Delayed reminiscing

Very delayed..I know.

Our family is back together again. Nova had a lovely time on Great Barrier Island (NZ) with Nana and Koko...eating as many strawberries, oysters, mussels and crayfish she could.

I returned from my USA trip and have come back to reality...SO here’s a little snippet from our cool little holiday...

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First of all, Natalie and I have been best buds since high school. Even back then we always talked about visiting New York City. We are travel buddies now and even though we live in different countries, we always manage to take a trip somewhere together each year to catch up and rejuvenate ourselves. After 11 years we finally made it to NYC!

After about 18 hours flying we saw the bright lights and were so EXCITED. We couldn’t believe that we were actually there!

We did everything a tourist should do and saw everything we needed to. It was cold, but for some reason it added to the excitement. The place definitely surpassed my expectations.

We went to the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade which was incredible! I have never seen such an amazing show and HUGE balloons...(plus we got to see a handful of celebs.) Thanksgiving is such a lovely holiday, it’s all about gratitude and giving thanks ...It’s a shame we don’t celebrate it where we’re from (I might have to start a new tradition!!). Another good thing about thanksgiving are the SALES!

Natalie and I went a little crazy at all the stores. We couldn’t believe the frenzy at the big Macy’s in NYC. It was really fun though and we got some great deals.

Our highlight of the trip was attending Church where the LDS Manhattan Temple is, then spending the rest of Sunday in Central Park. It was beautiful and tranquil in such a bustling city. There were so many different performers and entertainers and we even got to ride on the famous carousel.

Another highlight was catching up with my good friend Alice who was there on holiday with her friend Lois. All four of us had such a great time laughing and talking that we didn’t realise we spent 6 hours in the Times square McDonalds!

We had to say goodbye to NYC and head back to LA. We had a quick look around then picked up our car to start our little road trip!

We drove to Las Vegas (actually just Natalie drove cos I was too scared). The scenery was beautiful and so different to what I’m used to. Natalie had been to Las Vegas many times and wanted us to arrive at night so she could show me the lights...what an awesome view we got! We cruised down the strip, and then made our way to the (very GRAND) Mandalay bay Hotel.

The next day we visited my lovely Aunty and Uncle then headed straight to my old stompin’ ground...Utah.

The mountains were so beautiful and HUGE...it was a very impressive site.

Salt Lake City was pleasant. It was very calming and peaceful. We did all the tours in Temple square then had lunch at the famous Lion house bakery. I couldn’t believe how cold...no, FREEZING it was. I kinda missed the nice hot days in Tonga by then.

Our next stop was Provo where I spent my early life while my Dad attended BYU. It was nice to wander around and take in the atmosphere.

It was farewell to Utah and straight back to Las Vegas for a quick costco shop, then back to LA for our last day. Natalie was such a trooper with all the driving she had to do!

Our last day was just took in all the touristy sites of LA. We were too tired to do any theme parks etc so we took it easy. Our final dinner was at my favourite restaurant The Cheesecake Factory. It was soo yummy, I miss it already.

So that was it. Our whirlwind USA holiday done! We had a blast, laughed ALOT and had heaps of fun together...but we both missed our families and couldn’t wait to get home.

The boys got to spend lots of quality time together and just hung out while the girls were away. Now that we’re back, everyone is adjusting back to our normal routine.

School finishes this week yay! Then we are hosting our ward Christmas party at our house..should be FUN!