Our Date, Part 2

We have some wonderful friends in the ward, The Castles; Carol was our realtor who got us into our home. Her and her husband, Dave have been volunteering to take the boys for the day since we moved here, in order to let us go on a date... and we FINALLY had a moment to take them up on it :D
What started out as a couple hours plan for a date turned into and entire Saturday that quickly became a full 24hr date, with the boys spending the night at their house.

Mine and Travis's Date: It started off as a family getting to walk down to Maddix's last soccer practice together, then I went running over to the church to help clean. Dave and Carol brought me home and exchanged me for the boys! Then they were off! Travis was excited at what he'd planned, but he hadn't told me yet. When we got to the subway he told me he'd planned an all day walk! You may not know but I LOVE walking. I could walk from one end of the earth to the other and be content and happy with what I get to see and how I feel. So this was perfect. And cheap;)

We started by finding out our subway was under construction so we were forced to hop in Bushwick! That was intense. Childhood home to J.Z., we were definitely outnumbered demographically, and as we walked past "The ChUrCh oF GoD" and they were blasting out WooTang Clan... I was feeling a little uneasy. We hopped another quick subway and popped out in Park Slope; that was MUCH BETTER. And that's where we started our walk. Travis showed me around his old neighborhood and took me to the places he used to go eat at. We had the BEST Turkish food i've tasted since leaving Europe, and then jotted over to grab some Blue Marble ice cream, which was to die for. We ate it as we strolled through the park.

Brooklyn Museum

We kept walking on until we reached Statin Island where we saw our Lady Liberty, and a few tools that I couldn't keep from snapping a picture of! We walked through the financial District and on Wall Street. Then onto Ground Zero. Since it was just memorial day there were several flowers, with memory cards placed on the names of the loved ones who died that day. 

seriously? 

We kept walking and eventually reached the Highline. There was a set of above ground subway tracks, no longer in use, that they converted to a lush walking trail right through the city. 

 And eventually we reached the end and walked, and walked, and walked, stopped for an all natural, organic juice (because it seemed like the hipster thing to do, and the only juice around), and eventually reached Time Square.

Passage into Manhattan

Time Square

We couldn't take the crowds anymore and headed over to Rockefeller Plaza before hopping a subway home. 

I Loved the day of just walking, and by the end of it I was relieved for two reasons as we got off the subway: 1- My feet were SO done and 2- It was like a breath of fresh air to be back in Middle Village! It gave me a renewed sense of gratitude to live where we do, with the ability to go join the crowds, but get to leave them and come home! We then fell asleep to a movie, I think we made it 20 mins in.
SUNDAY: Well that was just a treat again. After walking 10-12 miles the previous day, it was so nice to sleep in, take our time getting up, cook a big breakfast, and just be lazy until late church. AWESOMENESS is the best word I have for it right now. And that was our date! 

Maddix & Aaron's Weekend: 
Gpa Dave, and Gma Carol, as they are now referred to, picked the boys up and within 15mins were at McDonalds:) From there they went and saw HOME at the movie theaters and were even spoiled with treat packs, popcorn, and slurpies! They got to play in the Arcade (Which Maddix has been begging for), and after Aaron crashed out at 5:45pm, Maddix and Dave played chess for an hour ;p Carol and Dave purchased a special dinosaur tent specially for their weekend with the boys and Maddix was SUPER excited to be allowed to watch cartoons from the tent until he fell asleep! Scooby Doo never seemed so good! In the morning the goofballs got the V.I.P treatment of bathes and hair stylings. Then at church when we met up with them they had more snacks and printed off pictures to color.... SpOilEd or What???? I think their weekend was maybe more awesome than ours! 

It was such a treat to know the boys were in good hands and having such a ball!!!! It was the perfect way to end the months of May and celebrate before we leave on a plane for Utah tonight! 

Get Ready for us!