Mother's Day Eve - Day 18

It's still amazing to me to think that I am a mother.  I look at my son and have completely forgotten the 9 months of pregnancy, the c-section, the hospital stay and just about all of the first few months.  All I see when I look at him is pure love.  He is amazing, he is the cutest, sweetest boy in the world.  What would I do without him?  Before we had Elliot I was perfectly content to be a devoted wife and awesome aunt.  I was okay with not having children (simply because I didn't think I could and it was easier than to be constantly devastated).  At this point, I can't even remember why I thought that in the first place.  Being a mother is the hardest job I've ever had to do.  Being a mother is the most rewarding job I've had the opportunity to do.  I wouldn't change anything about being a mother for any amount of money in the world.  This has to be the coolest thing!

Bathroom Etiquette - Day 16 (A Day Behind)

Ok ladies, this is going to be a pretty TMI post, but something happened to me at work recently that made me think of the unspoken laws of the public restroom.  At my office, our floor shares one restroom with about 4 stalls in it.  Most everyone that uses this restroom tries to snag the handicapped stall to do their business in.  This is where my "situation" happened.  But before I get to that, I need to spell out some of the rules.

1. If you are going to go #2, make sure that no one knows it's you in there, i.e., stay put till others leave the restroom, don't get your business started until the person you walked in with has left.
2. If you walk into the restroom, smell something stinky and see a pair of shoes under the stall, do your business quickly and leave.  That person is more embarrassed than you are - they created the smell!
3. If you see a pair of shoes under the stall when you walk in and they are still there when you walk out, don't lolly-gag - get out of their so they can finish their business.
4. Don't go into the stall adjacent to another person unless it's your only option.
5. Don't talk to the person in the next stall - even if you know them and they are your friend.  No one likes to talk when they're going potty.
6. If you're going to spend a great deal of time in the restroom - changing clothes, putting on your make-up, make sure you are alone and not impeding on anyone's time to go "you know what"

Okay, so a week or so ago I was in the handicapped stall in our restroom taking care of business.  I had checked all of the stalls and knew that I was alone.  The door opened and someone walked in and took the stall RIGHT NEXT TO ME!  I noticed her cute black stilettos right away.  I listened to her pee, then smooth out her outfit, adjust herself and then walk out of the stall.  This was my cue to unclench and carry on.  Then the footsteps came closer instead of heading to the door.  I looked out the crack between the door and the stall and saw one of my co-workers checking herself out in the mirror.  Nervous that she would see me, I pulled up my pants a bit more and pulled down my shirt.  I also held my breath.  If she were to see me, it would only be embarrassing for her, right?  Have I mentioned that I don't particularly care for this girl?  Anyway, she got down to some serious primping, adjusting and readjusting her dress.  Then adjusting and readjusting some more, all the while RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!  I was literally holding my breath hoping that she didn't see me or know I was in there.  Her primping and preening in the mirror lasted at least 10 minutes.  It was borderline ridiculous.  Had she been one of my friends, I would have shouted, "You Look Fine!  Get back to work!", but I couldn't in this situation.  Finally, she turned on her stiletto heel to leave...without washing her hands (gross!).  A minute or so later she returned, running right back up to the damn mirror to check her face and straighten that damn dress.  I wanted to scream!  I was clenching and holding my breath and didn't know how much longer I could hold out.  Finally she left - this time she washed her hands!  I was then able to finish my stuff and leave!

Apparently someone needs to give her a refresher course on community bathrooms.  In the future, I think I'll go back to using the bathroom on the floor above us - there's only 1 woman on that entire floor, so the handicapped stall is always free!

Pinterest - Day 13

I've often wanted to be more like Martha Stewart.  The quintessential homemaker, wife, mother, artist, creative genius and no nonsense business woman.  I can't wait until Elliot has to create things for school and I have to help (science projects anyone?).  I look forward to when he needs a costume for a play, or Purim or Halloween and mommy has to make it (I need to learn to sew more than just a button).  I'd love to say that I'm a fantastic housekeeper but truth be told, my home is cluttered at best.  Homemaker I am not, unless you count the fact that we have created a warm and fun home environment for our son.  Guess I'm better than I thought.  As far as the wife part - well, I'm still married, so I must be doing something right.  I've always been into reading Martha Stewart Living and getting ideas from Parenting magazine as well as Family Circle.  And then I found Pinterest.

A friend of Sam's told him that now that I had joined Pinterest, he could look forward to lonely nights with me glued to the computer screen "pinning" to my heart's content.  Now I wouldn't say that I'm excessive, but it is a bit easy to get lost on there.  Recently, I have been focusing on good recipes that my son might eat.  He's a very picky eater so I'm forced to get creative for his sake.  I have a strong affinity for anything that can be made in a muffin tin.  I've made mini meatloaves, mini pizza puffs and my new all-time favorite - mini chicken pot pies!  This has to be one of the easiest recipe in the world and it tastes so good - even Elliot will eat it (sometimes, when he's in a good mood, and the day doesn't end in "y").   Tomorrow I am making turkey bacon, cheese, and egg biscuit cups for Elliot's teachers as well as for the nurse's at my office.

In addition, I've also found really cool crafty things that I can do with Elliot at home.  I haven't started doing arts and crafts with him at home because, frankly, I didn't have the energy and didn't think he had the attention span - and I don't like messes.  We did try one craft at home and it turned out pretty cool but I can't share it just yet as it's a gift that hasn't been given yet.  I can't wait till father's day this year - I have some really great and creative ideas "pinned" to my board.

Pinterest has also given me really great ideas for home organization, decorating and birthday party ideas.  Not that I'm trying to sell anyone on Pinterest or anything, I just think it's great and wanted to share!

That is all...

Ten Years - Day 7

Today Sam and I are celebrating the 10th anniversary of our first date.  Ten Years...  How do you sum up that kind of time?  It seems like forever and yet it seems like such a short period of time.  I feel like we got here in a flash.  Where does the time go?  I can't believe that Sam and I have been together for 10 years.  It's like a third of our lives.  It's amazing how much has changed within that 10 year time span.

We met, we dated, we moved in together and then we bought a house.  We got engaged, I graduated with my BSW, we got married the next day.  We moved to NYC, I graduated with my MSSW, Sam got a new job that kept us in NYC.  We moved home, we had a baby, we are now celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

I am so in awe of this man that I have shared the last 10 years of my life with.  He is an amazing and caring husband and an energetic and patient father.  He makes me laugh, he makes me want to scream, he frustrates me, he makes me feel so lucky to have him.  He is tolerant of my bullshit, he knows all of me and still loves me.  We have grown together as a couple and as individuals over the last 10 years, but always moving towards the same goal - to have the most amazing family together.  We still have fun together.  He's still the first person I call with good news, bad news, to vent, to share a joke or just to say hi.  He's who I choose to spend all of my extra time with.  We have weathered many a storm and it just keeps getting better because we keep getting stronger.  I am still in love with this man and I can't see that changing.  I am so amazed that after 10 years, my love for him just keeps getting stronger.

To my baber, thank you for the most amazing 10 years.  I can't wait to spend another 50+ more with you. Thank you for being by my side through everything - good and bad.  Thank you for continuing to be willing to go on adventures with me.  Thank you for Elliot.

Go Team Levine!!  I love you!

Embracing My Faith - Day 4

I've always been Jewish, I've always known that.  My mother is Jewish, my grandparents are Jewish, my dad converted, etc., etc.  I went to Sunday school, I went to Hebrew school, I did not have a Bat Mitzvah (though I could have - I was completely prepared), I went through confirmation and post-confirmation, I was active in BBYO, but what does that all mean.  I married a Jewish man and my parents (and grandmother) were thrilled, as were his parents given that his previous girlfriend was Catholic.  My Jewish-ness growing up was limited to family functions and whatever I was learning at Sunday school, etc.  We did not actively celebrate the holidays at home nor did we go to synagogue for services, holidays, etc.  My guess is that most of those things were restricted due to financial constraints, but I digress.  I married into a family of Orthodox Jews, which was almost a deal breaker to me.  Luckily my husband, like myself, had a strong sense of being Jewish but did not currently follow the rules that he was brought up with.  This has allowed us to create and mold our own sense of Jewish-ness together.

Our wedding was a very traditional Jewish wedding (some may disagree but it was much more religious than I ever planned on it being).  It was beautiful and I felt very strongly that the traditions be included and that the ceremony be mostly in Hebrew.  Sam and I have gone to services a couple of times, but hadn't really chosen to belong to any one synagogue.  However, I feel that everything has changed once Elliot was born.  We had a very traditional bris at our home, attended by my childhood rabbi, who I adore.  We decided that we would expose Elliot to his heritage/culture as best we could so that he could have the proper education as to who he was religiously (although I will debate that being Jewish is much more than just religion).

A couple of weeks ago, we were invited to celebrate Pesach with family friends of Sam's, all of whom are super religious (I refer to them as the Super Jews!).  I wanted so badly to have this experience with these people (especially Miriam who I had only bonded with via the Internet), but I was scared to death that I would either make a mistake and embarrass my husband and in-laws or I would be judged that I wasn't Jewish enough, again bringing embarrassment to my husband and in-laws.  This fear culminated in a complete tearful, sobbing, anxiety-ridden breakdown!  Then I shook it off, we spent Pesach with the Rosenblatt's and had a wonderful time and no one judged me!  In fact, I have retained enough ability to read Hebrew that I was able to follow along quite easily with the service.  And apparently all of those childhood seder's stuck in my psyche.  Did I mention that I had creocheted a yarmulke for Elliot which was absolutely adorable?

Following that experience, we (Sam and I) agreed that Elliot was old enough to begin to participate in Jewish activities.  We began to sing the Shema to him every night.  We went to a Yom Ha'atzmaut party at the JCC the other night and this morning we took Elliot to Tot Shabbat at the Beth Israel.  I think at this point Sam and I have decided that we would like to join the Temple that I grew up going to.  We had a lovely time this morning, even running into a girl that I knew from BBYO.

Basically, my ultimate goal in all of this is to bring Judaism into my home through creating our own traditions.  I want to have Shabbat dinner where we light the candles and eat challah every Friday night.  I want to celebrate the holidays and teach my son the meanings of the holidays.  I will send him to Sunday school, he will go to Hebrew school and he will have a Bar Mitzvah.  Hell, I might even have a Bat Mitzvah with him (wouldn't that be embarrassing to my teenage son?!).

So there you have it - I am embracing my faith.  Like our Rabbi said this morning, "Let the children run around the sanctuary, we want to associate coming to the synagogue with fun".  I agree, I want this to be fun as well as a wonderful learning experience! L'Chaim!!

Blog Renewal Day 1

So I was issued a challenge to blog for 6 days a week for approximately a month and I foolishly accepted.    However, there are wonderful benefits to accepting and fulfilling this challenge.  The first of which is that I will actually update my blog(s) on a consistent basis.  The second is that it will force me to set aside some time every day to write.  The third is it will provide entertainment for my 3 or 4 readers.  So I will be rotating through my three blogs in order to fulfill my challenge.  Three you ask?  Why yes, apparently I have such an ego that it requires three blogs to satisfy me!

Seriously though, I have this blog - all about me and my rants and raves, but mainly for all things me!  My second blog is creativeandcraftastic.blogspot.com - which is all things creative, but mostly all things crochet.  Thank goodness I've gotten back into crocheting and haven't updated that blog in a long time - it'll give me things to post about!  But my favorite blog so far is levinefamilynews.blogspot.com - which is all things Elliot!  So it'll be a surprise from day to day which one I will be updating - guess you'll just have to follow all three!

It's amazing how much has changed since I updated this blog last.  It's been over two years and since then we have added our amazing little boy to our family.  To think that I wasn't even pregnant when the last post was written, but 6 months following it I had a bun in my oven!  At this point the little bun is 17 months old and heaping joy into our lives.  Almost everything else is still pretty much the same.  I'm still a hospice social worker, we still live in Austin and Sam and I are about to celebrate our 8th year of marriage.  Next week we will celebrate our 10th anniversary of being together.  It just keeps getting better and better.

Miriam - challenge accepted!  This is going to be a great experiment!  Thank you for issuing the challenge.  Until tomorrow.....

Reflections of a Fat Girl

As most everyone knows I have been on a pretty strict diet program since April 1st.  Since then I have lost about 100 pounds.  And even though that sounds like a great deal of weight, and it is, it's not enough.  In fact, some days it feels that it's not even close.  However, I prefer to look at things like my glass is half full.  With that in mind, I'd like to go over some of the major accomplishments that 100 pounds has afforded me.

First and foremost there are the physical changes that even 20 pounds of weight loss gave me.  I can exercise now.  I can get on an elliptical machine and not feel like I'm going to die after one minute of exercise.  I can walk without huffing and puffing.  I can ride a bike without the fear of falling or breaking the bike (yes, I seriously felt that way).

I can finally sleep at night.  I no longer snore.  My sleep apnea is gone, which is great because prior to losing weight, I had to take a nap in my car every afternoon.  I knew it was the final straw when I began falling asleep while driving.  I am rested in the morning and can get out of bed without every bone in my body creaking.  

I think that because of my weight loss I was able to recover from my gallbladder surgery much faster.  I don't even know if I would have been a candidate for surgery 100 pounds ago.  I was able to get up faster following surgery.

Sam and I went to NYC about a month ago for a wedding.  On the way there, we had to take a very small American Eagle plane.  For the last four years, every time we traveled, I had to ask for an extender.  For those of you who are unaware of what an extender is.  It's an additional seatbelt that has to be hooked onto the current seatbelt, to allow for larger people to sit in the tiny airplane seats.  You can imagine my surprise when the seatbelt clicked.  I cried - seriously - I cried happy tears.

The first night that we were in NYC we met a friend for dinner approximately 5 avenues away.  With no way to get there via subway, usually I would have insisted a cab, but this time I suggested that we walk.  I was able to keep up with Sam (he's a fast walker) and walk the entire way without stopping to catch my breath.  Even subways were different for me.  I was able to fit in just one seat.  I have always been embarrassed to try to find a seat on a crowded subway because it would mean that I would take up two seats and most likely people would look down on me.  This wasn't an issue this trip.  I also had no trouble bounding the massive amounts of stairs to get out of the subways.

I have become more comfortable in my own body.  I feel that I hold my head higher, stand a little straighter and smile a lot more.  I feel that I can go out in public and people aren't looking at me, disappointed or disgusted that I am so fat.  It's amazing what a boost that is.  I feel that I'm taken more seriously and that I'm more respected in my job.

Now I still have at least 50 more pounds to go before I feel comfortable with saying that I'm done with the dieting.  I'm also learning to eat better and the best part is that I've become so much more active.  I'm hoping that I can carry that with me throughout my life.  I'm hoping that it will become a lifestyle that I have adopted but only time will tell.

Before I go, I thought I'd give you a before and after glimpse of what a 100 pound loss actually looks like.  No judging on the "before" picture please.  I know I looked pretty bad.

Chest pains, Hospitals and Gallbladders

Flashback to Friday night.  Sam and I are walking through Academy, trying to find shoes for me.  My chest starts hurting (below my breasts) and I'm feeling somewhat short of breath.  I begin to think that maybe my bra is too tight.  I pull my bra out from my chest and then ask Sam to loosen it for me.  This does not do the trick.  The pain begins to move to my upper abdomen, both sides.  The pain is stabbing and constant, there doesn't seem to be any relief.  We decide to forego the next place we plan to stop and head home.  I take my bra off at the car, which also does not make it any better.  I try laying the seat back in the car, sitting up straight, putting my hands on my head and drinking a diet soda in the hopes that maybe I just need a really good burp.

This pain is something that I have never experienced (so I think, but more on that later),which really scares me.  After asking me several times if I want to go to the ER, Sam begins driving towards North Austin Medical Center.  I ask him to pull over so I can check the hours on the urgent care center.  I didn't want to go to the ER if it was just gas pain or something silly like that.  Unfortunately (turns out to be pretty fortunate) the urgent care center closed only minutes before so Sam continued to drive to the ER.  Once we got inside, I started feeling better (anxiety?) and decided that I wanted to just sit in the waiting room for a minute so I didn't waste any one's time.  After sitting, the pain began to intensify so I got checked in.

A round of blood work, 1 blown vein, an IV and an ultrasound later it is determined that I have gallstones and lots of them.  My assumption is that gallstones can be shrunk or dissolved with medication and I can pass them and everything would be fine.  Unfortunately, gallstones are not kidney stones.  If passed, they can cause a huge infection and even death.  That's not something you want to hear.  The ER doc decided that he wanted to speak with the surgeon, and even if they didn't remove my gallbladder, I was going to be admitted to the hospital for observation.

My reaction? I began crying uncontrollably.  I've never been admitted to the hospital, I've never had surgery and other than back pain, I've never had anything wrong with me.  To make matters worse, my mom is out of town and Sam's catching a plan to Vegas tomorrow for a friend's wedding.  Thank goodness this happened while Sam was still in town.  My anxiety was through the roof.  They offered pain medication but my pain had pretty much subsided so I declined.

I was finally admitted to my room, 402 at midnight.  I was told that I couldn't eat or drink anything since most likely I was going to have surgery tomorrow.  I tried to sleep, but it's pretty difficult with an IV hanging out of your arm.  At 4:00 am the fun began.  Vital signs and more blood work.  This phlebotomist blew yet another vein but finally got enough blood for the tests.  The surgeon arrived before 8:00 am to discuss my options.  We decided on surgery and was scheduled for noon.

The anesthesiologist arrived around 8:45am and we went over all of the concerns that I had as well as the details of the surgery and the anesthesia.  I was scared mostly about the tube going down my throat and fear of feeling it.  I thought my fears were allayed until he mentioned that they would be coming to get me for surgery in a few minutes.  What happened to noon?  There was a cancellation and my surgery was scheduled for 9:30.  There was no time to panic.  I was taken down to the OR and given anxiety medications.  The last thing I remember was taking a few deep breaths into an oxygen mask and then waking up in recovery.

I thought that I had only been out for about 30 seconds, but instead it had been almost an hour and the surgery was complete, which I was made painfully aware of.  My belly was killing me.  They got me to my room before noon where Sam and my dad were waiting.  Got lots of pain meds, took a short nap and then just waited.  I successfully managed to do okay with both the clear and liquid diet and was moved to regular food by dinner.

I cannot say how appreciate I have been of all the well wishes and all the people who care about me and prayed for me.  I posted many updates on facebook and got more comments than I ever have.  Shelly, Joe and Shayna came to visit me, which was awesome.  Sam has been the best through all of this.  He has slept in a recliner for two nights in a row and has taken care of my every need.

I should see the surgeon soon and should hopefully be discharged later this afternoon.  My mom is on a flight from Dallas and should be here soon.  I know it has been hard for her not to be with me.  The nursing staff has been amazing, making sure that I am out of pain.  I cannot tell you how painful this has been.  Getting up out of bed has been awful.  I feel like my abdominal muscles are being completely ripped out.  Thank goodness that I have lost 90 pounds or I don't know how I would've gotten through this.

Now onto recovery.  I'm a little scared to be at home, worried that something might happen and the hospital staff won't be around.  I have no idea when I'll get to return to work, hopefully by next week.  We're supposed to go to NYC next Wednesday for a wedding, but I don't know if we'll be able to unless I'm completely healed.  I've heard mixed results on when I'll be recovered - anywhere from 1-6 weeks.  

So I'm officially down one body part.  I got through my first surgery and hospitalization with flying colors.  I look forward to getting out of the hospital.  This past week was one of the most stressful of my life, so a hospitalization was just the icing on the cake, the most horrible cap to an awful week.  The timing is awful, I have so much work to do next week and hate missing out on my patients.

The ironic part of this whole thing is that I was at this hospital on Friday seeing a patient and spent about 4 1/2 hours with his family.  I left here at 6:00 pm and returned at 8:00 pm to be admitted myself.  My patient is still here so maybe I'll visit him before my discharge, but probably not.

As much as I don't update this blog very often, I thought it would be smart to record this for posterity.  I can't thank my friends and family enough and I want to thank the nursing staff - Jen in the ER, Lissy, April and Susan.  I only post their names so I don't forget when I'm writing a thank you note once I'm home.  I'll keep everyone posted on my recovery.

Quarterly Updates?

So try as I may to update this more often, apparently I suck at this. At least I can try to make a quarterly update post. What's been going on with us? Lots! Our lives are increasingly busy and we're making major changes - both to the house and ourselves.

Let's start with the house. As of today, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom have been repainted. We finally got furniture last month - a new bed, couches for downstairs and a huge sectional for upstairs. We have approximately 1 room completely finished. Lucky for all of our guests that the one room is the guest bedroom. So whenever you're ready, come visit.

In March, after a birthday trip for Sam to New Orleans, we got the dogs back from Sam's parents. Mitzi, Janie and Bass are getting used to us while we're getting used to them. Unfortunately attempts at having them meet the cats has been downright scary. We're trying to train the dogs but it's not the easiest thing in the world. We first have to convince Mitzi that we're in charge.

Sam in New Orleans

My mom and the dogs

The dogs waiting to go outside

Late in March we built raised garden beds in the backyard and in the beginning of April we planted. We have 7 different types of tomatoes, three types of peppers - Bell, Cubanelle and Sweet, Yellow Squash, Patty Pan Squash, Zucchini, Cantaloupe, Cucumber, Basil, Parsley, Green Beans, Jalapenos and Habaneros. Check back in June when it's time to harvest.


The Garden


On April 1st, Sam and I began a new weight loss program through the Austin Diagnostic Clinic. My weight had gotten out of control and I decided it was time to do something about it. Prior to starting the program, I went to my new gynecologist. I know, I know - too much information. But if you really know me, then you know that Sam and I have been trying to have a baby for the past three years but for some reason by body doesn't like to have regular periods. Horrible doctors in NYC just told me that I was too fat. Well, the gynecologist here - who I absolutely love! - diagnosed me with having PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Basically what this means is that my body isn't ovulating due to somewhat raised insulin levels as well as higher testosterone levels than normal. However, my doc is excited that I am doing the ADC program and feels that once I get down to a more healthy weight there is no reason for me not to be able to get pregnant. So until then she put me on birth control to lower my testosterone and to make sure that we don't get pregnant before my body is ready.

So far the diet program is going great - I've lost about 50 pounds and started exercising regularly. Sam bought us bikes as an anniversary present and after almost 19 years of being away from a bike, getting back on was like...well, riding a bike. To increase our support system, Shelly and Joe are doing the diet program with us and are both doing great!

Last weekend Sam and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast five years has gone by. It seems like in a blink of an eye. We went to Galveston for the weekend and took many romantic walks on the beach.


Galveston


So now that I've told way too much about our lives, at least you're all caught up. We're both still incredibly glad to be back in Austin. We're both loving our jobs and enjoying seeing our family's a lot more. Love to you all!

Updates

So apparently I've been MIA as of late. You know what they say about good intentions...

I have lots and lots of updates to share.

#1 Sam bought me a new car (we'll share payments, but it makes me feel better to say he bought it for me) - it's a blue Honda CR-V and it's awesome!!!
The Blue Bomb

#2 I had a birthday in January and turned another year older (imagine that!)
Cake by Shelly (decoration by Joe)

#3 Have I mentioned that Sam moved home on December 19th - permanently!

#4 I love my job and my job loves me (it's a nice change)

#5 Things are moving along with our house - our kitchen has been put together and we painted the guest bathroom and the guest bedroom. We even picked out our furniture and can't wait to move onto the next step.

#6 The holiday gifts are still not complete - I hope to have the last of them done by next week (since I'm hopefully getting together with one of my bestest friends!)

#7 The holiday gifts were a hit (kinda) - the boys gifts were awesome (except for Carlos' which didn't fit) and the gals gifts were nifty except that no one has used them because they all think that they're too pretty
Hats for Boys

Spa gear for girls (all handmade)

#8 I handmade a new wreath for our front door (more of my transition to Martha)

#9 I learned how to make candy (not the best thing for my diet)

#10 Sam and I have begun cooking at home lots and lots (super good for my diet)

#11 I'm addicted to farmers markets and locally grown food, etc.

#12 I'm gonna grow a garden full of fruits and veggies (unless the bunnies eat everything)

#13 I've started growing basil, oregano and parsley and can't wait to use it

#14 I've been incredibly crafty and have started creating my own things without patterns

And the coolest change:

I have a new blog for all of my crafty goodness! I've realized that I spend way too much time posting pictures of my latest crocheted creations and not enough time speaking my mind, talking about my life and providing a place for family and friends to keep track of me.

My goal is to update both of them on a more regular basis. I realize that I have a lot to say and want to get it down. Also, I'm hoping that the crochet stuff will eventually turn into a small side business to supplement my poor social worker salary.

So as you'll notice when you venture over to the new blog - it is not linked to this one. That is for personal reasons. I'm hoping that the crafty blog will be more public and this one will stay a bit more private. So basically, the only people that will know that I have both of them will be my loyal reader(s) of Gracefully Social!

Okay, for all of your reading goodness - please check out:

http://creativeandcraftastic.blogspot.com

Bookmark it! I'm always looking for new ideas for crafts, so feel free to comment or make requests!

I've lost my motivation...

Can you help me find it? The holiday gifts are more or less complete (sorry out of towners, yours will be New Years gifts) and I've lost all motivation to keep creating. I put so much energy into the gifts and now that it's done, I don't know what to do with myself. I want to be warm and snuggled in my bed. I need my vacation already, I've had a tough three weeks with a coworker in Fiji and having to cover her caseload plus 16 new admissions (that's a lot!). My train went full steam ahead for so long that eventually I fizzled out. Take right now for an example: I'm sitting in the parking lot of a nursing home and need to go in and see 1 patient but I don't want to. I've been sitting here for 45 minutes. I even took a nap!!

I have a busy week and a tight schedule to adhere to but I don't care. I'm tired. My schedule was all screwed up yesterday when I spent 4 hours with a patient and family. Four hours!! And he wasn't even on the schedule for yesterday. He took the place of 5 people that I somehow have to see today.

I'm just drained, and tired, and looking forward to the holidays with friends and family. I need a strong boost of energy- maybe Starbucks can help! I need a nap. I need something just don't know what it is.

Happy Holidays to all of you! I'll post pictures of all of the gifts after they have been given out. Don't want to ruin any surprises! On a lighter note, it slipped my mind to mention that my sweet husband has returned to Austin permanently and boy do we have a lot of catching up to do after exactly 90 days apart. Love and warm wishes for a wonderful holiday season. Gonna muster up the strength to head inside to visit my patient now...

I'm Martha Effin' Stewart!

It just hit me, I've turned into a grandma, or a mom, and I don't even have kids yet. I buy mom magazines like Family Circle (going on my 5th year of subscriptions), Real Simple, Martha Stewart's magazine and lots and lots of cooking magazines. I would rather shop at Michael's or Hobby Lobby than any clothing store. I find myself buying decorating magazines even though I'm pretty far from beginning to redo my house (gotta have paint, floors and furniture for that!). I'm creative and want to do things myself. I loved painting our bedroom and the bathroom (well half of it). I have curtains up, which is a big change from sheets over the windows or plastic mini-blinds. I mean, I crochet for G-d's sake! Even my mom calls it my geriatric hobby.

But what really gets me is the big decision that I recently made. While reading Martha Stewart (I know - nothing says geriatric better than that!) I was excited to learn of some "do it yourself" gifts. It was something that I would actually use and knew that my friends and family would also use it too. Who knew that making gifts for people would be so time-consuming and soooo expensive. But I'm half-way through with all of the gifts so I have to see it through.

Lucky for Sam that I'm so damn creative and ambitious. All he has to do is sign his name to the cards. And that's okay, I've been keeping receipts and he will be reimbursing me for "supplies". And did I mention that I'm really going overboard with these gifts? I don't even recall a year where we gave gifts to all of our friends. I just hope that we're not laughed at for giving homemade gifts. I just feel that we're starting over this year for the holidays. Sam will be back home (finally! - oops, secret's out!!), we're reunited with friends and family and we're back in our home. Basically, life is no longer on hold. So why not celebrate with hours and hours of prepping holiday gifts. And there's nothing like getting started during the second week of the month when the holidays are just around the corner.

So, this is a proclamation to our friends and family who read this (all 3, maybe 4 of you), please accept our gifts for what they're meant to be - a gesture of love and thoughtfulness. Don't make fun of them if they're not too pretty, just remember the thought behind it.

Well, enough of a rant for me. Gotta get back to creating. I would give hints, but lucky for all of you, it's close enough to the holidays that you can just wait! Well, except for you, mom. You already know what I got you. T-minus 10 more days to complete 10 more gifts. I'm on it!!

The Shortest (or Longest) Recap in History!

Okay, so I need to recap the last three months so that I can start anew and actually start writing about current events. So, here goes...

Came home on August 23rd to a trashed house. Took pictures of said trashiness and alerted renters they would not be getting their deposit back. Anger ensued, which resulted in several e-mails and certified letters being traded via negotiations. Have 300+ pictures of damages to home, yet still agreed to pay her $200 to get her to go away and not take us to court. Looking back, we should have gone to court.

Painted the bedroom a lovely shade of chocolate brown. Ran out of time to paint the other bedroom and bathroom that said renter pained electric blue! Lived with tape on the walls for two weeks until my parents graciously came over to help me take it down. Carlye is helpless without her Sam. Have three color squares painted on the living room wall as we were deciding which color looked best. Three months later it is still there and the other remaining rooms have yet to be painted.

Boxes arrived two weeks after promised. Only a few broken pieces and a lot of headache for me, still have yet to file a claim for a new desk and lamp. At least our stuff is finally here. Had to change the locks and attempted to re-grow the grass as it had been trampled and murdered by the stupid renters. Man do I regret not just selling the house! Living as a single gal since Sam was called back to NYC.

After 25 days apart, Sam returned for a short visit, only to get strep throat which increased his visit to over a week (yay!), which was mostly spent resting and unpacking a few boxes. Every room still filled with boxes and it doesn't feel like home. Rescued a kitten from possible demise thanks to coyote in my parents' neighborhood. Named her Ka-T (Katie) and the boys have adjusted well to having her here.
Ka-T and a crocheted hat

Started my new job on September 8th. A little disappointed but it's growing on me. Glad to be back in the field making a difference. Not glad to be putting close to 400 miles on my Red Rocket each week. Have a huge caseload and am a little overwhelmed but like getting paid, no matter how small the checks.

Able to reconnect with two life-long friends. Enjoying hanging with Amanda and Rhylan (and the reclusive Chris) and loved getting together with Shayna and family. So glad that I'll be spending more time with them and that their children will actually know me. Hopefully they'll know Sam too, but he has to return home first.
Me and Shayna
Me and Maddie

Got affectionate nickname from Rhylan (Curry!), which lasted a week or two until she began saying my name correctly, well, correctly for her (Car-Wee). Am a little sad that the nickname didn't stick. Oh well... At least she loves the blanket I made for her and loves to get "cozy" in it.
Me and Amanda
Rhylan and her Blanket

Love spending every Saturday with Shelly and Joe watching the Longhorns play. Disappointed to spend one Saturday away from them and with my mom, which caused Texas to lose to Texas Tech! Enjoying cooking with Shelly. Not enjoying making macaroni and cheese at home for me (it's hard to cook healthy for one). Had a great time going to Texas wineries for Shelly's birthday - can't go wrong with a limo ride and free booze. Loving most of my co-workers and missing some of my old ones.
The gang at the vineyard

Enjoying spending weekends with my mom although that will come to an end when Sam is here permanently. Tired of fielding questions as to the date of Sam's return and to the status of a new job for him. Answer: "I don't know!".

Missing Sam terribly. Missing friends in New York. Sad that I missed the birth of Mateo to Stacey and Carlos. At least the care package arrived to them in time. Got to make Stacey cry with the scrapbook I made her. Made Sam almost tearful with the scrapbook I made him.
Mateo and his blanket
First attempt at baby booties and baby hat

Can't really think of anything else. Still crocheting up a storm. Made a blanket for my grandma which she liked but commented that it didn't "match anything". Finishing a toy for Sam, several scarves and another blanket for Mateo. Still need to re-do the blankets for Shayna's kids and start the blanket for my mom. Several requests to teach my friends how to crochet. Need to stop buying yarn. Need to get faster at crocheting so I can be more productive.
Grandma's blanket

Sam will be here on Saturday for ten days. Looking forward to heading to Louisiana for Thanksgiving with the family. Hoping to actually paint the bathroom and hang the curtains. Haven't seen Sam in seven weeks and am not sure I remember what he looks like.

Okay, now I'm officially done! (I think!) Gonna get ready for work and start cleaning the house in preparation for Sam's return. Later gators!

New Beginnings

On August 20th, Sam and I woke up on the floor at our Bay Ridge Parkway abode, finished cleaning the apartment, well, most of it, packed up the Red Rocket with a couple of suitcases, wedding albums, and Lucky and Blue and said goodbye to Brooklyn. We got on the road about 6 hours after I wanted to (who knew that we wouldn't be finished in time to leave by 6am) armed with snacks, a case of water and mapquest directions in case Frieda, the GPS screwed us again.

But let me backtrack two days. So I decided to hire movers to shlep all of our worldly possessions to Austin instead of renting a U-Haul. It was cheaper and we would be able to have the freedom to take the cats with us and not worry about driving a big 'ol truck. So I agreed to the cheapest company without researching anything. Hindsight is 20/20 and of course I know better now, but I had no idea and for some reason Sam trusted me to do it on my own. The day before the movers were scheduled to arrive, we did not get a confirmation call. We called them and did not get an answer. This is when I got nervous. I googled the company and found that they did business under another name and that other name had 40+ negative issues on the Better Business Bureau. This was getting really worrisome. I was tearful and so disappointed in myself and was scared that we would never see our things again. This company had their license revoked a number of times and had horrible reviews. I received a message from the moving company later that night reporting that they would not be there at 9:00 am as was scheduled and would in fact not be there until 2:00 pm. It was already going poorly and they hadn't even picked up our stuff. I couldn't sleep, my stomach was in knots. At 4:00 am, I had enough. I continued to google the company and got even more poor reviews. At this point I was crying hysterically. The next morning, I handed Sam the phone and asked him to call the movers and cancel. I told him of my gut feeling and he agreed.

After a bit of an altercation with the moving company, Sam was able to cancel. After calling my credit card to dispute the $200 deposit from the original movers, I was able to call another moving company and set up a pick up for that afternoon. I was so glad that it wouldn't delay our departure on Wednesday. The movers were great - they were on time, they were fast and they made me feel like I made the right decision. At least they were still endorsed by the BBB!

Now back to the road trip!

Sam and I had so much fun in the car for three days! The cats were amazing! We got hourly meows from Lucky who appeared to be making sure that we still knew he was there. They were quiet and slept most of the trip. Day 1 ended in Hickory, North Carolina with Jen and James. We arrived around 9:00 pm, only 4 hours later than I wanted. Sam's fast driving made up some time. It was so good to see them and the cats acclimated to their bathroom quite well, even eating a little and going to the bathroom. The next morning, we got ready, scooped the cats back into the carrier, re-loaded the car and got on the road. I'll mention that we were able to actually take showers (packing the shower curtain on Monday evening didn't allow for showers) and change into clean clothes.

We arrived in Memphis at Michael and Alice's around 5:00 pm, got the cats settled in their very own room and headed to Gus' Fried Chicken where I proceeded to flood the bathroom before chowing down on spicy chicken and great southern sides. We stayed up late drinking beer and crocheting (I did the latter) and enjoyed our time with our friends. Friday morning, we gathered the cats (seeing a pattern here), reloaded the car and headed out on the road to Houston. We arrived to Sam's parents house around 5:00 pm (that seems a convenient time for us) to a waiting U-Haul that we (and by "we", I mean, Sam, Joe, Brian and Stew) loaded with all of our possessions stored at the Levine house. The plan was to have a little dinner and hit the road so we could get home Friday night. Needless to say, we needed sleep more than we needed to be in Austin that night. We enjoyed the Mexican dinner, hung with the family, got to see Brenda and Eran's new house, got some much needed sleep and hit the road at 6:00 am (finally, we left somewhere at 6:00 am!). We arrived in Austin (well, Pflugerville) on Saturday morning. It was such a relief to be home. I settled in the cats and did a visual inspection of the house. I was so disappointed that the renters left in poor condition but I'll get to that in another post. Little Joe, Big Joe, Brent and Shelly came by to help Sam unload the U-Haul into the garage (I think it took 20 minutes) and then we had some breakfast with the old crew from Austin. Did I mention it felt good to be home.

We now had one week to get the house together before my new job started and before Sam had to go back to New York.

I think I'll leave all of that for another time. It feels good to be back on the blog-wagon! Hopefully I'll continue to write...

Thank you all for waiting patiently for my latest installment.

Stay Tuned...

So I've been MIA for almost two months. So much to tell and share. So many new and exciting things.

I'm hoping to have some time on Sunday to sit down and recount the last couple of months. Our drive to Austin, the moving debacle, my new job, Sam's return to NYC and our newest family member.

Love to you all. Thank you for your patience.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled web surfing...

Updates...

Well, I walked into work this morning with a medium chip on my shoulder. I was met with some really awesome news that made all of the crap almost worth it. Our team was accepted to present at a national conference next March. Why is this exciting? Because the conference is in Austin!!!! They're still going to let me help write the presentation so that I'll finally get to be published and I'll get to see my team next March.

Back to the other good things today. They held a lovely luncheon in my honor where I received a card that was signed by everyone! Lots of my coworkers sat and had lunch with me instead of stopping by to grab some food. It was actually nice. I delivered my cards to everyone that had our new contact information with a handwritten note to all of my coworkers which was well-received. Even though they suck, at least I know that I'm definitely being the bigger person and thanking everyone for the opportunity and the impact that they had on my life and career.

I was able to finish cleaning out my desk and all of my worldly possessions from the last three years have been transported home in two very heavy boxes. I have a few more patients to see, several things to follow-up on, but it looks like I'll be done around 1:00 pm on Friday. I am so relieved that I'm leaving with a strong feeling of pride for the work that I have done.

They'll miss me when I'm gone. They'll realize how awesome I was once I'm gone and they'll feel bad for treating me poorly. And I'll be laughing while I'm happy at home in Austin. Good-bye MJHS! It's been real and it's been fun but it ain't been real fun!

Thanks to everyone for the support, especially Marie who created a note to send to my employers that expressed my displeasure.

Now I'm Glad We're Leaving

I am such a loser. Seriously! All of the good feelings towards my agency and co-workers were completely obliterated this evening. I thought I was respected. I thought I had friends. Now I know different. I had a going away party tonight. I sent a lovely e-mail to all of my co-workers inviting them to a happy hour tonight to celebrate my tenure at the agency and celebrate the move to Texas. Hell, I even thanked each of them for being my colleagues/mentors/friends!

I chose to have this party tonight because all of the hospice IDT's (inter-disciplinary team) are on Tuesdays. Every single person that I work with is at the office on Tuesdays. I chose to have the happy hour at a location that was near the office. I invited all 88 of my coworkers.

I didn't expect a big group of people to come but I assumed that I would at least have my close friends there. I however did not expect the reception that I received.

Two people! Two fucking coworkers showed up! Not two of my friends, not even two from my department, two random women that I'm not all that friendly with.

Are you fucking kidding me?!?!?!?

I feel worthless. I feel like that last three years have meant nothing. I feel like I gave them all I had and they gave me nothing. They didn't even care. This whole thing has not been a good experience.

I'm completely devastated and am thankful that there are only three more days left. How depressing. How sad. How un-fucking-believable. Did I mention that I'm shocked?

Now the real question is: how the hell do I act tomorrow when I go into the office? I want to point people out with a chorus of "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you" but I won't. I don't know what I'll do. Should I even go to work? Should I even attend the luncheon tomorrow in my honor that I'm sure that no one will show up for? Should I even be upset about this? Will it matter?

I know that I won't ever see these people again, but I can't help feeling absolutely devastated! I'm crushed! Hopefully tomorrow will be another day and things will be better, but this whole fucking thing just puts such a bad taste in my mouth.

I'm gonna watch some mindless television to take my mind off of this...

Saying Goodbye

I'm sure that you guys are getting tired of my woeful, sad, laments about leaving NYC, but this is hard...and emotional. I thought it would be easy but the reality of the situation is hitting me like a ton of bricks. It's also hitting me pretty hard that we're not done packing, our apartment looks like a tornado blew through, we don't have someone lined up to take our apartment and I still have one more week of work.

Sam and I were able to have yet another "stay-cation" at the landlord's apartment in Manhattan so that we could properly say goodbye to the city. We invited our closest friends for a NYC-Ya Later(!) going away party. Although the turnout was small, the love was huge! We felt incredibly special and were very emotional at the thought of leaving our friends behind. We reminisced about the last four years, told stories of when we met and shared our fondest memories. As much as I would love to go into all of the major details of our last four years, I thought that I would share our memories in pictures. I've decided that we should take some of our favorite pictures of NYC, convert them to black and white, enlarge them and hang them in our house to remind us of the life we led in NYC. For your enjoyment, these are our top thirteen. Just so we know that you're out there reading, please comment as to your favorite four pictures (by number!). Thank you my loyal readers. I promise that future blogs will chronicle our adventure from Brooklyn to Austin.

1. Chrysler Building


2. Imagine Mosaic (Central Park)


3. Statue of Liberty


4. Brooklyn Bridge


5. Chrysler Building


6. A Brooklyn Water Tower


7. World's Fair Globe (Arthur Ashe Stadium - Queens)


8. Picasso on NYU Campus


9. Empire State Building


10. Empire State Building


11. Flatiron Building


12. Empire State Building


13. Three Bridges (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg)



Now only pick four my friends! But pick some and let me know. This will assist my decorating and it's nice to know who's out there.

Emotions Running Rampant

I always pictured the day that I would quit this job. It would be liberating. I would give my letter and my supervisor would cry. It would be passed around the administrative team with gasps of shock and tears of sadness. They would beg me to stay and offer me thousands of dollars. They would tell me that they could not function without me and offer to fly me back and forth to Austin so that I could move home and keep my job.

And then I woke up.

What really happened?

I presented my supervisor with my well-written letter of resignation. She read it over and commented on how nicely written it was. She then walked me to Human Resources. The HR lady was lunching so the letter was put on her desk (after telling her that it was there). Next step was to tell the Director of Clinical Services. Her response: "Oh crap!" which was followed by, "that's probably not what you wanted to hear is it?" I followed this with, "well it's better than 'thank God'!" After the requisite questions of "where are you going? Why are you leaving? Who are you working for?" it was time for me to figure out which patients I was seeing over the next four weeks and how I was planning to terminate. Terminate. That's a strange word to use with dying patients. Usually in hospice jobs, termination is very easy. The patients do it for you - they die! Most of my patients aren't dying anytime soon, so I had to tell them that I was leaving and go over all of the positive work that we have done. Then I have to figure out how to answer the question, "Who will my new social worker be?". Unfortunately the answer to that is "um, I don't know". We tend to be short staffed on a normal day, but now I'm leaving my dear coworker alone in our program, to fend off approximately 160 patients.

I assumed that like my predecessors before me, an e-mail or voice mail would be sent out to all of the staff with the sad news of my departure. Unfortunately that e-mail didn't go out until this past Monday, a full two weeks after I resigned. Guess they were in denial about my leaving. At that point, most already knew that I was leaving and it didn't seem like it was a really big deal. I guess I was pretty vocal about wanting to eventually return home.

As of today, I have a breakfast scheduled in my honor next Tuesday morning and a lunch in my honor next Wednesday afternoon. It's nice to be recognized. As of today, they have not even begun interviewing anyone to take my place. My colleague and I begged for extra help for the last six months (at least) and even when one of us leaves, it still does not get them working towards getting some help. Oh well, it's not my problem anymore, right?

Now back to termination. It has been hard. First of all, it's really hard to tell people that I'm leaving - it really doesn't fit easily into conversations. I've had to lead in with "I have some news to share" before the session even gets started. I've been met with anger and frustration but mostly with sadness (which is nice to hear). I'm surprised that my patients were so attached to me. But what is most surprising is my reactions. I am so sad to leave my patients. Most of my patients I have been working with for a long time, a few of them two years, so it's hard to say goodbye. I feel like I'm letting them down by leaving. I feel like I've been traveling along this road with them through chemotherapy, radiation, depression, pain, sadness and strife and I'm leaving before the very end. But I also know that I have given them so much of me that they have new strength to get through their next chapter with. Does that make sense?

I'm devastated to leave a few of my colleagues (a few!) and worry about how they will be treated in the future. At least my supervisor is taking up some of the slack by taking over some of my patients. Several other social workers have been more than willing to help out as well. Where were they over the last six months when we needed them, but I can't worry about that now.

Aside from seeing all of my patients, I have spent so much time organizing all of my stuff in my desk. I have catalogued research articles that I've been given over the years, I've made binders that contain resources that I can take with me, I have copies of all of the forms and documents that I have created and many, many books. I'm almost done and I think that my desk will take at least two large boxes to store all of my stuff. It's crazy - this was my first "real" job after grad school. This has been my home for almost three years, but I know that it is time for me to move on and spread my wings. My friends from work have all already left - I was the last of them. I was the last social worker from the previous regime. Now they are free to hire someone who will be less outspoken and irritated!

The tears have been free-flowing, which has been shocking to me because for the most part - I don't cry. To paraphrase what my supervisor said to me yesterday, "you have a very hard exterior, we didn't think you could be so soft on the inside". That's me, all ooey gooey and squishy. I thought they knew! At least everyone is taking the opportunity to tell me how great I am. Maybe if they had done more of that over the last year, I wouldn't be so adamant that it's time to leave.

So, I have seven days of work left and five more patients to terminate with. I've left the hardest for the end...

Wish me luck!

You Can Take the Girl Outta Texas...

...but four years later she'll run like hell to get back there.

Two weeks ago Sam and I made a visit to Austin for one purpose - to interview for jobs. Sorry to our friends and family who thought we were coming to visit you. You were an added bonus. A couple weeks before we left for Austin, I sent out about 20 resumes. Two days later I got calls requesting interviews. I was able to set up several interviews for the week that we were home to keep my busy while Sam was working.

We touched down in Houston and were picked up by Papa Stew. A quick trip to What-A-Burger and we were reunited with our three bouncing puppies. Fourth of July was somewhat uneventful. Grilling burgers, watching the boys smoke cigars, watching fireworks on TV. Saturday was spent with Brenda and family, taking the kids swimming while I crocheted near the pool.

Eran and the little Yaeli-fish

Eran and Yoni

We headed to Austin on Sunday and had dinner with Shelly & Joe. Monday consisted of hanging with the parents in the afternoon and then our one night only happy hour at Trudy's. I couldn't wait to get my hands on some chips and queso and the fajitas weren't bad either. It was so nice to see all of our friends and share with them that I would be interviewing this week. Everyone was so hopeful that we would make it home soon.

I had interviews on Tuesday and Thursday. Both went well and I was even asked back for a second interview for one of them. I was somewhat disappointed that no one offered me a job on the spot (don't these people know who I am?!) but I guess that was just a bit unrealistic. So, needless to say I returned to Brooklyn without a new job.

Being home for a week really increased our yearning to return to Austin. Not to mention that our renters are moving out at the end of their lease (July 31st) and we don't want to leave our house vacant again. We were so excited to see parking lots (laugh if you must), driveways, grocery stores, malls, and all you can eat BBQ at the Salt Lick. Oh how we've missed out by living in NYC. Ha!

So, fast forward to last Thursday. We'd been back from Texas for five days and I still hadn't been offered a job. I received an e-mail from one of the places that I interviewed wanting to know what our plans were to come home. I reminded her that our coming home was contingent on getting a job (duh!). However, I heard from two of my friends that they received calls from one of the places I interviewed with for references. That has to be a good sign, right? Well, it definitely was. Last Thursday I got a call from the place that I wanted to work offering me a position.

After a call to Sam to see if I could take it, I contacted the manager and was able to negotiate a better salary and accepted the job. My start date is September 2nd (or possibly September 8th given that they only start orientation on Mondays). This last Monday I resigned from my position as an overworked palliative care social worker. After thirty-three months it was bittersweet to tell them I quit. I couldn't wait to do it but then I felt excessive guilt and sadness because I felt like I was letting them down.

My last day at my job is August 15th and then we hit the dusty trail on August 20th. We're hiring movers for the big stuff so that we can drive the Red Rocket along with the cats, Lucky and Blue to Texas. We've already mapped out our journey and are really excited. We leave Brooklyn on Wednesday and will head 10 hours to Hickory, North Carolina to stay with Jen & James. Then Thursday morning we'll head 9 hours to the west to Memphis to stay with Mike and Alice. Friday morning will be our last leg as we head to Houston, Texas, to either pick up Sam's truck or a u-haul truck with our stored items at Sam's parents house and then off to Austin. That still gives us another week before I start my job.

This is so exciting that I can't even contain myself. As if we didn't already know that it was time to leave NYC and head home, this morning the Red Rocket was broken into, resulting in a smashed passenger window that I didn't find until early this afternoon (I was working from home this morning). Luckily there was nothing in there for them to take, but it was a little violating to look out the window and see my missing window and people just walking by it like it was no big deal. Luckily Sam came home and went with me to have the window replaced (which was a really nice experience).

So the countdown is on - only 3 1/2 weeks before we head home and we can't wait! NYC has been fun, but it's time to go.

A few things that we want to do before we leave (you'd think we'd have done these things over four years but alas, we did not):
MoMa
Top of the Rock
Bronx Zoo
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Brooklyn Bridge Promenade
City Island
Yankee Game
Fireworks at Coney Island
Phantom of the Opera

Wish us luck on getting this stuff done. We can always come back to visit, right?