Part 1 is here.
As I said during Part 1, the bus was perhaps the best decision we made about our entire trip. It enabled us to see almost every landmark we wanted to see in record time, without any delays associated with hailing cabs or getting stuck in traffic. We saw Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, and Rockefeller Center all with minimal walking. I took pictures, but let’s face it – my photos of said landmarks have nothing on the stock photos. :) I’d rather stick with the photos of the things that caught the attention of my heart, not just my eyes.
Like this.
It was the signage on the front of the scaffolding at a random building being repaired. I love the black and white, I love the font, and I love the sentiment.
Or this.
I’ll be honest – it took my breath away. I’m not even sure what it was advertising. I just loved it.
Clearly I’m susceptible to emotional advertising. I am probably an advertiser’s dream! I’d buy anything if it spoke to my heart!
An especially strong heart-tug came when we took Gabe to Ground Zero. He’s only 5 so we hadn’t told him much about the World Trade Center attacks, but being more astute than we normally give him credit for, he figured out just enough on his own that we had to fill in the details. We explained bits of it to him in the week before we left for New York City, but when we went through St. Paul’s Chapel we could see that his observation of a more tangible reality required some debriefing and preparation on our parts. While we were in the Chapel, Tahd took him aside and talked about what we were going to see at Ground Zero and why it was there.
Gabe took it all in, particularly concerned about whether or not we were safe now.
We tried to assure him that we were safe now. A niggling voice reminded me that we can never be sure we’re safe, but I don’t think most five year olds are ready to comprehend the intricacies of terrorism and their consequences. Heck – most adults aren’t ready to comprehend the intricacies of terrorism and their consequences. It’s just too horrific.
I was surprised at how much hustle and bustle surrounded the World Trade Center sites. It wasn’t quiet or reverent. It was just busy. And huge. I can’t imagine how dramatic it must have been to see the towers standing one morning and gone the next.
On an entirely different note, another thing that spoke to my heart were cupcakes. Oh, the cupcakes! We went to Magnolia Bakery, which I’m told is famous and I later found was made famous on Sex and the City, but I had never heard of it before.
Somebody has been holding out on me, because these were the best cupcakes
In.
The.
World.
See?
This is Gabe, his facial expression suggesting strained tolerance at the fact that I am making him hold a cupcake while I fiddle with camera settings. Clearly I should have been allowing him to eat it!
This is what I look like when I realize I accidentally left 4 of my 6 cupcakes on the bus.
I also clearly noted in this picture that my nose is crooked. But I’m pretending I don’t see it because the chance of me doing anything to my nose involving the words “elective” and “scalpel” one more time are slim to none. So I have two options – pretend I have a straight nose or learn to love my crooked nose. Done and done.
I had wanted to come away with some sort of souvenir from my trip, but because we didn’t do much more than sightsee – and because I donated my cupcakes to the Grey Line bus company – I didn’t find anything to keep. Gabe, however, found a book. When we were in Washington DC we got him an “A To Z Washington DC” book. I found a similar one about New York City. He loves it, especially the page about the Empire State Building because you have to turn the book on its side since the building is so enormous.
I’m super glad we got to go to New York City, and as far as a family trip goes, half a day was plenty. We had no strong desires to go into the landmarks – just see them. Had we wanted to go up the Empire State Building or something like that, we would have needed longer. I wouldn’t mind going back to take Gabe through the Statue of Liberty. He’s quite enthralled with Lady Liberty, and he would have loved to get to the top. Really, though, I’d like to go back with a bunch of girls and a stack of twenties. A stack of hundreds would be better, but a stack of twenties is more realistic. ;) It seems like that would be the most fun way to experience the city! For now, though, I’m crossing this one off my bucket list. We had a really nice time!
We’ve come to this area of Pennsylvania several times in the past, but I didn’t realize until afterward that it’s really close to New York City! Visiting that city has made its way onto my bucket list, and knowing we were going to be three hours away and had a weekend with nothing to do added up to a big, fat opportunity that was too good to miss. We originally planned to go into the city Saturday morning, stay overnight and come back to Pennsylvania Sunday night, but after considering how many logistics we’d have to deal with (which luggage to take overnight, finding a place to park, taking the train, hauling said luggage through the train and city) we decided to make it a day trip. Which was good; perfect, really. While I enjoyed the city, once I was there I didn’t have a burning desire to stay forever. When toting a five-year-old anywhere other than Disney World, day trips seem to fit the bill!
We got up early and took off in our car to Trenton, New Jersey, to catch the train into the city.
Check out Gabe’s tired eyes! He did pretty well all day, mostly whining about not wanting to walk any further, but woah! Did we ever pay for the lack of sleep the next day! We’re trying to get back on track, which is a little tricky in hotel rooms. But we’ll get there!
Sometimes I feel a little sad when I look at these photos. When the three of us are off on adventures, it’s often Tahd and Gabe doing their thing while I tag along. They don’t purposefully leave me out; usually Tahd is trying to give me a little break and Gabe is thrilled to be getting some daddy time. But it makes the whole “one child” thing ever so poignant.
We had NO clue what we were doing when it came to catching the train, so I asked some other passengers, who kindly explained what we should be doing. We had hoped to catch an earlier train, but due to a later start and a few uncertain turns, we arrived a little bit late, which was nice because it gave us a few minutes to sit and breathe!
I think this might be my most favorite picture from the whole day. We were waiting for the train and I just happened to catch a natural smile on Gabe’s face. I don’t catch those very often!
My outlook on the world became very clear to me on the train. As we boarded, I noticed there were a few seats near the exits that had individual seats. While most rows had seats of 2 or 4 spots so travelers could sit together, there were just a few solo seats. Where did Gabe go immediately? To the solo seats, the spot for the introverts. I chuckled because I’ve long wondered whether I’m an introvert or extrovert, feeling I land pretty close to center. That moment, however, indicated otherwise to me. The solo seats? Look lonely and sad to me. I would never choose to sit there if I had the option to hang out with someone I knew! Gabe? Relished the “solo-ness” of it all! He played on my itouch for a good portion of the trip.
After about an hour and a half, we arrived! Penn Station! New York City! I tried to take a picture of the sign as we disembarked the train, but the rush of people moved too quickly and this was all I could catch as the crowd carried me toward the escalators.
We found our bearings, found the exit, and walked out into the daylight to see… this!
New!
York!
City!
I looked around, expecting it to sparkle or something. But it didn’t. Not one bit. In fact, I thought it was pretty dirty and smelly. And then we saw what I assume was a prostitute walking down the road, oblivious to the fact that her
ENTIRE
ONE PIECE
JUMPSUIT
was completely see-through and I could observe the way her lower cheeks shook beside her g-string while she walked.
And I giggled. And decided to go along for the ride and enjoy the day. Because even stinky and dirty? NYC is still NYC. And skyscrapers are really cool any way you slice it.
We made what I consider to be the best decision of our lives, or at least the best decision of the day. We decided to get bus tickets to one of those double decker buses – the ones where you hop on and off at your leisure. The tickets cost a small fortune, but I really believe the bus enabled us to see far more of the city than we could have otherwise seen. And they were a lifesaver as far as Gabe was concerned. That child walked 30,000 steps in 14 hours while we were at Disney World, but within 15 minutes of arriving in New York he expressed positive devastation over the amount of walking we were forcing him to do.
Ironically, we ran into Mickey while we were in New York.
But I’ll be honest – this was gross Mickey. He didn’t look right, begged for tips, and screamed of “I’m-a-pedophile-under-here-trying-to-make-a-buck-and-get-a-cheap-thrill” at the street fair.
And don’t you love Gabe’s gangsta hat?
But I digress. Back to the bus.
Guess where Gabe sat again? Yup, alone.
Until some random guy got on the bus and sat in the tour guide’s seat and she – the same tour guide who talked ad nauseum about all the cheap goods and cheap labor in NYC and who also told us where “the gays like to go so they can find more of their kind” – berated him publicly over the loudspeaker and he moved and sat beside Gabe and then Gabe came to sit on our laps. I pretended it was because he missed us and just wanted to be together, but I know it was really because although sitting alone is most preferable, sitting with someone you know is more preferable than sitting with someone you don’t know.
He and Tahd spent a lot of time on the bus like this.
I spent a lot of time taking crazy photos. Like this
and this
and this.
Part 2 later so I don’t implode my computer (and probably everyone else’s) by trying to link to too many photos at one time!
What I Like About “Living” In A Hotel
- It means we mostly go out to eat. I haven’t been on top of the whole cooking gig lately, so I enjoy the chance to be “forced” to let others cook for me. And I also like it because I sit across from Gabe, giving me one of the few opportunities I get to stare at him in the face and take his picture.
We went back to the same smorgasbord again. Gotta love the giant bear.
- It usually means I work out. It’s a little boring in hotels, so I use what’s available to keep the boredom at bay. Hence, I work out, much more than I would if I were at home.
Our hotel’s fitness center doesn’t have any mirrors in it, which is mostly a blessing but is a little bit of a curse if you’re at all concerned about proper form while exercising.
- Exploring! It’s fun to explore different places, especially if they’re fun or cute or quaint or lively.
Ephrata (where we’re staying) is cute and quaint, so I was excited to spend an afternoon exploring the streets around our hotel. Unfortunately for us, it is not lively. The cute, quaint storefronts were comprised mostly of second-hand shops and investment firms. An odd combination, for sure.On a prior trip, we visited this country store, which was going out of business at the time. We drive by it every day on our way to Tahd’s work, and I was thrilled to see they kept the sign, even though the building itself has become an Edward Jones investment firm. What is it with these investment firms?
I fell in love with this sign, found outside a local church. It really resonated with me, and it’s just what I want to do. If only they added the word “eat.” That would make it perfect!
One of the stores had an automatic bubble machine outside, which made for lots of fun. Gabe chased and popped the bubbles like he was a two-year-old just discovering bubbles for the first time. - Coincidences. While we’ve been here, it just so happened that my cousin – who lives in eastern Canada – was visiting a friend in the area. We haven’t seen each other in several years due to our distance, but because we were in the same place at the same time we took advantage of the chance to catch up and go out to dinner together. I think Gabe found a new best friend!
- Making do. When you travel, you have to edit which possessions you bring. As such, you have to make do. I don’t love this part for myself so much, but I do love watching Gabe make do when it comes to toys and games. He is so creative! We’ve been treated to a parade of artwork, make-believe, and impromptu games, all things that keep him occupied and entertained for far longer than most of his toys at home!
The little pictures, they creep up and surprise me here and there.
For the last several years, I’ve pictured myself dropping Gabe off at kindergarten and returning home to my childless abode. When I got pregnant and my due date was in November, I adjusted the picture. I’d be dropping Gabe off at kindergarten heavy and pregnant, returning home to my not-for-long childless abode to prepare for the arrival of the new baby. When we lost Mara, I had to face this picture right away. Our school deposit was due that same week as my surgery but I was in no shape to deal with it and had to call them and ask for an extension, which they graciously granted. I edited that picture, returning it back to the original image which involved me dropping off Gabe and returning home to my childless abode.
I dreamed of being hugely pregnant at Gabe’s 6th birthday party, a party which we would have had to have early in November so as to avoid conflicting with any potential baby arrivals. I pictured our photographs and a last celebration with only the three of us. It will be just the three of us, but there will be no baby who will be imminently arriving.
I dreamed pictures of bringing a newborn babe to Thanksgiving dinner, just as I did six years ago. And I dreamed of having a tiny, still-squishy newborn on Christmas morning, the best present I could ever have asked for. When I miscarried, one of my first thoughts was of the holidays, and how different they were going to be from what I had envisioned. They’ll be wonderful, but a piece will be missing.
I thought I had rooted up all the pictures and replaced them with different ones. But I’m finding my hopes and desires die slowly because they pervaded the crevices of my mind, infusing it with the promise of dreams come true.
I had forgotten one particular picture, as I’m sure I’ve forgotten many others. This one, about Pennsylvania, caught me unguarded. I was rehearsing our options for things to do during the day while Tahd works and we roam the countryside. One thing I remembered was a delightful set of outlet stores nearby. I’ve visited these stores before and have come home with scads of bargains to spruce up my home. I immediately got excited and started thinking of which day during the next two weeks we’d schedule our visit, remembering how I’d been looking forward to this Pennsylvania trip for months because it would afford me the opportunity to go to the Pottery Barn Kids outlet and look for cute, inexpensive nursery decor. And then I remembered. No nursery supplies needed. The baby is gone.
I need a new picture.
As I navigated my way through the maze, I felt a small but insistent voice. Over and over again, it said one thing. “Heidi! Decorate the nursery.”
Decorate the nursery, I thought? But I don’t want to be the crazy infertile woman, the one who subscribes to pregnancy magazines and collects life-sized baby dolls and has a nursery in her home and rocks her “babies” in the chair. I don’t think I live in Fantasyland as far as our infertility is concerned, and I don’t want to take up residence there! But I couldn’t avoid the sense. ”Decorate the nursery.”
It was about 1:00 AM so I bedded the thought by telling myself that if I sense it again, I’ll know it’s something I’m supposed to do and will do it, no matter how crazy it makes me look. For now, though, it’s just something I’ve observed – a sense that I should decorate my nursery. Maybe the thought came from my own heart, a heart desperate to prepare a nursery for a baby I still hope to have. Maybe I’m going crazy (although I don’t think so). Maybe I need a nursery to fulfill the next stage of my grieving process – maybe I need to feel like I’m giving Mara a home. Maybe there is a divine act of obedience in which I am supposed to engage. Maybe there will be a baby to fill the empty crib at exactly the right time. I just don’t know, so I’m waiting to figure it out.
But I keep wondering. Which picture is going to surprise me next?
I’ve been reading this fun blog by Lindsay of The Pleated Poppy! She makes all sorts of gorgeous sewn crafts, several of which are already on my Christmas list! In an effort to hold herself more accountable, she decided to start posting weekly pictures of what she wore each day. Since I’m going through a bit of a similar funk, I’ve been thinking it looked like fun! However, I have mirror issues at my house, a necessity if I’m going to link up to her post party. Lucky for me, my hotel has a lovely full-length mirror and I can get full-length shots quite easily. Who knows if I’ll keep it up when I get home, but here is what I wore this (half) week (since I’ve only been at this hotel a few days)…
We mostly hung out at the hotel. We did end up going out to dinner, so my getting dressed was not all in vain.
floral t-shirt – loft
skirt – gap
flip flops – gap
necklace – lisa leonard
I didn’t get dressed until pretty late in the day. We went out to dinner with my cousin, who just happens to be in the same town at the same time we are, despite the fact that we both live thousands of miles from here.
black tank (it has a really pretty ruffly section at the top you can’t really see) – kohls
skirt – one of my sisters
ballet flats – super cheapies from walmart
necklace – lisa leonard
earrings – silpada
Went to a children’s museum today. There were some Mennonite people as well as some people who appeared to be of some sort of Orthodox faith. I felt like a hooker next to them, despite the fact that this dress covers much of my body. It’s really thin and flowy and I love it, but it definitely feels “barely there” next to people who are covered from head to toe!
dress – borrowed from my sister, but it’s from loft
shoes – same gap flip flops that are desperately wearing out
necklace – lisa leonard
1. Lancaster County, PA
2. Naples, FL
3. Cape Cod, MA
4. Paris, France
Strike that! Maybe my list should look like this…
1. Paris, France
2. Naples, FL
3. Lancaster County, PA
4. Cape Cod, MA
Nope… I just can’t decide. We’re deep in the heart of Amish country in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania right now, and it has me stopping to think of all my favorite places in the world. Truly, I can’t decide. The four I listed above are all in heavy contention for first place. It’s certainly a varied bunch and normally I think of myself as a beach girl, but being here makes me feel like a country girl, which I find an impressive accomplishment for any locale!
How could you not love this?
Or this?
Even the advertising on their vehicles looks quaint and delectable!
We are living in a hotel for the next (what seems like) hundred days, but it’s all worth it. Because I came home to this spectacular view tonight outside our hotel room’s window…
The picture doesn’t even begin to do it justice! But the view we have – unreal! And the sunset we saw – unimaginable! It made me wish for a fireplace, hot chocolate, and a big easy chair positioned just so. Gorgeous!
We went to dinner tonight at a smorgasbord, The Shady Maple.
Smorgasbords are not typically my idea of good eating. They feel sloppy and germy and grimy and any other nasty, sticky word you can imagine. This one? Not so much. And the food? Stretches on for miles! We love the Shady Maple!
We were greeted with what I assume was an Amish salesperson selling the abundance of her garden (which is probably more like a well-honed business but I prefer to think of it as simple and quaint)…
And when we walked inside, Gabe was promptly greeted by a bear. Who insisted that Gabe take a short nap. So Gabe obliged. Can I bring that bear home with me?
I can’t overstate how enormous this buffet is. It truly has something for everyone. And since we’re going to be here for a hundred days, we’re planning to go again. And again. And again!
Gabe will probably eat the same thing every time, though. Tomatoes, croutons, watermelon, french fries, crackers, and bread. I was pulling for the carrots or the broccoli, but I got outvoted.
If you think the buffet at The Shady Maple is impressive, you should visit their shop. I’m pretty sure they sell one of everything IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. It is gargantuan. And fun. Tahd is looking for a straw hat. We made Gabe model.
While we were there, a colossal thunderstorm rolled through. Apparently there were tornado warnings, and the lights flickered repeatedly. The second story windows were rendered useless because the deluge of rain was so intense you could only see the water. By the time we left, however, the storm clouds had parted, and they left behind some of the most beautiful light – the light that produced the sunset I mentioned earlier. But it also produced this, which I found equally pretty and far more intense in person…
When we got back to the hotel, we had a little fun. We’re getting to be experts at how to have fun in hotels.
We do a lot of this…
and this…
and Gabe just figured out that you can have a lot of fun in a twirly chair.
I have to say, though, that it doesn’t hurt that Lancaster County keeps us giggling, too.
Oh, how it makes us giggle!
Guess where we went for dinner last night? Here’s a hint…
Yup. Cracker Barrel.
Again. (But a different one in a different state.)
And because we’re creatures of habit, we played checkers.
Again.
And sat in rocking chairs.
And played mind bender puzzles.
Today, we went on and did something new.
We went to Tahd’s homeland.
It’s an “Amish Country Store” in Ohio.
No, Tahd wasn’t born in Ohio.
And no, Tahd’s not Amish.
But look at how beatific he is when he gets to take in the sights, sounds, and commercialism of simplicity?
Note: I said “beatific” because I think it’s a funny word. But then I looked up what it meant and found that he really does look beatific in Lehman’s.
Gabe learned about grinding flour.
And he played with “old-fashioned” toys.
And I tried not to lose my mind while he scolded me for not letting him do/touch/play with anything! Oh yes, what a bad mother am I, as is evidenced by the above picture.
Actually, maybe it’s better evidenced by the below picture…
No, not really in jail. 
The store’s restaurant had little “jail cells” in which you could eat your ice cream. Yummy! I love the snarl on Gabe’s face!
We capped off the day with a lovely visit with lovely friends at a fun restaurant in Pittsburgh. I’d like to say I’m not posting pictures because she blogs anonymously and I don’t want to inadvertently “out” her in any way, but the truth is I left my camera in the car and there was a torrential downpour so I didn’t even have the option! But thanks for the wonderful dinner, Renovation Girl and fam! We had a lovely time!
Two more “musings” to tack on to yesterday’s post.
This sign perplexes me. Well, everything but he “free wi-fi” portion of the sign. I love me some free wi-fi! Herein lies my issues. McDonalds really sells 20-piece chicken nugget meals? And they really have to specify how many sauces come with each meal? And they really, really have to charge $0.10 for each additional sauce packet? (It’s not quite visible in the picture, but that’s what the sign actually says.) Really??!!?!
And finally, someone refresh my memory. It is August, right? Christmas is more than 4 months away? And Cracker Barrel has an entire corner of their store fully decorated for Christmas why? I love Christmas as much of as the next guy – probably more. I’m all for celebrating early and often. But August? That’s a little much.
We’re on a little trip – our first “official” road trip, and although I feel like I’m having a pretty good time, I can’t help but wonder these things…
How is it that a five hour trip turned into 10.5 hours?
How is it that our trunk is mostly empty and our passenger compartment is chock full but our 5-year-old insists he has nothing to do?
How is it that my 5-year-old is the one with pen and paper but I’m the one who’s supposed to come up with something to draw?
How is it that I painstakingly printed four specific sets of directions this morning – all at the same time – and only have three now?
How is it that for a lengthy-ish trip (i.e. a trip that is two or three times longer than my average trips) I seem to have brought less stuff than I normally take for a weekend?
How is it that my pint-sized child has a bed all to himself and my fully grown husband and I are sharing a double bed?
How is it that it is almost 2:00 in the morning and I am writing a blog post even though we have more driving to do in just a few short hours? ;)
We’ve been off on little adventures this week, here and there, up and down, sitting and standing, laughing and crying. These are my favorite weeks – the ones filled with regular life punctuated by moments of hoopla and diversion at varying but comfortable intervals so that neither intensity nor simplicity overwhelm.
We started with a trip to Gabe’s school for registration, an event which we all protested much but the only person who did so outwardly was Gabe. His school does school photos on the day of registration, which is genius if you ask me, but apparently Tahd and I gave ourselves away because the photograph asked, “So, is this your first child?” and giggled as though we wouldn’t be doing what we were doing if we had done this before. She was right, of course. We hadn’t done this before, but I didn’t realize we were being cute. Or quaint. We were just standing off to the corner watching Gabe get his picture taking and choking back little fits of laughter when he put on his programmed smile. Apparently non-virginal parents don’t do this? I don’t know. But we did, and we had fun.
Here’s his school, and about that I have to say I find it completely enormous. Granted, it’s a K-8 school and there are only supposed to be 15 kids in his class, but
Oh.
My.
Gosh.
It’s a huge building!
I wanted to look around but it wasn’t permitted, so we left pretty quickly, snapping these pictures as we drove away. Note which one of us is putting on a happy face.
We also attended our state fair this week. Growing up, I thought fairs were about rides and food. Because that’s what’s there, right? I’ve been schooled, however, since marrying Tahd. Growing up, Tahd went to the fair for the animals. I was blithely unaware that animals even went to the fair. I still don’t quite understand it, the conglomeration of fried everything, award-winning animals, and death-defying contraptions, but I guess there’s something for everyone?
In addition to seeing the animals (of which I photographed none…) we went on the ferris wheel…
which was actually the first thing we did, and by the time Gabe, my sister Kayla, and I got off said attraction, my brother-in-law, Luke, had won this monstrosity, which delighted Gabe to no end.
Here’s a great view of how the glorious prize spent much of its time at the fair. Yes, we have a 5-year-old. And yes, we brought our stroller. And yes, we think it was a great idea. Excepting for the fact that the 5-year-old is about 50 pounds, the stroller is a helpful necessity at all junctures of the fair experience.
A little sweetness…
We enjoyed some milk, a feature of the fair which completely eludes my level of understanding. Why milk? Why? Who thinks, “What we really need at the fair is a booth so people can sample milk! And, yes! Let’s get a senator to sponsor it!” It’s a pretty booth, though.
Gabe learned about farms and milking cows…
and I learned he looks killer in Auntie’s sunglasses…
Luke taught Gabe how to score free crap from random fair booths…
And quite shockingly, I loved these pictures of the few of us. Who would have thunk? Family pictures at the fair!
We ate all sorts of ridiculousness, including the classic “Elphelant Ear,” as Gabe calls it, as well as baked potatoes, mystery meat, fried pb&j, fried smores, nachos, a cheeseburger on a Krispy Kreme donut, and lemonade. Delish!
But my most favorite thing about the fair happened at the very end. Gabe wanted to play one of the rigged fair games himself, so we let him play a water-shooting game with Tahd. Here they go. I love how you can see Tahd checking how far Gabe has gotten so he can let Gabe win. You can tell Gabe is workin’ it!
He can nearly taste the victory…
And it’s his!
That’s it. That’s all he did. Stood around like that with his arm up in the air. Could he be anymore understated? He was completely thrilled on the inside, but externally he just stood there with his arm up in the air and his index finger taunting his father, screaming as though it had a voice, “Hey sucker! I’m number one!!!!!!“
Because there were only two players he didn’t get to pick one of the giant toys (thank the good Lord!) so he picked a small red dinosaur and it hasn’t left his side since that moment. Amazing. I spend $50 at Build-A-Bear letting him customize his very own creation and he pays more attention to the mass-produced, crunchy, non-snuggly dinosaur he wins on his own.
I think I’m the sucker.
And then there was the acupuncture, another fun adventure. I’d say it’s shaping up to be a pretty okay week!
O, with what freshness,
what solemnity and beauty,
is each new day born;
as if to say to insensate man,
‘Behold!
thou hast one more chance!
Strive for immortal glory!’
Harriet Beecher Stowe
“I am a world-class weenie when it comes to letting people stick needles into me. My subconscious mind firmly believes that if God had wanted us to have direct access to our bloodstreams, He would have equipped our skin with small, clearly marked doors.”
~ Dave Barry
My name is Heidi.
I am an acupuncture-addict.
I believe in it so much I foist it with vigor upon my loved ones.
So far, they have thanked me.
Including my 5-years-old.
Who had acupuncture today for the first time!
And let the acupuncturist use her needles!
And there was no screaming!
And my child came home happy and calm!
And I hope it helps him feel more at ease about going to school.
But I didn’t tell him that because he never would have tried acupuncture if I had uttered it in the same sentence as I uttered the word “school.”
He was so brave!
I was so impressed!
