Back to work for a vacation!

Phew!!! This last week was so jammed packed with exciting happenings in the McCarthy's lives, that I am looking forward to work on Monday morning for a well-earned break! ;-) I have had to start writing this blog a couple of hours earlier tonight, as I will need the extra time to capture all that has taken place this past week!! As a well known songs say: Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start!
Monday: A very cold day in Washington, with temperatures hanging around the -10C range with the wind chill. The four of us walked a couple of blocks and then descended into the Washington DC Subway system. We caught a train to the Smithsonian station a couple of miles east of us. After we emerged from the underground, we still had a couple of blocks to walk in the frigid winter air to the Air and Space Museum! This was an amazing place with actual planes hanging from the ceilings, full sized rockets standing in majestically in various spots throughout the museum. Nathan loved sitting in the cockpit of the Cessna they had there (possible future career?)! We spent almost 3 hours wandering around this museum before heading back to the Underground, back to our hotel! That afternoon my mom and I took another walk to the White House and this time I took her around the back of the White House! This also makes a great photo!
Tuesday: With the car packed full of luggage, we started our drive back to Cleveland. The drive went smoothly even when we drove into a snow storm and my mom got to see her first snow in 25 years! When we got to Cleveland, we saw that we had just missed the season's first snow storm that had dumped 3 or 4 inches of cold white fluffy stuff over the entire landscape! It was really an awesome site to behold and a perfect ending to our Washington trip!
Wednesday: This was a day that we set aside to help my mom acclimatize to Cleveland. We took her to some of our local shops and then I drove her to the lake front, so she could see Lake Erie for herself! It was quite a sight with snow all along the shoreline, with the icy water gently tickling the frozen sand. The rest of the afternoon was used to look at some of the dream homes that overlook the fresh waters of the lake. Maybe one day.... if I ever win a lottery, I could afford one of these mansions........
Thursday: The biggest snowfall of the season so far! WOOHOO!! I can't explain the feeling when you wake up and look outside, and everything is stunningly white! As the snow fell, I decided to try out my winter gear, and went outside and made my first snowman in 25 years! Later on, while my mom babysat Nathan, Liesel and I headed for the sledding hill at our local recreation center! This was the best thing since learning to ride a bike! I cannot believe that I had missed out on this for 32 years! If there was a reason to move to Cleveland, then this is it ;-) OK, Liesel and I were the oldest people going down the sledding, but why put an age limit on something so fun?!?! See my video at http://mccarthys-videos.blogspot.com . Lesson learnt: ALWAYS wear thermal underwear when sledding!! Later that afternoon my mom and I went out to buy our very first, living, Christmas tree! It is over 6ft tall and has a lovely pine aroma that it gives. Nathan was so excited to see the tree as I hauled it through our front door! His squeals of glee and shouts of enthusiasm made buying the tree all worth it! He even helped decorate the tree!
Friday: More snow! In total we must have had around 6 inches over the last 2 days! We ventured out in the weather to our mall so Nathan can get to run around in the play area, since he was most likely suffering from cabin fever! Later that afternoon, Liesel and I hit the sledding slopes again! This time the thermal underwear was in place and it was far more enjoyable!
Saturday: Temperatures are climbing back above the freezing mark, Liesel took Nathan to a Sunday School concert rehearsal, while I took my mom shopping. That afternoon, we took Nathan and my mom to a playground with a more gentle sledding hill. The snow was melting now, so this was the last chance to get some sledding in for a while. I managed to talk my mom into going downhill on a moulded piece of plastic separating her from the icy slush beneath her! Well, I captured that on video for generations to see ;-) Also at http://mccarthys-videos.blogspot.com ! Nathan didn't share the same enthusiasm for sledding but he did enjoy making and throwing snowballs! That evening, Liesel and I went out to watch our 2nd movie in the USA since landing in March! We saw The Holiday, which was OK. I think I enjoyed the hot chocolate beforehand, and the Christmas lights in Crocker Park, more than the movie! But it does feel great going out again!
Sunday: Nathan partook in his first ever Sunday school concert. The 2 year old class stood up in the beginning and gave their best rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. In the first service, Nathan was very wary of all the goings-ons around him, and he wasn't very comfortable. But the 2nd Service, Nathan was far more relaxed, and stood up and sang with the rest of the 2 year olds. He was our own little superstar! That afternoon I took my mom for a drive down the lake front towards Cleveland. It was a beautiful day and the skyline stood proudly in the afternoon sun!
A great day for photographs! After supper, we took my mom and Nathan for a drive around the area to see the Christmas lights that so beautifully decorate the houses and buildings! There is something to be said about how a few hundred little lights can change an average abode in the daytime, to a brilliant fairyland castle at night! This is one of the reasons I love the USA at Christmas time!
And now its back to work and the gym for me! Looking forward to getting back into my routines again............ so until next week, CIAO!