We're Back!

The kids spent a week at my parents' house and we went and picked them up this weekend. All in all it seemed to go pretty well, except that the boys had basically NO RULES for the entire week. They are happy to be home, though, and I am happy to have them home. How quiet a kidless house is, even with two dogs running around.

It was GREAT to be back in NY even for such a short amount of time. I got to see some old friends, and we looked at all of the changes in town. Things are growing by leaps and bounds there, and there were some cool new stores and the road construction is all done. They did some great road improvements and traffic seems to flow a lot better than it has previously.

I really miss it there. I think the major thing I noticed though is how absolutely CLEAN it is. People take care of their stuff, stores make sure the windows and doors are spotless, the floors are sparking, and the signs are not all old and corroded. Even the "bad" neighborhoods seemed to look good to us - I still haven't figured out if they have been cleaning up their acts or if I got used to seeing what we see around here.

Jay and I also figured out that moving back is probably never going to happen with the cost of real estate there now, and it keeps just going higher and higher. The bubble was supposed to have burst last year, but yet, the prices are still going insane.

Zachary fit in with his friends like he never left, and seeing them was so good for him. I can't lie - I've missed his best friend, Schuyler, too. That kid is just awesome, and a great friend to Zachary. That's the kind of friend that you find once in a lifetime. I hope they continue to keep in touch.