It's here! NYC 2022!

 The most anticipated trip has arrived! Paisley and I were so excited we just couldn't stand it! We all met up at SLC airport ready to rock and roll! Knowing this red-eye is brutal we came prepared with pillows, sleep aids, earbuds and snacks. Jon drove us up to pick up a giddy Ashley and Vi, and then on to the airport to meet up with Sadie and her girls. The flight wasn't too bad, I feel like I actually slept a little. When we landed Paisley and I had put together a little "freshen up" kit to revive us in the airport bathroom. We had managed to fit everything into one suitcase, so maneuvering the subway and streets wasn't too cumbersome. We arrived to a rainy New York, but not too cold at all. The maneuvering, subway and rain was actually fun to see Paisley experience! We're in New York!!!

Here we go! As tired as we were, we were all so excited! It was fun for Paisley to have her first subway ride! We first headed to our hotel in the drizzling rain to drop off our luggage. It was so nice to not have to drag that around anymore.

The girls were so excited to see Times Square! The dark clouds and rain made it feel all the more dramatic. What a vibe!

We made it!

We had lunch at Juniors right in Times Square. It was nice to sit and refuel and we could see the girls starting to get droopy-eyed. I think several girls napped right at the table.

We headed back out in the drizzle and popped into shops. We marveled at the M&M Factory- mainly that people were snatching up so much merchandise!

Mainly to get out of the rain, we snatched up the last tickets for the girls to see Wicked. Sadie and Alivia headed towards the Manhattan Temple (I didn't have that walk in me!) and Ashley and I- once we were sure the girls got into their show- headed to "Hades Town" nearby. As soon as we  sat up in the dark balcony, I laid my head back and slept most of the play! Ashley kept nudging me and giving me M&M's to munch on to keep awake. I'm sure it's a great play! That darn red-eye!

We all reunited and walked around to see all the big things the Times Square area has. It was so fun to see it all decorated to the max for Christmas!

The Rockefeller Tree!

It was all so fun to experience with all of these fun girls and to see them recognize such famous places. I was grateful the weather was so mild!

The next day was glorious! We were so grateful for the warm sun. Early December in NYC was chilly but pleasant. 

Ashley got us into a fun Color Museum. It was fun to explore all the different rooms.

Time to head to PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!! Another subway ride!

Phantom is leaving Broadway in February 2023 after being here since the 80's! This is one of Paisley's favorites, and the B-day gift. It was such a treat to see it with her!

We are the happiest group! 

From there we took the girls to the Empire State Building. We were one of the last groups. It was so pretty at night!

The girls are imitating Elf. Know the scene?

Grand Central Station! We showed the girls the whispering corner.

We would grab hot cocoa and other little snacks that we passed by, as Paisley wanted to experience all the well-known street foods. At the hotel, Ashley, Vi and Paisley and I were in a room together. We put little blow-ups on the floor for the girls. It was cramped, but we really only needed a place to lay our heads and get ready in the morning, as we only spent the necessary sleeping time in our rooms. We'd get back to our hotel, get ready for bed and fall asleep pretty quick. Sadie and her girls were just right next door. We would all meet up in the morning and grab a bite at Pret a Manger while we figured out where we were headed.

The next morning we walked all the way down to Wallstreet. For such a relatively small island, there is such different vibes and feels in all of these areas.

We loved the gorgeous holiday decor at Trinity Church!

... And that they included lamps! It was so pretty!

The girls were giddy to walk through this famous graveyard.

Hamilton!

Eliza!

Then we took the ferry out to Ellis Island.

It is such a pretty view of the city from the ferry.

From there we walked up to ground zero.

We peeked at the Brooklyn Bridge. We all agreed our feet were too tired to walk across, and pressed on.

We made our way to little Italy and were ready for dinner. The restaurant was so quaint and tasted delicious after so much walking all day!

We all used the restroom. It was down these narrow winding steps, down to a cramped basement with low ceilings and tiny stalls you could barely sit in. NYC is cramped! Everything felt so tight. We explored that area and did some shopping and bartering. The girls found some fun things to take home. In one shop in particular, the guy was trying real hard to sell us something. I saw some perfume that I like (but have a bottle) so Sadie and Ashley worked him a bit and felt they got a good deal.

We were excited that night to go to Radio Music Hall and see the Rockette's Christmas Special! It is such a neat theater!

It was just as over-the-top as we expected. Those kicks are amazing to see in real life. Because we were back in a dark balcony, I dozed once or twice again.

Back out on the town! Ashley was able to score us all a deal on a tour bus ride, as it was the last of the night. The guys were hoping to fill the bus a little more and as we sat up top we watched them trying to get people to hop on. Soon enough we were all helping, motioning people to come join us. Soon enough we had enough recruits and were off on the party bus!

We had to chuckle at our tour guide. He was a young dude, clearly into celebrity rappers. He kept telling us stories of people he assumed we cared about- "See that club over there? That is where Rianna got in a fight with so and so... See that hotel? That is where Bionce's sister slapped Jay Z in the elevator... That building is where Dr. Dre lived..." We did the Brooklyn loop over the bridge. Because we were on the upper level, and with the wind, I was freezing. I kept adding layers from my bags, wrapping my scarf around my face. That is really the only time I was so cold on the whole trip. And it was cold.

Our last morning we got up and packed, dropped our luggage back at the front desk and thanked the nice gal we'd gotten used to seeing every morning. I realized I'd be sleeping in my own bed that night! We headed straight to a popular restaraunt where the waiters belt out broadway tunes on tabletops the whole time. Apparently, many go from working there straight to Broadway! We met a cute mother and daughter in line behind us (which wrapped around the building! - But went fairly quick.) who were from upstate and visiting another daughter who was at work all day.

As we ate, we planned what we would like to fit in on our last day. We had yet to see the Central Park area, so we headed that way after brunch.

The Plaza! (Paisley watched plenty of Eloise- one of our favorites!)

Central Park!

To get out of the rain we ducked into Trump Towers and had cupcakes for a pick-me-up. From there we walked down 5th avenue and ducked into random stores. There was a fun one that Ashley had shopped at before, Paisley tried on a pile and bought some cuuuuuute stuff!

From there we headed back to the hotel, picked up our luggage, made the trek to the subway, the air train and finally the airport. As we were checking our bags we realized we were cutting it a bit short and would have to grab a granola bar on the way to our gate! Yikes! We got in line at security, Sadie a line over. As we inched our way forward, Sadie moved further and further ahead. Our line kept shutting down, a big partition sliding over and the belt stopping. Ashely and I kept looking at our watches getting more nervous! Sadie texted that they were through and directions to get to the gate fast. We finally made it up to the belt! Because Vi is 12 they let them through without taking off their shoes and they hurried on. That darn partition closed again! I said to the worker, "Our flight leaves at 7:27!" He responded, "You'll make it. Flights leave late all the time." Uhhhhh..... 

Soon enough we went through. All of our stuff was in mayhem all over the belt as it came through. nothing was in the bins, it was scattered all over the belt! We were frantically grabbing our stuff in-between other peoples. All the while Sadie and Ashley are texting me: RUN-RUN-RUN! We told them you are coming! RUN! But where in the heck is Paisley's bag??? A lady motioned us over. She had to look through it because she had a drink in there. Noooooo. We grabbed everything and ran. I felt so frantic trying to make our way, trying to figure out which direction to run! We finally reached our gate to learn they had just closed it! The lady said she had closed it less than a minute ago! I asked, "Didn't you know we were coming?" She said she did, but they have to call it at some point. There was nothing she could do but show us the long line to get in to find another flight. I felt numb! I looked out the window at our flight sitting there, sick that were weren't on it! I felt sick for Sadie and Ashley and how they were feeling, knowing we didn't make it! I just was stunned, I could not believe we missed our flight!

Paisley and I waited in the long line to figure out what we could do. All of our options were bad! We could wait and take the same flight the next night at 7:27. We could wait and take a flight leaving in three hours to LAX, four hour layover, on to SLC landing late morning. We could try to figure out how to get to LaGuardia and make a flight leaving in an hour and a half and pay a ton of money. We chose option #2. Paisley and I sat down together and I told her we'd be traveling in airports for the next 12 hours. We both started laugh- crying. I told her the positives are that we are together, we can have a slow dinner together, we have everything we need and we have each other. And it was so much better that it was us left behind, since Sadie needed to be at work the next morning, and Vi was not feeling well at all. It needed to be us! At this point we realized we packed all of the flying comforts in our checked bag- because we were going to be home by midnight! But we had damp umbrellas! For how exhausted I felt, I just could not believe I would in fact not be sleeping in my own bed that night. There would be no bed this night. Soon enough we were able to board to an empty LAX, then hang out for the four hours until our flight to SLC. We were so happy to land but then to learn that our luggage, along with Ashley's was lost. Sadie got her luggage and headed to Elko to have the car not start in Wendover and Brent had to rescue them in the middle of the night- and she still had to be at work in a few hours! It would be a few days but Ashley and I would indeed get our luggage back safe and sound.

It was a rough re-entry!

I actually relayed this story in a recent talk I gave. I spoke how I had every intention in making that flight- but as Paisley and I looked through our photos of that day- Shopping, eating cupcakes, napping- I could not plead a case that it was our number one priority! I absolutely did not want to miss that flight, but my actions were not 100% pointed there. Such is life! I absolutely want to be pointed towards my Savior, and would be devastated if I learned that while I thought I was on track, there were other things I prioritized.

Overall, it was all worth it! I will cherish those memories spent with my sisters and nieces and especially Paisley.