The Knoxville Smith's

My wonderful parents-in-law came to spend their Spring Break with us a little over a week ago, and we had such a nice visit. They came with a "house warming present," which was their excuse to bring a fun gift that we could all play together. They brought us a Wii!!! I had played the Wii with Katie and Brian at their house, and we are so thrilled to officially have our own. We might be on the tail end of having this cool form of Nintendo, but all I have to say is that it is never too late!


Here are some funny pictures from our multiple afternoons of playing Wii. Robin was surprisingly AMAZING at bowling, and she got EIGHT strikes in a row even if she had a hard time figuring out the controls every time it was her turn :)    

Gabe and I messed around with the Wii for at least a couple hours last night. We put our SD memory card into the device, and it played a slide show of all of our pictures from the last three years. Yes, I like to keep all my pictures on my memory card so I can always view them in times like these :) Then, we figured out that there was a "puzzle" feature, and we had the time of our lives turning a picture into 48 puzzle pieces and trying to get them in the right spot with record time.


Thanks Mark and Robin for a fun filled weekend of good food, intense games of the Wii, church, and a relaxing visit to just hang out.  Love you!

Quick visit with the Brooke's

This picture is worth a thousand words .... My cousins and I were standing at the market and the next thing we know, a fish is coming from the middle of nowhere.  My uncle snapped the picture at the exact right time to capture the moment!!  We laughed for hours after this picture took place considering the situation.

Enjoying a cup of java from the first Starbucks.

Aunt Debbie and me with all the fresh fruit at Pike's Place Market.

The famous "Gum Wall" in Seattle that my friend Mollie doesn't know about.  Don't worry, Moll, we will make an evening out of it so you can experience the nasty gum wall, too!

Daniel's 16th Birthday at a Seattle favorite, Ivars.  We enjoyed an evening of seafood and watched the ferry boats load and unload.  It was his first time to try Creme Brule, and he loved it!  

Thanks Brooke's for such a wonderful 24 hours together.  Your boys are so lucky to be able to travel to the pacific northwest :)

Seattle Sounders

So, I went to my very first professional soccer game last week and had an absolute blast.  My good friend, Jamie, invited me along for the opening game for the Seattle Sounders.  I don't know soccer very well, but I definitely learned as the game progressed.  Shelby got stuck at the office and wasn't to come last minute, which is why we will have to make it out for another game with all the girls.  Surprisingly, it went by quickly and was pretty eventful!  

Thanks Jay for inviting me .... By the way, check out my cool new scarf~!

  

Last set of NYC pics

Times Square on a gorgeous sunny day

Bryant Park

The three of us did so well navigating through town, until .... 

Mollie and I got on the wrong train and this fellow conductor took us under his wing when no other New Yorker would help us!  Too funny.

I was shocked how large Central Park was and we didn't even put a dent on it.

After non stop being on the go, Mollie needed me to rub her calves because they were so sore and cramping up.  She is such a high maintenance friend .... Still love ya ;)

THE END

Shows on Broadway

Jane Fonda ....

 And then .... we saw Mary Poppins.  It was abosolutely phenomenal and would highly recommend it.  We got our tickets half off after standing in line in Times Square for a little over an hour, and it was definitely worth it.  Our seats were surprisingly very good and on the 10th row!  It was the highlight of the trip considering Mary Poppins was my favorite Disney movie growing up, and I have seen it a gazillion times.                                                                                                                                

Note: Lots of pictures from NYC

First steps in Times Square and loving it!

Holly and me in the lobby of the Crown Plaza - We will be staying here next visit :)

Lobby at the W Hotel

We had the most fabulous dinner at Buddakan in the meat packing district.  It came highly recommended from a friend of mine who lives in Manhattan, and we loved every bit of it.  We walked from Times Square here to get some exercise, save a taxi ride, and thought it would be lovely to see the city.  The next day, our feet were absolutely killing us, and we really regretted the 36 block walk!!

This was Holly at the end of Mollie and my photo shoot wanting to go home!  haha

This was all the first day in NYC, and the second day is coming up next ....

Shelby's Birthday

Jenny, me, Jamie, Shelby, Mollie, and Carly at Tsillan Winery

Isn't this wine label neat with her picture on it -- a creative gift from her parents!

These are photos that I meant to post before I went to New York, but better late than never, right?  We had such a wonderful time on our quick 24 hour trip to Chelan, which is in Eastern Washington.  It was an adventurous time with more memories that I can count on my ten fingers!  Thanks for an amazing weekend to celebrate Shell's bithday, and thank goodness that drive home is over, ha.