We're Back!!!!!

Josh and I are back from our Mediterranean adventure and I must say that it was the most amazing vacation that I have ever been on. I feel so blessed to have been able to see the sights that I saw and experience the various cultures along the way. We began our get away in Barcelona, Spain and from there cruised to the island of Malta; Naples, Rome, and Florence, Italy; and ended in Nice, France. The best word to describe everything is simply WOW! It was just that, WOW!!!!!

Our journey began in Barcelona, Spain..... (Yes, I am the dork who forgot to rotate the pictures before uploading them. I'll make sure the rest are not like this.)

This was the hotel we stayed in, Hotel Adagio. It was right off Las Ramblas which made it ideal for us.
Las Ramblas. This is a famous street in Barcelona that is lined with shops, hotels, and restaurants. Literally at all hours of the day, this street is packed. Barcelona is a city that does not sleep.
Sagrada Familia. This is the famous cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi. Here's a bit of trivia...The term goddy that we use to describe really ornate things, comes from this man. The structures he designed were just crazy. People claim that what he created looks like he was on drugs when he designed them. Construction on this cathedral began in 1883 and as you can see is still not complete and they say it may never be complete. It was the most amazing structure.

This is the entrance to Park Guell, also designed by Antoni Gaudi. What you see is comprised totally of mosaics.

Here we have Casa Baittlo, also designed by Antoni Gaudi. It is supposed to look like bones.

Europe Bound....And We're Not Looking Back!!!

This weekend Josh and I embark on our dream vacation. After months of planning, we are finally almost there. We fly to Barcelona where we will board the Norwegian Gem and head to Nice, Rome, Naples, Florence, and the island of Malta. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am. I feel so blessed to be able to take such an amazing vacation. We will be back in the states on June 15th and I can't wait to share with all of you all the adventures that we had and show some of the sites we saw. Love you all!

Adios! Ciao! Au revoir!

Remembering Grandma Margaret!

Grandma Margaret, Papa Mike, and grandchildren (Alex, Meredith, Jenny, Richie, Rachel, and Elizabeth)

On Monday, May 19th, my Grandma Margaret passed away at the age of 85. My Grandma was a truly remarkable woman and I wanted to take a moment and remember her. There are many words to descrbe my grandmother but what immediately comes to my mind are strong, courageous, loving, humorous, and godly. Many do not know this but she survived 5 battles with life threatening cancers and 2 non-life threatening cancers. That to me is enough to sit back in awe. WOW! And to top it off, she never complained. She also loved her family dearly. I would have to say that the way in which she showed most of her love was by being willing to pick a fight with ANYONE who messed with her kids or grandkids. You didn't mess with grandma, or she would mess with you. One thing that Josh and I always remember is leaving visits with her tired from laughing so much. She never let there be a dull moment in any conversation. Grandma Margaret was a woman of faith. A woman that I would gladly model my life after. There is no question in my mind that she is in heaven dancing with the angels.

I love you grandma! You are so very missed! Until we meet again!!!!

Happy Birthday Munchkin!

As sad as it is to day, as of April 16th my little sister has turned 15 years old. I seriously can't believe. She has grown into a such beautiful young lady in what seems like months. She has the most beautiful heart and I am honored to call her my sister and friend. The 3 things that I most admire or appreciate about my little sister would be her caring heart, youthful spirit, and love for the Lord. Meredith or Mera as I call her puts others before herself and seeks out ways in which to show her love and gratitude for others. She is absolutely hilarious! She is vibrant and care free. She also has a love for the Lord and relationship with Him that I never had at her age. Her maturity in her faith is extremely humbling. Munchkin, I love you! You teach me on a daily basis how to love!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Tuesday, April 15th was my mom's birthday. We all had dinner at Flying Fish and came to my place for cake. I made my mom a homemade carrot cake and it was pretty good if I do say so myself. We spent some time going around the table sharing what we most admire or appreciate about mom and here was what was said....her giving heart, good food, willingness to go through fire for her girls, phermones (apparently dad likes the way his wife smells), and friendship with her daughters. I do have to say that my mom is one of a kind. She gives with her time, her money, and her heart. There is nothing that she wouldn't do, or at least try to do for the ones she loves. Mom, if you are reading this I think that you are one in a million and I love you dearly. Thank you for being who you are!


Mom is devouring the carrot cake. Man that picture makes me hungry.
Mom got gift certificates for her birthday. She received a gift certificate to Nancy's Nails to get a manicure and pedicure, and she also received a gift certificate to Vesta's, a retail/apparel store that mom loves!

Addison Elizabeth

Addison Elizabeth was born on Tuesday, March 25th. She weighed 8 lb. 3 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Look at those adorable chicken legs.

Jake, Addison, and Isabelle.
Sleeping Beauty!

Saturday, April 6th

We spent most of the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was phenomenal.

We also went into SoHo. SoHo basically has any store you could even conceive of going to.

We also went to see a Broadway play. We saw August: Osage County, a play about a seriouly dysfunctional family. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.


Around 12:30 in the morning, we decided to go atop the Empire State Building. It was breathtaking, freezing, but breathtaking.