Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We had a really good holiday. On Thursday, Thanksgiving day we went to my sisters' and brother in-laws' house (Dawn & David) for lunch. It was a really good time. We had lunch then play games all afternoon.

Then for dinner we went to our grandma and grandpas' house, on the Hall's side. Again we had a lot of fun just enjoying each others company and sharing with each other, stories about the past. Ava had lots of fun at both place because she was the center of attention.

On Friday, or Black Friday, Kristi and I hosted Thanksgiving at our house; we had her dad and brother over, also her mom, step-dad, sister, and grandma. Chuck, Kristi's step-dad did all the cooking or almost all the cooking, I made the rolls. Chuck came over early and started the turkey, then later he fixed mashed potato's, corn, sweet potato's, and the night before he made pumpkin pies. Friday was very nice, I AM SO THANKFUL FOR ALL OF OUR FAMILY, and that Kristi and I didn't have to do the cooking.

This week AVA has been doing a lot of new things, she is starting to point to people that she recognizes, she is making some new and very funny faces, and she has even taken a few steps on her own. Here are a few pics from Thanksgiving day and the Thanksgiving Friday.

LIVE FROM TIME SQUARE!!

Views from Central Park!!

On our trip we got to just relax and enjoy the New York City life. In the mornings we would walk a couple a blocks to a fantastic bakery called Lenny's. I thinks I at there every morning. Then we would walk to Central park and enjoy the peacefulness of the park in the middle of the City. We got really good at the subway system, as we rode it everyday and went to time square everyday. One day went spent going to the FDNY (New York City Fire Department) Museum. Another day we spent the whole day at time square. I think we walked about 8 miles that day. We went to Hard Rock Cafe' New York City, we went to the M&M store, the Hershey's store, the Toys R Us store, Baby Gap, H & M, The French Building (where Carmine works), and Wall Street.

On another day, Ava, Momma, and Dada spent learning about the lives of animals at The Bronx Zoo. We got to see lions, tigers, bears, polar bears, monkeys, giraffes, and many more animals.

One evening we went to the Madam Tussauds Wax Museum. It was amazing how real the wax celebrities looked. We got to meet a lot of famous people that night, and have our picture taken with them.

While in Central Park we spent time at Strawberry Fields, we also we to a famous fountain that has been in several movies. We got to see an Amphitheater in Central Park, and just cool sites.

One of the last days we took the Staten Island ferry and got some pics of the Statue of Liberty.

I am just now getting to blogging about our trip to New York City that we took 2 weeks ago. It was so much fun but I realized it's a lot harder traveling with little ones. Ava was a good traveler. She did very good on the airplane, she only got fussy for a few minutes. She was a good sport when it came around to doing all the sight seeing. She had many firsts, as this was her first real vacation. She flew for the first time, took her first train ride from New Jersey Airport to New York City and she rode her first Subway. Ava also rode her first ferry; We took the Staten Island ferry to get some pictures of the Statue of Liberty. Here are a few pics of us waiting for the train, the subway, and the view from the Staten Island ferry. Carmine met us at the New Jersey airport so we didn't have to ride the train alone, being it was the first time for Ava, Kristi and I, and she helped us with our luggage. On the way home, Dan helped us to the train station and that is were we had to say our goodbyes, but again Carmine helped us all the way to the New Jersey airport. Thank you Dan and Carmine for your hospitality, and friendship. Stay tuned for more about our first vacation with Ava.

TOGETHER IN NEW YORK CITY!!

I want to thank those of you who were thinking of me and who said a prayer for me yesterday while I was taking my big CPAT test for the Evansville City Fire Department. This last Tuesday I started coming down with a cold and by Friday evening It had turned into a sinus infection. It was really taking a toll on me physically, and I was a little worried how the out come would be.

I passed. It was extremely tough. I was # 21 on the hiring list and have moved up to #17. Now I have to wait and see if they get to my # with current retirees. The hiring list that I am on is good for 2 years. So I need 17 Evansville City fire fighters to decide to retire in the next 2 years or a few people on the list in front of me to decide that they no longer want to be a fire fighter. I have 2 years and a good shot. I just pray GODS will is done in my life and my families life. I do want to again thank those of you who were thinking of me.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!