Walking History

Walking in the footsteps of those who made history is pretty awe inspiring. I have been to many historical sites growing up, with Philadelphia being so close and a family trips to Williamsburg and Boston. But for some reason, during yesterdays trip to Mt. Vernon I really could feel that Washington had been there.

Walking up to the bowling green, the same view Washington had when he would ride up on his horse. To quote my cousin-in-law Adam "how did they mow that lawn?" Then later when we saw the lamb having a lunch of grass in his pen his dad Matt piped up "Hey, Adam, there is your lawn mower!"

One amazing view - I wouldn't mind waking up to that view each day!

This fence is in the original place and some of those beams are in the original condition, how amazing is that?

Adam, Mira, Molly, and me relaxing in the shade by the house, right behind us were, yes you guessed it - cherry trees, no I didn't manage to take a picture of it....

Then to add to our day of walking in history's footsteps we experienced some more. On the drive back we drove over the bridge that goes into Arlington National Cemetary. We saw the masses of people waiting to pay last respects to Sen. Kennedy but as we came over the bridge and we driving under the Kennedy Center we saw this plane, it was THE plane which was carrying the Senator to DC for his burial. It was also fitting that the only storm cloud in the sky at that moment was this gray cloud, taking away from the sun's happiness, one could say.

That was my day walking in the footsteps of those who have made history - I am off to make my own legacy!

A Whole New Senior Citizen

I realized, when trying to come up with a quirky title for this post, that I am indeed a "senior citizen." What's that? I don't look a day over 21.5? Oh, stop you're too kind! But, let's face it - I am a citizen and a college senior. So there you go folks, a 21 year old senior citizen!

The ball is rolling here in DC. I've been back a week, seriously, don't blink it flies by, and I am beginning to settle in. The apartment has come together, mom was my first guest, and now I am back in class and work mode, oy.

So, I have decided to call my dwelling for the next 9 months the Flat. It is the Flat since at around 300 sf. it is not large enough to be called an apartment. It is too big to be called my room, besides that would bring back dorm nightmares memories. So, what better that the Flat for my humble abode.

So without further ado, my flat:

Welcome, please come in....enjoy the view from the front door, through to the clothes, food, and fridge closet, and bathroom.

If you turn to your right you will see my kitchenette. My adorable, tiny, oven doesn't even open all the way!

Please, come in and stay awhile. Come into the living area. This side is the office and den.

Here is the sleeping and central area. There is my other closet by the window. I have a nice view of a tree and the courtyard of the building.

And lastly the dining area to the right and the food prep area to the left - this area is right off the entry area.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, that will be 5 cents please...

Make Way for a Vacation!

We took a vacation, a non-going-to-a-conference vacation.... This vacation had two purposes one being a much needed change of scenery and the other was to look at grad schools.

Stop number one was Wheelock College. I have decided that I want to go to here for my masters in Special Ed. Okay, decided is the polite and proper way to describe my wishes to go here. My true feelings may be described in ways that, the admissions department, if they were to come across this post, may think I was an uncouth individual. So we shall stick with desire!

So....

If anything goes I will end up walking along the Massachusetts Ave in (you guessed it) Massachusetts, a whole 440 miles north of the Massachusetts Ave I live on now during my undergrad career.

So for this application process it is more like follow the Freedom Trail, rather than follow the yellow brick road. Nice to know my application can be delivered via email rather than horse riding mail carrier....
Pardon the metaphors, but I am hoping for a home run in Boston being the town for me! I will not take the Sox's losing ways, as of late, as a sign, nope not me! It was a winning tour of Fenway...Wheelock is on the Fenway... so there you go Sox fans!

I can take time to sit and reflect about where in Harvard Yard I parked my imaginary car and work my way to a masters degree in Special ed.

And if the ducks in Boston Commons wish to moon me, so be it, nothing can bring me down from the excitement I feel after a long weekend in the city I wish to one day call home.

So make way Ducklings, because hopefully Tamar is coming to town!

By Jove I think he's got it!

My summer job the past two summers has been working for a wonderful special education preschool here in Westchester called the Alcott School. They are a school that provides children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Speech Delays, OT/PT issues, and other LDs with services incorporated into the 2.5 hour day. I have learned tons in the past two summers and met some adorable kids.

This summer this is a great little guy in our class. He has some oral issues that make his speech very delays to pretty much syllable sounds, mainly vowels and a few consonants. He tries very hard but is obviously wanting to tell us so much more. The speech therapist tried the photo system of communication and he refused to take it. They tried a speech board and he was uninterested. He is too on the go to carry those around!

He began to sign "car" a few weeks ago and the director (mind you this is a school with an oral approach!) thought that it may be time to send home a book of 50 signs and get the parents on board since his speech isn't getting to a verbal level. So I have taken this as a lets get him signing approval!

I have been doing simple 3 year old needed signs with him. Car, finished, eat, more, bathroom, water, drink, apple, play, funny, cookie, home, mom, sit, and a few more.

Today was a big day for him! After circle we instructed him to go to the cars/trucks/blocks center. Other kids often go "I want this" or "I want to go there" but this little fella goes along with anything. He often signs "car" to let us know, but not always. NOT TODAY!! After getting his instruction he walked over to the books instead, did his sign for no (he can say that word too) and SIGNED BOOK!!!!! Well he must have thought we were a bunch of idiots clapping and cheering for him and of course for that he got to go to books!!!

I began to sign pretty much every word for him and he would do some back. I then also laid out a bunch of toy food, then signed "apple" without vocals and he gave me the apple! He did it for cookie, milk, and bread. He is so darn smart and we are finally giving him a way to talk until his speech progresses!

Katie (the speech therapist) and I made a basic signs he has been learning sheet and sent it home hoping the parents do it too!

We are all so proud of this little fella and hope he blossoms more now!

"I thought I'd never laugh again. Then I saw your jacket"

After September 11th the New Yorker stopped including all those wonderful comics. There was much debate over wether or not they should begin to re-include them. Eventually the New Yorker realized that by not beginning to laugh again it would be letting the terrorists win. So on October 1, 2001 this comic was featured in the New Yorker. 

Well, the past two weeks have been, sucky, to be honest. Mom and I are having a hard time coming to terms with what has come to be in our lives. We miss Zayda more than we imagined. We are sad and have been living in a fog. We decided to kick our rear ends into gear and get out and have fun, because that is what Zayda would have wanted of us to do.

So what did we do to kick our lives back into gear and have fun? First we hung up some art work! It is amazing, it makes it feel even more like our home and it is great to not have so many white walls! We are still working hard on settling in and finishing those last annoying organization steps.

Then today we went on 3 adventures! First we went to Kykuit Mansion. It was owned by the Rockafeller family. The grounds are amazing, complete with views of the Hudson, views of the counties gorgeous hills, a golf course, and sweeping landscapes. The house is an amazing mansion with an amazing art collection. Modern art, sculptures, paintings, it is amazing. There is a full gallery in the basement under the gardens, to bad no photography was allowed inside!

Then the rain changed our plans to go to the Indian Cultural Festival so we went in search of the new gluten free bakery in Briarcliff Manor. We made it in the POURING rain with 5 minutes to closing. I treated myself to an open face s'more, which I devoured. I also bought a blueberry muffin, a lemon-poppy seed muffin, and a mini banana bread loaf. What nice treats that I can eat and are fresh!

Then we went to see Harry Potter, I loved it! I think it is the best one yet! We needed a nice sob and even though we knew Dumbledore died - it was emotional none the less. I also loved a line that Professor Slughorn delivers to a young Tom Riddle. It is also fitting after the last few weeks of our life.

"There can be no light without darkness. I choose the light" 


There can be no happiness without knowing sadness. I guess it is best to realize that happy events may be bittersweet for some time, yet the truly happy events will really be just that since we have the feeling of sadness so close behind us.

To many happy occasions!