NYC trip

Guess I still suck at blogging. I don't know what it is about this time of year - I always seem to experience a slowdown of my life - the inability to focus and accomplish. I actually seem overwhelmed which is ironic since my life is fairly carefree and stressfree.

Big event lately was a weekend trip to NYC with my 69-will-be-70-in-May Mother. She is originally from the south - born in Louisiana and grew up in Mississippi and Alabama. In past years, my parents have left NY after Christmas to go south but haven't lately. They also live about 1.5 hours away from me and their winters are much much harder than ours. All this is to say that my parents were getting on each other's nerves and needed a timeout from each other - hence the NYC trip.

Before leaving, I asked her what she wanted to do. Three times she said she wanted to see a Broadway show but she knew they were very expensive. Needless to say, the husb said to get her old lady butt in a Broadway show seat no matter what. LOL We decided to see Mamma Mia! in a Saturday matinee because it rained ALL DAY Saturday. The husb ordered the tickets online Friday night about 11:30 and had they held at will-call. My mother thinks he had some kind of influence in order to get tickets in the middle of the night. She really doesn't understand the internet all that well LOL.

She was so psyched about that show - it was all she could talk about. She told people on the subway she was going to see a show. As we walked through Times Square, she told the men handing out free comedy club tickets, "No thank you, we are on our way to see a Broadway show, my son-in-law got me tickets!" She called my dad during intermission and told him she was at a 'real' Broadway show.

Her proof that she saw a 'real Broadway show':

Walking through Time Square after the show - Mom treated her granddaughter to some frozen yogurt:

Styling Mamaw and granddaughter in the rain:

Bryant Park (I think), my mother wore that oversized rainjacket and lugged that big old purse around every day!:

One evening we walked half way across the Brooklyn Bridge - it was a magical:

My daughter works part-time for a hosiery company in the Empire State Building. She is computerizing and organizing their inventory. I joke around that she could just be folding socks and who would care? It's on the 50th floor of the Empire State Building. First of all, my mother was told she worked at the ESB but until we went there, it didn't dawn on her that it was THE real Empire State Building. And then, she heard me talk about the sock folding and didn't realize I was joking. She started bragging to people (she talked to EVERYONE - on the subway, on the street, in stores anywhere) that her granddaughter worked in the ESB, only folding socks but it was a start and might turn into a real important job if she continued to do well. Oy.........

My daughter lives in a sixth floor walk up. My mother, after pounding the NYC pavement for 10 hours straight on both Saturday and Sunday, then had to climb all those flights. It was amazing. I only hope I am capable of the same when I reach 70. I tried to snap a pic of her heading down the stairs. The first time she was moving too quick for me!

Then I got her:

My mother pretending to be asleep on the subway. She couldn't keep from laughing.

Take a good look at her face and her skin. When we were kids, my sisters and I used to make fun of her because every night she slathered Ponds cold cream on her face and vaseline all around her mouth and lips. We used to laugh at what we called her greasing up routine. Well, she is 70 years old and her skin is amazing. I have just put Ponds and vaseline on my shopping list for this week.

My mother with some new friends she met on the subway. They were tourists from Equador and Argentina that she started chatting up. We were on our way to the Staten Island Ferry and so were they. Because of subway construction, getting to the Port Authority was mixed up so she volunteered her 'city granddaughter' to lead they way for everyone. I told my daughter to raise her umbrella like a tour guide so we could all follow! LOL

It was an awesome, awesome trip.