Walking it off

By the end of Thanksgiving weekend, I usually feel like a veal getting fattened for slaughter. This year was no different. So being home and able to go for a long walk in the city was just what my mind and body needed. I couldn't have planned our impromptu day any better. We knew we wanted to hit the High Line and get to the newest part at the end of the route in the 30s. What I didn't quite know was that we would start with a quick pitstop at one of my favorite donut shops in the city, Donut Pub, on 14th Street at 7th Ave. It was one of those things that Nacho and I both spotted as we climbed out of the subway and knowing that lunch was a few hours away, we decided to go for it. It was still technically morning. And that was how the day unfolded--just a loose agenda and lots of wiggle room. The girls enjoyed climbing and jumping all over the High Line and we took our time getting to the new section which rewarded us with a cool playground at the 30th Street lookout. The weather was also a highlight because the temps stayed nice and mild in the mid-50s and I never really felt chilled.  As we left the river views and turned back towards Koreatown, our eventual destination for lunch, the girls begged to get McDonald's. Why not? I needed to pee and they would devour their meals this way and leave us in peace to eat our dumplings and bibimbap. It was a win-win.  Finishing the day at Pinkberry for a spot of fro-yo before catching the Q32 bus all the way home was a delightful end to the holiday weekend. My pedometer cashed in at over 10,900 steps and I was feeling lighter already. Well, except for that donut. 

Thanksgiving travel

Well we made it. NC and back and no travel problems on either leg. Hurray! Our first time traveling standby on JetBlue and it went off without a hitch. I did decide to leave on Monday evening and head back late Friday, so we avoided the biggest rush of the week and the snow that blanketed much of the Northeast.  Unfortunately, Nacho had to stay put since his reserve duty wouldn't allow him to travel this holiday (or on Christmas for that matter). But it was okay. The girls were mostly good travel companions and it was nice to see my family since our last visit in August. Carolina was a bit off all week and at first I blamed her lack of naps. But even with more rest, she just wasn't my usual sunshiny girl. And Elisa was a bit mellower than normal, amused by her cousin Mia's toy chest and old Nintendo DS. I managed to keep it together until the last day when I needed them to take a bath and Elisa spent a good hour freaking out.  But otherwise, the week was at least restful and tasty, and I managed to get in and out of the mall with mom and the girls (Stace had a migraine) without spending any money on them. Thanks, Grandma. Oh, and I won at Yahtzee which was a definite first. So yeah, a pretty good family visit and hopefully Stace and Mia will make it here in January for a little trip. Looking forward to it.

Fun at Fall Festival

But first a little art work that has come home recently from school. Here's Elisa's:

And Carolina's:

I love that both girls are so expressive with their artistic side. Makes up for all the other crazy Leo stuff. Almost. So we had another chance to dress up recently at AoC's Fall Festival last Monday night. Since there was no school on Tuesday for Veteran's Day, we were back at the gym that evening for a late night. From 6-8pm, the kids ran around getting their faces painted, making masks and other crafts and noshing on the potluck meal and desserts. It was probably better than last year since A) Nacho actually made it this time, and B) there weren't games with bean bags being thrown at random people.  Of course there were still plenty of kids wildly running through the crowds or play fighting and slamming into people. I found myself chiding a few of them since no other adults seemed to want to interfere. And far be it from their parents to actually step in and do so from their comfy seats on the sidelines. I think watching so many kids wreak havoc, I wonder how these parents cope the rest of the time. When it can't be overlooked? But anyway, it was fun for Carolina until she got knocked down by one of those hooligans, and Elisa was dancing the night away and mostly avoiding me which was fine. I loved that Mr. Hunt dressed up as Elsa from Frozen. What a courageous move on his part. And in the end it was enough to see how much the girls enjoyed their friends. That makes these somewhat hellish nights worth it. 

Disney on Ice: Frozen

Just when I thought we were done with all things Frozen, we had tickets purchased in May for Disney on Ice. Oh yes. Anna and Elsa and their friends ice skating was enough to hook me back in. And from the countdown that happened all week before the show, I can safely say the girls were equally excited. I used this performance as a wager in potty training as well as getting Elisa's streak of bad moods under control.  To the point that I was even threatening to sell the tickets a few days prior if things didn't shape up. And lo and behold, they did. In fact, by curtain time, we had enjoyed a nice couple of days, capped off by a morning at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park near 105th and 5th Ave. I ran the girls ragged so they would come home and take a little disco nap before the icecapades and it worked. We were on a train leaving Sunnyside around 5:20 p.m. and by 5:58 p.m. we were pulling into Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Gotta love that. 

There really isn't a whole lot more I can say about the show except that it was extremely well crafted and I think it was worth the price of admission. When I bought our tickets in May, there was a presale with a promo code that made our second row tickets about $50 each. Not bad, really and from our views that night, I would say it was the best seat in the house. So much of the action took place near the corner where we were seated so both girls had nice, unobstructed views. Just watching their expressions as the lights dimmed, I was taken by their concentration and focus on the scenery and skaters. The princess parade that started things off was a great introduction to the evening and it helped calm the frenzy to buy more stuff. Naturally there was a whole Frozen toy/concessions blitz when we first entered the arena. I was happy to buy the cotton candy and snow cones in commemorative cups, and even grabbed a giant bag of popcorn (with tote bag) later in the stands. But the toys were a no-go. I explained to Elisa that this crap was way more expensive than the stuff online and that the evening was not about buying toys. She listened for half a second before begging started in earnest, and I was glad that the show stopped her cold. But at intermission she started up again about wanting a plush Elsa doll that they were selling for $38. Online the SAME FUCKING doll sells for $19.95. Seriously, Disney? I had had enough of her droning on and on about the doll so I showed her my phone with the lower price tag and somehow that made sense to her. Finally. The whining stopped and she asked very politely if I could get that for her for Christmas. Yes. If you shut up now. And that was really the only minor grievance of the evening. Not bad. We managed to make our way back to the train and home again with only a slight delay on some of the stops in Manhattan. By 10:15 p.m. we were pulling back into Sunnyside and the girls had a quick snack before bed. I decided to let them sleep in the next day and at 8:30 a.m. it was time to give them a little help waking up. I know it won't be an event they will remember in its entirety, but hopefully with a few pictures to jog their memories, they can say they were there. And it was fun.