Our First Rhode Island Visitors!

I grew up in a family that loves roadtrips and is never really phased by how long it may take to drive to a new place. We did quite a few summer trips out to the east coast when I was growing up which I'm so grateful for. My mom and dad have instilled in me a love for roadtrips, getting to know new people and adventure. Luckily we have been blessed with two amazing Internship opportunities out on the East Coast and because of the way I was raised, I was excited to jump in the car and take off to a new place. 

We had lots of fun when my family came to visit us in New Jersey over Thanksgiving and I'm so glad it worked out again for them to drive out East and come see us in Rhode Island. They were here for a whole week so we got to go out and see quite a few places. The first part of the week my dad and McKay had to work, so the girls + Lewis chose some areas to see. Then the guys were able to join in on more fun later. 

A day was spent exploring some areas in Connecticut including Yale University (to channel Rory Gilmore of course) and Gillette Castle. I was so glad we went to the Gillette Castle, it seems to be a hidden gem. Thanks to my friend Julie for the suggestion. It was a cheap entry fee to take a tour of his brilliant castle up in the mountains. I would have loved to meet William Gillette who designed his own castle, he seemed like a character! 

We took off another day for the beach in Narragansett, RI. It was a little chilly and windy at the beach, but it was fun to chill for a while. Lewis and Campbell loved playing in the sand. He didn't even want to stop playing for a minute so we could take this picture together, hence why he is crying. 

McKay took us on a tour of Hasbro and everyone enjoyed seeing all the many toys they have created over the years. Then we went for a walk around Brown University since it is just down the street. These Ivy-League schools have beautiful campuses. Another hidden gem we found was the Culinary Museum at Johnson and Whales University. Again its a cheap admission fee and full of information, culinary relics and even multiple kids' areas with toys. I totally want to go back sometime!

One of the highlights was visiting Newport and seeing a few of the mansions there. Those houses are so immaculate and huge. I couldn't even imagine living in a place of that size. What's even crazier is that these were mostly used as summer homes for these rich people. It was kind of fun imagining what it would be like to be invited to one of their grand parties though. Newport is just such a beautiful place, right on the water. I don't blame these families for wanting a getaway in such a quaint quiet town. 

Our last day with the family was spent in Boston. We went to the temple first so the girls could do baptisms. McKay, my mom and dad went in as well; Lewis and I hung out walking the grounds and taking pictures. I love that it's done in the old traditional New England style. Then found this awesome taco shop for lunch, we will definitely be going back there after each temple trip. The rest of our day was spent walking around Boston following the Freedom Trail! It's a pretty neat thing to be walking these streets and stop at all these places where key events of the revolution happened. Boston is a pretty neat place and they have done a great job at keeping it true to the original style with lots of red brick buildings and cobblestone roads. 

My parents totally rock and gave McKay and I a night away while they kept Lewis. It was so nice to go have some time just the two of us. We went out to dinner in Little Italy and got to talk for so long about whatever we wanted. We laughed, got ice cream and watched a movie together. This just showed me how important it is to have dates away from the kids. I hope we will always make an effort to do things like this! Thank you Mom and Dad for letting us have some time together.