Thanksgiving Day 2015

 We were blessed to have both my parents as well as the Gagarinases (long-time friends) join us for Thanksgiving!  We had a day filled with singing, praying, feasting, giving thanks, playing games, going for a walk, and lots of laughter!

 Grampa and Easton:

 Gaby and Abigail:

 Playing games - Abigail is a pro at "Fishbowl"!

 Enjoying our dinner of desserts and appetizers:

 Emmery requested this photo:

NYC

Abigail and I had been talking about a trip to NYC for a long time, and we finally made it happen!!! (Disclaimer: there are far more photos in this post than even the most devoted relative will want to look at.  Scroll at your own speed. :)

God blessed us with safe travels (and no heart attack for me, even though I don't have much experience with city driving!) We had perfect weather for all of our time outdoors (around 15 miles of walking over the weekend.)  My sister, Lydia, was an incredible hostess and tour guide and made sure we experienced a weekend we will treasure forever!  It was great to see my sister, Keziah, and also my brother-in-law Juan Carlos.  Abigail's highlights were riding the subway and learning the lay-out of the city (particularly from 100 stories high when we went to the observatory tower of the One World Trade Center.)  My highlights were seeing the Statue of Liberty up close and watching the sun set and the city light up from the observatory. 

Central Park:

Lydia took us to an Italian bakery to pick out some treats for the rest of the family...

An overwhelming selection:

Meeting up with Aunt Keziah:

Keziah, Lydia, Abigail, Me:

Sidewalk shopping:

Endless picture-taking opportunities:

Catching up with Aunt Keziah on the train:

A delightful, candlelight dinner of traditional Salvadoran food (thanks to Tio Juan Carlos!)

Approaching Liberty on the ferry:

Shopping in Chinatown:

Waiting for the train:

Eating a rather scrumptious treat from a French Bakery:

Helping to make the pupusa dough:

 Figuring out the train system:

 Central Park:

 Abigail getting the lay of the land from 100 stories high (we had a 360 view of the city!)

 The 9-11 Memorial:

 Thank you, Lydia, for all you did to bless us with an amazing weekend!  We love you, and NYC rocks!