An Adventure

Does life slow down once the end of the semester has arrived? I think not!

Alvin and Doretta were here last week to help get some extra stuff done around Mom’s house and to attend Jolene’s graduation on Friday evening.

We managed to get Jolene graduated on Friday and had a successful party at the park. Mom didn’t have way too much food like she usually does and it was fairly simple.

Now...this week we get to enjoy our gift to Jolene. Early Thursday morning, Kris, Jolene, and I will go to the airport and board a flight headed for New York City. Sara will take a shuttle from Chattanooga to Atlanta and board a flight headed for New York City. We will meet at our hotel and then the adventure will begin.

Martin, Kris, Sara, and I will be paying for Jolene’s flight and hotel. (Martin is playing a major financial support role. God bless him!) I think this will be the first ever "Sisters Only" vacation. Sara, Kris, and I (accompanied by various friends) have been many places over the past six to eight years. We’ve taken a train trip from Chicago, IL to Seattle, WA; spent a month in Western Europe; taken various little Florida vacations, as well as other small jaunts locally.

Now, we will take Jolene on her first big adventure. Sara, Kris, and Jolene were in NYC many years ago when Dad was installing truck scales in the area and Kris has been back several times, due to having friends in Brooklyn. Kris and I, along with one of Kris’s coworkers, went to NYC last June. It was my first time in NYC and I loved it.

So, the next two days will consist of planning, washing, and packing.

Last year, we went to the Garment District. Now the Garment District is a Mennonite woman’s dream–lots of fabric shops, all on the same street, one right after the other. I’m going to try to be a little better prepared this time. I’m going to be a little more discerning in which fabrics I choose. I’m going to realize that there are more shops down the street and that I don’t have to buy everything that I find in the very first shop. I’m also taking an extra bag to put my fabric in. Last year, we quickly became bogged down with our fabric and had to end up stopping at Office Depot, boxing it up, and shipping it home. So, prepare, prepare, prepare.

Broadway, Times Square, Little Italy, Chinatown, Central Park, Staten Island Ferry, Battery Park, The Garment District–we want to do it all!! I’m sure we’ll embarrass ourselves somewhere along the way, maybe even get lost in the subway system, but that’s okay. We’ll be taken for nuns or nurses, but that’s okay. We may, at times, appear ignorant, but we’ll enjoy the adventure while it lasts.