NYC and such

Michael,

About a month ago I received a text from Bethany saying, "I have a proposition for you. Call me tonight."
She was kind enough to invite me to join her in a little getaway to NYC. She found an awesome deal with JetBlue, so away we went. I must admit it took a little coaxing to get me to leave my girl for that long. Even though it was just 3 or 4 days, I hadn't ever left Andi for that long. Luckily she has a second home at the Luke residence, so leaving her in a familiar place eased my concerns. And to all my critics out there who pride themselves on regularly scheduling away time from their children, I pridefully claim to have not been so inclined to do the same thing. She is my girl, and for now, I am more than happy to have her such a large part of my existence.
So regardless of any hesitations, I was very grateful to all of my family that helped me so much while I was away....And grateful to Beth, who got me out of my norm for a bit.
So yeah, the trip.....
I felt like we were in the subway half the time, but that in and of itself is an adventure. Unsurprisingly, Beth was a boisterous and fun-loving companion. We went to China Town and while there ate some dumplings and shopped (more like sifted through the crap.)

We found our way to Greenwich village and even found the famous Magnolia Bakery.
Beautiful little shops to see there.














We had dinner with her friends and got to visit what became one of my favorite stops: A little cafe called Rice to Riches. They had a plethora of flavors to choose from for rice pudding enthusiasts. I loved it.
We saw "Wicked," of course, and I was reminded of what a great story that is...Particularly reminded of that fact as I sat next to Beth who showed such clear passion for this awesome performance.
We walked around the rainy city, went to cafes, got pedicures, shopped some more, saw some sights, (Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Center)


We went to a great restaurant called Del Monaco's....Some of the best fish I've ever had.












We went to church at a singles ward in Harlem with Beth's friends, spent an afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art--another fave of mine.


And then we completed the tour with a long ride to the airport to once again partake of the crowded chaos only to be found in that city.

It was a wonderful little getaway, made even better because of the great company. It's not often Beth and I have some good one-on-one time and I really appreciated it. I think it's safe to say we had some good conversation, lots of laughs, and we were able to share some good memories along the way.
Sure do love her.











Thought of you and talked about you the whole time, of course. Everything reminds me of you, and I feel you near me often. In good times and bad, I feel you. However, I feel most grateful for the help I feel from you in the more difficult moments. Thank you for taking care of me, even still.

Always~