Christmas Week in NYC - the final two days!

Christmas Week in NYC continues...

The day after Christmas was our visit to the New York Stock Exchange. 

Randy and me in front of NYSE

Randy made arrangements through his office for us to go down on the floor of the exchange. One of the guys, there on the floor, showed us around. After getting through the security - heck, they took our photo and actually made us a photo ID badge - it was really very exciting!

 The three of us standing in front of the balcony

where they ring the opening and closing bell.

Surprisingly, the balcony area where they ring the bell is much smaller than it appears on TV.  



Randy on the NYSE FLOOR with Mark

No doubt, this was the highlight of Randy's trip.  He has been in the business 31 years and always wanted to visit the floor of the exchange. 

No jeans, though - yes, we were informed prior to showing up. That's kind of an inside joke. Each time Randy communicated with the guy he reminded him "no jeans."    After 9/11, the public is no longer allowed inside the NYSE.  There used to be a viewing area for the public to go inside and see/watch the goings on - even then, the public wasn't allowed on the floor without guided passes, etc.  So, being on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange is a big deal, to us anyway!!!

We each had our picture taken with "the guys."

A beautiful Christmas tree on Wall Street...

Christmas Tree outside of the NYSE on Wall Street

Blair in front of Wall Street tree outside NYSE building

As we walked around the floor of the exchange, we saw FOX  and CNBC area.  It was really neat to see it all.    

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Trinity Church... 

Exterior 

 At the end of Wall Street is a beautiful old church - Trinity Episcopal Church with gorgeous architecture. I was told George Washington went to church there and that Alexander Hamilton is buried there. 

Blair and me - Trinity Church at Wall Street

Me inside Trinity Church at Wall Street

When I closed my eyes, it felt like I was in Little Rock's Trinity Episcopal Cathedral - where Blair went to elementary school - The Cathedral School.  I wanted to stay in there a long time.  It was heart warming as I took in the tranquil and peacefulness of the moment.

I bought a really pretty small cross made of olive wood - a comfort cross.

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Other sites, etc. thrown in here and there during the week.

 A visit to the 9/11 Memorial..

 Sweet and Sad

9/11 Memorial - Randy and Blair

Me at the 9/11 Memorial

Notice the single white rose in the background. 

It was cold and raining the day we visited the 9/11 memorial.  To be honest, I carry a memory of this day in my heart, mind, and soul.  I really didn't need to visit a site to feel the tragedy and pain of that day.  I visited the site to pay respect and therefore, I'm glad I was there.  

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Grand Central Station...

 Exterior of Grand Central Station

Me inside Grand Central Station 

Grand Central Train Station is grand!  It's actually a beautiful building - both interior and exterior. The background in this picture looks like a scene I've seen in a movie before, don't you think!  

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Battery Park...

 Another beautiful park and Christmas tree in NYC.  There's also great ice skating in Battery Park. There were several neat places to have lunch as well as little open air shopping booths to browse. Battery park is actually a very pretty park.

 Blair - Battery Park

Randy and me - Battery Park 

 It was so so so cold the day we walked around in Battery Park. I'm sad to say - we didn't stay long - for that reason alone.  I wouldn't even take my hood down for a picture - and I had on a thick warm headband under the hood of my coat.  That's how cold it was that day! 

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Carnegie Hall, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Union Square, Greenwich Village, Washington Park, NYU, and Yankee Stadium, were also included in our week. 

Washington Park also had a big Christmas tree and serves as another popular park for filming scenes in movies.  I'm sure I've left some things out;  I've got to stop somewhere with this blog. 

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So, I've saved one of the best for last - our dinner with Gemze...

Gemze

Randy and I dined with Blair's landlady, Gemze. Randy and Gemze got to meet each other. The three of us enjoyed our evening together, with nice conversation, between three people who have one major thing in common --- Blair!   Our hearts forever grateful to this lovely lady who greatly loves our daughter, too!

It goes without saying, but... I had a great week being in NYC with Blair. 

Cheers,
Gayla

Christmas Week in NYC - Part Two!



Christmas Week in NYC continues...

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day!

 

We dressed up on Christmas Eve and bundled up, too! Definitely feeling the crisp cold air on our faces, as well as up our dresses.  I felt the cold air from my feet all the way to my waist.  Yes, indeed - I wore my fancy sparkling high heels, which I bought last year in NYC.    Luckily, I only had two blocks to walk.  So, Christmas Eve dinner was at Del Frisco's near Rockefeller Center. 

Christmas Eve Dinner - Del Frisco's

(Blair and Me)

Del Frisco's in New York is a beautiful three-story restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows with wonderful views of Sixth Avenue and nearby Rockefeller Center.  Blair was familiar with Del Frisco's and she knew we needed a place where her Dad could order a steak, while at the same time, she and I could order something other than steak.  It was a dress-up kind of place for us girls, yet not stuffy and snobby.  Afterall, it's Christmas Eve and dining out needed to be special for us. 
It exceeded our expectations - the atmosphere, service, and food were all fantastic!  

It's huge and beautiful!

After dinner, a walk to the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to absorb the beautiful Christmas tree and lights. 

It's hard to capture the beauty of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in a picture, but, we tried!

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Christmas Day we walked the famous city again while the stores were closed experiencing the calm and quiet in NYC instead of the hustle and bustle from the day before.

You wouldn't experience NYC if you didn't take a walk in Central Park...

Blair in Central Park with ice skating in the background!

 

Ice Skating in Central Park, NYC

 

Me and Blair in Central Park

Randy and Blair in Central Park

Central Park is so big and it's impossible to see it all.  It's truly beautiful.  There's ice skating; beautiful bridges; and of course, the horse carriage rides, known as the method of choice to tour the park.  We didn't want to take the horse carriage... we just don't feel like it's very humane for the horses.  I'll leave it at that!  

 

Central Park is one of those places you need to visit numerous times to really absorb it all.

 

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Christmas week in NYC - Part ONE!

~~The Gayla Pink Apple~~

Randy and I were in NYC last week to be with Blair for Christmas. 
 
Christmas is a time for the three of us to be together.    Blair wasn't able to fly home for Christmas in LR, so Randy and I flew to her. As I've said before, this year was a time to adjust, compromise, and do what had to be done to be together at Christmas.  

This is the first, I can remember, that Randy would take off and be gone from work more than one or two days.  Family vacations didn't come around often.  I can remember taking two vacations in the past 20 years - both when Blair was a young child.  Don't get me wrong - I have traveled to see Blair while she was in college; and if you read my blog, you know I've been to NYC a few times this year to see her.  But, as a general rule, Randy doesn't take off more than a day or two from his work.    

So, it was off to the Big Apple for a full week! 

Our hotel was located on the Avenue of the Americas - which is 6th Street.  Radio City Music Hall is a couple blocks down the street. 

So, we walked around the area - took our pictures in front of Radio City.  Then, walked around the area some more and over to the famous 5th Avenue, one block over; and the crazy 7th Avenue, one block over in the other direction. 

Outside our Hotel

I wanted to get in that sleigh

but decided I'd best not!

I could just envision the Hotel Security yelling at me to get OUT  or NYC police arresting me for damaging hotel property! 

 Big Christmas tree with

reindeer lights in the background

Next to our hotel! 

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Randy and I take on TIMES SQUARE...

 

Times Square

 

OKAY...we have had sleep and recovered from the travel day.  Blair is working and OMGosh - it's time for Randy and me to get out on our own.  This is going to be a trip in itself. 

 

Oh, there's Rosie O'Grady's Restaurant!  You've heard of it, right?  It's raining and it will be a good place to have dinner, sit and relax, and get out of the rain. 

Gayla - Rosie O'Grady's Restaurant

So, we did!  The food was great.  It was a nice atmosphere with great service, too!  I'm not into fast food, eat on the go, when traveling.  I want a real restaurant to go inside and sit down to enjoy dinner!  It doesn't have to be fine dining or fancy menus.  But, it does have to be a place to sit down and order from a menu. 

 

I'm not interested in a place where I order my food at the counter, have my number called, and I go up and get my food on a plastic tray, to then sit down at a tiny table pushed up against a window and people in line to order their food are next to my other shoulder.  I'm old and a little cranky, sometimes, and I want to sit down and relax to enjoy my dinner.  Rosie O'Grady's fit perfectly. 

 

OH, WOW!  Here it is!  IT'S TIME SQUARE!  The ever so famous New Year's Eve Times Square!  Oh My, people are crazy. 

Times Square

We exchange taking each other's picture!  "Now, try to capture the background." says miss bossy (me)!  Every picture Randy takes of me is blurry, of course!  No, take another one, this one is blurry! 

And, get the background, too!

Times Square

FINALLY, a young lady says "would you like me to take a picture of the two of you?" I'm thinking... Hmmmm, I don't know - will she run off with my iphone?  She looks nice, so, yes, that's great!  Of course, I then take a photo of the two of them! 

Times Square!

We've had enough!  I snap a few more photos! 

Times Square!

 And, stop along the way back to the hotel to snap a few more photos!  Okay! Okay, just one more with these big red ornaments. They're neat!  Oh dear, every photo is blurry.  He's frustrated - I'm frustrated!  Hmmm, I see this cute family of three and the Dad is trying to take a selfie of them.  So, I say "would you like me to take a photo of the three of you?"  That's great - would you like me to take one of you two?  Sure, thank you so much! 

Ok, I'm ready to go back to the hotel!  We've had enough for one evening - especially without Blair! 

 

I need a bottle of water!!!

 

Gayla

   



 

 

 

 

 

I Love the Anticipation of Christmas...

~~The Gayla Pink Apple~~

 One of the best parts of Christmas is the anticipation...

Who doesn't recall lying in bed, as a child, wondering what Santa would bring when the day finally arrives.  As an adult, anticipation is the excitement about the arrival of loved ones, to wondering if they will be pleased with their gifts, and if everyone will love the Christmas tree.  Wondering if snow might fall.  Praying the turkey isn't dry,  and crossing your fingers the cornbread dressing is good! 

I love to celebrate this wonderful holiday with passion, color, and exuberance - over the top with sparkle and twinkling lights.  Christmas wakes up my senses in a way that brings out the beauty of the season.  Decorated garlands and the tree glistening of glass blown ornaments, and thousands of sparkling tree lights that wake up the room. 

The smell of food, Christmas music, the visual beauty are all paths to the spiritualness of the occasion.   In addition to gifts and food, we are drawn to the holiday because it symbolizes our highest ideals. 

So turn off your mind for a few minutes and think with your heart.  Our mind tells us that Santa doesn't fly through the sky and squeeze down chimneys in our homes, but in our hearts we know this energy is real, that the spirit of giving is real.  His energy is represented in open hearts, in jollity, and in a giving nature.  Everything he represents exists in all of us; Santa challenges us to put that goodness back in ourselves.  

Christmas gives us permission to be childlike again, no matter what our age.  Christmas brings back our sense of wonder and joyousness, the part of us that is closest to God.  The scent of pine or cedar immediately takes me back to my childhood. Imagining that all the twinkling lights at Christmastime are the sparkling stars shining high in the night-time sky. 

The icon of Christmas is the tree.  A Christmas tree beautifully decorated with all the glorious ornaments and lights.  Our Christmas tree gives me a walk down memory lane.  Many of the ornaments represent a moment in my life.  As I unwrap ornaments, I recall the who, what, when, and where of each one.  It's sort of like a memory book hanging on the tree, shining brightly back at me, reminding me of who I am and the meaning of Christmas.

My daughter once wrote in a school paper that our home at Christmastime is transformed into a magical place.    That confirmed for me that all those years of my decorating our home, and preparing for Christmas, indeed gave her, as a young child, a magical anticipation of Christmas. 

I love the anticipation of Christmas,
Gayla

Teach the Children - A Christmas Post

~~The Gayla Pink Apple~~

Teach the Children

 

I hope you enjoy this story...

 

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened.  I just finished the household chores for the night, and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house.  I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask him.

The words choked in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, TEACH THE CHILDREN! I was puzzled: What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.

As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, Teach the Children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that a now-a-day Christmas has forgotten.



Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it on the mantle. Teach the Children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven.

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. Teach the Children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of that promise.

He then reached into the bag and pulled out a CANDLE. Teach the Children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.

Once again he reached into his bag and then removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. Teach the Children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection.

He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF. Teach the Children that Santa Claus symbolizes the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.

He reached in again and pulled out a HOLLY LEAF. Teach the Children the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent blood shed by Him.

Next he pulled out a GIFT from the bag and said, "Teach the Children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the Children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should give gifts in the same spirit as the wise men."

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. Teach the Children that the candy can represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the shepherd's staff helps bring back strayed sheep from the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper.

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. Teach the Children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth, peace and good will.'

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL. Teach the Children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of a bell, it should bring people to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.

 

Santa looked at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the Children the true meaning of Christmas, and not to put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the ONE WHO IS, and I bow down and worship Him, our Lord, our God."

Merry Christmas,

Gayla

P.S.   I've had it stored in my computer for a while.