Nicole Tasker Woods

Eleven days ago, we flew from Los Angeles to Sicily with a layover in Amsterdam and Rome. After 24 hours of nonstop travel, we finally arrived in Taormina, where we would stay for a week & a wedding before heading to Lucern, Switzerland. 

We have longed to return to this Swiss city after traveling to it seven years ago. We wanted to see if the fun we had back then could be replicated today. Yes, it can. So much so that we have started mentally planning to include Switzerland in our 2016 European vacation with the Big A. 
We did some hiking in Lauterbrunnen that is right up Aidan’s alley. It was all downhill at a low grade and was not hard by any means (I did it after all). To start this hike, you must first take a cable car and a train up the mountain–both Aidan would love! While I will admit that Switzerland is a fairly expensive country, hiking is one of those things you can do for free and you enjoy doing because he sights are just spectacular, the air is clean & crisp, and it’s free (wait, did I say that already?). 

When we travel to Europe next year with Aidan in tow, we would do it a little differently than we are doing it now without him here. Less meals out and more grocery shopping at the COOP. We would seek out the less expensive things to do and see. And we would cut back on the perusing of designer handbag & shoes, and amp up the chachki shopping. 

Traveling has become such a big part of our lives (since before Aidan was born) that we looking forward to sharing those abroad experiences with our son. 

This is A’s latest catch phrase, ‘Hey booday!’ I can only guess he picked it up from listening to the radio. It sounds sort of like Megan Trainer is saying ‘booday, booday’ in one of her song — at least that’s what Aidan thinks. 

It’s 5:09am in Sicily. Ryan & I have been awake for over an hour. Wifi has ceased to function so as I type this, I realize now it will need to be saved as a draft for posting at a later time when wifi is accessible. 

I doubt we get back to sleep. A nap is definitely on the agenda for this afternoon. As soon as the sun pokes its head, we plan to walk to the beach. 

Missing our Aidan. So when I say to Ryan, ‘hey booday!’ We both smile. 

It is finally the Friday after our biggest film of the year opened. It is always a bear working on one film, crossing all the t’s & dotting all the i’s. But now I can say it is finally over!

Now we have 3 easy days next week then we start a mini vacation off from work from Dec 25 through Jan 2. We don’t go back to the office until Jan 5! Crazy. Love it!

My mom came into town for 8 glorious days in sunny California.  She got a break from the dreary New Hampshire cold and some much needed time with the kiddos: Aidan, Olivia & Sophia.  She also hung out with Curtis & myself as well!

Whether she was hanging with my family or with Curtis’ or if all of us were together, it was a great time to spend with family. We made some great memories at the Americana watching the water & light show, riding the trolley and waiting for fake snow to fall down on our heads. I think Aidan may have even tried to catch some in his mouth!

It didn’t feel like a long enough visit. We all got so used to seeing her everyday that this morning as I was getting Aidan ready for school he asked, “When is Grammy D coming over?” and “Is Grammy D picking me up from school?”  It broke my heart to tell him that she had gone back to NH to be with Grampa Jeff. To that he cried, “But I want to go to NH and see Grampa Jeff!”

Today I said goodbye to some colleagues that I have known and worked with for many years. A very sad day indeed.

I’m finding it harder to ‘be’ in the moment. I find my mind wandering to the minute that moment is over; then an hour later when I’ll be remembering that moment; and then the day after when that moment is a distant memory.

Sometimes I think about having no more tomorrows. It seems impossible, no matter what I do or how many pictures I take – I can’t make those moments last longer. Moments become memories too quickly.

Instead of living in the moment, I anticipate future moments; think of the next memory yet to be made. Waiting for something to happen can feel like eternity. But then when that something occurs, its over before you know it.

When I was young, our family vacations were primarily in Florida in the month of February. My memories of these trips are all rolled into one big cloud, so I can’t differentiate which year we did what, but it always started with the mini van.

We’d all load up into that mini van at the crack of dawn; me in the way back, Curt & Kyle in the middle, then Mom & Dad in the front. Dad did all the driving, which consisted of twenty-some-odd hours from New Hampshire to Florida. He would drive all night! Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and everyone else would be sleeping except me & Dad. I’d watch him driving in the dark, some years it would be a blizzard or torrential rain and would take us a lot longer to get to to the sunshine state. I remember one trip down south when I saw Dad sniffing a bottle of glasses cleaner to help keep him awake & alert.

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I hate running, but it’s the only exercise I have time to get at 5am, Monday through Friday. I rejoice at the end of my Friday morning run because I know I get the next 2 days off. Recently, though, I went for a run at 7:45pm when it was still sunny & warm (Aidan hit the hay early that night) and I enjoyed it immensely. I think that I might have to work that into my nightly routine once or twice a week to up my mileage. I love food and I just don’t burn calories like I used to when I was in my 20’s. I do hate getting old. But I think I hate running more.

We went to Target this past weekend so that Aidan could pick out a plate he liked, around which I would build a theme for his birthday party next month. The party store was overwhelming: between the balloons & candy on display, he had a hard time focusing on the plates & napkins. Who could blame him!

Target had less stuff and more of a unique selection so after much debate, he chose the dinosaur plates. Dino party it is!

I picked out some big & small dino plates as well as matching napkins. Now I’m running wild with ideas for the decorations, the cake, a bouncy house & party favors for the kiddies who come to the party. Ryan is in charge of the BBQ food and I’m doing everything else–yay! I’m having fun ordering things online like small, colorful dinosaur figurines, bubbles with dinosaurs on the caps, and a triceratops pinata (of course). They have these pinatas that come with a 19-pull-string kit so that no one has to smack it with a bat to crack it open – which is pretty hard for a 3 year old. Instead, all the kids line up & each one takes a turn pulling a string; only one string will release the candies & tiny toys to the ground.

The bakery I used last year for Aidan’s car-themed party did a great job making a landscape/race-track with cars on top that I had provided them.  So I’m going to see if they’ll do something just as cool for a dino cake. I already bought a dozen small palm trees as well as a dinosaur figurine that can be put on the cake. Maybe they can make a volcano too? Who knows! The possibilities are limitless!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – this is such a vivid memory for me.

Road trip in the back seat of Melinda’s car with Carrie & Marcie, on our way to North Conway for a long weekend. Melinda cranking up the volume and jiving to this song.

There’s absolutely nothing better than getting out of work at 1:00pm before a long, holiday weekend and then having a date night with your best friend.  Can’t wait to sit and eat and drink with my best girl, Jennifer, and watch some shirtless Zac.  Take it off Efron!  Take it all off!!!