Immersed in Memories

Love waking up in NYC and love waking up on my own once in a while. 

Most of the time I love waking up next to my husband and knowing my children are in the house.

But sometimes, I just love being all by myself!

Snuggled in bed this morning (with all my warm clothes on because this bed does NOT have a down comforter and the room is chilly since I turned the heat off last night) with some of my favorite things -- my journal, "Falling Upward" book, a new novel (from Michael) and my laptop.

I thought I would spend the morning getting my submission finalized for my writing group,

but instead I went outside and walked all around the upper west side. 

Walking through Riverside Park gives me all the feels.

Morning jogs and playdates at the park.

The time I thought squirrels had grabbed our lunch bag and turned around to find a rat instead.

Ha! Can laugh and feel nostalgic about it now.

Hundreds of Christmas trees were piled high -- an approved collection spot so the city can turn them to mulch -- so the air was thick with pine scent. 

Rainy and gray day today but I remembered other days where the rose garden was in bloom.

This is the first trip I haven't gravitated to Central Park.

It's nice to have two beautiful options which procure different feelings and memories.

Each night when I walk the eight blocks from Courtney & Michael's to my hotel, I call Dan on the way and he answers, "Are you pulling a Courtney?"

Because Courtney often also calls when she's walking home -- from school or other activities.

By the way, their new building is attached to the church where Courtney took gymnastics when she was two. It seemed like a very long uphill walk back in those days. Nearly the same eight blocks as I've been making this week. But I'm not sure where that hill was. I guess pushing two children in the double stroller always seemed like an uphill climb! But such happy memories meeting our friends at gymnastics with our hippie instructor and where the babies were welcomed to crawl around. And two-year-olds could get energy out on winter days in the city. 

Even though I often talk about Dan's long hours, joke about pushing a double stroller,

when I remember how New York felt--when I close my eyes and feel those years again--

there are nothing but warm, happy, peaceful feelings. 

The sunlight in the living room windows and the warm, welcoming feel of our living room. The friendly couple in our building with a cockroach contact. Tiffany living just upstairs. Friends with husbands also working the same hours so it didn't feel different. Preschool playgroups we created -- playing in the church, in the parks, at the Natural History Museum and Children's Museum. Marty was the most reliable napper and me and Courtney happy working on crafts while he slept. The big back bedroom with plenty of space for the to play indoors.

Thank you Upper West Side. You've always been good to us.