New York, New York!

So we're back! And was that a trip of a lifetime or what! Whew...I thought California was fast-paced!! I'll start from the beginning and I'll probably have to complete it in a few days worth of blogs since there were 6 days of non-stop activity and chaos.

So, for those of you who didn't know, my oldest daughter turned 11 on September 4th and she's always had this amazing fascination with big cities...especially New York. There's no real explanation for this obsession, she's had it since I can remember.

In order for you to get the whole story, I have to back up a little and start with how we ended up there. It started off with me making travel arrangements for a convention for our business last year. I, by the way, don't plan ANY of the travel stuff because it seems to go weird each time. Dale does it. This was no exception. I planned our flight returning a day too early. Boo...the airline said I could change the tickets, but it would cost $100 each and I wouldn't get the money back, rather, just a credit I had to use within a year. So February came and I remembered I had to plan our next trip to use the credit before we lost it and there wasn't any place on that list for that airline I wanted to go. Then we saw New York. Dale had promised Kaila we would take her there one day and she is constantly reminding him of this promise. We decided to make it her birthday gift and we would keep it a surprise. (Excerpt: I am the worst at keeping surprises!)

The week before departure I thought I blew our cover. I was on the phone and I forgot she was in the back seat. I was telling a teammate not to schedule an appointment on a certain day because I was going to be in New York...whoops. So, not knowing if she had heard me, I decided to come up with a story...just in case. I told her she might get really mad at me, but that I didn't want to tell her last minute. I told her I might have to go on a business trip to a state she really wanted to see. She said, "YOU'RE GOING TO NEW YORK?!!???!" I said yes. She asked me to bring her. I told her I couldn't because I would be working and she has school. She believed me!! Was totally mad at me, but believed me. Whew!

So, last Wednesday, my sister, who lives in San Fransisco, where we'd be conveniently flying out of, called and asked to spend some time with Kaila since she missed her birthday. Perfect cover up! I told Kaila we would be going to see Yaya since she had a minimum day and arranged for my sister to drop us off at the airport. Kaila still had no idea! =)

We got to SF, went to the Piers, ate crab and shrimp and met up with my sister, Tanya. At 7:30, Tanya was bringing us to the airport. We got out. We had packed in one giant suitcase and one carry on. Kaila was sitting in the backseat. I told her to get out. She got out and gave me a farewell hug thinking I was leaving. Hehehe...sneaky, sneaky! I told her to get her sweater. She asked why. I told her we were all going. She stood there staring at me...very confused. So I said it again. She said, I thought you said you were going. I told her we were taking her to NY. She started hyperventilating!! =P I had to calm her down or I was afraid she was going to pass out! Ahh...it was just the response I was looking for! She was so excited. We don't have pictures of that moment...boo.

Tomorrow...day 1! The Tourists.

Mel =)