Monstercation part two: NYC

After a week in the DC/Virginia area, we packed up our bags and rode the bus to NYC. There is a bus there that runs between the two that is only $15 each way. Originally, we were going to rent a car in DC and return it in NYC. We made all our plans and when we went to rent the car, it turned out that it would be about $2000 to rent in one city and return in another. I was banking on $1000 because it was about $400 to rent each car for a week and return to the same city so that just blew my mind. We had already bought our plane tickets so we couldn't just drive up to NYC and then return and fly out of DC. So instead we took the crazy china town bus from DC to NYC. It was actually a really nice bus with plugins for laptops or whatever you could want. I think it even had wifi and there was a bathroom, so it was a pretty good setup and would have gone pretty well if our kids hadn't been sick. . . . but they were, so it was a very long and painful ordeal. To begin with we started in Virginia and had to drive up to D.C. which took about 1 1/2 hours in the car. John wasn't feeling great, but he held on pretty well. We met up with Justin's parents in DC and ate lunch at a thai restaurant. The adults loved it, but the kids weren't impressed and the sickies really didn't eat much. Then we turned in our rental and got dropped off at the bus station at 3:00. The bus ride went relatively smoothly. Nathan threw up once in a plastic bag, but his clothes stayed clean and he slept most of the time. We got dropped off at 7:00 p.m. to downtown Manhattan. We had 7 bags, two car seats, 2 backpacks and a stroller. When everyone was feeling well we pulled it off pretty well. Basically everyone rolled their own bag and Justin and I managed the back packs stroller and car seats between us. But this time Nathan was just feeling cruddy and instisted on being carried and not carrying his own bag. The boys really didn't feel good either but they had to carry their stuff. We only had to walk about a block to the subway station, but it took forever! The stairs down are always what kill me. We kept seeing a sign that said elevator one block up. So we walked around and around the block trying to find the stupid elevator. We never found it. Hopped on the train and then of course realized we were going the wrong way. Hopped off and back on again. Rode up to 42nd st. took the shuttle to the train station and the train up to Pelham, where our friends the Greens live. Nathan threw up again on the train right in the middle of the aisle. We had a few minutes till the train left so I tracked down the conductor so we could clean it up. Of course he had nothing to clean with so he threw down a piece of cardboard so people wouldn't have to walk through it. It was really gross. We finally made it to the Greens and he threw up again. We hopped in their car and drove up to Poughkeepsie to my brother's house (another 1 1/2 hours.) We finally made it to our destination at midnight. That night was so long. I just had to keep telling myself "We're saving $1000, we're saving $1000". The next day Nathan was feeling much better. We had a great time with Matt and Colleen, but Samantha was pretty sick that day. Justin stayed home with her and Nathan while Matt, Colleen and I took the older boys and Michelle to FDR's home and library. It was really beautiful and interesting. I had a great time! We came back that night and played a rousing game of Settlers of Catan after the kids went to bed on Matt and Colleen's enclosed patio. The weather was perfect! The next day Matt was leaving to go to his 20th reunion in Washington so we hopped back in the van drove out to Jones Beach on Long Island. The beach was alot of fun. The waves were great and it was fun to take turns taking the big kids out to body surf. Michelle hated the water so someone always had to stay back with her and build sand castles, but it was a great afternoon. Everyone seemed to be feeling fine and we were glad to have the sickness behind us. We left the beach around 6:30 and headed back towards the city. Everyone was starving so I pulled off the freeway by a mall figuring there would be some food around there somewhere. Instead of eating, we got rear ended and had to wait around for the cops to show up for about half an hour. It was awful. We were driving a friends car so our hearts just sank. It was such a stupid accident anyway. I just felt so bad. It wasn't my fault at all, but I just felt so awful because it wasn't our car. We got that cleared up and started back on the highway. John had hit his head, but it didn't seem to be causing him any problems (the guy behind us was only going 5-10 mph). As we were driving he kept complaining that his head hurt and then he stared throwing up violently so we rushed to the nicer hospital in the Bronx. After a cat scan and waiting 4 hours in the emergency room they decided that he just had a virus and we all finally got to go to bed! I was so tired. Saturday Justin stayed home with John while I took the other kids to visit our old apartment and then we went to see the Zambrano family and had lunch with my good friend Alicia and her kids. They have a wii so the boys were happy and the younger kids all had kids and toys to play with. It was so good to see Alicia. She is so amazing! From there we picked up John and Justin and drove to liberty park in New Jersey to see my sister Maia and her husband Kendall. We had a really nice visit with them. Got in really late again. Church on Sunday was a real treat because we got to see a lot of people we hadn't kept in contact with since moving from the Bronx. All the kids I taught in primary there were now teenagers. It was amazing to see them still have strong testimonies. That night we ate dinner at the Taylors and that was a lot of fun too. Monday was our last day in NYC so we took the kids down town and saw all the touristy stuff like the statue of Liberty and ground Zero. We ended the day with a ferris wheel ride at the Toys R Us on 42nd street. Thank you Aunt Colleen who treated them to it. Colleen dropped us off at the airport on Tuesday and we made it home safely!
John waiting for the bus in DC. He felt so sick. Joey wasn't feeling great either. He was lying down on the other side of the luggage.

The train stop at Pelham. We were all waiting for Justin to come back with the van to pick us up.
Joey and John at a park in Poughkeepsie. Matt and Colleen took us sight seeing!

Jones Beach!

Michelle and John at the beach. John looked great! But a few hours later was puking his guts out.
Joey at the beach

Michelle, Samantha, Nathan and Joey at our old apartment waiting for the elevator. That's about the only thing they remember about NYC.
Our apartment was on the 19th floor of this building. There are 28 floors.

Posing at the medical school.

Liberty park in New Jersey. you can see the statue in the background. Kendall, Justin, Michelle, Joey, Maia, John and Nathan.

Michelle playing around.

Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters! It was so funny, we both stepped out of the car and realized we were both wearing brown shirts, jeans and black shoes. At least we're tacky together!
Samantha and Kendall on the playground. He was a great uncle to play so much with the kids!

Our family and Smiley at the Olmstead 2nd ward

The Diaz family. I taught both those boys in primary. It is fun to see them all grown up!

Irene Adams and Cynthia Figueroa. Awesome ladies!

Our statue of Liberty picture. Much to Samantha's disappointment the line to get on the ferry was about 2 hours long. Justin and I didn't want to wait that long so we took the Staten Island ferry instead and saw it across the bay.

The Statue of liberty

Ground Zero

The ferris wheel at Toys R US. Joey and John had to ride in the cabbage patch car. Ha ha

Justin, Samantha and Nathan on the Ferris Wheel.

Waiting for Justin to pick us up at the train station.