So...what have we been up to? you ask... well lets see, we spent the summer enjoying our days in the sun doing things like going to 7 peaks, Park City, playing tennis, walks with Maddux and playing with Maddux in this awesome water playground by our house!
My cute nephew David and I on our way to Seven Peaks
My other super cute nephew Jacob on our way to Seven Peaks
Since this was my first real summer off, I decided to get back into doing something I used to do my whole life growing up, performing and musical theater! So all summer I spent my nights under the bright lights of the stage in Centerpoint Legacy Theaters production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as one of the brides "Ruth".
Monday/Wednesday/Friday night cast of Seven Brides (I'm in Blue with brown hair)
My first show I got to do with my sister Ashley and it was so fun to get to do THIS show together. This is Ashley and I in the dressing room before one of the shows.
Trevor was my brother groom "Caleb" throughout the show and was the BEST partner a girl could ask for, he is so awesome!! We became such great friends through this process and it is so great to have had the chance to work with him! This is us just playing around backstage.
This is during the show while the girls are stuck at the cabin with the boys during the winter and it just started turning spring so of course we did a "Spring Dance" haha
During the show there is a town social and this is taken during the 6min long dance number called the "challenge Dance" where the brothers are trying to win the love from the girls and steal them away from their current suitors.
At the end of the show there is of course, a wedding and ALL us 7 girls marry the 7 brother (hence 7 brides for 7 brothers LOL) and then we party, this is taken during the show and the party dance.
Joe came to see the show a couple time throughout the 30 day run of the show and so did my parents!!!! I was so excited to have my parents see the show and finally get to have to opportunity to see Ashley and I in a show together!! (don't mind the polygamist looking dresses in these photos, were just still in costume) LOL
This is Joe and I after the show!!
This is Ashley, Mom (Paula), and I after the show!!
In the fall I found myself once again in rehearsals for Courage Theater's production of Victor Victoria, started my 6th year working for Montessori Community School, however this year teaching Early Childhood (ages 3-6) and with an amazing working schedule 11:30-6pm M-F which allows me to still have my late nights doing shows without effecting sleep (we ALL know how much I enjoy my sleep)!
A few pictures from Victor Victoria
"La Jazz Hot"
"Louis Says"
Finale "Victor Victoria"
We enjoyed our Halloween and partook in some of our traditional activities but it definitely went by fast this year especially since I had a show to do on Halloween night!
Happy Halloween!! A Cockapoo (what Maddux's breed is called) dressed up like a wiener! hahaha LOL
This fall we also found the time to go on vacation (I know right?) to New York for the first time and it was AMAZING! We stayed with Joes sister Cassie and her family who lives there and had a jam packed schedule to see EVERYTHING we possibly could while we were there. My favorite part of the trip was of course seeing Wicked on Broadway with the most amazing seats that Cassie found for us. While we were in NYC I even got to see my good friend Ashley Gerson (from high school) who is going to grad school and working there.
On our way to NYC in the plane!!
Our first stop is of course Hobokin, NJ to Carlos Bake Shop (Home of TLC's Cake Boss) This is Joe, David (our nephew) and Me in front of the shop.
The crowds were INSANE and the day we went was considered a Light busy day haha BUT grace (Buddy's oldest sister) was working and she was offering to take pictures with people so OF COURSE I jumped on that hahah
After the bakery we headed back to NYC for lunch at the famous Shake Shake and I think Joe Loved it almost (ALMOST) more then IN-n-OUT (not an attractive picture but hey he was digging that food) haha
After getting some food in our tummy's and trying out our sweet bakery treats we headed over to the world famous NYC Natural History Museum, this place was HUGE with some of the most AMAZING dinosaur displays I have ever seen and our nephew David knew the names of EVERY ONE!! This is Joe, David and me in front of one of the HUGE dinosaurs.
We then walked through Central Park which definetly turned out to be one of my most favorite parts of this trip! BEAUTIFUL!!
Continuing on our way during day 1 still we headed over to FAO Schwartz. This statue of liberty is made of all Legos.
To round out our 1st day in New York we finished with the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center!! This was also one of the best highlights of this trip and some beautiful views. It was just beginning to be sunset too as we got to the top and WOW was it amazing!
It was VERY windy at the top.
Empire State Building at sunset taken from Top of the Rock.
Day #2 started out by Joe and venturing out ALONE (with out Cassie and kids) to Brooklyn, NY to eat at world Famous Gramaldies Pizza. We stood in line for this pizza at 10am in themorning for 45min BEFORE they even opened CRAZY place! It was so good tho!
We then walked from Brooklyn to Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge. Its about a 1.5 mile walk and very worth the time and energy. It was very pretty and relaxing walk.
After the Brooklyn adventure we headed over to, SOHO,China Town, Little Italy and Canal St. for a world of NEW adventures and some bargaining. (No pictures of this because they are not that interesting)
We then were headed over to Time Square to meet Cassie and Dave for dinner and stopped off at The Empire State Building! Its Amazing to me how HUGE these buildings are.
Inside Macey's (they were already decorating for Christmas)!! Macey's is 9 stories too its HUGE and when you get to the top the escalators are so old that they are made of WOOD!
On our way to dinner Hell's Kitchen and a Broadway show with Cassie and Dave, we had to meet up with my high school friend Ashley Gerson at the M&M Factory in Time Square!! It was so good to see her and catch up. When we were in High school we were inseparable for our Junior and senior years, I miss her so much!
To finish off the day we had a double date night with Cassie and Dave and ate at Hell's Kitchen which was good food but just not enough food for how expensive it was and went and saw WICKED on Broadway which proved to be the highlight of our WHOLE trip! It has ALWAYS been a dream of mine to see Wicked on Broadway and every second was worth it!
As we walked back to Grand Central Station to get on the train back to Cassie and Dave's house we walked through Time Square at Night and it is just jaw dropping to see all those lights and Big Screens all over the place! Just Amazing!
Day #3 was interesting to say the least. It was a good day BUT we definetly learned that it is NOT smart to go on vacation in New York with two kids unless you have 4 or more adults to help. It was crazy getting these little buggers on and off the trains and subways with strollers and stuff. Just NUTS! However on the other hand it was so fun to have EVERYONE Cassie, Dave, David Jr., Jacob, Joe and me spending the day together exploring New York City!
Once we got to Manhattan our first stop was seeing the Statue of Liberty. Since we are cheep and it cost $40.00 a person to so to the island we opted for the free ferry that takes you right next to the island AND it s FREE! haha
Such a cute family in front of The Statue of Liberty
This is how close the ferry got us with out me using my zoom. Pretty close if you ask me for it being FREE!
On the train on the way back to the Larsen's home base to eat some pizza from the pizza place downstairs at their apartment (to have a pizza place below your apartment reminds me so much of the "Friends" apartment for some reason)
To round out day 3 and our last night in New York Cassie made arrangements for us to go see the Sleepy Hollow Manner Pumpkin Display. It was so cool to see all these brilliantly carved pumpkins. Behind us is a beehive and a ton of tiny carved pumpkins that look like bees.
Of course our last and final stop had to be the classic Dunkin Donuts! (you cant go to the east coast and not eat some DD)
You would think our fall was over by now but think again...we enjoyed a fantastically yummy Thanksgiving with Joes family here in Salt Lake this year. We watched the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade (which was extra special this year knowing we stood right where the star was just a couple weeks before) cooked ham, turkey, stuffing, rolls and all the fixings to kick
off this season of being fat, we then went to the movies at the new theater here in Centerville to watch Aurther's Christmas! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
After Thanksgiving the last 3 weeks went by like a blink of the eye! I am now on winter break from my work. As of 2 Fridays ago I took my 7 hour test (verbal and written) and finished my IGS Infant and Toddler Montessori Training (which falls under the incredibly hard MACTE qualifications and took me a year and a half to jump through hoops and finish more course work then my Montessori early childhood certification, which I also have!)
On Dec. 20th Joe's youngest brother David got home from his 2 year mission with the Church of jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from Uruguay!!
The Taylor Boys
On Friday Dec.23rd Joe, Maddux and I left for San Diego to spend Christmas with my family for 7 days! We also went to Sea World this year wich is a HUGE change for our family since we usually go to Disneyland but it had its pros and cons. Pros: less crowds, my dad came (which he NEVER does because of his back), quick drive to and home from Sea World since we live so close, we were able to sleep in and get there at noon and stay till close at 8pm and still see EVERYTHING! Cons: its not Disneyland, cost was still WAYYYY too high for what the park offers, every show included water being sprayed into the crowd and once you got sprayed it felt so cold all day.
some pictures of us all at Sea World:
Christmas day! It was 76 degrees outside when we got out of church!! So BEAUTIFUL!! Man i cant wait to live there again!!
This year we are spending New Years Eve with friends and the Taylor family.
I can not believe the new year is approaching so fast but I welcome it and am so excited for all the new life changes and experiences we will have in this new year! Here is to 2012 being the best year EVER!
