Fall is in the Air

I often take our dog Snoopy for walks through the neighborhood. She is thirteen now and we usually limit our jaunt to a one mile loop around our neighborhood. This path takes us past the elementary school that my boys attended so many years ago.

With a little chill in the air and leaves just starting to fall, we passed the school the other evening and I couldn’t help but think of the festival the school held every fall. The Fall Festival featured a spaghetti dinner and talent show. The dinner was a pretty standard version of every kid’s favorite pasta dish, complete with two big meatballs, salad and bread, all for two bucks a plate. And the talent show was a pretty standard version of elementary school-aged kids showing off their assorted musical or comic abilities, that is, until Leah Claiborne walked on stage and positioned herself behind the grand piano.

Once Leah’s fingers touched the keyboard, teachers, parents and kids would hush while Leah fed us her musical genius on a plate of Chopin or Beethoven or whatever classical masterpiece she had chosen to dish up. The word prodigy says it all. Leah was Corey’s age, so I considered it a delightful stoke of luck to continue to have opportunities to hear her play all the way through high school, especially once Corey started to focus on piano as part of his curriculum.

During the elementary school years, fall was also the season of anticipation. As the leaves changed color and the days grew shorter, thoughts would turn to the holidays. During this time of our lives, Calvin, Corey and I were on our own for Thanksgiving, which I will save for another chapter. Christmas was always spent with my parents; either we would travel to Florida or they would travel to Maryland. But the most excitement was generated by creation of “The List”. Serious thoughts about what would go on the list started in the fall. The list would be written, edited, and rewritten many times before finally being handed to the Mom as complete, but Oh wait! Just one more thing!

I never indulged my kids with many “things” during the year. But Christmas was a big deal. Of course, as they got older, the requests grew more sophisticated and so did the lists. I would receive, usually by email, a spreadsheet of ideas complete with links. It sure made Christmas shopping easier!

Now, as young adults who have spent time away from home and family, I think they realize that being with those you love carries more weight than anything you can put on a list, even though gifts are still fun to give and receive.

So with crisp evenings and mornings cool enough for gloves, fall is definitely in the air. I’m not sure if the elementary school has continued the tradition of the Fall Festival and spaghetti dinner. I have to believe that Leah Claiborne is still mesmerizing audiences somewhere. I haven’t heard anyone mention a list. But, even though it is only the beginning of fall, Calvin and Vicki have made their travel plans and will be home for Christmas.

I can hardly wait!

Was That Real?

There’s nothing better than a really good time. Whether it’s with your family, friends, or sweetheart, a truly great day lives well beyond 24 hours. My kids and I built our own special history of having fun. When they were little, we did simple things like the local zoo, hiking in Catoctin Mountain Park, dinner out (usually McDonald’s or Burger King) and the movies. As they got older, we still enjoyed the movies and going out to eat (Red Hot & Blue, Miyako, Outback Steakhouse), but the best times were vacations in Florida and theme park days. When your family lives in central Florida, especially during your kids’ formative years, a theme park rivaled Wonder® Bread, which claimed only to build a strong body. A theme park is nourishment for the body, mind and soul!

Lessons in patience, endurance and delayed gratification are delivered with fun, entertainment and ice cream. Kids are most accommodating when they are NOT hungry or thirsty, so one of my first theme park rules was to be an accommodating parent. After all, you’re taking them to Fantasy Land. The day is supposed to be about over-indulgence. The moment anyone said “I’m hungry” or “I’m thirsty”, it would be a quick stop to get lemonade or water or French fries or ice cream. Of course, we’d always take a break for lunch as well. Whether it was Disney or Universal, my kids learned early that going to a theme park means be prepared to stand in line. Fortunately, all of us really like rides and coasters, so the reward for patience was usually pretty colossal.

I think another good rule is to never take your kids to a theme park before they are old enough to walk on their own. An exception might be Sea World. I remember taking Calvin there when he was not quite two. Navigating with a stroller at Sea World was easy and Shamu and his sidekicks really captured the attention of my toddler.

Over the years, we visited most of the parks in central Florida, some more exciting than others. I think our collective favorites are the Universal parks, and I still remember with great clarity Calvin’s first trip to Universal Studios. He was five and we were visiting my brother Kenny and his wife Tammy during Easter vacation. The park was extremely crowded so there were long lines. We only rode two rides before lunch and two after—the wait times were so long. We rode King Kong just before lunch. Calvin was taking it all in during our exciting venture into New York City and subsequent ride on the el, when suddenly we were attacked by this giant ape! Fires raged, newscasters panicked, New York City crumbled around us. King Kong was on a rampage, but miraculously we survived! The ride was very well done.

Sitting at lunch, quietly munching on French fries, Calvin had a far off look in his eyes. You could almost see those wheels turning in his head. He looked at me and asked, “Was that real?” “What do you think?” I asked. My five-year-old son had enough reasoning power to know that gargantuan apes didn’t exist, but there was something there that eliminated the certainty. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think so”, he said. Before going to the park, I had explained to Calvin that we were going to a fun place all about movie making, so we talked about the mechanics of King Kong and the fact that he wasn’t real.

Several years later, when Corey was old enough for his first trip to Universal Studios, we rode Jaws. The attacking shark, hysterical boat captain, guns, fires and explosions were all too real for Corey. By the time we finished the ride there was very little we could do to convince Corey that the shark was a fake. He was screaming. We can only laugh about it today!

A recent family trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg was so much fun; it reminded me and Corey of our theme park days in Florida. It was a beautiful sunny day. Kenny and Tammy were there too. We rode plenty of wild and crazy rides and ate French fries and ice cream. There were no giant apes or hungry sharks but there was plenty of Wonder® Bread for the mind, body and soul.

Labor Day Blues

When you only get six paid holidays a year, you cherish them dearly—especially the three-day weekends. I always try to make the most out of a holiday weekend. When I was young, my family always got together for a cookout or pool party. When my kids were young, without family around, I’d try to keep a celebratory feel to the weekend with yummy breakfasts of bacon, pancakes, eggs or French toast—a picnic somewhere or cookout and some kind of special dessert. Once my family relocated to North Carolina and were within driving distance, suddenly every three-day weekend became an opportunity for us to go visit them. Of course, great food is still involved.

Enter Labor Day weekend 2010. Weather-wise, it was a beautiful weekend—80 degrees, sunshine, low humidity—perfect, except no plans. Corey had been home from college several weekends in a row just prior to Labor Day weekend, plus we would be seeing him in Richmond the next weekend, so we didn’t expect him home. Kimberly and Angela, both away at college, weren’t coming home either. Of course, Calvin and Vicki are in Seattle. And Cathy and Andrew were out of town. Since I had just spent a week with my Dad, we didn’t make plans to travel back to North Carolina either.

So what’s a mom to do, when none of her chickies are around? This weekend was the first time that I really missed Calvin—enough to feel pretty gloomy. I began to think that I should have gone to visit my family. But Henry came to the rescue with a suggestion. The weather was so gorgeous, why not plan a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain? Sugarloaf Mountain, one of Frederick County’s highest elevations, has many hiking trails and beautiful vistas, plus it’s close to our house. So Sunday was spent chasing away the blues on the trails of Sugarloaf. What a great cure!

This past Christmas, I gave Calvin some Seattle-themed gifts, including a book on hiking some of the great mountain trails in the surrounding area. He and Vicki have explored a couple places already. Next summer, when we go for a visit, we’re hoping to trek up Mt. Ranier, (which is a lot taller than Sugarloaf!). Seen from a distance, it is beautiful and impressive, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

In the meantime, Corey and I will be have to be content with a short trip to visit Calvin and Vicki over a long weekend in October, while he is on fall break. The weather in the fall and winter is not the greatest in Seattle so we’ll probably be doing indoor activities like—well, just visiting. Maybe I’ll even make French toast and bacon. Another great cure for the “I’m missing you” blues.