So Much Gratitude IV - Thanksgiving Day

I cannot even begin to express how much joy this day brought. Let's be honest and state that being away from both sides of the family for a holiday was not ideal in my book. But it turn out amazing.

Of course first on the agenda was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Wow - did we really attend that? The energy in the city as we commuted to it was incredible. It's so hard to describe. It seemed like everyone was excited. I've never seen so many kids and strollers on the subways before. Of course the parade did not disappoint! We watched it from Central Park West and 64th St (I realize that means nothing to most of you!) We weren't die hard parade watchers, so we got there about 30 minutes before the parade started. We were about 20 people back from the edge of the parade. It sounds so far, and in reality it is, but the floats are huge, so we still got to see a ton. Well...let me stop by explaining when I say "we" I mean the kids! They were on our shoulders for the whole parade! Yes, it was tiring, but so worth it! We met our sweet friends the Potters as well as G-Daddy and JoJo. The McDurhams were already with us since they stayed with us. I'll start with the small stuff in pictures by showing you my view of most of the parade since Austin was on my shoulders:

Note Austin looking up at the float coming by!

I thought long and hard about those boots, the stroller wheels and the person in front of me pants! Ha!

That was just for a little laugh. In all seriousness, I truly enjoyed the parade. Back ache in all. I was in good company with other parents having back aches too :) Now for the real pictures!

 We walked across into Central Park after the parade was over.

We headed home, kids napped, Amy and I cooked. It was my first time to actually host a Thanksgiving. Amy totally took the reigns and graciously coached me along the way. What a special gift to have an amazing cook, baker, and dear friend join me in the endeavor! At 5pm people began to trickle in and before we knew it, out little 700 square foot was completely full. I think our total count was 18. Wow! Here's some of the fun moments!

The Spread!

My "new" "old" friend - Amy Pierson! Though we've only known one another for a few months, somehow I think she's been in my life since 1996! Ha!

Kyle, Amy's hubby chatting away with the kids. Pretty sure Austin's asking him about sitting on the kid bench!

Little does Jonathan know that in a few decades, he will look just like the man behind him!

Franze, Marie and Bahia playing with Jonathan

Krista reading to the kiddos!

I think they were getting ready to preform the parade. AKA - come running in the living room yelling "PARADE"
and running back  to the room!

Piersons meet McDurhams - only to find out they know 57 of the same people!

"Can I have a whoopie pie"? Well son, you've just said whoopie pie the absolute cuttest way ever... sure! Why not!

Yummm!

Everyone wanted a piece :)

Sweet friends :)

Loving living the adventure along side this stud!

proably the parade in action!

Marie's turn to read. The English speaking kids didn't mind that the book was in French!

So glad to have Aaron's dad and stepmom with us to share in the evening!

Debbie loved Ella - pretty sure Ella loved Debbie too :) Look at that smile!

This is my favorite picture of the whole week!

In the words of David, "There were Haitians, French, Jamaican, Brazilian, Ethiopian and American people there. Such an image of God’s kingdom. Such a fun spirit. Great food made even better by great people. It was really one of the most fun Thanksgivings of my life."

This day was such a picture of answered prayer. One of my biggest fears about moving to NYC was not finding community. It hit me very blatantly when Krista walked in and said, "Who are all these people." God is so faithful. This evening was incredible. In a room full of essentially strangers, there was such laughter, great conversations, and hugs exchanged that I know I'll carry with me for a long long time. I kept stepping back and saying to myself, is this really my life! Perhaps my favorite memory of the evening came from Franze. We actually invited Franze, Marie, and their daughter Bahia very last minute on Thursday morning after seeing them on the subway. Though we'd seen them several times on campus and at gatherings at Columbia, we'd never actually hung out with them. As they were walking out, Franze said, "Thank you so much for inviting us. It felt like family." Praise be to God! Yes, this is really our life in NYC. Abundance!

So Much Gratitude III - G-Daddy and JoJo

I better get moving on finishing up these Thanksgiving posts because Christmas is just a few days away! I am backed up on blogging :)

We were so excited to receive G-Daddy (Eric) and JoJo (Joy) (Aaron's dad and stepmom). There was so much anticipation for this trip as G-Daddy had never been to NYC! They had many plans on doing the touristic things here in the city, but also carved out some good time to spend with us and their grandboys :) We planned to have dinner with them Wednesday night. They came up to see our place and then we were to go out to dinner. I think parents intuition, they realized I was completely zonked! I had spent the day prepping for Thanksgiving dinner and had just sat down for the first time. Realizing I was so tired, they offered to go get food and we could eat it at home. The best part is they took the boys. So while they picked up food, I took a nap (at 6pm!!!) It was fabulous! I needed the fuel to face the next day or so of festivities. My next blog will be about Thanksgiving day itself, so I'll save the details of that for the next post.

We got some incredible quality time with them while they were here. We spent all of Saturday together.  It was a beautiful day and we got to spend most of it in Central Park complete with a carriage and a carousel ride! The boys were in heaven! We shared a crazy chaotic meal at central market as it was past the boys lunch and nap time! It was fun to see G-Daddy and JoJo get a piece of real life with the Pierce boys! After we finally got the boys down for their naps, we shared a sweet visit. Then Aaron took them to see Columbia. It's such a beautiful campus, it's always fun to take people to see where Aaron gets to study! Austin was up at that time, so he got to go as well. He even showed G-Daddy and JoJo his Penguin walk (after having an unexpected accident! Ha)! They came up again on Sunday afternoon to share one last meal and say goodbye. Though we tried to go to Dinosaur Barbecue the wait was too long. We ended up at one of our favorite spots - Kitchenette.

Having Eric and Joy here was so great. It was so sweet to see them (especially G-Daddy) fall in love with the city. I believe even he was caught off guard by how much he enjoyed it. I loved seeing them bring the Texas flair to Yankee-ville! Eric wore a Texas shirt every day. Joy came ready with her psychedelic rain boots (they ended up not working out for her, so she gifted them to me :). We loved showing them our lives. They encouraged us. They loved on us. They affirmed Aaron in this tough season of studying. We are so glad they made the time and took the trek up here. It was a delight to share the week with them! Too bad the D train (express train between our apartment and their hotel) doesn't connect Central Arlington to Morningside Heights in NYC.

So Much Gratitude Part II - The McDurhams

Next to arrive - and equally dear were the McDurhams. Where do I even begin. I was so hopeful for this time and it did not disappoint. These friends share a long history with Aaron in that David was Aaron's college minister. Before even meeting them, Aaron shared incredible stories about the McDurhams. Aaron's first time to NYC was actually when Aaron was in college and David took college students to New York. I have been privileged to cultivate a treasured friendship with them over the last five years as well them. Of course our children love one another too. It was a blast. Having them here was awesome on so many levels!

First David and Amy are part of our advocacy team. This just means they are a part of a group of people who are committed to journey with us in this crazy adventure we are on. It has been such a treat having them walk alongside us. In preparing to come to NY, Amy did so much to help logistically. From watching the kids, to giving me tips to the lifestyle change, to coming to clean out our old apartment - she very literally walked the steps with us in leaving TX. Then as we transitioned she was a voice of reason, comfort, and encouragement on the many phone calls as I learned what it meant to call NYC home. So to have them here with us was so cool. They got to live in our home, walk our streets, meet our friends. It felt so good to have them physically beside us for a week.







Another reason the visit was so awesome was to watch our little ones together. Ella (now known as Ella Bella in our household) called Austin and Jonathan her brothers. They had a blast together. Watching Ella Bella interact with my little guys brought deep joy to my heart. She is so engaging and loving. She welcomed Austin and Jonathan into her play and delighted in their company. She even gave me a break at times and offered to feed, clean, carry Jonathan! That little woman puts smiles on my heart! Here's a few shots of the kids throughout the week!





























I have always loved the idea of getting to live communally. I think I was born in the wrong era. I think there's so much to be gained by sharing every day life with others. The fact that we got to do that with dear friends blessed me in a big way! I just loved living life with them!

brushing teeth together - this has TRANSFORMED my boys willingness to let me brush their teeth. Now all we say is remember how Ella does it? WIDE OPEN MOUTHS! Thank you Ella Bella!

cooking together (More on that to in another post-yes, there's more!)

Getting to see this pretty face in all her different characters!

having an outing to the kids book store

Reading time with David in his favorite (and dangerous! HA) chair!

bed time!

Someone else to ride the subway with me AND do the stairs with the stroller

Perhaps the reason why I so enjoyed having the McDurhams here the most is their willingness to love us well. Aaron and I asked them on the last day a hard question. We asked them as our friends and as our advocates, having lived our lives for a week, what feedback did they have. We wanted to give them space to share honest truth, whether it be encouraging or challenging, to help us grow. It was so incredible to see what came of that conversation. They affirmed us in the difficulties of life in NYC and how we are handling them. They encouraged us to invest in a new friendship that will likely benefit God's Kingdom. They also challenged to have good communication within our marriage. Without laboring the point, they encouraged us to have check points with one another to ensure we will thrive in the face of difficulties instead of merely survive them. These are nice compact little sentences of what they shared, but we are three weeks removed from this conversation. Yes, it was challenging to hear and made us both step back and process alot. But in the end, much needed progress has come. I am truly honored to have friends who love us enough that they are willing to speak into our lives things that maybe difficult to say. Amy and David had no idea how we would receive the things they had to share. But out of their love for us, they took the chance. This - my friends - is biblical community. This is the Body of Christ.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Ephesians 4:16

The time the McDurhams spent in our home flew by. But the fingerprints it left on our lives will remain for a long long time. What an incredible week!