Tuesday- Day 5

              After the play, we made the drive to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where we spent the last day of our trip. We got to the hotel at 1 a.m. and allowed ourselves to sleep in as late as we wanted. Good sleep and rest is something we lacked a little bit on this trip, so sleeping in was awesome. We were all awake around 10:30 or 11:00, so my dad looked up restaurants in the area and found an IHOP within walking distance. We all set out (except Wilson, who would rather skip breakfast to sleep) but never found it. Turns out IHOP no longer exists there. So we made it to Caesar’s Palace before they closed down the breakfast buffet. It was the breakfast of a lifetime. The entire trip, I had eaten fairly well and not overindulged on much. I decided this was my last day, and I was eating what I wanted (and I also knew we would only have 2 meals anyway since we ate breakfast at lunchtime). Breakfast food is one of my favorite things ever, so I got a little bit of everything I wanted to taste and went back for seconds of the things I loved. It was delicious! I love food!

                Post breakfast, we went out to the boardwalk. 

                We weren’t expecting to walk around much, but since we ended up pretty much walking all the way to the boardwalk for breakfast, we decided to check it, and the beach, out. The boardwalk was so cool! There are tons of little shops that just rock and have the coolest, randomest things. The shops are cheap, but the food is expensive, so I guess it balances out. We found this place that had sunglasses for 99 cents! Zach and I got two pairs; Ben, Krista, and Wilson all got one. Krista and I got matching sunglasses. I also got two colors of nail polish and a tube of lipstick for 50 cents each. I don’t know the quality yet, but if it’s cheap quality, I can’t be mad because I paid a cheap price for them. It looked fairly good though. 

                Walking around the boardwalk was fun, but it was hot and humid, and we were tired. So we decided to forgo the beach and simply go back to our hotel to take a little rest, workout, swim, and then go back to the boardwalk when it cooled down later.

                On our way home, we made a few stops at the Tanger outlets. My dad hit up all the athletic stores, while I went to Forever 21 with my sisters and then Van Heusen with Ben. Van Heusen was the jackpot! They had an amazing sale there, so I got some nice clothes for student teaching, and Ben got some shirts and a tie for work, and we only spent half of what we saved. For the total price we paid, we ended up spending about $15 per item of high quality dress clothes. It was an awesome deal!

                After our workout and swimming, we made our way back to the boardwalk again. This time, there was a wonderful sea breeze, and the atmosphere was so fun. It was starting to get dark, so loud music was playing and lights were coming on. We just walked around. Wilson came with us this time and had fun looking at the shops and finding sunglasses. My mom got a cute dress. And we had the dinner of champions. Check this out and be jealous: Mom, Krista, Emily, Ben, and I shared a funnel cake, chicken nuggets, a giant quesadilla, mozzarella sticks, and ice cream. Ben also had a giant slice of pizza. Yep. Delicious. I don’t regret it, either, because now I am going home and back to my normal and (mostly) healthy eating habits. My body will be fine. 

After her blue-raspberry Italian ice

                We went to bed super late and left our hotel at 4:15 to catch our flights. Hooray for little sleep! I’m sad to end this family trip. It was an absolute blast! I love my family so much, and I love seeing how Ben fits in with our family chemistry. He is totally one of us. So, to my family who is reading this, I LOVE YOU! I’m proud of Wilson and Zach for choosing to serve missions. Wilson leaves August 1, and Zach leaves August 29. I’m going to miss them. It’s going to be weird having them gone at the same time. That’s practically half the family (half the biological kids, anyway). But my family will be blessed, and they will be blessed too!

                All in all, this was a great last family vacation for two years!

Monday-Day 4

               First, we woke up and went jogging in Central Park. We walked there, jogged for 20 minutes in the park, and then jogged most of the way home (distance from hotel to Central Park was 1 mile). The park is beautiful. I had been there before, but Ben hadn’t so he wanted to go. It felt really nice to be running here. And running back through the city to our hotel felt amazing. I don’t know why, but I had this second wind and I felt like I was flying back. And for some reason dodging all the people was fun too.

                We chilled at the hotel until we had to check out, then we adventured in downtown New York for the rest of the day. We found a good place for lunch, a place that had so many different types of food, and we could all choose what we wanted.  I got a very yummy salad. Wilson got a giant pizza to share with Krista. In the end, we all helped out a little (it was amazing, by the way), and he seriously didn’t eat for a full 24 hours. I calculated it, and he ate a minimum of 95 square inches of pizza. Zach’s pizza was only about 60 square inches. 

                After lunch, my dad, Krista, Ben, and I went to see Cirque du Soleil--Zarkana at Radio City. It was AWESOME! I can’t even describe it. If you have ever seen Cirque, you can understand how awesome it was. If you haven’t, you should find an opportunity to see it, and take the opportunity.

                We met up with everyone else in Rockefeller Square and walked around the shops there. We played a little Nintendo at Nintendo world. And I walked around in some expensive clothing shops with Emily for a bit. Then we pretty much just walked around the city, in and out of stores that looked interesting until we were ready for dinner.

                I had wanted Asian food the entire trip. Krista specifically wanted Japanese food. We found this little hole in the wall place that was amazing. I don’t even know what it was called. All I know is that we found it and were trying to decide if it looked too sketchy to go in. Then, this lady came out and said, “Take it from a native New Yorker, this place is awesome.” It was. It was hands down the best Japanese place I have ever eaten, and it was really cheap considering the food we got. Ben got 2 rolls of sushi for just a few dollars each, and it was good sushi. I am so glad we went there. For those of you who don’t know, both my parents served missions for our church in Japan, so we have a special spot in our hearts for Japanese food. My mom doesn’t make it super often, but we ate it enough growing up to love it. My parents said that place was the most authentic place they have eaten since they went to Japan. Yay for hole-in-the-wall restaurants!

                After dinner, we saw Spider Man- Turn off the Dark, the new Broadway musical! I’ll admit, I haven’t been really excited for it. But, when we got there, I got excited because I knew I would be seeing some awesome special effects. I thought to myself that even if the musical itself wasn’t great, at least I could say I saw a musical that marks history (because of the special effects).

                Honestly, I didn’t like the musical. It would have been a really awesome play, but not with music. In my eyes, the music killed it. Seriously, I don’t think there is much room for music in Spiderman. It needs packed action, not stops to sing songs that aren’t even that great. The special effects were cool, I’ll give it that. I also really liked how they incorporated so much of the comic. The set was made to be like the comic, which I loved. So it had pros and cons. It definitely would have been better simply as a play, but I guess it was worth seeing once. I wouldn’t go back and see it again. I can guarantee that without the music, I would have loved it. Once I disregarded the music, I liked it much better.  I love Broadway. I love beautiful music and acting—I love traditional Broadway. This just did not meet my Broadway expectations (I didn’t have high expectations for this show though, so it did meet my expectations for the show itself). The Spiderman story is good though, and it has deep meanings. I can’t wait to see the movie. It will be a much better Spidey experience.

Sunday- Day 3

I woke up early to exercise with my mom. When I went to her room, she said my dad really wanted to go jogging. That was weird. He never jogs. So when I asked her why, she said he wanted to jog to the Rocky steps and run up them. Haha. So my mom, Zach, my dad, and I did that (hey, with all the craziness and lack of sleep, I forgot it was Sunday. We normally don’t exercise on Sundays. This was actually my first time ever. But, to justify it, I was enjoying God’s beautiful weather). It was really fun! And a good way to get my dad out exercising! I didn't take my camera though :( Because we were running.

Then we went to tour Independence Hall. On our way, we went to this market with tons of little restaurants. We had a Cajun breakfast, which was delicious.

Independence Hall was fascinating. I really enjoyed it (1) because of the architecture, and (2) because of the significance. I stood in the room where George Washington, John Adams, James Madison, Ben Franklin, and all those others stood. It’s just really amazing to think about what they have done for our nation. For us. And in respect to us, what they have done for the church, which includes what they have done for me. Because of these men, and all those who fought in the war and helped us win, we are free to worship as we choose. They paved the way for Joseph Smith to question religion and receive inspiration from God to establish His church on the earth. God had His hand in everything—the point when those men signed the Declaration of Independence, when Joseph Smith received the first vision, and everything after that has led our church to where it is now. I stood in the room where God helped form this nation. 

Ben also took this picture. I didn't even know. I just found it on my camera. He's good. 

Part of the interior

 This painting replaced the British coat of arms that they took down and burned when the revolution started.

 The room where they signed the Declaration.

 After they wrote the Declaration, they sent a typed version to the colonies for people to read. This is a replica of what people received and read.

Later in the afternoon, we made the drive to New York city! I have a love-hate relationship with New York. I think it’s fun, but it’s dirty, smelly, and crowded too. Oh well, I think I love it :) I wanted to get a NY loves ME shirt. Haha. But I refrained.

After checking in to our hotel, we went exploring. First, we went to a dollar pizza place, which was amazing. My dad said it didn’t meet his expectations for thin NY pizza, but it was still the best pizza I have ever had. For $1 per giant slice (a little extra for toppings, but still a great deal). Then we just walked around. I paid a dollar for a picture with Cookie Monster with my sisters (rip off? Idk. I was okay with paying a dollar). We also journeyed to the M&M and Hershey’s stores… We had to exit the Hershey’s store quick though. I was absolutely in heaven. I could live in the Reeses section. 

I also took a picture of us on this big screen that caught the crowd. It was advertizing vodka… but the fact that we were on the screen was cool. So disregard the vodka stuff and bask on our glory of being on a screen in NY :)

We are directly to the right of the vodka box. Ben and my mom are wearing flag shirts. My dad and I are right behind. I, obviously, have the camera in front of my face.

 

Saturday- Day 2

               We slept in a little today because we had such little sleep the night before. We checked out of our hotel around 10:30, then trekked the ~2.5 to the National Mall. There, we visited the Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial. We admired the Jefferson Memorial from afar. 

                As we were deciding what Smithsonian things to visit today, Wilson said he really wanted to go to the National Air and Space Museum. He talked about it for a while, then said, “Plus, I really want to see Emily Gherhart.” Zach and I looked at each other for a second and started smiling. Zach said, “Amelia Earhart?” Wilson looked embarrassed then said in his best Wilson voice, “Yeah her. I just really want to go there, okay?!”  It was a funny moment, and maybe you had to be there. But the memory makes me smile.

                After the National Mall, we made our way to the Museum of American History. We only went into a few exhibits (we had little time because we also had to drive to New Jersey in the late afternoon). I enjoyed learning about the flag and writing of “The Star Spangled Banner.” I also loved seeing the first Washington Monument. We studied this sculpture in the last art history class I took. I think it’s so interesting because of the symbolism behind it, but at the same time, I see why they didn’t accept it as a true tribute to George Washington. Making him look like Zeus is not what George Washington would have wanted. I imagine as a pretty humble man. We also went into a pop culture exhibit that was all about the 30s: inventions, innovations, ideas, and world happenings. It was cool.

(picture of first Washington Monument to come)

                Next, we went to the National Air and Space Museum. That was awesome too! I split from my family for a while and went to learn about Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, and the Wright brothers. It was fascinating. I have always admired Amelia Earhart, and this made me even more interested in her. She was a great role model for women, especially in the sense of following your dreams and aspiring to higher things. One thing I admired about the Wright brothers was that when they worked in their bike shop, they felt the need to push their intellect a little further. Eventually, that’s how their airplane came about. They didn’t settle for something easy. They pushed themselves to see what they could do. Now, their idea has come a very long way. Without people like this, our culture and society wouldn’t grow. I truly believe there is something we can all do to push ourselves and discover/do something wonderful.

                After that, we took a taxi back to our hotel (our feet killed), grabbed our bags, and set out for other adventures on this trip.

                We drove to see the DC temple. On the way, we saw a lot of damage from the storm last night. We were really lucky that nothing serious happened to us or the restaurant we were eating in! The damage was scary! We watched a family moving out because a tree pretty much crushed their house. All the trees here are really old and really big. I can’t imagine having to pack up and move because a tree pretty much totaled my house. 

 Crazy, huh? And we managed to safely run back to our hotel from dinner between bad bursts of the storm.

                When we got to our hotel in Jersey, we found out that the storm had hit really bad there too and that the power was out in the entire county. They weren’t sure when they would get it up and running. Apparently the workers did call my dad to let him know, but the only number they had on file for him was his work number. So we didn’t get the message until we got there. What an adventure.

                Emily and I went in to find the bathroom (we had just finished a 3-4 hour drive). It was roped off. So we went back outside. My dad was making calls trying to find another place for us to stay. While we waited, we ventured back inside to find another bathroom. The front-desk people told us we could use the one upstairs. So we took our phones as flashlights and went up. It was so CREEPY. The bathroom was all the way across the building through this creepy hallway. After we both used the bathroom, we ran back downstairs. Everyone else had followed us inside, so we showed them where the bathrooms were too. Ben hid behind a plant upstairs and freaked me out when I walked by. I almost started crying. Haha. We laughed about it, but I was a little mad too. We finally decided to drive to Philadelphia, which we were planning on driving to in the morning. Now, we are pretty much trying to figure out the rest of our trip day by day.

Friday-Day 1

I haven't had the best internet access, and when I have had access, it's only been through Ben's iPad. So, I have been keeping a log of our adventures on my computer in a word document, ready to post when I get the chance. Today, I have the first half of our trip to post. The rest will come later :)

So, here's Friday's adventures!

                We got up early to be at the White house by 7:15 for our tour. The White House tour was awesome, and I especially loved it because I could experience the beautiful art, architecture, interior design, and furnishings. It was a beauty. I loved it!No cameras were allowed though, so I only have a picture of the outside that I took later in the day.

                Following the White House, we went to our hotel to take a little break, then made our way to the Capitol for our tour there. One of the Congressmen from Arkansas had arranged a tour for us. Our guide’s name was Rebecca, and intern with the senator. She took us everywhere (well, everywhere we could go...)! There are underground tunnels that connect the building we met her at to the Capitol and other buildings in the area (I think). I loved the Capitol for the same reasons: the architecture and design is absolutely beautiful. If you think about the fact that they did all this by hand without the many machines and stuff we have now, it should put you in awe. 

These are some pictures from inside the capitol. The rest will be found on facebook or my photography blog. 

 Ben took this picture. Just giving him the credit. He rocks!

                You aren’t allowed to have food or drink in the Capitol. My granola bar got confiscated, but my mom’s plethora of fruit snacks and other snacks didn’t… makes me think the security guard was hungry and my granola bar looked more appetizing. Haha.

                After our tour, we were going to leave and go get Wilson (who had decided that sleeping sounded more fun than touring the Capitol) and lunch, when Rebecca called us and said the senator wanted to take a picture with us at 11:45. It was 11:00. We decided to wait for him, in the boiling sun, and he ended up being super late. We didn’t start walking to our lunch restaurant until 12:20, and we were late. We had to powerwalk, and by the time we got there, we all felt like we had gone for a pretty intense jog. It was so hot and humid.

                The place we went to for lunch was called Fogo de Chao. It was absolutely delicious! It was pretty much a super amazing Tucanos (for all you Utahns). We ate too much, then went back into the heat to go to the Natural History Museum.

                The Natural History Museum was so cool. I loved it. We went through this bones exhibit that talked about evolution and the makeup of different animals. Then we went through a mummy exhibit, insects (with live creepy things!), and then a forensic exhibit. This was really cool. It first talked about/showed how you identify bodies, cause of death, etc CSI style. Then it went into these mysteries from colonial times. Recently, they have excavated tombs and graves, so they are trying to figure out as much about these people as they can. They have learned a lot. I learned a lot. That was one of my favorite things we did. I loved reading about these mysteries they are solving and how we can learn about the life of the colonists through this. I also learned that the first James Fort has been found. In school, I always learned that they didn’t know what happened to it and stuff. Nope. Actually, they discovered it about 1994 and have been putting pieces together since then.

We also went through this great animal photography exhibit, a Titanoboa (largest snake in the world) exhibit, and natural gemstones and minerals exhibit. That whole museum was so awesome! I want to go back and do the rest as well.

                After that, we went home for an hour rest (and showered), then went to see Shear Madness! Shear Madness is a improv-mystery-comedy play. It was really funny, but actually pretty raunchy considering we were seeing it in a family theater. We think most of the jokes went above Krista’s head. My parents didn’t think it was bad enough to leave during intermission. Plus, by intermission, the worst was over. After intermission, the audience got to help solve the mystery! Yep, it was awesome.

                We went back to the hotel, and finally went to try to find dinner. It was about 10:00. We found a delicious Italian place that was still open. Almost as soon as we were seated, someone pointed out the fierce winds that started outside. We were sitting in this glass surrounded outer part of the restaurant. The rain suddenly dumped down, and we just watched in horror at this terrible storm. I was just praying that it would calm enough for us to get the half mile or so back to our hotel (we walked to dinner). It was perfect. God certainly blessed us. As soon as we were ready to go, the rain was pretty light. So we got home as fast as we could. I took off my flip-flops and ran most of the way. It was a great adventure!

Day 1: DC

Today was the first official day of "The Bill and Julie Herlin's First Family Reunion." It was super fun!

We walked around DC and spent hours soaking up sun, heat, and humidity. We are all sunburned and tired.

I don't have access to my pictures yet because I can't use my own computer to post this.

So, some adventures of the day were:
1. Seeing a very tanned man with long white hair and beard in a white loin cloth.
2. Touring the White House.
3. Touring the Capitol Building.
4. National Museum of Natural History (this may have been my favorite).
5. Going into the National Archives
6. Running home in the rain from our Italian restaurant we went to for dinner.

Pictures and more details to come!

Stretching

I recently bought two books I have been desperately wanting to read: Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson and Be the Miracle by Regina Brett. Ever since I have discovered these books, they have been at the top of my mental to-read shelf because I know they will inspire me and uplift me.

I was right. I started both books yesterday. Be the Miracle is more like 50 short essays that each focus on teaching some kind of life lesson for "making the impossible possible." I read the introduction and the first four lessons and have already been really touched by the stories shared and my hope for personal growth as I read this book. Heaven is Here is a memoir about a woman who suffered more than I can even imagine (surviving a fiery plane crash that burned 80% of her body) and how her faith and hope helped her stay alive and regain her joyful life. I haven't finished it yet, but I have already read through her getting released from the hospital.

So far, I feel that I am accomplishing what I was hoping for as I read these two books: a personal gratitude for my life and an increased faith and strength for my own life. As I have been reading these two books, I have also been studying articles from this year's April Ensign, which focus on Christ and the family. I have learned a lot, which I would like to share with you all.

Through my own trials, I have gone through phases of optimism but also questioning why this is happening to me. Sometimes, I get angry that God has allowed certain things to happen to me. Sometimes, I develop a deep humility and gratitude for the life lessons I am learning. Sometimes, I'm just here and don't really know what I am doing, but I am simply trying to rely on the Savior's Atonement to give me strength to get through another day. I don't always have the best attitude, but sometimes I surprise myself with great optimism.

I have realized through my own course of study, along with reading these books and the Ensign recently, that sometimes we are stretched, even when intensely painful, to grow better. It's like physical therapy. When you have an injury, you have to endure painful stretches that you don't want to do. Because. They. Hurt. But the only way to get better and develop more flexibility is to stretch yourself, even though it hurts. God knows what He is doing when he challenges us with trials. If we are faithful, He will not give us challenges beyond our capacity to bear. Praying for the trial to be taken away doesn't always work. What will always work is praying for God to bless us with the strength to bear the trial and strength to keep enduring. The strength He blesses us with will help us get through it. God loves us. He hears our prayers. Sometimes we have to go through hard things, but that's what makes us better. It's part of the test of mortality.

Sometimes, I think to myself, "I don't want to be here. What was I thinking when I agreed to come to earth and do all these hard things?" Then I remember that my spirit in the pre-mortal world had much more knowledge than I do now. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I knew that this was the only way to gain exaltation. I knew that God would not leave me alone and that Christ would always be on my side. In this life, I blindly follow them because I know that if I had all the knowledge I would follow them no matter what.

I know that life is hard. It's meant to be hard. I am eternally grateful for the gospel and the knowledge I have of God and Jesus Christ. I am grateful for all the tender mercies that God blesses me with and the strength He gives me to keep going when I barely have the courage to face another day.

And I'm so grateful that I married my best friend and one of the nicest men in the world. He is a blessing to me from God. God knew all along it would take someone special to handle me, and I'm grateful that He shaped me and led me right where I belong.