Venice - Part One

Steven, Karley and Karley's friend Gloria met up with us here, at the Hilton Molino Stucky.

The interior is just as beautiful, if not more, as the exterior.

The hotel provided a free shuttle to the docks which gave us access to some beautiful sites.

Here we are, all on the shuttle. Gloria (Karley's friend from Nampa, ID) Karley, Collin, Steven, Hunter, Ranee and Debbie. Notice the umbrellas in hand. It poured rain the night before. The rain didn't stop us from site seeing for a couple of hours and going out to eat though!

The buildings are so colorful!

This is the Accademia bridge. It's one of only four bridges that span the Grand Canal.

Raindrops keep falling on my head...

...after what seemed like an eternity of flying (3 flights...one from JFK to Dublin - a pretty darn cool airport, one from Dublin to Rome - a pretty old and grungy airport and finally from Rome to Venice - which Ranee and Hunter thought was better than the Rome airport) we finally made it to Venezia! And is it gorgeous! We met Elana and Ann from Florida-by-way-of-NYC at the airport and shared a water taxi to our hotel. It was raining so much we couldn't see out the windows of th'e water taxi. But once we got off the taxi and on land, we were able to see exactly why Venice is so talked about. It's just beautiful. We'll post more photos soon...we hope the rain will stop a bit so we can get some good ones without rain spots on the lens.

La Liberté éclairant le monde

We headed over to Liberty Island and Ellis Island this morning. We thought it would be pretty empty on a Monday morning in February. We were wrong. The lines were long, there was more security there than at the airport, we had to remove coats and belts multiple times. We got pedestal access and went on a great tour with a Park Ranger. We learned that the Statue of Liberty is only 2 pennies thick AND that the great advantage of having a replica of her face means you can stick your ENTIRE hand up her nose (if you're an 11 year old boy). We also learned a great many interesting things, climbed up (and down) a bunch of steps and got whipped around by the wind - A LOT.

After the ferry depsosited us back in Battery Park, we hoofed it through the Financial District over to Ground Zero. They are busy building the 9/11 Memorial and the new WTC buildings. We got to see a bit of what the Memorial will look like when completed at the viewing room and got a bit emotional at the stories they had posted and showed on the video screens.

While on the search through WINDY NYC (it was amazingly windy and annoyingly so) and the Financial District for some New York style pizza, we happened upon this very odd building. No windows. Just a bunch of vents. If memory serves, I saw this building in MiB. We were a bit enthralled by the building and wanted to know what kind of building it is. We decided it was a top secret facility as there is no name on the building or any writing around it, actually. Just the address: 33 Thomas Street. A phone switch building isn't nearly as exciting as a secret government facility, but a pretty cool building nonetheless.

We finally found some NY-style pizza at some random place. We settled on it mostly just to escape the freaking wind! It was just around the corner from the Brooklyn Bridge. After we ate pizza we thought we'd walk over to see the bridge, but then the wind picked up again and we retreated to the safety of the dark and dank subway system.

We rode the subway up to Union Square and visited a super cool independent bookstore where we all got some books. Then on the subway again and a walk down Broadway to Mood.

It was a long day of standing in line then walking and walking some more (add to that trying to keep our balance on a crowded subway train when we weren't close enough to a railing to hang on). Tomorrow we're off to Italy!

Brighter, Warmer, Cleaner

We rode the NYC subway to Church this morning. We had to change trains because of construction on one of the lines. I almost fell when the train started to move, even though I was holding on - because Mom fell into Collin (Mom falling again!) Using the subway was very quick to go 2 miles.

Church was in the same building as the Manhattan NY temple. Even though it looked quite different it was the same in some ways (It was long and pretty much half the time I didn't understand what they were saying). The chapel was on the third floor and the temple is on all the other floors. It was awesome having the temple in the same place the church is. And then it also felt weird walking outside the church to a busy city.

I like Uptown better than Midtown (where our hotel is). It felt good having the temple in Uptown because in Uptown it is brighter, warmer, cleaner and I didn't see anybody smoke.

Look who we saw outside the Hasbro store near Times Square.

(Uncle Bobby was jealous.) I'm pretty sure it was the original.

We saw Mary Poppins on 42nd Street in the Theater District (2nd row Mezzanine). It felt like I was watching a live TV show. My favorite parts were when the building pieces would move around - the roof moved to stage level and then up again to reveal Jane and Michael's room upstairs or the main house. When Mary Poppins flew away for the last time I thought about how scary it would be if she was outside my house.

THE END

NYC

Top of the Rock. Nothin'...just the Top...with the Empire State Building behind us.

Ice Skating - Bryant Park. It was hard to ice skate. Um...um...um...I fell on my second time around the rink because I didn't know how to do diddly squat and then Mom landed on me (she considers that not falling) and squashed me.

The only gross thing at Shake Shack. Gross! Grotesque. Disgusting, revolting, unlawful and lethal. Yeah, that seems about right. (Ranee would like to point out that Collin did not taset this hot dog and she thinks Grandpa Bob would really like it, she did.) I would like to start a fundraiser to open a Shake Shack in Boise...and to discard the hot dog above from the face of the Earth.

Collin: What park was that?
Ranee: Central Park
Collin: Yeah, put that. And Top of the Rock again.

Conversation at Top of the Rock when Collin and Ranee were discussing the surroudings.

Collin: I've been to that park before.
Ranee: Really?! When?
Collin: In Spider-Man 3. I really don't like that park cause there's nothing to swing on with your webs and you have actually walk through the park like a normal person. Not the kind of thing you'd find Spider-Man doing...actually walking. I try to avoid that park often.

Start spreading the news...

Grandpa Bob picked up Debbie, Collin and Hunter in Fruitland and dropped them off at the Boise (not SLC) airport. Then it was off to NYC to hook up with Ranee.

We ended up in a TINY hotel room. The boys had enough of sitting all day in planes and airports so they did what all boys do.... wrestle with blindfolds on.

Seriously the LONGEST stretch Hummer we've ever seen! And it was even Bronco orange!

We went inside the Empire State Building but we didn't go up to the top. We're going to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) tomorrow. We hear the people are super nice and you have a nice view of the ESB. Also on tab for tomorrow: ice skating at Bryant Park. It's free, as compared to NOT free at Rockefeller Center. And speaking of Bryant Park, I wonder if Project Runway is taping episodes right now. I'm in the mood for MOOD now! So much for bringing souvenirs home! My extra suitcase might just be filled with fabric!

And Blessings Shall Come to Those Who Have Faith

It has been a long journey, but the day has finally come. I've been given the opportunity to work at a different job, one that will give me corporate administrative experience. Within a couple days I will be starting a new career with a company called Ashley Manor. I am excited yet scared at the same time, but mostly excited. My job will entail processing payroll for over 500 employees and processing Accounts Payable for the company, which consists of over 40 locations in three different states. I feel so good about this job offer. I'd like to share with you how this blessing has come about.

Around the beginning of December, Ron and I made a commitment to read the scriptures together daily. We have often struggled with this goal. Oftentimes we would allow outside influences take precedence (TV, friends, computer, etc.) and when we came around to taking the time to read we were tired or cranky or unmotivated. I knew that what I needed to do was to make a sacrifice, myself, to show my commitment to this goal. "Bring forth fruits meet...unto repentance". What I knew I needed to do was to make a more sincere effort to go to bed at a decent hour so that I could get my necessary seven hours of sleep. I calculated that if I were to make sure I went to bed by 10pm, I could therefore wake up at 5am with Ron, which is the time he normally wakes up to prepare himself to go to work. Thankfully, my body has adjusted well to this schedule. I oftentimes will wake up just before the alarm goes off and I feel well rested. Ron and I spend about 1/2 hour studying the scriptures together; reading, pondering, and discussing how they apply in our lives today. We have grown together more spiritually than we've ever been. It feels comforting and I know we are being blessed. There are days that we may miss our time reading together in the morning, but Ron takes the initiative to make sure we stay on top of our goal and he will prompt a study time later in the day. I am grateful for his faith in our goal.

I've also made an effort to listen and ponder on what has been spoken to us in general conferences. The past two general conferences I've made MP3 CD's to listen to in the car while I drive to and from work. It has helped me get in the right frame of mind when I first start my day and has given me reason to rejoice in the blessings our Heavenly Father has given us. I will often find myself thinking throughout the day about what someone may have said in their talk and my heart shouts with gladness that we are blessed with a living prophet and apostles and leaders of the church who testify of the reality of love the Savior and our Heavenly Father have for us. If we do not make their words a constant in our lives, we will forget His love. We must make every effort with all the energy of our soul to remember; remember that we are sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father who sent his Only Begotten Son to show us the way back to Him.

During the past week I have been given reminders of how I should be living and what behavior I need to be emulating. Recently I re-watched the well made movie about Joseph. I am reminded of how the Lord will bless you in your trials, not on our time table, but on His time table. I took time to listen and re-listen to this talk in particular by Elder Richard G. Scott about wholesome character and integrity built on faith. I am ever grateful for daily reminders of our Savior's love for us through acts of kindness, written word and proclamations to the world by modern day prophets.

I have had many struggles in my life, but when I make a consistent effort to live what I know, to witness these truths by the choices I make daily in my life, I am given an indescribable joy in my heart that is promised to me through my obedience to God's law. I wish you all could feel this love too. I know you can if you desire and pray for it and find a way to sacrifice a part of you to make room for blessings unmeasured.