Noah & Celeste: Two Great Imitators!

It's been almost a week since my dear friend Ceyda, and her sweet daughter flew back to Utah, and even though things around our house are pretty much back to our normal routine I still expect these two to be staying up late, drawing, coloring, watching Trolls two times in a row, and playing board games. I was amazed at the bond they immediately had after meeting each other for the first time three years ago. It was like kismet. As if they knew each other before this life, and even though they've only spent two weeks together in the seven years of their life it seemed as if they've known each other forever.

Ceyda's baptism.

About a month ago I received a text from one of my very best friends telling me of her baptism date, & I was so excited for her!! Unfortunately I missed it. I had just seen her a couple of months earlier and because her baptism was during the holidays I couldn't go out west to witness her special day. 

Last week she texted me a photo of her baptism day and...oh my gosh! Just look at her. If you knew this girl eight years ago and saw all the changes, along with the triumphs & trials she had to learn & overcome in order to get to where she's at you would think "wow...she's really come a along way!" 

And she has. 

Ceyda is one of my dear friends whom I've  known for eight years now and I'm just so happy that she made this decision in her life.

Sharing my beliefs to her eight years ago without having a clue as to how to share it was awesome. For those of us who've never served a mission, attended seminary or grew up in the lds church we tend to shy away when it comes to talking about religion & Christ. I have then since realized that it's not hard to share the gospel, or be a friend. I learned to be a friend first & to let them know that my first priority in this life is 'to love'. To share the love that I have for God & them. To share with them that life is good & that there is a purpose in this life for all of us. 

I will always remember the first time I met Ceyda & how sweet & shy she was. Having her visit us for eight days last September was so much fun. Her example and personality was filled with confidence, and it was amazing. She wasn't this shy girl anymore. Her face glowed with a happiness that seemed all too familiar to me. She reminded me of how I was 21 years ago after I joined the church. Her behavior tells me that she has found the true meaning of happiness within her life. It's humbling to know that my example had a lot to do with her conversion & that is really touching. I am also thankful for those missionaries who taught her & never gave up on her. 

I am thankful that I never gave up on her. 

Heavenly fathers plan is unique & while we are living our mortal lives in a world that is so corrupt with negativity it's good to know that as long as we trust & believe in His plan of eternal life that we can be happy. That if we do what is right we can be able to handle that negativity with strength, and the Lord will be by our side for assistance.

Life will never be perfected, but having the love of Heavenly Father permeating throughout our entire being will help us to want to be better every day.

Patience, love & yearning for change will help us get to where we need to be in this life. 

Hearing that Ceyda was going to be baptized was full circle for me knowing that the missionary work that I strive to do as a member of the church was accomplished. Again...I'm so glad I never gave up on her. 

And I'll tell you something else. It is a tearful & wonderful moment knowing that you are going to be with one of your best friends for eternity. 

All we have to do is to continue to live our life that is pleasing to the man above.

the best week ever in September.

This past week my life consisted of late nights, road tripping, and celebrating birthday after birthday with various friends. I haven't had any real sleep for days, and so far I'm not complaining or being ornery...yet. 

September is indeed my perfect, busy month. It's perfected with numerous friends who have the same birthday as me, and/or within days of me. It is also the beginning of beautiful fall weather, and everything that has to do with autumn. 

Due to having company, and constant get togethers with others I've neglected decorating my house with fall decor. After driving past farmers markets I finally bought some mums, and placed them outside my small porch. Buying pumpkins are going to have to wait because each year I take the kids to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin. It's tradition, and we never mess with tradition. 

Too bad we didn't get to pick apples or go to a pumpkin patch while Ceyda was here. She truly is a gem in my life and to be honest having her here for eight days really strengthened me in many ways. Just her overall example of how committed she is to God, and raising her daughter the best she can reminds me a little bit of me when I was her age. I love her, and miss her terribly but know that she will be back again to visit. 

Our kids loved waking up each morning to greet each other, have breakfast, and play with the train track. Celeste loves trains, and would rather play with that than dolls. These two were so sweet together throughout the whole week, and at times would both play hard to get. They had their moments but for the most part got along, and hugs, and "I'm sorry's" were always being exchanged. 

So glad that I was able to take her to her "dream cities",  and the beach. Saying goodbye is always hard, but know that we will see her again. Chelsea grew especially close to Celeste, and I think deep down she longs for a baby sister. 

 This truly was the best visit ever! 

*****

Maggie and I celebrated our birthdays by treating ourselves to the Pop Shop. Luckily for me I had a coupon for a free birthday meal, and believe me those come in handy when you purchase a nine dollar grilled cheese sandwich that has a name (Frazer)!

Maggie had never been, and she loved it! She was especially excited to have met the owner Stink Fisher. Aside from running this fabulous shop he's also an actor. 

When I was told by our waiter that he played alongside actor Mark Wahlberg in the Lovely Bones that caught our attention and we wanted to take a picture with him. Since Maggie is a theatre major they both discussed the factors of acting, and became acquainted with one another. 

I love Maggie and spending time with her always energizes me. I'm so lucky to have friends in my life who blow up my phone with texts from afar. I truly am blessed beyond measure with the greatest friends who come down from the corners of the universe to spend time with me. This birthday week has been extremely special. 

Now...I await to watch the General Relief Society Broadcast tomorrow night with more of my sisters! So excited to watch, and listen!   

Have a wonderful weekend, and let's see if I can catch up on my sleep too! I highly doubt it! 

NYC & D.C. (our beloved cities)

New York city. 

I'm sure many of us develop a love/hate relationship when one visits for the first time, but for the most part it truly is a magical city in which loathing it would be impossible (at least for me). If you hate it...you'll end up loving it even more after you leave. Trust me.

Visiting the city for the first time thirteen years ago was a dream come true for me. I thanked my brother in law for living in Connecticut so that we could have an excuse to visit so that we can come to the city! Although I was a bit overwhelmed by the tall buildings, mumbling voices, construction noises echoing off the street, and endless honking I fell in love with it. We loved it so much that we took the express train to Grand Central from Connecticut to the city three days in a row. 

New York City is so magical that in spite of the hustle and bustle, and endless noises you end up loving it after one leaves. The adrenaline builds up, and helps guide you as you step foot into the city. It truly is a different experience going for the first time, but if you have a love for crowds, broadway, lights, culture, variety, good food, and diversity then you'll have no problem taking in all of the action and energy this city has to offer. Some of us could possibly live here too, and some may never want to come back. That was their "once in a lifetime" "been there seen it" "never going to go back" "marked that off my bucket list" kind of attitude. I personally love it, and luckily for Ceyda...she thought it was pretty cool too!  

The crowds, and lights at Time Square were a bit overwhelming to her, but nonetheless we walked and walked all over the city with two kids in tow, and one riding in the stroller. Yeah...a stroller in Times Square where the streets are super crowded. Smart huh? Well...Noah was asleep, and holding him all night long was not an option so I had to use that stroller (luckily it was a small one). 

We had gone to a carnival over at Governors Island earlier, and being there all afternoon wore the kids out. Noah fell asleep, and because we only had one stroller, Jon gracefully took Celeste and put her on his shoulders, and I could tell she was mesmerized by all the lights. Made him miss the girls when they were little. 

Times Square never surprises me. You see all kinds of characters...weird, and not so weird. We always look forward to see what new "characters" we'll see. We searched for the cool ones and ran into these Disney characters, and one of my favorites...Madea (not a Disney character).

We grabbed some grub over at Bubba Gump, and watched Forrest Gump on the tube while eating. The food here was delicious. 

I was a bit disappointed though being that they didn't have Dr. Pepper as a beverage, but that was cool. You'd think they would being that Forrest Gump drank like 15 of them in the movie. 

We maxed our time out as always in the city, and headed back to Jersey to await Ceyda's next adventure on the east coast! For the most part...she loved New York City!

*****

Capitol Hill is one of the most classiest, and savviest places in the world to visit and live. I love D.C. and I couldn't let Ceyda go home without taking her to see some of the attractions here. Her main love was visiting the White House. 

and taking her to eat at one of the best authentic BBQ restaurants near the city.

This is the place to eat some tasty BBQ. Haven't had good brisket this good since Texas! Even Noah ate some, and this boy can be one picky eater. 

The past few days with Ceyda have truly been wonderful, and I'm so grateful that she came to see us. I know that I'll be catching up on a lot of zzzzzz's when she leaves, but seriously...I will miss her! 

Fete Paradiso

This past weekend we experienced the cutest little vintage french carnival on Governors Island. It was so fun seeing everyone dressed as if we were in Paris, and I think I could have fit right in had I been wearing a scarf, and beret! 

There were so many vintage games, carousels, and attractions that were old! There was even a carousel in which Abraham Lincoln rode in 1865! This was indeed a legit carnival in which all the rides were in fact from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

 I think the kids favorite rides were the vintage cars they rode.

A carnival is not complete without the cotton candy, and we all ended up buying more than one! For a moment Noah was playing with it as if it was a balloon, and after awhile took like one bite. He doesn't have much of a sweet tooth which is probably a good thing, but still...it was delicious! 

There was even a band playing french music. I could have sat here all day eating good food, and listening to them all afternoon!

Jon and I had a blast with Noah & Chelsea, and we got on a few rides with them. Jon vined Chelsea and I on the roller coaster here, and the kids loved the swing ride! It was the happiest moment for all of us being that Ceyda and Celeste were with us. These kids all had the time of their life, and being there for most of the day felt like an hour. Time just flew!

Riding the ferry to and from Governors Island was Noah's favorite & boy was he enjoying the sucker that was given to him by a "french" worker at the carnival. 

This is the first time Fete Paradiso has ever come to the United States. They are a traveling carnival, and because it's seasonal the weekend of the 29th will be their last time here. I highly recommend going if you live anywhere near New York. 

They travel around various cities, and hopefully they will come to your neck of the woods. So glad we had the opportunity to venture out to experience this quaint, vintage, french style carnival. We loved every minute of our time here, and definitely will be returning next time they're in the city! 

Bye for now! 

ceyda & celeste.

When I received a message from Ceyda in mid August about planning to visit me for my birthday I was  so excited. I hadn't seen her since I left Utah in 2008. Seven years isn't too long when you keep in touch via facebook and talking on the phone every now and then, but still...seven years is still a long time when you're longing to see a familiar face. 

I would love to go back to visit Utah someday, but these days it's almost impossible for a family of six to fly across the country. I have been blessed beyond measure with friends who take the time out of their busy schedule to make me and my family a priority in their lives. I hope to go back to visit all of my wonderful friends that I left behind. 

Since Ceyda's arrival we've talked, laughed, and cried happy tears throughout our conversations. We mostly talk about our children, and their well being as well as how we see them (or how we'd like to see them) in their future. 

We see our little ones growing up way too quickly in a world that is different when we were their age. They are speaking in clearer sentences, talking among each other like small adults in a language that is their own, and playing with iPhones as if they've been using them their entire lives. It's pretty scary yet exciting at the same to think what they will be exposed to next when they are in their teens. Every day they learn something new, and their intelligence continues to enhance. 

Being that Ceyda is from Honduras and having moved to Utah when she was 18 has never had the privilege of venturing out to the east coast, and so far she loves it!

She loved Ocean City & the boardwalk...

Eating good food (and boy did we do a lot of that today), Shake Shack burgers, polish water ice, and having a Philly cheese steak sandwich at Johnny Rockets was among her favorites. 

The fact that we're together brings us a solace that we have been longing for seven years! Seeing our children meeting for the first time and warming up to each other right away with hugs and smiles was a breath of fresh air. Makes me wonder why we as adults can't be like that with other adults when small children do it instantly without regard. 

They are a reminder to me that life is beautiful, and what a blessing it is to witness it through their innocent eyes. 

Every friend that has visited me from afar is my solace and I'm so grateful to have kept them for all these years!

These are the joys of life in friendships, and no matter where they live... they are the precious gems to my everyday living.  

the greatest gift.

So for the next seven days I will be spending time with one of my dear friends from Utah. She flew in yesterday, and we couldn't be more happier to have her and her little daughter with us. 

Sometimes you just need a friend, a GOOD friend who has known you for years, knows and understands your life, and loves everything about you no matter what. Someone who loves you and your family unconditionally and genuinely with a heart that as full as my own to hear in depth about everything that my life is about. 

That is Ceyda, and bless her heart for coming all the way from Salt Lake City with a three year old in tow just to see me and my family. She came at the right time, and will be here throughout my birthday week. 

So if I'm not posting on a daily basis it'll be for a good reason. We will be spending a lot of time venturing outdoors, and taking in this beautiful fall weather that we've been having. There will be a lot of girl talk, and a lot of late nights catching up on our life because there is only so much you can type via email, and facebook. Even if we spend most of our days outdoors exploring various parks the greatest gift is her friendship, and that is better than any material thing. I'm so grateful that she has taken the time to come here and spend her week long vacation with me.

And Noah and Celeste...they are already having their time of their lives. 

Just look at these two.