May 2007 - New York City

We all headed to NYC for 3 fun filled days. We visited the Manhattan Temple, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Times Square, and saw "Wicked" on Broadway. We had a wonderful time touring this great city. Laurel was particularly taken with the Statue of Liberty - you can see her holding the torch in the picture above. One of the best parts of the trip was touring Manhattan and Brooklyn on one of those tour buses. I've always thought those looked ridiculous, but I have to admit that it was the best way to see the city, especially when you're pregnant and tired!

May 2007 - Hershey and Gettysburg, PA

We drove Grandma and Papa Chris out to Hershey and Gettysburg for a day trip. We tried to eat at the famouse Hershey Hotel, but they ended up closing it 5 minutes before we arrived for a special business luncheon. We were really disappointed - it was the second time we've tried to eat at that hotel. We walked around the beautiful grounds and then toured the factory. Above is a picture of Laurel and Papa Chris riding through the Hershey tour. Directly above is a picture of Dale and his outside the Hershey Hotel.

April 2007 - "The View"

Vallarie and I attended a taping of "The View" in NYC. This is an actual picture of the hosts and yes, that is Vallarie Nuttall dancing to YMCA on the set of "The View". We had such a great time on this outing! We stood outside in the cold for a few hours, but we had plenty to talk about and ate some breakfast sandwiches we bought from a NYC street vendor. It was a lot of fun and we ended up walking away with a free boxed set of "Planet Earth" which is worth $70-$80!

April 2007 - Easter

We had a wonderful Easter in Philadelphia. We dyed eggs, attended a church egg hunt at a local park, and attended church. We also invited a family we know from Wharton over for dinner. Dale has had several classes with Will. They were such a great family and we're glad we could share the holiday with their family.

April 2007 - Palmyra, New York

We visited Palmyra, New York the first weekend of April. Our visit coincided with General Conference for our church, so we were able to watch some of the broadcasts from the place where it all began.

I have always wanted to visit the Sacred Grove. The Sacred Grove is special to my religion because it is the place where the Prophet, Joseph Smith Jr., kneeled down to pray in the hopes of finding our which church he should join. I was struck by the serenity and sacredness of this forest of trees. As I walked the trails of this sacred place, I thought about my time as a missionary in Germany. I remembered the many times I shared this special story with the people I taught. I remembered my mission companion, Sister Kristy Casperson, and the strong testimony she had of the Restoration of the gospel. Kristy passed away in 2006, but I think of her often. This day was no exception. I also thought of my dad, who, as a young boy in post war Germany, heard the Joseph Smith story for the first time and joined the church. As I thought about all of the wonderful things that have come into my life because of this beautiful grove and the brave young man who knelt in prayer, I felt a depth of gratitude for the Prophet, Joseph Smith.

We also visited the Grandin printing press, where the first copy of the Book of Mormon was printed. Additionally, we visited Hill Cumorah and other important historical sites to our church. We were so glad that we took the time to visit this important town and felt strengthened. One of the best things about the trip was just being together as a family and taking one last road trip before graduation. We will miss this part of the country when we leave!

April 2007 - Niagara Falls

At the last minute, we decided to take advantage of our location and drive up to Niagara Falls and Palmyra, New York. Niagara Falls was amazing. Although it was absolutely cold and overcast, the opportunity to witness this natural wonder was wonderful. Laurel was a little unruly, which made me nervous. Luckily, the sides are gated off but you still worry that your child will find a way to get over the edge. We were able to see the falls from both the US and Canadian side. We enjoyed the sights while snacking on Canadian candy and treats. It was a fun, memorable day!

March 2007

March was a great month because it meant we got to go on spring break! We traveled with the Nuttall's to Southern Virginia. We visited Williamsburg, Jamestown, Monticello (Jefferson's home), and Mount Vernon. As always, we had a great time with the Nuttall's and we were glad we took the opportunity to see such a piece of our US history. We will truly miss the east coast when we leave!

Another highlight of March 2007 was a trip to the Martha Stewart Show with Vallarie, Wendy, and Katie. We had such a wonderful time, inspite of the fact that we had to awaken at the crack of dawn. I was pregnant at the time, so I did not feel very well on this trip. Wendy was also pregnant and announced her pregnancy on this trip because she was so sick. The show itself was a lot of fun. Martha Stewart was nicer than I expected. We had front row seats, so we were able to really enjoy the show. Martha had Bebe Neuwirth on the show. It was fun to see her in person and reminisce on the days when I used to watch "Cheers".

After the show, we drove back to Philadelphia, which was less than 2 hours. I will really miss living in such proximity to NYC and fun shows, like the Martha Stewart Show.