Familyless again

My family is all gone. They have all left. It was nice to have them all because I really do miss them. We have always been a close family so not seeing each other on a regular basis has been hard. I think we have all coped with pretty well. We have had a lot of practice with Katharine travelling the globe and all. This past weekend we my Mom's turn. We did some Christmas shopping but mostly just walked and down Midtown. Macy's was crazy. We got there pretty early and it was still packed. We then came back several hours later and it was still packed. Mom made a comment that after seeing the crowds at Macy's, the economy is going to be fine. My take was, if it's this crowded when the economy, what is it like when the economy is good? Scary. We walked a few blocks up to Lord and Taylor and they were almost empty so while Macy's is still packing it in, not everyone is so lucky. I think we finished my Christmas shopping, which really was the whole purpose of the trip so that was good. We didn't really have the big Birthday dinner that we planned but we did have some excellent meals. On Friday we went to Maria's Mexican Bistro a block away from my apartment. I always forget it's there so I never think to go there. It was amazing. I'll have to eat there more often. On Saturday, we had a little muffin from Starbucks and then a bigger lunch at the Brewery called Heartland Brewery. We originally planned to only have appetizers and drinks but by the time we got there we were really hungry. After we had finished our shopping, we had walked up to Rockefeller Center and thought, wouldn't it be nice to have drink and watch the skaters. Well, of course everyone had the same idea. So then we tried Time Square and again the same Idea. So we walked back to Macy's got a little bottle of wine and cheese and crackers and came home. Katie had invited us out to the Dram Shop later Saturday night and I wanted my mom to meet at least one of my friends so we both took a little nap instead of having a fancy dinner. You all probably won't believe this but Mommy stayed up past 1 am all three nights she was here.

Dad and Katharine's visit wasn't as exciting because I mostly worked but Thanksgiving was a hit. Katharine made the most delicious turkey ever! Katharine and I got to see Twilight! and it was angsty, awkward awesomeness I expected to be. While I was work on Friday, Dad and Katharine saw the new James Bond. We walked around Prospect Park. Hung out and drank a lot of beer. All in all it was a good visit. I just wished I was able to spend more time with them. Next time when they come, I will make sure to have more time off. It's kind of sad that they had to go home but I will see them later this month. I'm still shocked I got the week after Christmas off. I'm so glad I asked.