Temple With Friends

 Ahhhh, good to be home.

Good to start my mornings in the sunroom praying, reading scriptures, 

and pondering passages in a wonderful book by Terryl and Fiona Givens,

All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation and Everything In Between.

Good to be in my home gym moving and stretching with my Barre workout.

Good to be in the temple with my friends.

I'm making a commitment this holiday season to better balance

helping others with things I want to do to celebrate Christmas.

Like parties and time with friends!

Last year I only had a couple of Christmas parties, and I missed the one I was most looking forward to when I was needed to help someone in need.

It's not so much that I missed the party, but that I didn't have any other gatherings to look forward to.

Hence, the impetus to host a big party with friends.

I'm also on the planning committee for the RS Christmas dinner.

(Not sure why they didn't have it last year, but I missed it.

This ward's tradition is to have it at someone's home and I LOVE the intimate setting 

rather than having it at the church.)

Dan and I are making holiday plans and I've also tried to say "yes" to as many events as possible.

Starting with doing Initiatory at the temple with friends and lunch afterward.

All five of us (Andrea not pictured) sat on a couch in the waiting room together 

and we got lots of smiles from the older ladies also waiting. 

I used to prefer going to the temple alone--

desperate for inspiration and crying over teenagers, basically.

(I know, I know, they're such good kids! What could I possibly have to worry about?)

But going with friends had me looking forward to today all week.

(By the way, one family name I did was from the 1700's Holy Roman Empire!)

Lunch afterward at Greek City Grill

then home to start decorating for Christmas!

I didn't get as far as I wanted to, and the garland is still where it crashed down,

I'm just carefully walking with a wide berth whenever

I pass through the dining room so I don't step on any glass. 

I was going to make a healthy dinner tonight,

but Chris came home and hoped we could get Cafe Rio.

So we did.

Home with a Crash

 As I arrive home, Dan and Nick are headed to Austin for a race at COTA.

Dan had a whirlwind day, but still was willing (I offered to get an Uber!) to pick me up at the airport,

take me straight to my bodywork appointment (still working on my neck), 

and pick me back up afterward, with only minutes to spare to get on the road for his own trip.

His generosity with time is one of the many things I love about him.

I spent the afternoon working on the Christmas card,

writing a highlight for everyone (and trying to make the words conform to the text space on the card that can't be modified). Also getting a pic of each of the kids and trying to fit those pics into the picture space that also can't be modified.

(I ended up downloading a picstitch app so I could turn the four pictures into one.

It was quite a process but actually fun, every step of the way.)

Just as I was sitting down to dinner, Chris came in.

While we were catching up,

a huge crash accompanied with lots of jingling came from the other room.

I was so glad Chris was home because it sounded like someone had barged through the back door--

the one with the jingle bells on it.

If I'd been home alone, I might have had a heart attack!

Not an intruder, but the garland crashing off the mantle. I'm not sure which is worse.

The jingling was from the bells on the garland and the sound of breaking glass was ornaments shattering.

I'm too tired to deal with it today.

Tomorrow. 

I'm much better at tackling problems when I've had a good night's sleep.

Also, it was in the dining room so it was easy to ignore as I didn't have to look at it.

(I should take a minute to appreciate the ladies who hung the garland 

while I was out of town and I got to come home to a festive holiday home.)

Instead, I ate dinner in front of the TV and watched three episodes of Call the Midwife.

I can never get through an episode without tearing up. 

I think the theme music creates a Pavlovian response in me now--

all my cares melt away as I spend time with my lovely friends at Nonatus House.

Bye for a While

Today was very quiet and calm and restful.

The morning was relaxing and I could linger over thoughts and plans.

(Last night I sent out our Christmas party invitation and it was very fun to wake up to lots of RSVP's!)

I had a couple of errands I needed to run for Courtney 

which was the perfect excuse to get out of the house.

Darn, I wish I'd known about this Depeche Mode concert!

To the tailor on Columbus to ask about hemming.

To Nordstroms to make a return and set up an alteration.

A little shopping and surprise! got to see Santa arrive!

To Columbus Square to walk around the Christmas Market.

Found a messenger-style shopping tote that folds into the tiniest bag but holds 60 lbs.

Exactly what I was looking for!

Walked to Central Park Visitor's Center. Didn't buy a coffee table book, but did buy a mug.

Then walked to The Met to buy another mug. (We need mugs for winter, so why not buy them from different venues we visit around the city?)

Appreciating all the Christmas decoration ideas.

Walked back across the park to home.

The cleaning lady was still there so I spent time in the living room blogging.

More blogging during dinner (I ordered from Patsy's again!)

and worked on our Christmas card.

Goodbye New York. I head home tomorrow.

I'll miss you!

FAO Schwartz

Dan left early this morning and Lizzie and Emi had to leave before noon.

So we had just enough time to do the last thing on our list -- 

FAO Schwartz.

(I can't believe we did everything we wanted to this week!)

We got to Rockefeller Center just after 9:00 when the store opened

and didn't have any lines and the store wasn't too crowded.

We got to see everything and Emi even got to choose a Christmas present

(Marty really wanted to get her something!)

On the way home she was very surprised and excited about the train coming.

Emi's already a New Yorker!

Lizzie is heading home to Colorado and a week alone with Emi

while Marty goes to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia) to work from the office there.

Good luck, Lizzie!

I had a plan for something I wanted to do that afternoon, but I didn't want to say anything in front of Lizzie because it seemed mean to mention that while she was wrangling a baby on the airplane...

I was taking Marty to get a foot massage.

I found a place in our neighborhood and

thought it would be fun to take everyone while they were here, but we didn't have time.

But I wasn't going to miss out! Marty and I loved it.

The rest of the day we did laundry, replaced the sheets, tidied up and 

chilled and worked on our computers.

Michael and Courtney came over for dinner and pretty soon it was time for Marty to leave.

He was taking the subway to Penn Station to the train to Philly to the airport to get a rental car to drive to Kennett Square. Good luck, Marty!

I changed my flight to go home Wednesday instead of Tuesday. 

I'm looking forward to a day alone cleaning up and getting organized and not worrying about everything waiting for me back home.

Leftovers, Pie and Ice Cream

The party is coming to an end--

Chris and Nick went home this morning.

The rest of us went to church, and Marty & Lizzie knew the couple sitting across from us.

He was a missionary in their mission.

And Marty knew a second guy who was in the accounting program at BYU.

After church, Marty and Lizzie went to Hamilton 

and Courtney and I made pies because

some people were a little disappointed that we didn't have real pie on Thanksgiving.

Courtney made the crust while she was babysitting Emi, so she'd already done the hard part.

Pumpkin, pecan and apple! Don't they look pretty?

Emi needed a little break before dinner, so I took her to the playroom

where she could run around and explore somewhere new.

Bob and Rhonda joined us for second Thanksgiving. We were all so happy to 

get to enjoy leftovers now that we have an apartment here!

And pie and ice cream! 

(And we're still working through our 80 chocolates!)

Saturday in the Park

Family photo shoot in Central Park.

Thanks everyone for being willing!

The Met -- another start together then split up then find someone then go off in different groups.

Over and over we ran into someone from our family looking for someone else.

Manet and Degas side-by-side exhibit,

Impressionist gallery,

Christmas Tree and creche

Modern art, Asian art, statues.

The one thing I wanted to see but we didn't have time was the baseball card collection.

Not a bad thing to have something for another time.

Serendipity 3 for lunch and dessert!

Ice Skating at Wollman Rink

(Dan hurt his ankle a few weeks ago so he skipped skating and took Emi home for a nap.)

I face planted!

Courtney recognized that I wasn't so old that when I fell she was worried.

But I recognized that I was old enough that when I fell and the attendant checked on me, 

I was appreciative.

The kids went to Sweeney Todd and Dan and I stayed home with Emi.

(She went to sleep as soon as they left. A pretty easy gig, and we were happy for down time!)

In spite of my worry about the plot last week,

they all loved it! Instead of gory, it was more comical.

A dozen Krispy Kreme afterward and pizza.

Black Friday Fun

Marty really wanted to go out to breakfast one morning, which takes some coordinating to get everyone up and out the door early enough to get to our next activity on time.

We'd bought breakfast fixins so that our mornings could be more leisurely,

but I have to say, there's something really great about sitting together at a restaurant.

Everyone is actually present and I'm so glad we did it because the boys are really fun and funny when they're together.

Courtney introduced us to a super fun new version of Escape Room --

"Beat the Bomb" in Brooklyn.

It's more of a video game format and everyone works together.

It was sooo fun and I'd definitely do it again and again if we had one in Utah.

You wear hazmat suits because if you don't beat the timer on the last mission,

you get paint splattered!

She and Michael had done it before, so they watched Emi so the rest of us could go play.

After Beat the Bomb, we ate ice cream under the backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge

while we waited for the ferry back to Manhattan,

(not shown here: the confusion in buying tickets and figuring out the ferry schedule even though it was listed on the gates. But we figured it out!)

...then Nick took us to Il Fiore Pizza with top reviews from a TikTok pizza guy.

We concur, it was delicious! (And plenty of seating on the main level and upstairs!)

Garlic knots were soft and needed just a little bit of salt to be perfect.

Courtney had her first solo trip with a baby, on the subway and through the packed streets to meet us in SoHo where we did some Black Friday shopping. She did great! (And so did Emi!)

We divided and conquered -- 

Marty & Lizzie to Vuori; Mom & Courtney to Aritzia; Nick & Chris to the Nike store;

Dad & Emi to cupcakes, then the park and even walked to Little Italy to see the lights

while Emi had a little nap.

Then Mom, Lizzie & Courtney shopped for a new jacket for Lizzie so she could match Emi (and Courtney); Marty & Nicholas to Uniqlo; Chris traveled 90 minutes home and back to meet us again so he could catch a 20 minute nap.

Dinner near Bryant Park at Burgers & Lobster, a restaurant all the Chatham guys like to go to in New York. Burgers and lobster, what's not to like?

Then up and down the worlds longest elevator (not sure if this is an accurate fact),

from the subway to Hudson Yards.

Views of Manhattan from The Edge (at Hudson Yards).

Neither me nor Rhonda could stand on the glass. 

But everyone else did it.

The glass walls angle out and yes, they're freaky.

Courtney convinced the boys to lean against them for the photo.

Plenty of great views with solid ground under you.

When we came back home I overheard Dan telling the conceirge, 

"This is my whole family! We're all together!"

It's so fun having all the kids in the same place at once, of course we want to share it with everyone!