A 2 1/2 Week Birthday Celebration!

Well this past weekend we finally wrapped up my birthday celebrations...after 2 1/2 weeks! I think Brett was getting sick of me trying to pull the, "BUT IT'S MY BIRTHDAY" line on him!

I really had such a fun bday away from home! The day before my bday my office had a big potluck lunch for me! On my birthday (the 9th) some good friends Kara & Amanda surprised me by showing up at work and took me to lunch!

When I got home I had several packages, cards, and giftcards in the mail from people I love!

Brett skipped class and had our house spotless for when I came home from work....he even cleaned our livingroom carpets! What a man! For my big gift Brett (well I) purchased a sewing machine a couple months ago. Several of the packages in the mail consisted of sewing accessories and even a book to get me started! I've been working on a couple little things here and there, so i'll post a pic when i finish my first project!....Megan has been giving me some lessons. Apparently I've forgotten a lot since sewing 101 in middle school!

Kara put a homemade icecream party together for us three girls of summer! This is Kiki (turned 30), Kara (25) and Me (big 26) all within a week of eachother. Several friends from the ward came out and we actually used our icecream maker from our wedding for the first time!

I told Brett all I wanted for my birthday was to go shopping... see a Cincinnati Reds baseball game... and eat stuffed french toast at IHOP! That's not too much to ask...is it?!

Due to some scheduling conflicts we had to spread out my wishes....but they all came true! Here we are (meg's sister Abby, Meg and Me) doing some damage at the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall! 

Brett and Brett did a little shopping of their own while us girls were off doing our own thing!

I'm not sure what Columbus' problem is, but there's not an IHOP ANYWHERE! Thankfully Cincinnati didn't disappoint! My stuffed french toast was as good as I imagined it would be!

Here we are at the Great American Ball Park! I was pretty much giddy! There's nothing like going to a major league game....and of course some ball park food (yes, even after IHOP)!

Although the Reds are crappy this year, it was pretty awesome to see Ken Griffey Jr. hit career homer #607 while we were there! They keep his total # under those big smoke stacks in center field. I didn't get a pick, but just behind the stadium is the Ohio River. During the game we could see huge boats going by! Thanks Brett for making my birthday great...all 18 days of it! Thanks also to everyone for the cards, packages, texts, phonecalls and birthday songs! I definitely felt loved on my bday!!

On a side note, here are some random pics....

Brett caught an elbow playing basketball with some friends...his lip was purple and fat for days!

The fruits of our labor! My "garden" has been a hit! Our little tomato plant is doing awesome! We've managed to keep it alive, so maybe next year we'll expand!

Road Trip

For the 4th of July weekend we took a road trip with some friends to see the sites in Palmyra, NY then into Canada to Niagra Falls! 6 of us piled into a rental minivan! It was SA-WEET! We went with the Hagberg's and Nydegger's. If you ever want to get to know your friends better....go on a road trip together!!

In Palmyra, we stayed at the Liberty House Bed & Breakfast for 2 nights. It was a pretty cool looking old house, accompanied by some old house smells and creaks, but overall it was nice! We didn't get in till early in the AM on Friday morning. We were all still wide awake because Megan had been telling us scary stories! When we pulled up to the house we about died because there was a funeral home right next door! I was a little nervous to stay! But....we all lived!

The 4th of July is Kara's birthday! So we started out the day with a breakfast celebration! Our B&B hosts played along and put candles in the muffins!

I've never had so much to eat for breakfast! The meals were wonderful...I felt bad because none of the girls could even come close to finishing our plates!

The posse...Brett & Jami, Landon& Kara, Megan & Brett

Lucky for Kara I was nice and only made her wear the birthday girl hat  for breakfast!

Somehow I got the name of "MOM" during our trip. Is that nice?

 I prefer to be called the FUN CAPTAIN, thanks!

We saw all the Palmyra sites in one busy day! Don't worry, we managed to sneak in a nap somewhere in the middle of the day!

First stop, Book of Mormon Publishing Site. This was really impressive...For each page to print, metal letters had to be arranged backwards and in some skiwampous way so that when it printed on the page it would come out readable....I would have gone crazy if that was my job! Word Processing is such a blessing!

The Sacred Grove is just as pretty as any picture I'd ever seen of it!

It was so peaceful. There was definitely a neat spirit there!

I asked Brett to wrap his arms around the tree with me for a picture...can he ever be serious?!

Behind Brett you can see the Palmyra Temple. It was dedicated in 2000. This picture is taken from the road in front of the old Joseph Smith home. What a cool view!

Brett and I inside the old Smith wood home. The Sacred Grove is just behind this home.

Pretty flowers at the temple, of course another photo op!

All of us at the Peter Whitmer home. The visitors center there is also combined with the chapel where the members worship now. It's about a 40 minute drive from Palmyra.

The Bretts!

Taking a break at the Hill Cumorah Visitors Center

This sweet drinking fountain was helpful after our hike to the top and back down from Hill Cumorah!

Standing at the top of Hill Cumorah...this monument was built in the vicinity of where the plates were thought to be buried.

Brett & Landon...trying to be serious again!

Kara and I

We went a week before the big Hill Cumorah Pageant started. They were getting the stage and actors ready while we were there. For first timers I think we went at the perfect time of year. There weren't any crowds and we got through all the sites quickly with just the 6 of us at each stop we made. I would love to go back next year just for the pageant!

We celebrated Kara's birthday dinner with pizza from Mark's Pizzeria! Very Special!! Kara, I hope you always cherish this birthday memory! The pizza place smelled funky so we decided to get take-out and head back to our B&B to eat. It was about 9:30 pm by this time. The family who lives here was out on the town, enjoying the festivities of the 4th, so nobody else was home. If you'll remember, this old house was built in 16--i don't know when! We couldn't figure out how to turn on the lamps. I know, it doesn't sound like rocket science, but we just couldn't figure it out. The room was only lit up by natural light and a couple of lamps. 

So, we improvised with my head-lamp and our lantern we brought to use while we camped at Niagra! I think I laughed the whole time we were eating. It was such a joke. Electricity is another blessing I'm grateful for!

Saturday morning before we left we walked about a block to the old Palmyra Cemetery, where Joseph Smith's older brother Alvin was buried.

And just around the corner was the Erie Canal. I'm not sure what I was expecting out of a canal, but the part we saw wasn't too impressive! This is some sludge cleaner or something. Neat, eh?! A ways down the dirt path were some locks but we didn't walk far enough to see how they work. So anyway, I guess I can check the Erie Canal off my Bucket List.

The one thing I was a little disappointed with on our trip was that we didn't see fireworks. What's the 4th of July without any fireworks? Our B&B hosts told us that this year was actually the first year since WWII that Palmyra has done any kind of 4th of July Celebration. WHAT?!?! So, they were having a parade (she said it would last 10 min) and a "light show" on a big screen at the park. We actually drove past the light show on our way back from getting pizza and Imust say it looked pretty sad! I was random blinking lights on a screen about the size of a big-screen TV----but in the park! Maybe next year Palmyra! I think I'll make sure we see some fireworks next July!

Road Trip Part II: NIAGRA FALLS

It only took about 2 hours to get from Palymra to Niagra in Canada. On our way there we had our own little version of "Niagra Idol!" I know you had to be there, but let me tell you....it was classic! Megan gettin her grove on!

Landon jammin out! The best part is we can't hear the music...only what he's singing!

We found that it was FAR CHEAPER to camp out in Niagra over a holiday weekend than try to reserve a hotel room. Since we didn't spend much time away from the falls, this was a perfect idea! This was only Meg's 2nd time camping---EVER! She was a trooper (although she looks a little concerned in this picture)!

We stayed at a place called Shalamar Lake Campground. Like all campgrounds (not in the mountains), it was a little ghetto! It was complete with side-by-side tent sites at the front of the property was a trailer home community. Interesting.

There's my man, putting up our tent! Isn't he a babe?!

And now, enjoy.....

SEVERAL pictures of really cool people standing in front of pretty awesome waterfalls!

I couldn't take enough pictures. The Falls are beautiful!

We had to do the classic tourist attraction: Maid of the Mist. 

It's a boat ride that takes you right up to the falls. We got these awesome souvenir ponchos to keep us dry!

I snuck my camera out from shelter to get this pic of the rainbow in all the mist!

Of course, we had to pull out the O-H-I-O! The boys want to submit the pic to see if we can get on the jumbo-tron at a Buckeye game!

If you ever take a trip to Niagra, visit the Canadian side for sure! I was surprised at how much there was to do there. You could definitely blow a lot of money in one day! There were people everywhere, which I really like to be in the middle of places like this....I don't know why; I think I am just intrigued by people! Brett really hates it though! Looking down the road I felt a little like we were in Las Vegas with a fun night life!

Back to the van....

...and we're out!

We had a great time, made lots of memories and are so grateful for so many awesome friends we've made here in Ohio! Thanks kiddos for such a fun trip!