Celebrating 9 Years

"A happy marriage has in it all the pleasures of friendships, all the enjoyment of sense and reason - and indeed all the sweets of life. - Joseph Addison

Spencer, thank you for giving me the life that I have. Thank you for always helping me reach my dreams. Thank you for showing me how to live and how to love. I love you more than anything! Happy Anniversary!

Our Trip to New York

Spencer and I just got back from a 6 day whirlwind trip to New York City and the surrounding areas. We had such a blast! I highly recommend everyone to visit the city at least once in their lifetime. It was so much fun. In all of the big cities that I have ever been to, never have I seen anything in comparison to NYC. I loved seeing all the colonial style architecture mixed in with modern day structures. Add in all the other beautiful sites such as the bridges, Lady Liberty and the Hudson River and the place is truly majestic! I also found the city to be clean, safe and family friendly. The subway was fun and quite a treat from walking all day.

Here is a breakdown of what we did each day while on our trip:

Day 1: Thursday

• Arrived at Newark Airport (New Jersey) at 5:15 p.m.
• Took shuttle to Hotel, checked in, and was on our way to Timesquare by 7:00 p.m..
• Met my brother and Dean in Timesquare, went to Daves Famous BBQ for dinner.
• Walked around Timesquare, which was amazing!
• Walked to the Manhatten LDS Temple.
• Crossed over through Central Park to 5th Avenue and saw Trump Tower, the Park Plaza Hotel and the major 'outrageously priced' shopping district. Something I imagine you'd see on Rodeo Drive.
• Walked through Rockefeller Center, then left the city at 12:30 a.m.

Day 2: Friday

• Went to Rockefeller Center and watched them film The Today Show, anyone see me? Spencer's Uncle Mike, who lives in NJ, joined us for the day and showed us around.
• Picked up something for the kids at FAO Schwartz
• Walked through Central Park. (I loved, loved Central Park! Even though you are right in the heart of a major city it's so peaceful and secluded.)
• Rode the subway to Little Italy (true Soprano territory) and had a delicious lunch.
• Did some shopping in China Town (one of the funniest moments during our trip).
• Rode the subway down to Battery Park where we saw the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
• Walked past Ground Zero. Was disappointed because you can't see a thing. They have started rebuilding and have fences up all around it.
• Back to Timesquare for dinner.
• Left the city and drove to my brother's house.

Day 3: Saturday

• Drove to Boston, MA
• Saw some famous historical sites such as; The Boston Commons, Faneuil Hall, and the site of the Boston Massacre.
• Enjoyed a breadbowl of Clam Chowda' from a local restaurant.
• Listened to Spencer and Cory say "Wicked Good" all day long...
• Saw the Boston LDS Temple.
• Walked through the Harvard University Campus.
• Did some shopping at the Pro Bass Store, which was right next to the New England Patriots Stadium.
• Left Boston and headed back to my brother's house

Day 4: Easter Sunday

• Drove to Palmyra, NY
• Luckily, the church Visitor Centers are open on Easter.
• Stopped first at the Hill Cumorah site and Visitors Center
• Stopped by the Palmyra LDS Temple
• Took a tour of the Joseph Smith Farm and House
• Walked through the Sacred Grove
• Took a tour of the Book of Mormon publication site and visitors center
• Walked to the Erie Canal
• Finished the day with a fabulous Easter meal at an Indian Casino. Go figure ;)

Day 5: Monday

• Drove back to the City to spend our final day there.
• Took the subway to Brooklyn for pictures of the skyline (the park in Brooklyn across from the city was awesome!).
• Back to China town for more shopping.
• Said goodbye to my brother Cory and headed to the taping of the Dave Letterman Show. Guests included; Zac Efron, ESPN's Mike & Mike and a Canadian band, A.C. Newman with Nicole Atkins. It was so much fun. We sat in the 2nd row and had perfect seats.
• After the show we went to the Empire State Building.
• Then we headed back to our hotel.

Day 6: Tuesday

• Arrived home at 12:50 p.m. after 8 hours of flying.
• It was so good to see the kids and to hear all of the fun stuff they had been doing too. Lots of hugs and kisses.
• Back to the daily grind.

It was a fantastic trip!

Happy Birthday to Cameron!

Cameron is our April Fools baby and he is now officially 4 years old. For his birthday we took him to Chuck-e-Cheese, his favorite place, and let him go wild. Belle and Nalani, a couple of his friends, came along to join in the fun too. Cameron is very much an Arts & Crafts little kid. Not only does he love to color and paint, but he is very good at it too. He loves to use his imagination in pretend play and is great at putting together puzzles. I am constantly amazed at how much he knows and how fast he learns. He has a thirst for knowledge and is one smart little kid! He brings a lot of fun and excitement into our family and definitely some roughness as well. We love him so very much. I am so proud of you Cameron!

Keeping One Foot in the Door

There are certain doors that I like to remain open for me. One of them is my welcome at the District Attorneys Office. As far as work goes, I LOVE working there, and it feels nice when they call and ask me to fill in. I hope to always be able to keep one foot in that door. I also like having the flexibility of working at the grocery store. It's nice being able to work as little or as much as I want, week to week. I don't want to let that opportunity pass me by. Another recent door opened up for me helping my brother in law, Jeff, at the Home Show promoting his business. With his new calling he realized he can't be everywhere all at once, and I am happy he accepted my offer to help him out.

During the week of Spring Break I was able to get my feet into a few different doors. This is not a schedule I would like to have week to week, but it was kind of fun mixing things up. On Monday and Tuesday I worked at the grocery store; On Thursday and Friday I worked at the DA's Office; and on Saturday and Sunday I worked a few hours a day at the Home Show filling in for Jeff. It made for a busy week, but it was a great opportunity to work. I feel lucky that so many doors open up for me, and when I get my foot inside I don't want to pull it out!