Day Trip to Gettysburg.

I can't believe we have lived in Jersey for almost 17 years and we just now took a trip to Gettysburg! Over the long Memorial Day weekend we fixed that and really enjoyed all the sights! Can you believe there are at least 13,000 monuments here! It took us at least three hours to drive around and read all about Gettysburg and the war that was fought here. Such a travesty to have seen all the names on this one monument. This is the Pennsylvania monument and it was our favorite. I think it's everyones favorite because there were quite a lot of people here. I was very impressed with Noah as he paused and stopped to read all the signs and stories about the monuments and asked questions. He asked a lot of question and learned to really appreciate all about Gettysburg. He's growing up and I am happy to see that he is developing a love for history. I'm so happy we took the time out of our weekend to learn about what happened here in Gettysburg; and since we all have a penchant for history really bonded us as family as we walked around and talked about our nations history in this part of the world. 

It was a beautiful day and a great way to pay our respects to those who fought and sacrificed their lives for our country. 

Tulips Are My Fave!

And just like that...spring is pretty much gone and all the blossoms and tulips are a thing of the past. Wisteria kicked in and so are peonies. Oh how I love spring! Too bad it's a short season. Luckily I was driving through my old hood and I saw a table with a bunch of tulips for sale. Since I didn't get to make time to go to Holland Ridge Farms this year to pick tulips I was happy to have just bought a small bunch from a lady in my old neighborhood and she even gave me a vase! 10 bucks and I was pretty satisfied with them. Picking tulips is a fun thing to do and would have liked to have gone but it's okay if traditions don't stick. Time shifts and changes and life gets busy. What's most important is to literally "stop and smell the tulips" and to not feel the need to go to every single farm and pick, pick, pick. Whether it's fruit or flowers just take the time to enjoy life without the hustle of trying to pack in our seasons full of activities and events. What's important is to relax and breathe and buy flowers that don't break the bank account! 

Happy Memorial Day!

 

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. 

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. 

It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."

 - Ronald Reagan

Fleet week was this week and while walking on the streets of the city there were navy soldiers everywhere. Forever grateful for their service and even more grateful to those who lost their lives for our freedoms today. May we always remember our loved ones on this day and never forget their sacrifice for our country. 

Remembering Our Fallen Soldiers At St. Mary's Cemetery.

 

"Let their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored." -Daniel Webster 

Love this scouting tradition of Noah and his troop gathering at St. Mary's cemetery to place flags. They do this every Memorial weekend and yesterday was Noah's second year volunteering to do this. He has grown up and has truly developed an appreciation for our fallen soldiers. Yesterday he and his troop placed flags at St. Mary's cemetery to honor those who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It' a beautiful way to remember them and a great way to express our gratitude. I hope we can take the time to remember our loved ones this weekend! So proud of our Boy Scout!

Chelsea's Final High School Drama Production - ANYTHING GOES!

So many lasts of my baby girl that included her final drama production of "Anything Goes" which was one of my faves. She had so much fun being a part of this show and the support she received from friends coming to watch her perform was so humbling. It's so wonderful to see our kids having a great time behind the scenes as well as on stage. It was a fun and wonderful production and saddening to know that this might be the last time to see any of my kids acting on stage. Noah will be in 8th grade next year and he really isn't into middle school theatre. He loves going to broadway shows and watching his sisters perform on stage but who knows. There might be hope for him yet as to be in drama productions in high school when he mentioned "how cool and different it is compared to middle school shows" while watching the show. So...who knows!

Now for a huge photo dump...

28!

As long as I have this blog I will continue to record and celebrate all my kids birthdays and today my first born baby girl turns 28! I like to keep her life private as she is on her own but just wanted to wish her a happy birthday and hope that she continues to love her life and live it in a way that is joyful and peaceful. She loves the city and in honor of her remembering her I am sharing a couple of photos! Happy birthday sweet Sierra! Keep smiling!

SEAL At The Met In Philly!

 

Last night was the first time I have ever seen SEAL in concert and I can't even begin to express my emotions on this post! I have been listening to him for three decades now and his music always brought me joy and peace. I love his voice and his character. His love for the people is contagious. He spoke in between songs and his number one goal in this world is to always be kind. That Love always wins. To just let things pass even when something or someone "pisses you off" to just continue to be your loving and kind self. He is literally amazing and I'm so happy Jon and I shared this moment together.

Kandinsky At The Guggenheim.

With the rain we've been having lately it's so nice to know that there are places we can go to escape from the rain and not be stuck indoors so much. Museums are a perfect place to venture out to and because we live near the city there are so many to choose from, but the Guggenheim is by far my favorite! 

These photos never made it into the blog but last year before Lexie went back to college we went to the Guggenheim to check out the Kandinsky exhibit. Kandinsky is one of my favorite artists! I love it when Lexie visits and having individual time with all my daughters is so special. We love the city and I sure am going to miss days like this when I can take one of my kids with me to the museum. They are growing up rapidly and the older they get, the busier their lives get, and with that comes less visits especially when they go to colleges across the country! So I am going to treasure these memories and document these moments because they are something I always want to look back to remember!

So Long Cherry Blooms....

So long cherry blooms...

And just like that....all the blooms have fallen off the cherry trees and wisteria seems to be setting in now. Spring definitely is versatile with the blooms and wisteria is another beauty but I haven't seen too much of it lately in the neighborhoods or in the city. Hopefully it'll a lush season of wisteria and that I can capture some of it's lavender color beauty. 

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

The best part of college for Lexie lately has been being a part of a mariachi band and participating in the fiesta Spanish heritage events held at BYU. She loves folklorico and like her older sister loves dancing.  Even more so now that she's in college. I love that this university has events in which our heritage is exhibited. Through music, singing, and dancing it's so much fun. I wish I can be there to see her play, sing, and dance with her mariachi band. Hopefully someday. But for now I get to see her in photos and in the videos that she sends me. So in honor of Cinco De Mayo here are a few photos from this past year where she has met amazing people and has surrounded herself with really great friends.

Happy Star Wars Day!

This was taken at the Fans Strike Back exhibit last year and never shared this specific photo until now. Perfect timing to post since it's May the Fourth! Jon and Noah had a fun time pretending to fight against each other. I don't know what's up with Noah's facial expression but Jon was like a little kid enjoying this moment way too much! We are huge Star Wars fans and look forward to more exhibits like this one. Have a wonderful day folks and....May the Fourth Be With You!