A Special Day!

 November 5, 2016 was a special day! Sadie was baptized and we were all able to come and celebrated this special day with her!

 These two cuties just had to have a picture taken! I LOVE Calvin's outfit!

 Aunt Stephanie gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and her Aunt Crystal spoke on baptism.

 It was an awesome celebration with Spencer and Angie's family!

 After the baptism a few of us went over to the cemetery in honor of Mom. She passed away a year ago on November 5th. It is hard to believe how time flies and it was nice to take some time to honor her.

 I am blessed with a wonderful family and I am so thankful to know that families can be together forever!

The Grand Finale!

 On our last full day, July 30th, we returned to the Guggenheim and had a chance to tour it. Mackenzie and Briana decided to do their own art while there.

 The art in the museum is very abstract and cool to see, but I was most fascinated with the building architecture. 

 After the Guggenheim we enjoyed some time in Central Park and then decided to go to China Town for foot massages. They were awesome!!!!

 The signs in China Town were funny and I started to collect pictures. This first one made me wonder if they had talked to Brigham Young about this. 

 Other signs were just really funny!

 In the evening we went to dinner at an amazing steakhouse and then Briana made it seem like we were going to a movie. As we walked down the street we saw the sign for Hamilton, the most popular musical on Broadway currently. I said you should stand under the sign so I can take your picture and you can tell people you "saw" Hamilton. Then Kim said why don't we go see it and pulled out tickets.

 I can't begin to tell you how shocked I was. These tickets are next to impossible to get and it was WAY to nice of Andersons to get a ticket for me to go. I owe them BIG TIME!

It is an incredible play and the perfect way to end our amazing adventure! I love you all and I can't wait to do it again!

The Statute of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Some Crazy Food

 On July 29th we went to a bagel place in Brooklyn that had very colorful bagels and cotton candy flavor no less!

 After Brooklyn, Kim, Brad, and I went out to the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was a beautiful day to enjoy the clear views.

 The symbols of the Statute of Liberty were intriguing to me. The broken shackles at her feet was one I had never noticed or known about.

 I loved the chance to just enjoy time with my sister.

 Ellis Island is amazing and the history there was very incredible. Thousands of people were required to stop there in 1800's and early 1900's. The room below is known as the Registry Room that so many past through.

 There were several references to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the impact missionary work had on immigration. This sign spoke to 20,000 converted Danes that came in 1850.

 This was a window that looked out of Ellis Island into the city. I had to wonder if people on the island ever looked out this way, with a sense of longing, as they waited to be let into New York.

 In the evening we went to a movie and a crazy shake place called Black Tap.

Yet another amazing day filled with adventure!

A Day to Enjoy Art and the Park

 On July 28th we started with brunch at Serendipity. As you can see the chocolate shakes were awesome and this is a great picture of Briana and Mackenzie. This place is very well known for being in the movie, Serendipity.

 After brunch we went to the Neue Galerie. The Woman in Gold is on display there and it was amazing to see it in person after watch the movie about the history of it.

 We tried to go to Guggenheim, but for some reason they are closed every Thursday. But it was very cool to to see the building.

 Frank Lloyd Wright was the architect of the Guggenheim and I loved this quote outside the building. Architecture is the Frame of Life

 We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and focused on a special collection if fashion over the years and how technology is impacting the art.

 On the top of the museum there was a replica of the house from the movie Psycho. It was so weird to see it with Central Park and the city in the background.

 The view of Central Park and the skyline were beautiful! Love this picture of Brad and Mackenzie.

We had a wonderful day in the city with these two lovely ladies!

New York City!

 After arriving in New York City and getting to bed around 3:00 A.M. on July 27th we slept in and then headed into time square.

 I really wanted to go to the twin towers memorial and the 9/11 Museum. Mackenzie and Briana went shopping and Kim and I enjoyed the day at the memorial.

 The memorial and new freedom tower are perfectly done. So many memories flooded in and I can hardly believe that this tragedy was almost 15 years ago.

 This tree somehow survived all the damage. It is maybe 50 feet from where one of the towers once stood and is still thriving., incredible!

 These stairs are from the actual disaster and have been maintained in the 9/11 Museum.

 This was an ad from 1968 about how tall the twin towers would be. If you look closely at the picture it has an air plane headed toward the tower and the article talks about how the height of the towers will impact flight patterns. Talk about a frightening foreshadow!

 These are beams from the actual towers and 

 One of the New York City fire trucks. There are so many amazing things in this museum and I feel so blessed that Kim and I had a few hours to spend there. One room, where pictures were not allowed are pictures of identified victims of the attack. Their names are consistently being read. This room, more than any other, made this real for me again. When you place a name with a face you truly relate.

 Kim and I then decided to go to the top of the Empire State Building.

 The views were incredible, this one reminded me of the  movie Two Weeks Notice.

 The Statute of Liberty and the One World Trade Center/Freedom Tower.

In the evening we went to Jersey Boys, the story of the Four Seasons. It was so fun and I totally recognized so much of the music. An amazing first day in New York City!