For Krystal on Mother's Day 2014

Krystal, here are a couple of lines to thank you for everything you are and for all you do...

Thank you for showing me the meaning of hard work,
Thank you for always making me and the kids your first priority,
Thank you for keeping our house in order day after day after day,
Thank you for allowing me to pursue my passion... whenever and wherever that might be,
Thank you for making other people's burdens light,
Thank you for your big heart that can't help but give something to someone in need,
Thank you for teaching our girls about their amazing worth and potential,
Thank you for going through aches, pains, swollen feet, nausea, cravings, and so much more to give birth to our kids,
Thank you for making goals and continually pushing yourself to improve,
Thank you for caring more about God and your family than about money and things,
Thank you for making me feel respected and loved, 
Thank you for keeping Coca Cola in business,
Thank you for your smile,
Thank you for being humble, honest, modest, and loving,
Thank you for being adventurous and always up for anything,
Thank you for wanting to see the world with me,
Thank you for loving God and serving him,
Thank you for reading, cleaning after, dressing, bathing, cooking for, and teaching our kids,
Thank you for openness to different cultures, foods, and people,
Thank you for thinking of me throughout the day,
Thank you for enduring my sports fanaticism,
Thank you for being beautiful in every way,
Thank you for being an amazing wife and mother,
Thank you for so much more that can't fit into this post... I love you!


... and thanks for riding the NYC subway with me (below)

New York City, Baby!

Devin has been wanting to get me to New York for awhile now but we have never found the 'right time', and with a new baby coming soon, wouldn't be finding the 'right time' any time soon.  So when a business trip to New York suddenly came into the works, Devin decided that we should add a quick pre-baby vacation to it.  He planned for his mom to fly to California and stay with the girls so that I could meet up with him in the Big Apple after his work time was done.  It was really sweet of him to put all of this together so that I could have an awesome vacay before baby #3 makes her way into the world.

On Wednesday, I arrived at JFK at 1am to this handsome man waiting for me...

On Thursday morning, Devin had one last business meeting, so I walked around the city a bit on my own.  I got a great view of the Empire State Building...

And loved just sitting in these verandas that they have in the middle of the streets all over NY.  The vibe of the city was awesome and it was great just taking it all in...

Later that day, Devin and I headed over to Times Square, and it is like nothing I have ever seen.  

We stopped in at Junior's where I pounded a 20 oz steak by myself and then we had the most amazing cheesecake I have ever had.  We even came back the next day just for another slice...

After dinner we walked around the Rock.  Unfortunately the timing didn't work out to get to the top, but it was still awesome to see it and the surroundings...

That night we went to see Wicked, and it was incredible...

On Friday we took a Subway over to The World Trade Center...

Then jumped on a ferry that took us out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island...

We got a great view of the New York skyline...

And the Brooklyn Bridge...

Then we took a bus tour to see the rest of the city...

Our last stop in New York was Grand Central station where we took a train out to New Haven, Connecticut to stay with Ryan and Sara (Devin's brother and sister in law).  

On Saturday we spent some time getting re-acquainted with our niece and nephews, whom we hadn't seen since August 2013.  While 3 out of the 4 were instantly comfortable with us, the youngest, Nathan, wasn't quite sure about us.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Devin and I trying to hold him at first, but he had the sweetest sad face you've ever seen.  By the end of our visit, we had made our way into his comfort zone.  It was a blast hanging out with these fun kiddos. We are looking forward to having them return to the West Coast!  

After a trip to The Natural History Museum we stopped for lunch to get my all time favorite: The CT Lobster Roll.  It was divine...

Later the night, we went out on a double date with Ryan and Sara.  These guys were seriously the best hosts and we really loved seeing them.  I was glad to see where they have been living for the past 3 years before they leave in July.  We can't thank them enough for letting us invade their home, eat their food, and shuttling us around everywhere (including back to the airport which is 2 hours away). 

On Sunday, before heading home, we walked around Yale and then had lunch at a park that had a great view of New Haven...

Then we headed back to the West Coast.  After 5 days of continuous traveling and walking I was left with massively swollen feet...

Meanwhile, here in California, the girls were having a blast with Grandma Payne.  They did everything from going to the beach, swimming at the pool, and picnics in the park, to building fairy gardens and making cookies.  The girls loved spending so much time with Grandma and were sad to see her go.  We can't thank her enough for being willing to fly out and take care of our girls so that we could take this trip.  We definitely couldn't have done it without her, and we appreciate her more than we can say.  I also can't thank Devin enough for so thoughtfully putting this trip together.  It was great experiencing New York with him and I am so grateful to him for making it happen.