Tag: sisters

Sister’s FAB NYC Vaca!!!

On By Peggy BereIn Margber, Musings10 Comments

We’reeee Backkkkkkk……

 Sisters

 

I was overwhelmed when I returned home from our FABULOUS SISTER’S NYC VACATION to find as many comments and posts to Twenty-Thirteen asking for details and a follow-up to our Super-Duper-Awesome get-away!!  Wow! Thanks, People!

thank-you

 

I need to sort through all of the glorious, memorable details and collect my scattered, exhausted thoughts first.  As a teaser, I can tell you that there was an unfortunate incident that left me flattened (not to mention, embarrassed!!) atop of the Brooklyn Bridge.  Oh My!!  My sister looked on, mouth gaping open……

Well, you will just have to be patient.  Stay Tuned!!

There’s no place like home…  There’s no place like home…

giphy

 

 

 

 

NYC or Bust

On By Peggy BereIn Margber, Musings35 Comments

 

greetingsnyc

New York City!!  Planning a long weekend to NYC is no easy task.  Add to that the fact that you are heading off on this shindig with your sister and the task becomes an event.

I’ve always recognized the fact that the time leading up to a long weekend getaway or vacation is often just as exciting, if not more, than the actual vacation itself.  The spark is set off when the idea is first discussed ~ which is usually over cocktails or while already in the midst of a vacation!! WHOOOP!!!

I approached my sister with the idea of a weekend away in NYC.  It was long overdue.  We had never gone away together before.  Shame on us!!  We were in our 50’s.  Was this something that we seriously had never scratched off of our bucket list??  Time restraints, hectic schedules and of course, our kids, had always prevented us from just picking up and taking off for the weekend.  Well that was about to change.  NYC, here we come!!

two months before trip…..

Me:  What do you think about a trip to NYC?

Nancy:  When?

Me:  Soon, before summer and craziness.

Nancy:  I’m in!

 

Well,  that almost seemed too easy.   After many phone-calls back and forth and daily emails, we finally found ONE weekend that worked.  One weekend in the entire summer!  The dates were set.  We would go for a long weekend, Thurs – Sun.  And So, the excitement began.

6 weeks before trip….

 airplane

Me:  How do you feel about an early flight?

Nancy:  How early?

Me:  6am. That way we don’t lose the entire first day

Nancy:  I’m In!!

 

Alrighty then!!!  Flight booked.

Next up – Hotel accommodations.  Before I was married, I would stay in any old flea bag motel.  The Red Roof in on the corner was fine with me.  No room service?…No problem!  Carry my own luggage to my room?  No biggie!

Then I got married.  Clark had a different take on hotels than I did.  He liked top end accommodations. And so, I discovered Luxury Hotels. How did I ever travel before without those cushy robes and matching slippers?  The valets, the concierge service, the large marble bathrooms &  tubs.. (Thanks Clark!!)  And a Hotel Snob was born!!

 

Me:  Nancy, hotels are a bit pricey in NYC.

Nancy:  That’s fine. You’re the cruise director!!  Make all the plans and consider me along for the ride.

 

This was too good to be true!  She was, like, the best travel partner ever!!  And so, the hotel was booked.  A beautiful spot one block from the West entrance to Central Park. We were in the middle of the action!

We started planning our days out.  Since Nancy had never been to NYC before, the list of things to do were endless.  Even to seasoned travelers who had been to this huge, bustling city many times, there were endless possibilities of things to do and see.  I planned to take her to see all the usual touristy spots – Top of the Rock, Central Park, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Little Italy, SoHo, Chelsea, The Dakota, Washington Park, Wall Stree.

We bought tickets for the theater – two plays!  We had a day planned to Walk the Brooklyn Bridge (Just like Miranda & Steve did in Sex in the City!!) We bought tickets for the 9-11 Memorial which was opening to the public the week we planned on being there – Oh What great timing!!!

But wait.  We had too much to do and so little time.  I didn’t even know if we HAD enough time to do everything on our list.  I looked over our list of activities and decided there was not one single item I could delete.  Soooooo…..

 

Me:  Nancy, what do you think about going an extra few days?

Nancy:  Will we be able to change our plane reservations and get the extra days in the hotel?

Me:  Surrreee, why not??!!  (fingers crossed)

Nancy:  OK, I’m in!  But I won’t tell my hubby just yet,  I’ll spring it on him later.

Me:  Good thinking! (I would follow suit!!)

Nancy:  Oh, by the way…I went shopping on my lunch today and bought an outfit to wear on the plane!!  SO EXCITED!!

Me: O0Oh!!  Maybe I need a new outfit, too!!

 

And so, we tweaked our hotel and air reservations and the excitement began to build even more.  Our weekend away, that started off as two days, was now almost a full week!!  WHOOOP!!

The emails began to come at a rapid rate.  There was not a day that went by where we did not talk to each other or email at least 1000 times.  OK, I exaggerate.  But it was a lot!!  And the content of the emails changed.  We were now talking about the shopping we were doing in preparation for our trip.  And Nancy had started to add cute little clip art pictures to her emails.  It was all getting very fancy!!  It was all so exciting!

What had happened to me so many times before, was happening again.  I was in the pre-vaca mode. The mode where you are giddy!!  And all a flutter.  And almost more excited than when you are actually ON the vaca!!  It’s one of the highlights of going away.  Planning and looking forward to and discussing…every.last.detail.

I looked forward to waking up to Nancy’s emails every morning.  They were very lighthearted and made me chuckle.

 3 weeks before trip…

Nancy: Hellllooooooo – I went shopping (power shopping) on my lunch hour today. Went over to Sears because Hubby buys occasionally from there for auto stuff and small yard / tools etc.  When he buys we get “shop your way rewards” points.
We had enough points built up (he doesn’t know it, he never sees the emails) so I thought I needed a new, smaller wallet for N.Y. adventure. I got a new wallet for FREE.

moving

two weeks before trip…

Nancy:  My list of what I am packing is attached. I looked online to see about baggage sizes. Carry on’s 22” x 17” x 9” plus one free which could fit under seat in front of you.  So I will be taking one carry-on plus one tote (it will look nice) of some sort.

one week later….

Nancy:  Went shopping on my lunch.  My old luggage just won’t work.  Bought new, larger suitcase.  Also bought new tote.  SO EXCITED!! CAN’T WAIT!!

Ten days before our trip….

Nancy:  GETTING SO EXCITED!!!  I was going through my closet last night and definitely need to back pedal on my list of items I want to take……I would need an entire trunk if I took all I wanted to take.  I do like the idea of maxi dresses with sweater or shrug to wear to plays.  Think I will go shopping!!

Nancy:  I have bought so many things that I have not shown to Hubby yet.  Will need to sneak them to your house.

One week before trip….

ecitement

Nancy:  I am SOO excited…..I cannot wait.  I went shopping again yesterday.  I cleaned out dresser drawer yesterday and now have it filled with stuff I bought to take.  I have also started to put outfits together….I have enough to stay away for three weeks.  OH, I think I am rambling. …talk to you soon.

1/2 hour later…

Nancy:  Forgot to tell you earlier…….I also bought another pair of shoes yesterday.  I think I will need a trunk for our short vacation.

 

7 days before trip….

cardrive

Nancy:  Ohhh, I’m SO EXCITED!!!  ok, For Cash – I am planning on bringing 20’s only and not 50’s. Already thought about trying to spend too large of bills. (OH, I might have to buy a thicker wallet) I will have my credit card with me. And there is always a Chase Bank near by if I need to stop and get more $$$$$$$. Will bring extra for you “just in case”.

15 minutes later…

Nancy:  I will bring drivers license (duh!!) and I always have health I.D. and my State I.D. with me, but neither of them have pictures. Will I need I.D. with picture? Of course, I also have my AARP card…..giving away age secrets.

 

Nancy:  I can hardly sleep anymore.  I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!

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A long overdue and exciting girls/sisters weekend week away  – To Be Continued…..

 

Dear Mom

On By Peggy BereIn Margber, Uncategorized88 Comments

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Dear Mom,

Last Saturday I was signed up for a computer class.  I grabbed my laptop and headed towards the front door.  As I walked past the front room to turn off the TV, the Olympic Hockey game caught my attention.  The USA was playing.  There are a few Blackhawks on the team and I saw Kane whiz by.  So I sat down on the arm of the chair and watched the remainder of it.   For the life of me, I now can not remember who the USA was playing but I remember that it was an amazing game.   We ended up winning in a shootout.

Sitting there and watching that game made me late for my class.  But it didn’t matter.  As I turned off the TV and stood up to leave, my phone rang.  I thought about not answering it because I was running late, but something prompted me to pick it up.  So I juggled the heavy things I was carrying, freed up my right hand and answered it.  It was Tim.  I could not understand him.  Something about you.  He was talking in broken sentences.   I caught bits and pieces of it.  Panic started to rise in me.  And then, my heart stopped.

I don’t think I could have ever been prepared for that call.  I don’t understand how this could have happened.  You did everything right.  You exercised and ate right.  You lived an active lifestyle…..

The week was a blur of emotions.  The phone calls started immediately.  The txt’s came, too.  And the condolences via social media.  Isn’t it odd how fast word spreads now-a-days?  It’s rather comforting to know that when tragedy strikes, we are instantly lifted up in prayer.  Amy immediately jumped on a flight from Houston to Chicago.  She got in late.  (Well, late for me. You know how I love to be in my pj’s early.)  So I picked her up at the airport and we drove together in the dark to get home.  Home to Indiana.  Home to where we were raised.  Home to gather together with our other siblings.  The drive was hazardous.  I was white knuckled by the time I got there.  I’m not sure if it was because we were driving through whiteouts on icy, snow covered roads or if it was because I was holding onto the steering wheel a bit too tight for fear of what lie ahead for all of us.

Bruce took the week off of work.  He was by my side every step of the way.  Tim, Bobby, Nancy, Amy and myself – along with our spouses –  all found comfort in being surrounded by each other.  All week.

I miss you so much.  I can’t believe I’m never going to see you or talk to you again in this lifetime.  There’s so many things I still want to ask you.  And talk to you about.  And tell you……

Scottie got the job.  Remember I told you about his interview?  You said you would start a Novena for him.  Did you have time to start it?  Bruce and Lauren are going on a long weekend somewhere.  They are waiting to see which flights are open.   Remember the first time Bruce Robt. flew in to see you and take you to lunch?  He talks about it often.  That visit was the first of many trips back and forth to visit you.  In his words, “Grandma is the coolest!!”  Brian has a lead on an internship this summer.  He’s working hard and continues to keep his GPA up.  And he loves the college life.  He has become so independent.  It’s hard to believe he is almost done with college.  You were right.  Time does go fast.  Too fast.

You were taken from us way too soon.  The thought of never seeing you again or talking to you in this lifetime is too much….

Me?  I miss you more than words can describe.  My heart is heavy and I walk around with a pit in my stomach and a constant feeling deep inside that something is wrong.  I know you always told me that your prayer was that when your time was up, that the Lord would take you quickly.  He heard your prayer, Mom.  But I have a huge hole in my heart because I did not get to say goodbye to you.  I did not get to tell you how blessed I was to have you as my mother.  I wanted to be next to you when your time came to leave this earth, holding your hand and telling you how incredibly much I love you.  To tell you that I will miss you.  And that I will see you again one day and until that day, pray for me.  But God had a plan for you and He decides when our time on earth is done.  He decides when to call us home.  And in my heart I know you are in a better place.  You are at peace.

So Please, Don’t worry about any of us.  Right now our hearts are heavy.  But through our faith and in time, our feelings of sadness and devastating loss will be replaced by happy memories of our time spent with you.  I’m going to miss you so much.  I already do.  I can not thank you enough for the strong faith you instilled in me and for the unconditional love you showered me with.  I’ll pray for you everyday.  And I know you’ll pray for me, too.

I Love You,
Peggy

“We never really get over devastating loss. In the thick of it, we almost stop breathing; sometimes even wishing we could. And we know deep within that we will never be the same. Yet, one day we feel the sun on our face again. We find ourselves smiling at a child or a joke or a memory. And at that moment, we realize we are finding our way back. Changed forever? Yes. But also softer, deeper, more vulnerable and more loving too. And we are breathing again…..”

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