Family Fun on the Farm

After our whirlwind, long weekend in New York -- it was wonderful to know that we still had almost a full week of vacation to enjoy, just relaxing and spending time with family. All but Joey were able to make it for at least part of the time. We love Minnesota -- and especially Grammy & Papa's farm!

Here are the boys in their Sunday best. Aunt Betsy's Bed & Breakfast in the background is where we stay during visits home.

David stays busy -- here he is putting new siding on the attic dormer of the B & B. He and Dad have put on a fabulous, huge deck, ordered new windows throughout, remodeled the attic into an incredible studio apartment for Dave, and now re-siding the entire house. Gary loved helping with the siding while we were there too.

I am so lucky to have grown up here!

Gary, the boys, and I spent a lot of time, exploring the lakes, woods, and streams where I played when I was a child....

Hanging out at Grammy & Papa's house.

Hayrides around the lake

This is Gordy's face when I've taken one too many pictures of him.

Rarely camera shy, Grayson is ready for another hayride.

Melissa and me

Mom & Dad/ Grammy & Papa

Tony & Jen

Our chaueffeurs -- Gary, Gordy, & Grayson

Grayson adopted various stuffed animals during our visit.

Playing with Papa!

The boys slept so well after all their playing.

An evening stroll around the lakes, just Gary and me.

Such a beautiful place.

Grayson helped Tony mow the lawn.

These have been just a few glimpses of a wonderful trip to the farm.

College Friends Reunite

One of the most heart-warming highlights of my time in Minnesota was getting together with a group of wonderful college friends in the Twin Cities, some of us hadn't seen each other since our graduation in 1993! We had such a fantastic evening ~ laughing, reminiscing, and catching up on each others' lives. All the while enjoying tasty appetizers, a delicious dinner, great wine, and decadent tiramisu for dessert.

Left to right: Lisa, Gretchen, Andrea, JoLee, and Jenni

Living so far away, getting together with "old" friends is something I truly miss. It's comforting to know that they are still the genuine, lifelong friends they've always been. I sure wish we could get together more often! There were several people unable to make it to this gathering due to illness or prior commitments, so I hope that next time we're in Minnesota, we can all get together again -- even more of us. Or if anyone finds themselves out west, visit us in Idaho!

Love & hugs to all of my incredible friends in Minnesota!

(There's that 'shout-out' I promised. ;)

And one more time, a special thank you to Lisa and family ~ for hosting the party, shuttling Gary and me to and from the airport, and keeping watch over the car while we were in New York.

NBC Studios Tour

Monday morning, our last full day in NYC, we caught the end of the concert on the plaza outside The Today Show, but didn't venture too close to the screaming, screeching crowd of pre-teen girls. Though I can't recall their name, the performers were a boy band, clearly well-loved by adolescent girls.

At noon, RTDNA (Radio Television Digital News Association) award winners and guests were treated to a luncheon at NBC Studios. Lunch was followed by a guided tour through NBC Studios, including NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, NBC Sports, and the set of Saturday Night Live. Gary snapped this photo of me, walking through the newsroom -- behind me Ann Curry was talking to someone at her desk.

This isn't a very good picture, but it's a zoomed in, cropped photo of Ann Curry.

We were unable to walk through the set of The Today Show, as Matt Lauer was filming a scene for a movie with Mel Gibson...and a puppet. Wonder what that movie's about?

Here's a more flattering photo of Ann Curry, on a display in the hallway.

Heading toward the Saturday Night Live studio -- These photos line the hallway, autographed photos of guest hosts through the years. This is only one of several that I took, featuring Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Ashton Kutcher, Sting, Jon Bon Jovi, etc.... This hallway is on the lower floor, level with the stage. Our seats for the dress rehearsal on Saturday night were in the balcony, a floor up from the stage.

Gary and I on the set of Saturday Night Live -- pretty cool!

This is where The Today Show shoots their cooking features.

After our tour, we picked up souvenirs for family members at the NBC Store. Gary and I enjoy watching "The Office" and "30 Rock...." Here I am, trying to cheer up Dwight. Silly, I know.

This is the closest we got to Matt Lauer, a cardboard cut-out in the gift shop.

After shopping, we walked back to our hotel to get dressed up for the Awards Ceremony. The photos from that event are featured in my first post from our NYC trip, a few stories below.... This wraps up my summary of our wonderful time in New York City, just Gary and me. It's been a slight detour from my usual posts, mostly about the boys. But this trip has been long-awaited, and Gary worked hard to earn such an honorable award, so I really wanted to journal about our special trip and share it with anyone who'd like to read about it. Already, I'm going back through photos and reliving the remarkable memories -- it was amazing!

Broadway & Upper West Side Manhattan

Sunday afternoon, we took the subway from lower east Manhattan up to Central Park. From there, we stopped in a little cafe for coffee and bagels before arriving at the Gershwin Theater to see the 3:00 matinee of the musical "Wicked," a charming prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz,' as told by the Wicked Witch of the West.

Here we are, waiting for "Wicked" to begin.

We walked by the Ed Sullivan Theater on our way to and from the show.

After the show, we enjoyed a beautiful walk through the southwest side of Central Park.

This is the Dakota building, where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived. Right in front of this gate is where John Lennon was shot and killed in 1980.

Across the street in Central Park, we heard a street band play and lead a small crowd in singing, "All You Need is Love." We walked a bit further to see this mosaic tribute to John Lennon.

To wrap up our day before catching the subway to our hotel, we enjoyed a nice dinner just a block west of the Dakota, and treated ourselves to these frosty drinks -- a berry marguerita for me and a Hennessy pina colada for Gary. Yum!

This trip was so relaxing in that we didn't have to worry a bit about Gordon and Grayson (they were having a ball with Grammy & Papa in MN), but that's not to say that we didn't miss them. It was nice to dine out and not have to worry about the diaper bag and temper tantrums or spilled drinks.... But the boys were never far from our thoughts.

Ground Zero

The day we visited Ground Zero, it was sunny, warm, and still. Walking around the area where the World Trade Center had been, there really wasn't much to see, and that emptiness is what made such a quiet impact.

Across the street from where the World Trade Center stood, St. Paul's Chapel was built in 1766 and still stands strong, miraculously unharmed by the attacks in 2001. It is the oldest building in Manhattan that is still fully used. After 9-11, it served as a support station for volunteers, firefighters, police officers, and other recovery workers; it continues to be a place of worship, comfort, and prayer. We walked through it and saw artwork, cards and support from all over the world, memorial photos of those lost in the Twin Towers, quiet places for prayer, memorial books, and historical information from long before 2001. The pew in which President George Washington prayed after his inauguration was displayed. After the terrorist attacks, it was also used as a place for emergency workers to have their sore feet doctored.

If you'd like to read more about St. Paul's Chapel, go to this link:
http://www.stpaulschapel.org/

The Chapel was a comforting place to visit, a peaceful contrast to what the days following September 11, 2001 were...especially for those in New York City.

Saturday Night Live!

Media passes to a variety of events are special perks with Gary's job, working for an NBC affiliate. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but apparently, it's not easy to score tickets to Saturday Night Live, but Gary managed to get our names on a list, allowing us reserved seats at a dress rehearsal while in New York. Cameras were not allowed in the studio due to copyright laws, so this is the only visual I can provide of our experience. Here we are, walking toward the lobby, just outside the studio. Gary snapped this one photo with his iphone, just for posterity. The photos behind us are from old episodes of the show; you might recognize some of the actors and sets, if you're an SNL fan.

The show we saw was hosted by Drew Barrymore, and Regina Spektor was the musical guest. It was interesting to learn that the dress rehearsal is actually a half hour longer than the live show. They drop or alter skits for the live show, according to audience reactions during the dress rehearsal. So we got some extra laughs. We were surprised by how much smaller the studio is than how it appears on TV. We watched the live version that night in our hotel room, and were surprised by the changes they made to the rehearsal version. It actually seemed funnier during the practice round. But maybe that was just the excitement of being there and watching how they put the show together? It really was an awesome experience!

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island

Saturday morning -- We caught the subway to Battery Park where we boarded a ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Entering the park, it was sobering to see this statue, which had been displayed in front of the World Trade Center for three decades, prior to September 11, 2001.

Read the plaque for more history on this sculpture.

Just had to snap this photo of a man feeding squirrels, especially for Gordon and Grayson.

The view from aboard the ferry

You're going to see several photos like the one below in this post; the skyline view from the ferry was remarkable. It was refreshing to get a wide perspective of the tall buildings from afar.

Gary and me, as the ferry nears Liberty Island.

Lady Liberty -- Beautiful!

Enjoying the panaramic view of Manhattan from Liberty Island.

Next stop -- Ellis Island

We enjoyed a 25-minute film that briefly explained the history of immigration through Ellis Island. Then we spent time touring the museum ~ Amazing history!

Most fascinating is knowing that my great-grandparents passed through this very port when they moved their lives to America from Norway, way back in 1912!

(The photo of immigrants below is not that of my kin). :)

Catching the ferry back to Battery Park from Ellis Island

View of Ellis Island from the ferry

Walking back through Battery Park to catch the subway to our hotel.