Celebrating 10 Years!!!

Well all most 10...it's not official until the 22nd of November. If your count the 4 years prior to being married, I have known my beloved exactly half of my oh so young life! Enough of all that. Mike and I couldn't come up with anything else to do on our 10th than spend it with family! Actually that is only half true. We really wanted to visit New York before his brother Ryan leaves to move back here and we aslo wanted to visit my family up in New Hampshire. Both of which we accomplished successfully. We even threw in some serious sight seeing along the way. so to give the short version of the trip I'll start at the begining and proceed to the end with as little but as much of the important details I know you're dying to hear...truth be told I want to get it all down some where before my "Mother of 4" brain forgets all the good times we had. So getting right to it, I'll start with Monday the 5th of October...We flew out about 3pm, had a wonderful flight (except for the horribly uncomfortable seats at the extreme rear of the plane. Which by the way did NOT recline one little bit!) We arrived in New York around 11pm east coast time where Ryan (Mike's Bro.) picked us up and took us back to his appartment in Jersey. We took a super quick look-see around his oh so elegant pad and hopped in his "extra" car. (We now know why he bought a brand new Jetta!) Drove for about 3 hours until we were somewhere in Conniticut and pulled over for a snooze. Woke up the next morning refreashed and ready for the next 3 hours of the trip to visit with my brother, Jed, in Ashland, NH. He has a wonderful place in the middle of no where with quite the view. It comes complete with a river and beaver dam! I was the only one excited about the bever dam. I was hoping Dale and Drew would be just as thrilled but not the case. :( He took us to one of his favirote dinner joints there called The Common Man. Super cool restaurant. You sit on couches and eat at a coffee table. Jed and Mike entertained themselves with some foosball and I watched all the action from the comfy couch. Instead of bread for an appitizer you cut your own piece of cheese from a giant chunk and grab all the crackers you want to go with it. Fantastic idea!

This is a view of Jed's place from the river.
My brother is pointing to where he saw a bear

rolling around in tall grass a few days before!!

Then off to my Father's home in Lancaster, NH.

My old high school...well one of them. I went to a diffrent one each year!

This was another great little place we found to eat, in Littleton.

Who do you think would fit in this tiny door way?

Maybe the town of Littleton was named for the little people!!

I couldn't resist a picture either way.

Here's the fam. Mike, Me, Jed, Dad, Garett, Marie and Gramma Nancy.

This bridge spanned over one of the many rivers in NH. It is actually the border of Vermont and New Hampshire. I loved how old and rustic is was.

Here's where we found some of the very best maple syrup in NH. They had tasting stations all over the little shop. We took full advantage of this hospitality!

This is my father (Garett) and his mother (Nancy).

After a visit with my family we drove to The Joseph Smith Memorial. It was getting late but still just as beautiful. I went to girls camp here quite a few years ago when I lived with my father. I think this was my favirote camp experience.

We drove through the night to get to Palmyra, NY where we visited the temple...Beautiful, as expected. The trees off in the distance behind me is the sacred grove/Smith farm.

After the temple off we went to visit the Smith homestead and Sacred Grove.
What a memorial place.

This is a view of the Palmyra Temple from the old road in front of the Smith farm.

After the Sacred Grove we drove in to the town close by and took

the tour of the B of M publication building.

Next we went to The Hill Cummorah. This was Mike's favirote place.

Mike took this picture of me on the path leading down the back of the hill. He was trying to picture Joseph carring the gold plates down. Not quite Joseph but I tried to hummor him.

Form Palmyra we decided to check out Niagara Falls. I was super excited to see this. Ever since I was Superman years ago...you know the one with the little boy hannging on the wrong side of the railing, he falls and superman saves the day...yah well I loved that part. We got there around 9 ate dinner and then went to see the falls in the dark. We had planned to stay the night and see the falls in the day time the next day. That plan was kiboshed when we very unsuccessfully looked for lodging! I am not exagerating when I say for almost an hour and a half we either looked, stopped in and asked, or looked on line for an available room-anywhere in town. There was nothing. Not even a motel with rats was available! So after all that looking we left Niagara and still couldn't find a place anywhere down the free way. We must have milled the memo about the party there! We ended up sleeping in the car that night at a randon truck stop. Mike and I are pros at this. 12 years ago traveling back from NH we did the same thing. Only that was to save $. We survived and kept going. Along the way to our next destination- NY- Mike spotted a sign for the Sesquehana (SP?) river. We pulled over and looked up the sight where the Priesthood was restored and luckly we were only minutes away!! So that was our next stop.

We also found Emma Smith's parents, Issac and Elizabeth Hale, graves located in th cemetary next to the monument.

Then down to the river we went...This was my favirote part of the trip! It was such a beautiful day and the season was just right. And my camera cooperated!

Next stop NY!!!

Ryan hung out with us the first day to show us how to work the subway (super confusing) and bus system. We got it down pretty quick. Actually Mike did. I just followed him while looking around!

Ground Zero.

I took this picture to show Andrew the NYPD.

These guys were stationed outside of the Stock Exchange.
Apparently they are EVERY day!

Mike's style...

My style! One day maybe a blue box with some special bobble in it, picked especially for me will show up on...oh say my 30th!! Someone tell Mike to get on it! It's comming soon :)

Target was widely advertised in NY. The only bit of confusion I had was, where one was!

Not one for miles.

Time Square

Empire State Building

Top of the Empire State Building

Brooklyn Bridge

Found my hero too!

Grand Central Station

Mike's in this shot! Where's Waldo?

A rare occasion...the subway all to ourselves.

Ahhhhhh...amongst the NY hussle and bussle a beacon of relief! The Manhattan Temple.

After the temple we met up with Ryan and walked though Central Park.

Yet another beautiful time to visit!We went to all the museums possible. It took us 2 days to do the Metropolitan Museum of Natural History. Our feet were feeling a lot like bleeding nubs at the end of this trip! Thus the expression on Mike's face...shear pain!!! But we did find Dumb-Dumb!

and a really big turtle.

I can't take these two anywhere! Ryan brought brownies and suggestid squishing and rolling them to eat a bit easier. How they ended up like this is beyond me. I laughed pretty hard though!

We went one night and saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway! Super-duper fantastic!!!!
More interesting museum artifacts...

Only in NY!!!

We ended out trip on a high! New York was awsome!! And New Hampshire was a wonderful time to catch up with my family. Thank you all who helped with our little ones and kept me from freaking out with all the details of home while we were gone!! :)