Battle of the Sox!

 Way back at the beginning of the MLB season I looked over the Red Sox's schedule to see when they were playing the mid-west teams.....  Of course my luck, the only time they were going to be anywhere close to Iowa was in April and the end of September.  Both times during the week and when Adam's school was in session.  I was determined to watch them at least once this season though... so I informed Adam that I was planning on going to Chicago for a battle between the Red Sox and the White Sox on Sept. 27th.  The day finally came--- We had a great time and because neither team was going to make the play-offs the tickets were cheap! I'll  take a $5 Red Sox ticket any day. 

U.S. Cellular Field. Notice that we are way way up, like always. I am really becoming accustomed to the upper level. haha. Can't wait for the day to be able to purchase the lower level seats!

The Stadium was really nice but one of the coolest parts was that this is the view looking down on the Chicago skyline. Super cool.

 Mike Lowell...  He is retiring this year so I was so glad I got to see him play one last time.

 Big PAPI..... Love, love this guy. The Red Sox better keep him around for next year.

It was fun and chilly night at the ballpark. Good news... RED SOX won! 

We didn't do much else in Chicago. We left Monday morning, parked outside the city, took the Subway to downtown, walked around a bit, and then headed to the game. Then headed back to Iowa City. Success of a Day.
  This is the only other worthwhile pic we got.  I love Chicago!

Blessings of Beauty.

Being able to attend the Nauvoo Temple on a regular occasion has been one of the neatest and greatest blessings we experience while living here in Iowa.  The temple itself is of course a place of peace, but also every time I look out from the temple stairs over the the little valley and across the Mississippi River, I am reminded of the wonderful Saints that sacrificed so much to make the church what it is today.  It truly is a place of beauty and serenity.
I hadn't taken pictures since one of the very first times we attended the temple so I thought we were due for a few pictures.

LDS NAUVOO TEMPLE 

t.h.i.r.t.y. o.n.e.

Yes. Adam turned 31! 

Happy Birthday Babe.  

Man he is getting old.  That means I am only a few years behind him..... I don't like to think about that.
So Adam's birthday was the day after we got back from NY.  It started out like all birthdays should but late afternoon Adam started feeling a bit nauseous and not good at all.  When he first got home from school I think he was trying to hide it so that he could try and enjoy his birthday and his birthday dinner--- but I think me frying up some scones put his stomach over the edge.  He graciously ate some dinner but I felt horrible by then cause you could tell he just looked like he was in pain. Needless to say we didn't get a whole lot of birthday celebrating in that night, and instead Adam was very unlucky to catch some sort of brutal 24 hour flu--- throw-up, nauseous goodness.  I really felt bad that he couldn't enjoy his birthday. So we planned on celebrating the next day but lucky for me, instead I caught the bug and enjoyed that evening clutching my stomach, throwing up, and experiencing what he had the day before.  Can i just say that being sick is the worst thing in the world. You can't do anything.  So 24 hours later I think that we were almost back to 100%.... thank goodness.
We finally were able to enjoy somewhat of a birthday celebration and eat some cheesecake!  Happy Birthday Adam! You really are the greatest husband I could ever have asked for.  Thanks for all that you do for me.

---Later that day I got a call from my brother Tyler asking if Adam or myself had been sick at all?? YES!! It turns out that about half of us that had been in NJ caught something and all got the same bug.  Although I do not wish that sickness upon anyone, it was nice to know that someone else was feeling my pain in New Jersey and Utah.   :)

Here are a couple birthday pics.

 This is his actual birthday..  he was trying to put on a happy face but it didn't last long.

 A couple of days later when we got to eaten some cheesecake.

 1 candle + 30 = 31 years old.

Wittwers take on N.Y.C. & NJ

Most of the time it is a major downer that my Bro and his family live clear out on the east coast because it's not everyday that we get to see them... okay hardly ever do we get to see them.  But it was all worth it over Labor day weekend when my entire family (minus Elder Wittwer serving in Portugal) was able to meet up in New Jersey and hang out for the long weekend. We had a blast!  Here was what we did to conquer the city. (Picture overload I know.. sorry).

1. Empire State Building-- all 102 floors of it. I had never taken the time to go up to the top before because there was always such long lines and the cost didn't seem worth it to me. But thanks to Tyler-- for having hook-ups(ward members that work there) we were able to skip lines, not pay, and go all the way up past the regular observatory. Awesome.  Thanks Tyler's friend.  It was really neat to be able to see all sides of NYC from the bird's point of view.  

Tim, Tyler, Mom, Marci, Adam on the 102nd floor ..... a Bit hard to see the city down below. 

2. Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays game at Yankee Stadium.  Fun game but we were all slightly disappointed that hardly any of the starters were playing. They thought they needed to rest them all for a game and what better day then on a HOT, HUMID, Friday AFTERNOON game... Okay I really don't blame em cause it was so stinking hot!  It was still fun and although I am a YANKEE HATER I was able to enjoy the baseball atmosphere. 

A fellow Sox Fan. Go RED SOX! 

Boo Yankees. There were way too many pin stripes around for my liking. 

3. Tyler and Erin have the most ideal house.... well the location is and yard is probably what is most ideal of all.  They live right on a beautiful lake. So we took advantage of it and swam, boated, played in it, and really just enjoyed it's beauty.  

4.  Central Park.  Okay I had been to Central Park before but I can't say that I have really ever explored it quite like we did.  My Dad, Mom, Adam, Whitney, Henry, and I had a late Broadway show so while the others were in their shows, we checked out what most of the park had to offer. Such a cool place and such a pretty day (it had cooled down a ton since the day before at the Yankees game).  

 Marci with Henry and Jackson.... getting ready to head out!

 I think Jackson was a bit more daring than Henry. Henry caught on quick though.

 Marci, Henry, and Whitney watching the ducks and sailboats

5. Times Square and Ellen's Stardust Diner.  Singing waiters and waitresses.  Fun stuff. I don't know why I keep going back to this place.... cheesy as it is but it was fun cause Whitney got her very own Birthday serenade.   

Just noticed this but.... JoAnna and Erica do you remember the Applebees that we ate at on Thanksgiving 2006 after the Freezing cold Macys Day Parade?  Delish.... 

My Cute Parents.  

6. Wicked. I loved it!! And even Adam said he enjoyed it.  I had seen Wicked in Boston from the traveling cast but  because I liked it so much then I had wanted to see it on Broadway. I was not disappointed.  Although the traveling show was great, it was even better this time around.  Such a fun show! 

Not a very good pic but this is Whitney and I after the show! 

7. Hanging out and Birthday Bash.  We had so much fun all being in the same house.  Although pretty much on every spare inch of  floor there was a blow-up mattress to accommodate us all us, it was so fun being in such close quarters to everyone.  Whitney had her 17th bday while we were there and Adam and Tim's birthdays were to come shortly so we had a mini bday celebration.  

8. Spontaneous family pictures after church.  Aren't we cute?  

Thanks Tyler and Erin for letting us crash your place.. We had such a great time. When are we all invited back?!?!