NYC Part 1: Stay Puff

This last weekend I had an amazing opportunity to travel to New York City for four days. My mom, her best friend Pam, Pam's daughter Amanda, our family friend Carin, and her friend Angie, and myself all flew to NY and spent four days on the town. Rather than giving a quick overview of the fun times we had, I think I'll share my experiences in little excerpts - there's too much to say to condense it down to one entry. So, here's my first little story:

Although I've dodged morning sickness and am reveling in the joys of dairy products, I have recently developed a common symptom of pregnancy: swollen feet. My feet are normally very narrow. Long, but thin. My mom told me over the weekend that my feet were so long when I was born that I skipped right over the first newborn size of booties! When I was starting school as a child, I remember being so sad because all the girls wore these black, patent leather slip-on shoes, but my heel was so narrow that they refused to do more than slip-off. Luckily, the Mary Jane style has staying power, and I could wear shiny black shoes that buckled my long, skinny feet in. Tap shoes always have buckles, and I went through a phase where I went everywhere in my black tap shoes.

Recently, however, straps that buckle have proven to be a menace. Throughout the day my feet seem to be built a bit like Ballpark Franks - plumping up to three times their normal size. This growth has systematically diminished my shoe selection (with Jack's help, of course). At home, I'm pretty good about propping them up, and I spend much of my teaching time seated at the podium now. But in NYC, there was so much to see, so much to do! We walked and walked, traversing nearly every neighborhood on the island of Manhattan. When we got back to the hotel room each night, my mom, Pam, and Amanda were kind enough to fill zip lock bags with ice and pile up a mountain of feather pillows so that we could coax my feet into normal, human shape - you know, where there are ankle bones visible and your toes don't have dimples. Pretty much I looked (and felt at times) like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man clomping my way down the streets of NY. It was worth it, though! Definitely worth it. :) Stay tuned for more stories from the Big Apple...