Happy New Year!
I know this is about two weeks late, but the year is young enough that I feel like we can still celebrate!
I am grateful that I was able to be with my family to welcome in 2019. When I was in college, for several years I had to fly back to Hawaii on New Year's Eve because classes started soon afterward (and due to the time difference I would be awake for 24 hours to make it to midnight island time!) This year we all stayed up together. It was even more special because we went to New York City for the celebrations!
There is so much to do in the Big Apple and each trip brings new adventures. I complied our pictures to share a few of the activities we did!
Breakfast at our hotel. It was held in a HUGE ballroom. The lighting made us look extraterrestrial, but the food was delicious!
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New York City Temple
We traveled on the subway to get here, which made it all the more fun. It was amazing to go inside a building that is peaceful and quiet even in the heart of the city that never sleeps.
Outside the temple we stopped by the Giving Machine to donate. Some of you may have heard of these, the main one being set up near Temple Square in Salt Lake City. These red devices allow you to make donations to people around the world. The items range from school lunches to clean water to even chickens and goats! The one in New York is one of five that were placed around the world during the Christmas season in 2018.
Big Bus Tour
If you are traveling, I HIGHLY recommend looking into the Big Bus Tours! They can be found in so many destinations. We have taken these buses in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Toronto, and even London. They consist of a double decker bus (we always try to sit on top!) and a tour guide who shares the history of the city as you drive. The pink headphones we were wearing helped us to hear our guide. It is a fun way to explore a new place or learn more about one you are already familiar with. For instance, did you know a troop of elephants walked across the Brooklyn Bridge? In 1884, P.T. Barnum marched his animals across to prove that the bridge was safe! Good thing he was right, huh?
We also learned Time's Square is the most visited tourist attraction in the world! There is a requirement that every building in that area must have lights on it. Interestingly enough one of them is actually empty inside! There is a Walgreens on the bottom floor, but the rest of building is vacant. The building is able to pay for itself simply by displaying ads on the outside.
Patzeria Family & Friends
When you're in New York, you have to eat pizza! I helped Kenson eat that giant pepperoni dish you see above. Kevin and Kenneth enjoyed calzones as big as their heads (and they finished the whole thing!)
Papa was kind enough to get me and mom hot chocolate so we could warm up after being on top of the tour bus all morning.
Line Store
This was one of the stores I was most excited see when I heard we were going to NYC. As some of you may know, Line is an app that allows you to chat with your friends. It is known for having really cute characters that you can use as stickers or emojis in your chat.
Recently, my favorite Korean group, BTS, partnered with Line and made their own characters that were added to the app. And they are just too cute! (I mean, look at Chimmy!) I had to stop myself from buying everything in the store, but I did leave with some necessary purchases.
Disney Store
Who would I be if I didn't visit the Disney Store on Time's Square? (Not Karissa, that's for sure) It is magical and believe it or not, the store is two stories tall! There was so much to see inside. And even though it was crowded, I felt much calmer there than I did outside. The cast members were kind and there was a happy atmosphere throughout the store. That's the real Disney magic, the ability to make people smile. I cannot wait to begin my internship down at Disney World!
Aladdin on Broadway
This production was absolutely phenomenal! Thank you to Papa for getting us tickets. I have seen the Disney movie several times, but this play brings a whole new perspective to the story. There are songs that are not in the original soundtrack (look up "Proud of Your Boy") The cast was amazing and the Genie was perfect. He had us laughing every time he was onstage!
Rockefeller Center
Ice skating at Rockefeller Center is one of the items on Mom's bucket list and I'm so grateful we were able to do it together!
Nintendo StoreI met my heroes Link and Donkey Kong!
Souvlaki GRWe found a place that had delicious Greek food! The staff members were Greek themselves so it was fun to hear Papa talk to them. We enjoyed souvlaki, htapothi sti skhara (grilled octopus), spanakopita, tiropita, and loukoumades (honey donuts).
Time's SquareThere is so much to see on every corner!
Marriott
We celebrated New Year's Eve in our hotel room. We had fun playing board games together.
Over the last few weeks I have read many posts from people wanting to better themselves in the coming year. While I believe we should not be overly hard on ourselves, I do think it is important to reflect from time to time on how we can improve. What has been coming to my mind is a quote by C.S. Lewis that has stayed with me for many years. He said:
"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
How amazing is that? I couldn't have said it better myself.
I'm looking forward to this new year and all the things it will teach me. I hope you do too.
TTFN,
Karissa
