Once Upon a Time

It was maybe early May a couple years ago when I asked Abby if she was looking forward to her birthday.  She was 8.  Her birthday was still two-ish months away, but the kid loves her birthday.  She thought for a moment and finally admitted that she was excited to turn 9 because it would be her last single digit birthday (gulp!) and wondered what the party theme would be.

 Happy Birthday!

I asked if she had anything special on her wish list.  Her face broke out into a huge smile and she recounted her 8th birthday and the adventure she had with a good friend.  I took them to the movies, making a quick stop at the Dollar Store first where the girls got $5 each and 5 minutes to get WHATEVER treat they wanted.  The giggles.  Oh the giggles!  Then it was off to the movies, then back to our house for cupcakes, wishes and tons more giggles.  That is what mattered most to her.

That's when I knew, for her 9th birthday (and Alyssa's 4th) the emphasis was going to be on experiences and adventures over things.  Not all gifts come wrapped in paper and bows, neatly tucked into a box or bag.  Some of the best gifts are tucked into your heart.

  

In Central Park, on GMA!

That summer, the Rayman Four celebrated two amazing birthday girls with a fantastic long weekend in New York City.  With help from a handful of knowledgeable resources, we scheduled a bunch of MUST DOs while leaving plenty of room in our itinerary for "whatever we feel like doing--or not doing!"  Reviewing the complete list of what we accomplished makes me tired to this day--and heaven knows we barely even made a dent in all that the City has to offer. 

Ask the girls what they got when we were there and I bet they can't tell you.  But I can assure you they'll describe, in detail, the surprise of seeing Camila Cabello in concert!; seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time from afar; the subway adventures (and misadventures!); the incredible view of the Freedom Tower from    our hotel room; eating pizza and stopping at the exact moment Abby turned 9 to sing Happy Birthday, the whole restaurant joining in the chorus; catching up with my Aunt & Uncle who treated us to a super cool performance of School of Rock;      Alyssa's birthday pancake and another serenade from a restaurant full of people; somber moments at the 9/11 Memorial and so much more. 

The view from our hotel room

All smiles on the ferry to see Lady Liberty

 

The adventure was so awesome that we booked a whirlwind surprise return getaway last December.  This time around, we had a few new tricks up our sleeves to make things easier---and the memories were every bit as rich.

We packed a lot into our quick visit, this time celebrating Mark's birthday (at Junior's...yes there was cheesecake and yes the entire restaurant sang to him, too!), visiting with Santa, getting a pretzel, checking out the Plaza, stumbling into a cupcake ATM (!!) and seeing The Tree.  If it's cliché to describe this trip as magical, well then please allow me to be cliché.  

  

  

  

Why on Earth am I rehashing two trips to NYC a year (and then some) after the fact?  It's because I'm feeling some kind of nostalgic for them.  For the idea that we could just pick up and go.  I'm fairly certain the December trip was planned in a matter of days--super spontaneous.  I'm jonesing for the energy around the planning, the fun of surprising the girls (we told them as we were zipping along the PA Turnpike!) and the excitement of pulling it off.  Once upon a time---a time that will return eventually.  It will.  

There was a lot of chatter about going to Chicago--what's with these Big City girls?--for the girls' 10th and 5th birthdays.  Sadly, the pandemic took that off the table.  But surely, we thought, surely come December we'll be able to go.  Nope.  So it's still on hold.  And today, I'm feeling a little sad about that.  So I looked at the pictures, smiled as I remembered taking them and I wrote.  That has me feeling better and hopeful that soon enough there'll be a post detailing our adventures in the Windy City.  Stay tuned...and stay safe, wherever you are! 

xo,

Amy