Before Hawaii, we went to New York!

I tell you, we did more traveling this summer than pretty much our entire lives combined!  We told the kids by the time we were their age, I had been to Disneyland once, the beach a few times and Lake Mead.  Marty had been camping a lot and to Seattle once.  (Our parents may know of a few more vacations we took, but pretty much that sums it up!)  

Anyway...Marty had to go to NYC for work and we decided we would join him for a week of it (although by join, I mean we shared a room, poor guy worked so much it wasn't really a "vacation" for him).  It was a lot of fun, a little crazy, we learned a lot and certainly didn't see all we wanted to, but we are glad we got to go!

The day before we left, I decided to fly to Utah and spend half a day with Amy.  Luckily (and possibly miraculously) I was pretty much already packed and ready, which has NEVER happened.  I am always throwing stuff together at the last possible second.  Definite tender mercy.  

On our way!!!  

 Toys-R-Us

 Lego Store

 American Girl Doll Store

 Taking a break from walking and looking through the 9-11 magazines we bought from some guy on the street.

 Our hotel right in Times Square.

 The only statue of liberty we saw (bummer, but we will just have to go back some day I hope!)

 Top of the Rock

 Wicked on Broadway!!

 A-MA-ZING cheesecake, eaten at midnight (which is only 8pm in California, so we figured we were good)!

 Weekend trip (with Marty, yay!) to Palmyra!  SUCH a beautiful (although really, REALLY long) drive through the most beautiful scenery in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

 Sacred Grove

 Hill Cumorah Pageant

Susquehanna river

Before we drove back into NYC we stopped at a waterpark for a few hours.  I'm pretty sure it was both of the kids favorite part of the entire trip.  Next year we're heading to Waterworld in Concord!

We definitely wore everyone out! 

 

The kids and I left New York and flew to Utah for the next trip we had planned!  (Which turned out to be preparing for and having Amy's funeral, but could be considered another tender mercy since we were already scheduled to fly into Utah the day she passed away.)