Ficker Family

                                                                  Holy hot husband!



Our trip to NYC, what can I say?  It was a long over due time spent away from the boys, where we spent way too much money but didn't really pay much attention because we never get a vacation away together.  Plus we're not really sure when the next time we'll go to New York again....if ever. 

Our trip mostly consisted of eating.  All vacations seem to be that way for me.  I ate some of the best food I've ever eaten.  Maybe food just taste better when you're on vacation, I don't know.  Some of the high light places we ate were, Pickle guys, Doughnut plant and of course pizza at Lombardi's.  So mouth watering good! 

So while we stayed in New York, well Brooklyn actually, we mooched off of some friends of ours and stayed at their studio apartment.  Mikel and Sarah are related to a guy I worked with at Roadway a while back and we've stayed in touch.  They are such an awesome couple and have got to be some of the best, if not the best hosts ever!  They know the city so well so they tell us all the "cool" spots to go to and all the amazing food places to eat at.  They know all the secrets because they have lived there for so long.  It's awesome.  One of the days we were there we decided to go to a Broadway show.  I really REALLY wanted to see Newsies but I was out numbered with Joaquin and Sarah wanting to go to Spiderman Turn Off the Dark.  So we bought tickets to see that and the ones who chose the play were greatly disappointed.  Shoulda went with Newsies.  I knew it and I should have insisted.  Not to say that I didn't enjoy the musical, because I did.  I actually LOVED the opening scene.  It was amazing but then the rest was just sort of Spidermanish.  My boys would have loved seeing it. 

Another one of the big high lights of the trip was when we rented bikes, thanks to groupon, and just rode around Central Park.  It was such a beautiful place amongst the concrete jungle.  We were able to do a lot of people watching and we even had time to ride our bikes to the Manhattan Temple.  It's super strange to see the LDS Temple among all the big buildings.  It actually looks just like a business building with the Angel Maroni on top.  Still though, it is awesome to have a temple there with all the hustle and bustle of the world.  I wondered if it was very quiet on the inside. 

The last whole day we were in the city, we went over to the upper east side and saw Chinatown and Little Italy.  We did some shopping that day and had some really good food.  Joaquin even bought himself a shirt that said Italia on it.  He's proud to be married to an Italian woman I guess. 

All in all, the trip was awesome.  I loved being away from everyday life.  By the last day, I was so excited to get home to see my sweet sweet boys.  I missed them so much and couldn't wait to just hold them and squeeze them, kiss them and sniff them.  What can I say, the time away was really good and very much needed. 

Joaquin and Andon have a cousin who own an elk ranch in Soda Springs and we planned a last minute trip up to Soda for Grandpa Jerry's birthday.  The elk ranch is so beautiful and they have so many different kinds of animals there.  Elk, (obviously) cows, Buffalo, mountain goats and some of their newest additions are tiny little bobcats.  So needless to say, we were plenty busy discovering the ranch and all the animals.

One of the two days we were there we spent it up at the Beus ranch we played and rode 4-wheelers the entire day.  We drove all around the property, far up into the mountains.  At one point, Everett fell asleep while Joaquin was driving.  So he had to hold onto him and try to steer at the same time.  A little nerve racking to watch. 

Speaking of nerve racking, another thing that happened on the trip was both the boys got to ride a horse.  All by themselves.  I couldn't even watch.  I have a slight fear of horses.  Especially the ones up at the Beus's ranch.  2 years ago, we let Melina and Anthony get on these same horses and dogs came nipping at the horses heals and the kids got bucked off.  So I was a little apprehensive to say the least.  But Jerry got on a horse with Brock and later Everett got on the horse with Joaquin.  Both did really well but Brock was especially comfortable on the horse, which I was happy about.  The thing is, I adore horses but I've been bucked off several times, so now I get pretty freaked out by them.  I don't want the boys to be scared like I am. 

We all had so much fun.  Joaquin left and said to me, "The ranch is more fun than Disneyland, don't you think?"  He loves that place so much.