The main purpose of our trip to Manhattan is my surgery this afternoon, but we had a day and a half to have some fun first! My mom and I were joined by our neighbors and friends Susan and Willy for a week in the city. After arriving yesterday evening we walked around Times Square (coffee in hand) in the rain. It’s still every bit as crowded and beautiful in the wet and cold night!

Sunday was gray and rainy in New York City but we were determined to go to The View restaurant for brunch, 47 floors up the Marriot hotel with a view of the city buildings and Hudson River. It was a gorgeous atmosphere with such great foods, we had to sample everything!

After brunch we walked around the enormous Macy’s tried on some way-over-budget dresses and enjoyed the decorated store windows. Once again it started raining on us and we walked 25 blocks back to our apartment soaking wet. All still fun though :)

Today I will undergo my second surgery this year on my venous malformation (extra veins that formed in all of the tissues and muscles on the side of my face). In July, my surgeon removed a huge portion of the malformation, and replaced some of the area with a fat graft. Today, he will continue to correct this side with some “smoothing out” of the fat graft, and adjustments to my nose and lip. After a stressful week of finals and travel and now surgery, it was a little obvious that I was nervous. Luckily, I have the best roommate :) Before I left school, she sent me off with a “Hospital Care Package” that I was able to open last night. She gets extra points for creativity with this one:

There were items under the specific taglines “So you are comfortable during your stay.” “So you don’t get bored.” “So you don’t get tired of hospital food.” “So you eat healthy stuff too!” Filled with all the hospital necessities!

Pajamas and slippers, coloring book and crayons, cookies and trail mix, hot chocolate and a water bottle along with a very sweet letter to calm my nerves. Thank you Fernanda! These will be great, especially since I am still allowed to recover in the “Pediatrics” Intensive Care Unit. I’ll be sure to share my crayons ;)

I’m sure I will be pretty groggy tonight, but I might post an update tomorrow. Wish me luck!