New York City "Take 5"

It's take 5 for me, but it's take 9 for my sister! Lord love that girl! She's had more surgeries in one year than any number people of should have in a lifetime.

I wasn't going this trip. I'd decided it was too cold (23 degrees was the high cold) and too long to be away from my family. Plus, Christy was having some extensive stuff done that required a 24 hour nurse be with her and something about a bag protruding from her face. This girl sure can't handle that kind of graphic surgery. But, my sister won! I couldn't tell her no. She needed me and I needed to see The Big Apple in the winter. This trip let me see all the seasons...Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall...all you have to do is call...and I'll be there! Good song! I think Christy has seen them 2 times around now! And the face bag was gone by the time I got there. She did have some crazy jock strap thing on her head, though. Man, we laughed till we cried over that mess.

I flew in by myself and the driver met me at the airport to take me to the New Yorker! I'm a 32 year old woman, but was still scared to death to fly by my lonesome and make it to the hotel without Mama and Christy to laugh with. What a big girl I turned out to be!

Our hotel is right smack in the middle of downtown Manhattan! We're only 2 blocks away from Macy's. There's a picture of the view from our balcony of the Empire State building. You'll notice the ball is still there from New Year's Eve in another picture. That was way cool to see! I couldn't get over how tiny that ball was, though. You can't see it from the hotel. We had to take a taxi to Times Square for it.

Like I said earlier it was freezing, below freezing. Nutso cold for a Florida native! Our room was really 2 rooms. There was the living room and down the hallway was the bedroom. The living room was nothing but windows and doors. These doors weren't weather proofed either. The curtains would be blowing from the wind outside. We put chairs in front of the doors and stuff to try to keep the cold out. Man alive I thought we'd freeze to death. NO joke, I had on 2 pair of socks, sweat pants, a hoodie shirt with the hoodie on, gloves and a big ole down comforter wrapped around me. That was the only way to survive. My mama never took her robe off. She'd put that thing on over whatever she was wearing and get bundled up!

The best part was when it snowed. I was flippin out! I've gone skiing before, but never actually watched snow come down. It was so pretty. I ran out there and wrote I love Joey in it! Brr, it makes me cold just thinking about being on the balcony.

Hopefully, this is it for New York for a while! We really think it's time for the beach. If everything goes well with this surgery, we'll be in Anna Maria Island this summer together! Kids too! :)