New York Wedding

My little brother, Glenn, got married on April 30th to Aviann Etherington in the Manhattan Temple. What a BEAUTIFUL wedding. All the siblings were able to be there for the weekend with NO KIDS. We had a blast!!!

First things first.....Shake Shack!

Wedding Dinner night before the wedding was at a great Italian Restaurant near Times Square. We had the whole place to ourselves. YUMMO

My sister Laura and her husband Mike

Always start your day with Donut Plant....thanks Liz for the wake up call!! Yummy PB & J Donut!

I LOVE the colors on the buildings.

We took the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty

My brother the Groom

Future plans for Ground Zero

Beautiful Sky above Ground Zero

Waiting for our transportation.....LOVE the subway system in NYC!

Empire State Building

Another stop at the Shake Shack...you can never have too much Shake Shack

My mom in Madison Square Park

This was the first time we had all been together in a long time so we just hung out in the middle of Times Square catching up.

Laura and Mike again

JP and I

Glenn and Aviann showed up in the middle of Times Square to get some cool wedding shots...we were their paparazzi...It was so FUN to see them. I like the FOREVER sign behind them.

Even strangers stopped to take their picture. They thought they were famous. HAHA!

Had to post this one for my sister Liz in the background....she is so funny!

Coming out of the Manhattan Temple

Their ROYAL wave...they were married the day after Prince William and Kate.

My Family

My sister Cara and her husband Jeff

My sister Robin and her husband Dave

The Newlyweds

Cute Sisters

WICKED for the 3rd time in NYC.....we are spoiled!!

The whole gang at WICKED

Robin and I met "Glinda" after the show....she was amazing!

Back to our hang out in Times Square. We had the best Thai food this night in Hell's Kitchen. I would definitely go back there. Always get food tips from the locals.

We took my dad to see the Ed Sullivan Theater....

And of course, Rupert's Hello Deli.

It was so fun to be together as a family. What a blessing it is to have temples on this earth so we can be together forever. Congrats to Glenn and Aviann!! We LOVE you!

We interrupt these travels to bring you our normal daily schedule.......

We managed to squeeze an Easter Egg hunt in at Grandma Ann's

Kelsey started playing Soccer and LOVES it.

Jacob started baseball and is doing really well at it. He is the star catcher of the team and even hit a homerun this season. These pictures were at the beginning of the season...don't worry, he has perfected his catching stance for those of you who noticed (hint...grandad)!

Last Day of Spain- Granada!

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada, Spain. The Alhambra's Moorish palaces were built for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain and its court, of the Nasrid dynasty. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was "discovered" in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions.

I took TOO many pictures on our visit to the Alhambra so it was hard to choose which ones to post. So here goes....

My sister Cara at the entrance of the Mexuar

The Muslim art is so gorgeous

The hand carved Stonework was beyond amazing. I couldn't stop staring.

Patio de los Leones

I LOVED the Honeycomb Vaulting on the ceilings and arches

Inside the Palace of Carlos V

Outside the Palace of Carlos V

Views of the city of Granada

We saw this big school in the middle of the city with kids outside playing "futbol"

Do you see the cathedral in the middle of the city?

The Gardens were AMAZING

Our last activity in Spain was "finally" enjoying "churros y chocolate" which is a MUST in the afternoon (5pm to be exact- no earlier, no later). That is when the city and plazas come alive with people after they have had their "siestas". The siesta is one of my favorite things about the Spanish culture and I still practice the art of napping today. I was definitely meant to serve my mission there!! Yes, the missionaries got to go home during Siesta!

The plaza in Granada where we ate our churros was so colorful and bright. I loved it. If I lived in Spain, I think I would live in Granada.

What an amazing experience it was to go back to my "homeland" with my husband, my sister and her husband. I am so grateful that I was able to return to my mission after 15 long years (whoa, that really ages me). Next year we plan to return to JP's "homeland" of Germany. Of course it all wouldn't have been possible without our amazing parents and friends, Carla and Trevor, who took our kids willingly (I think) for the whole week. AND, for Cara and Jeff, for inviting us along....here's to many more adventures with you guys!!!!