Last month, Dan had a two week Spring Break. He spent the first five days chaperoning an 8th grade trip to Williamsburg, VA and Washington, DC. He had a great time and got to see his family in Williamsburg for a short time, too!
When he returned home, we left the following day to visit New York for four days. The timing of the trip was primarily to watch the New York Islanders play at the old Nassau Coliseum before they move to a nicer arena in Brooklyn next year. Dan's been talking about going to one of the last home games for two years, so we made it a priority!
After two days on Long Island, Dad and Mom Jester joined us and we all stayed a couple of nights in downtown Manhattan. That was an amazing experience that I never thought I'd have! Dad and Mom generously offered their timeshare points to book our rooms, and we absolutely loved being just a few blocks from Central Park, Times Square, and other New York attractions. We only had one full day to see a few sights, but we had a great time!
Dan was thrilled to take Emma to an Islanders home game!
Emma was less than thrilled about the weather, though. It was in the low 30s, windy, and snowing! Her face pretty much sums up her misery during the short walk from the car to the Coliseum.
Once inside, she seemed to enjoy all the noise and action during the game
Until half time, then she was done with the game and just wanted to climb up and down the stairs again and again
The Islanders lost, but we still had a great time!
No trip to Long Island is complete without a stop at the house where Dan grew up. We also visited a church on Sunday where several attendees had known Dan since his youth. After the service, we visited with Dan's former youth pastor, Gregg, and his wife, Joyce. It was great to catch up with them!
The weather was much nicer once Dad and Mom joined us. We were thankful that we could enjoy walking around the city.
We took Emma to FAO Schwartz, a three-story mega toy store. She was in toddler heaven!
So many toys to try out, so little time!
Family picture
Picture with Grandpa and Grandma
She couldn't keep her eyes open afterwards!
After lunch when she woke up, we walked through Central Park and stopped at a playground
Strolling through Central Park
I took her for a ride on the carousel. She lasted about 30 seconds on this horse, and then wanted off, so we sat in one of the non-moving cars instead.
Next stop was the Museum of Natural History!
Our little monkey
They had a cool kids' section with hands-on activities and exhibits
My favorite photo of the day
And this is now one of my favorite videos of all time! Guess which area of the museum made the biggest impression on Emma?
We loved our whirlwind trip, and it was even better to get to spend part of it with Dan's parents!
