Sar-Bear's moments ...

Moments – mere seconds and minutes in time; with the sole purpose of being captured and enjoyed. Over the past week and a half, Heather and I have been flooded with more moments than we can count. They have claimed a variety of locations, smells, tastes, feelings, and emotions.
As I sit here amongst the sounds of summer and life, I am able to appreciate the events that have unfolded over the past days. And I feel privileged that Heather has asked me to include you in our adventure.
Side-kicks could not begin to describe the relationship that Heather and I share. I choose to believe that it is rare to find another individual who truly brings your spirit alive in such a familiar way – especially within your own family. I have been blessed to not only find common blood but also similar desires, dreams, and humor in my cousin; and to have witnessed the distinct change in her that is so evident in the time line of this blog. Alas, it is not surprising to discover that we travel so well together (or is it  ).
The seed of an idea that was traveling to New York eventually led to attempted planning – and in the end the trip actually grew out of complete Spontaneity! Neither of us could “responsibly” afford this amazing experience, yet that did not stop the wonder that is a line of credit. To summarize, we came, we saw, and we shopped. Thank-goodness that New York City is alive 24 hours a day – because if not, Heather and I would have been limited almost entirely to 5th Avenue (where the shops were). Fortunately, we were able to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge while Manhattan was alive with lights of night. We pointed out the illuminated time square from the top of the Empire State building at 1:30 AM (one of the last groups allowed in), and we felt the slightly cooler night breeze on the Stanton Island ferry to catch a glimpse of Liberty. We also were able to witness the color and music of the Gay Pride Parade down Broadway and 5th Avenue, something that filled us with the feeling of individual empowerment. We visited the MoMA, Central Park, and spent a memorable night with Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha. Each of these moments were filled with large scale amazement that expanded our individual horizons. However, they are not the moments that I truly treasure the most. Our pictures reflect what was most important on the trip – simply spending moments together. Standing at the edge of a water fountain sharing the dreams we had for the future, enjoying bottles of wine, talking about life and love, and bursting into uncontrollable fits of giggles, or skinny dipping in Lake Ontario. Without question our similar hearts bond us together and the fun we have just magnifies this love and kinship. Sharing and enjoying these moments inspired me and pushed me to be present and alive in each moment. The conversations always bring different things to light and challenge me to always be open to all that is in and beside my path. I feel lucky to have seen this trip not only through two but four eyes - to have shared tastes, feeling, and smells - and to have heard such eloquent four letter words that can truly capture and describe almost any situation.