The Internet Knows Everything

You may recall that quite a while back I plugged in a childhood photo of Eric and a childhood photo of me into MorphThing.com to merge our faces and estimate what our future baby would look like. The results were quite cute, actually, although I wondered how accurate they would be come baby time.

Well, we all know that Ellie turned out to be quite cute, but how exactly does she compare to our MorphThing?

Hey, let's find out:

I mean, her real eyes are more blue, and her hair parts to the opposite side, but other than that, MorphThing was really close, right??? Who would've thought? The internet predicted my baby!

In light of Princess Kate preparing to give birth at any moment (oh, the excitement!), I couldn't help but wonder if she ever MorphThing-ed pictures of Prince William and herself to see a rough draft of the royal baby. Then, I realized she doesn't have to, because MorphThing totally already did it for them (follow the link to see the results!). Can I just say, bless Princess Kate for going through pregnancy, labor and delivery with the whole world watching and betting on the baby's sex and stats, names, and especially, when she'll go into labor in the first place. I've been nine months pregnant before, and it brings with it an irritability that cannot be matched, so I have great respect for anyone who can handle all that pressure and hounding (no matter how well-meaning it may be) from just their friends, family, coworkers, and strangers on the street - let alone the whole world - with grace.

In other birth-related news, today is my birthday! I am 31 years old today. I'm missing Eric for sure, but I've spent some quality time with my family in the past few days and my sister and I will be spending the day together today. And Ellie was so excited to celebrate with me this morning that she woke up at 5:00 a.m.! "Happy birthday, Mama! Have a wicked tired day!" Thanks, Ellie. You shouldn't have. REALLY.

Have a good Monday, my friends! And go, royal baby, go!

I'm Joe Biden, and I Approve This Baby

Yesterday Ellie had a celebrity encounter, and it was a doozy!

Let's start at the beginning. We heard on Saturday that Vice President Joe Biden would be in Hoboken on Sunday, to check out the damage from Hurricane Sandy. We figured there was no way we would be able to figure out when/where he would be and deal with the crowds to catch sight of him. (We saw him leaving NBC Studios back in 2010, but that involved big crowds, a long wait and a view from a considerable distance. Still cool, but not super fun, and certainly not something I'd enjoy doing with a baby in tow.)

We decided to walk out to the mall yesterday, and on our way through the Hoboken Train Terminal, we noticed an increased police presence. Odd, we thought, but we didn't connect the dots.

On the way home from the mall, Ellie and I went on ahead (she was due for a nap) while Eric stopped at Target for a couple of things. As soon as Ellie and I got back to the Train Terminal, I saw a crowd up ahead. And then it clicked. I walked up to the gathering as quickly as I could and sure enough, there was Joe Biden in the thick of things.

There he is, in the middle of the crowd, right in front of the ATM!

I snapped that quick picture and then stepped back to call Eric to tell him to hurry up so he could see him, too!

Ellie and I stayed put, hoping Eric would get there in time before Biden moved on. And move on he did, just a few minutes later. He started making his way into the station waiting room, shaking hands with transit employees and construction workers as he walked. I was snapping pictures with my iPhone as fast as my fingers could move, waiting for him to get closer to me for the best possible picture for our Celebrity Sightings List. He was getting so close to me and then, he stopped. He spotted Ellie! He held out his hand towards her, and to me, and smiled, encouraging us to come over closer.

Joe Biden sees Ellie

We walked up to the barricade and he said hello, then started leaning down to talk to Ellie. I wish I could remember what he was saying to her, but he was drowned out by my brain spazzing out: "Oh my goodness. The Vice President is talking to Ellie. Ellie and the Vice President are having a moment. Can I take a picture of this? I have to take a picture of this. Can you just take a picture of the Vice President?" 

So I asked him, "Do you mind if I take her picture with you?" 

"Not at all," he said. "Turn her around so you can see both of our faces."

OKAY.

Ellie hanging out with the Vice President of the United States

Then he asked, "Is she riding the PATH today?"

"She wishes!" I said, and Biden laughed. (I made Biden laugh!)

Then he asked my name. I told him, and I introduced Ellie.

"Nice to meet you, Meghan. Take good care of Ellie," he said as he shook my hand. And then he continued inside.

I stood there all, "did that really just happen?!" for a minute, and a Secret Service agent said to me, "That was a very nice moment!" And I was all, DUH.

Eric finally made it just as Biden got inside the terminal. He was able to see him, but he missed all the action. He could hardly believe my story. Good thing I had pictures to prove it!

And that was Ellie's celebrity encounter.

Election Night in NYC

As you may recall, Eric and I had a great time in New York City on Election Night 2008. We spent some time at Rockefeller Center and Times Square and just really enjoyed all the festivities the city puts on for Election Night. So, this year, we decided we wanted to do it all again. Sure, we wouldn't be able to hang out until the race was called like we did last time (we have this baby now, you see, and she has a bed time), but we wanted to at least check it out. We have also been wanting to take Ellie to Top of the Rock on a night when the Empire State Building is lit in nice colors, and we figured the red, white and blue of election night was a perfect opportunity. We invited our friends Jess, Eric and Ada to join us, and a good time was had by all!

After Hurricane Sandy, the PATH train is working hard to get back on its feet, and so far there is only limited service on the Journal Square line (nothing out of Hoboken). So, we walked over to Newport to meet our friends at the PATH station there and made our way into the city.

Top of the Rock was our first stop, so we could check out the view with the last little bits of daylight left. (Did you know sunset is at 4:45 these days? WRONG.) When we purchased our tickets, the next available entry time was about 20 minutes away so we had some time to kill before actually heading up to the top. We walked through the underground concourse of Rockefeller Center and stumbled upon a photo op, and you know we are people who love a good photo op. Thus, I give you President Ellie (a very powerful orator) and her First Parents:

She's the first baby girl president! How historic!

Our presidential photo killed just the right amount of time, and we were able to head right up to Top of the Rock from there. Of course, we stopped for one more picture before making it into the elevators and up to the Observation Deck.

Oh no! Ellie overboard!

When we finally made it up and out, the view was just as beautiful as ever....

My beautiful, beautiful city

Looking north over Central Park

...and it did not get any worse as the sky darkened.

Patriotic Empire State Building in the foreground, with the new World Trade Center buildings off in the distance to the right

We spent some time enjoying the view from all angles.

Looking northeast towards Yankee Stadium

On the left, a look down towards Times Square. On the right, a look westward towards our old apartment.

The Chrysler Building

And of course, we took some pictures of ourselves!

Eric, Jess and adorable Ada

My Eric and my Ellie

My sweetheart

I know she won't remember it, but it really makes me happy that we were able to take Ellie up there to see that view. There's nothing like it.

Family photo!

It was pretty chilly up there, so when we had our fill of the view we made our way inside for a brief rest stop for the babies.

Mamas and baby girls

Then we went out to the Plaza, dubbed "Democracy Plaza" for the evening, to check out all the Election Festivities. Just as in 2008, they had a map of the United States painted on the ice skating rink, the buildings were illuminated in red and blue, and window-washer carts were adorned with each candidate's name, poised and ready to raise red and blue banners as the votes were tallied. There were also caricature stations, where you could have your caricature electronically drawn with one of the candidates (although the wait was over an hour, so we skipped this one), stations where you could "broadcast" your own newscast, and the MSNBC Experience setup in the NBC store.

Democracy Plaza 

Rockefeller Center lit in red and blue, with American flags lining the plaza

Map of the U.S. on the ice, ready to be filled in red and blue as the votes come in

Caricature artists

Carts and banners ready to be raised

We had a great time!

Our friends!

Us!

From there we walked over to Times Square to see what was going on. CNN had a big set up in Duffy Square, so we spent a couple of minutes there before beginning our walk back to the train to call it a night. The poor babies were so tired by this point. Of course, Ada dealt with this by falling asleep in her carrier. Ellie, on the other hand, chose a more open-eyed, vocal approach. It's just her style.

CNN setup in Times Square

Always a fun sight!

As soon as we got off the train in Newport, Ellie finally passed out. She's kind of a punk sometimes. (I kid, she's delightful, but really.)

We walked home from there and then spent the evening with a delicious pizza and election coverage before I passed out (I hung in long enough to be plenty sure that President Obama would be securing his second term, of course). And so, another NYC election night in the books! 

Vote!

Apparently they don't give out "I Voted" stickers in our neck of the woods (lame), but I can proudly say that all three of us made it to the voting booths today. Only two of us actually cast votes, of course, but I think the third was very excited to get her first look at the process. She's a proud American baby and I'm sure she can hardly wait for her chance to cast her first vote in 2032.

Ellie ready to make her (parents') voice(s) heard!

Casting my vote!

Go America!

We'll be heading into the city tonight to catch an (early) look at Democracy Plaza at Rockefeller Center, and then it will be back home to watch all the action with wine and popcorn.

Here's hoping your time at the polls today is brief and easy!

Remembering 9/11

As you may expect, the last week or so has been filled with 9/11 memorials around New York City, all very moving in their own way. We didn't even try to make it out to the main memorial service at Ground Zero, but we did made sure to take in as many other memorials as we could.

One of my most favorite tributes was done at Bryant Park. There, they lined up 2,753 empty chairs on the lawn, one for each person who died at the World Trade Center on September 11th. The chairs all faced south towards Ground Zero. Seeing all those empty chairs in perfect rows on that lawn was so striking and quite emotional. It was artful and beautifully done.

Chairs on the Bryant Park lawn

2,753 chairs, all facing Ground Zero

Poignant.

As you may recall, my sister Heather was in town this week, and on Friday we went into Times Square for another 9/11 tribute put on by the Broadway community. Apparently, after 9/11 ten years ago, the Broadway community got together and performed "New York, New York" in Times Square as a way to encourage and uplift New Yorkers. On Friday, to commemorate the tenth anniversary, they did a repeat performance in the same spot in Duffy Square. Members of the cast from all (or at the very least, nearly all) of the Broadway shows were in attendance. Former Broadway performer and NYPD Officer Daniel Rodriguez sang "God Bless America," and then the Broadway casts performed "New York, New York." It was a great moment.

Crowds gathered at Duffy Square to see the Broadway performance

Broadway stars singing "New York, New York"

VIDEO: Broadway stars performing "New York, New York" in Times Square, 9/9/11

On September 11th, Times Square was decked out in remembrance of the anniversary.

Flags and memorials decorating the tower below the New Year's Eve ball

More flags on the other side of Times Square

More remembrance on Aeropostale's sign

American Eagle's huge sign was completely decked out as a flag

Of course, it wasn't all beautiful tributes - there were some reminders of what it really means to live in a post-9/11 New York, like road blocks in major areas of Manhattan, letting only one car through at a time. (It is my understanding that this was in response to the rumored car bomb terrorism threats last week.)

NYPD keeping the flow of traffic under control

Hoboken had its own memorials, too. Hoboken lost 57 citizens in the World Trade Center attacks, the most of any zip code. Many of those were young professionals, in their 20s and 30s. Many young husbands and wives were widowed, and many of those who were single were not even identified as missing until mail started to pile up, cars were not moved, or dogs whined to be let out. For those who were safely on this side of the river on 9/11, Hoboken has an exceptional view of downtown Manhattan and many people gathered along the Hoboken waterfront to watch the events unfold that day.

To commemorate Hoboken's ties to 9/11, they have posted plans for a new permanent memorial to be built in Pier A Park.

Flowers adorning the depiction of the future memorial

Last night Hoboken held a lovely interfaith memorial service along the water at Pier A Park, facing downtown towards where the Twin Towers once stood (now replaced in the skyline by the ever-growing new Freedom Tower, clearly visible as it now seems to be the tallest building in lower Manhattan). The Hoboken High School band played the National Anthem to start things off, the Mayor and several Senators/Congressmen spoke, and religious leaders from a wide range of religions and denominations offered their thoughts on the day.

Crowds gathering for the memorial service

And of course, at dusk, the city turned on the Tribute in Light: two beams of light to symbolize the two towers, as they have done every September 11th for the last ten years.

The Tribute in Light, now standing alongside the new Freedom Tower (the tall building with the blue lights - it was lit red, white and blue all weekend)

That evening, Hoboken made a national television appearance when a U.S. Marine played Taps in Pier A Park, which was broadcast before the Jets Sunday Night Football game. Eric and I were there for that, and it was quite moving, as Taps always is. To see that soldier playing such a touching piece with the Tribute in Light behind him was very emotional.

U.S. Marine

The scene

VIDEO: Taps/Tribute in Light at Hoboken's Pier A Park

We stuck around for a few minutes after the Taps performance to take in that beautiful skyline, and that concluded our day of remembrance.

 Our family with the Tribute in Light

All in all, it was a week filled with lovely tributes, and I'm glad to have been here to be a part of it.

Where Were You?

Today marks 10 years since our country was attacked on September 11, 2001.

I was a sophomore in college that day, still living in the University of Florida dorms with my roommate Kristina. After scheduling myself for a couple of 8:20 a.m. classes my freshman year (and rarely making it to them, for shame), I had wised up by my sophomore year and did not have any classes scheduled until 10:40 a.m. Kristina's first class was even later than that, so I was the first one up in our dorm room. I got myself ready for class and left my room around 10:30 without turning on the TV or my computer.

I walked from my dorm to my Astronomy class past the football stadium, where I overheard some students talking about a plane crash. That was all I heard, and my thought was "oh, how tragic." I had no idea that already by that point, hijacked planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and into a field in Pennsylvania. By the time I even heard my first chatter about a plane crash, both World Trade Center towers had collapsed. Thousands were already dead.

I got to class and my teacher simply said that we should try to put the morning's events out of our minds and focus on our work. I ended up dropping that class (the only one I dropped in college - I guess I'm not cut out for space science), so that was pretty pointless in my case. I still didn't have any idea what had really happened.

My next class was at 11:45 a.m. and was a sociology course entitled The Nature of Human Conflict. It had sounded like a very interesting class but ended up being sort of a joke, and we rarely did anything of value during class hours. Given what was happening that day, you would think this would be prime subject matter for a Human Conflict class. My teacher did decide we should discuss what was going on, but we got word by noon that all classes had been cancelled for the day so we were released. I still had no idea what had happened.

I went straight home to my dorm and turned on the news. I don't remember for sure if my roommate was already there; she might have been. I just sat and watched in utter disbelief at what was unfolding on the TV in front of me. I don't think we turned the news back off for days. We slept with the TV on.

I tried to get a hold of my parents by phone for some time, but the cell phone towers were so clogged it was nearly impossible to get a signal. I remember my mom was concerned that universities might be another target. I didn't feel unsafe so I was not particularly concerned, but the university did cancel that weekend's football game against Tennessee. I feel like classes were cancelled for a few more days but don't remember for sure.

I just didn't even know how to make sense of what was happening. I directed my concern towards my friends in the military, and ended up driving home through a tropical storm a week later to see a good friend who I believe was scheduled to ship out shortly thereafter.

The university held a memorial service several days later at University Auditorium and I made sure to go. It was beautiful and I wept as we sang "God Bless America." I felt such love for my country and such despair over what had happened to our people.

In September 2001, I had not yet lived in D.C. and had never even visited New York City. My first visit to New York City came six months after 9/11, in March of 2002. I visited Ground Zero during that trip and it took my breath away. At that point, they were still sorting through the rubble where the towers had stood. That metal makeshift cross still stood in its place above the debris. The sides of the surrounding buildings were still blown out, and the headstones in the cemetery at St. Paul's Chapel across the street were still blown completely over. The whole area was eerily silent - it was as if all the New York noise, hustle and bustle just came to a complete standstill there as people stopped to reflect on what had happened.

Now, 10 years later, I have called both D.C. and New York "home." I think living in these cities has perhaps helped me better understand the people and the places involved, and I can better imagine the terror, the despair, the panic, the fear that people must have felt that day. As a college sophomore, I just couldn't make sense of it. With more perspective now, I feel it more each year. Each year I rewatch that footage and just weep. I know that although I can better picture what that day may have been like for the people here, I realize that I really have no idea and could never really understand. Who can ever really imagine that? It is incomprehensible. My heart breaks for the lives lost and for those left behind without their loved ones.

But we must not only remember the tragedy, the pain, the fear and the sadness. There are also so many stories of heroism, of perseverance, of resilience. We are a strong nation made up of many extraordinary citizens who showed such bravery on that day 10 years ago, and continue today.

Today I will say a prayer for the lives lost and the loved ones who still mourn their lost friends and family. I will say a prayer of gratitude for our military, firefighters, policemen, and all those who spend their days protecting our country and its citizens. I will feel proud to be an American.

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining." 

- President George W. Bush

NYFD uniform worn by a 9/11 responder, now resting in St. Paul's Chapel across from Ground Zero

Where were you on September 11, 2001? What are you doing today to remember that day?

Cleveland and Irene

Well, we made it through the weekend! Nobody was washed out to sea or blown away or any such things. Hurricane Irene came and went, as did I. I'll tell you about our weekend today, then try to wrap up Chicago tomorrow or Friday. (Look at me, making another post out of chronological order! I really do live on the edge, don't I?)

My weekend was quite lovely. My changed-to-Friday flight got out of both NYC and Baltimore with no problem, and I was glad I changed it when I saw BWI closed down around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, about an hour after I had originally been scheduled to arrive there. So yes, my fears would have been correct: I would have spent the weekend in the Baltimore airport if I had kept my original flight. Boy, that would have been swell. Maybe next time!

But anyway, my flights were fine, and I was even able to see fireworks over Progressive Field after the Indians game as I flew in! My friend Megan picked me up at the airport and took me to my Gramps's house, where we ate some soup and hung out for a while. On Saturday, Gramps and I spent the morning and afternoon at the house, chatting and watching hurricane coverage. By that time I knew that all public transportation in NYC was going to be shut down as of noon and, in a state of wifely panic, I woke Eric up that morning, just to make sure he didn't think he should evacuate before he no longer had the option. He assured me he was fine.

Saturday afternoon Megan picked me up and took me to her apartment, where I was able to meet her boyfriend Andy (I like him!). Megan and I had some girl talk while Andy cooked us homemade fajitas (homemade tortillas and everything!), so clearly, he is an awesome guy. Dinner was delicious, and afterwards we got some ice cream from Honey Hut and watched a movie.

Sunday I went to church with my Gramps, and then he and I watched the Indians game together (a loss, boohoo). That evening Megan picked me up once again for dinner at her parents' house, where we spent a long time catching up with her folks. They're good people, and I haven't had much of an opportunity to sit and chat with them in a long time, so that was quite nice. Of course, we also picked up four more pints of local Cleveland ice cream and had ourselves an ice cream feast afterwards!

And that was pretty much my weekend in Cleveland. Monday morning I hung out with Gramps a bit more before beginning my looooooong trek home. My flights were fine, but once I arrived in Newark, things turned awful. The New Jersey Transit still wasn't back up and running (post-hurricane) from the airport, so my only real option for getting home was a bus into NYC then the PATH train back home. However, the bus that so proudly boasts arrivals "every 15 minutes" took over an hour to arrive. Luckily, I was the last person to make it on that bus (if I had been forced to wait for the next one I would have either cried or punched somebody or both), but then the bus ride took another hour, then another 45 minutes to get back to Hoboken from the city thanks to my slow walking and evening train schedules. All in all, it took me nine hours to get home from Cleveland. Google Maps tells me that if I had driven, it would have taken me 8 hours and 12 minutes. It literally would have been faster to drive. RAGE.

And can you believe I didn't take a single picture all weekend? Who am I?!

But you know who did take pictures? My dear husband, who was left back at home in Hoboken to fend for himself during the storm. He started off with some "before shots" on Saturday afternoon, before things really picked up.

Rainy, cloudy skyline

Sandbags in front of Zylo at the W Hotel

PATH station, all closed down

Restaurants boarded up

Parking meters covered over, and empty streets

Apparently the winds really started to pick up that evening. Hoboken even imposed a curfew, prohibiting anyone from driving or being on the streets as of 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. Mandatory evacuations were in effect for ground-level apartments, but because we live on the seventh floor, Eric stayed put. He took the dog for his last walk before the storm then they hunkered down.

I was pretty nervous about how Hoboken would weather the storm, because just a couple of weeks ago we got some heavy rain and western Hoboken flooded pretty badly. With Irene, they were predicting the eye to pass over us right at high tide on Sunday morning, which was expected to be disastrous. Not to mention, on any given winter day, the winds really whip through that town. There have been times that I have been sitting in our living room, thinking the wind might blow our windows right in, just on your standard blustery afternoon. Hoboken did not seem like a good place for a hurricane.

Luckily, on our side of town, things stayed pretty under control. Eric never lost power, and when things cleared out a bit on Sunday, he wandered around our part of town to survey the damage. There was some flooding down by the train station and some uprooted trees, but nothing too terrible.

Uprooted tree along the riverfront bike path

Hurricane puddles and hazy skyline

Area in front of the train station, underwater

Another downed tree by the door to our apartment

Debris marking how high the water came

Natalie Morales doing some reporting from northern Hoboken

Sign in a shop on Washington street that seems to primarily carry funny onesies for babies

By Sunday evening, the clouds were starting to clear over Manhattan and New Jersey.

Skies clearing over downtown

Clouds over the Lackawanna terminal

Looking back towards the W Hotel in Hoboken

Much clearer skyline 

And by Monday night, we were back to our beautiful sunsets.

Monday's sunset, as seen from our apartment

Of course, other parts of Hoboken were not so lucky. The western portion did, in fact, flood significantly, and many residents lost power (I think some are still without, in fact). Check out some of these pictures taken from The Boken's Flickr photostream:

Flooded streets

(credit: Brad Miller, source)

Logical.

(credit: Brad Miller, source)

Flooded ShopRite

(credit: Brad Miller, source)

The water was knee-deep

(credit: Gary, source)

Even yesterday, I was hearing more reports of mandatory evacuations in New Jersey (further inland) thanks to flooding due to rivers continuing to swell. Needless to say, we were lucky in that our portion of Hoboken avoided much damage, but others weren't so lucky. We're counting our blessings, and wishing the best to all those still facing the impact of this storm.

I hope all of you stayed warm, dry and safe this weekend!