NYC Day 1

This post will actually cover two days- Monday, June 9 and Tuesday, June 10th:

Monday afternoon, we load up the girls and head to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Perry, UT. This also happens to be our anniversary (8 years!) and we'll celebrate it with my parents and steaks from Maddox restaurant (Perry, Utah's big claim to fame). Millie screams the whole way up because "Ellis is touching me" with her foot- and Millie doesn't believe Jackie when she says that Ellis is doing it because she loves her.

We arrive at my parents and my mom comes out saying that Maddox is closed on Monday- so she made turkey loaf. We also realize (after Millie finds my mother's chap stick and gum collection) that the house is not entirely 1 and 3-year old proof. After dinner, Jackie and I stealthily sneak out and merrily head on our way to our motel by the airport for our early NYC flight. On the way, Jackie realizes that she emptied the fridge of perishable items (fruit and veg) but forgot to take the garbage out of the kitchen. My telling her that a few fruit flies in the kitchen isn't to big a deal does not calm her. We check into the airport inn and I fall asleep by 9:30pm.

Tuesday, June 10th:

1:00am. Jackie awakes- not from excitement over the trip, but from fears of fruit flies feasting on everything in the house. She gets up, drives to Lehi, empties the garbage and is back by the time I am waking up at 3:00am. Now, as everyone knows, Jackie on vacation is a non-stop party animal (she gets it from her father Ray)- sometimes the only thing that will settle her is a big tranquilizer dart in the butt. Sleep-deprived Jackie is even MORE fun then a barrel of monkeys. I will leave the rest of our motel departure to your imagination.

We arrive at the Delta terminal by 3:45am- our flight leaves at 6:00am- and Delta does not open their check-in lines until 4:30am. After students check in with Jackie and myself, the lines open- and a bus-load of 30 missionaries arrive from the MTC on their way to Wisconsin by way of Atlanta. Also on our flight- Elizabeth Smart. So, our outbound flight (to Newark with a quick lay-over in Atlanta) consists of 48 high school theatre students, 12 adults, 30 missionaries heading to Wisconsin (some Spanish speaking) and Elizabeth Smart.

Our group of 64 had been seated alphabetically by first name- but Jackie swapped seats so she could sleep and drool on my shoulder to Atlanta. It was amusing to watch an Elder sit by one of my high school senior girls and borrow her stuffed monkey to use as a pillow on the way to Atlanta. It was also funny when he randomly told her that the plane made his butt numb.

We arrived in Atlanta on-time (11:30ish) with the only incident being 7-year old Anton Moss (the son of chaperones on our trip) vomiting on his mother when we arrived. Little did we know that Millie was pooping in my parents bed around the same time.

We loaded up for our Newark flight and landed around 2:46pm- to record breaking heat- 100 degrees at the airport. We collected our luggage and waited for our two shuttles- while some students begin to say "I don't like New York"- even though we were still in New Jersey and couldn't even see the skyline of Manhattan yet.

A small shuttle arrives and the Mosses (chaperones) and the Coxes (chaperones) put themselves and 17 others on it and head to the city. Jackie and I stay with the other 40 some-odd students for the big bus. It turned out to be a good move because, right after going through the Lincoln Tunnel, the engine on the small shuttle exploded- leaving the Mosses to lead the group through 100 degree heat to the airport- and the Cox's staying with the luggage on the shuttle- and Amanda Cox teaching an Introduction to Mormonism course to the bus driver from the Bronx while her husband Brent went to find food.

Although I had a grand plan of taking Jackie to a nice pre-theatre meal, by the time we all got checked in to the hotel, there was a enough time for a sandwich from the deli across the street. Jackie's parents had landed in Newark an hour after us- and were proceeding to take a scenic tour of all of the hotels in Manhattan- with theirs being the last one to be dropped off.

Everyone met in the lobby of the Sheraton New York (53rd and 7th Ave) at 6:20pm and all of us were off (with the exception of 8 going to The Little Mermaid) to Jersey Boys.

When Jackie and I had seen Jersey Boys in San Diego in 2004, I didn't remember much swearing- I warned the group of a few off-colored words here and there- but didn't remember the amount of F-bombs that occurred (but no more than said than a morning getting the girls ready for church). Luckily, Jackie's parents (and everyone else) loved the show (as did we) and, the best part, as we got out of the show, a huge thunder burst had occurred and the rain was cooling down the city.
We were going to take everyone down to the chocolate place Max Brenners after the show- but due to the rain (and people getting autographs and everyone wanting to explore Times Square), Jackie, myself, the Coxes and a few other people headed to Union Square for chocolaty goodness.

Jackie and I ordered a chocolate fondue + a tasting platter. Suffice it to say, my right eyebrow got singed by the open flame we were to roast our marshmallows on (and then dip in the fondue along with strawberries and bananas) AND the chocolate tasting platter was a bit too sugary- it made me and Brent Cox crave pizza or a hot dog after. Instead I got a black pepper and cornflake truffle.

Room checks occurred at midnight- with The Little Mermaid folks loving their show. Day 1 was a success!