NYC is Cursed

 Not really...but NYC is attached to some really wonderful memories but sad ones as well.  I recently won an award of excellence from Skyctc as a supporting staff member.  As a result of the award, I was able to travel to NYC with a group of colleagues/friends to attend the AACC Conference Saturday, April 30 through Tuesday, May 3.  

I've been fortunate to travel New York twice in the last few years that it's starting to feel a bit familiar.  Matt and I celebrated our 20th there back in 2019 and had a blast.  Four years earlier,  I went with my sister to celebrate her 40th birthday.  Days before we left. Matt's dear granny, Lucy Bradford, passed away.  

Many of you close to our family know that my grandfather has been in bad shape for a while.  His mental health was sharp, but his physical health has been in decline for a LONG time.  Every birthday, every Christmas, he would say that same thing..."I didn't get my wish this year."  We all knew what he meant - bless his heart.  Sadly and happily, he left us on Sunday, May 1.  My mom didn't want to tell me and spoil my trip but wanted me to know.  I called her.  We cried.  Happy tears.  My sadness was not being able to be at home with her and my Uncle Mike.  Plans are in place to have a small, intimate service in Louisville later this month.  His obituary link.

Despite everything, my time was still enjoyable in NYC.  The conference was great.  The speakers were incredible.  My colleagues were super fun to be with and great memories were made.

Our small group arrived late in the day on Saturday.  After checking into the Hilton Midtown, we dropped our bags off and went to check in to the conference.  None of us changed.  I think we were all thinking we were "checking in" to get all our credentials and do our health scans.  I was in jeans, nothing fancy - just the comfy clothes I wore on the plane.  Everyone around us was dressed for the conference - business attire, skirts, coats, dress shoes, not us!  We were ushered into the Opening Lecture which was great.  I took TWO things from it.  One, this conference was going to have some incredible speakers.  Two, I was WAY under dressed.  So much for first impressions, right?!?!?

Our Provost Dr. J made us dinner reservations at the Brooklyn Diner.  Food + NYC = sign me up!  After dinner, we made our way over to Times Square.  Is there anything more fancy and Hollywood-like than Times Square at night?  The city was hopping.  We made a big loop and headed back to the hotel.  It was a long travel day, and Sunday was super full.

I was charged with finding a place for us to eat breakfast on Sunday, so naturally I picked the best breakfast place that I knew of in NYC - Junior's.  I've eaten there the two other times and fortunately it was fairly close to our hotel.

After our sessions on Sunday, we took a nice stroll through Central Park before heading over to Tavern on the Green for dinner.  It was a FEAST y'all.  We were treated like royalty dining on delicious appetizers, meals and desserts.  Skyctc totally spoiled us!

 

Monday was somber.  Our plan that morning was to attend the 9/11 Memorial.  It's definitely a must if you've never been to NYC; however, it was my third time.  It was especially hard/emotional to go through after my grandfather's passing. 

After the museum, I convinced our hungry group that NYC's BEST pizza was a few blocks away which was nice and quick because it had begun drizzling.  If you've never eaten at Joe's Pizza, it's a must - a NYC staple and super cheap too (which is rare in New York).

The gala was that night.  Drop...Dead...Gorgeous table settings and ballroom.  We wined and dined and wrapped up all the events of the week/weekend.  

Because our hotel was fairly close to Rockefeller Plaza, I figured that would be a nice place to visit on our last day.  We'd planned to leave the hotel around 1PM to head to the airport.

  

Some of the shops didn't open until 10AM so we headed over to Toasties for breakfast and visited Saint Patrick's Cathedral.  On the way there we passed by (and were in AWE of) Casa Batllo: Living Architecture piece,

Christie’s will present Casa Batlló: Living Architecture, a monumental artwork inspired by Casa Batlló’s facade in Barcelona, Spain. Created by Turkish-American media artist and director Refik Anadol, Casa Batlló: Living Architecture is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to take the form of a live NFT, with ephemeris created using climate data from the city collected in real-time being projected onto Casa Batlló’s facade.

The monumental and multisensory experience will remain up outside Rockefeller Plaza through May 13, 2022. On May 10, 2022, Casa Batlló: Living Architecture will be auctioned off as part of the 21st Century Evening Sale and will be the only NFT offered during the five day series of Christie’s Spring Marquees Week sales. Ten percent of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Associació Aprenem Autisme and Fundació Adana institutions.

  

The breathtaking Saint Patrick's Cathedral which is free to the public and open throughout the week to visitors.  We did a little shopping before heading back to our hotel.  I wanted to snag some gifts from Anthropologie for Mother's Day.  Love that store and could spend hours in there for some reason!

Our flight home was smooth and painless.  We got back to BG around 7, and I was excited to see my sweet family.

Our girl is home for the summer.  Not sure if I've mentioned it or not, but we are thrilled having her back.  However, she's always on the move.  She had planned to go back to Louisville this weekend for Derby and then to Myrtle Beach for a few days.  She's been painting a cooler for her boyfriend Adam for the trip.  Who knew this was a thing?  I guess because I never did Greek life, I wasn't aware.  She's been working on her cooler for two weeks.  I thought she did a pretty great job.  

 

 

A few other noteworthy events worth mentioning...Isaac went to SWHS Junior Prom a few weeks ago.  Having a son go to prom is nothing like having a daughter.  I knew I would have pictures, know all the details, be involved in all the fun of hair, makeup, etc.  My son, not so much.  However, I did decide to tackle flowers with the help of my bestie Larie.  Flowers are expensive y'all!  Honestly, I'm not sure flower arrangements get any prettier than those at Kroger.  I knew I could find a gorgeous bouquet, which I did, with hot pink as the requested color.  I'd purchased some black satin ribbon and corsage pins and viola....

 

Magic Happened!

 

I got a few pictures before he left and waited for the professional ones by the talented Tori Thompson.  I thought he and his date were stunning.

SWHS had an awards day and this year was extra special to me.  Our older two have gotten lots of awards and recognition through the years, but I'm pretty sure neither of them have won a class specific award.  Miles was recognized this year by his English 1 teacher Ms. Casey Stephens. 

We are super proud of how hard he has worked with was evident on his Pre-ACT where he scored a 28 in English/Reading.  School has never been easy for Miles although he's always done well.  I think much of your education experience is having a teacher that truly believes in you and pushes you the right way.  Ms. Stephens has been wonderful and knows how special and smart Miles is.  We truly appreciate her!

  

   

Derby and Mother's Day all lumped into one weekend.  It was a chilly, fun weekend eating and enjoying life.  Our Chef at Skyctc whipped me up some tasty bourbon balls for race on Saturday.  We also brought along our Derby glasses that Doug (Matt's granddad who passed away earlier this year) had collected.  It was fun unwrapping them all and seeing all the designs/winners/years, etc.

My three moms!