Mouth-Watering Food

 On our last subway ride in New York we headed to one of the best restaurants in the city. Great food and even better desserts!

 This is what I ordered for brunch, BLAT (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado sandwich) with cilantro mayonnaise. So, so, so good.

 Aleigh had been dreaming of waffles for several days so the dessert she chose was perfect! Two mini waffles with ice cream on top drizzled with chocolate sauce. YUM!

 Angie's burger was beyond mouthwatering!

 I order the Melting Chocolate truffle heart cake and shake. It was delicious!

Which restaurant was this? No other than Max Brenner Chocolatier restaurant, a must for anyone visiting NYC!

Museum of Natural History

 On our last day (sniff, sniff) in The Big Apple we headed out to the Museum of Natural History. We rode the subway again, which was much easier with the Queen of the Subway Miss Aleigh. She total got the hang of it.

The museum is huge and does not disappoint. It's a must for when you go to New York City. It was where the majority of the film, Night at the Museum, was filmed. It was cool to walk around and remember different areas and statues that was used in the movie with Ben Stiller. We went to the museum twice during the week. The first time we were only able to stay 30 minutes because it was closing. Thank goodness we went back again to see the rest of it. We watched a movie narrated by Whoopie Goldberg about stars and how the universe was created. It was pretty neat, but they did have a few facts that were incorrect. (Wink, wink!)

 Hey dum dum you want some gum gum? It was pretty cool to see this fun statue.

 The subway literally stopped right at the back entrance of the museum. We didn't have to climb stairs and walk around trying to find this place. At each stop they have the name of the stop in tile, but this stop seemed to be extra decorated. It was beautiful.

Freeze dried mice, a naked cowboy and The View

We headed downtown to the financial district and Wall Street area. We couldn't resist a photo with this famous bull!

We then headed to SoHo do do a little shopping, window shopping taht is! What a cute trendy little place. All the streets are cobblestone, so cute. We headed for Dash, the store owned by the Kardashians and several others. One stop that was a must was the Evolution Store. Oh. My. Goodness. This store is creepy, yucky and disgusting! My boys would of loved it!

 This store has very unique items for sale such as, baby sharks in bottles, frees dried mice, rats, squirrels and snakes, fossils, bones, shells, taxidermy, insects, minerals, jewelry and a bunch of other nasty stuff!

We walked through Washington Park, which was packed full of tourists, children, and performers. I love this arch, it's seen in so many television shows and movies! Also the water fountain area is in movies too. It was fun to see the children of New York splashing around in the water and having a fun time. It was another beautiful day with the perfect temp's.

 As we were heading back to our hotel we saw the Naked Cowboy! So many people stopped to get their photos with him. He would do a front shot with the ladies and then they would all turn around and the ladies would put their hands on his butt. Umm, grose!

Friday evening we had dinner reservations for The View the only revolving restaurant in all of Manhattan. It';s located on top of our hotel, The Marriott Marquis. The view was breath-taking. It turned so slowly, but id did make me dizzy. Pregnancy.

 The food was Divine and the dessert mouthwatering! So many components to build this chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream plate. So good! Another wonderufl night in NYC!

Ground Zero

 Friday morning we took the subway straight to Ground Zero. We knew this would be a definite highlight of our trip to New York. I've seen so many photos, video clips and news specials about what happened on September 11th, Ground Zero, the memorial, and Freedom Towers... but I knew it would be a whole new experience to see it in real life. And man it was!

We headed straight to the gift shop ticket store (we reserved tickets ahead of time, which are free, and a great idea if you are planning a trip in the near future!) The store is pretty small but full of photos and memorabilia of the Twin Towers. Instantly the photos and stories tugged at my heart and the tears began to flow. 
This piece of metal came from the rubble after the towers crumble down and the artist turned it into something extra special.

 Here is a huge photo of a fire fighter than had this image tattooed on his back to commemorate his fellow fire fighters that died on that tragic day. Not something I would do, but it was very impressive.

Here hung a huge material flag with all the names of the 3,000 people that were killed that day. There were also many huge posters of other countries mourning our loss a few days after September 11th. I don't remember seeing that on TV, so it was a nice reminder.

 We walked a couple of blocks away to where the self-guided tour began. There were two Memorial Pools in the exact spot and size of Towers One and Two. The  cascading water fall was beautiful to look at and to listen to. Around the perimeter were all the names of the fallen people of that fateful day.

 Across from one of the pools was this really cool modern building that will be the new Memorial museum. It was supposed to be completed by early 2012, but they were still working on. That will be a museum like no other, can't wait until that is completed.

 Here is the Survivor Tree which stood less than 30 feet away from the South Tower. It was the only living thing that survived after that day. Fire Fighters found it among the rubble and it was only an 8 foot stump. They moved it to a park and nursed it back to health and it grew to over 30 feet tall. After the North and South Pools were built they moved the tree back and it is supported by temporary wires until the roots take root again. When I touched this tree it was powerful, truly it was. Again, I was brought to tears. A silly little tree with so much meaning.

 On either side of the pools they are currently building the Freedom Towers, which will soon be the tallest buildings in the world.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit this site and show my respect to the almost 3,000 people, their families and New York City.

Palmyra, New York

 After we spent the night in Cooperstown we woke up early and headed out of town to Palmyra, New York. The drive was gorgeous. So lush and full of wildlife. We headed straight to the Palmyra temple to participate in baptisms. We met some of our other cousins there as well. It was such a beautiful temple. After you walk in, you can turn left and the font is right there. If you go straight about 20 feet there is a huge window to look out of. Across the field is a huge grove of trees, the Sacred Grove. The workers told us that when President Hinckley was there before the temple opened he wanted a window there to look out over the Sacred Grove. How inspiring. Also, the temple was built on the Smith Farm property! How neat!

 The ward building right across the street of the Temple. Such a beautiful chapel.

 Next, was the Hill Cummorah and the Visitor's Center. We hiked to the top and what a great view of everything.  It's a very steep hill about 3 miles away from the Smith farm. This is the beautiful monument at the top.

 Here I am, with less than 4 weeks to go of my pregnancy, standing in the beautiful Sacred Grove. As I walked in and wandered around, it looks like every other forest. Huge trees, paths, birds chirping, a light breeze blowing making a rustle through the trees...BUT it felt much, much different. It was beyond peaceful and serene. The Sacred Grove has been well preserved and it was so inspiring and humbling to walk through it. I found a bench and sat by myself with my thoughts. I pulled out my phone and looked up the scripture in Joseph Smith-History and read Joseph's account of what happened to him there.
After some time, we all met up again and shared our feelings. We also read some scriptures and held a family prayer. It was so long ago that this experience happened to Joseph, but then again, it wasn't too long ago.

 We walked out of the Sacred Grove and around the Smith Farm. The house in the back was Alvin's house, and it was super fancy! He couldn't afford it and the Smith's moved in for a short time then ended up moving back to their simple log cabin home. The house is 85% like it was in the 1800's!

 Here we all are in front of the Smith log home, which is replica. It's tiny and homely, but also just right. The ceiling isn't very tall and there are a few windows. Our cute missionary guide said the government would tax you more the taller your homes were and how many windows you had. Interesting!
Our missionary that lead us on our tour was from Jordan. Jordan! Are there missionaries in Jordan...Nope! She and her family was baptised by service missionaries when she was 14 years old. She attends a branch of only 18 members! Now that's inspiring!

Here is a baby bottle they used from that time period!

 Upstairs in a large room with two beds on either side. You can walk through a small opening and there was a smaller room with one bed for the girls. Here is where Joseph was sleeping and awoken by Angel Moroni three times in the middle of the night. You know the story and the picture...

This portrait hangs in the Book of Mormon Printing store a few blocks away. It's an original!

 Here is the bible Joseph read from when he came across the passage in James, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him."

What a tedious process it was to print and assemble 1 Book of Mormon, let alone 5000. E.B. (the publisher) didn't want to take on such a huge job. That was for the publishers in New York to do, and  he knew it was such a controversial book to be published. We entered a room (not pictured) that was his office where he met with Joseph Smith to discuss and finally agreed to do the project. Many things in the room have been redone, but the floor. I walked on the SAME floor as our dear prophet, Joseph Smith.
The day was perfect. It was s beautiful summer morning without a cloud in the sky. The weather was perfect for all the different historical sites we saw. I am truly blessed for this opportunity.

Cooperstown

 

We decided to take a detour during our NYC trip to head up to Cooperstown, NY. I know, you’re wondering two things. Where in the heck is Cooperstown and why would you leave the Big Apple! Some of my other cousins from SLC were in Cooperstown at a baseball tournament. We decided it would be fun to see him play and spend some time with the family. We went to a game, which was a lot of fun and then headed to the cabin they rented, Marshmallow Acres. It was adorable. A huge pond in front with a ton of frogs. Tall trees all around and the cabin itself was adorable and decorated so cutely. I sat in a rocking chair on the porch and read my book. It was so beautiful and peaceful. Cooperstown is about 4 hours away from NYC but the drive was a breeze. We went through a ton of tiny towns that were adorable. Tons of old, historic barns.

NYC Extras

Here are a few tidbits I didn't know about NYC or things that caught my eye while waddling (literally) around the city of dreams...

1. There are NO drinking fountains anywhere...Really! I think this is so bazaar!When you ask a New Yorker about one they look at you like you just spoke gibberish to them! (We ask about 5 different people!) I have to mime what I;'m talking about to them.

2. It's not as dirty and smelly as I heard. Las Vegas is much dirtier! But, every once in a while while walking down the sidewalk you get a huge whiff of something stinky!

3. Taxi's communication is strange. So much honking, which I knew there would be, but why? We've asked all three of our Taxi drivers more questions about this but they have all not given us an answer.

4. Buy most of your souvenirs on the street, you can barter with them and find one great deals. When you are wanting nicer stuff, then yeah go to a store or shop for that!

5. Waddling around NYC people don't stop and stare at me as much here. I guess I look like any other freak cruising the streets. Two people have asked if I'm pregnant (Hello! 8 months!!) And I tell them yes...with my 7th. Then I get that look. Yes, I am a freak!

6. So many different accents here. The Jamaican, for some reason, is the hardest for me to understand. Cute Angie totally understands and interprets for me and Aleigh!

7. We were out past midnight last night and there were just as many people out and about as there were at 12 noon! Truly the city that never sleeps!

8. While walking home from Max Brenner lat night this guy was on a cell phone screaming at his girlfriend and shouted, "No, you don't want to talk to me. You would rather play Apples to Apples!!!" I think he may regret screaming that, but man was it funny. So the next time you and your spouse are arguing (probably not screaming...) Tell them you'd rather play Apples to Apples. It's so random and quit funny!

9. We met a guy who after we told him we were from Utah said he's seen the show we tape there. Big Love. Umm, no! We explained to him that there is none of that where we're from. More of that in California than in Utah. :)

10. People don't talk to you, unless you talk to them first! We would chat with bus drivers, police officers, waiters, cab drivers...And they were so nice to talk to.

NYC, obviously, has huge tall buildings but overall it's much smaller than I thought. Even the entrance to the subway's are small. The streets are small. And Time Square. It's been a wonderful few days! A must trip for everyone to place on their bucket list. 

Most beautiful building in Manhattan

 Early this morning we went to see a taping of the show Live with Kelly, what a fun experience that was! I requested tickets 3 months ago, but never heard back from them,. So we decided to go and be in the stand-in line. We got up early and headed to the upper west side. We ran inside, being 10 minutes late or so, and they said they were full. I stayed inside while Ang and Aleigh went outside to wait. About  15 minutes later he said they could put us in, yeah! He handed us tickets with The Chew on it. Hmm...We walked inside and there were more pictures and information about The Chew. Umm, I think we were in the wrong place! Finally we asked and yep we were. It was the next door down! There were a ton of people standing there in line. Angie worked her magic by explaining we went to the wrong place over an hour ago. There were two different sections and they had us stand in the smaller section. We started to walk in and we were on the floor level! As we were walking in they were filling the back first, but I asked if we could get the seats right in front and she said yes! So here we are, with no tickets, late, in the front row! HELLO!
The studio was tiny but awesome. Gelmon cam out and a few other works that looked pretty neat. Then Kelly and Brian came out and we went wild! All three of us did our family yell that is pretty unique. If you watch the show you can totally hear us!

 Jenny McCarthy, Miss America and a cooking gal were there. After the show they taped another beginning segment and several short clips for upcoming promotions. It was pretty cool. During one of the commercials I told Kelly I was almost due with my 7th boy and she was shocked. The audience cheered! It was pretty cool!

 Kelly is TINY. She is cute as a button. She is a little more risque when the cameras are not turned on. Someone asked her what her tattoo meant and she said, " It's a symbol of my stupidity!"

 Right around the corner was the Manhattan Temple, the most beautiful building in New York City. Truly. We went inside and found out that half is the temple and half is a regular ward meeting house with a chapel, Primary rooms and basketball court with stage. It was amazing! We decided to do some baptisms and confirmations. Actually we all participated in the confirmations and Angie and Aleigh did several baptisms each. Right when you enter the building you can't hear New York at all. It was peaceful and beautiful. I am so thankful for the experience of today.
That same afternoon Elder Walker was in town doing an interview with Barbara Walters. So, after the temple work we were headed back to the chapel area. I walked in the elevator looked to my right and noticed I was standing next to Barbara Walters. I said, in surprise, "Hello Miss Barbara Walters!" She just stood there and looked at me for a second and said "Are you a Mormon?" After saying yes with confidence she then asked, "Do you believe in heaven?" Yes again was my answer and I could tell she was staring at my belly.  The elevator doors opened and I told her I was expecting my 7th boy. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment. We began a conversation about this crazy fact. She asked me their ages, if I am happy, if it's my choice and why would I choose this. She asked if I have any help (as in nanny's), what's it like to have so many. I was interviewed by Barbara for about 8 minutes. It was pretty neat.

 Elder Walker came in and thanked her for coming and handed her a CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They went into the small chapel and a small handful of people went in to witness the interview. I was one of them. Cool! Barbara had a special several years ago about several different Churches and their views on heaven. It was the most watched interview she has ever done and the Mormon's weren't interviewed then. He answered confidently, with pose and the spirit. It will air July 6th!
After they walked in front of the temple several times to get some "walk and talk" shots. Several people stopped on the street and snapped some shots.

 We rode the subway for the second time with a little more confidence and it was much better than last time and super fast.

Here we are walking across the street to our hotel. It was 5:30, rush hour. There were so many people and it was so congested.
Another full day. Another great day. Another day we were able to do and see many different things.