NYC Girls' Weekend rocked our socks

First Night: WICKED on Broadway

We had seen this in Dallas, but at a ginormous theatre that has bad acoustics and you can't see from the cheap seats...so we went to see it Right: at the Sherwin Theatre

18 rows back (instead of 100)

WOW! the costumes, the voices, the dancing, not to mention we LOVE the music!

Then, I knew Maddie would be in AWE of Times' Square

at nearly midnight:

tons of people

stores open

gelato-eating

neon signs bigger than anything in our part of Texas

(which is hard to believe since "everything is bigger in Texas"--have any Texans been to NYC???)

Yes, when Maddie saw the HUGE Hershey's store, she started hyperventilating; the smell was intoxicating; the candy, overwhelming; and the size of licorice (which she picked out for Ted as he has a daily habit of Twizzlers; but the ones we brought home were the size of our carry-on suitcases)

and of course, the price :)

Wondering what's on Broadway this year?

Next stop: Brooklyn Bridge with my sister, Emily

who lives in Brooklyn

How lucky do you get to find an old friend

from our neighborhood in Texas

who goes to school in NYC

and his dad works at the Empire State Building?!?

(and has Guest Passes for anyone who wants to go to the top)

[and save $20 per person?]

They say optimistic people are lucky

because they believe good things can happen,

which I have always found to be true!

We lucked out!

Thanks, Joey and Romello, for taking us up and giving us a great view of NYC!

FAMOUS SITES DAY

This one might not be famous, but it is amazing; a temple and a chapel of our church

is right in the middle of the Lincoln Center area of NYC!

We went inside and it was COMPLETELY quiet, serene and unique.

Here's the ferry we rode to Staten Island.

It's the one FREE thing to do (besides hang out in Central Park)

Maddie aims for a fantastic shot...

This started our shopping day:

big smiles

lots of stores

Maddie's saved up money

she was in heaven

I was not (waiting for others to shop is undoubtedly less exciting than shopping for yourself)

Welcome, Robyn, to motherhood of a teenage daughter.

I  tried to smile and oooh and aaaah as much as possible.

She was more aware of store name brands than all the famous sites

(which is why there aren't many photos on here...the Metropolitan Opera? the Metropolitan Museum? the Guggenheim? the Chrysler Building? Macy's? (what?!), Columbus Circle & the Plaza Hotel?)

a 12 year old doesn't have too much interest in these places

which is okay because I saw them all the summer I was a nanny in nearby "Jersey" back in '86.

Central Park art in the making...

I saved the best for last:

My nephew, Jonah, and his family (my bro, Mike and his wife, Erin) who let us bunk with them, who took us on the Food Tour (see earlier blog), who stayed up playing cards and eating candy (it was like a poker night, but without the chips and drinks...I'll raise you a Jordan almond...I'll see that and raise you a piece of chocolate!)

Actually, we didn't even play poker, but having all the candy around just made me feel like we were in some pool hall...albeit, MUCH smaller, no smoke, no loud music...no, I take that back: the spiritual 'concert' put on by the neighboring Dominican church praised the Lord in song til 1:00am on Saturday night...at least it's my favorite kind of music: Salsa with a spiritual twist...

The MANY, ZANY faces of Jonah:

This 'SURPRISED FACE' is a favorite and just made the whole trip!

Being with such an exuberant little guy, who loves to run, to tackle, to sing and play, and who makes faces on command, is so much fun!! And hearing a little voice say, "I happy!" each morning to his mom is a tribute to his happy parents, but also a real insight into his little soul. He came to earth happy and I have no doubt that he will bring happiness to tons of people while he's here.

Erin, Mike, Emily, and Jonah: thanks! and we love you!