recruiting process that is managed within the system. I can tell I will be kept very busy here, which is the kind of job I love. I'll also be getting involved in a Change Request Management system roll-out as well as assisting to create some testing templates, among other things!
Today was the last day for someone in my office who took a job in Geneva. We had a staff meeting with the entire division today and several people have just returned from working in other UN offices around the world and it is great to see the global footprint of the UN!
News from Don is that Mzee can be stubborn and not want to take a shower in the mornings (he's no longer a morning person like he once was). Don and Mzee have been watching baseball playoffs and Mzee likes to mention he's a baseball player, so Don got creative and informed Mzee that "Baseball players have to take showers." Well, as you can imagine, that was just the trick to get Mzee in the shower!
Milan has a bad cold and went to the doctor today. However, she has no fever and otherwise is fine, so had her flu shot while she was there. Mzee gets his flu shot tomorrow!
After a week of commuting daily on the PATH train and then two subways, I've finally figured out, for the most part, my way through the maze of walkways in the subway to make the most efficient use of my time from one train to the next and the best exit to get me to street level where I need to be! The really need a map not just of the subway but of all the stairways and tunnels to navigate on foot below ground!!!
I'm pretty used to the commute now, it doesn't much phase me. I'm also adjusting to the work time here. I had been getting to the office between 8:30 and 9:00 as I often did in Omaha, but found I was usually one of the first ones in. It's not unusual for people here to arrive at work between 9:30 and 10:30. It's much more relaxed in that respect. Of course, people tend to work later in the evening. I've decided that people at the UN at least pretty much work the same hours as Omaha, not taking into account the time zone!
Every night on my way home there are different musicians in the subway tunnels and they are usually very good! It's a great energy boost when you are dragging at the end of the day!
I had originally planned to fly home this weekend to see Don and the kids, but it looks like house hunting is more critical at this point. I am determined to find a place this weekend and am making plans to fly home next weekend to see the family! I miss them so much!! It is so quiet here....not counting the sirens and street noise of course! :o)