Back in October 2012, I noticed that The Lion King was going to be performing in Dallas in October of 2013. I don't have a "bucket list", but if I did, one of the things on it would be to take Ashlynn to see this show. I told Wes about it and said how much I would really like to take the family. He nodded and we went about our business. About an hour later, he came to me and said, "You know, you really shouldn't take Ashlynn to see The Lion King here. She really needs to experience it in New York on Broadway." I agreed, but knew the cost of taking the whole family would be beyond what we could do, so I just let that thought leave my mind.
Then in November, the church gave me my retirement party. My gift from them was 2 nights at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. If anyone knows me, they know that that's one of my favorite destinations and favorite place to stay. I was thrilled! I hadn't been to New York in 4 years (we usually make it a yearly excursion) and the thought of getting to head back there brought joy to my heart. Wes suggested we try to go in early December. That way we could see the giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center and walk around 5th Ave. and see all the Christmas window displays. I loved the idea. However, it just didn't come to pass. We were having to go back and forth from South Carolina to help Wes' parents get settled in their new place. So, New York was just going to have to wait for awhile.
About the middle of December, Wes and I were discussing what we'd like to give the kids for Christmas. We thought a family trip might be fun...maybe a Disney Cruise. That wasn't a good idea. Shawna was pregnant, and she didn't need the sway of a boat. We'll do that some other day. Then the idea popped up about going to New York. What would that cost to take the whole family? Wait.....we've got a gift card to the Marriott....that would help some. Then Wes went to check our Marriott rewards. Our credit card gives us Marriott points to stay at their hotels. We hadn't used those rewards in a few years. Wait! We have enough points to get several free nights at the Marquis. Really? Could this be happening?
Then I told Wes that if we chose to do this, we would need to buy tickets and not fly non-rev to New York. Yes, January is a great time to fly non-rev as the loads on the planes are usually light right after Christmas....but the weather could turn really bad and if New York City gets a storm, it could be days before we got out of the area. My guys are use to flying non-rev and waiting at the airport, going from gate to gate to see if we can get on the next flight. However, I'm not going to ask my pregnant daughter and 5 year old granddaughter to do that. So, we decided it would be best to buy tickets.
Then, Wes remembered that we had AA advantage miles. Could we possibly have enough to get a free ticket or two? Why yes!!! We do! Seriously! Is New York going to happen?? I believe it is! God is this what You want because we REALLY want to do this if it's cool with you. As we started looking deeper and deeper into it, we realized that yes, God was saying this is cool.....go do it. So, we did! It was a wonderful trip. And it all started because my church wanted to honor me for being their children's pastor. They will never know the gift they have given to me. A treasure beyond words!
My next few blogs will be about our adventures. I won't be able to fully describe everything that happened. But I'll give it my best try!
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