Thanksgiving Weekend

I'm absolutely exhausted from the physical, mental, and emotional expenditure over the past four days. My mom and Sherwin (stepdad) arrived Wednesday night for Thanksgiving festivities. We arose early Thursday morning in anticipation of the 5 miler Turkey Trot through Prospect Park, for which I found motivation through my addiction to The Biggest Loser. If they can work out that hard, I can run a measly five miles. And I did! Nothing beats endorphins, crisp autumn weather, and family time. My mom and I even crossed the finish line together!

I rushed home after the race, showered, made spinach dip (which was voted the new Shannon staple h'orderve for family dinners), and headed back to Jim and Lindsay's for Thanksgiving dinner. Our Thanksgiving table was a smorgasbord of New York friends and family: Mom, Sherwin, Linds, Jim, and myself; my roommate, Elle; Jim and Lindsay's friend from club volleyball, Keith; Justin (Jim's close friend) and his dad from San Diego; and later in the evening, Kelly and Rayna stopped by. With the help of eight bottles of wine and one bottle of scotch, the evening was a riot. In true fashion, I managed to drop a block of cheese in my Chardonnay (still ate it...kind of delicious), the boys talked about politics (highly encouraged dinnertime conversation, right?), and we finished up with Oliver children karaoke (to be expected). I'm not sure I can remember a more flawless night with close friends and family.

The view from the Ellis Island ferry

Black Friday gives me anxiety, so shopping was definitely not on the agenda the following morning. Instead, the family rode the ferry to Ellis Island, where we not only saw the famous immigration center, but the most stunning sunset right over the Statue of Liberty. For dinner, we stumbled across an adorable strip of restaurants and bars on Stone Street in the financial district- definitely worthy of exploration in my near future. Afterwards, we went to the Union Square Christmas market and grabbed a glass of wine nearby before calling it a night. I managed to stay out a little later to watch Immortals with Conor, but regretted that decision the next morning when I couldn't pry my eyes open.

Dinner at Bourbon Street

Lindsay, my mom, and I made a quick stop at David's Bridal on Saturday to try on Bridesmaid dresses for Lindsay and Jim's wedding. Well, I was the only one trying on, but they were hemming and hawing at the possibilities. One meander through Rockefeller Center and a martini later, we found ourselves at Bourbon Street on Restaurant Row. The jambalaya was fabulous, but not as fabulous as our waiter. He was a singer/dancer at Busch Gardens a few years before I worked at the park, so we had tons of mutual friends and countless immediate inside jokes. The Busch Gardens Entertainment Department is like a family, so when you meet fellow castmembers, you feel as though you've known them for years. I'm pretty sure he's my new best friend.

That night, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was just as hilarious and entertaining as I remembered. I really wanted my mom to see it since it's one of my favorite Broadway productions, so I stopped by the box office on Wednesday to get tickets for Friday night. They were sold out, leaving me empty-handed and annoyed that I'd taken the trip all the way out to Times Square for nothing. After getting home, my mom suggested Saturday, so I trudged back up to the box office later that evening after procrastinating all day. Fairly certain that Saturday night would be sold out, too, I tentatively asked the box office manager, "Do you by any chance have five seats open on Saturday night?" He practically laughed in my face, but checked anyways. Three mouse clicks and he spouted "You are the luckiest girl in New York City!" A party of five cancelled just one minute earlier, leaving five premium seats in the fifth row open for last minute claiming. The best part is, they ended up being one fourth of the price we normally would've paid for those kind of seats! In this case, procrastination proved useful since the theatre would've been full had I asked any earlier in the day.

At the Russian vodka bar

Tess, her brother Christian, Jacob, Mike, Justin, and his dad met us after the show for drinks at a Russian vodka bar, but no one lasted past 1a.m. as exhaustion from the busy weekend set in. We woke up this morning to attend Hillsong, Brittany's New York church. The weekend concluded with brunch, a tour of my apartment, and sending off not only my mom and Sherwin, but Brittany as well. To say I was (am) sad is an understatement. A pit in my stomach still remains as I lie here in bed without Brittany to my right. The bedroom is unbearably giant without her queen size blow up mattress next to the window and clothes on her side of the closet. I tried to distract myself by grabbing dinner with Ryan, the guy I met a few weeks ago from Villanova, on the Upper East Side, but that only lasted for the time being. The second we parted ways at the train station, I became stifled by a cloud of loneliness. I knew not having Brittany around would be hard, but not this hard. When you spend as much time with someone as the two of us did, you become unknowingly addicted to their presence. I feel like I'm going through a break up or something!

I have to find a new apartment this week so that I'm not living in Penn Station on December 15th. Wish me luck. At How to Succeed on Saturday, two people payed $5,000 to meet Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) backstage and take home a bowtie he wore in the musical. Someday, I will be able to put a roof over my head just by shaking someone's hand...right.