J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!

Kim, Kirstin, Wayne at Jets game in suite

The title of this post signifies a new cheer we have learned that will stick in our heads forever.  Wayne even thinks he could convert over to a Jets fan!  What a great night it was for us Thanksgiving night!  A friend of Dennis and Connies', as well as the family that Kirstin sometimes babysits for and tutors their little boy, had a suite for the Jets vs. Bengals game. We joined in their fun (thank you to them!) and had a spectacular night of football and fun!!!!  The stadium is brand new and it was "sweet" being in the "suite"! 



Kim's Uncle Dennis, Aunt Connie, and cousins Joseph,
James and William

 Of course, we cheered the Jets to a victory against the Bengals!  Kirstin was excited because Jessica Simpson was at the game.  And the halftime show was presented by the cast of "Rock of Ages", which is a Broadway show we have seen and loved!  It is all 80s music and fun!  If we got chilly, we just walked into the suite that was glass enclosed to watch the game or the big screens all over while enjoying hot chocolate and pizza.

So......a Thanksgiving night we will forever remember!!

Kirstin, Connie and William in back



Kim and Wayne in suite at Jets Game



Thanksgiving in New York!



Connie and Dennis preparing turkey for Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving from New York!  Wayne and I, along with Kirstin's boyfriend, Nate, took a quick trip to New York City over Thanksgiving break.  We had a super time thanks to my relatives, Dennis, Connie, and the boys!!! It was so nice to spend time with them on this "whirlwind" trip.  For those who do not know, Kirstin has been living with them the past month and a half as she is student teaching outside New York City.  She is loving it and fits right in the family.....which was great to see! 

We did so many things on this trip that I thought I would make a new post for each day's adventures.  So look out, there are many more to come! :)

Connie, William, Kim, and Joseph at Soup Kitchen in Bronx

I will start with Thanksgiving day.  We arrive at the Deutmeyer's Wednesday night and tucked in for a busy day ahead.  Wayne went golfing - had to force him - yeah right - with Dennis to the Westchester Country Club for a golf benefit.  They left early and had a great morning of golf.  Not sure how they did but they came back very happy.....not so much due to the score though if you get my drift. 

Kirstin and Nate ventured into the city to see the Macy's Day Parade.  Wayne and I had already seen it as we have been to NYC over Thanksgiving a few years ago with Elyse and Alex.  They heading into the city very early and had a great morning enjoying the parade.

Yankee Stadium replica made of twigs

I woke up and had a very rewarding experience of helping volunteer in a soup kitchen in the Bronx of NYC.  We were on the "set up" so Connie, William, Joseph, and myself arrived ready to help in any way we could.  There were so many generous people there volunteering that it was almost overwhelming.  William, Joe, and I worked on rolling silverware into napkins.  Joseph made it like a race to see how far ahead of me he could get......I did enclose a picture of the four of us when we were done.  When we left, people were already outside waiting to get in and have a nice, warm meal.  It was a wonderful feeling knowing that you were part of something so meaningful to them.....even if I only wrapped silverware.  Thanks Connie for letting me share that experience.

Thanksgiving at Deutmeyers

We then ventured to the New York Botanical Gardens to see their train spectacular.  This was very neat as everything there was a replica of something in the city and made of tree twigs.  Very impressive!  The bridges were amazing! 

Everyone returned home for a great Thanksgiving meal before resting up for the Jets game!  Read about that in the next post!  Go Jets!!!

New York State of Mind

I returned today from a fabulous birthday trip to NYC! (Thanks Wayne - love you!) My sister, Sara, and I flew out Wednesday and I returned home today after a great time spent in the city! We stayed at my uncle and aunts', Dennis and Connies', house outside the city. The weather could not have been better the whole time we were there so we figure we were meant to be in NYC that week.

The first day Connie, Sara and I went out for lunch at this quaint, cool, little place in Rye- suburb - and met one of Connie's friends who also had her niece with her. It was super fun. It was even better because Connie's friend thought I was much younger than I am so that just made my day. She couldn't believe I had children as old as mine were so I thought she was the most wonderful person! :)Connie's friend is very "in" on what is "in" and what is "out" so she filled us in (in case you are wondering, the hot color this fall is purple/eggplant and then gray). Connie then dropped Sara and I off at the train station and we went into the city. We eat some munchies at Grand Central Station before walking to Bryant Park - Project Runway Fashion Week- checking out New York City Public Library, walking around Central Park, munching again at Tavern on the Green in Central Park before heading to concert. I do have to say that the inside of Tavern on the Green was not what we expected - very foofoo with flowers everywhere and too much velvet!

We taxied to Madison Square Gardens and were pumped for the concert! Dennis and Connie had seats in the front row in front of the VIP section right to the side of the stage so they gave us their tickets and they took ours (the tickets we had weren't bad either, close, but up higher, so they switched with us). They met us at the Gardens. No one was in front of Sara and I at the concert and it was sweet! Sugarland was great and Keith Urban was awesome!!!!! We were hoping that Nicole Kidman, his wife, would be there and she was!!!! But the greatest part of the night was when Keith Urban walked in front of Sara and my section (he walks to the back of the arena and plays too) and he slapped our hands!!!! We thought we were going to pass out - yes, it was a teenage moment we know but we couldn't control ourselves! Our night was complete!!!!!

We slept in the next day as it was a late night in the city. Sara and I had a nice lunch with Dennis and Connie and then headed back to the city. We went to Dylan's Candy Bar - which is like candy heaven!!!! We spent a lot of time there and Sara enjoyed some chocolate covered strawberries while Connie and I shopped. Then we taxied to NYU to take in the sites and atmosphere of the "liberal" college. Very relaxing although Sara couldn't handle all the people feeding the pigeons. :) We met a family friend of Dennis and Connies' who ended up having dinner and going to the show with us.

We met Dennis and the boys for a great dinner down by Times Square before heading to the show. It was an exciting night for all of us and Will, and all of us, were meeting his biological mother. While I think everyone was nervous, it all went fine. Someday, Dennis, Connie, Sara and I will look back and laugh about a few moments- they know what I am talking about - but Will's biological mother and grandmother were very nice, classy, and sweet! Sara and I really had some great conversations with James during dinner so that was nice as we hadn't seen him yet (he was always at school already when we woke up and in bed when we returned each evening).

The show - "Rock of Ages" - was awesome!!!!Dennis got us tickets in the 5th row, center stage - you are the best, Dennis! It was set to 80s music and the scary part was that Sara and I knew all the songs! Yes, we did! (should we be proud of that or not?) It was definitely not for kids, but we thought it was super! As we were walking to talk to Connie at intermission and use the restroom, Connie pointed out that Vince Vaughn, movie star, was walking right in front of Sara!!! She could have put her arms around him. We all agreed he was much cuter in person than in the movies! Wow! Needless to say, he was sitting 2 rows behind us at the show!!!! The crowd loved the show - really got into the music - and the actors/actresses were fabulous! Would recommend the show to people who were in high school or college in the 80s!

Saturday was a relaxing day to end the trip before flying out later in the afternoon. I played a little basketball against James (I won and then he won) and then we helped Connie get the house ready for Will's biological mom and grandma who were coming to stay that evening. Ran into Rye and grabbed some awesome pizza and headed to the airport to catch our plane.

We can't thank Dennis and Connie enough for letting us stay there and sharing some special memories with us!!!! It was just what Sara and I needed - not so many tourist things as we have done all that many times - but New York fun! You guys are the best!! Thanks, James, for letting me have your bedroom for a few days and playing basketball with me! Oh yeah, and thanks for carrying my bag in the city! Thanks Deutmeyers for another great trip of memories!