Why we yell....: THANKSGIVING WEEKEND with NET team #9

This Thanksgiving weekend, we got to meet NET Team #9.....

NET Ministries challenges young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. Every August, 120 young Catholics aged 18-28 leave behind their jobs, school, family, and friends to devote nine months to serving with the National Evangelization teams. Divided into 11 teams, they travel across the U.S. for nine months to share the Gospel with young people and their families. Since 1981, NET teams have led over 25,000 retreats and ministered to more than 1.6 million young Catholics.

My son, Gavin, has been a part of NET Ministries for almost 2 yrs.. This year, our family was blessed with a visit from his team. It was great to meet them all.

They arrived in their NET van on a rainy Thanksgiving Eve. (Everyone in our home, prior to their arrival, was excited and the nervous energy was abundant!) I knew we would never remember all of their names, so I made name tags to make it easier. The first thing we did after all the introductions, was to open the packages that had arrived at my home prior to their arrival. One box was a Thanksgiving treat for all of the team members. The gift was simple, but the sentiment was great. The next box had a coat for one of the girls. (It is interesting for some of the team members who are from warmer parts of the country, who need heavier winter garments in the colder temps)

( Ivan is pictured here, buying his very first pair of gloves)

Next was dinner, Chinese food for all! We spread ourselves all over the house as best we could, prayed, and shared our meal.

After we had dinner, we piled on the couch (for the most part) and watched Nacho Libre. Love that movie. It's a must see if you like Jack Black. JB just cracks me up.

Then it was off to my Parent's house, were the team spent the night. Some upstairs at my Sister's part of the house and some downstairs at my Parent's. In the morning, we all met at Notre Dame for Thanksgiving Mass. The team spent Thanksgiving Day with my Parents and we met them at my Father in Law's house for Dessert.

THE DAY IN NYC

Since I knew that some of the team might never have a chance to see NYC, I thought a trip into the City was a must. So, after Thanksgiving Dinner, I came home and mapped out a plan to give them some of the best of NYC. It took me a couple of hours to do it, but it was worth it at the end of the day.

5:50 am (no kidding)

Early Black Friday monring, around 5:15 am, I was not sneaking out to the stores, but instead shaking children up to head to NYC.

Since the team had their own van to travel in, we took 2 vans and headed to Staten Island, where we paid $8 for parking and headed on the Ferry, which was FREE! (We had tolls on the Goethels Bridge and another on the Parkway as well)

Getting onto the SI Ferry allowed them to A. be on a Ferry B. See the Statue of Liberty C. See Ellis Island and D. See the Liberty Towers being built. Bingo....4 attractions, crossed off the list.

7:30 am

For $2.50 each, we got onto the subway (an attraction for most of the team) and took it to 52nd St, right next to Central Park.

8:20am

Central Park was very fun, as we were right at the entrance to the Zoo and we got some time to visit the Sea Lions and take pictures under the Central Park Zoo Clock and the huge rock right up the path.

8:45 am

Next it was past the Plaza Hotel (which some Team Members recognized as the Home Alone Hotel),

The Apple Store and FAO Swartz....check, check, check. Remember that it was Black Friday, so they had it all dolled up for Christmas and the whole Holiday Season.

9:30 am

Walked along 5th Ave, looking at all the dressed up windows.....to St. Patrick Cathedral....

....Rockefeller Center

I packed lunch for the kids, so we had our lunch at 30 Rock on the benches there and the team went into RC to get some lunch at Subway. (By the way, a great deal is to be found at the Drug Store in 30 Rock, where I found a 6 pack of water for around $4!....if you have ever traveled to NYC, you know what a deal that is! ~the water is about $3 each anywhere else!)

After lunch, we headed to 12 pm Mass at St Pat's....

12:40 pm

A quick stop to Nintendo World on 48th on the way to 7th Ave....

A QUICK PHOTO OPP...

1:00 PM
TIMES SQUARE!

We arrived at our final destination! Some of us were overwhelmed by the wall to wall crowd, some drinking it all in....I admit I had a little of the first and a whole lot of the second....

After Times Square, we headed back to the subway, rode back to the Ferry and minutes after leaving the Staten Island Ferry parking lot, the kids were mostly fast asleep!