16 years ago
5.09.2010
Shout out to all you great mothers!!
Happy Mother's Day ladies! To all you amazing, wonderful, powerful women out there, thanks for all you do in this world! :)
4.26.2010
BNF Trivia Night wins.
We got home on a Friday morning and on Saturday evening was Berkshire Nursing Families' (BNF) Trivia Night, my mom's big annual fundraiser. As the only child home, and a huge supporter of my mother and her cause, I decided I would make the trip back to Cheshire to volunteer at the event. The whole thing was a great success! Last year there were 17 tables and this year there were 28! They raised more than $20K and had lots of amazing donations from all over the community. People had a lot of fun, and for me its great to see everyone celebrating my mom and all of her hard work!
But, the ride there was very emotional for us. We took route 2 all the way, and when we hit the top of the mountain, we found ourselves surrounded by snow and ice. Huge snowplows could be seen clearing the road. Our initial impulse was to turn back, run! But the pull of my mother won out.
Thats pretty much when the denial set in...
Here are some pictures of BNF Trivia Night:
But, the ride there was very emotional for us. We took route 2 all the way, and when we hit the top of the mountain, we found ourselves surrounded by snow and ice. Huge snowplows could be seen clearing the road. Our initial impulse was to turn back, run! But the pull of my mother won out.
Thats pretty much when the denial set in...
Here are some pictures of BNF Trivia Night:
4.25.2010
Blogger resurrection!
Life has been a whirlwind since we got back. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone jumped the-act-of-living ship, its been so long since I wrote. Plus, I have to figure out what to write about...a blow-by-blow of my day probably isn't the right direction to bring this thing. So while I work that out, I might as well keep ya'll up to date on me a little.
See, I have been afflicted with a major case of DENIAL! Its hard to accept that we are officially back and that its time to move onto the next step. That can be exciting, and seeing family and friends has been wonderful, but its still a sore spot. Plus, the way things have gone since we touched down, have thrown us for a little loop (sorry to rope you in Ab).
Here is a quick rundown:
The day before we landed at JFK, Abby's aunt, a 48 year old who has been a surprisingly happy and functioning quadriplegic for the last 25 years (living at home with her parents throughout this entire time), stopped breathing. She was resuscitated, and admitted to the ICU, where they put tubes down her throat to keep her lungs going. She was barely lucid, so when they had to take the tubes out (they can only be used as a temporary fix), the family decided they should do a tracheotomy and put her on a ventilator to keep her lungs going. She spent weeks in a state of acute delirium, not healing well and fighting one infection after another. They moved her to a rehab ICU, where she is currently. About a week after arrival, she sort of snapped out of her delirious state and finally began fighting for her life. Since then, she has been able to get off the ventilator for 4 hours straight and maintain a healthy oxygen level with limited vent help for up to 8 hours. The latest news is that they changed her trach to one that allows her voice box to function, so she can actually speak (not just whisper) and that she is eating real food (its blended up, but thats just a technicality). She has a long hard fight ahead of her if she wants to try to get off the vent, but she appears to be fighting, which is pretty amazing. We have no idea what to expect. But needless to say, its been an emotional, hospital-filled 6 weeks.
In addition, I am bouncing back and forth from Cheshire to Abby every few days. We have projects going in both places, so even though we are unemployed, we are still very busy.
We could use some hugs, so if you're around and have some free time, call us. :)
See, I have been afflicted with a major case of DENIAL! Its hard to accept that we are officially back and that its time to move onto the next step. That can be exciting, and seeing family and friends has been wonderful, but its still a sore spot. Plus, the way things have gone since we touched down, have thrown us for a little loop (sorry to rope you in Ab).
Here is a quick rundown:
The day before we landed at JFK, Abby's aunt, a 48 year old who has been a surprisingly happy and functioning quadriplegic for the last 25 years (living at home with her parents throughout this entire time), stopped breathing. She was resuscitated, and admitted to the ICU, where they put tubes down her throat to keep her lungs going. She was barely lucid, so when they had to take the tubes out (they can only be used as a temporary fix), the family decided they should do a tracheotomy and put her on a ventilator to keep her lungs going. She spent weeks in a state of acute delirium, not healing well and fighting one infection after another. They moved her to a rehab ICU, where she is currently. About a week after arrival, she sort of snapped out of her delirious state and finally began fighting for her life. Since then, she has been able to get off the ventilator for 4 hours straight and maintain a healthy oxygen level with limited vent help for up to 8 hours. The latest news is that they changed her trach to one that allows her voice box to function, so she can actually speak (not just whisper) and that she is eating real food (its blended up, but thats just a technicality). She has a long hard fight ahead of her if she wants to try to get off the vent, but she appears to be fighting, which is pretty amazing. We have no idea what to expect. But needless to say, its been an emotional, hospital-filled 6 weeks.
In addition, I am bouncing back and forth from Cheshire to Abby every few days. We have projects going in both places, so even though we are unemployed, we are still very busy.
We could use some hugs, so if you're around and have some free time, call us. :)
4.08.2010
4.06.2010
Last Day in Paradise.
After Iguazu, we went into fast mode. Couple days left to do some important things and then pack and leave. Here is a brief rundown of our last full day in Buenos Aires:
- 45 mins @ post office waiting (it would have been longer but the man next to us took 2 numbers by accident and gave one to us - thank goodness because Abby was miserable, convinced we were wasting our time, and driving me nuts!). We finally get up there and pay but he sends us on our way before he actually puts the stamps on. We write off the postcards on the spot, assuming they will never see the shores of the USA. (Shockingly enough, at least most of them arrived at their destination within ONE week!)
- Returned to Comme il Faut to try to get a bigger size in the shoes I bought (and was absolutely in love with), but they said "Oh, we don't have these in your size" -without even looking! Anyone sense a lie here?- so I had to find another pair, and I didn't fall in love with any. I exchanged them for a beautiful black and pink set, but was really sad to see the originals go. (More on why I couldn't check the racks for myself will probably surface at a later date.)
- Spent about an hour and 1/2 at our Spanish school, trying to get our "Certificate of Completion" printed. We had been calling them and calling them, and they kept blowing us off. We finally got them to commit, because we were leaving the next day, but when we got there they were not done. We waited and waited, and finally, they printed them for us (basic printer job). Our names are backwards and the printer definitely needed a new cartridge but we cut our losses and went on our way.
- Then we headed home to pack, pack, pack!!
- After a couple hours we started to get cranky, a sure sign it is getting near dinner time (dinner time is 10 PM-ish, remember) changed up and headed out to Juana M, a super nice spot Jackie turned us onto in December. It is the one spot in the city we actually got a nice salad bar with a good selection! I had salad, lomo (sirloin) and chorizo sausage. One of the pieces of sirloin seemed to have been cut poorly but the other piece completely made up for it. We were stuffed!
- Headed home to put the final touches on our packing, and then cried ourselves to sleep.
- 45 mins @ post office waiting (it would have been longer but the man next to us took 2 numbers by accident and gave one to us - thank goodness because Abby was miserable, convinced we were wasting our time, and driving me nuts!). We finally get up there and pay but he sends us on our way before he actually puts the stamps on. We write off the postcards on the spot, assuming they will never see the shores of the USA. (Shockingly enough, at least most of them arrived at their destination within ONE week!)
- Returned to Comme il Faut to try to get a bigger size in the shoes I bought (and was absolutely in love with), but they said "Oh, we don't have these in your size" -without even looking! Anyone sense a lie here?- so I had to find another pair, and I didn't fall in love with any. I exchanged them for a beautiful black and pink set, but was really sad to see the originals go. (More on why I couldn't check the racks for myself will probably surface at a later date.)
- Spent about an hour and 1/2 at our Spanish school, trying to get our "Certificate of Completion" printed. We had been calling them and calling them, and they kept blowing us off. We finally got them to commit, because we were leaving the next day, but when we got there they were not done. We waited and waited, and finally, they printed them for us (basic printer job). Our names are backwards and the printer definitely needed a new cartridge but we cut our losses and went on our way.
- Then we headed home to pack, pack, pack!!
- After a couple hours we started to get cranky, a sure sign it is getting near dinner time (dinner time is 10 PM-ish, remember) changed up and headed out to Juana M, a super nice spot Jackie turned us onto in December. It is the one spot in the city we actually got a nice salad bar with a good selection! I had salad, lomo (sirloin) and chorizo sausage. One of the pieces of sirloin seemed to have been cut poorly but the other piece completely made up for it. We were stuffed!
- Headed home to put the final touches on our packing, and then cried ourselves to sleep.
New Pictures Added!
New pix added - first 2 weeks of February, Tigre and a little bit of everyday life.
3.30.2010
There is Always an Upside
Iguazu Falls is made up of 2 U shapes, forming a curvy M with an "island" (I quote island because it is not a traditional island - I guess is is an illusion created by the change in height, because it is actually surrounded by water on all sides, I think - one side the river and 3 sides the basin created by the falls) in the center. Usually you can take a boat out to the island and walk some trails. However, for the last 7 or 8 months the island has been closed due to flooding.
On our way through the falls we came upon a park worker and started talking about the island. His words of wisdom were: Yes it is unfortunate that you can not visit the island. However, the surplus of rain makes it so that you are seeing the falls with much more water than usual.
Accentuating the positive, it is a beautiful thing.
On our way through the falls we came upon a park worker and started talking about the island. His words of wisdom were: Yes it is unfortunate that you can not visit the island. However, the surplus of rain makes it so that you are seeing the falls with much more water than usual.
Accentuating the positive, it is a beautiful thing.
3.29.2010
The Power of the Falls
As you probably know, the falls form a portion of the border between Argentina and Brazil. However, you may not know that Americans (and I think only 3 other countries in the world) need a visa to enter Brazil. From what everyone says, it is important to see both sides of the falls for the full experience, as they are vastly different. From the Brazilian side, you get a panoramic view of the falls, but from the Argentine side you are literally close enough to touch them.
So of course we were hoping to be able to scope out both sides. We read that people sneak into the Brazilian side via bus or taxi, as the border control often let the public buses and taxis across without stopping them but we found out that if they did stop us and discovered that we did not have a visa, they would slap us each with a fine of $1900 AR, which is approximately $500 US. We were very sad to admit it wasn't worth it for us to take the risk.
So we woke up early and headed to the Argentine side. Although we heard there would probably be a long line, we paid our $85 AR and cruised right in. There are many viewpoints/trails that offer different perspectives of the size and power of the falls. Garganta del Diablo (Throat of the Devil) is supposed to be one of the most powerful views, and we found recommendations online that this should be the first place you hit, because it gets so busy later in the day. We had to take the train out there, and then walk for almost ½ of a mile over water. Lots and lots of water, and a rising mist in the distance. As we got closer, we started to hear it, and then on the right hand side we started to see an opening, where the water was being swallowed up.
Before I go further, I want to just say that aside from a few pictures that I randomly ran across (and one I quickly found and posted the link for on here), I had no idea what to expect from the falls. I really had not researched it, or looked at pictures online, so when we rounded the last curve and got our real first view of the falls, I was floored! It literally seems impossible that that much water could exist, never mind be plummeting over the ledges every single second. It is mind boggling. We giggled and smiled until our cheeks ached and then headed back to the train to check out the rest of the falls.
It was all amazing. Every different trail brought you to more and more falls. You saw them from the top and from the bottom, little ones, big ones, and massive falls that were so bubbly and thick that they looked like lambswool after a harsh winter. We saw so many rainbows and butterflies of every color, shape and size. After we made our way around all of the trails, we headed down to the water. We strapped on goofy, clunky, weathered life jackets, stowed all of our belongings in not so secure “waterproof” bags (luckily our things stayed relatively dry) and boarded a boat for our exorbitantly priced 12-15 minute ride on the river at the bottom of the falls and UNDER 2 of the falls! We got SOAKED, and loved every second of it. Abby got some great video on her waterproof camera.
After that we tried to hike a smaller trail to a waterfall where you can swim but it was closed for the day. We cut our losses, scoped out some of the gift shops, relaxed for a bit, and then headed back into town. We were soaked, tan & happy.
The amazing thing is that visiting the falls is like walking around Disney. It is so crowded and tourist driven. All the paths were paved and a bottle of water is 3 times what you would pay for it in the city. But not one of these things could diminish the absolute awesomeness of Iguazu Falls. Obnoxious tourists and all, it was incredible!
So of course we were hoping to be able to scope out both sides. We read that people sneak into the Brazilian side via bus or taxi, as the border control often let the public buses and taxis across without stopping them but we found out that if they did stop us and discovered that we did not have a visa, they would slap us each with a fine of $1900 AR, which is approximately $500 US. We were very sad to admit it wasn't worth it for us to take the risk.
So we woke up early and headed to the Argentine side. Although we heard there would probably be a long line, we paid our $85 AR and cruised right in. There are many viewpoints/trails that offer different perspectives of the size and power of the falls. Garganta del Diablo (Throat of the Devil) is supposed to be one of the most powerful views, and we found recommendations online that this should be the first place you hit, because it gets so busy later in the day. We had to take the train out there, and then walk for almost ½ of a mile over water. Lots and lots of water, and a rising mist in the distance. As we got closer, we started to hear it, and then on the right hand side we started to see an opening, where the water was being swallowed up.
Before I go further, I want to just say that aside from a few pictures that I randomly ran across (and one I quickly found and posted the link for on here), I had no idea what to expect from the falls. I really had not researched it, or looked at pictures online, so when we rounded the last curve and got our real first view of the falls, I was floored! It literally seems impossible that that much water could exist, never mind be plummeting over the ledges every single second. It is mind boggling. We giggled and smiled until our cheeks ached and then headed back to the train to check out the rest of the falls.
It was all amazing. Every different trail brought you to more and more falls. You saw them from the top and from the bottom, little ones, big ones, and massive falls that were so bubbly and thick that they looked like lambswool after a harsh winter. We saw so many rainbows and butterflies of every color, shape and size. After we made our way around all of the trails, we headed down to the water. We strapped on goofy, clunky, weathered life jackets, stowed all of our belongings in not so secure “waterproof” bags (luckily our things stayed relatively dry) and boarded a boat for our exorbitantly priced 12-15 minute ride on the river at the bottom of the falls and UNDER 2 of the falls! We got SOAKED, and loved every second of it. Abby got some great video on her waterproof camera.
After that we tried to hike a smaller trail to a waterfall where you can swim but it was closed for the day. We cut our losses, scoped out some of the gift shops, relaxed for a bit, and then headed back into town. We were soaked, tan & happy.
The amazing thing is that visiting the falls is like walking around Disney. It is so crowded and tourist driven. All the paths were paved and a bottle of water is 3 times what you would pay for it in the city. But not one of these things could diminish the absolute awesomeness of Iguazu Falls. Obnoxious tourists and all, it was incredible!
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