Into the City

Into the Woods has been my favorite musical for a long time. There have been a few that have taken its place for a period (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Wicked), but I always come back to Into the Woods. When I heard it was being revived for a limited run on Broadway this year I was so excited. Maybe it would run long enough for us to get through our isolation period so we could see it! The end date was announced as early September, just a few weeks shy of when we would be back in person. I was disappointed. To my great delight the show was extended into October, then extended again and again. The new closing date was set for early January.

Last week I mentioned to Bryan how much I had wanted to see Into the Woods, but being so close to the end date, I knew there wasn't much of a chance of it happening. Going into NYC is an all day adventure. Peter might be old enough to be responsible for his siblings, but I didn't feel good about both parents being so far from home for that long. Bryan asked if there was an age limit for Broadway shows. A quick Google search told us that, while some shows require the audience to be older, Into the Woods had a minimum age requirement of four. Guess who's four!? The youngest person in our house!

We checked the price of tickets and discovered that Into the Woods happened to be in our price range, unlike most of the other shows playing right now. Bryan got tickets for the next to the last row in the theater.

On Christmas day, after all the other gifts were opened, Peter opened the last family gift. It was a printout of this picture:

There was a moment of hesitation when Peter read what it said, then one of the kids asked if it was on Broadway. We said yes and much screaming and jumping around ensued. This would be their first Broadway show. Bryan's parents would be in town visiting as well, so they would also be joining us.

Wednesday was the big day. We had to split up between two cars to get there. Unfortunately, Bryan's mom was feeling really sick, so she stayed home. This was how I felt at the beginning of the drive.

This is how I felt after our travel time had increased so much that we were now definitely going to miss the beginning of the show. What should have been an hour and a half drive ended up taking nearly three. Here we are, inching our way through the Lincoln Tunnel.

We finally made it out of the tunnel and I watched the map on my phone. When the estimated walking time equaled the estimated driving time, the girls and I jumped out of the van (the van was totally stopped in traffic) and booked it to the theater. I felt bad leaving the others to park, but Bryan encouraged us to get there as quickly as we could. I was so afraid we would be turned away, but it was clear that many other audience members had been caught in traffic as well since we weren't the only late arrivals. The girls and I got in after the third song, the Wolf's number "Hello Little Girl." The guys all joined a few numbers later. As sad as I was to miss the beginning, I was so relieved to get in at all. And even though we were at the back, we had a great view of the stage!

I took some pictures during intermission.

The show was excellent! Brian D'Arcy James and Stephanie J. Block were marvelous as the Baker and the Baker's Wife. Gavin Creel and Joshua Henry were hilarious as Cinderella's Prince and Rapunzel's Prince. We all agreed that Sophie would make a great Little Red Riding Hood someday. Topher did pretty well considering he had to sit quietly in a dark theater for a long time. He was especially interested in the lighting that was used to show the three nights and two days passing. Puppetry was used throughout the show in really clever ways (Milky White, the Giant) that added to the storytelling. It was a wonderful introduction to Broadway for our kids. Plus, it was Bryan's dad's first time in NYC. In retrospect, it probably would have been better if we had taken the train in so that he hadn't had to drive since driving in NYC is always terrifying, but we didn't think about that far enough in advance. 

After the show we took several pictures. Thanks to Ron for sharing many of those that he took.

Like this one, a particular favorite of mine.

And this one.

And this one. I think Bryan was in mid-sentence, but he was still happy to be there.

Then we got back on the road to go home, thankful not to be part of the parking lot of cars trying to get into the Lincoln Tunnel.

Christmas Day In the Afternoon

Hot Tamales

The last time Christmas was on a Sunday we didn't open gifts until after church. Then, since we got such a late start, we ran out of time to make and eat Christmas dinner. We shifted it to the next day and ate it on Boxing Day instead. Knowing that we would have a similar situation this year, we planned ahead. Rather than our traditional Christmas delicacies, I made a different kind of Christmas meal. This year, I learned how to make tamales.

Yes, it was a time consuming project, but it was worth it. We ate these beauties, along with Mexican rice and instant pot refried beans, after we opened gifts. After one bite Bryan looked at me and asked me to marry him again. It turns out tamales are powerful.

Everyone Say Merry Christmas

Most Christmas mornings we all stay in our pajamas and are lucky if we brush our hair at any point during the day. But when Christmas is on a Sunday, we put on our dress clothes and go to church before we open any gifts at all. The next logical step, before putting our cozy pajamas back on, is to take pictures when we're all fancy and coordinated.

I have no idea how many pictures we took. This is the best of the bunch.

Christmas Jammies

Oh the Weather Outside Is Frightful

The insanely cold weather that's been sweeping the nation has finally reached us. Bryan put tape around the edges of one of our back doors to help keep the chill at bay. The tape froze, on the inside of the house. It's currently 4 degrees outside with a windchill of -16 degrees. That's crazy cold.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and are able to stay warm!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

 

In A Three Horse Open Sleigh

Sophie, Phoebe, Topher, and I were invited by friends to take a sleigh ride through a neighboring downtown last week. This is the third time the girls and I have gone on a similar excursion, but it was Topher's first. It's what prompted his invitation to my friend to join him on their own sleigh ride.

The weather was warmer than we expected, which made the outing more pleasant for me. Phoebe, Topher, and I sat in the rear seat while Sophie sat with her friend up in the front. Her friend's mom, my friend, took a picture of most of the group when we finished the ride.

It's cool to have lived somewhere long enough that we've got seasonal traditions with friends.

Sleigh Ride

While six members of our family participated in the choir concert, Topher sat with my good friend and her family. Originally she was going to only hold him during the choir numbers, but she volunteered to hang on to him the entire concert so I could focus on the performances. Apparently it went so well that he told her he wanted to go on a sleigh ride, just with her, without his family.

That's right, my four-year-old asked my married friend who is my age out on a date.

She said no, but as nicely as possible.

Angels We Have Heard On High

Thank you to everyone who prayed that the concert would go well. It did! I'm still completely exhausted from it, so I'll save the full report for a different day. But I will leave you with a picture of the back of my head as I directed what turned out to be an enormous choir! We had thirty-six people sing in the choir. That's huge considering how small our congregation is. It was definitely a Christmas miracle.