the NaIgErSyN's: NEW YORK, NEW YORK {NY meets Sandy as well}

WOW! i am still in shock at what took place in our lives October 26-29, 2012!!! it kinda all feels like a dream. the funny part is we did not sleep more then about 4 hours each night so not much dreaming was going on!

Rewind to the first week of june 2012. i had a great idea to take nate to NYC for his 30th birthday. i found some super cheap airfare and it was done! i really couldn't even think about it because i kept 'slipping up' and i wanted it to be a surprise. i arranged everything to have Suzy come down to take care of the kids and i text nate's work to let them kow that he would be gone from work for a couple of days. so it was just waiting for the day to come!

it came. we went to dinner with joel, suzy, and kate. then after we got home and put rowen down i tild nate we were going for a drive. we were driving to kailey's to pick up a bday present. kailey and i are terrible liars. we were trying to pull off that FEDEX hadn't delivered the package and we had to go pick it up at their warehouse- by the airport! nate knew something was up the minute we got to kailey's but he didn't know what! even as we were checking in he really couldn't wrap his brain around it!!! so we took a sleeping pill to help get some sleep on the plane and at 11:15p.m. we boarded Jetblue headed to JFK! Nate was so funny. we he realized we were going to New York he got THE BIGGEST smile and said "you know who lives in NY {Arden and Amber}?" as i smiled and nodded he asked "Do we get to see them?" and when i let him in on the secret that River and Celina were going to be there he was BEYOND excited! by far the best surprise i have pulled off!!!!

I was super nervous leaving the kiddos and i cried a lot before we left.

this is the worst picture BUT i had to include it! this is after boarding the plane, after being up since 5:45am, and an hour after taking a sleeping pill- you can't tell -right?!?! FAT CHANCE!!! we look like we've been hit by a train! needless to say, i don't think either of us made it past take off :)

we landed around 5:25 (i think, i don't really remember), got our bags, got a taxi, and headed to A & A's apartment. we arrived around 6am- at which we found out that River & Celina had gotten in around 2 am do they were super excited we were there SO EARLY ;)

River had a job interview, Arden had work, and Amber had school/work so we all headed to the subway and went into the city together. Celina caught up on sleep and met up with us later.

Ground Zero Memorial~

our first stop was at Ground Zero. it has changed SO MUCH since I was last there. it was neat walking around with Nate and talking about Sept 11, 01- where we were, what we saw, and felt.

Then we went to Staten Island to see the Statue of Liberty.

Battery Park and skyline as we were pulling out.

then we headed to Seaport and Fulton Street Market where we walked around and shopped a little. (a few hours later this entire market would be FLOODED in FEET of water from hurricane Sandy).

Brooklyn Bridge

Nate finally made up his mind as to which food truck he wanted lunch from :)

Times Square~

after lunch we headed to Times Square via the subway.... nate was really good at reading the lines- SO GLAD i had him with me ;)

Rockefeller Plaza

After that we were spent!!! we had been up for a VERY long time and we felt dirty and needed showers :) so we headed back to the apartment and cleaned up for dinner.

nate and river~

BIRTHDAY DINNER!!

-------DAY 1 ended and DAY 2 started rather quickly!-------

Chelsea Highlands Park and Chelsea Market.

i JUST love these girls! BEYOND WORDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND THIS GROUP OF 6.... SOME OF MY MOST FAVORITE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!

inside Chelsea Market there were SOOOO MANY yummy places to eat. I think we all ate our own weight in food.... some of the items included: fresh clam chowder, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin scone, a handmade -super yummy buttermilk biscuit......

nate and arden are such close cousins :)

Grimaldi's pizza which is located right by the Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn. i had never been to Brooklyn, we rode the train out, ate pizza {honestly, hands down the best pizza i have EVER had}, and then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to the city.

after the Brooklyn Bridge we went to Union Square and shopped around a little bit then went to a show called La Fuerza Brute. it was a really crazy show where the stage moved and the you could touch the props. our favorite part was when the show was above us... there was a plastic ceiling almost ant the performers we on top of the plastic and there was water that they were in and moving it around.... it is hard to explain but it was SOO COOOL!!! a lot of the show was done a HUGE treadmill too.

Then sunday morning crap hit the fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we were up early and on our way out the door when i listened to a voicemail saying that our flights had been cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy!!! i FREAKED OUT.... well, saying i freaked out would be an understatement!!!!! i lost it. i didn't want to be there for the storm. i was afraid of not making it back to my kids! the storm had already killed 40 people. they were comparing it to Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans in 2005 in which case flights didn't resume for almost 2 weeks. everybody was stripping the stores of water and food. it was scary and the feeling throughout the city was so unsettling. we decided to drive to Buffalo with River and Celina and fly out the next morning. SO after an 8 hour drive we were able to eat at one of our top 5 FAV restaurants- DUFF'S! thoroughly enjoyed it!

we flew out of Buffalo at 7 am and got into Salt Lake at 11:20. i was so excited to be home! it was nice to get home early and get everything back in order (laundry, unpacked, etc...) before nate went back to work the next day. that entire day i kept getting teary eyed thinking that i was able to make it home and be with my kids. that night as we watched New York be SMASHED by the hurricane it was absolutely unbelievable.

New York Subway camera~