When Flat Stanley Came to Town

Recently my nephew Taylor sent Flat Stanley to visit us. I followed the directions and decorated him appropriate for New Orleans life and took him various places with me. Along with a Power Point presentation, I thought it'd be fun to put Flat Stanley's adventures here, so that EVERYONE can enjoy them, not just Taylor's first grade. So, here it goes!

Flat Stanley arrived in Metairie in the middle of April. He was wearing a rather boring (all white) outfit, so the first thing I did was to get him decked out in New Orleans clothing -- complete with a Saints' shirt and a Hornets' hat (sort of ironic, as Taylor lives in Charlotte and that's where the Hornets started out!). I also gave Flat Stanley a beignet and he held onto it the entire trip (or perhaps he was eating them on the sly and picking them up mysteriously?).



Two years ago my niece Mackenzie sent Flat Stanley to visit us as well. I still had photos of him (he was all decked out for Mardi Gras and carried a chocolate Easter candy!), so I posed the "real" one next to the photo for a picture.



Flat Stanley was hoping to spend a day at one of the girls' schools, but I wouldn't let him sneak into their lunch boxes.



I DID, however, let him tag along with my in my purse....



As we headed out the door on the way to Book Club, Flat Stanley noticed the tree in my neighbor's yard. I thought he was too small to climb a big tree, but I let him climb up my gardenia bush. He thought the flowers smelled great!



Flat Stanley was introduced to some of the ladies in my book group. He posed for a photo with them.



But I think he enjoyed the cookies more than the discussion on the book!



The next day Flat Stanley went with me to Bible Study.



It was the final meeting for the year so we had a little luncheon afterwards. Flat Stanley thought the centerpiece was pretty.




But once again, he preferred the food!



We had a bit of time before we had to pick up Abby, so we stopped at a local coffee shop for a cup of coffee and a rest.



And then we went to the library. I think Flat Stanley wanted to read ALL the books!



With all the trips we were taking, Flat Stanley was careful to always wear his seatbelt.



On the last day of Flat Stanley's visit, Maggie went to the doctor for her yearly physical. Flat Stanley enjoyed riding the carousel horse in the lobby.



And, although the doctor didn't examine him, Flat Stanley had to get up on the table anyway.



We had a great visit with Flat Stanley! Maybe he'll come back again some day....

two weeks in the US

We had the pleasure of having one of our former au pairs come and visit us the past couple weeks. Aina lived with us in Holland for 2 years while Tom and I were both working. She took care of the girls and the house. She's from Lithuania and is currently living in Ireland with her daughter, Tija. They both made the LONG trip here and we did all kinds of things. She not only was able to see some of what makes New Orleans, New Orleans, but also able to see how our somewhat typical suburban family lives and the activities we enjoy (or put up with!). I don't have photos of EVERYTHING we did while she was here, but here are some of them:

Mom, Aina, Tija and I enjoyed the zoo one day (mom had come down to enjoy Abby's grandparents' day and got to see Aina and meet Tija as a bonus).



Tom, Maggie, Aina and Tija went to one of the many school fairs used as fundraisers and enjoyed many of the rides.



Unfortunately, Aina and Tija were not only able to experience the joy of carpool, but had to go to BOTH girls' schools as well as running the track carpool for Maggie and her teammates one day. As I said, not all I do is the most exciting thing in the world!



Aina joined Tom and mom at one of Maggie's track meets. I'd gone to the one the week before with my aunt, so I elected to stay home. Abby and I babysat Tija while the others were at the meet.



Aina tried out the "Zumba" XBOX game with Maggie. I wasn't there to see, but from their reports they had fun but are no more talented at it than I am!



Maggie, Tom, Aina and Tija went to the Insectarium -- yes, there IS a bug in that lollipop!



One day after school, Tom took Aina, Abby and Tija to the aquarium.



And the final picture was taken at City Park in the Sculpture garden. Beautiful day to be there!



I don't have photos of many of the other things we did, but here's a list!

Things you MUST do in the US to experience life at the Webb's:

Church with Abby and me -- Abby stayed with Tija in the nursery and fell asleep. Abby really enjoyed being with the babies!

Plantation tour -- Tija wasn't so interested in this tour.....I suppose most 2 year olds are!

Target -- I took Aina one day -- our Target is 2 stories. She returned a second day WALKING. While I recall walking everywhere when we lived overseas, I have RARELY seen anyone walk ANYWHERE where we live!

Bible study -- two weeks in a row -- Aina enjoyed hearing the ladies in my group laughing! Who says Bible study isn't fun?

Tj maxx -- more shopping! Apparently, clothing here is much less expensive than overseas, although I didn't take Aina to Saks.....

Grocery store -- after living in Holland, I know how rare a BIG grocery is.....

French Quarter -- including an evening eating crawfish, a morning enjoying beignets, AND part of the French Quarter Festival -- a parade!

Godspell at Maggie’s school -- school play -- Tom and Abby took Tija to the park -- one of many trips to play at the park!

Train at mall -- Tija LOVED this. Maggie even got on it with her!

Puccino’s -- had a bit of time to kill one day, so I took Aina for coffee at my favorite local haunt.

Tom grilled for us one day, Aina enjoyed a "real" American hamburger, pizza, sushi, the aforementioned crawfish, as well as my cooking.

It was a full couple weeks and I hope all enjoyed it as much as I did!

New Design:)

HACKED BY MAGGIE! (my favorite daughter) bwhahahahahah!!!

reflections on 42

Today is my 42nd birthday. If you'd asked me 20 years ago what my life would look like at 42, I'm certain the answer would have been different than the reality. Then I was about to graduate from college and heading to OSU to work on my MBA. I anticipated working somewhere in the midwest, at some point meeting a great guy and having 2-3 children. So here I sit, in Metairie, LA, not in the midwest, not working (in a "career" position!), married with 2 kids. How in the world did I get here?

Well, it started in grad school with interviews. I managed to wrangle an interview with Shell, even though they were targeting people in Finance. From that, I managed an on-site interview, and got an offer. So I headed to Houston. After a slight wrong turn (that thankfully got me where I was meant to be!), I found Tom. We settled in Houston, had 2 daughters, and then found ourselves both being transferred overseas. So we worked in The Hague for almost 3 years. And then my assignment ended and Tom got transferred to New Orleans. So we decided to try out a new scheme with me not working and see how that worked out. Overall, it's good. A LOT busier than I ever envisioned. But I'm able to focus attention on what I believe to be most important -- raising 2 girls in this rather imposing world. Often at the expense of Tom and me.......

On the whole, I'm content, joyful, hopeful, and enjoy what I do. Many days are crazy, but I'm thankful for all the blessings I've received.............

Spring Break 2011

As with last year, we headed to Big Bend National Park for spring break (well, Mardi Gras break, actually!). This year my parents were willing to join us for both the train adventure as well as hiking.
Mom and dad got here Thursday, the third. It was Abby’s last day of exams and she was home early. She and I got home from school and not only were mom and dad there, but also Tom was home to work there the rest of the day. Later on, mom and I went to get Maggie and a friend from track (my carpool day!). Friday Maggie had school, but Abby was out. Tom and I took her to renew her passport. Everyone at the post office kept asking where we were going – no plans soon, just want to keep it up to date.
Saturday the girls had piano lessons and Abby had her violin “contest” for the year. Tom took her for that in the afternoon. Sunday was spent mostly getting ready for the trip. We left Monday morning via 2 taxis to the train station.

While this was our third trip, it was mom and dad’s first using a “roomette” vs. riding overnight in coach. The rooms are quite tiny – barely the width of the bunk beds. The upper bed is held up, the bottom one becomes two facing chairs. Maggie and I shared, Tom with Abby, and mom and dad together. Soon after we left we got to enjoy (?) our first meal on the train – train food, while better than airplane food, is NOTHING to write home about! Spent the afternoon reading/visiting/playing games until time for dinner – not much better…The one thing I really enjoy on the train is sleeping. I love the rocking motion. And while this particular train has two long stops (about an hour in Houston and then almost 3 in San Antonio), I generally sleep through them both. Lovely! The other part I enjoyed about this trip is looking out the window and recognizing where I am – until we pass over the Huey Long Bridge to cross the Mississippi. Then I’m lost.
Tuesday morning we slept in. We got off the train in Alpine, TX and the rental Suburban was soon delivered. After a stop at the grocery (for food for the hiking as well as snacks for the rooms) we were completely loaded down. Mom and Abby were in the back seat, Maggie and I in the middle and Tom and dad in the front. We got to the lodge and had a painless check-in, moved the stuff in the rooms (Abby asked to stay with mom and dad and they were agreeable) and then took a short loop walk (less than 1 mile) to loosen up. Dinner was at the lodge and bedtime was soon after that.
Wednesday was our ambitious day – hiking up to the South Rim (about 14 miles round trip with a 2500 elevation change – roughly 250 stories).

Tom, dad and I all carried 1 gallon containers of water as well as our personal supplies, each one had a pack with their lunch.


We hiked up via the trail that the four of us had done last year and, for me, it seemed easier. I was amazed at all the girls remembered from the trail (where we’d eaten lunch, etc.).

We had lunch at the top and then descended via a different trail. This one was more difficult than the one we’d gone up on (steeper, rockier) and was quite tough, especially after all the previous hiking.



Maggie and I were going a faster pace and made it about 15-20 minutes before the others. We were all quite thankful for the good food at the lodge’s restaurant that night, as well as a hot shower. Last year Mardi Gras was in February, so it was much cooler than this year…..
Thursday we awoke to sore muscles and a few blisters. Decided to do an easier hike. So Tom found a “flat” hike through the desert to the Chimneys – rock formations with Indian pictographs on them.


It felt good to stretch our legs, although the blisters weren’t really happy and it became fairly warm toward the end. After we finished the hike (about 6 miles round trip) we got in the car to eat lunch and took a driving tour, seeing the Rio Grande along the border of the US and Mexico – and stopping for ice cream for all interested! Nice dinner at the lodge again and early to bed.
Friday, despite blisters, we headed for another rather challenging hike – in particular because unlike most hikes at Big Bend this one started at the highest elevation and descended about 700 feet (which we had to climb back up). The Windows Trail, however, was perhaps the most beautiful of the ones we saw. Such diversity and all.

Ended at the “winder” which is where the water (when it’s there in the desert climate!) drains off the mountains.

Really spectacular, but WOW was a pain to walk back, especially the last part with most of the climbing! We had a late lunch at the lodge and then got in the car for a tour. Hit the hot springs area – had been a private hotel at one time and the natural “hot tub” still exists. Dad, Tom and I walked the short way to it and Tom dunked his feet in. A lady was sitting in it. Back to the car for a trip back for dinner.
Saturday we headed out, back to Alpine. Went back to the book store we’d gone to last year and made some purchases. The train was about an hour late, but we were able to get lunch on board. And then the time change that night made it another hour. However, they were able to ultimately make up all the time and then some, so we arrived back in New Orleans 20 minutes earlier than expected. Saturday afternoon they advertised a trivia game with prizes. Maggie was interested, so she and I went. And I won a bottle of wine. Not too bad! Only got 4 right out of 12, but it was good enough for second place. And I was the only one that knew all the words to “Oscar Meyer Weiner” and “sang” it (I use the term “sing” quite loosely!). As we got over the Huey Long Bridge, Maggie and I were looking out our window. We both saw a lady at the same time working in her yard that looked familiar and looked at each other saying “wasn’t that?”. I checked in my church directory and I believe it WAS she and her husband working in their yard. Funny to see someone you know from the train!
Finished 4 loads of laundry, went to the grocery today, and am about to head to Abby’s basketball game with mom and dad. Always something!
So thankful for NO injuries, NO ONE falling down (my mom learned to STOP before turning around to talk!), NO running into cactuses (as I did last year), NO major disagreements, and LOTS of fun by all. None of us would win any fashion awards, but no one else on the trails looked any better!

stay at home -- yeah, right!

I always thought the term "stay at home mom" to be interesting. No mom I know (aside from one with a newborn!) really stays at home. As my girls get older, it seems I am less and less "at home" (today being a bit of an exception!). No wonder I don't ever really want to go anywhere on the weekend. That said, looking back on the days/weeks/months, it's often difficult to really say what I've done or accomplished. Every week has its "normal" activities for me -- gym, yoga, zumba, grocery, cooking, carpools (with a capital "s" on the plural!), homework assistant, disciplinarian, Bible study, church -- you get the picture. But so much of what is really important is done in stolen moments -- driving in the car (with captive audience) or heating up a dinner that was cooked in the morning in recognition of a 6pm return-home-time. Do I feel fulfilled? Most days. Do I feel intellectually challenged? Sometimes (but when I had a paying job the answer was still "sometimes"). Do I like driving all over the city (NO!!!!!)? Is it worthwhile? Definitely yes -- Abby forgot her lunch in the car yesterday morning and called from school. I was only a few blocks away, so turned around to bring it to her. Walked into the gym (where they gather before the day starts) and was greeted with a smile, a hug, AND a kiss. Not too shabby! So perhaps I can "work" in sweats or jeans most of the time, but I believe I'm making a difference in the world and fulfilling my main purpose. At least for today.....

no, i didn't fall off the face of the earth!

It's been an incredible 3+ weeks here! Tom headed to The Netherlands on Saturday, January 22, just missing a visit from his sister and her family, in town for a conference. Needless to say, the girls and I REALLY enjoyed their visit! Their children are 3 and 1+ and a delight to be around. Saturday evening they came over here and we enjoyed spaghetti -- forgot how fun it is to see tomato-faces on little ones! On Sunday we met them at City Park and enjoyed the playground for a bit (wanted to go to Story Land but it closed at 4 instead of 5 as the website had indicated). Headed back to our house to walk up to the levee and see the lake, then home for Chinese food. Monday they had a conference dinner (and it's one of our crazy days with violin at 6:30), but we were able to see them again Tuesday evening for pizza. Definitely a treat and I'm so grateful they made the effort to join us.

The following weekend my aunt, uncle, tallest cousin, and his girlfriend were in town, celebrating my cousin's birthday. They headed over our way to join us for Thai food Sunday afternoon and then back to our house for a bit of a visit. Again, quite a blessing to get to see family!

And yesterday I was able to meet with a friend from high school and her kids for lunch -- a real treat at "Court of Two Sisters" for the jazz brunch. It's amazing how the years melt away and you can talk. Her older daughter was ill and stayed at the hotel, but I enjoyed talking with both her son and younger daughter at lunch. I'm so thankful that all these people "wanted" to see us!

Besides all that, we've been up the the typical activities. In addition Abby suffered (and still has a runny nose) from a really bad cold and missed 2 days of school. I'm thankful she failed the flu test and failed the strep test and was able to make up her school work fairly easily.

Most of all I'm so thankful Tom made it home last Saturday night. The world just seems more "right" when he's home....

As we freeze here in New Orleans, hope you all enjoy the rest of winter!