family visit

my parents and brother decided to drive up and visit me afterall. . mom was wavering b/c she was concerned about the weather but in the end, her need to see her babygirl conquered all! they arrived friday night and despite working a late shift i managed to beat my folks to the apartment. perhaps because my dad is surprisingly bad with directions and always gets lost (this is both annoying and endearing- perhaps b/c i have his terrible sense of direction?).

they arrived armed with a small carryon, some bags, and a box of random stuff. they toured the apartment and fell in love with it. then it was time to turn in. i insisted they stay on the futon and i slept on the airmatress which i realized in the middle of the night does not retain air as i felt the hard wood floors pressing against my back.

the next morning we all rose early. i made coffee for the folks and we headed down to chinatown for dim sum. great morning meal and i was glad to see my folks eat well (a sign for my mom that she's happy) and they actually enjoyed the dim sum. next up was a lot of window shopping, or shall i say chandelier shopping, at lighting stores in chinatown. got some odds and ends at pearl river mart and a chinese grocery store. by mid afternoon my dad needed a nap so we dropped him off at home and moms and i headed back out. after a few hours we were exhausted and cold so we headed home to relax for a bit. by 6 my parents were starving so we ventured out (a whole block away b/c it was too cold and my folks aren't used to it) to a local restaurant and had a feast.

after dinner, we went back home and my dad proceeded to watch the news while i cleaned and hung out with my mom. my brother arrived around midnight with his wifey and we watched saturday night live for a bit before going to sleep. five people. 400 square feet. i was sleeping on my old rug. bro & wife slept on the airmatress. my parents on the futon. you get the picture. . .in spite of the close quarters, i was able to get a good nights rest curled up in a ball wedged between the bed and my big closet.

folks left around 6AM to head home. i left for work around 9 and got home by 8 to meet up with my brother and his wife for dinner. went to a sushi restaurant a couple blocks away.

all in all, a delightful weekend with the family.