Trust me. I do this all the time.: 4th of July Trips

Chris and I have returned safely from a whirl-wind, child-free Fourth of July trip. That's right. We went away, just the two of us. Cause? Micahl and Courtney's wedding in Manchester, CT combined with a few days visiting my childhood friend Meri in Manhattan. Its been a long time since I've covered so much ground on so many different forms of transportation in such a short time. Here's how the logistics played out:
-Thursday: Lindsay flies with Sam to Ohio, drops him with Grandparents at the airport, flies to NYC where she waits for Chris who flies directly from Houston after working a half day. Chris and Lindsay share a cab to Meri's.
-Friday: Chris and Lindsay take the Subway to Grand Central Station where they catch a commuter train to CT, where they are picked up in a rental car by a groomsman.
-Saturday: Chris and Lindsay return to train in the same rental car and return by train to NYC.
-Sunday: Chris and Lindsay stay in NYC and have a lovely, laid back day, but do travel by city bus.
-Monday: Chris and Lindsay share a cab to the airport to take separate flights - Chris to Houston to again work a half day and Lindsay to Ohio to claim the child.
-Tuesday: Lindsay and Sam fly back to Texas on a half empty regional jet that didn't have enough fuel to fly around the weather system thus requiring an unplanned stop in Memphis.

The wedding was set in a beautiful park and we are so glad that we made the trip to share the day with the happy couple. Highlights of our time in the city included walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, pizza at Grimalde's, and viewing the NYC fireworks from above on the roof of a 53 story building. And three adults sharing one 400 square foot Upper East Side studio apartment for the weekend. I must say that Meri has the space arranged so well - there was a table for dinner, beds for all, and even a place for our luggage!

Meanwhile, Sam was havi

ng the time of his life at my parents' house. Friday they took him to the Columbus Zoo (one of the best in the country) where he got to spy on a toddler elephant touch goats - which apparently was hilarious. Saturday he went to the Dublin 4th of July parade where he saw lots of dogs, had a sucker, and ice cream. Sunday he went to the neighborhood pool, complete with a "zero entry" that allowed him to run in waste deep, blow bubbles, and splash to his heart's content. And his heart was so very content that we all returned to the pool on Monday.

And those were just the outings. While at the house he also got to play with a whole host of new-to-him battery-free toys (read: Uncle Matt's circa 1986), the neighbor's swing set, the fisher price slide that hadn't been out of the attic since the late 80's, and the cat. Oh the cat. The squeals that erupted when the un-characteristically patient cat was spotted were those of pure joy. Grandma and Grandpa even let him go outside first thing in the morning - before even getting dressed!

How do I know for sure that Sam didn't get bored - not even once - at Grandma and Grandpa's house? Because of all of the things he DIDN'T touch. He didn't try to splash in the toilet, or unroll the toilet paper. He didn't empty any bookshelves, or clear off any coffee tables. He didn't even open the kitchen cabinets. No no, he saves those joys just for mommy.