{May 2015: my parent's visit} ~ the day they left...

We had a nice breakfast together...

and then my parents gave my husband a ride to work,

as the PATH signalling was down,

(I think somehow this happened last year too),

and we got the last pictures before we went...

I felt their absence keenly,

seeing my Mom's coffee mug from that morning... 

The rest of the morning and day I spent quietly, 

cleaning and also painting a card for 

the munchkin's birthday... 

I am grateful for the many

people who make up my days and my life.... 

and for the wonderful second annual May visit of my parents!

{May 2015: my parent's visit} ~ Shower Door

So when we moved in,

the shower door never

opened properly...if you opened it up too wide,

it would do this cracking sound that

sounded like trouble!

So the first full day my parents were here,

I ended up needing to clean near the hinges

and the next thing I knew,

the bottom hinge screws were coming out

and pulling the tile alongside! 

*

My Dad reglued the tile, making it much better than it was before, 

first by improving what was behind the tile, then

made a homemade brace to keep the tile in place while it was

setting in the new glue,

took the bottom hinge apart,

watched youtube videos on how to fix it,

adjusted a pin in the hinge, 

put the door back on, 

and made sure it worked perfectly! 

It was a huge under taking, that thick glass door was heavy!

The door hangs straight now and opens

without a sound!

{May 2015: my parent's visit} ~ 9/11 Memorial Museum and Dinner afterwards

Two pools with names of those who perished in 9/11.

Ground Zero.

This was the plaque showing the story of the 

building of the twin towers before

they were destroyed. 

Fire truck...

My Mother wanted to visit ground zero and the memorial museum. 

And so we went, my Dad, Mom and myself, after we had 

an enjoyable lunch with Mr. Husband...

It was an intense experience as you hear phone messages

of people on the planes,

read, look and watch.

It's amazing that the construction was so good for the twin towers that

they crumbled inside instead of toppling.

Still, so much lost, so much destroyed.

I had not realized either that only a small percentage 

(of course still tragic and in the 1000s) of the people died 

in this attack....

I realized on a new level how this attack was so much,

in effect, like a bombing... 

*

It was well done, intense as I said; my parents and I got separated in the crowd and 

unbeknownst me, my parents were waiting for me for over 20 minutes when I was 

still finding new nooks in the historical section of the museum.

By the end I was looking for them a lot and it was a while before I figured out how to get

out of that section of the museum and immediately saw my Dad... :)

*

I must say that I was sad that when I heard and watched the bit on the 

planes in the Pentagon that the man who helped

the plane land elsewhere, and who I have known said the

Lord's Prayer with the phone operator before going to 

try to stop the hijackers - this was not mentioned.

I wish Christianity was not being taken so far away

from the public sphere. 

*

After this we ended up going home as we had a

plumbing-water-running-when-it-should-not-be issue.

*

My Dad fixed it in short order and our neighbour had

kindly turned off the water meanwhile.

*

We went to the diner for dinner,

and as it was not a fast day or during a fast,

I got a hamburger and milk shake and fries.

I felt I needed something substantial after

that museum! 

Sorry for the middle of the Apostle's Fast

blogging about food we are abstaining from

for a duration of time!

I must say that our local diner has the best

milk shakes around here.

I may keep searching but really,

I am quite satisfied. :)

*

And the diner always gives so much food that we

have left overs for later!

{May 2015: my parent's visit} ~ Visit to NYC

My parents and I went on the PATH to NYC

and had lunch with Mr. Husband.

We tooks some pictures off of a deck of the city... 

Mr. Husband said the building that looks like a ship

is an expensive hotel...

We had a great lunch and visit with Mr. Husband!

It was such a nice time!

{May 2015: my parent's visit} ~ first day ~ Ascension

My parents drove from MI to NJ to see us,

arriving the night of Ascension. 

That day Mr. Husband and I went to liturgy,

then home for a festive lunch,

with desserts given out at church for a lovely 

church woman's father who has departed this life.

Then a trip to lowes, 

looking at shelves, lighting, and closet shelving.

I worked on knitting wash clothes and we got back home

just minutes before my parents did.

After unloading my parent's belongings,

we all went to our favourite dinner for dinner.

It was a wonderful day.