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.