A Busy Week for Bradley

Last day of school, a birthday, and going to camp are all the things that my big guy did this week!

He brought a ton of goodies home from his last day at 4th grade, and one of them was this 3D printed picture frame he designed!

He also got several awards for academic performance, exemplary behavior, outstanding performance with the saxophone, and perfect attendance! We are so proud of him.

The very next day was his 10th birthday! He had a small party in our backyard and the kids had a fun time playing games and eating cake and ice cream. He got some neat presents, and a lot of money!

The next day we were busy packing him up for a week away at church camp! It's the same one he went to last year and loved it, so this year he was much less nervous and very excited! He saw some familiar faces, and ended up being in the same cabin with the same counselor! I hope he has a great time again.

Outdoor Fun at the New River Gorge in West Virginia

I got to go to West Virginia for the first time last week with a friend, and we had an amazing time! Her brother is a river rafting guide there so that's how we got into that. She has been several times, but this is my first and I've always wanted to try it. Now I'm hooked!

We rafted the lower New River which has several class 1-5 rapids. We were on the water several hours, and we had lunch as well.

Can you spot the bald eagle in the tree?

After rafting we met her brother Sean and he took us around the area. He showed us this beautiful view from the mountainside of the upper river, then we went to the {almost} ghost town of Thurmond and looked around.

The scenery in the area is just beautiful!

The next morning we went ziplining! This was also my first time and it was a blast! Not as scary as I thought it would be once you see how safely you are harnessed in. We got some amazing views as we zipped through the trees!

After ziplining we met for brunch, then off for another adventure in the mountains! This time it was a hike up to Longpoint which was a breathtaking vista of the mountains, river, and New River Gorge Bridge. Just amazing!!!!

The next morning we got breakfast with her brother then hit the road for our drive home. It was a great trip and I was able to mark a couple things off my bucket list!

Girls Trip to NYC

Last week I was able to sneak away with two girl friends for a quick trip to NYC! My first one ever. They had both been there many times and were the perfect guides to show me around. We had a list of a million things to do, and only a couple of days to do them in!

We landed early in the afternoon and had a car service pick us up from LaGuardia and drop us off at our lovely B&B in Brooklyn. We freshened up and hit the town!

We took the subway and walked (26 miles in two days!) to get around.

I was all about the street food! We started off with a pretzel to eat while walked around Manhattan.

 Central Park was amazing! So beautiful.

Buildings so tall, they disappear into the clouds.

Recognize this one?? The restaurant used in Seinfeld!

Unfortunately it started raining that evening around 5pm, so we spent a couple hours getting a bit wet....We ended up at an amazing BBQ place with live music and delicious smoked meat! We ate like ravenous hyenas.

After that we headed back to the room and relaxed for the night. Day 2 had perfect weather for sightseeing, and we started strong! I passed a street vendor selling homemade tamales on the way to the subway, so of course I had to get one!

We started by walking across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan. It was an amazing view! Too many people though, ha!

After that, we headed south to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance. We wanted to ride the ferry, but the lines were long and we couldn't waste the time.

After that it was time for more street food! As we were sitting and eating, this cute little guy joined us!

Next to see the Wall Street bull...

...and the One World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial.

After that we headed up to the Empire State Building!!

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The views were amazing! Next was a quick run through the Natural History Museum before they closed. Then we went back to our room to refresh and recharge, then headed back out into the Big Apple to shut it down on our last night!

We started the evening by riding the Roosevelt Island Tram and got an amazing view of the nighttime cityscape.

We had to Grand Central Station! It was beyond impressive inside. Have you heard of the Whispering Gallery in it? Well we tried it out, and it works!

Next was food in Little Italy...

...then we found the Firehouse used in the original Ghostbusters movie!

Drinks along the way...

And we had to end the night with seeing Times Square again but at night! It was amazing and crazy.

We all had a great time and made many memories. I was a trooper and went straight from the airport Saturday evening to work!