Making Fun of Myself

I don't write many blog entries anymore because the girls are worried that I might embarrass them.  But, writing is still cheap therapy for me.  So, here's a story about me and why I recently ran across a parking lot carrying a stranger's purse.

The story starts about a month ago when the door handle on the driver's side of my car broke.  I could get in my car with no problem.  But, to get out I had to roll down the window and reach outside to pop the door open.  This wasn't so hard except that because the windows are electronic, I had to keep the car turned on in order to close the window again.  At first, we all thought this was pretty funny.  When I got home from work, I'd sometimes call Lacey to come and let me out of the car.  Then, when I forgot to close the window and it was open all night, the situation started to get a little annoying.  However, it's difficult for me to be without a car.  So, I waited until I needed to have an oil leak fixed and the brake pads replaced before getting the door fixed too.

Monday evening I dropped my car off at the dealer and picked up a 1-day rental car.  Tuesday afternoon, the mechanic called and said it would be another day.  No problem.  They would cover the full cost of the rental car.  My schedule for the evening was full.  I dropped Cassie off at the dance studio and went to the gym for an hour.  My next stop was the grocery store.  As I was checking out, I reached for my wallet and discovered that it was missing!  I explained this to the cashier and dashed out to my car.  Using my handy phone flashlight, I searched the car.  I found my lipstick and some food wrappers under the seat.  (Seriously, girls, food wrappers?  I only had this car for 1 day!)  In a panic, I ran back to the store.  Just in case this ever happens to anyone else, even if you have a teacher's badge with  your photo on it and know your American Express number, you won't be allowed to purchase groceries.

I called school and confirmed that my wallet was in my desk drawer.  I called home and told Les to start digging through the freezer to find something for dinner.

Ninety minutes later, I picked up Cassie in Manassas.  We were halfway home when the Amazing Shelby called to tell me that I had left my purse at the dance studio.  Only she didn't quite know how to tell me that my wallet was missing!  Yes, I explained.  That was because I had left my wallet at work!!  I turned the car around and headed back to Manassas.  What was wrong with me?  First my wallet and now my purse?!

On Wednesday afternoon, I went to retrieve my car.  I waited in line, and when it was finally my turn, collapsed in the chair at the Customer Service desk. I glanced down at my feet and my eyes landed on a strange purse.  OH NO!  The woman in front of me had forgotten her purse.  To the surprise of everyone in the garage, I grabbed the purse and dashed out to the parking lot yelling. 

The purse's owner was grateful, but embarrassed and apologetic.  Neither of us had time for me to explain why forgetting her purse was an acceptable behavior.   And, she would have though I was really odd if I had explained that I was probably more grateful than she was.  I drove home happy to have my car back and relieved to think that maybe there was nothing wrong with me after all.

Customer Service

A few weeks ago, our Internet service went out.  On the first day,  we did not call to report the outage.  We told ourselves that it was just a community-wide problem and would be resolved soon.  In reality, we were afraid to call customer service.  On our second day without service, Les called.  He spoke with three different agents and was unable to convince the Comcast representative that we had a genuine problem.

On the third day, we were still without TV, Wi-Fi, and regular telephone service.  I was worried that all those 1-800 callers might discover my cell phone.  So, I fixed a cup of coffee and called the Comcast help desk.  

First, I had to deal with the robo voice that kept asking me what was wrong.  When I responded, "NO INTERNET.  NO PHONE.  NO WI-FI," the system couldn't understand.  The recording kept advising me how to recover my email password.  After getting disconnected and calling again, I finally got through to an agent.

I first had to verify every detail of my account including:  our home phone number; street address; billing address; customer account number; email address; an alternate email address; and the number from which I was calling.  When the woman next asked for the number on the back of our modem I told her that she would have to give me a few minutes while I crawled around on the floor to find it.  She told me not to worry and asked what the problem was.

Me:  We have no TV, no WIFI, and no phone service.

Woman:  Are you sure?

Me:  Positive.

Woman:  Well, let's run a system's check.

Me:  I used the app on my phone and ran a system's check before I called.  It shows all our systems are "green."

Woman:  Well, let's reset your modem.

Me:  We called yesterday and had that done three times.

Woman:  Are you calling from a cordless phone?

Me:  I'm calling from my cell.

Woman:  Oh.  But, is your home phone cordless?

Me:  One of them is.

Woman:  Do you have a dial tone?

Me:  No.  That's how I knew to tell you that we have no phone service.

Woman:  Uh huh.  So, there's no dial tone on all phones.

Me:   That's correct.

Woman:  And, may I ask, did you receive your modem through the mail or did a technician install it?

Me:  Honestly, we've had it for so many years that I don't remember.

Woman:  I see.  May I ask how old the modem is?

Me:  You have my account information in front of you.  Maybe you can find that information.

Woman:  All right.  Let's reset the box.  And, by the way, there's an app that you can download to check the status of your service.

Me:  I've done that. 

Woman:  Are you near the modem?

Me:  On my way.

Woman:  And, what is the modem doing?

Me:  Uh. . . nothing?

Woman:  Let's give it one to three minutes.  (Pause)  Okay, may I ask what's happening now?

Me:  Well, the power light is on.

Woman:  Okay, let's give it one to three minutes.  (Pause)  May I ask what's happening now?

Me:  Uh, the power light is on?

Woman:  Okay, let's give it one to three minutes.

I then began wondering how long I would have to engage in polite silence with this woman.  To fill the time, I grabbed a piece of paper and began scribbling all this down.

Woman:  May I ask what's happening now?

Me:  The power light is on.  And, may I ask, are you a real person?

Woman, chuckling:  Yes, and may I ask if it's improving?

Me:  How would I know?

Woman:  Have any other lights come on?

Me:  No.

Woman:  How about now?

Me:  No.

Woman:  Our system has diagnosed that nothing is working.  We need to set up a service appointment.  If this is a Comcast issue the cost will be covered.  But, just to let you know, we have a service protection plan.  Would you be interested in purchasing it?

Me:  No!

Woman:  And, what is the best number for the technician to reach you?

Me:  It depends on the day.  When can the technician come?

Woman:  And, what is the best number for the technician to reach you?

Me:  It depends on the day.  When is the next available appointment?

Woman:  Tuesday, between 3:00 and 5:00.

Me:  So, we have to wait spend another three days without service?

Woman:  And, what's the best number?

Of course, I gave Les' number.  I certainly wasn't going to go through this again.  I thanked the woman for her help and said goodbye.

Woman:  We at Comcast value your business.

Me:  Thank you.  Goodbye.

Woman:  And, we want you to know that you are a valued customer.

Me:  Thank you. Goodbye again.

Three days later a technician discovered that our outdoor box had been struck by lightning.  This was deemed a Comcast issue and the cost was covered.  About a week later, our cable went out again.  I let Les call.

Lacey's Gotcha Day

Today we celebrate Lacey's "Gotcha Day," the anniversary of her adoption.  She has now spent six years, or half her life, as a member of our family.  One minute we were three, and the next minute she became ours for good.  At age six, Lacey brought many experiences, hopes, likes, and fears that were all unknown to us.  Because of the language barrier, these things weren't easily shared.  We had to wait to discover the person that Lacey is.  The journey of discovery has changed all of us. 

We are constantly aware of how Lacey has changed.  Friends and family notice too.  She's grown so much!  Her English is great!  She's a great student!  She's so happy!  She's so kind to the other kids!

We have all changed too.  Here are a few examples.  Because of Lacey:

• the house is never quiet;
• we are all addicted to cooking shows;
• we are all really competitive;
• I started riding a bicycle again;
• I'm learning to fly model planes;
• Les has to share his tools; and
• Cassie has frequent asthma attacks from laughing!

Finally, here's Lacey perspective, presented in a poem she wrote in school.

Lacey's 12th

Today is Lacey's 12th birthday.  She just completed 5th grade and loved every moment of the year.  She was a member of the safety patrol, supervising other students in the halls and on the bus.  She was in the school chorus and the all-county chorus.  She played violin in the school orchestra.  And, she was a member of the school's "Kindness Crew."  She did well academically, making the principal's A/B honor roll.  And, she was only absent once the entire year.

Lacey is the happiest kid I know.  And, with minimal effort, she makes other people happy too.  I chose some pictures to highlight the past year.

And Lacey didn't think she was going to enjoy Bloomingdale's!

At a recent dance recital:  "No thank you.  I'm good without flowers."

Who me?

Posing with the fox at REI, she's never afraid of looking silly.

Lacey volunteered to help me pick up the chunks of concrete left from the old sidewalk. She suggested that we work in the rain, thinking it would be cooler.  Yes, she's wearing a trash bag.

She will dress up for a bribe.

Sisters

All county choir

Look closely and you'll see Lacey!

Always ready to pose.

Lacey loves cooking almost as much as she loves eating.

Cassie asked her to try not to look like a tourist in NYC.  So, Lacey left the tag on her sunglasses.

Happy Birthday, Cassie

Today is Cassie's 15th birthday.  This is the year that she started high school.  It will also be the year that she celebrates her confirmation.  But, it will mainly be remembered as the year of ballet.  She joined the Manassas Youth Ballet; danced in her first Nutcracker; competed in the Youth America Grand Prix; performed in the wedding scene from La Bayadere; and will soon be part of the Manassas Ballet Theatre's "Cinderella."  I will remember this year as the year I gave her the freedom to follow her dream.  Oh, I will also remember it as the year I spent driving, watching classes, and helping in the dressing room.  We are really proud of Cassie and her hard work.  I selected photos that highlight Cassie's year.

My beautiful daughter!

The shopper!

Dancing Outdoors

Visiting the Capezio store in NYC

Mending costumes with a little help!

The Manassas Christmas Parade

Rocking that wig!

Backstage break

Christmas Spirit

Arriving at Youth America Grand Prix in Philadelphia

Warming Up

YAGP 2016

Cassie with her coach, Miss Kaitlin

Sisters

Party Girl

Being a Mom

Yesterday I went to feed the cats and discovered that we were out of cat food.  How could that be?  I was sure that we had plenty.  Lacey later admitted that she had taken all the cat food to school to donate to he animal shelter.  I had told her that she could take a couple cans, not half a case.  Although I wanted to get mad, the image of her struggling to carry all that cat food in her backpack had to make me laugh.  There are so many things about being a mom that make me laugh.  I'm going to share just a few of our recent experiences.

A few weeks ago I had volunteered to help with something at church.  I was really tired and mentioned that I was only going because I had promised.

"Just call church and tell them I have lice," said Lacey.

"Why would I do that?"  I asked.

"Well, it would be kind of hard for them not to believe that!" she said.

A couple weeks ago during dinner Cassie mentioned how fun it would be to study ballet in London.

"Good luck learning to speak British!" Lacey exclaimed.

"Hey, Lacey," asked Cassie.  "When you're in Wikipedia, what do you want them to list as your nickname?"

"Why would I be in Wikipedia?" asked Lacey.  "Oh, never mind.  I'll be in there by association because you're going to be famous!"

I recently bought Lacey one of the American Girl books that's designed to help girls understand their bodies.  After glancing through the book she said, "I already know most of this stuff.  We had to watch a video at school about girls growing their bodies."

Last month we had dinner guests.  One of them spilled a glass of soda in the family room.  Not wanting him to be embarrassed Lacey said, "Oh, don't worry about it.  I'm sure a cat has probably peed in here."

Last  weekend Lacey discovered why we told her not to play with insulation.

Cassie has always wanted to live close enough to school to be able to walk home.  A few weeks ago, she missed the bus and got her chance.  She later said, "Walking home is romanticized.  It's really not that fun."

While reading a book about dogs Lacey asked, "Other than reptiles, is there any kind of pet that Cassie's not allergic to?"

Recently during dinner Cassie said, "Lacey wants to know if Trump is going to deport her."

While contemplating what to get me for Mother's Day Lacey asked, "Is there anything you want that's not physical?"

"What??!!" I asked.

"Everything you ask for is physical," Lacey said.  "You know, you want a clean house, and yard work done.  Is there anything you want that doesn't take work?"

Communicating

I often wonder how my parents survived without cell phones.  I don't know what I'd do without mine.  I can check my bank account while I'm watching a ballet lesson, order from Amazon while  I'm cooking dinner,  and pay bills while I'm on the treadmill at the gym.  Let's not forget that I can use my phone to pay for coffee!  And, incredibly, I have the ability to reach out and communicate with my loved ones every minute of the day. 

Yesterday proved how difficult communicating can be.  The AC in my car was out and I simply couldn't go another hot day without it.  Les offered the use of his car so we dropped my car off at the shop.  I drove him to work, said I'd be back at 4:15, and drove off.  As I rounded the corner of his building, an alarm went off and lights started flashing on the dashboard.  "Warning!! No ignition key!!"  Oh no!!!  Les has a keyless ignition and had taken the keys with him.  I would be able to drive as far as I wanted.  But, once I stopped the car, I wouldn't be able to start it again.

 I slammed on the brakes, turned around, drove back and parked in front of Les' building.  As I dialed his office phone, available options flashed through my mind.  A little background is necessary here.  Les works in a "secure facility."  After he enters two sets of locking doors, he stores his cell phone in a cubby.  Although he has an office phone, I've never yet reached him that way.  Instead, I get the voicemail belonging to the person who used to occupy Les' desk.  It seems that can't be fixed.  In summary, it's virtually impossible to reach Les directly during the day.  I have to leave a message and wait for him to check his voicemail.  So, my options were to desperately try to reach Les or to drive to work so I wouldn't be late and then take a taxi home.  I spent 15 minutes dialing his cell phone and office phone.  In between calls, I pounded on the door.  I examined the buttons on the keypad, hoping to find some kind of buzzer.  Nothing jumped out at me and I was worried I'd set off an alarm.  So, I kept calling and knocking.

I saw lights on in the second floor windows and contemplated looking for rocks to throw.  As I leaned against the car in frustration, I thought about just leaving the car and taking a taxi home.  But, it would have been too late for me to get a substitute and I didn't want to leave my students alone.  As I was about to look up the number for a taxi, one of Les' co-workers drove up and rescued me.  Now, if we had an old-fashioned car that required keys, this never would have happened.

I had a pleasant day and left on time.  Cassie had asked permission to go to Starbucks with a friend.  I hadn't heard from her so I tried texting her.  No response.  I then tried calling.  No response.  I called again.  No answer.  I called home. No answer.  Finally, she texted to let me know that she and a friend had arrived home.  She apologized, saying that her phone had died.  Funny how that phone always dies when I want to reach her.  I pulled up to Les' workplace at 3:58.  I was early.  So, alas, no Les waiting.  Yes, I was dumb enough to try calling.  Of course, nobody answered.  I stood outside until another kind co-worker exited and begged him to fetch my husband.

Later, when Lacey asked about my day, I told her!  Lacey thought for awhile and then said, "You know, Daddy's not really a good communicator - at least with electronics."

The Bus Rides of New York

Over Spring Break we took a trip to New York.  We each had separate goals for the trip.  Les wanted to visit the 911 Memorial, and do as little shopping as possible.  Cassie wanted us to not look like tourists, and to do as much shopping as possible.  I wanted to walk as much as possible, and to make sure that nobody got hit by a car.  Lacey wanted to play in Central Park, and visit as many different restaurants as possible.  In fact, she wanted me to blog only about what we ate on the trip.  I told her that I would share some of the details that took place between meals.


We took a bus from Virginia that arrived mid-afternoon, and checked into the hotel.   Our first stop was the City Kitchen.  This is a little food mall on 8th Avenue, right next door to our hotel.  The girls loved the food and the view. 

Next, we dragged Les to Times Square.  The girls showed him the Polo store where they can buy shirts for $12.  This store was, of course, so crowded that we could barely get in.  The music was loud and the customers were louder.  I let the girls select a couple shirts while Les opted to wait outside. 

We walked around Times Square until it started to snow.  On the way to our hotel, Lacey spotted Guy's American Kitchen and Bar, owned by Guy Fieri.  Lacey absolutely loves watching his show, "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."  She was so thrilled that we agreed to have dinner there.  She was disappointed that Guy wasn't actually there.  But, she still enjoyed visiting the restaurant.

Dinner at Guy's

Times Square

Monday morning we got up early and set off to visit the 911 Memorial.  While some of us love walking, the memorial was pretty far away.  We asked the friendly concierge for the easiest way to get there.  First, she recommended the subway.  Then, she suggested a tour bus that would allow us to simply "hop on" and "hop off" at multiple locations.  In fact, she had all kinds of suggestions.  One package would give us bus fare and entry to museums.  For a few dollars more, we could also get a helicopter ride. Another package offered four days of bus fare, plus all of the above.  We had ridden the tour bus once before and, although I couldn't remember why, I was pretty sure that we'd agreed to never ride it again.  But, I let Les talk me into the two day bus fare because it included free admission to the 911 Observational Tower.  The concierge took our money, gave us a receipt, and told us that we could catch the bus out front.

When the bus arrived we learned that we had to take our receipt down the street to the visitor's office and exchange it for actual tickets.  After asking for directions twice, we finally found the visitor's office.  Twenty minutes later, we headed back to the bus stop, clutching bus tickets along with free tickets to an adult comedy club, and a card that guaranteed discounts to many shops and restaurants in the city.  We climbed on board, anxious to get out of the cold.  The bus had an upper deck. But, because only half the seats on the upper level were covered, we sat downstairs.  We plugged in our free ear buds and settled back to listen to the tour guide.   As soon as the bus turned the first corner, a deluge of cold water came rushing down the stairs.  As we ducked and picked up our feet to escape the cold water, our tour guide explained that the water was just melting snow.  No worries.  In a few hours it would be dry!

When we got to the memorial, we learned that the "free" tickets we had for the tower needed to be exchanged at a different visitor's center, somewhere in Manhattan.  Rather than spending another 3 hours on the tour bus, we paid for tickets.  In the end, we all agreed that the visit was worth the wet bus ride.

Next we took a brisk walk to Chinatown where we visited the outdoor markets and had lunch at a Shanghai restaurant.  Lacey did her best to not look like a tourist.

We "hopped on" the bus outside Chinatown and headed back toward Times Square.   This bus' upper deck was covered and was warm from the sun.  We sat down in the front two seats.  Lacey fell asleep almost immediately.  When the driver slammed on his breaks to avoid a pedestrian, Lacey flew off her sit and crashed into the front window.  Lucky for her she was sitting cross legged and her knees hit the window first.  This experience didn't stop her from going right back to sleep. 

When we got back to our hotel, the girls and I were anxious to do a little walking.  We visited some of our favorite shops around Rockefeller Plaza.  Dinner that evening was Les' choice - the Playwright Celtic Pub.  We enjoyed the food and hatched plans for the next day. 

The plan for Tuesday was to spend the morning visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then on to the  Laduree.  The latter is a macaroon shop on Madison Avenue, near the Met.  The girls had fallen in love with the Laduree last summer and I'd promised that we would return. 

First, we had breakfast at our favorite restaurant - the Europa Café on 57th.  I know this is a chain restaurant.  But, this particular one is the first restaurant we ever visited in NYC.  Cassie loves the vanilla sugar crepes and I love the coffee.  This was a one-mile walk from our hotel.  But, we had a destination and everyone was happy to walk. 

The vanilla sugar crepe

Les reminded me that we still had a day left on our bus passes.  I argued that we had already walked a mile toward the Met.  It wouldn't be that much farther and if we got away from the buildings and walked across Central Park we would find some sun.  Les reminded me that the bus would travel clockwise up around the park, passing through Harlem and other neighborhoods that the kids hadn't seen.  Lacey was cold and voted for the bus, so it was 2 to 2.  Trying to keep the peace, I reminded Cassie that Macy's one-day sale was starting today and would give us a great opportunity for walking later that day.  We set off to look for a bus stop.  If you've been to NYC, you know that these tour buses have multiple employees stationed on each block.  We asked the next one we saw for the nearest stop that would take us "uptown."  We found a bus around the corner.  But, it was out of service.  We found another bus nearby.  But, it was headed "downtown."  We found another employee who explained the best stop for our destination was the one right in front of our hotel.  I know this is hard to believe.  But, we turned around and walked the mile back to our hotel to catch that bus.

Before we boarded the bus, we purchased three pair of gloves, a hat, and two scarves from a street vendor.  A good use of $20 in my opinion.  This bus was really crowded.  We gave the kids the only vacant seat on the lower level.  Les and I ended up in the very back of the bus on the uncovered top deck. I spent most of the ride with my scarf wrapped over my head and around my face, hunkered down behind the seat in front of me to escape the wind.    It wasn't too bad when the bus stopped in the sun.  But, the sun wasn't reaching many places in the city that early in the morning.  Each time the bus stopped, we'd peer down onto the sidewalk to be sure the girls weren't getting off.    At some point, Cassie texted that Lacey had broken the audio box and they could no longer listen to the tour.  "At least you're warm!" I texted back.  After about 90 minutes of this, we decided that walking would be warmer.  When we reached the Guggenheim, we got off. 

Our first stop was at a sidewalk vendor.  We bought bags of honey-roasted peanuts and poured the hot peanuts onto our bare hands to warm up!  But, seriously, this was the first time the girls had seen the Met.  And, of course, they fell in love.

Edgar Degas' "The Dance Class" and "The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer"

Later, the girls impressed Les by showing him the way to the macaroon shop.

 We decided to walk back to the hotel, looking for a diner along the way.  Apparently, we chose the wrong avenue because we didn't pass a single restaurant.  Even though we had sworn to avoid chains, we lunched at the three-story McDonalds in Times Square.  We used our bus passes to get a discount!  Then, Les and Lacey headed for the Lego Store while Cassie and I walked to Macy's.  We were delighted to discover that Macy's annual flower show had just started.  And, no joking, our bus passes got us a 10 percent discount at Macy's!


At dinnertime, there were incredibly long lines outside all the nearby restaurants.  We picked the shortest line . . . Planet Hollywood!

Wednesday was all about Central Park.  Again, the girls impressed Les with their knowledge of the park.  They took us to the carousel, the Boathouse, and the fountain from "Friends."   




We spent the morning in the park and the afternoon at Bloomingdale's. 

For our final day in NYC, we visited the High Line Park.  We walked the entire length of the park and finished at Chelsea Market.  Here are a few views from the High Line.

Proof that I was there

Here are my new favorite photos of the girls.  I love looking at them and seeing the joy captured in the photos.  I would be willing to tolerate a lot more rides on the tour bus just to make a few more memories like these.