While on our summer vacation in July, I made notes about the events I wanted to share with you. This one was on the top of the list.
We spent three days in Manhattan with my bonus daughter Kristi and her three kids (Kaytee eight, Kyle 11 and Tanner 13) and my daughter Peggy Ann’s two (Sophie 12 and Jacob 16). Being accountable for the children in a busy, crowded city was more than we’d bargained for. We were constantly counting to five. If I had it to do over I’d have dressed them all alike in lobster costumes or maybe neon lime green Popsicle outfits.
The eight block trek to the Empire State Building from our hotel definitely set the stage for some nightmares down the road. Kristi opted out on the tour of the skyscraper so Terry and I set out alone with the five. He suggested we go single file with me leading and him taking up the rear. I was happy with the plan and even though I have no sense of direction, I was willing to lead because I was told we would not be making any turns. Four blocks into the trip all was going well except for the fact it was 100 degrees and the heat seemed to radiate from the streets and sidewalks like the coals on a hot barbeque. We’d sunscreened everybody up back at the hotel, so I wasn’t worried about sunburn, but decided to stop and get bottles of water at a stand selling everything from Rolex watches to hot dogs, ice cream bars and H20.
With the troops refreshed, we set out for the last half of the walk. It was about two blocks into that when it happened! I heard Terry shout, “Pam! Stop! Where’s Sophie?” In a blind rage I wheeled around immediately getting weak in the knees. A horrible taste filled my mouth as adrenalin instantly blasted into my system preparing me for action. My first thought was to start running back through the thick crowd, screaming Sophie’s name. My second thought was seething anger for Terry not watching the children and that I should not have let him bring up the tail. It’s amazing how many thoughts we can think in a split second!
Spinning around I saw a different scene than the one I’d played in my mind. In fact, when Terry had yelled, “Pam! Stop!” that part was meant for me to stop, but the “Where’s Sophie” part was to get Sophie out of the line to pose her in front of a human-size Statue of Liberty which stood by the door-way to a restaurant. He had promised my daughter he’d get a good picture of Sophie with the Statue in the background and he found the opportunity albeit in miniature right there on a New York City street.
The felt relief to see her after thinking she’d been kidnapped or lost but it didn’t dilute the adrenalin rush. Overflowing with that supermom juice, I yelled at Terry to never say those words again! Poor guy, he was just excited to find a good photo op.
When we got to the top of the Empire State Building I kept feeling it sway. I found out from our tour guide, the building does not sway so it must have been the leftover adrenalin. Good to know even grandmas still have it.