Vacation time is over...

But the memories will last a lifetime.

Going on late afternoon promenades. Discovering the adventurer Bear Grylls. Commandeering the streets of New York at midnight. The sweet taste of a Chippi. Savoring the wonderful flavors of every meal. Battling the minuscule beasts - the deer tick. The Scarface parking lot attendant. The Summer Murder Mystery movie. Capturing over 1000 photos. Enjoying life.

The vibrant energy of this household is something I treasure and embrace. Though at times a bit chaotic, I can feel the family's liveliness pumping through the house. Random outbursts into showtunes and melodic interludes. An abundance of food being prepared and devoured nearly all in the same breath. Artists' scrawls and gamer strategy. There is never a dull moment at this address. Calm comes in sweet little doses. The true spirit of a large family, overflowing with love, never skimping on kindness.

I'm thinking that most people my age wouldn't spring for a ticket to got to the South Coast of Massachusetts for a week. I would imagine trips to Cancun, Miami, Hawaii, etc. But I love it here when I get the chance to just hang out. Plus we caravaned to New York City. It's like a two-for-one deal.

My sister bought this great plaque inscribed with "Families are like Fudge... Mostly sweet with a few nuts". I love catching up on the latest family gossip, hearing about stories of my mom and auntie's family growing up, and my cousins' crazy uncle. The best tales are always the unbelievably true ones. Life truly is like a box of chocolates - there are sweet cremes, sticky and chewy ones, and of course the nutty variety... and you never know which one you're going to get.

Ah, family.

Hello New York!

After a three year absence, I made it back to New York! It was just as I left it the last time, only the weather was quite muggy and the sky constantly threatening to rain. It did sprinkle here and there, but no torrential downpour until we were outside of Manhattan.

My sister had never been to New York City, so we took the liberty to show her around, our first stop being the beautiful Grand Central Station, then 5th Avenue and 42nd Street - or the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. After that, we moseyed over to Broadway to check out Times Square. We walked down to Rockefeller Center, through the drizzle and scurried back to the hotel in the rain to make it back for dinner.

There's just something about New York... it was like I was there yesterday and finding things was like the back of my hand. I love the fact that it is set on a grid, making it very easy to find locations just from giving street and cross street names. We also went to the Met to see some Impressionism, strolled through a section of Central Park, and stopped at the Moma to check out Van Gogh's Starry Night. We made the obligatory stop at the World of Disney New York, and ate lunch in Little Italy. We took the Subway down to Ground Zero and remembered respectfully and mindfully at the Visitor's Center right next to the site. Finally, we hurried to Union Square for some shopping, and dashed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We motored around the city on full speed - almost like real New Yorkers, except that we were totally tourists. Since we only had one full day in the city, we didn't make it to the super huge Macy's or the Statue of Liberty, but all the more reason to come back!