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Where to Start?

The city break for my birthday started this way:




Crazy birthday girl on a double decker bus in Times Square.

Okay this wasn't the EXACT beginning. I'm leaving out the flight, which was not delayed. The arrival at the hotel, in a TOWN CAR, the surprise Broadway show SPAMALOT which even D enjoyed, despite not actually always enjoying Monty Python and the wandering in awe at night in Times Square.

But above picture expresses the glee I was feeling from the moment we left Belfast until my feet touched the ground last Tuesday.

If I thought I was happy in this picture, I didn't know the half of it.

That night this happened:

MY PARENTS SHOWED UP AT THE HOTEL ROOM TO TAKE US FOR DINNER!!!!! MY PARENTS LIVE IN CHICAGO!!!!!! I couldn't stop jumping up and down when I saw them at our hotel room door.

I couldn't believe D had pulled it off. I am the nosiest person on the planet. I speak to my mom EVERY SUNDAY. She hates keeping secrets.

I thought that was the icing on the cake but again, I had NO IDEA.

Although I don't have the picture to prove my glee later on that night, there was yet another knock on the hotel room door at about 10pm.

I opened it to a bottle of champagne, which I assumed had been sent up to the room by my sisters and brother and a little token of..WHOAAAAA..LOOK LEFT...MY SISTER AND BRO-IN-LAW WERE STANDING THERE!!!!

I think I crushed them with the hugs.

Sadly their flight had been delayed for 5 HOURS and they spent the entire day in an airport.

But they were there. And so the next day, I did capture this shot:

After a glorious day wandering the streets with my shopping warrior sister, I was still in shock. It was so hard to believe it was actually happening. I loved every minute because I wasn't sure what would happen next.

And I should have been prepared because on the last night, after my sister and bro-in-law had sadly left, we were sitting with my parents on patio having drinks and the next thing I know this happened:

MY BROTHER WAS IN NY!!!!! FOR SCHOOL!!!! COINCIDENTALLY!!!!!

The universe does really listen and karma does matter.

The only person missing from the piece of the puzzel was my other sis H. She was at a wedding in Maine. Although, to this day, I'm still expecting her to show up on my doorstep.

Thank you dreamy D. Thank you mom and dad. Thank you adoring siblings.

Thank you for adding to the moments I always worry are slipping away.

Thank you for caring so much about an old lady's birthday.

I think this might be the best decade yet.

************

For those of you curious about Korea, I do apologise for not elaborating but I'm still basking in the glow of my amazing birthday. Quite a few things have been rolling around in my brain over the past week and I hope to get them up over the next couple of days. Just know, the adventure is on....

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