Family Time


                


My Mom, my Dad, my two sisters Annika and Arianna, and my grandparents moved me out here. I was so happy that I didn’t have to get settled all by myself. We decided to make a little vacation out of it. My parents got us tickets to see four Broadway shows. First we saw Mean Girls; which was incredible. The next night we saw Frozen; and it was so magical. On Saturday my sisters and I saw the Matinee of Once On This Island while my parents and grandparents saw the matinee performance of Come From Away. It was my second time seeing Once On This Island and the new cast was breathtaking. Even though I didn't see it this go around I have seen Come From Away before; and it still is one of my favorite shows I have ever seen on Broadway. That evening we all joined back together to see Spongebob the Musical. Now I will admit I was skeptical about this show, but I must say I was blown away by it. I love seeing Broadway shows, especially with my family. I am so grateful my parents enjoy taking our family to the theatre.


           


Chelsea Market and the Highline are really cool places to go. There are some great places to eat, including a place we newly discovered that sells all kinds of sweet and savory crepes. But really anywhere you choose to eat in the Chelsea Market will be delicious. There are so many cool and interesting shops and places to walk around in the Chelsea Market too. I really like the Artists and Fleas shop because there are so many businesses there that you can’t find anywhere else and they are always selling one-of-a-kind stuff. We also walked the Highline, which is right above the Chelsea Market and it is a beautiful place to walk around. The view there is fantastic, makes for a great picture spot.


                          

The Highline is the last place I went with my family before they headed to the airport and I headed back to school. We walked around for a bit and took some family pictures, then headed back to the hotel for my family to pick up their luggage and head to the airport. We sat in the hotel room doing some last minute packing and we all just started crying. There were so many tears. My mom and Arianna took the first elevator down; my dad, Annika, and I hopped on a different elevator and just sobbed the whole way down. We made one stop on the elevator ride, but after the doors opened the guy who was waiting took one look at us and decided he could wait for the next one. Everyone in the hotel lobby looked at us like we were crazy and kept asking if we were okay or if we needed anything. We stepped outside the hotel and I got one last hug with each of my family members. Then we had one last big family hug. That last hug was so hard. I didn't think I was ever going to stop crying, but I had ten blocks to compose myself and walk into school for my last class of the day. Somehow I did it, I held it together. My face was a little splotchy and my eyes were pretty red, but I got through it. Walking away from my family was the moment it really hit me that I was going to be living here, on my own, two thousand miles from everything familiar. I really felt like I was leaving my whole childhood behind. I am so grateful for my wonderful family. My parents are the greatest parents in the world, and my sisters are my best friends. I am so blessed to have the family that I do. Being here without them is so hard, and I miss them like crazy, but it feels good knowing they are back home cheering me on. It is so exciting to be embarking on this brand new journey of becoming an adult in such a great city while doing what I love.

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