Last week, I got back from the most amazing and fun vacation with my sisters, Holly and Wendy.  (It was too bad Heather and Cheryl couldn't have been there with us too.)  It all happened rather suddenly, but it was definitely meant to be.  It all started with a conversation I had with Holly on a Thursday, and after some scrambling around to get people to watch my kids while Kevin was at work, I was on a plane the following Tuesday for Connecticut.

Holly, along with her adorable baby girl, Elizabeth, and I went to stay with my sister Wendy, who just moved to CT.  It had way too long since I had seen Wendy and her family, and so that would have been enough to make the trip worth it, but it was so much more than that.  Here are some of the many adventures we had during our week there . . .

Apple Picking– Can you get any more quintessential than going apple picking at a sweet little farm in Connecticut in the fall?  It was gorgeous and the three of us (four, including little Lizzy) had a great time picking apples and trying not to drop any or fall down the hill :).

Aside from the plentiful and delicious apples, the farm had mounds of pumpkins and gourds everywhere and were so pretty.  (I may have to post more pics of them on my photography blog, along with other random favorite pics from my trip.)  It was a blast, and I even made an apple crisp with some of the apples – yum!

Crumbs – For any of you who know about Crumbs, you know why it was one of the highlights.  And there just happened to be a Crumbs store a five minute walk from Wendy's house.  Not the best thing for my figure, but hey, I walked a LOT on this vacation, I needed something to work off, right?  The red velvet was amazing, and of course, we had to try a bunch of different flavors too – all delicious!

The Train, the Subway, and Grand Central Station – By the end of our trip, Holly and I sure got good at riding the train and the subway, and we could even find our way in Grand Central Station pretty well. 

Wendy's house is about an hour on the train into NYC, and it was as convenient and affordable.  Definitely a nice way to get there (especially once you see the traffic there).  We spent our train rides talking, playing with Elizabeth, and playing games on our i-pods (which I never have time to do at home).  I got really good at Angry Birds and Tiki Totems :).

 The subway was an adventure that I feel like we conquered, and we did it all with a baby stroller (which I don't really suggest).  We used the handy dandy map Wendy provided us with, and never once got on the wrong train or wrong stop.  We also came up with quite the system for getting up and down the stairs and through the turnstiles.  I would hold the front of the stroller, Holly would hold the back, and we just carried it – Elizabeth only weighs 14lbs :). 

And I have to say, that I really loved Grand Central Station.  Sometimes I would just stop and look at the amazing architecture and details of that building.  Also, I loved that they had quite the food court.  We found ourselves taking advantage of that quite a few times :).

Taking LOTS of Pictures – I brought all my lenses, and played with different ones on different days.  If my camera bag wasn't so heavy, I would have taken them all with me every day.  And it sure was awesome to have Holly there taking pictures as well – it meant I got to be in some of them :).

The Statue of Liberty – It was pretty amazing to visit The Statue of Liberty, and the ferry ride there was pretty awesome, especially the view it gave us of Manhattan. 

Ground Zero – I don't know what to say about this, since it was quite sobering to see and think about what happened there.  So glad we took the time to walk over there.

The Manhattan New York Temple – It sure was wonderful to see it nestled into the city.  I wish we would have had time to do more than walk by.

Oh, and I thought it was pretty funny, that not even a block away from the temple is the studio where they film "Live with Regis and Kelly."  If we had the time and preparation, I would have gone there too :).

Times Square and Other Fun Places – We took a break and chilled at the tables they have set up in Times Square – they even had free wifi, and so I could check my email :).  Then we wandered around and found David Letterman's studio, Radio City Music Hall, etc, and even went in what had to be the biggest Toys-R-Us anywhere.  Very fun.

The Top of the Rock – After talking to a few people, we decided to go up in the Rockefeller Center instead of the Empire State Building, because from it, you have amazing views of Central Park, and both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.  It was awesome!  So beautiful, and that was one fast elevator too.

 This was my favorite view . . .

 
Day at the Museum– One day we hit both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History.  We went to the Met first, and it was amazing!  The Egyptian exhibit alone was worth it – so cool.

And then, of course, we had to check out the famous works of art there.  I kept thinking of one of my favorite children's books, "From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" in which a girl and her brother run away and live in the museum.  (It was also funny, because on my way home "The Thomas Crowne Affair" was on TV on the plane, where much of it takes place at the Met.)

The Museum of Natural History was pretty awesome as well, and I kept thinking how much Lily would have loved it all.  The dinosaurs and the blue whale had to be my favorite things there.

Central Park – Just as big and amazing as everyone says.  We barely scratched the surface, but we couldn't have been there on a more beautiful day. 

My favorite part of what we went through, was the Shakespeare garden.  There were little quotes posted throughout, and I loved the old fashioned fencing.

Walking Around the City – Although we probably walked at least ten miles a day when we were in the city, it was awesome.  You never knew what you might find or see.  Whether it was the beautiful streets, a Ferrari dealership, the fountain from the credits of "Friends," walking around a corner to discover the Chrysler building, or a beautiful church with an extremely old and cool cemetery, there was always something to discover. 

 
And I believe it was the Trinity Church.  It was really crowded at the time, otherwise I would have loved to explore it.  Did I mention that it had the coolest cemetery?

A Trip to the Emerald City – Holly and I went there unsure if we would have a chance to see a Broadway Show.  We even started getting pretty discouraged, as a lot of the shows were sold out on the night we could go because of Columbus Day Weekend.  (Who knew it was such a big travel holiday?)  Well, we found out that there were a few tickets to Wicked available, although they were pretty pricey.  After talking to our husbands, they convinced us to do it.

Wendy watched Lizzy for Holly, and the two of us set off on our adventure.  Even though I had seen Wicked a few years ago, I was super excited, especially because it was on Broadway!  Holly had never seen it, and I think some of my excitement came from that. 

Most of my excitement came from the fact that we were on the fourth row, center orchestra seats!!!  I cannot even describe to you how awesome it was.  It was definitely a once in a lifetime kind of thing.  So amazing!

And then after the show, Holly and I had to book it through the streets of New York to make it back to Grand Central in time to catch our train.  That was pretty exciting in itself, and one of my most fun memories of the city :).  We did stop to snap a picture of the Empire State Building lit up in fall colors though – he he!

 
Yummy Food– Whether it was the Crumbs cupcakes I talked about earlier, the chocolate peanut-butter chip cookie from Levain Bakery, a yummy gyro from a street vendor's, pizza at the neighborhood pizza place, a milkshake at Ben & Jerry's, or lunch at the Shake Shack, it was all awesome :).

Mystic Seaport – On the Saturday we were there, we went with Wendy's family to Mystic Seaport in CT.  It was especially cool, because my niece Megan who is off at college, was home for the weekend and came too. 

It was this really cool village that is preserved to look like it did in the 1700-1800's.  We wandered around and explored, and of course, took lots of pictures.  We had a yummy lunch there too – everyone had clam chowder; I had BBQ brisket :).

Ralph Lauren's Ferrari – I still can't believe it myself, but walking around Wendy's neighborhood, Holly and I saw a Ferrari.  Her oldest son loves them, and so I took a picture of her in front of it.   A funny guy in the Jaguar in the next spot over was teasing us that we didn't take a picture of his car, and then we walked away, only to have him run up to us and tell us the coolest thing.  He said that as soon as we walked away, who should come and get in the car, but Ralph Lauren!!  The Ralph Lauren!  So awesome!

 
Chillin' at Wendy's - I loved Wendy's house – it was so beautiful and cozy.  I think they said it is over 100 years old.  It even had an old barn in the backyard :).  With as many things as I did that week I visited, one of my very favorite things were the times we just relaxed at her house, or walked around their neighborhood. 

 
I loved getting to reconnect with her kids and be with her and her husband Tod (Whom I have known since I was 6 years old – he is more of a brother than a brother-in-law.).  Whether it was talking, watching a movie, going to church together, or whatever, it was great. 

One of my favorite things was when Brooke got out all the pictures of me with them and we looked at them together.  (She was Derek's age when I lived with them in Texas, and I have always had a special place in my heart for her.)  I sure love my sister and her family!

Playing with Logan and Lizzie

Logan, Wendy's youngest daughter who is Lily's age, was such a sweetheart!  We played games, watched movies, had dance parties, walked to the library and checked out books, and just laughed a lot.  I loved playing with her :).

And little Elizabeth, what can I say about that sweet baby girl?  She was fantastic the whole trip.  We dragged her all over New York and Connecticut, but she was happy and sweet.  When we walked around the city, she was always flashing grins at people and stopping them in their tracks. 

We had people stopping us all over to look at her.  One lady even stopped Holly as she was trying to go into a restroom stall, because she wanted to show her friend the baby.  (You would think they had never seen a baby before – he he!)  I also loved al the cuddling and holding her I got to do :).

Being With My Sisters – I am pretty amazingly blessed – not only do I have four sisters, but they are my best friends.  The best part of this trip was getting to spend time with Holly and Wendy.  I love them so much and am so grateful for them.