The Big Apple!!!

Remember how I won airline tickets at my work Christmas raffle?  Well...Brady and I have been so busy with work and school that we decided to take the opportunity during our break between semesters to use the tickets and go to...New York!  Brady had never been, and I hadn't been forever, so we were WAY excited!  The weather was so nice and we had such a blast! Is there anything better than getting away with your sweetheart? I think not!  So...without much further ado...here's our trip to NYC!


Day #1

We took the Red Eye flight on the 4th and got to NYC super early on the 5th.  We couldn't check into our hotel right away, so we had breakfast at a cute little diner, picked up our trusty Metro passes, then walked around town to get our bearings.  Then, we headed back to our hotel for a looong nap! Our hotel room was hilarious...the entire thing was probably smaller than our master bathroom!  But the location was phenomenal so we can't complain. :)  After we rested up, we headed off to the Empire State Building to take in the views of New York.  It was breathtaking!  Then it was off to Chevy's for a little Cinco de Mayo food!  That place is one of my faves!  They used to have one in Orem, but they got rid of it, so I was thrilled to get me some spicy chicken floutas!  After we had our fill at Chevy's, we took a short jaunt down the street to the Majestic theater to watch The Phantom of the Opera!  Phantom is a definite favorite for Brady & me, and we just couldn't get enough!  Finally, we ended the night with a little perusing & ice cream-eating in Times Square!

P.S. The pic of the shoes is because Brady wouldn't let me bring any of my fun shoes! After the Las Vegas disaster, he knew I'd be dying if I didn't wear comfy shoes during our miles of walking.  So...as a compromise...I got cute walking shoes.  I was grateful that Brady won out on this one, because even with the comfy shoes, my feet were dead at the end of each night!  Also, don't mind my ugly socks poking out of my shoes in every pic! I normally try not to dress so dorky, but Brady also made me wear these to prevent blisters...so I had to look like a 65 year old tourist the whole time! Ha ha ha!

Day #2

Day 2 consisted of a TON of site seeing!  We took a subway ride down to the financial district where we saw the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Battery Park, Ground Zero, Wall Street, and Trinity Church...which was probably Brady's favorite site given that National Treasure is his favorite movie! (We weren't lucky enough to find our own Templar Treasure in the catacombs though...shucks!)  This was an interesting day to be on Wall Street since it was the day the market crashed by 1,000 points!  There were reporters everywhere & people were going nuts! Funny story about Ground Zero...we walked around the entire block for probably 30 minutes in search of the huge gaping hole, only to find out that it was the ginormous construction site right in front of us!  Apparently they've decided to build on the site, so there's not much to see of the tragic loss except the World Trade Center globe in Battery Park.  Towards the evening we were dead tired!  We headed back to our hotel to change & get some delicious sushi!  By this point, our adrenaline boosted our energy because it was time to see Wicked!!!  If you haven't seen this show...you MUST!  It is one of the best Broadway shows ever!  I've seen it 3 times now and it never gets old!

Day #3

Day 3 was a little more chill.  We spent most of the day walking & shopping along 5th Avenue (my version of heaven).  Eventually we made our way to Central Park and spent some time relaxing & enjoying the atmosphere.  There were all kinds of bands, sidewalk booths, and even a zoo!  It is seriously one of the most beautiful places.  I wish I could spend every day there!  As we made our way back to Times Square for dinner, we hit Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.  I'd say a day well spent!

Day #4

Our last day was one of the best!  Brady was super excited to see the Museum of Natural History...since another one of his favorite shows is Night at the Museum. I wasn't as excited....I wanted to see the Met. But, it ended up being a lot cooler than I thought!  Plus, Brady had never seen dinosaurs before, so I was glad he got to see all the cool fossils they have there.  We ate lunch at Serendipity...yes...the restaurant from the movie.  It was one of our favorite places! It was so whimsical and fun...kind of like Alice in Wonderland.  The food was also delicious...particularly the frrrozen hot chocolate!  Then, we saw some more of Central Park & finished out the day with one final shopping spree!

We were very sad to leave New York, but it's also kind of nice to be home.  It's definitely a trip we'll never forget, and I hope you all get to go very soon!  It's totally worth it!!!

These Days...

While we've been waiting for spring to come and stay for good...we've been passing the time by...

Playing with our baby!  Axel is growing so much already!  He's really playful and rambunctious! He loves to snuggle & give kisses...and he's getting better at the potty training thing!

Having fun with Brady's baby!  He finally got his Harley!  Now...no more complaining about having to drive the Black Widow! ;)

Hanging out at the Zoo!  It was fun to watch our niece & nephew looking at the animals!  I don't think they really knew what was going on...but it was nice to get out & enjoy at least one day of warm weather!

Planning Weddings!!!  Well...this part just started.  Madi & Mike (or as I've decided to call them...M&M) got engaged this past weekend!  Mike took her to Olive Garden for dinner, and then to La Caille for dessert, where candles and a dozen roses awaited her.  They're getting married August 12th in the Salt Lake Temple.  We're excited to welcome in Mike as a new member of the clan!  Congrats you two!

So...that's us for now!  How have you been passing the time???

Our New Addition!

This is the craziest story ever!  I've wanted to get a puppy forever, but the answer has always been "No". I went to the women’s expo last weekend, and this lady came with the cutest, tiniest imperial shih tzu I’ve ever seen!  He was seriously like ½ lb.  Right then Brady called to tell me about the Harley he wanted to buy that day (a post yet to come!), and I told him about this cute dog, thinking nothing of it.  He says “You should buy it!”  What the?! Not at all the response I would’ve thought!  I was freaking out!  I think I caught him at a weak moment!  So I talked to the lady about it, told her I’d think about it & call her later.  My only concern was taking care of him while working full time.  I called a couple of friends who’d raised puppies and worked full time, and they told me I could do it.  So I called the lady and told her I’d pick him up the next day!

Brady and I stayed up all night thinking of names and we went to the pet store and got all the stuff we’d need.  We were so excited!  I’d seriously never seen a cuter dog before!

So Sunday we go to pick him up.  Right when we walked in, the lady’s little girl had given it a treat that was too big for it & it started choking!  The lady worked on him and got the treat out, but he wasn’t breathing.  She tried to give him CPR, but it was too late and the poor little guy died right there in front of us!  I’m seriously tearing up as I’m typing this.  It was the saddest, most traumatizing thing I’ve ever seen.  And they acted so nonchalant about it! The lady was like “Sorry, I guess he died.  I’ll let you know if I breed anymore” as she’s holding it and just flopping it around!  I had to just run out of there before I threw up!  I was so devastated!  I sobbed for about the next hour!

We went straight to my parent’s for dinner and I was seriously beside myself!  I’ve never seen a creature die in front of me, especially not one that sweet and that I’d had my heart set on!  However, my sweet hubby, eager to make things right, ran upstairs on KSL, found another breeder in Lehi, told them to bring their puppies to my parent’s house so I could pick one, and I had a new puppy within a couple of hours!   Talk about a whirlwind!  I think my sobbing (hence why I look dead in these pics) probably scared Brady and there was no way he was going to let me go home without a puppy after all that!  It would be far too heartwrenching!

So we are now the proud parents of a 1.5 lb., 8 week old Imperial (tea cup) shih tzu named Axel.  He’s a little bigger than the last one, and his colors are different, but he is the cuddliest, sweetest thing! I have to admit, I'm struggling so far!  I haven't slept in two nights!  He yaps when left alone (kennel or no kennel) and will only quiet down and sleep when he's laying in bed next to us; but then I still can't sleep because I'm afraid of squishing him! The potty training thing is also causing me anxiety!  How will I potty train him when I'm hardly home during the day?!  Plus, when I am home I take him outside frequently, but he always chooses to go right after I bring him inside!  Ugh!  My mom has been kind enough to babysit the last two days, but she can't do that forever, and he needs to get used to his new home.  I just can't bear the thought of leaving him alone all day when he gets so sad just by me leaving the room!  However, he's too precious not to adore, so I guess I'll have to suck it up until hopefully he matures a little and adjusts.  I swear, it must be possible because so many of you have gotten puppies even though you work!  Any suggestions anyone on how to make taking care of this sweet ball of fluff a little easier?????

Craft Time!

I've been wanting a spring wreath for my front door, but I haven't been able to find one I like.  Even when I do find one that looks even semi-decent, it's always between $70-100!  For a wreath?!  And they're not even that cute!  It blows my mind!  There is no way I'm paying that much.  So...I decided to muster up some courage and make one.  I've never made a wreath before, so it was definitely a new experience.  I went to Hobby Lobby and found a stick wreath for $2.50!  Then, I found flowers, greenery, ribbon, and wire all for around $22.  So for $25.00 I made this...

                                                          

I mean...it's not the most fabulous wreath in the world, but I think it turned out alright, especially for the price!  I learned some things that I could do differently next time, so hopefully my next attempt will be even better.  At least it adds some color to our bland front porch!  Now I just need to hang the little decoration I just got for the wall and plant some flowers in our pots and we'll be set for spring!  Hopefully it inspires the sun to come out more and warm us all up! :0) 

Homecomings and Happenings!

We have had a busy couple of weeks!  It has been one big whirlwind of fun!  Here are some things we've been up to:

Little Madi Moo turned 19!  We had a great time celebrating at Red Lobster!

Elder Hendrickson returned from the Jacksonville, Florida Mission on March 31!  We've had a great time welcoming him home!  Although...I think we've all been a little more excited than him!  He's still adjusting! :0)

We had our first Easter as a married couple!  It was so fun to have Easter and Conference in the same weekend!  We went to the Saturday morning session at the Conference center, then spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with family!  I wish I'd gotten more pics of our Conference breakfast, Easter egg hunts, etc. but I just got burnt out! :0)  So this is all you get!  Sorry!  But...Happy Easter Everyone!  Now let's hope it starts getting warmer so it can officially feel like spring!!!