Time Square vs. Home

6 years ago today I was running frantically threw Time Square. 

My boyfriend at the time, Josh, and my brothers fiancé at the time, Candice, were running next to me.

We probably sprinted 60 blocks in 10 block increments. 

Why you ask?

Well, have you ever thought it would be fun to watch the ball drop in time square?

Of course you have! 

You see all of the happy, cheering spectators on TV and it just looks like a big party!

Here is what they dont show you on TV

there are "Check in" points on New Years Eve.

They literally block off all of time square and open only a handful of entries at a time....

once that area "fills up" they close the entry and you have to RACE with thousands of other people, to a new entry point. 

I hope they have changed it since then...because it was ridiculous. 

We would get to the entrance and be a few people away from getting in, just for it to be closed again and have to race to another. 

Luckily, after our 5th or 6th time racing to a new entry point, one of us made it through. Which meant once it closed, our friends were allowed to come into that point as well. YAY!

You are then herded like cattle into a....corral. Literally a gated corral is what it looked like. 

Once inside the corral you are not allowed to leave. 

They have cops and security gaurds standing on the sidewalks and you are not allowed to leave the corral. If you do, you are not allowed to stand on the sidewalks, they basically escort you to the subways. 

WHAT?!

I know...sounds crazy, right?

It gets better...

There are no porta-pottys inside the corral. 

There are porta-pottys outside the corral, taunting you.....but if you decide to jump the gate and use it....its time to go home!

There are no food venders, nothing.....its just a cage on the street with thousands of people squished so tightly together that you cant not move unless you move as an entire group! 

That means you are not allowed to get food or drink. You cant find a place to warm up and you cant USE THE RESTROOM. 

Of course you have to get to Time Square early to get in.....so all day long...you cant do any of those things. 

Its MISERABLE. 

But there were bands and TV's where we could watch all the fun happening up ahead of us.

but still, people were crying because they were so cold. 

People (men AND woman) were openly peeing on the street with their body squished against 5 other people because they just couldnt hold it any longer. If i recall correctly, i believe a man behind us peed his pants.  

So here we are in time square huddled closely together trying to stay warm with no food, no restrooms and no heat!

It was a blast!

No, seriously, it was fun!

It was one of those moments where you laugh because its going SO differently then how you expected! and basically everything is going "Wrong" and its all just so ridiculous that you cant help but laugh. 

It was actually the very first time I had ever met my brothers Fiance. We got really close that night. HAHA! 

Eventually we finally counted down and as the ball began to drop, we all squinted our eyes at what looked like a TINY blue pin prick in the sky. 

Us, and everyone around us were asking each other, "is that it!? is that the ball?!"

....it was.

The ball is SO high up, that to everyone on the ground it is just incredibly small looking. 

Which is again, not what we had imagined. 

We watched the ball drop and literally within seconds, the gates were opened and there was a frantic mad-dash to the subways. 

Can you believe each train only runs ONCE after the ball is dropped?!?! If you don't make it, your screwed! If the train is full, youre SCREWED!

We quickly said our goodbyes to my brothers Fiance and luckily hopped right onto a subway train....(we got very lucky)

As we sat waiting for the train to leave, they announced that the signs for the trains had been switched and so everyone on train A needed to get onto train B and everyone on train B needed to get on train A. 

...we were on train A. 

This means you have to run up the stairs back out onto the street, cross the street, go back down the stairs and around all the corners and gates...to get onto the correct train.

so another mad dash, and we just BARELY made it. 

It may have taken a few elbows and shoves to get where we needed to go.

Train B finally took us to our next train which was an actual train, not a subway...that got us into NJ where we were living. Then we had an hour drive. 

Im pretty sure it took me a good 5 or 6 days to recover and warm up from that night.....but its such a fun memory that i have, and i think about it every year at this time. 

It's amazing how quickly life changes. 

I imagine this year Josh is probably sitting in a dark room somewhere, alone, playing video games (.....seriously, like, for real!) 

I imagine that Candice is at home with her husband (not my brother..) and her adorable daughter with family surrounding her remembering a day years ago where she was herded together with a bunch of strangers, giggling and cursing the weather. I am sure she is thanking God for her wonderful life and not missing time square for a SECOND :) 

This year, I am cuddled on the couch with my amazing, most wonderful husband, my sweet baby girl, and a roll of toilet paper with vicks vapor rub under my nose and a huge glass of OJ, sick as a dog and watching sesame street. But I wouldnt have it any other way (well ok, maybe i would opt to not be sick.....). No party. No big event...nothing is better then being in my own home, with my family. I just love it. 

I am so thankful for the plethora of fun memories and adventures that I have had in my life but I am most thankful for my family and the time I am able to spend with them on a daily basis.  

Happy New Years everyone! :)