Mary Oliver

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"









Monday, May 18, 2015

Whirlwind Weekend

I was fortunate enough to attend the graduation ceremony of my daughter, Meredith, as she received her Master's degree in Library Science this past weekend. I usually take Amtrak when I visit her, and indeed, that was my plan for this trip, but unfortunately, the terrible accident in Philadelphia on Tuesday caused all trips to be cancelled until today. An email from Amtrak on Wednesday evening informing me of the cancellation meant I had to scramble for an alternative. I thought about driving, but my parents told me they'd be too worried for me to make the trip alone, as I was exhausted and stressed, so they bought me a round trip airplane ticket instead, despite the extra cost incurred due to last minute booking. And believe me when I say it was a godsend. As a result of their generosity, I was able to arrive Thursday morning and enjoy a beautiful day wandering around on the Upper East Side with a friend of my husband's, before checking into my AirBnB in Brooklyn in the afternoon. This is the Conservatory Garden and you can see that the weather was perfect.

 

 

I met up with Meredith and Ryan for dinner and was able to relax and have a good night's sleep before the graduation ceremony on Friday morning.

 

After the ceremony, the four of us went to lunch at Bare Burger, on 46th Street, then split up for awhile. I went to The Strand, where I bought Shirley Jackson's Life Among the Savages, that was just recently reissued, and popped into Purl Soho just for fun. I also had a coffee and cookie at The Frog's Crown Bakery in SoHo and another coffee at The Gray Dog on University Place when I needed to rest. We all met in the evening to eat dinner at Shake Shack and walk on the Brooklyn Bridge.

 
 

 

On Saturday, Meredith and I met two of her friends and their mothers at Monument Lane for brunch, which was not only delicious but had a lovely atmosphere. I think it's a fascinating coincidence that the moms are all wearing the same color as their daughters.

 
 
Meredith and I hung out with the pets after brunch. Although Sinon was quite happy about that, Ollie seems a little put out, don't you think?

 

 

Saturday night, Meredith and her father and I went to Citifield to see a Mets game, where we had a very fun yet relaxing time. I enjoyed Mister Softie ice cream in a mini Mets helmet and we all wore the free Mets fedoras as we watched the Mets make a lot of runs against the Brewers, before heading back to our respective places for the night.

I flew back yesterday without incident and was back at work today, tired but proud and happy.

Only 17 more teaching days to go!

 

 

6 comments:

  1. Congratulations on Meredith's graduation! Looks like a fabulous weekend. And such perfect weather.

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  2. Congratulations to your daughter - she must be smart to have decided to get a library degree!*

    (*The fact that I have one might have a bit to do with my opinion ...)

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  3. Poor Ollie! He looks quite beset. Not many days left to endure at school. Focus on Maintaining Your Zen.

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  4. Congratulations to your daughter! Love your pictures...what a gorgeous weekend you had in NYC.

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  5. Congrats to your daughter, such a great accomplishment.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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