Whew.....

I guess the saying is true that time flies when you are having fun! The past two weeks have flown by. The children got out for spring break on March 26th. Since then we have been on the run. This is an attempt to catch you up on all that has gone on.

That Sunday was Palm Sunday. We went to St. John for the service. We were able to sit in the choir loft up by the high alter. It was extremely cool. During one part of the service, I got chills all over just listening to the music. There was something about the experience that was breath taking!

Sunday evening (equally as cool) we attended a Seder Meal lead by a Rabbi and his wife. They explained the meal and the traditions/ symbolism's of the meal. The Rabbi was extremely knowledgeable and made several parallels to the New Testament and the Christian traditions. It is so neat to see the parallels of the two faiths. I have a deeper understanding of the Passover as well as the events of Holy Week due to this meal.

Monday, the three of us went to Staten Island to visit the Children's Museum. Despite the rain and need for a car, we had a good time. The museum had a lot of over sized things to play with...chess sets, dominoes, Connect Four boards, maze makers, etc. Tuesday, the kids and I went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. Great movie.....but what was super cool was the theater. It is located in Time Square. You must take 5 of the longest escalators to get to the theaters. They go up and behind other stores. At one point, you are about 4 or 5 floors up and looking over the street below. You are able to see all the hustle and bustle of the city below you. It never grows old seeing the rhythm of this city. I am constantly amazed by it.

Wednesday, we made Easter cookies to mail home. Addison and Parker had a blast making and decorating them. Thursday classes were canceled to gear up for Holy Week. We attended the Maudy Thursday service here at GTS. This is the foot washing service. What a powerful service. Parker wash the feet of our neighbor without any reservation. Addison was a bit timid by the experience so I stayed with her to wash the feet of a friend of ours. The kids and I slipped out after Eucharist to set up for Brad's 40th birthday party. Friends came by and we had a great time celebrating Brad's 40 years of life! The picture above is Brad at 40 with his 40! Ha! Ha!

Good Friday began with a service at GTS. It was a very powerful service. At the end of the service, everyone exited the chapel and they shut (and I should say slammed) the metal doors of the chapel. It was gut wrenching. To see and hear the chapel being all closed up was a very weird emotion. Very powerful. It really set the mood for Easter.

Saturday, we held an Easter Egg Hunt here at the seminary. It was a beautiful day. After the hunt we did races and had cake. I truly love the simplicity of how we do things as a family community here. The kids all enjoy each other and it is just nice to have this group to spend time with. Brad went to the Easter Vigil that evening. It began at 8:00 and was said to be a 2-3 hour service. I stayed home with the kids for an early night and to prepare for Easter.

Easter, we went back to St. John. It was a packed house....by this I mean that 3,000 were expected. The service was beautiful with music like you would not believe. I do have to say that I missed St. Teresa's a lot. I missed the feel of the celebration. I missed the intimacy of the service. I missed the community of people we love so much. I am thankful for the opportunity to attend such a grand event.....yet I definitely longed for what I was used to.

Since everyone had been so busy with Holy Week, we decided to have a pot luck with friends of ours on Easter afternoon. It was awesome. We had all been so busy that it was time to relax, unwind and laugh some! That is just what we did too! We all brought different dishes and just chilled.

Addison's friend from home, Sophie, and her mom came to see us. They arrived Sunday afternoon and we were off. We did the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge, Ground Zero, Central Park, American Girl Doll store, Rockefeller Plaza, etc..... It was so awesome to have them here. Addison was back to her old self with Sophie around. It was wonderful to see them together giggling and carrying on.

Finally, it was back to school on Wednesday. I was able to catch my breath for a second to gear up for a weekend of baseball practice, the opening day baseball parade through downtown, a baseball game, play rehearsal, shopping for dance shoes, and a bachelorette party to Hogs and Heifers (the bar that Coyote Ugly is based off of).

So realistically.......I feel like today is a day of rest. I am having to unwind and catch up on the ordinary stuff. Once again, I could not be more thankful to be in a city that has so much busyness to offer as well as be in a community that is so simple and accepting. The contrast is vast.....yet it is very welcoming. It allows you to flow from one to the other very easily. Most importantly, when family is not close by, it is nice to have friends here who have become "chosen family". Without these friends, our experience would not be as rich and fulfilling as it has been this far.

Whew.....what a week!