Miner Family

Brad and I just had a whirlwind weekend going to New York City. It was a totally last minute opportunity with Brad's work, and we decided to make the most of it. We got in Saturday evening and came back Tuesday morning. Although we only had a few days to spend, we tried to fit in as much as we could. We took a bus tour that gave an overall view of the biggest attractions in Manhattan. We literally walked til we dropped, and tried to eat some of the most popular New York dishes. It is quite a crazy place to be. We actually saw a man whose job it is to safely help pedestrians across a crosswalk get hit, and an ambulance had to come get him. I was also stunned to see a man in Times Square wearing only a pair of underwear, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat playing a guitar. I got to go on a food tour of Greenwich village on Monday, while Brad was gone on business, and they took us to "The best New York pizza" rated by Food Network. I must say I agreed! Some of my favorite things we did while we were there included taking a walking trip into China Town and Little Italy. They had some great food and fun shops to look in. We ate dessert one night at a little cafe called "Serendipity" where we tasted some very yummy frozen hot chocolate. I was astounded to see a dessert on the menu that cost $1,000. You have to pre-order it two days in advance so they can fly certain ingredients in from other countries. I couldn't imagine anyone wasting that much money on a dessert, but I guess there are some people that have that much to throw away! We also got to see ground zero, which was very memorable. There was a fence near the twin towers site where children from all over the U.S. had sent tiles they had colored and written on to send their condolences to the families who had lost loved ones and to the city as a whole. We enjoyed the whole trip and can't wait for a chance to go back someday!

Tiff, Mom and I had the chance to check out the Museum of Natural History with the little ones today. I love busy mornings because it helps to ensure long nap times later on in the day! Obviously the highlights for Brody and Tyson were the many dinosaur exhibits. It was so cute to see how excited they got at each new display. There were even some displays so realistic that Brody and Tyson were a little hesitant to get too close. I have to admit, after looking at a picture gallery from the Arizona Highways, I was in awe of how beautiful our state is. There are some really amazing looking places that I have never even been to, even though I've lived here my whole life. We had a good times checking out the shops and restaurant in downtown Mesa as well. We ended the day with some goodies from Sweet Cakes Cafe. I must say that the 5-layer brownie was downright sinful and 100% delightful!

We had a nice relaxing weekend down in Rocky Point for the weekend holiday. I was surprised to actually be able to do a little boogie boarding and body surfing with the waves this time around. I didn't think they could get that big in Rocky Point, but I was pleasantly surprised to find I could. Luckily, Elise had less fascination with the tile staircase this trip, which made my stay a lot less stressful. The boys all had a grand time being buried in the sand, and Uncle Brad got a sand war started...shame, shame, we know your name! Luckily no one lost an eye from it. The highlights for me that weekend were watching Brad try to skim board with pointers from his nephews, and then Brad's Sunday attire with the help of a local Rocky Point clothing store and a bright yellow polo.(he forgot his Sunday clothes at home!)

Brad and I had the chance to take a trip to Chicago for a week. Brad had a test for a course that was scheduled there, and so we decided to make a vacation out of it. We were fortunate enough to have my in-laws watch the kids for us while we were gone. I was amazed at all there was to do and see there. I thought a whole week there was going to be too much, but we actually were busy the entire time! We bought a city pass that takes you to the John Hancock building, which is one of the tallest buildings in the city and several of the museums that are downtown. We also made a stop at the Lincoln Park Zoo, a dinner theater called Tommy Guns, a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley field, a culinary tour in the north side of Chicago, and a bike tour to see the sights of the city at night. We stayed in a hotel on the Magnificent Mile, where there is tons of shopping and fun restaurants. We also made a stop at the Navy Pier where there are lots of amusement park rides and different shops. Probably one of my favorite places we visited was the Ghiradeli's store for a sundae one night, and then the Hershey store across the street for some family gifts. We made sure to try some of their famous deep dish pizza and a Chicago style hot dog(tomatoes, peppers, mustard and pickles). I may have gained a little weight trying all the different foods on this trip, but I must say I enjoyed it! I couldn't believe how die hard the sports fans are in Chicago. Even though the Cubs are awful this year, they still manage to fill their stadium seats. I was thinking how different it is attending a D-Backs game on a bad season. One thing we learned quickly from the locals is that you don't want to be on the south side of town late at night. There was definitely a reason they filmed Gotham City from Batman in Chicago! While I really enjoyed taking in all the sites of Chicago, I was glad to come back home and see my babies again...although I could have done without the extreme Arizona summer heat.

I can't believe the last of the Salmon family is all grown up and married! We had such a fun time celebrating Syrell and Tate's big day. Although the weather was a little warm, the air conditioned reception center made all the difference. We enjoyed meeting all of Tate's family and gave our last Salmon family performance of songs and stories to tell of the couples' courtship. Both Tyson and Elise enjoyed getting all dressed up for the occasion, and I think Tyson's favorite part of it all was seeing the giant knights in armor standing in the reception center. Elise, Cali and Savanna were quite the cuties with their little ballerina dress attire. We are excited for Syrell and Tate to get to experience the married ward scene in P-town...aka Provo.

So, Brad and I got the chance to attend the musical Wicked for the first time this past Saturday. It was a great play, and I would recommend it to anyone who has never seen it before. It is definitely a worthwhile show, and there were several times during the play where I got chills from the greatness of the music. The girl who plays Glinda in it is hilarious and the story is very entertaining as well. I must say I am a girl who enjoys musicals!

We had quite the adventure riding the light rail over the holiday weekend. We planned on going to the free admission night at the Phoenix Children's Museum, and grabbing a bite to eat at the nearby Pizzeria Bianco. When we got to the restaurant, they informed us there would be a 4 hour wait. I thought...are you joking! Anyway, we ended up having to grab a bite to eat at the nearby British Pub called the Rose and Crown. It was probably the greasiest food I have ever had, and it was quite the interesting atmosphere to take our 1 and 2 year old children. Brad and I had a good laugh after the whole experience. We ended up having to wait another 2 hours to get into the museum. I would like to say it had been worth the wait, but that would be lying! By the time we made it home on the light rail, it was around 11 p.m. The kids were pretty good sports about the whole thing, and they did have a great time in the museum. We chalk it up to a good story to tell down the road.

We felt a trip to the lake was just the thing to help Taryn relax before her big day. The kids all had a good time tubing, and even the guys got out for some rough riding! Taryn and I insisted on having a ride similar to the kids, at maybe just a little faster pace. We ended up getting more of a ride than we bargained for from my Dad. Let's just say we might have gotten the best air of the day! Syrell and Tate were quite the love birds on the boat. We are excited for another wedding coming up soon!

We had such a good time at Taryn and Russell's wedding. Although it ends up being quite a long day throughout all the wedding festivities, Tyson and Elise held up fairly well. Tyson found his favorite hang out spot at the candy favors station. He and his cousin Brody were on a sugar high basically the entire night. It was fun having an inter-ward marriage because we basically got to see the entire Tempe South Stake at the reception. Who would have thought that the neighbor boy down our street would end up winning Taryn's heart! We are excited for them, although the military life will end up taking them far away from us most of the time.

Elise is officially one! She is starting to walk all over the place and loves to wave and say "hello" to everyone. She is becoming quite the social butterfly. Ironically, her first word was "uh-oh." It is something she must hear from me a lot! I have to admit it is so much fun getting cute outfits for little girls and dressing them up. I decided to go with a cupcake theme...thus, the reason for our matching shirts. It was fun having all her aunts, uncles and cousins around to celebrate the special occasion.

We had such a fun and relaxing time in Mexico at the beach. We got to hang out with Dan and Marie as well as the Soelberg family. It was such a good break for me from the stresses of everyday life with two munchkins. I have to admit, I didn't want to leave. Although I know a lot of people passed up trips to Mexico this year with all the violence going on, Rocky Point seemed to be untouched by all the chaos. It was fun to see how much Elise enjoyed the ocean. She was all about splashing in the water and playing in the sand. Tyson could have probably lived on the beach if we had let him! Considering the ages of our two little ones right now, they did surprisingly well and I left the trip feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

We were excited to see the festivities out at Tumbleweed Park for the annual Ostrich Festival in Chandler. The kids had a blast watching the outdoor circus, the animal races and visiting the petting zoo. I have to admit I was tempted to pay the dollar to walk in and see "the smallest horse in the world." Although it had a little of the state fair feel to it, we still had a good time. The highlight of Tyson's night was riding on a real pony. His repeated phrase was "yee-hah horsey."

It was so fun to have all the Salmon family together for Kyle's baptism and Savannah's blessing. It had been a year since being all together, and it was so neat to see how much kids had grown. We were sad to see Jen and Scott go, but it will be fun to have everyone back together in another few months for Taryn's wedding.

We were finally able to put to use our Christmas present from about five years ago! We attended "How to Host a Murder" game night with Salmon sisters and their dates. Everyone did a great job of getting into character, and Brad did an exceptionally good job of staying in character throughout the night. It was a blast, and it was so nice that my parents were willing to host it and provide the delicious food and atmosphere for the night. It was kind of fun to note that it was the sixth year anniversary of Brad and my engagement that same night, and we were in my Dad's office, which is where he actually proposed to me. Although my character had plotted to aid in the murder that had occured, Brad's character ended up surprising us all as the actual killer. It was good times for all involved!