USS SULLIVANS

Busy Week!

What a great week! My mom, Aunt Connie, and Kirk flew back to Houston today. We had a very fun and busy week. I don't think we could have packed in more if we had tried.

Wednesday, I picked them up in Poughkeepsie, about 100 miles south of us. There we visited to Vanderbilt Mansion. It was really cool. We were not allowed to take photo's inside but they have lots avalible online to veiw. It is hard to believe that someone lived with so much wealth and formality. The highlight of the trip for me was seeing an origional painting by one of my favorate artist William Bouguereau. Also, the view of the Hudson river was amazing.

Thursday we spent the day at the state capitol and the state museum. The capitol has an amazing Italian sand stone staircase in the center. The stair case is called the million dollar staircase because it cost over a million dollars in the late 1800's when it was built. It has the faces of 75 famous Americans, 2000 + unknown faces, and many other carvings, no pattern is repeated. We spent about a half hour looking at all the carving.

Friday we drove to Cooperstown!! The boys were in hog heaven. Kirk said that this was his pilgrimage. I could go on for hours just listing the highlights. One of the neatest things for me was the contract that Babe Ruth signed with the Red Sox, his last home run ball, bat, and glove, Nolan Ryan's hats worn during his 6 no hitters. It was cool to see all the plaques of the great players that I remember my grandpa and dad talking about. And of course as an Astros Fan, I loved Bagwell's retired jersey, Biggio's hat and elbow guard and his name on the 3000+ hitters board!! I would love to go back in 5 years when Biggio goes into the hall. The drive to Cooperstown was beautiful.

Saturday, we drove 5 hours to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. The boys started the day with a trip to the Buffalo Navial Yard where they were able to explore several ships, one of which their grandpa spent two years on, USS Sullivan's. They had a great time. The girls spent the time at an art museum across town.
After a few hours we all went to Niagara Falls. It was amazing!!! Words could not describe the beauty of God's creation. We even made a trip into Canada. The falls are more impressive from the Canadian side because you get a better view, but on the American side you are able to get closer to the falls. We pulled back into the driveway after midnight.

Sunday we went to church then spent the rest of the day resting and packing. It was a great 5 days. I enjoyed all the time visiting and the kids had a blast. I can't wait to come home and visit with everyone!!

Perfect Day!

Today was a perfect day. The weather was sunny, and unseasonably warm, 80 degrees with a good breeze. It almost felt like spring in Texas. We spent the day relaxing at home and then playing with friends at the park. The kids were worn out and crashed as soon as they got out of the tub. I was so glad. I need to rest. Anyway, Momma, Aunt Connie, and Kirk will be leaving for New York city in the morning!!! We are so excited for them. I know that they will have a blast in the city! I can't wait to see them! We have lots of trips planned for the end of the week.

Prayer Request

Please say a prayer for my Me-Ma. She turned 85 this past week and she is having back surgery Monday morning. Please pray that the surgery is a success and the doctors are able to give her relief from the constant pain she has experienced for the past year. Also pray that she has a fast recovery.

Thanks For Your Prayers!

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New York City

This past Saturday we drove down to New York City! I always expected NYC to be fun but I was blown away at the beauty. We came into the city via the George Washington Bridge which has a great view. The traffic was not to bad, we were quickly parked at Grand Central Station. They kids thought the garage was neat. You drop you car off and it is loaded onto a elevator and taken up to its space. This sure beats drive around for ever looking for a space big enough (The people that build parking lots here think all New Yorker must drive compact cars). Grand Central was very pretty and very busy. The ceiling is painted teal with all the constellations in gold and everything was marble. We were soon on the subway, which is not as bad I people may think. We parked about 11am and got back to the car at about 11pm. We had a very full day. We visited bowling Green Park, saw the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, St. Paul's Cathedral,Central Park, Fifth Ave, the Brooklyn Bridge, American Doll, All the toy store, M&M world, Hershey's, several other stores in Time Square, and much more. We bought hot dogs from a street cart and yummy New York Pizza from a pizzeria, we even had a cup of coffee in Trump Tower. We managed to leave with 6 kids that belonged to us with the size of the crowds were walked through this is a major accomplishment. We had a great day and would love go back and spend more time, there is so much to see. Scooter and I also decided that we need to get a trip back when it is just the two of us, one day!