"Happy Days Hawkins, Happy Days"

Mickelsen Family goes to Washington...and Gettysburg, and Palmyra, and New York City!!!

I love my family. I love that they come to visit me. I will admit however, I was a little leery when they started sharing some of their ideas about our east coast family vacation. When they said they wanted to visit DC, Gettysburg, Palmyra, and NYC in a week, I got a little nervous. Did they know that DC to Palmyra was at least an 8 hour drive? Did they remember they were only visiting for one week?? I gently reminded them that we would be spending a decent portion of our trip in the car. Turns out, this was one of the things they were looking forward to most of all. Now that the trip is over, I would not have had it any other way. Mickelsen's go big or go home. Thus I share with you, what turned out to be a week of 7 adults acting like we were children again.

Case in point #1: Dad sporting his "bug face" for the camera. This face never gets old.

#2. We could totally pass for some Bronx ballers. On our train ride to Yankee Stadium we strategized how we could teach our bronx brothas a lesson or two on the court. We are such dreamers...but it sounds so realistic in our heads!
#3. I made Stephen practice taking pictures showing his teeth. After a few trial shots, this was the grand finale. He looks pretty good to me. Don't you just love older sisters?!
#4. The Bug Kingdom will never die. Whether it's singing a hymn at church and chuckling as we sing the word ear, or seeing an actual ear artifact at the Statue of Liberty, the boys can always take a moment to feel ears. I know this may sound a little crazy to you, well, it is crazy.
#5. I promise we took Gettysburg seriously. We just got a little distracted in the gift shop.

We had a wonderful visit while in Palmyra, NY. It was neat to share this experience with my siblings.

Other highlights of the trip included:

Going to the top of the Empire State Building (this was a first for me!). (Tangent: we may or may not have played, Jay-Z's, "Empire State of Mind," when we first drove into the city. The modern version of Frank's, New York, New York).

Seeing the Lion King on Broadway.
Seeing Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.
The Manhattan Temple right by Lincoln Center.

My parents fell in love with Nuts 4 Nuts. Who can't help falling in love with them? They are a nyc favorite. We also stopped at Rice to Riches, Carmines for some yummy Italian, Deluxe Diner (my old Columbia stomping ground), and made sure to have nyc style pizza, a couple of times :)

Thanks to Mom & Dad for making this trip happen and coming to visit me! I heart our family!!!