Samantha: 31 Months, Week 4 {Our Trip to New Orleans & Samantha's Sleepover}

This blog post will describe Ben and I's time in New Orleans and Samantha's time with Grandpa and Grandma Toll.  Ben was accepted to present two papers at the the Southern Political Science Association conference in New Orleans, and since he gets $500 from IU towards his travel expenses, we decided to make a trip out of it, kind of like a "babymoon" for Aedan, our last trip by ourselves as a couple before we are officially a family of four.

With the terrible winter storm we got over the weekend and the bitter cold temperatures that set in, our travel plans got delayed just a bit.  We were going to leave first thing in the morning on Tuesday, but the roads were still pretty bad and there were travel advisories in a few surrounding counties.  We finished getting packed up that morning, had lunch together, and then hit the road, hoping the roads would be better and hoping Samantha would take a nap in the car.  A normal trip from Bloomington to Upland takes about two hours and fifteen minutes, but today it took four hours!  Samantha was a real trooper, and Ben did a great job driving on the roads that sometimes seemed like they hadn't been touched during the whole snowstorm.  Some parts of the road were like sheets of ice, and we were lucky if we got up to thirty miles an hour.  There were a couple times I felt the back end of the car slide a little bit, but Ben drove very carefully, and we got there safe and sound.  However, as we were getting closer to Upland, even though we had already stopped to go to the bathroom, just as we were approaching a traffic backup, Samantha announced that she needed to go to the bathroom.  We didn't know what to do because the traffic was at a standstill and the rest area was still a mile or so up the road.  We decided we'd try to get off so that Samantha wouldn't have an accident in her car seat.  Ben drove on the shoulder, which we normally would never consider doing.  We spotted a police car, so Ben rolled down his window to tell him of our situation and asked if we could keep driving on the shoulder in order to get to the rest area and get our two and a half year old to the bathroom.  The officer gave us permission, and that made us feel much better about breaking the law and driving past all the other cars stuck in traffic.

We have never been so glad to finally get to Grandpa and Grandma's house.  We had dinner there, spent time with Grandpa and Grandma, and got Samantha all situated for her sleepover for the next few nights in Upland.  I was a little nervous about leaving Samantha, even though I had no worries about the care that she would receive.  I think it was mainly because now that I am home with Samantha this year, I am so used to being around her so much that the idea of being away from her for four nights just seemed strange.  We knew she would have a great time with Grandpa and Grandma, and were equally as excited to have our own adventure together.

Ben and I left around 8:15 on Wednesday morning and planned to drive all the way to New Orleans that day.  The roads were a bit better than on Tuesday, but we still had to drive considerably slower until we got past Columbus, Indiana, which probably added a good hour and a half onto our already long drive.  It was nice driving in the car together without a two and half year old little girl in the back seat to keep entertained.  We were able to carry on a conversation without getting interrupted, or even to sit in silence for awhile (gasp!).  There isn't much silence in the car when you are riding with Samantha.  Since we were by ourselves, we also decided to stop for a nice lunch at one of our favorite tex-mex places, Chuy's.  It became one of our favorites in Texas, and we couldn't resist the chance to stop there as we drove through Kentucky.  Our drive after that was pretty smooth and easy.  By the time it got dark, we were ready to get there and were pretty ready to get out of the car.  I don't think we're cut out for long drives like this anymore, at least not for me, anyways.  We arrived in New Orleans around 10:30 New Orleans time, Ben dropped me off at the hotel, and I brought our things up to our room while he went to go park the car in a parking garage that was much cheaper than paying to valet park our car at the hotel.  Once he got back to the hotel, we both crawled into bed because it had been a long day, and we were ready to get some sleep.

Thursday morning Ben accidentally forgot to turn off the alarm on his phone for 6:30, so we woke up much earlier than what we planned.  We were just going to sleep in and have a relaxing morning, but once he's up, he's up.  Ben decided to go check in at the conference so that he could double check what sessions were offered at what times and plan his time there.  He decided that Thursday didn't offer too much that was interesting to him, so we made that our day to go sightseeing around New Orleans together.  We had a leisurely breakfast at IHOP and then walked over the the French Quarter, which was only a couple blocks away from our hotel.  We walked down Bourbon Street, which isn't much to see at 9:30 in the morning, and went down to Jackson Square where we walked around for a bit and went inside St. Louis Cathedral to look around before the museums opened for the day.

The first place we visited was a Louisiana State Museum called The Presbytere.  It was only $6 per person to get in, and I read good reviews on a special Katrina exhibit that they had there.  Yes, Ben and I are dorks.  What do we do on vacation in New Orleans?  Go to museums together.  The exhibit was really interesting because I remembered watching the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina as it was happening and afterwards, but it really helped tie it all together and paint a picture or what it was really like for the people of New Orleans.  However, I think the exhibit was trying to show you why it is so important to rebuild New Orleans and how they have overcome and become stronger through it all.  I, on the other hand, think it's a bit crazy that people continue to live somewhere that is below sea level and can so easily flood from strong storms and hurricanes.  I know New Orleans is such a historical city with a very unique culture, but it seems a little foolish and silly to keep rebuilding when another hurricane will come along and destroy it all again.  

Anyways, after we had our fill of walking around this museum for a couple hours, we went to the 1850 house, which was also right on Jackson Square.  We joined in a noon tour of the house, which was also very interesting to see what life would have been like back during that time period.  I always enjoy touring historical houses.

After our tour was over, we ate some lunch at a local restaurant and walked back to our hotel to rest for the afternoon.  Taking a nap was just what we needed after having a long couple days of driving and waking up too early that morning.  We got to Skype with Samantha that evening before we went out for dinner, which was really nice.  It was great to see her little face and hear about her first day with Grandpa and Grandma.  Of course she was doing just fine, like we knew she would be.  :)  

After talking with Samantha, Ben and I headed out to eat dinner at a local restaurant where we ordered gumbo and red beans and rice.  We figured we had to get this traditional fare while we were here.  On our way out of the restaurant, we heard some loud music playing, so we followed the sounds and happened upon a high school marching band playing very lively music as they marched around Jackson Square.  They had drawn quite a crowd to watch their performance, even three guys dressed up and walking around on stilts.  I even got some Mardi Gras beads (and no, I didn't do anything to earn them).  It was a very unexpected spectacle, but one not too surprising for the city of New Orleans.  After they were done with their performance, Ben and I made our way over to Cafe du Monde to have more traditional New Orleans food, beignets and coffee.  Even though we were pretty full from dinner, we couldn't turn down a warm donut type dessert covered in powdered sugar.  We then decided to make our way back to the hotel for the night to relax and so that Ben could get some work done.

Friday was a conference day for Ben, and I had made plans with an old Bloomington friend, Gennie, who now lives in Pensacola, Florida.  Ben and I had a quick breakfast of pastries and coffee from the Starbucks downstairs in our hotel before heading off in our own separate directions.  I drove two hours to Mobile, Alabama, to meet Gennie.  We had planned to go to a local science hands-on museum so that her kids would be able to play and her and I would be able to talk, but when we arrived, we discovered that the museum was closed even though they said nothing on the the phone message or website.  We were very disappointed and afraid that there would be nothing else to do after spending our time driving to Mobile.  However, we discovered that there was a small historical fort across the street that you could walk around for free.  It wasn't too exciting, but the kids had a good time running around, exploring the pathways and doorways, and climbing the stairs and ramps on the top of the fort.  After we got our fill of the fort, we found a bus stop where you could ride on a bus around downtown Mobile for free.  The bus driver dropped us off by a pizza restaurant, and we had lunch together.  It was good to just sit and catch up for awhile.  It's always nice to take advantage of any time you are close to friends; it's a good excuse to meet up. We took the bus back to where our cars were parked after finishing our lunch, said our good byes, and headed back our opposite directions.  It was a quick trip, but it was much more fun than spending the day by myself in New Orleans.

After Ben was finished with his conference sessions for the day, he and a couple other friends from IU, Jacob and Mitch, came back to get me at the hotel so we could all go out and have dinner together.  We went to a restaurant called Mother's, which apparently came highly recommended.  Ben and I both go Po Boys, and they were pretty good.  After dinner, we went back to Cafe du Monde for more beignets, since the other guys hadn't been there yet.  However, Ben and I had long days and were getting pretty tired.  Plus, Ben still had to put together his Power Point for his panels the next day, so we called it a night after that.

Ben had his first panel at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, so we actually ordered some room service for breakfast before he had to take off.  I spent the morning relaxing and getting our things packed up before heading over to City Park.  The weather was just beautiful: blue, sunny skies, a nice breeze, and seventy-two degrees.  It definitely made me wonder why we left the south for Indiana and the negative windchill temperatures.  I strolled around a sculpture garden, sat and read my Kindle on a bench in the garden overlooking the pond, and just had a wonderful time outside by myself.  I don't get alone time like this very often, so it was very enjoyable.  After a couple of hours, I went back to pick Ben up from the conference, and we began our long trek back home.  Since we we left later in the afternoon due to Ben presenting his last paper at a later panel, we drove only to the outside of Nashville, where we stayed for the night.  We pretty much went right to sleep, woke up, ate breakfast, and hit the road again.  

We arrived home in Bloomington around 2:00 p.m., and Grandpa and Grandma arrived with Samantha about an hour or so later.  We were so very glad to see her, to play with her, and to hear her voice and give her a great big hug.  It was funny because she wandered around the house, looked at her toys, and then exclaimed, "My legos!  My easel is still here!"  To which we replied, "Yes, honey, all your toys are exactly where you left them, we didn't get rid of anything."  She was also very excited to see what we bought for her in New Orleans.  I think that may have been the first thing she asked us about.  We got her a book about alligators and a bright purple, stuffed animal alligator.  She was pretty excited about her presents, too.  That day, and periodically over the next few days, Samantha would say, "I looked for you when you were in New Orleans, but I couldn't find you!"  I think she was happy to see us, even though she loved staying with Grandpa and Grandma.

And now, I will transition over to the more interesting stories of the week, of Samantha's time with Grandpa and Grandma, told in their own words.  (Thank you for contributing to my blog!)

Grandma: "On Wednesday, my classes started at Ball State so Bill stayed with Samantha all day and I went to classes.  Samantha had brought her doctor kit she received at Christmas along with her and she spent many minutes giving Papa a check-up.  Her toy thermometer can show either a happy face and a normal temperature or a sad face with a high temperature.  She always made sure Papa had a temperature.  Also Papa was able to play doctor for Samantha and her dolls when they were “not feeling well”.  There were other fun playing moments that Papa and Samantha had on Wednesday such as playing Skee Ball and reading books.  After I came home on Wednesday, I told Samantha that I had a dog in one of my classes.  One of my students has a sweet service dog whose name is Aladdin.  When I told Samantha about the dog and told her the dog’s name, a very serious and concerned look came across her face.  She promptly told me that the dog could not be called Aladdin since Aladdin is a prince.  Therefore, we would have to call the dog Sally."

Grandma: "On Thursday, Papa was able to go to work and it was Grandma’s day with Samantha.  One of the books I read to her was about a chicken who wanted to become a dancer.  There was a fox who invited the chicken to dinner under the pretense that he would help the chicken to become a famous dancer.  Because there was a page in the book illustrating the fox trying to eat the chicken, Samantha found it a “very scary page”.  Therefore, we had to play fox and chicken many times that day to begin to make the story more fun.  We would play music on the radio, dance to the music and one of us would be the chicken and the other the fox.  Every time the fox would get tied up by the chicken and would need to promise to never eat chickens before he could get loose again.  In the evening Bill and I took  Samantha to the Euler Science Center.   On this evening the Atrium was empty so we found one of the ramps and spent quite a few minutes running up and down the ramp.  Samantha is able to find fun in about everything she tries so it is fun to take her places.  Friday was a school day for me so Papa stayed home again."

Grandpa: "On Friday I took a vacation day.  Samantha and I decided to make some cookies so we went to the store to buy sugar – and bananas for Samantha to eat.  On the way home we stopped at my office to check on some things.  Samantha really likes to visit the Euler Science Complex.  The finches had been moved from their cage since the building had been set to a lower temperature during Christmas break and they had not been returned.  She was disappointed because she loves to see the birds.  To make up for the lack of live birds we went to the old part of the building where the Biology department has display cases of stuffed birds - and other animals.  Samantha really knows her animals - owls, ducks, squirrels, groundhogs, and others."

Grandpa: "When we were ready to leave the man who manages the greenhouse stopped to talk to us - well, maybe he stopped to talk with the cute little girl and I happened to be there.  There is an old orange tree in the greenhouse that has grown over 100 oranges this year.  Paul asked if we wanted some oranges to bring home.  We went to the greenhouse and Samantha really enjoyed see the orange tree, seeing the oranges belong picked, and touching an orange while it was still on the tree."

Grandpa: "The highlight of the week for me occurred two times - she called me "precious Papa" - what can be better than that?"

Grandma: "In the evening she went out to eat with us to a Mexican restaurant and grocery shopping at Meijer.  The Meijer has a horse ride for a penny and she was so happy to ride the horse after we were done shopping.  On Saturday we played all day with the doctor kit, dolls, and the building blocks.  The doctor kit didn’t help when she had a boo boo on her finger that needed attention. About as soon as Samantha woke up Wednesday she talked about the boo boo on her finger.  If there was enough light and she told you where to look and if you have good eyesight you could see a small spot on her finger.  She needed a band aid.  She had to have a band aid - it couldn't be too tight or about to come off.  One night when she went to bed she couldn't sleep until we replaced the band aid.  Later in the week she decided it was better, so we could remind her it was better when she complained and all was well."

Grandma: "On Saturday Samantha held her finger up to Papa’s face with a "fix this" look on her face, so he kissed her finger.  Her response was one word "booger".  She was correct but the booger was no longer on her finger.  But is was OK with Papa."

Grandma: "One of the things we did Saturday was play in the snow for a while.  It was melting so it packed very well.  Sledding didn’t work very well but I was able to pull her around in the yard for a while. One of the greatest achievements was making a small snowman.  Since it was close to nap time we didn’t want to spend a long time building a snowman but we got one made with crab apples for eyes and an apple for a mouth."

Grandma: "Samantha always does so well going to Papa and Grandma’s church.  When we were entering the front door she did not find someone to give her a high five as she remembered from the last visit so she was disappointed.  Soon she saw someone that it seemed she recognized and went up to Pastor Tony, our lead pastor, and said “high five”.  He enjoyed interacting with her."

Grandma: "She loves playing with a particular doll that is in the toddler nursery and always looks forward to finding the doll among the toys when she goes.  Sunday was not different.  She attended the toddler Sunday School class and then played in the nursery.  After church was over, we left directly to head to Bloomington to deliver Samantha back to her parents.  We ate at Wendy’s, made an agreement that we would read books until we saw the big Nestle bunny sign south of Anderson and then take a nap in the car.  Samantha did just that.  It was so good to see her so compliant.   When she arrived back to her home, she was well rested and ready to play at her house again with her Mommy and Daddy.  Our time with her was precious.  We feel blessed to have two wonderful grandchildren who do so well staying with us with or without their parents.  They certainly are a blessing."