Laughter on a Monday

It was back to work for me this morning. It wasn't fun after being home with Anthony and Braden since last Tuesday! The new light-rail train opened here in the Valley and I was really excited about it. There is a stop literally across the street from my office and my company gives us a free fare card. There is also a park and ride less than 10-minutes from our house. So, I got in my car this morning and headed to the park and ride to get on the train. It was a flash back to when I lived in DC and was able to take the Metro to work everyday. I loved it in DC... it was quick, convenient and practical. Let's just say I wouldn't use the same adjectives to describe the experience I had today! When I drive to work it takes me about 25-minutes. It took me over an hour to get to work and and hour and twenty minutes to get home from work taking the train! I will give them some slack since it was the first "work" day when they were running. And they are letting people ride for free until the 1st, so the fact that more families visited downtown Phoenix today than in months didn't help (or the fact that they all decided to go home at rush hour). However, the fact that the train has to stop for red lights doesn't help with it's efficiency either! We literally stopped at a station and then stoped again in 10 feet at a red light. It wasn't too bad on the way in because the train wasn't crowded and I was able to sit and read a magazine. Plus, it didn't really matter that I was late. However, the ride home was no where near as relaxing as it was so crowded I couldn't get on the first train that came to the station and then when I did get on a train I couldn't even lift my arms! And it is true that many people do not smell good when you are packed in together on mass transit. Add all this to the fact that I just wanted to get home to my boys! So, I am willing to give it another try once the novelty wears off, but I really can't justify more than doubling my commute time both ways. What I'm hoping for now is that enough other people will find the train convenient and make my commute in on the highway even better (by the way, it took 18-minutes to get to work today)!

Thankfully I had my 2 boys to come home to and Braden was in a great mood when he got up from his nap. We got him laughing and were able to catch it on video (see below). He loves when we put something on our head and let it fall off - which is what he is laughing at. He also had a bath this evening and he loves taking a bath. I can't wait for his swim lessons to start! Unfortunately they were pushed back to late January because the pool is delayed in its opening. One other random thing, Braden has this cute way of grasping his hands in front of him. I haven't caught a picture of it yet, but we were watching The Sound of Music last night and I realized that the way Gretal holds her hands in the scene when they are singing at the Salzburg Festival is how Braden holds his hands! I'll always think of him at this stage when I watch that movie from here on out! By the way, Braden is 7-months old today! Crazy...