You may think that we just randomly decided to take a family trip and thought a cruise would be fun! Well you would be wrong. The whole thing started because my mother saw a need. She saw two grown girls who had never met their grandmother. She saw a grown man who had not seen his mom in 15 years. She saw a need.... and acted. I suppose I am unique in that not many people can say they lived almost their whole life in the same home as one grandmother, while never knowing anything more than the name of her other grandmother. We didn't even have a picture of this beautiful part of our family tree.
My grandmother Smith lives in New Jersey. This is quite a ways to the East.... like ALL THE WAY East.... And we live "Out in the West!" (Yee haw!) There was only one way to get this clan together.... ROAD TRIP. Oh wait.... we had four little children going with us. And quite frankly NOBODY wanted to drive that far! Gratefully for us we have the modern convenience of AIRPLANES! So we were all going to New Jersey.... but what then!? Several options were discussed.... and then the cruise flier came in the mail!!! Hmm.... a cruise that leaves from New York??? Coincidence.... or Fate!??? So that is how the adventure began. We fly this giant bunch on three separate planes out to NY, drive to Jersey to have the family reunion of a life time, then hop on a ship for 7 days! SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!! There you have it.... a quick background of how this trip came to be. I make it sound like a group effort... but really it was all my wonderful mother. Thank you Mom... You are incredible!
So the second day of our trip we got to meet my 'other' grandmother, Grandma Smith. I could attempt to put this experience in words.... but quite frankly... It would fall short of how incredible this really was! And by the end I would be bawling and gibbering.... so lets just say that it was.... Amazing.... I can think of no other English words to express the love, comfort, forgiveness, joy, connections, and memories that were made that day. After a wonderful day we had to say our goodbyes. They were very hard goodbyes to say. I am grateful that it was 'Goodbye for now - until we meet again'
After our goodbyes we drove back to NY where we witnessed a MIRACLE (as if one in a day isn't enough) We got 2 parking spaces on the edge of Central Park... TOGETHER!!!! We spent a beautiful fall evening walking through the park, after which we drove our two rental vans through Times Square. Yes... you heard it right... DROVE through Times Square... WOW... now there are some NY memories! GO MOM!!!!..... Jer... you drove good too..... And Dad was a pretty awesome photographer hanging most of the way out of the van window. Yeah... the cabies were swearing at mom and waving at dad..... nice.
Anyway... enough boring rambling. Enjoy the selection of photos I chose for you. There are MANY MANY more... but I had to contain myself!
