And so we ventured into the big city.

I think it is fun that the kids and I can feel just as comfortable, giddy even, in the smoggy, cluttered city as we do catching crawdads in a stream or tapping our toes at Blues on the Mall on a humid summer night. There is something simply magical about NYC. The crowded sidewalks... filled with people who will never acknowledge each other. Yellow taxis blaring horns, grime lining the sidewalks, petite women walking giant dobermans and burley men walking pretty little cocker spaniels. We love the energy, the neon lights, the tacky tshirts and the smell of sweat and perfume and stale urine and salty boiled hot dogs. And so we ventured into the big city. Not sure of our destination... only certain that we were going to breathe in the aura and come away with bright eyes and tired feet. And somehow, we managed to leave all the cute baby water turtles in China town. This is a first for us. Celebrate with me for a moment.

Well, it is not entirely true that we had no destination. Thanks to Holley we knew we had to find Peanut Butter & Company... and get our gooey PB and just about anything sandwiches. The kids looked past the peanutbutter bacon lettuce& tomato on whole wheat and instead drooled all over the idea of white bread smothered with crunchy pb and marshmallow fluff. Yeah, wouldn't you have too?

We are home now. Filled with many good memories. Many tears to leave family so far away. Many dreams for how our summer will look now. This will be the first one in three years that we are actually home to enjoy it. 5 straight weeks worth of home. Big velvety sigh. Now THAT feels even better than pb and whatever you can dream of.