April 20, 2009

I had such a full day yesterday (Sunday) that I couldn't even post it that night. So, I'm adding it today and will add some pics later.

God is treating me to some wonderful days. Thursday and Friday were beautiful for the time I got to spend with the team from NC, Saturday so awesome for time spent with Ashley running around the city. And Sunday's plans turned upside down, but became a thoughtful gift from God to me.

I arrived at Coffeehouse to serve my lunch shift and found that another church had switched their serving week. There were more than enough people to serve, so I was given the day off! Ashley was going to meet me there, so I called her and we met at Port Authority and headed off to explore and take more pics for the afternoon.

We started out at Grand Central Station, where we took pics and stopped for a little snack at the food court. There is an 'urban living room' that has recliners set around with little end tables and gives the traveler the chance to rest just like in their living room at home. While sitting in the food court, a gentleman (who had been imbibing some happy juice) came to our table and proceeded to 'pick us up'. He was kind of funny, but very persistent. It looked like he wasn't going to leave and I was beginning to wonder if we needed to find security. He tried to talk me into taking him, and we that didn't work, he started on Ashley. He kept promising that he would take good care of us and treat us right. He finally moved on and a couple who were sitting near by laughed with us. The husband said I just didn't know what I was missing out on and I told him that I would probably kick myself in the morning. ha We looked up and the 'eligible bachelor' was talking to some ladies at another table. Oh well, I guess I missed my chance for romance in the city! I was thrilled to find a little subway car that I had been looking for at the MTA gift shop, so I didn't leave totally empty handed!

We walked over to 1st Ave to the United Nations. The flags were not out, but we took some pics anyway. One of my favorites is the statue of the gun with the barrel twisted into a knot. I won't delve into either side of the politics of gun control. I just think the statue is interesting to look at.

We jumped on a bus and headed back to Mid-town to see how the Diamond district was doing on a Sunday. Still quiet. We'll have to hit it on a weekday. I remember it being really hopping when I've been there before. I'm hoping for some good pics.

We were walking farther west to catch the 1 train to South Ferry station when we ran into a small street fair. Ashley had mentioned how she would miss seeing one since she would not be here for summer. I like to think that God placed that one on our path just so that she could experience it. The usual vendors were there, purses, scarves, foods of all kinds, jewelry, art, sunglasses, socks, sheet sets, odds and ends, etc. We saw the sights and smelled the smells and kept our money in our pockets.

We took the 1 train down to South Ferry station. They finally opened the new station a few months ago. The old station was so small that only the 1st 5 cars of the train could fit in the station. Before, you had to make sure that you were in one of those 5 cars. It was fun to arrive in the new station. I've never seen one so clean and shiny! We took the Staten Island Ferry over and back, taking lots of pics of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Jersey, Manhattan, boats, barges, Staten Island and each other. It was a nice day to stand at the rail and listen to the water as we traveled along. I've always enjoyed riding the ferry (which is free, by the way) when I needed to get away from the craziness of the city.

When we arrived back in Manhattan, we walked around Battery Park and took more pics of statues and such. There was a group of young people doing some acrobatics and giving a message about being drug free. We arrived just in time to see them setting up for their ending exploits (not to mention the usual passing of the hat for tips). They lined up 9 small people for one of the guys to jump over. My camera has a small delay between pressing the button and the actual picture being taken. I was hoping I could catch the guy in the air at some point. I couldn't see him running, and just clicked the camera when I thought the time might be right. God was so sweet to make sure that the timing was perfect and I got a pic of the guy flipped upside down over the kids. Great pic! I also liked the pic of the damaged globe statue that was relocated from the WTC after 9/11. There is an eternal flame at that spot also.

Off we marched through the Financial district. We took pics of the Bull statue and some cool, old buildings. We were walking around the crazy streets down there and were ready to just ask some security guys where the NYSE building is (you know the one with the huge flag?). We were walking up to the guys to ask them when we looked up and they were standing in front of the building. We cracked up laughing. We would have felt soooo stupid if we had asked and not looked up. Silly laughter is a good thing!

The World Trade Center sight was next. It's such a huge construction sight now. There were lots of cranes of different sizes that could be seen above the tall fences. I took some pics. I hope they do it justice. It was very interesting to see them.

Ashley and I were looking for the subway to get back up to Mid-town for church. Weekends are the times when the subway lines and stations are usually messed up, mixed up or just plain shut down for 'improvements'. We got on one of those lines that was 'altered'. Of course, being the silly girls that we were that day, we ended up on the wrong train, going the wrong way. We were so busy chatting that it was 30 minutes before we realized that we didn't recognize the names of any of the stations. We ended up pretty far out in Brooklyn. We got off the train, got our bearings and made our way to a station that allowed us to catch another train back into the city. I texted Mike and told him that we wouldn't make it back in time for church. We felt so silly! But never fear, we had spent a lot of the last 2 days discussing our relationships with the Father and all He is and has done in our lives. It's been a special time of sharing between two sisters-in-Christ. Although I missed being at Parable!

We ended up having dinner at a fun restaurant named Vyn*l. It was kind of loud with music, but fun. The food was awesome! I had grilled salmon with spinach pesto sauce, roasted beets and carrots, grilled portabello mushroom and asparagus. Yum!! Ashley's sesame chicken dish was so big that she took some home. The restrooms were cool. Instead of 2 different large rooms (1 for each men and women), there were 4 smaller rooms, each with a toilet, sink and a theme. I visited the 'Cher' room, with her music piped in, a tile mosaic of her on the wall and a Cher collector's doll mounted on the wall. I can't remember the 4th room, but the other 2 were themed for Dolly and for Nelly. So instead of picking the room according to your gender, you picked it according to your choice of music. How fun!

We parted in Times Square where I waited (in the very chilly air) for my bus and Ashley caught her train. By the time I got home, I was ready for some warm jammies and a soft sofa! I fell asleep watching tv and went to bed before midnight for the first time in months! God has been good to me in these last 4 days by giving me so much energy to accomplish a lot in the beautiful weather.

Today (Monday), I scurried to Clinton center to serve lunch. The weather has dropped back down to 40s & 50s and there's rain in the forecast for the next few days. Perfect planning for me to work on the correspondence, networking, lists and packing. I want to be a good steward of God's time and I also cherish every moment I have left here in the city.

Thanks to everyone who are lifting me up in prayer. I can really feel them!
The ring on my thumb is a symbol of the promise I made to God at the beginning of the year that I would serve anywhere and in anyway He leads me. That includes being ready to react to His direction when He gives it. To be ready... that brings me Joy.