Tutu & Jami Take NYC.

a few months ago, (i'm soo behind) we had some amazing people visit us.

jeff's mother jami and his grandmother tutu!

tutu came all the way from hawaii and jami from utah. 

we had so much fun showing them around this city of ours. 

i still can't believe how much we packed into their few days here.

most days we walked for 8-10 hours straight…

jeff's sweet grandmother is 86 years old and a power house.

nothing phased her, she was always ready to go and explore.

we are so grateful for the chance we had to spend time with jami and tutu.

we sure love you guys!

 some highlights from their time here:

my mom was able to get us vip passes to the top of the empire state building.

we felt pretty special skipping the lines and seeing ny from the 102 floor!

this view is like no other.

manhattan is one of a kind and so beautiful!

while we waited to go to the top, jami and tutu got a little carried away playing ping pong! ;) 

^^ she's amazing! ^^

we visited brooklyn for the best pizza at juliana's.

they loved the met and especially the met rooftop.

later that night we saw wicked (the best show ever!) and times square.

we explored most central park.

late night walks to the east river.

world trade center memorial.

delicious brunch at alice's tea cup.

washington square park.

and peoples pops on the highline!

Cinque Terre, We Love You!

 we arrived in cinque terre by train and what a beautiful train ride it was. i have to say we loved training from city to city. it was so easy & efficient and such a great way to see the country side of italy. 

 cinque terre is exactly what jeff and i needed. after traveling for about three weeks, in and out of airports and foreign countries, we were in need of some serious relaxation. the main goal for the next two days was to do absolutely nothing but relax on those warm mediterranean beaches!
 (do nothing except...
lay on the beach and stuff our faces with pasta and gelato, of course!) 

^^ because pesto and focaccia bread originated here, 

it was only fitting to combine the two for our first meal. 

mmm, so good! ^^

we stayed in the charming town of vernazza.

cinque terre is made up of five small towns.

in order to get to the beaches of Monterosso, one of the five towns, we took a fun 10 minute boat ride!

^^ look at that bright blue water. ^^

^^ melon gelato, hit the spot every time. ^^

^^ i secretly took this shot of jeffrey, with my zoom lens, on the back of the boat. 

he had no idea.

i couldn't resist, he's too cute! :)

below are some beautiful views from our bed and breakfast.

^^ breathtaking!! ^^

we took a short fifteen minute hike out of vernazza to get this view.

it was worth every step. there is no better view in my mind!

i counted and we walked up and down 182 steps every time we went to our room.

pesto pasta!

our second day in cinque terre was filled with more beach time, more pasta & gelato and exploring the other four towns by boat! 

^^ i loved this scene as we were leaving the dock. ^^

^^cornelia^^

^^riomaggiore^^

we couldn't get enough of these bright colored little towns.
the locals were incredibly charming and the food was perfection.
cinque terre is a must see, and it exceeded our expectations in every way!