Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! First a bit of catch up, as it's been some time since I posted. We've managed to stay quite busy recently. A couple of weekends ago we ventured to Pennsylvania to visit Don's cousin and her family. They live about two hours from here. On the way there we took a brief detour to an outlet store to get Miss Milan her first pair of big girl tennis shoes. Now that she is walking she needed some outdoor shoes. Given that she has XW feet like her brother, the Stride Rite brand loyalty continues. Thankfully there are many Stride Rite outlets in the area so we are paying less than half of what we paid in Omaha for the kids' shoes.
The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. Mzee, Modi and Jenna get along great and Milan had a good time too. Jenna loves to eat lemons, and so Mzee wanted to try too. He actually liked it, as seen in the picture below. It was great to get together with family, the food was great and a good time was had by all. I'm sure there will be many more trips to PA in our future!

The next day was Super Bowl Sunday and as the weather was good, we went to our neighborhood playground, which is really a wonderful place! Milan had to get used to her new tennis shoes. It was as if she was learning to walk all over again. The kids had a great time. The picture below is of this great "airplane" the kids can ride on. It moves back and forth along a beam while Mom or Dad turns a big crank to make it "fly". This was a big hit and gave Mom a work line. The playground also has a zip line type thing the kids can hang on and slide from one platform to another. Mzee was begging to try it and when I finally lifted him up he let go in no more than two seconds. When I asked him why he let go, he responded in his matter-of-fact way, "Well, Mom, I'm just not that strong."

trying out my new shoes

After the playground that day we headed home for the Super Bowl. We had our own little Super Bowl party. Of course, Mzee and Don were rooting for the New York Giants, "the home team." They were both very happy when the Giants one. Mzee has a new "Giants Superbowl Champions" t-shirt that he was very proud to wear to school!

This past weekend Mzee and I were busy in the kitchen. He helps me make Grandma's Waffles every Sunday morning and this weekend we also made valentine sugar cookies. He loves to help me in the kitchen and Milan is starting to enjoy it too. She sat at the table with a bowl and some measuring spoons having a great time while we rolled out the cookies. We thought it would be fun to give her a little flour to mix. Milan thought it would be fun to eat the flour though. Whoops! We all had a great time baking the cookies!

Mzee loves putting on this hat and his Diego backpack and going on adventures around the house!

This week we've been busy with Valentine's Day preparations. Mzee and I worked hard to make out Valentine's for a few friends and family and his class at school. He also took cookies for each of his class mates. Tonight he brought home quite a variety of valentines and candy. His class made cupcakes at school today and had a great time on Valentine's Day. Mzee also got a great package from Grandpa in the mail today. A new side dump semi truck, just like the trailers Grandpa's company makes. Mzee was so excited to get a package and loves his new semi truck. He called Grandpa and Grandma tonight to tell them Happy Valentine's Day and thank Grandpa for sending the semi.

Mzee has told us several times recently that, "My teacher thinks I'm too much." I can only imagine the types of things he says at school that cause his teacher to say this. He is always coming up with something interesting to say. I had a brief conversation with his teacher this morning and she said he has really adjusted well to his class. He participates in their "meetings" each morning and ALWAYS has something to contribute during them.

Milan is learning new words all the time, she now likes to say "Knock Knock". Mzee is really into knock knock jokes lately and Milan has picked up on this so often says knock knock to start a joke. Milan has also become quite possessive, so we are working on sharing. She brought her first craft project home from daycare this week, a heart craft that was adorable!

I've been in orientation all week at work and participated in a great Collaborative Negotiation training class the last two days. It was a great class and I really learned a lot! Other than that we are all well here, I hope you are all well where you are!

A Quick Update

This week Milan started back to daycare two days a week. We were a bit worried about her transition, but she has done very well. She's been out of daycare for nearly two months and is very attached to Don. However, the daycare provider said she only cried off and on for the first 20 minutes or so the first day and then was fine the rest of the day. When Don picked her up she was "reading" a book by herself!
The daycare provider said she is doing great, eats well (which we knew), but she seems quite concerned that she won't eat vegetables. Milan has always been a good eater but specific about what she will eat. So, we'll see.
Milan has been starting to use her own spoon and Don and I realized that she will eat things on the spoon that she won't eat by using her fingers, so this could be the solution for the vegetable issue for the time being. At least until the novelty of the spoon wears off.
Mzee had a great week at at school. He got a great report from his lead teacher today. He got to watch a movie about healthy fruits and vegetables today and they also talked about the groundhog! Last night he was talking about his "new best friend" - one of the boys in his class.
Don has been busy this week working through all the paperwork, scheduling of inspections of the cars, etc. required to insure and license our cars here. It's definitely not an easy process, and will take us some time to get everything sorted. New York seems to require a LOT of documentation with respect to licensing a car and securing insurance. The good news is that it seems licensing a car is much cheaper here than in Nebraska!
Happy Groundhog's Day!

A Big Week for Us

Well, we have lots of news this week! Milan is walking!!! It's been a long time coming, but she will walk independently without being coached. She especially likes walking around in the kitchen because it isn't far from one cupboard across to the other. See the video here to see her in action...I had to coach her to get any video because every time I got out the camera, she either wanted to crawl or help me take pictures.



Other news this week is that Mzee had his first dentist appointment and he did GREAT! Don took him and when they picked me up from the train that night Mzee had lots to report! "Mommy, I got a GREEN blinking toothbrush!" He also informed me that the dentist has two mirrors, "A big one for my face and a small one for my teeth." He got to watch Stuart Little on the tv over his head during the cleaning and he and Milan both got their pictures taken. Mzee also said, "Mommy, I was so brave, I didn't even cry!"

Probably the biggest news of the week is that our house in Omaha is sold! The closing was yesterday, so everything is final. Don and I are very sad to see the house go as it had a lot of memories for us. However, given the market, it was the best thing for us. And as Mzee said, "Mommy, we don't need that house anymore, we live here now." Sometimes it's nice to have the simplicity and clarity of a child's perspective...they don't tend to over think things like grown-ups!

Colds have been making the rounds in our house. It started with Mzee last week and everyone has had one. Mzee and Don are better already, but Milan and I still have it. I got it last...silly me, thought early in the week I was going to avoid it...that was probably the day I started getting sick. The weather is a bit colder here than it has been, but nothing like the Midwest. We've actually been very lucky so far this winter. We're all waiting for the arctic blast (with lots of snow) to hit here.

Milan's 1st Dental Check Up...

Don took Milan to her first Dental check-up on Friday. She's had some strange brown stains on her teeth that we noticed about a month ago. They weren't going away despite our efforts to brush her teeth...which isn't easy as she doesn't really enjoy the whole tooth brushing thing, even with a cute pink ladybug tooth brush! So Don got a referral to a pediatric dentist in a nearby town and took her there for her appointment on Friday. From Don's report, the place is really geared toward kids. Lots of toys and a tv in the waiting area. In the exam room there is a tv on the ceiling and the kids can bring their own DVDs to watch while they are getting their teeth cleaned. They took Milan's picture and then the dentist examined her teeth. It turns out she had some bacteria in her mouth that was causing the staining. The dentist explained this is fairly common and she removed it and did her whole exam of Milan's teeth in about 5 minutes. Milan of course didn't like the cleaning, but overall, she did great! The best part of the whole visit was that the dentist gave each of the kids a free Firefly toothbrush - even though Milan was the only one there. These toothbrushes are great! They have a blinking light inside and you turn them on and then brush your teeth till the light goes out! This is a great concept for kids who like to brush for 10 seconds. It even worked for us because Mzee actually likes to brush his teeth for 3-5 minutes, so now we save time and he loves the blinking toothbrush. For Milan, I don't brush her teeth with it yet as her old toothbrush is still in good shape. I turn it on and let her hold it and brush her teeth while she is mesmerized by the blinking light. With her hands on the blinking toothbrush I have a few extra seconds to try to clean her teeth...there is no way she lets me brush for a minute, but at least I get a bit of cleaning done!

Mzee is scheduled for his first cleaning very soon, so stay tuned for how that goes!

Mzee LOVED pajama day at his school! He called Grandma this morning to tell her he made waffles at his school! He surprised us both today by spelling his name when he was starting a new Reader Rabbit game on the computer. He is doing great at letter recognition!

Comment ce va?

Yes, it's true, I'm learning French. The UN offers language courses and since French is an official language of the UN, I thought it would be the best choice, and my manager agreed. The first day, I was in the class for at least 10 minutes before I heard a word of English from the teacher. One of the students finally raised her hand and let the teacher know she had no knowledge of French. The teacher reassured her that we were all beginners. The class is a bit accelerated, so I'm finding it a real challenge. I have class three days a week and there is always homework. I should also be studying vocabulary on a regular basis, but haven't found much time yet. A good French-English dictionary is on my shopping list.

The kids are doing well. Mzee is having a great week at school. They are learning all about cooking this week. Today they made homemade chicken nuggets after walking to the grocery store yesterday to purchase the "ingredients" - a new word in the preschool room. Tomorrow is Pajama Day and he is VERY excited about that. He got some new CARS slippers (one is Lightning McQueen and one is Mater) on sale after Christmas, so he gets to wear his pajamas and slippers and take his stuffed dog Snowy and a favorite bedtime story. And to top it all off the class is going to make waffles for breakfast - his absolute favorite breakfast food. They won't be as good as Grandma's waffles, I'm sure, but he'll still love them!

The week he started at his school we were discussing taking naps at school to which he asked, "Mommy, where do you take a nap at your work?" He was a little concerned when I told him I didn't get to take a nap at work.

His favorite game is Cootie now, but we can't get it out unless Milan is sleeping - too many small pieces. He loves to make Cootie bugs!

Milan is learning new words all the time! Daddy is no longer DaDa, he is now Daddy! And last night she learned "Hi!" Prior to that she would always say bye whether you were coming or going. She still says bye when I get out of the car, even if we are at home. She will often say "Ba Ba She" which is Baa Baa Black Sheep, "Ee O Ee O Moo" is Old MacDonald and Mzee is "Zay". One of her favorite activities now is helping to unload the dishwasher, which can occupy her for a long time!

I'm finally getting around to uploading a few pictures:

Milan on her new Winnie the Pooh Choo Choo Train!

Mzee playing his new guitar - he's really getting into it!

See, I can stand on my own - even if I'm getting too tall for this tent!

Mzee in Mommy's office "working" at the UN.

With Grandma and Grandpa in front of the UN Secretariat building.

Happy New Year!

Oh, how time flies with two kids in the house...so this will be a LONG post.
Things have been going great here in New York. My parents were here for more than a week over Christmas. The kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa visiting. We took in lots of the sights while they were here, including getting to know a bit about our little town. The first day they were here we hung out at home most of the day. My mom and I took a grocery run and drove up north about 40 miles to buy a "city-worthy" double stroller I found on Craigslist. It's a great sit 'n stand type stroller that after two days in the city with both kids, I can say is a life saver! Mzee often wants to walk but then gets tired. He is just too big to sit in the back seat of our traditional double stroller and if he sits in the front you can't even steer as he is really too heavy for it. This new stroller is a breeze and he loves that he can sit or stand, or walk beside us when he has the energy...which is more than we would think!
That night we went to this great little pizza shop right here on main street in our town. The food was great, as was the service. The owner came here from Italy more than 30 years ago and has has had his pizza shop nearly that long. He and my Dad hit it off and were telling each other jokes by the end of the night. We easily could have gone back again before my parents left but found plenty of other places to eat, not to mention eating some great home cooked food compliments of my mom!
The next day we ventured into the city for my dad, Mzee and Milan's first trip to the Big Apple! I actually drove us into the city which is a pretty short drive, and on a very overcast Saturday, early in the day, the traffic wasn't too bad. We then managed to find a parking garage that was somewhat reasonable by New York standards. Our first day in the city we went to Times Square, had lunch at a nice little family style Italian restaurant, and then made our way to the Staten Island Ferry for a free view of the Statue of Liberty. Mzee's only request when asking what he wanted to do in the city was to see the Statue of Liberty. He loved riding the ferry! When we got close to the Statue of Liberty, Don and my Dad took him out on the observation deck of the ferry. It was raining a bit at that point, but we could see the ferry pretty well. It was cold though so after a few pictures they hurried back inside. Once the ferry arrived back in Manhattan we took the subway up to Rockefeller center to see the Christmas tree and the skating rink. It was extremely crowded, as is to be expected, I suppose, given that it was the last weekend before Christmas. Given that it was the end of the day and the kids were tired, it was a bit too chaotic. I've been to Rockefeller Center before, but have never seen it so crowded. You couldn't even get near the skating rink to see the skaters. Somehow, my Dad managed to find his way to an opening and hoisted Mzee up on his shoulders so he could see the ice skaters. He was very happy about that. It was getting late so we started to head for the car after what was an exhausting day of touring the city on the ferry and the subway. The subway is quite a workout with a double stroller as many of the stops do not have elevators. It would be unmanageable alone, and was still a lot of work with four adults! By the end of the day we had a pretty good system. Grandma would hold Mzee's hand and walk with him while Milan would ride in the stroller. Don would hold onto the handle of the stroller and my dad and I would lift the front of the stroller up or down the stairs as needed.
On our way back to the car the rain started and continued to pick up as we got closer to the car. We loaded up and headed out of the city, was in the wrong lane at the toll station and had to make a detour across another bridge and by the time we turned around, we had to pay another toll to get back to the correct route. Don gave me a GPS as an early Christmas present which has come in quite handy here, however, it always seems that at the moment you REALLY need it you get a lovely "Unable to locate satellites..." message, which was the case this night amid the rain. However, we had a general sense of where we needed to go and got turned around and back heading the general direction we needed to be just as "GPS lady" found her satellites and started giving directions again!
The next day was Christmas Eve and I went to work knowing that there is typically an early release on Christmas Eve. I was home from the city by 4:00 and we had a fun dinner of appetizers, chicken wings, chips and cheese dip, potato skins and the like. Then we watched Polar Express, which Mzee really enjoyed...although he had to go to bed before it was over!
Christmas Day was great! Although we haven't really talked up Santa Claus, he was really into it this year. He got a 'real' guitar and walkie talkies and Milan got a ride on Winnie the Pooh choo-choo train and a drum with musical instruments inside....I think they are going to be the Otondi Family band..they both LOVE music! They got several other things that they really loved as well. Great-Grandma sent a GREAT train set for Mzee and an adorable Peppermint Doll for Milan.
Our friend Pat who moved out this way about a year ago, joined us for Christmas dinner, and I know my Mom really enjoyed seeing her! The three of us got in a Scrabble game (the official board game of my Mom's family) after dinner while the kids had their naps. Then we had Don and Mzee's favorite dessert...pumpkin pie! It was a wonderful day!
On Wednesday, we went to the New York Botanical gardens where we are now members. Four adult and one child admission, plus the fee to park was so close to the membership price we went for the membership. It's very close to our house, and has a great children's garden, so it will be worth the money. They had a holiday train show that was spectacular! The trains were running in and around many New York landmarks and famous houses that were all made out of natural materials (tree branches, bark, etc.) It really was amazing! They also had a great Gingerbread exhibit for kids with lots of activities for them to participate in. We'll be back to the Botanical Gardens in January when Thomas the Tank Engine makes a visit.
Thursday, I worked again, and my Mom and Dad took a scenic drive through town and a couple of neighboring towns.
Friday we headed back to the city, this time on the train. Mzee and Grandpa sat together in the back of the car we were riding on and had a great time looking at the sights out the window. Once to the city we went to the UN to show Don, my Dad and the kids where I work.
We didn't spend too much time there and then it was time to find lunch. We couldn't really decide where to go as most places near the UN are not stroller-friendly. My dad had seen a pizza place near Times Square on tv and we had walked past it the last time we were in the city. He suggested that we try it, so after consulting my trusty subway map, decided the bus would be the best way to get there. We had to fold the stroller to board the bus, but in the end it was still easier than going up and down into the subway! I don't think any of us were prepared for what we would find when we got to Times Square...the streets were packed with people! We found our way to the restaurant through terribly crowded streets only to find it was a 40 minute wait. We were already there, although the kids were already hungry...so Don and I headed back to the last street corner we passed to buy them a hot dog to tide them over. While there, my Dad called to say our table was ready, so we hustled back to the restaurant. John's Pizzeria, was a pretty cool place, and in the end, worth the trouble! It is inside a former church and has a stained glass ceiling and a great mural on the wall. There are two levels of balconies, and they cook pizza on each level! The food was really good and it was neat to eat there. After lunch we walked to the Javits convention center as I had purchased tickets for 'the boys' to go to a Motorcycle show that was there. My mom and I sat with Milan who was sleeping and drank coffee and kicked up our feet while the guys took in the motorcycle show. Once it was finished we had to wait what seemed like an eternity for the bus to pick us up at the convention center. The bus is a direct bus to Grand Central where we caught the train to come home after another full day in the city.
Saturday we all went to church in the morning, and after church went to lunch at a Chinese Buffet we found in the next town over. They had an extensive buffet with all kinds of food, but there was a strange smell when you first walked in that tainted Don's impression of the place. In general the food was acceptable, but I'm not sure we'll be back there any time soon, if at all.
After the kids had their naps we went to a shopping center to JCPenney to get my mom some new luggage (our gift to her) since she'll be traveling much more now that we moved. The store was packed with people taking advantage of the after Christmas sales, but we managed to get a great deal as a result of their sale! Then it was off to dinner at the Thru-way Diner. I'd read about it online and heard good things and we were not disappointed! The food was great, their menu has just about any type of food imaginable! The decor is very 50s, lots of mirrors and chrome, but it was very clean for as old as it must be! I think this is another place we may frequent!
Sunday we took my parents to the airport and then spent the rest of the day at home.
This week I worked Monday, but got out early. The weather was so nice that Don took the kids to the awesome playground here in our town. On the way there, they saw a fire, so stopped to watch the firefighters in action...Mzee was in awe! He LOVES firefighters.
We celebrated New Year's Eve at home, watching the ball drop on TV. New Year's Day Don's cousin and her family who live about two hours from here, came for a visit. They have two kids, a boy and a girl and they played so well together! Mzee was very sad when they had to leave. I think he really enjoyed having some other kids to play with as he's been out of daycare now for a month.
That all changed today though as he started daycare at the childcare center here in town. It is right next to the train station, so very convenient for us. He was a bit apprehensive when we got there, but once he found the train table, I'm not sure he much noticed when we said goodbye and left for the day. He did have trouble settling down for a nap, which is nothing new as his teachers from his former daycare can attest to. He did manage to sleep for about 30 minutes more than an hour and a half into nap time. The afternoon was a bit troublesome for him, but when Don picked him up he had lots of great things to tell him about his day! He made a chimney with a fireplace during art time, and got to play outside on the playground. When I called to check on him, his teacher said that they had the same lunch that they had when he was there to visit a couple of weeks ago, and he remembered that and said "didn't we already have this?" Don and I agree that having him back in an all day program will be good for him as he was getting a bit bored with the lack of structure during the last month!
Milan is still home with Daddy while we work to find her a temporary daycare until she is 18 months old and her name comes up on the waiting list where Mzee is.
As for what the kids have been up to, Mzee has been very busy with his new guitar and many of his toys. He got a new game, Cootie, and asks me to play it with him every night! He also got a Word Whammer that sticks to the fridge to make three letter words, and he is amazed by that. I showed him how to make the word DAD the first day we really played with it and he often rearranges the letters to see if he can make a word and then spells dad again when he is finished. He is always saying something that makes us laugh, even when we shouldn't. One of his favorite new phrases is: "Wait a minute!" And it's not just that he says it, but the way he says it that cracks me up! When my parents were here my dad noticed that he doesn't really ask for certain foods at the table, but if he sees someone else eating something he wants he'll say, "I looooove _fill in the blank_". This is his subtle way of asking for some of whatever you are eating.
Milan is doing great too...she is learning new words every day, and was often heard saying "Boo!" to my Mom or Dad to get them to play peek a boo with her when they were here. She has some flash cards with big pictures on them and she loves to look at those and tell them what is on them. There is a ball, dog, tractor, and many others, but those are the ones she knows how to say in a way that we recognize anyway. She is also obsessed with going...she frequently goes to the coat closet and bangs on it saying "ja ja ja" for jacket. If you don't acknowledge her, she'll have a meltdown, but if you get her coat out and give it to her, she gets VERY excited and will say "ga ga ga" for go! I'm no sure if this has something to do with the move or not. I sometimes wonder if she things we'll go back to her house or take her to her former daycare...because she never got this excited about going until she was here in New York. She's still not walking on her own. She can, but just doesn't realize that she can. If I very slowly and sneakily take my hands away when she's walking, she'll keep going for 4 or 5 steps or until she realizes she's on her own, and then she'll just stop and sit down. She's a very fast crawler and also can cruise pretty well too, so she'll walk when she's ready.
I hope each of you had a wonderful Holiday season and a Happy New Year!

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.