Our NYC Experience

It's been something of a surreal summer for this little, humble family of ours...  You see, back in January, our eldest child auditioned for the School of American Ballet's summer program and was accepted.  This is no small feat.  At first, the thought of sending our 14-year-old baby to Manhattan for 5 weeks to live in a dorm was daunting, but we prayed, talked to the staff there and her ballet teachers here, and we were heartened and encouraged to send her.  So, we did.  Her faithful grandparents stayed nearby for a couple weeks, and we all visited for a week prior to bringing her home, but largely, she was on her own (with the help and supervision of the SAB staff - who were excellent).  

She describes the experience as the 'best five weeks' of her life.  I'm so thankful.  

She had unbelievable ballet training, outings to so many cultural events, and wonderful suite mates. She navigated the cafeteria with all her food allergies and did her own laundry.  She even got her own NYC library card.  

She was so nervous about going, but she did it.  In fact, she thrived.

The rest of us flew out and stayed in an apartment in the Upper West Side. We walked miles every day in spite of 100 degree heat.  We met with old friends, saw Matilda on Broadway, took in so many beautiful museums ( American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art), historical sights ( Statue of Liberty, 9-11 Memorial), and watched Joy in her ballet classes.  

At the end of all that, we piled into 2 Ub*r SUVs, made for the airport, and came right back to the wide open Midwest, which we love.  

Did that all really happen?  Again, it seems surreal.  But here's some picture proof:

Central Park Zoo

South Street Sea Port

The Met

The NBA Championship Trophy - we caught the last 10 minutes of its public display in the NBA Store.

A little sidewalk pow-wow with our old friends in front of Grand Central Station

Crash's primary form of transportation for the entire week

Heading home and happy to be reunited...