We are in it folks. That thing called life. We are doing it, and we like to burn hot, fast, and fabulous. We do all the things and then a few more. We are really learning about balance right now and trying to figure out just how much is too much.
At the end of the day though, we LOVE to go and do and live big!
Bob and I have really wanted to take a trip out to New York City for a while now. We really wanted to go for Broadway and Central Park and we really wanted to do it in the Fall. Well NYC is a big trip with a lot of logistics and planning. It was delayed by my foot and lots of other little things, but this year we made it happen and it was magical.
We made it happen this year because of this kid and his boyfriend!
Connor is one of the kids that we had the opportunity to mentor years ago when we were involved with Love of Christ Lutheran youth ministry. It has been amazing watching him blossom and become quite the artist, dancer, thespian, and human. He is incredible and his boyfriend Benji is one of the cast members of the new to Broadway show "Moulin Rouge." Both Bob and I loved the movie Moulin Rouge so this was the perfect excuse to not only see the Broadway show, but go to New York City!
We arrived in NYC and even in the rain connected with Connor for drinks, laughs, and some catch up time. Wish it could have been longer!
We stayed in the Hotel Pennsylvania right across from Madison Square Gardens. It was a quarter mile from Times Square, a mile from Central Park, walking distance to our theatres, and had a spectacular view of the Empire State Building! Plus, we ended up on the top floor. Pretty cool.
Our first morning found us sleeping in and then donning our running shoes for an epic run in Central Park. We ran our way through the crowds to get to the park entrance and then had an amazing 9 miles in the park.
This run was so special to me because a year ago, I feared it would never happen. Last year this time I couldn't run 10 feet without excruciating pain. What a victory this was!
Our goal was to make it to and around the large lake in the center of the park. We did it and the experience was truly amazing. The weather was perfect, the colors were spectacular, and the company perfection! So fun to adventure with this guy!
Of course, when we knew we were headed to Broadway, Bob took the opportunity to fulfill another of our dreams! In true Longmire form we said sure to all the things and squeezed in a matinee showing of the famous "Hamilton." Bob and I have dreamed of seeing this show and have waited and hoped and tried to find affordable tickets. The time was right and we just said "YES" and it was everything we hoped! Like Hamilton, WE DID NOT THROW AWAY OUR SHOT!
I loved the wine glasses, they were built in souvenir plastic wine glasses. So fun! And so special!
After the show (which was in fact INCREDIBLE) we stopped for some dinner before Moulin Rouge!
The Moulin Rouge Theater was unbelievable! We could not wait to see Benji on stage and it was so much fun when they did a little pre show entertainment and he smiled right at us! Well actually, Bob totally fan girl waved at Benji and he humored us with a smile! We felt so cool!
In case the show wasn't cool enough, Benji invited us to come back stage with him and so following the Spectacular Spectacular we were treated to the VIP experience. The stage and all of the nooks and crannies was really amazing. It is so efficient and all of the actors and actresses are true professionals. Benji is one of those humans that you just want to spend all of your time with and his gentility, talent, and kindness is truly a gift. What an incredible experience to know someone in a major production on Broadway. We felt spoiled and we are grateful to know both him and Connor.
After our night at the theatre, we turned in for our final day in the City. We had a late afternoon flight so we spent most of the day walking the city. Connor recommended we see the Morgan Library and Museum so we took him up on it and were so glad. On our way we stopped by this beautiful church and were treated to a quiet moment of respite from the busyness and chaos of the City.
We made it to the Library and Museum and it did not disappoint. It would take 5 blogs to talk about this place but in a nutshell JP Morgan, you know Chase Bank guy, well he was quite the man? JP was an incredible financier, but also an incredible collector of rare books and artifacts. He basically kept anything people deemed "not important," and the man compiled an astounding collection. Some of the things he has..
3 copies of the Gutenberg Bible.
Original Cuneiform stones (as in the very first language ever discoverd!)
Letters written by founding fathers
Original poetry from the likes of Emily Dickonson.....
And one of the original casts of George Washington's face created by the sculptor commissioned to sculpt the Washington Monument in Washington DC. Guys, we could have spent days here. It was incredible.
We also got to see one of the foremost artists of charcoal portraits, John Singer Sargent, and his massive works displayed in the museum. It was moving and inspiring. As someone who loves photos and taking portraits, it spoke to me in many ways.
Our time was cut short by a flight time and we Ubered our way off the island and back to our kids. The experience was everything it should be and I look forward to the day when we can enjoy Broadway as a family!
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