Welcome to New York

Five years and almost two weeks ago, Adam and I got married.  We've been married longer than we were in high school, longer than we were in college, longer than the time between two Olympic games.  Half a decade.  It's one of those things that simultaneously feels like it's been forever and not long at all.  Five years does feel like an accomplishment; not everyone makes it this far and not everyone makes it this far as happily as we have.  Five years of marriage, one kid, one dog, one apartment, two houses, two jobs a piece, hundreds of typical days, and here we are, still in love, still best friends.  So, this year, for the milestone that it is, we decided to celebrate with a long weekend in New York City.  I'm sure you've already guessed that this is another sappy rather than profound post.

Anyone who knows us won't be surprised to hear that we did as much as we could in the time we had.  We also basically followed Amelia's nap schedule and relaxed in the hotel for a couple of hours each afternoon.  Anyway, here are the top ten highlights of our trip (as always, in no particular order):

1. Ellis Island - neither of us had done this before.  The museum was interesting and showed the sad parts as well as happy parts.  It was also a little frustrating to think that we feel like we can't allow in refugees now, but we were able to accept all of that immigration in a time when it was nearly impossible to vet anyone.

2. Statue of Liberty - this was part of the tour with Ellis Island.  We just walked around the island; I had forgotten that it was an actual park.

3. The Today Show - we were there on a day when most of the anchors were at the RNC, so it was different than it would be on most days; however, I hadn't ever done it before.

4. Radio City - this is an air conditioned tour and it's fun to see all of the backstage stuff.  I did feel sorry for the Rockette that had to answer all of our questions at the end of the tour though.

5. When Harry Met You've Got Mail Tour - made up and orchestrated by Adam.  Adam had researched and found some places we could see from both "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail."  In spite of what it sounds like, we felt the least tourist-y during all of this.  We spent most of the day walking around the Upper West Side.

6. One World Trade Center/Memorial - Adam wanted to see this, but it ended up being a nice memorial.  We didn't end up going in the museum though.

7. Central Park - I had forgotten how pretty the park itself is and how big it is.  We walked a lot, saw a lot and ate at the fancy Boathouse restaurant.

8. Matilda The Musical - fun and the kids in it were so impressive.

9. Waitress The Musical - the most serious play we saw and Jessie Mueller was amazing.

10. Something Rotten - just as funny as it's supposed to be and also fun.

We may have entered the Hamilton lottery for every possible show when we were in town and lost every time.  Even so, we loved the musicals we did get to see; we couldn't have asked for more variety.

This was the perfect way to celebrate five years.  Not only did we get to see musicals, visit museums, see sites, use public transportation, and be in a city with restaurants and stores, but we were together. Like I said, Adam and I are still best friends, we're still in love and I am so thankful for the marriage we have built so far, as well as the marriage that is to come.  Who knows what's coming next?  It won't be easy, the last five years haven't been easy, but they have been life.  Most importantly, and at the risk of making a cheesy joke, they have been life together.  Here's to the next five years and here's to us!