NYC

Strawberry Fields in Central Park:

Meg, Suz, Katy-- with shopping bags in tow!

Over Mother's Day weekend, I traveled to New York City with my friends Katy and Megan for a little “Girls Getaway”. I have taken other “Mom Vacations”, but this was my FIRST dedicated “girlfriend trip.” It will not be my last! I know Katy from Canton--she is quite possibly the best cook I know and has many other wonderful, enviable talents. Meg and I go way back to our Orem High days--I love her humor and our history runs deep!

Ellis Island

New York City is a great place---so many different people and cultures, buildings, traffic, lights, energy, shopping and history. We visited the site of the World Trade Center and saw pictures and heard stories from those who survived that horrific day. Workers still continue to clean up the rubble from the explosions. We toured the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I felt a little emotional as I thought about my own grandfather, Harry Gavos, who at 17, sailed from Greece and came through Ellis Island to begin a new life in America. After reading the immigrant stories and seeing their pictures, I wondered if I could have had the courage to do that. I am grateful that my grandfather did.

The first torch for the Statue of Liberty--originally lit by candles!

Having one of our tourist moments...

We were lucky enough to see two fabulous Broadway Shows—“The Lion King” and “Guys and Dolls”. Broadway lives up to its reviews and far surpassed my expectations! Our “brush with fame” came after the Guys and Dolls show, when like groupies, we waited at the Stage Door to have Oliver Platt (The Three Musketeers, The West Wing) and Lauren Graham (The Gilmore Girls) sign our Playbills.

Times Square after The Lion King

We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park, visited Little Italy and Chinatown, and discovered the NYC’s Underground Purse Railroad when buying our Coach and Prada (aka: "Fauxch" and "Frauda") knock-off’s. That is a story for a different day…

On the Brooklyn Bridge...

Did I mention the food? Katy did the research…best deli in the city? The Carnegie Deli—home to the foot-high (not foot-long) sandwich. Great pickles too. For pizza, Grimaldi’s in Brooklyn is probably some of the best pizza I have had…EVER. And in Mid-Town, behind a black curtain at the 5-Star Parker Meridien, is “The Burger Joint”—it rivals In-N-Out—and that is saying A-LOT! And if that isn’t indulgent enough, the cupcakes at The Magnolia Bakery are TO DIE FOR! Loved them so much, we went back TWICE. Needless to say, after our weekend calorie splurge, it’s back to reality—nothing but Kashi Go Lean and tofu for the next 10 weeks.

Mostly it was fun discovering something new with good friends. I am exhausted (slept 15 hours in 3 days—sharing a double bed with Meg!), but energized. Scott scores a "10" for a great Mother’s Day present! And thanks to Rod, Hailey, and Hannah and Kris, Karin, Kirsten, Ava, and Mia for sharing their gals with me!

Prom Date

Thought I would share Zach's prom pictures...

My prom was so very different--thinking back we all kind of dressed like pioneers--minus the bonnets! As a mom of teenage boys, you always hope that the girl will come with as much clothing on as possible...BUT we are in Ohio and a long way from Utah!

Scott and I worked the After Prom Party with a few other parents. I was really dreading it, mostly because I no longer am a "night person"--11:00 is a late night for me!! But we had a great time. Scott spun cotton candy and I scooped sno-cones until 3:00 a.m.! Church was a little hard the next morning, but it was fun and "enlightening" to watch my son on a date. All I can say is that I am soooooo glad I'm not in high school anymore.

Frank Sinatra

I think I am a bit of an “old soul”. My parents were older when I was born and while I cannot say that I EVER liked watching Lawrence Welk or Hee-Haw (two of television’s all-time worst shows, and unfortunately favorites of my parents), I do feel a connection with The Beatles, and Big Band music, and some early jazz. So last Saturday evening, Scott and I went to an Akron Symphony event-- “Simply Sinatra”. And can I say…it was simply FABULOUS. I didn’t know this, but Frank Sinatra recorded over 1200 songs—the guy is a legend! The Symphony invited a guest artist, Steve Lippia (a Sinatra sound-alike) to guest perform with the 75+ piece orchestra. This guy was good…really good. I looked around the theatre and I saw old, gray-haired people tapping their feet, and bobbing their heads, and having a really great trip down memory lane. And I realized that I was tapping and bobbing and loving it too!

And I don't even think I am that old!!Lippia talked about song lyrics being the heart of music. The old songs of Sinatra and his contemporaries were really about romance and love. The lyrics of today’s artists are not really about love or friends at all. In fact, we looked at last week’s top songs. Josh told me that the #1 Song was a “beat song”—(whatever that means), the #3 Song was about drinking and drugs, and #4 Song was about sex. Hmmm. Great influences, huh? So I did a little research—I found the lyrics of a Sinatra hit and then lyrics from the #2 Hit from last week. (I couldn’t use the lyrics from the #1 Hit—I need to keep my blog G-Rated...and besides I don’t think I even knew what some of the words meant??!)

Poker Face (sung by Lady GaGa, 2009)
I wanna hold em' like they do in Texas Plays. Fold em' let em' hit me raise it baby stay with me (I love it). Love Game intuition play the cards with Spades to start, And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart...Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh. I'll get him hot, show him what I've got. Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh,

I'll get him hot, show him what I've got.

“The Way You Look Tonight” ( as sung by Frank Sinatra)
Some day, when I'm awfully low, When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you... And the way you look tonight. Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm, And your cheeks so soft, There is nothing for me but to love you, And the way you look tonight. With each word your tenderness grows, Tearing my fear apart... And that laugh that wrinkles your nose, It touches my foolish heart.
Lovely ... Never, ever change. Keep that breathless charm. Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight. Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,

Just the way you look tonight.

Call me crazy, but I would much rather picture Scott serenading me with Sinatra over Lady GaGa. It would seem that the older generation just "gets it"--they seemed to have a grasp on what love was about. So, why my soapbox about “the oldies”? Well, maybe he was trying to sell his albums, but Lippia challenged us to introduce our kids to some of the oldies which are full of great lyrics and melodies. I’m going to try it. I’m sure my kids might roll their eyes and think that their mom is having a middle-age crisis, but this is great stuff…

Eagles At Last!

Well they did it!! I have to brag just for a moment and tell you that we have made it through the Boy Scouting maze! Zach and Josh and their good friend Chad received their Eagle Scout Awards last Sunday evening. I am really proud of all three of them--and so grateful for their good leaders! We have done the "Scout thing" for MANY years--most times cheerfully and sometimes a little grudgingly! But I am impressed by what these boys have accomplished. They are actually in good company with some impressive fellow Eagle Scouters: William Bennett, Gerald Ford, James Lovell, Steven Spielberg, James Stewart, J. Willard Marriott, and Walter Cronkite--I had no idea! Mostly I am proud that they "stuck it out"--Congrats boys! Check out their smiles! (Josh obviously is still winning the hair battle with his dad...however, we have an appointment with my "stylist" next Wednesday. It will be a banner day! I WILL take photos...)