New England trip - Part 2

The 2nd day of my trip back East we went to New York City. We took the train from Connecticut to NYC and when we walked into Grand Central Station it really was surreal. I just kept thinking of all of the movies with Grand Central in it and couldn't believe I was there! It just got better from there, too! We stayed at the Hilton in Times Square with the best view ever. We looked down onto Times Square and could see the Harbor just to the left of us. It was awesome.

Here we are in Times Square. I couldn't believe how many people were there. It was packed, but I guess that's New York City! ;0)

Ash wasn't so sure about this guys for some reason. :0)

Jill was just being silly and walked up there to get a picture with this guy and then when he handed her the torch it read, "Now you owe me $3." Oops! ;0)

We went in the St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was a beautiful building. I'm always amazed by the details of these old churches!

I'm so glad we went to NY over Memorial Day weekend because we were able to see scenes like this at 30 Rock. It seriously took my breath away seeing all these flags. It was beautiful.

That night we got dressed up and went out to eat at Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, and then to Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theater. Here's Nan, Athena and I in a taxi on the way to dinner.

Our meal at Mesa Grill was AMAZING! I had the spiced pork tenderloin medallions which were divine!

Right before the show. Oh, how I love Broadway!!

I don't know if it was all the exhaust, the different smells, or what, but my allergies started acting up the night we were in NY. I thought it was hilarious that Nan took this picture just at the right moment to make me look like I'm sleepwalking on Broadway! ;0)

Central Park was amazing. I wish we had the time to walk around in it more, but we were trying to fit so many things in our trip to NY. It still is so crazy to me that a place like Central Park can be right in the middle of NYC.

We took the subway to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero and Wall St. Definitely a 1st!

Ground Zero. The feeling I got there was indescribable. I am just so proud to be an American and have the freedoms we have in this wonderful country. I am so grateful to all of those who have fought and given their lives for those freedoms. I am so grateful for all of the men and women who are now fighting for us and our freedom. I will never forget the tragic day of 9/11/2001.

Battery Park

Wall Street and the Financial District

We had such a blast in NYC. We fit so much in and my feet were so sore from walking so much, but it was worth every mile walked!! ;0)

New England trip - Part 1

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about my trip to New England. It was such an amazing trip and the girls I went with made it even better. Most of my roommates from my sophomore year at Ricks College were there. We missed Beth, though. She couldn't come with us because she's expecting her 4th baby. I guess that was a good enough reason! ;0) (BTW, Beth, is your sweet baby here yet?!? We need an update!! ;0))

The first destination on our trip was to Newport, Rhode Island. It was such a beautiful place. We toured a couple of the mansions there and, boy, they were some of the most extravagent buildings I have ever seen! The first one we saw was the Breakers. It was the Vanderbilt's summer home in the late 1800's. The whole time we were there, I just kept thinking about how it would be to live in that mansion and it wasn't hard to imagine yourself walking down the grand staircase in a ball gown at the beginning of a ball. It really was amazing. I really wish we could have taken pictures of the inside, but then again, they wouldn't have done it justice.

We had a lobster dinner at our hotel room. It was the first time I had eaten lobster and it was pretty good. We didn't have the right utensil (tool) for breaking open the lobster, so that was a little weird, but it was better than I thought it would be, especially because I am not a seafood lover! I thought it was a very nice-looking dinner, though, don't you think?

Before dinner we went to the beach. It wasn't the warmest day, but it was still fun and refreshing to go to the beach. We had so much fun taking fun jumping pictures and running into the ocean. Ashleigh and Athena even went completely into the water (crazy girls!).

Happy 4th of July

I meant to post this a little earlier. Oops. We hope you all had a great 4th. We sure did. Set off a few fireworks and firecrackers tonight, which the kids LOVED. Had a little BBQ with the fam. Attended church and listened to wonderful testimonies and Paige's talk in Primary about following Jesus' example. It was a great day.

Yesterday we went on a little hike and it was a great one for the kids. I ended up having to turn back a little early, though, because Bryn was having an allergy attack. Something up there was getting to her and her nose was running and her eyes were starting to swell up. It was so sad to see. She was taking it pretty well, though. I might need to take her in if it continues, poor girl!

See her eyes?