We've heard a few complaints from some of our readers that its been too long since our last update, which was Thanksgiving…excuse me, BEFORE Thanksgiving! So, as we start crawling out of hibernation season and prepare for spring, we thought we'd give a quick update on what we did during the winter months. I'll make it as succinct as possible. So, here it goes!
Thanksgiving:
- Drove a car again. Laughed a lot. Ate a lot. Didn’t walk enough. Bar hopped. Couldn’t find a cab to save our lives. Caught up with most of our family and friends. Got some exciting news that one of my girlfriends is expecting! Realized we were now only visitors in a city we once called home and next time we come back to visit, we need more than 3 days!
December:
- Started out of town in Minnesota visiting Pat’s family. Celebrated Gerry’s birthday (Pat’s brother). Went to a Vikings game with our friend Chris and his dad George. Didn’t know it then, but saw Favre play his last game as a Viking in the Metrodome…and maybe the last game to take place in the Metrodome (the dome collapsed in this winter’s blizzard). They lost. We froze, but prepared for the cold winter that was about to hit New York.
- Back in NYC. Temperatures dropped. Christmas tree lights and decorations came out of their boxes across the city, and so did the tourists. We bought our first tree, off the sidewalk I must add. Jenn and Stephen came to visit and we spent time with them eating, drinking, laughing and shopping. Although Jenn and I convinced the guys to shop with us, we were the ones who wound up empty handed. The guys left with bags on their arms, and Stephen with a new hat on his head. ;)
- Not too far from Christmas, my dad came to visit. We all went to Christmas Spectacular…and spectacular it was! Sipped Irish coffees to keep us warm. Found a new Italian restaurant, indulged in an authentic Greek restaurant (that we would then introduce to Mark and Danielle). Wine and tapa hopped at Eataly, Casa Mono and joined 100 Santas at Bar Sevilla. Met a crazy, hilarious, and possibly drunk Cabby whom we’ll never forget.
Had a week off from visitors and then….
- Shannon and Bron came on Christmas night- their first time to the city! They made it right before the big blizzard! Pat and I cooked our first prime rib and after 5 hours of slow roasting :), we plated the tables and sat down 7 minutes before the day after Christmas (11:54pm 12/25). Then we opened presents, unwrapped all the gifts from our stockings, and once the guys thought it was over- SHABAM, we surprised them with front row Rangers tickets!!!!!!!! (Note here that both Pat and Bron play(ed) hockey and Bron’s favorite team has always been the NY Rangers.) Pat and Bron quickly turned into 5 year old boys, not knowing whether to pee their pants or cry with shock and excitement…until they realized Shan and I were going too. :) haha Next morning, another surprise- Billy Elliot tickets for Shannon and Bron! Oh, and then there was the sideways blowing snow we saw out our window. Blizzard had arrived, but show was still on. Show was great and when we left the theatre there was so much new snow that you would’ve thought we were in there for days- it was falling fast, and not many were in sight. Time Square was desolate. A guy went by on cross-country skis. This was Shannon and Bron’s first experience of Times Square! The next day- Rangers game. Unbelievable front row tickets. Bought some foam fingers for entertainment (and for the pictures). Couldn’t get any better. Oh wait, yes it could- Rangers beat the Islanders 7-2! The rest of the week we crammed in all the tourist traps- Lombardi’s for pizza, National Treasure Church, Wall Street, Charging Bull, Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central, Central Park, Rockafeller Plaza and Top of the Rock…where an accidental memory card reformatting mistake occurred and it became a moment we’ll never forget. Luckily, phones take pretty good pictures too.
- Shannon and Bron left on Thursday evening, which gave us 12 hours to clean and prepare for our next guests- Mark and Danielle! It was their birthday/New Year’s eve/work trip and whatever it was, we were happy they were coming to visit! We ate amazing Italian at a new restaurant to celebrate Mark’s birthday and then topped the night off counting down to 2011 at an 80s bar (fitting if you know Mark). To say that we had fun is an understatement- Danielle came home with a different coat and Mark without his passport, which just about sums up the debauchery. The next day, we called the bar and sure enough they had Danielle’s coat. Then, as a shot in the dark, we asked the bartender on the other end of the phone if he by chance had a Passport that belongs to one Mark Lancaster. He paused and then told us he did. We couldn’t believe it – 2011 was shaping up! Coats were exchanged and Mark no longer had to worry that someone was walking around New York City with his identity! We all had a great time, but I must admit that Pat and I were glad the holiday season was coming to a close...
January/February:
- All you have to really know is that it was cold and we spent most of the time building up our immune systems. Pat and I rotated with the flu or something of the like. Then, Pat got Bells Palsy. Don’t know what that is? It’s a virus that causes paralysis on one side of the face- most of the time it’s temporary. For Pat, his right side was effected, his mouth didn't move and his eye wouldn't close. Onset was quick, but luckily he got medicine fast. It’s not painful, but more emotionally draining because your face is paralyzed and you don’t know if or when it will come back. I can’t say enough about how proud I am of how he handled the whole thing. He kept his spirits high and had a real good sense of humor about the whole thing (see cigar picture). He also got to see what acupuncture was like!
In two months we saw too many doctors, refilled too many prescriptions and took too many sick days. We call this period of our New York adventure- “the hazing”. NYC was trying to see if we would make it. Luckily, we did and we better not be sick for the rest ofthe year!
March:
WOW! Now you can see why we haven't been good at updating our blog- we've been too busy! That brings you up to speed for now. I hope you enjoyed the update. More soon! Bring on the SPRING!!!!!
- I got a new job! But, before I started, I took a week off, headed towards some warmer weather to see my Mom for her birthday! Shannon and my Aunt Cyndi also joined us at the Rancho. We quickly doubled the female to male ratio (sorry Bill). Ate the most amazing cake my mom made for own birthday. Shopped ‘til we dropped. Went head to head in a game of Sister Sequence (which Shannon and I dominated!). Got hooked on Words with Friends. The sisters left so for a few days it was just my mom and I. Pat arrived in time for the tip off of NCAA Basketball weekend, which Bill was thrilled about- another man in the house! :) Bracketology at the Rancho began, dogs got spoiled with long walks and overuse of the Chuckit, and we overdosed on Vitamin D ;). The week flew by, but it was just the relaxation we needed. We headed back to our colder climate and I was off to day one of my new job!
