New York, New York

One of the perks of having a best friend who is an airline stewardess is that I get to travel for free quite often. In July, Ashlie flew me to Baltimore to visit her. We spent a day hanging out in Baltimore, then headed to New York for three days. We had an amazing time, just us girls! I sorted through a couple hundred pictures to share a few of the highlights:

Our first stop in New York was the American Museum of Natural History. I loved the dinosaur exhibit! It was amazing to see the size of these things up close. This T-Rex's tail was so long that I couldn't even get it all in the picture.

My favorite dinosaur, the Tri(cera)tops.

Look how big these elephants are compared to the people!

Next, we hopped on a pedicab (pulled by a person on a bike) and took a tour of Central Park.

This was one of my favorite spots in the park...so peaceful.

It was about 106 degrees our first day in New York so I was very tempted to jump into this water feature and cool off.

Behind us are a couple of the most expensive apartment buildings in the entire city. Many famous people have lived there.

Imagine is a memorial for John Lennon located in "Strawberry Fields" in Central Park.

Times Square is amazing! Pictures just don't do it justice. You have to experience it in person, it is truly like nothing I've ever seen before.

If you look closely, you can see the ball that's dropped during the New Year's celebration.

Ashlie and I took the Circle Line tour on the Hudson River.

The view of Manhattan from the boat was incredible!

The building with the cranes on top is the New World Trade Center in progress.

The Circle Line cruise took us right by the Statue of Liberty. She is absolutely stunning in person!

No matter which way we looked, we had an amazing view; New Jersey on one side, New York on the other.

The Brooklyn Bridge~We cruised underneath this bridge as well as the Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges.

We went to the top of the Empire State Building at night and the city lights were captivating. I could have stood there and stared at the view all night.

Enjoying the view with such a special friend made it even better!

We also visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Many of my favorite Picasso, van Gogh, and Monet paintings were in this museum as well as many other fascinating pieces of art. My all-time favorite is this painting; Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.

Our last stop before leaving New York was the Top of the Rock; aka Rockefeller Center Observation Deck. Rockefeller Center is home to NBC Studios. This building is not as tall as the Empire State Building, but the views are different and we wanted to view the city during the day time as well. I love this picture with the Empire State Building in the background.

Look at the view of Central Park. From a bird's eye view, you can truly get a feel for how big this park is.

A few other highlights of the trip that I don't have pictures of were:

*Shopping on 5th Ave.

*Dining out in the city

*Attending the Broadway Show Catch Me If You Can

New York is an amazing city and I had such a great time! I can't wait for my next "girl trip" with Ashlie!

Jubilee Lake

One weekend in July, we headed to Oregon for a camping trip at Jubilee Lake. The lake is small, beautiful and peaceful. We met up with a couple of Bryon's friends and spent the entire weekend hiking, fishing, hanging out around the campsite, and relaxing in the tent while it rained almost an entire day.

There is a trail that goes all the way around the lake. It is about 2 miles long. While Bryon was fishing with his buddies, I took Rylan and Ayla on a walk around the lake. Rylan rode in the stroller for most of it and Ayla rode in the pack. I got quite the workout carting these two around. The hike was beautiful!

Ayla zonked out and missed most of the sights.

Other than the hike, a few highlights were:

~blowing bubbles at the campsite

~eating camp food in the great outdoors

~fishing for trout

~ and enjoying a "cookie fest" in the tent while it rained.

See you again next year, Jubilee!

God Bless America

We had a very fun-filled Fourth of July! It is one of my favorite holidays not only because it's about celebrating our freedom and independence, but also because we get to spend lots of quality time with our family at the lake cabin.

One of my childhood friends, who has a lake cabin right next to ours, was also at the lake for the weekend. We got to spend a lot of time with her (Shelli) and her two sweet girls, Laci and Cali. Shelli and I have some very fond memories of playing together every summer out at the lake and it is so special that our children now get to do the same thing.

Of course, we can't go to the lake without going on a hike as well. Rylan and his cousin Ava are great little hikers. We hiked over the bridge...

...and through the woods. Ayla enjoys cruising in the Ergo pack. What a nice way to enjoy the scenery.

The weather was nice and hot for the weekend; perfect for swimming. Ayla got to try out her new life jacket and thought it was pretty stylish.

We also got lots of wading in.

Ayla has some serious natural modeling skills. As soon as I put this pink and white gingham bikini on her, which was mine as a baby, she began strutting her stuff. Just look at those runway moves!

She knows how to walk and pose for the pictures.

And here I am in the same bikini around 9 months old. See the resemblance?

My parents see so much of me in Ayla that they've said it's like having me all over again. They love it! It is so fun having a mini-me!

Relaxation was the theme for the weekend. Rylan and Daddy spent some quality time cruising the lake in the raft.

Rylan and Ayla got to wear their patriotic outfits.

We also got to attend a fun holiday party hosted by our friends Dorcey and Josh. They rented a bouncy castle for the kiddos. Ayla even got the whole castle to herself for a while!

All the boys got crazy on the slip n' slide.

And, as usual, the kiddie pool was a hit. Rylan and Ayla splashed around with friends Blake and Claire. It was fun celebrating with so many friends!

After the party we headed back to the lake and the evening ended with a bang, literally! Rylan did sparklers,

we all ate S'mores,

and watched the fireworks show all around the lake.

This holiday gave us more fond memories that we will cherish forever. God bless America!

Leavenworth

One of my close friends got married in June. Bryon and I were able to escape from the kids for a few days and celebrate with Julie and Tim. They got married in a beautiful lodge just outside of Leavenworth.

The infinity pool was amazing! It was even featured in Sunset magazine on their list of top pools. This picture doesn't do it justice.

The views were spectacular!

They picked a perfect setting for a wedding. During the evening we enjoyed stargazing while hanging out outside by the bonfire.

Congratulations Julie and Tim! We are thrilled for you!

Little Swimmer

Rylan took swim lessons in June. He has never liked getting water in his face, so he was a little timid when it came to putting his face in the water, jumping into the pool, and even doing the back float. But, he gained confidence (especially after we bought him some cool green goggles) and he ended up having a pretty fun time. On the last day of class he even went down the big water slide without hesitation.

Over the course of the summer, Rylan has had lots of practice swimming at our lake cabin. He's gotten really good and swims out pretty deep. He even says he's ready to take lessons again.