Christmas in New York

Since I didn't write anything over the course of my Christmas vacation, here's a quick rundown of what happenned. December 18th: Russell and I flew together after convincing him it would be more fun. I had to buy his ticket (which Mom has paid me back for) but it was worth it. It was a direct flight to JFK airport (I've convinced that direct flights are the only way to fly) and we arrived on time. In the picture below, you can see there are two aisles. Russell and I decided to race to see who would get off the plane first. As we were trying to get off, Russell yelled across the seats, "Good luck with that rape charge." Not only was it inappropriate and embarrasing, it was really funny. You have to understand Russell to get his sense of humor.



We arrived at JFK and saw my parents for the first time in a year. I always enjoy "reunions" at airports. My cousing Titi was there (she's going to El Salvador for Christmas and had to fly through JFK anyway, so she decided to stop and visit us for a few days) and we started driving to our hotel. I got my first taste of people being rude as Titi, Russell, and I were waiting on the curb for my parents to bring around the car. We were standing there when all of a sudden someone yelled, "MOVE!" It was a mean lady and her husband trying to get through the crowd. I don't understand why people are rude at Christmastime.

I told Dad that I was hungry and asked him to stop at Wendy's. It turned out to be the best part of the night because it was so frustrating to Dad. The drive-thru window was very long (the longest drive-thru window I've ever experienced), it was about 1AM, and Dad isn't the most patient man when it comes to these type of things. He kept rubbing the top of his head like he always does when he doesn't want to be someplace.

When things couldn't get any better, Dad could not find the hotel we were staying at. The roads in New Jersey were really confusing and Dad, who was already frustrated with the Wendy's incident, was getting more upset. He doesn't like asking for directions so we were lost for longer than we had to be. Dad finally relented and stopped by a convienence store to ask for directions; but instead of going inside and asking the clerk, he asked a drunk guy that was coming out of the store with a bottle of alcohol. Needless to say, it took us a while to find the hotel. When we finally did, Dad was elated, tired, and went to bed.

This is a picture of Titi, Russell, and me in the car. By the time this picture was taken, Titi had been awake for 24 hours and really wanted to sleep.



After staying the night at the hotel, we started driving home. My Dad, who had been driving the whole time, decided that it was Mom's turn. Here's a picture of me sleeping.



I awoke from my slumber to the car doing a 180 spin on an icy bridge that was about 100 feet above another road. I thought I was going to seriously die and grabbed Dad's hand. Luckily, the car hit the barrier and we were safe. When I knew I was okay, I got out of the car and started taking pictures. I thought Dad was going to get mad at me, but he didn't say a word. I'm glad he realized that its important to remember important events like almost dying.



Someone called the police, a tow truck came, and we ended up in a tow-trucking place that were definetly right-wing gun-nuts. We called a taxi that took us to the Rochester airport where Dad rented a car. Here's a really cool picture I took in which you can see the temperature: 4 degrees Farenhiet.



We finally arrived safely at home and I enjoyed the next couple of days relaxing. I played video games with my brothers...



Took pictures of Ricky and Lucy...



Ate my mother's delicious cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls...



Watched my father deliver papers on his ridiculous paper route...



and took pictures with Santa Clause. Dad surprised us by dressing up as Santa. It was really funny and it made a great picture of our family.



Here's the beautiful Christmas tree my mother decorated.



Every Christmas, we always take a "Boys" picture. Here's the one for 2005.



I wanted everyone to look away from the camera for this picture, but who is the only one who doesn't listen to direction?



Christmas Morning! We opened presents at about 11AM (there aren't little kids in the house anymore) and had a great time. My parents got me an ipod and I was so excited! Russell and I got each other Jon Stewart's America book. It was a great morning.



Russell and I left a couple days later to go home. When we got to the airport, Mom found a wheelchair and a luggage cart, so we used them.



Christmas in New York was really fun. I hope next Christmas Brian can go home with me. Here are some mugshots of the family. Again, one person didn't follow directions...