Busy Week: 2 Countries, 3 States, 2 Days Edition (part 2 of 3)

OK- I'm back. We hopefully are finished now with the stomach bug that crept into the house recently. (knocking in wood) I think I can get to part 2 now...

So Greg's kind mother traveled across the country to be here for just brief visit. She arrived very late Wednesday night. For my birthday last month Greg got he and I tickets to see Harry Connick, Jr.'s Christmas concert.... in Newark, NJ.

Thursday morning after getting all of the kids off to school Greg and I hopped on a plane for New York City! I slept the entire flight, I was just exhausted. Greg too. We were picked up and driven to our hotel in New Jersey. Our driver gave us a little info as we drove, telling us where we were, Queens, The Bronx, the current and the new Giants/Jets Stadium, and a place called the Xanadu that is under construction. The Xanadu project is described here: The ultimate sports, leisure, family entertainment, shopping, hotel and office complex in the United States. A 4.76 million square-foot project offering five interactive districts; Sports, Children's Education, Entertainment, Food & Home, and Fashion. Xanadu will include the nation's first indoor Alpine ski resort, an indoor mini-formula one style racing venue, a 32-screen movie palace, a live entertainment venue, a minor-league baseball stadium and an extreme sports park.

Can you just imagine?! This place is HUGE. That orange striped part is the skiing area. Anyhow, once we got to our hotel we ordered a huge lunch, ate, and went back to sleep. What's up with us that once our responsibilities of home and family are gone, we pass out? We almost didn't get up in time for the concert!?

It was fabulous!!! I really love Harry Connick, Jr. He is so talented and entertaining- especially when his friend/trombone player Lucien Barbarin joins him in playing, singing and dancing New Orleans style. Cracks. Me. Up. One day I think I'd like to go to one of his concerts in New Orleans. I imagine that there the audience doesn't hold back much and they must dance and sing along through the whole concert. We have been to 4(?) of his concerts now and I always think that. I also always think it's way too short.

**I couldn't resist posting a couple of videos on here-

This video features the New Orleans music and dancing that I think is SO fun.

This one is a song from the latest Christmas album that was so funny in concert. (This version is a little more controlled that the one we saw though. They really hammed it up at our concert.)

I am so glad that Greg likes Harry as much as I do so we could enjoy this together.

And since I'm not too great at self portraits yet, here's what was in the background. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center- beautiful venue!

And finally here is my very blurry, not all too legal picture of Harry dancing during the actual concert. Greg got us great seats!

It was a great night. We did hear from the kids around 10pm that night. They told us how Grammie G had taken them out to dinner at Red Robin and then to see the movie Bolt. They also told us that they got very lost on the way home until Kobe decided to tell everyone that he knew the way. Sure enough he directed them straight home. :) I think he was born with an internal GPS just like my dad.

We finally returned to our hotel & got room service again. (There was no place around to eat.) We had yummy steak soup. I was passed out again before even finishing mine.

Friday we woke up and watched the sun rise over Manhattan. (I think that's the Empire State Building.) Not because we wanted to, but because we had to leave the hotel at 6:30 am to get back to JFK for our flight home. Check out this cool little airport restaurant we ate breakfast in...

We returned home and by the time the kids got home from school, the snow was coming down like crazy. Sheryl (Grammie G) decided she'd better get out of town fast before she got snowed in anywhere. Greg took her to the airport for her flight back to Denver. By 6pm we continued our day of travel by crossing the US/Canada border on our way to Michigan for the weekend. By the time we reached US soil again, we were completely spent. We grabbed a hotel room for the night to rest up for the final leg of our trip to see family.

So for those of you keeping track, between Thursday and Friday Greg and I were in New York, New Jersey, and Michigan, Canada and back to the US. 2 Countries, 3 states, 2 days.

Up next...Busy week: Saroya's Baptism Edition (part 3 of 3)

**Unfortunately while I was posting this it seems the stomach bug reared it's ugly head in Jillie's bed AGAIN! It's like one of those nasty earwig bugs that just don't die no matter how hard you squish them with your shoe! Mr. Stomach Bug, give us a break please! Christmas is only a week away and you've already set me way back. Get out already! I've got some major shopping, writing and mailing to get done! Enough!**