Best part

Last night, when the pizza guy handed over the goods, he told me that my house was awesome. I agree. What's the best part about it? That I have my bank, a health food store, a regular grocery, a library return drop, the Farmers Market, and the entrance to the biking trail all within a mile and a half. Plus a bunch of fun neighbors who will go vintage clothing shopping or bike riding with me and willingly pop my corn every night when I roam the hood looking for a microwave.

How I know that I am officially a cyclist

1. Driving in the car seems really, really super fast.

(My spring break riding partner, spending some time with me before he leaves me forever for college and work and grown-up life.)

2. I can't find places while driving that I have been to dozens of times and are extremely familiar. (This was really strange.)

3. While walking down the street, I look down to my left to check in my rear-view mirror to see if a car is coming behind me.

4. My garage door opener can be found in my bike bag, not in my car.

5. The folks at the grocery store don't recognize me without my helmet.

6. I take my showers on the trail. (That's a joke.)

7. My badly cut (butchered) hair actually looks cute today for the very first time, after drying under the bike helmet.

Visit with Rosie

The last time I visited Rosie, I had four kids and she had two. She was living in Hoboken, and we had a grand ole time until someone got sprayed in the face with air freshener. And someone else got impetigo on the rear from all those gas station bathrooms between Missouri and NYC. And someone else had a reaction to the lobster. And someone else caught the puking flu on the way to Niagara.

Now she has four children also, because she wants to be just like me. We spent a lot of time with Nat, who was happy to play with Seb and me if her giant stuffed animals were involved.

By the second day, she let me hold her and was (strangely) calling me Mama. Whatever.

Seb had some work to do in NJ, and when he was done it was all tea parties and Barbies. One morning Nat and I were taking photos together. I was trying to distract her from what she really wanted to do, which was hang all over her mother. It took her about twenty seconds to learn how to use my camera and start taking photos all by herself. She's two.

They aren't the best photos, but she got the important stuff (Seb, my purple pants) in this frame.

It was awesome to see my sis, to see where she lives, and to understand why she needs that nanny. (No school buses! Kids in three different schools! Husband who works late! Two yr old who climbs out of and over everything! Noise!) We spent one day driving around together, dropping off and picking up, volunteering at Abby's school (where we were called beautiful girls and watched a lot of kindergarteners pick their noses), and doing errands.

It was a very short trip. On the way home, Seb and I drove the air train around the airport for awhile.

It was a fun trip. I wouldn't mind doing it again after Rosie gets rid of her cats. I had to give up breathing well for the entire weekend, but it was worth it.