Bright Lights Big City

We drove into the city Wednesday afternoon and guess what? We weren't the only ones. We inched our way thru the Lincoln Tunnel and were only nearly squashed between two very large trucks once or five times as we made our way over to Rockefeller Plaza. Whew...it was good to be parked. Really really good.

We have friends from the UK who relocated back to the US about the same time we did and they have access to some lovely apartments right in Rockefeller Plaza which they kindly allowed us to use for a couple of days. Oh the view y'all.

Why yes that is the steeple to St. Patrick's Cathedral right outside our living room window. And here's the cute little kitchen...not that I was cooking.

Wait, I did make coffee every morning.

And this is what we saw every time we walked out the front door of our building...

We were on the 24th floor and from our bedroom window we could see the crowds standing outside the Today Show. I've decided I need an apartment in Manhattan and I especially like this one across the sky(?) from us...

This apartment has it's own sweet little pool on the rooftop opposite St. Patricks. My daughter pointed out that everyone who lives above you would be watching you swim but I'm pretty sure I could live with that.

Once we were settled into our apartment (I know it isn't technically ours but let's pretend okay) we walked over to the Museum of Modern Art. I love meandering thru art museums and I love all sorts of art. And sometimes when I'm in a museum of modern art I find myself asking 'what is art'? I mean we did see Van Gogh's Starry Night...it's beautiful and haunting and also annoying to my kids that I must sing Don McClean's Starry Starry Night for the remainder of the afternoon. We saw Monet's Water Lilies which makes me long for the French countryside...sigh.

We also saw this...

My daughter the 'artiste' patiently explained to me that this type of work was a reaction to the period prior and is a statement of sorts...okay. Hey, I taught kindergarten and I can appreciate a well painted block of color or three as much as the next person.

Wednesday evening our friends arrived and they were staying in the apt. across the hall. Neighbors...how fun! When you opened the door to their apt you were greeted with a spectacular view of the Empire State Building all lit up in its Christmas colors...

Our friends pup wasn't too impressed.

We ventured out amongst the masses Wednesday evening. Actually it's pretty hard to avoid the masses if you're in NYC over the New Year holiday unless of course you're in a lovely apt. 24 floors above them but I digress. We window shopped and people watched and had a wonderful Italian dinner in a fantastic little spot. Oh and we may have taken more pictures of the tree. I mean how can you not?

Thursday we woke up early and by we I of course mean hubs and I...the kids had to be rousted out of bed at 11. We sipped our coffee with the city all around and we agreed that we could live in an apt. like this one without too much difficulty.

It was really chilly on Thursday and it was also snowing/raining a little bit so we headed over to the Expo Center to see the Titanic exhibit. It happens to sit right beside a Da Vinci exhibit so we saw that too. We made our way s-low-ly thru Times Square because really you couldn't hurry...there were people ya know. We went back to our apt and looked out the windows some more because did I mention it was on the 24th floor over Rockefeller Plaza? Plus we needed a little rest since I'm a wimp and wouldn't make it til midnight if I didn't have a cat nap.

Our friends had booked dinner for all of us at a wonderful Brazilian restaurant which was technically only about four blocks from our hotel but oops, we needed to cross Times Square and that is a whole lot easier said than done after 3 PM on New Year's Eve. Unless of course you have NY City's finest give you a personal escort right thru the middle of the million people in Times Square.

Oh yes we did. This picture isn't the best but we were walking and I didn't want to get left behind the barricade. And let me just state for the record...the NYC police were some of the nicest, most helpful, friendliest people we've ever run across. This whole Times Square thing is one gigantic headache I'm sure but they did not lose their sense of humor and really they just made our night. We essentially needed to cross one block and then walk a bit to get to the restaurant but the road was blocked and nobody was getting thru. A wonderful policeman said he'd be happy to help us and he essentially escorted us thru the barricade and right thru the middle of the Times Square crowd before handing us off to another officer who walked us the rest of the way to the restaurant. The people in Times Square are actually systematically penned...kinda like sheep...each pen holds 2000 people and when one is full they close it up using police barricades and open the next pen and on and on down the street. It is highly highly organized...there were over 15,000 NYC policemen on the square and that is not counting the federal officers mixed in with the crowd. Every sewer is searched and sealed, there were helicopters and metal detectors...it's absolutely amazing and impressive and you just have to appreciate the NYC police department. They are awesome.

And if you've never been to one of these Brazilian steak houses you really must. Unless of course you're a vegetarian because that wouldn't be good at all...these Brazilian steak houses are seriously all about the meat. There was an incredible salad bar which you could totally fill up on but the maitre d warned us to save room for the meat. They put a coaster at each place that's red on one side and green on the other and will just keep on bringing you meat until you flip that coaster to red.

And they bring it all tableside and carve it right on to your plate...prime rib, sirloin, sausages, chicken, pork tenderloin, turkey wrapped in bacon, bbq ribs, and on and on and on....thank goodness I've got the detox book and my new juicer waiting for me at home!

We were able to get a taxi after dinner and had to take the long way round to get back to our apt. but we managed. We watched the ball drop and then had a champagne toast to the new year and good friends and the NY City Police force.

We woke up in our apartment on the first day of the new year (okay so it's not really our apt.) and we sipped coffee and loved the views and packed up to head home. Back to the countryside where we really live.

We may not be 24 stories above an amazing city but it's pretty nice here too.

Happy 2010!

One more random before the calendar rolls

Here's the final random dozen of 2009...they've been fun-thanks for hosting every Wednesday Linda!

If you're reading this then you are invited to play along... answer the questions on your blog and link your answers here.

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends?

Well, I never used to but in these days of swine flu and other nastiness I definitely think twice and mostly avoid it.

2. What have you learned this year? (You didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.)

A lot. This has been a year of enormous change for me…transitioning back to life in the US has been a little bit bumpy and I’m really just now starting to feel like myself again. It’s also the first move I’ve made without children living at home so I’ve had to figure out other ways to make connections with people. I guess the biggest lesson I've been reminded of this year is this..God is always with me. Wherever I am there He is. And He is in control. Thankfully.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations?

Not before New Years Day weekend…I may even wait until the week after New Years this year.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:

Well it is December 30^th so if there is something I better get busy! I can’t really think of anything that can’t wait til January 1.

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)?

I love it in the beginning but I tire of it and always feel so ready for spring. And spring is a big tease…we’ll get a few beautiful mild days in early March and think yay! Spring! and then it turns arctic again. I hate those late snows that we are bound to get here, say like in April…ugh.

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales?

Not for myself but I’m looking for nice boots for my girls

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?

Yes we do…New York City baby…we have friends with an apt. in Rockefeller Plaza and we’re joining them…we will not be getting into the madness right on the street but we’ll have a great view of it all from the warmth and safety of the apartment…we’re going to do some fun stuff in the city too…maybe some museums plus my girls want to go skating in Central Park so it will be fun.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January?

Um, a new year? I think that's pretty special. I like the feeling of a fresh start.

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.)

Well, we moved back to the US after living in England for the past six years and I think it is safe to say it’s been a little bit of all of the above.

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please do not lie. I will know.

About an hour…some days none and some days it might be two hours. I wake up very early and that’s generally when I get online. I check my favorites and read updates and then maybe write a post for my own blog (I usually add 3-4 posts per week to my own blog). I typically look at my dashboard again late in the day or evening to see if there are comments or updates on my faves.

11. Who runs your household?

We’re a good team. My husband is a hard worker and is very neat…if he sees something that needs doing he just does it…I never have to ask him to help. I do pretty much all the cooking/shopping/bill pay/laundry and the basic daily ‘pick up’ although he is happy to go to the store with me, throw in laundry if needed, and he manages the big picture money -retirement accounts, college tuition, 401 K stuff-I do the living expense side of the money … I also manage the calendar/appts/stuff for the kids. My husband has a pretty intense job that requires travel but he still cleans the shower, bbqs, and likes to vacuum…it works for us.

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010.

Other than contentment and good health for my family…my oldest daughter is graduating from university this spring and I’d love to see her land a job that she enjoys that would allow her to support herself.

And I’d like to see a big chunk of our elected officials booted out of office. Seriously…I’m tired of pretty much the whole lot.

That’s two things. Sorry.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Kindred Spirits

I'm reading on a whole lot of blogs about all the industrious people out there who take down their tree and put everything away in the first few days after Christmas. What is up with that? We normally put everything away New Year's weekend but we may even wait until the week after New Years Day this year. I feel like it took me most of the month to get it all perfectly in place and I'm just not ready to pack it all up yet.

We've had a relaxing few days...My husband bought himself the girls a Wii for Christmas so we're going to have the girls show us how to play that today. We've done a little shopping and on Sunday afternoon we went to see Sherlock Holmes. I'm not a huge Jude Law fan but he and Robert Downey were both really good in this and they made a great team. We all enjoyed the movie.

Last night some old friends invited us to their home for dinner. Way back in 1991 daughter1 started preschool two mornings a week. We were living in NJ then too, in a town about a half an hour away from where we live now. Daughter1 was sweet. Very very sweet. As a toddler she was not one to dive into anything...she was reserved but observant....a thoughtful little girl who always seemed wise when it came to understanding people. She is still very much that child. Adult.

Anyway, on her very first day of preschool she and another little girl, also feeling a little bit hesitant, met and in that instant a friendship was born. And their little friendship was one of the absolute sweetest things in the world to witness...C's mom and I used to say that it reminded us of something we had in college...we had never seen two young children connect like these two little cuties did at the tender age of 3 1/2. They were kindred spirits from the moment they said hello.

We moved from NJ to Maryland when daughter1 was only six years old but these two girls remained friends. Every summer they'd spend a week at each others houses and every summer they'd pick right back up where they'd left off the summer before. We moved overseas when daughter1 turned 15 years old so the visits stopped. We traded Christmas cards but fell mostly out of touch...life happens. Then in the summer of 2007 we were in the area and decided to just knock on their door and say hello. When children move thru their teens and on into their young adult selves you wonder if a friendship born at the age of three will still be there and we were a little bit nervous as we waited on their front porch. There was no need to feel anxious though...they were home, invited us in and again, it was like we'd never been apart. And they also just happened to have a trip to London planned for that Christmas so we all ended up ringing in the New Year of 2008 together at our home in England.

And so now here we are, nearly 2010... we are once again living in NJ some 15+ years after we moved away...all the girls are home from university for the Christmas holiday so we got the families together for dinner last night. And the girls still talk a mile a minute and they still share a connection that is oh so sweet. There is no awkwardness, no uncomfortable silences...just chatter and smiles and laughter.

Kindred spirits still.

Puttin' away the Punch Bowl

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration this year...the first few days after Christmas always feel a little funny. We've spent so much time getting ready for the day and waiting for the day and then it's here and its over. It sure was nice though.

My mom, sister, brother in law, and neice all arrived on Christmas Eve. We had a big turkey dinner with all the trimmings...I have the Portmerion Christmas dishes which I absolutely love. Gotta give a shout out to the beautiful pottery ya know...

My husband always reads Twas the Night Before Christmas to the girls before they go to bed. Well, actually, now that they are older we're pretty much the ones going to bed and they stay up late late late but you get the idea. And our book is in a box in the basement that has not been unpacked so he was forced to read it off a printed copy this year. He knows it by heart but reading the story is a tradition carried over from his own childhood and sometimes when he reads it the memories come a calling so it's best to have the words at hand.

We always open one gift on Christmas Eve and it is always jammies of some sort for all the girls.

We finish up the wrapping later in the evening and are all set for Christmas morning....

One of our Christmas morning traditions is to take a photograph of the girls sitting on the steps before they come into the tree room.

And this house also has a railing across the upstairs hallway so they were forced to stop smiled for a photo there too.

And we may have actually taken two or three or ten pictures on the steps because they're so cute plus its fun to prolong the anticipation of the morning. They may or may not agree.

.

We really do our stockings up big and like to take our time with those and watch everyone open...and we snack on bubble bread and a delicious cake my mom's neighbor gives us every year.

And our sweet pup may have also sampled the Bubble bread when we were out of the room and suffice it to say it is sticky. Very very sticky. Daughter1 tried to capture the cleanup in a photo but Santa wasn't laughing so she changed her mind.

It felt like we opened gifts all day. My brother and his wife arrived about 10 am from my sister in law's house where they'd spent Christmas Eve ... they were just in time for the traditional Christmas breakfast of sausage and egg casserole. My younger sister and her family arrived about noon...they have a 3 1/2 year old son and he opened his gifts from Santa at home before they drove up to our house. He got a Spiderman costume from my brother and sister in law and that was pretty much what he wore all day long. It was fun to have a very excited little boy in the house this year.

We had a super yummy glazed ham for Christmas dinner....my girls are such a great help in the kitchen

They both enjoy cooking which is really fun for me. Here is Audrey Hepburn daughter2 making the squash casserole.

I had Christmas crackers from England and we had fun with those. You absolutely have to wear the crown...it's the law you know.

As if all of this weren't enough excitement (not to mention calories!) my sister's birthday is the day after Christmas so we had a little party for her on the 26th. We took some family pictures too since we don't have everyone all together very often...

And then it was time for everyone to head home. Sigh. I'm always a little bit sad to see it come to an end...to pull out the vacuum and take the leaves out of the tables, and pack away the punch bowl. A friend of mine (thanks Donna!) posted this quote by Stuart Briscoe on her fb page recently and I told her I was going to add it to my blog because I loved the message so much...it is a lovely reminder that Christmas never really ends.

"The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world."

The Rockettes Can Eat All The Christmas Cookies They Want

We spent the past day and a half in NYC looking at the lights...

admiring the store window decorations

and taking in all the sights and sounds of the city at Christmas

We ate lunch in Grand Central Station which had a little Christmas market happening along with a laser light show

We went up to the Top of the Rock as it is known...this is the 67th floor of the GE Building in Rockefeller Plaza where you get fantastic views of the city...

Can you tell it was cold up there?

And then last night we had tickets to The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall...may I just say it is appropriately named...

It's spectacular! My daughter and I decided that the muscles in the Rockettes legs must be like rubber bands. They probably don't even have to work to kick their foot up to their eyebrow anymore...we think it just pops up there on its own. The precision of these dancers is positively amazing. I love the soldier dance the best...they all fall like dominoes and it is truly something to see

My favorite part of the show is the live nativity. When they burst into Hark the Herald Angels Sing I want to cry...'Hail the Heaven Born Prince of Peace, Hail the Son of Righteousness'...that bit gives me goosebumps it is so beautifully done.

After the show we took a carriage ride around and thru the park...

did I mention it was cold?

Here's something fun...today we popped into the Hilton for breakfast and on the way out we happened to see this...

It is a real live Christmas tree dipped in chocolate. Amazing! All the presents and nutcrackers and Santas under the tree are also made of chocolate. And speaking of chocolate...this was my daughter's dessert last night.

What was I saying? Oh yeah...after breakfast we walked down 5th Avenue and my girls and I all picked out jewelry in Tiffanys. We didn't actually buy any...just picked some out that we liked in case hubs needs to do anymore shopping . Then we popped into FAO Swartz kinda for old times sake. The store is still alot of fun...

In fact few things are more festive or more fun than NYC in December...

especially when shared with your favorite people in the whole wide world.