Won't He Do It!!! (Part 1)
Once upon a time, my heart's desire was granted: I was scheduled to work an 8 day tour with my favorite coworker! (To my other coworkers: you are also favorite. She's just more favorite) It was the last tour of the 2018 season and we'd be hitting our favorite cities - Williamsburg, Virginia; Washington, DC; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and New York City, New York.
The days leading up to the trip, were days of great anticipation and excitement. In the 6 years I've worked at ACTS, Krista and I have only worked together once and that was years ago! We knew going into the trip that it would be the high point of the year, but we were not prepared for how that would actually play out!
The first few days of the trip were standard - lovely strolls in the Historic Triangle, getting to know our group and the teachers aboard, and adjusting to each other's tour styles. We work solo or train newbies almost exclusively now, so working in tandem as near equals (she does have 3 years on me at the company) was quite novel and almost too easy at times. Williamsburg and Washington, DC came and went. We divided up much of the spieling by our strengths and interests, so it was half the work but twice the fun for both of us. I truly enjoyed listening to her deep thoughts and insights everywhere we went. It was inspiring and refreshing for me to hear someone else's take on the places I go weekly and that have become somewhat routine. And she's absolutely brilliant!! I'm humbled to call her friend!
En route to Philly, our group was scheduled to stop at the Kitchen Kettle Village in Amish country, PA. This was the turning in point in our trip - from routine to extraordinary. We bonded there over free samples, tour guide coupons, and gourmet PB&J. Our midwest, homeschool roots came out strong as we scouted out all things free: it was 30 degrees, but we had a coupon for free ice cream; we hadn't had a meal all day, but 2 free cookies?! Don't mind if we do! Not hungry after all the sampling, but we couldn't pass up a grilled peanut butter & jelly sandwich with our 50% off coupon! We were so proud of ourselves!
From there we were off to Philly - my strong point. Once we arrived, I took lead and she ran to pick up our Independence Hall tickets across town. I took the group past the US Mint, Ben Franklin's Grave, Betsy Ross's House, and down Elfreth's Alley (the oldest residential street in America). While the group gaped and photographed their way down the alley, Krista called: our Independence Hall tickets had been lost, stolen, or given away accidentally by the National Park Service. I stayed with her on the line for awhile already brainstorming plans B, C, & D; it's not like there aren't other historic things to see in Philadelphia! But there was no need. In a very uncharacteristic move, NPS printed us new tickets - since Krista clearly had the paperwork that said we had 81 tickets on hold. We reunited at Christ's Church and continued on to Franklin's Court and Carpenter's Hall, (where the 1st Continental Congress met in 1774) before we took them for their appointed tour at Independence Hall, and the group was none the wiser to our near snafu. WON'T HE DO IT!!! After their Independence Hall tour and a quick peek at the original printed copy of the Declaration of Independence, we popped over to see the Liberty Bell quick and then marched 80 people down Market St for 6 long blocks to Reading Terminal for dinner. It was Krista's first time in the iconic food vendor metropolis! Speaking of tasty, comfort sandwiches: I took her to get my favorite - grilled cheese. And then we sampled our way around the terminal for the next hour buying fruit and cookies and coffee and bumping into our group and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. After dinner, we ran the Rocky Stairs (the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) with the group - in our boots in true Northern style.
The next day we were off to New York City! Driving from Philadelphia to Manhattan with a timed appointment on the other end is a nail biting way to start the day. If you have ever driven the east coast you know how bad the traffic can be! And true to NYC form, we were late. But the 9/11 Museum was gracious and let us in regardless. WON'T HE DO IT!!!
Our dinner was early, so our group had some free time to kill in Time Square before their show. We gave all the adults our phone numbers and clear directions about where and when to meet for "Anastasia": 7pm at the Broadhurst Theater on 44th (we could literally see it out the restaurant windows) and set them free. We grabbed some coffee from the Starbucks across the Square before we showed up nice and early to greet our group at the Theater. Our group was impressively prompt and orderly when we lined them up outside the theater and gave them their tickets. The doors soon opened, the line began moving, and our Californian friends were swept up into the theater about to see the spectacular and sparkling show "Anastasia." We waited and watched till nearly the last of our people were in the doors, before we turned to leave (no show for us that time because a tour participant had signed up last minute for the trip leaving us 1 ticket short between us). But literally as we were giving our parting farewells to the last chaperone group in line that was about to go in, we heard a cry from inside the theatre entry way: "Anyone from _______________ Academy, your tickets aren't scanning!" Thinking it was a glitch with the last handful of people, we wondered what could have gone wrong. Waiting momentarily, we soon heard the call for someone in charge: that was Krista's cue. "Anyone that can hear my voice and recognizes it, part the way like the Red Sea!" In impressive form, our group made a hole in the very packed entryway for Krista to wind her way to the ticket booth. The glitch hadn't been with just the last few: it was the entire group! Not a single ticket had scanned, and they'd all been told to step aside and wait in the lobby. I was left outside holding Krista's coffee and freezing with the remainder of our group in the record setting cold until further instruction. Meanwhile, inside, the actual sparkling and spectacular show was taking place: within minutes, Krista had collected all of our group's tickets, given them to the angel in the theater ticket box (the manager), and then returned them all to the group after they'd been Sharpied with new seat assignments. Because the group had been so gracious and Krista so helpful and winning, the theater upgraded our tickets from back row to front row!!! WON'T HE DO IT!!!
The days leading up to the trip, were days of great anticipation and excitement. In the 6 years I've worked at ACTS, Krista and I have only worked together once and that was years ago! We knew going into the trip that it would be the high point of the year, but we were not prepared for how that would actually play out!
The first few days of the trip were standard - lovely strolls in the Historic Triangle, getting to know our group and the teachers aboard, and adjusting to each other's tour styles. We work solo or train newbies almost exclusively now, so working in tandem as near equals (she does have 3 years on me at the company) was quite novel and almost too easy at times. Williamsburg and Washington, DC came and went. We divided up much of the spieling by our strengths and interests, so it was half the work but twice the fun for both of us. I truly enjoyed listening to her deep thoughts and insights everywhere we went. It was inspiring and refreshing for me to hear someone else's take on the places I go weekly and that have become somewhat routine. And she's absolutely brilliant!! I'm humbled to call her friend!
En route to Philly, our group was scheduled to stop at the Kitchen Kettle Village in Amish country, PA. This was the turning in point in our trip - from routine to extraordinary. We bonded there over free samples, tour guide coupons, and gourmet PB&J. Our midwest, homeschool roots came out strong as we scouted out all things free: it was 30 degrees, but we had a coupon for free ice cream; we hadn't had a meal all day, but 2 free cookies?! Don't mind if we do! Not hungry after all the sampling, but we couldn't pass up a grilled peanut butter & jelly sandwich with our 50% off coupon! We were so proud of ourselves!
From there we were off to Philly - my strong point. Once we arrived, I took lead and she ran to pick up our Independence Hall tickets across town. I took the group past the US Mint, Ben Franklin's Grave, Betsy Ross's House, and down Elfreth's Alley (the oldest residential street in America). While the group gaped and photographed their way down the alley, Krista called: our Independence Hall tickets had been lost, stolen, or given away accidentally by the National Park Service. I stayed with her on the line for awhile already brainstorming plans B, C, & D; it's not like there aren't other historic things to see in Philadelphia! But there was no need. In a very uncharacteristic move, NPS printed us new tickets - since Krista clearly had the paperwork that said we had 81 tickets on hold. We reunited at Christ's Church and continued on to Franklin's Court and Carpenter's Hall, (where the 1st Continental Congress met in 1774) before we took them for their appointed tour at Independence Hall, and the group was none the wiser to our near snafu. WON'T HE DO IT!!! After their Independence Hall tour and a quick peek at the original printed copy of the Declaration of Independence, we popped over to see the Liberty Bell quick and then marched 80 people down Market St for 6 long blocks to Reading Terminal for dinner. It was Krista's first time in the iconic food vendor metropolis! Speaking of tasty, comfort sandwiches: I took her to get my favorite - grilled cheese. And then we sampled our way around the terminal for the next hour buying fruit and cookies and coffee and bumping into our group and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. After dinner, we ran the Rocky Stairs (the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) with the group - in our boots in true Northern style.
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| Pumpkins in Elfreth's Alley, Philly, PA |
From here on out it's praise after miraculous praise! After the museum, the memorial, lunch, and our walking tour of Wallstreet and Broadway, we were very late to our buses. They should have been run off for stalling so long in a no idling zone - but there they were waiting for us! (if they had been run off and forced to circle the block, it could have been an hour delay - yes, New York is that bad!!) WON'T HE DO IT!!!
From the Financial District we headed north to Midtown - Times Square - to check in to our hotel (it was my first time staying downtown. We normally stay in New Jersey with our groups for cost effectiveness. Hotel Edison was epic!). And even with 80 people, we were able to get everyone checked in early! WON'T HE DO IT!!! We all quickly changed for dinner and our Broadway show, took a group picture in Time Square, then walked the few blocks to Bubba Gumps on 44th for dinner. Often it's a 30 minute wait (even with reservations) to get into the restaurant, but this time they were early and waiting for us!! WON'T HE DO IT!!!
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| Two girls out on the town |
With our one extra ticket, Krista entered the theater to make sure everyone was seated and settled before we actually left this time. I was still holding her coffee, but was now in the lobby in shock at how smoothly and beautifully this was all turning out to be. Krista shortly emerged and reported: while in the theater, the manager had approached her commenting and complimenting her on her graciousness and effectiveness and the group's kindness. He said if there were anything he or the theater could ever do for us or our company... "Well, my coworker and I only have 1 ticket between the two of us...," she casually mentioned. "Meet me at the box office in 5 minutes," he said. And so we waited. And there he met us. And not only did he give us an extra ticket, in 3rd row center orchestra, but he personally escorted us to our seats!!! WON'T HE DO IT!!!
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| View from our 3rd row seats! |
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| Couldn't be more elated!! |
We were over the moon! Watching our favorite childhood movie in Broadway form together and to be treated like a couple of Cinderellas at the ball! We may never recover! WON'T HE DO IT!!!
Author's Note: The "He" in "Won't He Do It" is in reference to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Lord of Hosts, the God of good gifts and abundant mercy! He showed Himself mighty and gracious beyond what we could have asked or thought that week. (keep in mind - this is only part 1!) But that's just the usual with Him! I'm never not blown away by His goodness and the unmerited favor He shows to those who trust in him - and to this humbled sinner. To God be the GLORY!! Then sings my soul... How Great Thou Art!!!
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