Too tired to think of a good title...

Hey cousins!

Well it's 5AM and I have been at work for 11 hours... finishing up 5 of 6 work nights in a row.. my shift, when I return tonight, will be my last one for 19 whole days! It's vacation time at last... It's been a relatively slow night so I just checked my email and saw what my sis has been up to.. I really hope you East coast cousins participate! I feel detached from everyone these days and would love to read about any cool or mundane stuff that is going on in your lives.. I unfortunately have few memories of the "Don't Tell Margaret Night" in that lovely Center City Philly Holiday Inn- I believe I missed out since I retired early because I wasn't in the mood for drinking..Oh well.

I think that trip was the last time I was out East..And it was the same visit where my sister accused me (and still does) of dragging her on a 'Death March'. I remember it was really hot and we walked down to South Street for some Philly cheesesteaks. There was supposed to be a big purple tourist bus that was free (or cheap) that I planned on taking back to our hotel.. but we never saw it.. even though I thought it ran 7 days a week ..Erik had Grace on his back for the trek and wasn't happy about it. They still don't believe that I didn't intend for us to walk so far.. but I never saw a cab and that purple bus was nowhere to be found. I also remember visiting the Liberty Bell and I have a picture of Cousin Bob sharing gelato with Grace. Sadly, I can't remember if these memories are from the same day or not! (Nanny's alzheimers or sleep deprivation?... time will tell)

Next week Grace and I will be touching down again in the City of Brotherly Love...(can't wait to eat an authentic Philadelphia pretzel!).. I am excited that we will get to see Margaret again. I was worried her 90th Bday would be the last time- and she proved me wrong. I am happy she will get to know Grace as a kid instead of a baby. Because Grace is a pretty cool kid..

Our time in PA will be limited however as we are jetting off to visit NYC and then London! You may think "wow, that must be nice" but I have only ever stayed overnight in NYC once when I was a teen and stayed in the hotel where Sid Vicious killed his girlfriend Nancy. I remember the cockroaches all over the walls scurry when the lights were turned on. This time I am staying 4 nights in a decent (hopefully) apartment on the Upper East Side near Central Park and will be spending quality time with my oldest, dearest friend Sheila (who happens to also be Cousin Bob's sweetie).. And I haven't been to London in 19 years.. The London part of this trip came recently when I decided it would be worth it to see a favorite musician perform there.. The timing was right- I am already on vacation and halfway to London.. Of course the musician (Kimya Dawson) lives in Olympia, Wa (yes, a mere 40 min away) but to me this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So we are going to spend 4 nights in London and go to the London Zoo, the London Eye, go on a double decker bus tour, check out the Camden Markets and see Kimya Dawson perform. Needless to say, I am EXCITED!!!

Well my replacement will be here in minutes so I better sign off....

xoxo
Cousin Suz