Las Vegas Temple

The #1 spot in Las Vegas! :)

London, England, January 2013

As we were about to enter the British Museum for the first time I wasn't just what would be in there.  As the Magic Mirror said in Faith's favorite Disney movie:
"Prepare to be amazed beyond all expectations. After all it is what I do."

Faith finding some light reading for our flight home :)

Kevin, our budding Egyptologist, was carefully studying the mummies.  He was also careful not release the curse of the pharaoh :) 

January drizzle is a perfect reason to stick together! :) 

Westminster Abbey and it's clock tower were amazing to see in person with our family.  I think they might have also been surprised by the cars driving on the other side of the road.

High above London with my favorite person and best friend. :)

Zelda Symphony, Heinz Hall

I never expected to witness the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra playing music from a video game.  The crowd was very diverse and everyone had a smile during the standing ovation!  A few post-symphony snacks courtesy of Starbucks helped sweeten the event even more.  I'm lucky I'm married to a cute girl that likes video games so we can enjoy this kind of thing together :)

Detroit Temple

Celebrating the one year anniversary of us being sealed for eternity by going to the Detroit Temple for the first time. :)

Around the World in 80 Days, Pittsburgh Public Theater

I planned to take Faith to the theater for Mother's Day.  Before we left Karissa took this great picture of Faith and some of the flowers on the side of our home.  It's awesome that we can count on Karissa to be a great photographer.

This was our first time going to the Pittsburgh Public Theater  The poster looked a bit whimsical so we weren't sure what to expect...

This poster in the front of the theater listed everyone involved in the production.  There were five cast members listed.  Maybe they couldn't fit all the cast on the poster?...

Nope, here is the entire cast of five!  It was fun and funny as they scurried about taking on different roles as they circumnavigated this world of ours.  We laughed and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.  It was great to do something different and wonderful to get to do it with Faith.

Toronto, Canada, February 2012

The weather this winter was so mild we decided a trip north to Toronto in February would be a good idea.  The waterfront was nice, but not quite as beautiful as my wife :)

Our pirate son, Kevin, decided that a picture commemorating his visit to the three masted sailing vessel was necessary.  Karissa who took the picture told us to say "arrrr" :)

The Toronto needle (CN Tower) was high above the waterfront.  We had to get pretty far from it to get in all in the frame :)

The wave-deck is right on the water's edge.  The name doesn't imply that waves hit it (Toronto's waterfront is a lake so the swells aren't epic...)  Instead, the entire walkway goes up and down like a wave!  The kids enjoyed running, jumping, and sliding up and down :)

After building up a hunger at the waterfront we headed to Greektown for a delicious lunch. This is the first place Kevin tried grilled octopus.  Faith got the gyro and instead of shaved ground meat it was actually pieces.  She was nice enough to share about 80% of her meal with me :)

Toronto Temple

 A beautiful, snowy, bright day in Toronto.

Peter Pan, The Benedum

A night out to the Peter Pan ballet with Faith and our ballerina, Karissa, was alot of fun (and turned out to be one of my favorites.)   We started the night with dinner at Christos, a little Greek place in the Theater District owned by a chef for Jackie O.  The stuffed peppers were tasty, but I like the Greek food that Faith makes better. :)   The ballet was full of pixie dust, pirates, crocodiles, and flying (not necessarily in that order) :)

Our Sealing, Salt Lake Temple

"More than the greatest love the world has known
This is the love that I give to you alone
More than the simple words I try to say
I only live to love you more each day."

-Bobby Darin, "More"

(Our Song - I dedicated it to Faith when we started dating)

The long weekend is a good time to post some pictures our photographer (WendyG) sent us. May 28th was one of the best days of my life.  Faith and I were excited to go to the Salt Lake Temple and get sealed together for all eternity.  To my friends that aren't members of the LDS Church, it was like renewing our vows (which we always planned to do on our 10th anniversary) and extending them.  Now, I'll get to be with my angel forever :)  Here we are in front of one of the doors to the temple.  

Faith's parents were with us.  They were sealed in this same temple over 50 years ago :)  It was great to have them as part of our special day.

Those are some handsome boys and two beautiful girls. The flowers were blooming all over Temple Square.  This is one of Faith's favorite pictures of our family :)

I had always seen pictures of couples in front of the Salt Lake Temple.   I may be slightly biased, but I think that this is one the best ones. :)   

Our photographer was awesome and very creative.  It's amazing to see the temple behind us, thinking just a few minutes before this picture was taken, Faith and I were inside making eternal promises. 

This is my favorite picture of the set.  It's great when in all the world you find your soul-friend to be with forever.  Then it's even better when she's your best friend :)  Thank you Faith for making me so very happy.

San Francisco, California, July 2011

I took Faith with me on my business trip to San Francisco.  We got there a couple days early and went to see the Golden Gate Bridge.  For some reason, when I look at this picture, instead of clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, I think of cupcakes in Washington DC... :) 

Kevin and Kenny had a great time checking out the bridge.  They decided we had to walk across, so we did :)

The Point Bonita Lighthouse from the north.  It's fun to sit on the cliffs looking west and think about the fact that the next continent in that direction is Asia (where it's tomorrow already).

The Marin Headlands were beautiful.  It was a bit chilly in the afternoon so my love had to bundle up :)

Niagara Falls, Canada, July 2011

Faith and I went to Niagara Falls to celebrate Independence Day with fireworks over the falls.  Before the sparks started to fly we walked down to the falls to check out the view.  :)

Kevin and Kenny thought that Niagara Falls was very impressive from up here.  Then, we let them know that we'd be going on the boat they saw down there in the middle of the waterfall.  I snapped a picture before the drenching :)

The falls are rather dominant as we head in.  The roar of the water, the mist, and their amazing height all make you think that our blue poncho might not be up to the task. :)

We made it!  The Maid of the Mist delivers us back to the dock in Canada.  The ponchos didn't quite deliver on their promise.  :)  We might be wet, but this is an experience we hope they won't forget.

Palmyra Temple

An extra special day for the Karatassos family :)

Phantom of the Opera, Majestic Theater, NYC

We got to see The Phantom on Broadway.  It was fun to notice all the little differences, like the fact that Faith is wearing a beautiful purple dress to this one :)  Karissa came with us too, and we had a great time.  The theater was amazing on the inside and it's always cool to see a boat being poled along a foggy stage :)

Manhattan Temple

Disney On Ice, CONSOL Energy Center

Not quite the theater, but with all the props and costumes, we couldn't help but list this in our Theaters section.  Faith and Karissa like everything Disney so we took Karissa for her 16th birthday to Disney On Ice.  Faith got to see her favorite princess (the one that likes apples)  And, Kevin and Kenny got swords to protect us from any villians. :)

Columbus Temple

Mary Poppins, The Benedum

Karissa and Kevin were excited to go with us to see Mary Poppins at the Benedum.  There is really only one word to describe this show: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! :) It was nice having Karissa be our photographer. She may have taken a romantic one or two...

India, December 2010

I went to India for business and was lucky enough to be able to take Faith with me.  It was the first time either of us had been to India, so we had to visit the Taj Mahal.  It was such an amazing experience!  The king's love for his wife was clear in every detail of this stunning structure.  I think the coolest thing I've built for Faith is a shelf, I need to step up my game :)

That's Faith waving hello from the Agra Fort, Diwan I Am(Hall of Public Audience).   If I was the king, I would grant her an audience :)

Faith was glowing again!  This time the reflection from the plate in this Indian restaurant was dazzling.  The food was really good too, especially Faith's dinner.  Faith got alot of practice at "sharing" on this trip.  She always seemed to make the better choice. :)

Our hotel in Bangalore had a waterfall on the grounds.  Faith was very excited that we could stroll by a waterfall whenever we wanted and we could hear it from out room :)   It was awesome to be able to share it with my fun and beautiful wife.

Bountiful Temple

 Niece Elise and her new husband, Matthew.