DeVotchKa In Philly!

On the evening of the first day of school Jon and I went out to see DeVotchKa for the first time! I have been listening to this great band for over a decade and can't believe I finally saw them in person! We had front row seats and it was a quaint and intimate venue where we just sat back and relaxed to listen to their amazing songs and phenomenal playing. They have not lost their touch and Nicks vocals sounds the same and oh my gosh is it the most unique voice I've ever heard! Such a wonderful evening and I hope they never stop touring. I can hear them sing and play their instruments all day long! I recorded so many videos of their performance and wish I can share them with you on here, but I hope that you can one day see them in person! 

Year 8!

A full week has passed since Noah began grade 8 and so far so good. I still can't believe our only boy is in his last year of middle school. This is insane and I can't seem to wrap my head around it. Just yesterday he was graduating kindergarten and next fall he will be in high school! I need to stop blinking!! I hope that he will make this year count and that he will enjoy and have fun with it. So far he enjoys his classes. French has become his favorite language and is happy to have had the same teacher for three years. He has gym last period which he loves because when winter hits at least the temps will somewhat go down in the middle of the day. He is taking advantage of recess because once your in high school they are gone! He has gotten better at packing lunches and appreciates the little things in life. All I want for this kid is to have a great school year. To do his best in his classes. To be a good influence. To To be kind to others and respect his teachers. The world is changing every second and its up to him to make the world better. With our help in being good examples he has an excellent chance of being one happy kid in spite of any obstacles that will come his way! 

9/11 Tribute Lights & The Empty Sky Memorial.

I always find it incredibly moving every time we go to Jersey city and stand on the Hudson waterfront to watch the tribute lights light up on 9/11. We normally go to the city and stay in the financial district to go to the freedom tower but for the past couple of years we have been going to the Empty sky memorial where they honor those from NY/NY who lost their lives in the towers. Such a beautiful tribute and memorial and coming here never gets old. NYC on September 11th or any other given day never gets old. We are so grateful to live in a place where we are so close to drive to the city and pay our respects to those whose lives were lost. Such a special place to go and feel their spirit. It's truly amazing and the feeling I felt while standing against the rail overlooking the Hudson River staring at the lights pretending the twin towers were still standing brings back so many memories. Happy ones. Even when it rains that doesn't stop anyone from going to pay their respects to remember. 

This is the second year in a row where it has rained and the rain this year formed two lovely rainbows earlier that evening. I know that those twin rainbows were a sign from the souls letting us know that they are at peace and thankful that for the last 22 years, we have not forgotten them. 

Flight 93 Memorial.

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the September 11th attacks and every year on this day it never gets old and I never forget. I will always remember that dreadful day waking up to the sound of a loud tube tv at my husbands grandfathers house in Washington hearing him shout out, "a plane just crashed into the twin towers!" I woke up and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Here I was across the country from one of the cities I have always loved and it was in distress! Living near the city for the past 16 years has really made me appreciate NYC even more which is why I love going there so much. I love the energy and the strength that this city gives when a catastrophe happens. New York is a strong city and we will never forget what happened there. We will also never forget what happened in the outskirts of Stoystown Pennsylvania where flight 93 crashed. On our way home from our cross country trip to Utah we decided to stop by the memorial. It was our first time visiting here. Another trip we should have made a long time ago because it's only a five hour drive from Jersey.

Chicago!

Road trip to Utah has come and gone and for the past ten days we have been catching up on some sleep! Even though school has started we are still adjusting to our back to school schedule so I finally found some time to hop on here and write about our first trip to Chicago! We've never been and I don't know why we never made a trip here sooner. It's only a 13 hour drive and having family living here should have been a good excuse as ever to come more often and should have done this trip a long time ago! We spent an entire day here before heading toward Utah and I'm so glad we stopped by. It is a magical, clean, beautiful city and it truly gives off a cozy and homey vibe. As much as I love NYC I totally fell in love with Chicago and we will definitely be back to visit Kenzie, have more deep dish pizza, ride the "L" and see the bean when it opens up again in 2024! Can you believe we missed it by two weeks and now it's gated and being worked on! Still, it was a fabulous trip and look forward to visiting again soon! 

Now for some photos.....

A Day In Mystic!

One thing we have enjoyed doing with our kids upon leaving for college is taking them to their favorite place or restaurant. In this case chelsea wanted to eat at Mystic Pizza and we obliged. We absolutely love New England and didn't mind taking a day trip just for that. There is so much to do in this quaint coastal town and just loving coming here. There is tons of shopping and a lot of places to eat, get great ice cream, seafood and leave with a lot of saltwater taffy too. I love spending time with each other and it's always a joy to leave the chaos of Jersey and go to a much relaxing environment. So if y'all are ever looking for a place to enjoy and relax all year round go to Mystic, Connecticut! You may even be lucky to see the drawbridge go up too!

A Day In Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Williamsburg in Brooklyn is a hip town and I love coming here. there are many things to do here and earlier this year Noah and I ventured out to it. I have always wanted to see this mural of Drew Barrymore. I saw it on Instagram years ago and we finally captured it in person. It's pretty much peeling off but the artist, Steven Paul who was just 17 years old at the time did a really good job. He titled it "Lost Time" and entered it in the Scholastic Arts & Writing competition in 2014. He also won the gold medal for this photo which led for him to collaborate with Colossal Media by turning it into a mural that is four stories high! It is now one of the most famous murals known as "the Mona Lisa of Williamsburg." Amazing!

Cross Estate Gardens.

I have to say it has been a really chill summer since we got back from Texas. The kids had pioneer trek a week after we got home and because chelsea is leaving for college soon she is taking in all the sleep she can get. She knows that once she goes to school and works that she sleep deprivation will kick in. So on the days where she's not dog sitting or figuring out what to take to college I am keeping it low key and trying to find relaxing places for us to venture out to.  Luckily there are many hidden gems and picturesque places nearby that require less than an hour drive where we can relax and spend time as a family.

Pioneer Trek In Pennsylvania.

Reenacting Pioneer Trek in this day and age is an even bigger challenge because of what is left behind such as smartphones & any worldly possessions (which explains these grainy photos taken from an old school camera) but I’m grateful that these kids went including two of my own. Noah said that it was painful but he had great time. He's 13.5 years old and was excited to go and then realized once he arrived at their location how difficult it will be. However, he loved the "family" he was in and was happy to do it and doesn't think he'll do it again!

Chelsea said it was "terribly fun" and got real emotional after coming home and during a testimony meeting at church. She loved it. She hated it, but oh how she appreciated all the sacrifices our pioneer heritage went through so that we can be where we are today with God on our side. She also loved her "family" as well and will always remember them. 

McAllen Texas Temple!

One of the best treats from this trip was seeing the McAllen temple. It is gorgeous. It is seriously the most beautiful temple I've ever seen. And it is so Texas! I love love love it and am so happy we made a pit stop here before visiting my brother. I'm especially grateful that my mom let me take her picture. The older she gets the more allergic she becomes to having her picture taken but she did it. We weren't able to enter in because the open house isn't until mid august. I am so bummed that we will miss it so next time we visit we are definitely going to plan on a temple trip and see my bro again. Chelsea and Noah thought it was a very pretty temple. Noah loved the architecture and felt like he was in Mexico and Chelsea just loved the fact that it was built so differently compared to other temples in Utah and that it had the title of our church in Spanish. LOL! It was another beautiful moment and pretty great to be back in McAllen again after all these years!

Reunited - Catching Up On Lost Time.

Seeing my brother for the first time in about 20 years was the most emotional part of this trip. Not to mention my mom, who is in the early stages of dementia was even happier to have seen him. It was so hard to watch them two reunite. There is so much to write behind these scenes of this post and if I did a video on them reuniting after all these years I would have gotten so much clout. But I didn't because this was a private and tender moment. Tears were shed in every direction. Jon, who only cries when a huge milestone hits such as our wedding day, our kids being born, or kids serving missions. It takes a sincere moment for him to cry and this was one of them.  Even my 18 year old was emotional. My 13 yr old son was like, "what's happening?" It wasn't until we came home that we explained to him how she didn't raise him and why her her parents did. Long story to share on here but if I ever write a book about my life I will include this part in it. But that will have to wait.