Dipity-do and Wicked Too

I got to meet up with Mars and her adorable little Eli today.  We started at Dylan's Candy Bar (in honor of our candy runs back in junior high). Ralph Lauren's daughter Dylan started this amazing 3 story candy store.

Then it was off to Serendipity for lunch and famous frozen hot chocolate.  Holy cow, those are AMAZING! Worth every penny!

After our goodbyes I went to see this for the first time.  So magical!!!! I loved every minute of it!

Harry Potter Can Sing.........and Dance........

Who knew?  From the halls of Hogwarts to the Broadway stage, Harry did a pretty good job.

China Town, Little Italy, Central Park, and the Whole World

I met up with my friend Nick today.  We shopped in China Town, ate lunch in Little Italy, then walked through Central Park looking for street performers.  We didn't find any.  A man asked if I wanted to take a bike tour through the park claiming "The best price in the whole world!" I called him out on the statement. He laughed.  I laughed.  He said he meant the whole world inside the park.  I love New York!

9/11

When I planned my trip to New York, I didn't realize I would be there over the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  Due to heightened security, we weren't able to go to ground zero that day, but it was still a neat experience to be in the city.  We watched some of the ceremony on TV before we went to church and at church were able to hear about some of the experiences of those who were living in the city 10 years ago.  No one will ever forget where they were when they first heard about the twin towers.  It's amazing to think about where we have come as a nation since that day.  I'm proud to be an American.

I'm a Mormon

It's easy to spot Mormons.  Especially when it's a group of young single adults having a barbecue at Morningside Park in Harlam.

It's also easy to spot them wearing the BYU and Utah garb to cheer on their respective teams.

Fun first Saturday in New York.

Contagious

Probably not the best movie to see the first night in a crowded, dirty city.  Actually, probably just not the best movie to see period.

Nueva Nueva

I'm not sure why I always think that taking the red eye is a good idea.  But at least it got me to New York.

You Are Loved

Some photos from my trips to Haiti

Crazyness?

Xavier had organized a clinic today at the orphanage for the kids from the village. A few of them showed up yesterday and we had to turn them away. We were worried that it was going to be a mad house and that adults would be upset that we wouldn't treat them, but it really wasn't too bad.

Xavier did a great job of setting up the benches better to create a barrier and had communicated well that we would only see the first 100 kids. Once we got our system going, things ran pretty smoothly and we were able to see all the kids that came. Hatian babies are BEAUTIFUL! We saw 3 or 4 babies that were just a couple months old. It was a little bit overcast for part of today so it wasn't nearly as hot as yesterday. We passed out toothbrushes and toothpaste to everyone that came through today because the institute had donated so many. We also bought a lot of the paintings that Xavier, Maxon, Silvestre, and the kids had done. Xavier is really doing a great thing there. He teaches kids how to to the traditional Carribean art in a small school in his home. After the earthquake there were 20 or so kids that showed up without anywhere to go. So he and his wife took them in and started Poor Children's Orphanage. They keep it going through the proceeds from the artwork and donations from people. Xavier makes sure that all the kids go to school as well. He is a good man.

Poor Children's Orphanage

We headed up to Mont Rouis today to do a clinic with Poor Children's Orphanage (we're helping them pick a better name) and deliver all the supplies we had collected for them. We saw a lot of kids and staff, probably around 40. It was pretty chaotic, but we got the job done.

The children there are beautiful! After a successful clinic we headed to Club Indigo for the afternoon and to spend the night. Back in the 70s it was a Club Med and it was a beautiful and relaxing break.

We brought our 4 interpreters (Big Mac, Lesly, Matt, and Stevenson) with us and it was so fun to watch them. They had never done anything like that before and had never gone swimming. We tried to teach them to swim. It was pretty entertaining. I met a famous Hatian poet at dinner and his wife (who is from Argentina). Super nice couple.