Look who's 75!

I honestly can't think of anyone I'd want to mirror my life after other than my mom. She is kind, compassionate, loving, charitable, and has always put her children above herself. She has the best laugh that puts a smile on everyones face and is beloved by everyone she meets. She's always been blessed with wonderful friends and what a wonderful friend she is to them. She is a blessing to anyone who is lucky enough to know her. I can't imagine my life without her.  And how sweet it was to watch dad secretly emailing us months in advance hoping to surprise my mom with a full house on her special birthday.  Dad has been lucky enough to have all his children surround him on most of his birthdays since his birthday falls on the 4th of July but sadly it's a rare occassion for us to all be around for mom's birthday so what a treat it was for us all to be together with her on her big 75!

With school being in session and the kids unable to miss too much, it was going to have to be a quick trip but it certainly didn't lack in fun and adventure! Saturday morning we all got up and Jack took a group of us on a beautiful hike through a meadow up Provo canyon. While it wasn't a difficult hike there was quite a bit of deep snow and at times we joked about whether mom was going to make it to see her 75th...lol, but thankfully the only casualty was her ankle which she managed to twist a bit in the deep snow but thankfully she lived to enjoy the Cheesecake Factory later that night.



Next was her celebratory dinner at Cheesecake Factory! I don't know how we didn't get one photo at the restaurant of everyone but we didn't!



And the day ended with a surprise party with her dearest friends who surprised her as we entered the house from dinner!



Of course we couldn't be all the way out in Utah during prime ski season and not get in at least one ski day so off to Sundance we went before catching our red eye flight later that night. What a great day we had!. We arrived to empty slopes, fresh snow, and ski school availability! Hooray!!! Ty had been anxious to give snowboarding a try so got in a morning private lesson and Sage also enjoyed a private half day of ski school brushing up on what she had learned last year! Connor and I spent the morning spying on the two of them, impressed by how well each of them were doing! And sadly Jack had to work.





Note to self: Never book a red eye flight again. No one wins.... How I thought we'd be able to ski all day, fly through the whole night and then get kids off to school is beyond me...lol! No one was heading to school that morning...

It may have been our quickest Utah trip yet but what a good time we had! Happy Birthday mom! We love you!!!

NYC

I can't say traveling to NYC in January is one of my favorite things but I can say watching our niece get married there in January was wonderful! I can hardly believe Kylie is now married. It seems like just yesterday she was unwrapping an easy bake oven from us on her 3rd birthday.

We debated on bringing the kids but in the end chose to leave them behind so Jack and I could get away alone which meant leaving them on their own for the first time ever. While I was hesitant, I knew the boys were at an age and maturity that they'd be fine, especially since they were on the holiday break still and wouldn't have to be getting themselves and Sage off to school. I also knew Sage had a birthday party she didn't want to miss and the boys were anxious for their beach day with their friends. So away we went and here they stayed. While the main reason for going was the wedding, how fun it was for us to spend a few extra days sightseeing and playing tourists. We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn right in midtown which was centrally located to everything and how fun it was to look down from our high floor room onto our old apartment! It's a fabulous fairly new hotel and one we will look forward to returning to again. Here was the view out our room. That small white brick building on the right is our old building in fact we can see our exact windows!




The next morning we awoke and were off to the temple and boy was it chilly! We were definitely not in Florida!!! After watching Kylie and Braden tie the knot we all made our way to Tavern on the Green for the fabulous luncheon before watching them be whisked away in a yellow cab! Of course, it was not just any yellow cab!





Now it was time for Jack and I to enjoy the city...even if the temps were only in the 50's! Speaking of cold weather, Jack couldn't pass up the bridge from the snowball fight scene in Elf without grabbing a photo for the kids!



After getting into more comfortable clothes we strolled through Times Square before taking in a Broadway show. While it won't make our top ten, I thought it was cute even if Jack thought it was predictable and boring.




The next morning we awoke to similarly cold temps and with Florida running through our veins, we knew we probably wouldn't last long outdoors so after a quick detour to 5th Ave to grab Jack a scarf, we jumped onto the subway downtown to check out One World Trade since 1. It was inside and 2. We had yet to take the elevator to the observation floor. But before getting there I found myself distracted by some new color that had been added to that part of town since our last trip! Of course I couldn't walk by without capturing a few photos!



Finally, after all these years we made it to the top of One World Trade, the tallest building in the US! While it wasn't one of the most beautiful days to be admiring the view from the top, we still had a great time, not to mention we enjoyed lunch at the top too!



It's hard to beat 5th Ave during the holiday season and how glad I was we arrived just before the stores would be removing all the holiday decor! We couldn't help but notice that some of the buildings were dressed up the exact same way they were twenty years ago when we lived there! Saks however has stepped it up quite a bit since our days in the City, putting on a light show to music that was quite impressive and sure lit up the street!




After a stroll through midtown there was no better way to spend a chilly night than at a Broadway show so after a stop at TKTS, we found ourselves seeing Head Over Heels. While we didn't have a particular show we were hoping to see Jack was excited to see something light and fun which is what he got! And while it was not a show I would have taken the kids to, the music and props were fantastic... how can you not enjoy singing along to the Go Go's!!!



The next morning before heading out to James' and Jaime's we met my mom's cousin Lesley and her daughter Julia for lunch! It wouldn't be a complete trip to NYC without seeing Lesley and how nice it was to have Julia join us too! Once again some fun art in the background...lol!



Sadly I didn't take but a couple photos at James and Jaime's beautiful place where the wedding reception was held but what an amazing job they and their wedding planner did in making it a night to remember! I really don't think it is possible to have planned a better night!



Best wishes to Kylie and Braden!