Thursday, October 21, 2010

It Was One Of Those Vacations...

Beloved Husband and I just returned from the East coast after meeting up for a wonderful family reunion that brought 15 of his relatives together all under the same roof. From two countries, speaking three languages, and with a whole lot of jet lag thrown in, we had a fantastic time catching up with each other, sharing family stories, sorting through old black and white photos and laughing til our bellies ached. In short, it was a perfect get together albeit it too short.

But....

It was the kind of vacation that had me rummaging through my purse for my camera time and time again only to remember I left it in the hotel room that day....

The kind of vacation that had me reaching for my laptop only to remind myself I left it at home because this was a "real vacation"....

The kind of vacation with one great blog topic after another floating through my head as I reached for my iPhone to email myself the idea.... Only to totally forget the idea because my mind was just blown by a 90 year old granny wearing a gold sequined and chartreuse halter dress and 6 inch red platform heels in Time Square....

Yep, it was one of those vacation-- loaded with great blog fodder, but as I sit back a home, laptop at hand, I have no memory of what I was going to write about. Except for this photo I snapped quickly with my iPhone as we crossed a busy Manhattan street....


Mama with her Victoria Secret shopping bag in one hand, cell phone in the other, and the sweetest, most angelic looking sleeping baby strapped on her back wearing a colorful hoodie. I followed them for three blocks to get this photo because it was so, so, so-- New York and urban and in a strange way comforting to see the blissful baby amongst the hubbub of a big city.

I will be making the rounds on blogs to catch up on nearly two weeks of your posts. As I told one dear blog friend yesterday, 20 months ago I didn't even know what a blog was, now it's part of my daily routine and when I'm away I miss you, blogging, and everything that goes with it.

So while I try to piece together more stories from our vacation, I'll be by as soon as I can. Until them, happy October one and all.

How have you been?
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins

50 comments:

  1. love!

    and also that you had such a wonderful time..
    good to "see" you here again.

    and blogging is a part of my life now too...

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  2. Oh Joanna, that is just a precious pic of that little one totally content and unaware of all the hustle and bustle that surrounds the little sleepin' beauty.

    Golly gee girl, I want to see 90 year old Granny in her gold sequined and chartreuse halter dress accented by her wonderfully red heels. What a gal she must be! :o)

    Welcome home, relax and have a glorious day sweetie!!!

    God bless ya

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  3. Joanna, it sounds like you had such a lovely time! I, too, was away five days, in New Orleans, for my 45 year nursing school reunion which was wonderful. I stuffed myself with all the great Cajun food I love, drank plenty, and visited till the wee small hours with my beloved classmates. I should have stayed at least a week but have no money since this job loss. My one friend, generously, paid for everything!!

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  4. I think sometimes you need a vacation from blog vacations. :)

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  5. It sounds like a wonderful trip! I'm so glad you were able to experience some of the fall season that you miss in California!

    I'm glad you're back, I've missed your blog!

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  6. Sounds like a wonderful time. I am sure over time things will come back to you and then you can tell us about it. This picture is just precious...so sweet. I am glad you followed them for 3 blocks so that you could show us. :)

    Like you, I love all my blog friends and all of you are such a part of my day. Glad you had a great time but glad you are back too. :)

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  7. i'm glad you had a REAL vacation, sugar! all the blog fodder will come back to you soon enough! xoxoxoxo

    p.s. i have to admit, i am sorry we won't get to see the sequined granny! ;~)

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  8. What a shot!
    Glad you had a great trip!

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  9. Welcome back, Joanna. Love that photo. And so happy to see you pop up again in my reader.

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  11. That's what vacations should be, lots of stories to tell and retell, and a whole lot of surprises too.

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  12. Welcome back! I've been fine. Isn't amazing how blogging seems to get under your skin and in you blood? Glad you had a great vacation inspite of missing your laptop!

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  13. Joanna, how old was that kid on the back of his mother? that head sure is big...

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  14. I´m so glad you are back and that you had such a good time! You won´t need to read much at my blog. I´ve been taking it easy on the posting.
    I love that picture. I just feel sorry for the baby. Looks so squished back there.

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  15. welcome back Joanna! I was just thinking I hadn't seen you post anything recently.

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  16. I love vacation photos and stories! Can't wait to hear all about it!

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  17. the big cities are different for sure.
    welcome back - good to hear you have some new blog ideas rattling around in your brain. We will be waiting to read them.

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  18. Happy October!


    I see new things every day on this tiny island :)



    Aloha from Hawaii

    Comfort Spiral

    ><}}(°>

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  19. It's great to hear from you again. Glad you had a good time and I'll be waiting to hear about it!

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  20. That is a really great picture, except now I want to know what she has in the Victoria's Secret bag.
    Glad you are home and that you had such a good time.

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  21. ha. sounds like you had a great time jj! welcome back...and way to rock it gramma! lol.

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  22. Good job getting the pic!
    It was worth every step of every block!
    Happy October!

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  23. That is one picture I would love to see...90 years old and a sequin halter?? Wow! I'm impressed!

    As for the baby strapped on her back...I'm shocked. Maybe it's the over-protectiveness in me but I wouldn't want anyone snatching him from my back for one and for two, it looks pretty uncomfortable for the baby. She's a bit on the wide side.

    Welcome home, JJ!

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  24. I love how you tell of your time with family and I'm delighted to read that there was no time for technology... just fun and love.

    Happy that you were able to grab the photo of the mother and babe..... really beautiful.

    best wishes for a lovely weekend
    x Robyn

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  25. sounds like the best kind of trip. Wild scenes, family hilarity of the best sort, and being fully in the moment because your technology was not readily at hand!

    I'm starting to feel better (drugs will do that) and Kathy Griffin was a funny as ever. She's starting to lose me on some of the reality t.v shows, though, I can't bear to keep up with them.

    Big turnings going on in my life and a new blog to sort it all out: http://inevitablydisppointed.blogspot.com/

    Not really many people's cup of tea, but I thought, who knows if there is someone in cyber land grappling with similar issues and who could value here in my ramblings.

    Glad you are home, safe and sound.

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  26. Sounds like you had a lovely time. Very cool picture, too. A different way to carry a child from what we're used to seeing in most of America. I'm always writing blog posts in my head when I'm out and about only to forget about them when I get home or get too busy and have to let it go later. Oh well. Whatever you come up with will be wonderful, I'm sure.

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  27. What a precious photo! And your holiday sounds perfect. We have gone from late summer, to frost - to snow this morning! Yippee!

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  28. It is strange how the blogosphere has woven itself into the fabric of our lives. Missed you, too, but vacations are accepted excuses! Glad to have you back!

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  29. Welcome back.;) What a great candid post and I recognize all the sentiments.;) All the ideas are gone when you return home.;)
    Love the snapshot though, I have to say. It is a mix of the very simple and genuine with the advanced and modern.;)
    Have a great weekend,
    xo

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  30. Welcome home! Hope you had a wonderful time....did you love the colors in the parks! Been the best east coast fall so far! Have a great weekend! Love the baby picture so awesome!

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  31. Welcome back!! Sounds like a wonderful time.
    And what a happy baby and mommy too!!
    Wonderful photo of them!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  32. You were missed, dear Joanna. I love to hear about your vacations. The family reunion is a special one and of course family being a key heart jumper for me. The lady on the cell phone with her baby in the back is a great photo. You sound excited about the family reunion and it will be fun to read more about it. Hugs.

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  33. It isn't a real vacation unless you are disconnected from technology. Then again, maybe not. LOL

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  34. Blog fodder - ain't it the truth?

    Everywhere I go, it seems I'm taking mental notes for my blog. I remember converstaions; sometimes I even take pen and paper and jot things down. And Fred is soooo tired of hearing me say, "WHY didn't I bring my camera?"

    Glad you're back and had a good time. I have conflicting feelings about that photo, but the first thing I thought was, "How uncomfortable for the baby!"

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  35. You took my photo! But I wasn't even in NY!

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  36. I do love this pic! As much as I hope u will love my new blog aka spff

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  37. The kind of vacation...which brings great memories.

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  38. Glad you had such a wonderful time!!

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  39. Sounds like a wonderful vacation! Glad you are back.

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  40. Oooh, that photo is delish, worth every bit of the stalking it took to capture it (giggle)! Your beloved's family sound a rich and splendid bunch - little wonder you had such a great time. I totally understand what you mean though, anything that takes me away from bloggie land for longer than a day, tends to induce facial ticks and Tourette's for me! Welcome back, you were missed!

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  41. Joanna, it sounds like a wonderful vacation, I so love the photo, can't imagine sleeping in such a busy place. lol. can't wait to hear your stories, glad your back. missed you.

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  42. Glad you are back and that you all hda a great time! I want to hear about the granny in the sequined dress!

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  43. Welcome back. Your family gathering sounds amazing. What an interesting photo -- on so many levels.

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  44. Believe it or not Joanna, thats the way they usually sit on the subway and smoosh the baby up against the seat...like you say, only in New York, and much more often than you think.lol I thought I sensed a Jedi blogging presence while driving, now I know why ...you were HERE !! Free ride from the King should you ever visit again friend. Glad you had a great time.

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  45. Two weeks away in the "real" world, and you miss us. Here's why: Validation.
    Love the photo. Hugs & kisses, xo d

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  46. It sounds like it was a fantastic vacation.

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  47. looooove that photo !
    you are right....it's so new york !
    sounds like an amazing time......

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  48. That's a gem of a photo. :)

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  49. Glad you had a REAL vacation but even gladder you got that photo. Classic!

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