Marc & Lindsay Duncan Family

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

If you're going to San Francisco

We were so fortunate to tag along on yet another business venture of Marc's. Ali, Nyla and Nixon came as well and were probably the biggest highlight for Jude. He loves them. We struggled a little bit on the way home. I forgot my ID and Ali forgot her keys. That made things interesting but it luckily all worked out. Phew!!

We ate at Starbucks every morning! YUM!

We got a ton of great Golden Gate shots!!

Marc knew of this amazing beach just below the Golden Gate where we got most of these pics. But some of the foolin around down there were my favorites.

We also rented a car to head down to Santa Cruz for the day. We had such a great time and the highlight were the Sea lions that you could get so close to. Jude did not want to leave.

We also made sure to sights like Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, Lombard St., Union Square (where the kids played and jumped and got all their energy out.)

Last but not least. My little business man!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Labor Day weekend and more

We were so lucky this Labor Day weekend to have Ali and Marriott invite us along on their retreat. Marriott's family has an amazing cabin in Duck Creek. We felt so spoiled spending the weekend there. We also got to play on their amazing toys. We are so grateful to them for this amazing experience.

Jude hated the swing. NOT! :)

Loaded up for an adventure. Even Sundance got to come.

One of the amazing vistas

Nixon was so good to play with Jude. Such a nice older cousin. He is so lucky and just adores him and followed him around everywhere saying "Sicken" (Nixon)

Of course the shirts had to come off at one point and Nixon didn't need much convincing.

LOVED his motorcycle ride with Daddy.

Dying over this wrangler Butt

One of the amazing things about Duck Creek is that it is at the fingertips of so many great places. Lucky for us Zions is one of those wonderful places.

The amazing tunnel in Zion that blew Jude's mind.

Safety first.

We also went to the Utah State Fair. Marc has loved this since he was a kid and it is always a must do each year when it rolls around.

I loved this big reach

Pretty shocked he just worked that hard for a fake apple.

Forgot all about it when he say the tractor tricycles.

I love when he finds old toys to entertain him for a minute.

He swings from anything and anything. The table, high chairs, anything he can grip. It is the coolest thing out there at the moment. (Obviously)

Broke down. It was too shaggy and I didn't trust anyone else to do it. So Marc and I tag teamed it.

Pretty dang handsome!

He is such a goof. He had to wear almost all of my socks this morning. Loved all the colors. Then he found some bright shoes to match. :)

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Preston (My Nephew) Takes on New York City and Washington DC

This past week Marc had a business trip that was taking him to the east coast and he decided to take my Nephew Preston along with him. Preston is 18 years old and seriously considering joining the Marines in the next year and we thought it would be a great opportunity for him to see Washington DC and New York City (two of the greatest cities in the country). The trip started when Marc and Preston took the "red-eye" flight from Salt Lake City to New York City. After arriving at about 6:00 AM they spent the rest of that day taking in as many NYC sights as possible. They started by checking out the Brooklyn Bridge and then made their way to Brooklyn Heights (which ended up being Preston's favorite NYC neighborhood...just like me). The rest of the day consisted of exploring lower Manhattan (Wall Street, etc), Midtown (Rockefeller Center, Union Square, etc) and ended the day with dinner in little Italy and hitting up Times Square. After one day in New York City Marc asked Preston what "blew his mind" the most and he said Chinatown. :) The next morning was spent checking out the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Then the rest of the afternoon they explored "The Village" and SoHo. Marc said that Preston had his mind blown by everything in New York City but overall he loved the Statue of Liberty, The Village, the street performers, September 11th Memorial and Chinatown. After hitting as much of NYC as possible (thanks to the incredible subway system) they took an evening train to Washington DC. They arrived early enough in the evening to take a stroll past the White House and Lincoln Memorial. Over the next day they literally hit almost every major site in Washington DC...here is the list: Capitol Building, White House, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr Memorial, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial (Marines), American History Museum, Holocaust Museum and National Air & Space Museum. By the end of the weekend they had exhausted their feet and metro passes. :) Preston is generally really quite and reserved (so it is hard to get too many answers from him) but Marc believes he was most impressed with Arlington Cemetery (especially the Tomb of the Unknowns), Iwo Jima Memorial, Star Spangled Banner flag and the Vietnam Memorial. Everybody experiences some "culture shock" when they first visit places like NYC and Washington DC and Preston was no exception. Overall he had a great time and Marc said he could not have been a better "travel buddy." We love you Preston!

Here are the Pics...