Washington Rock State Park

Yesterday was a rainy, slow day. We ran in the morning and then hung around the house. Between rain spells, I brought Mason to the park to ride his bike while Gil finished up work at home. By late afternoon, we wanted to go out to do something.

One of the things on my NJ bucket list was to check out the views from Washington Rock State Park. This is the famous lookout point George Washington used to monitor the British troops in 1777.

On a clear day, you can see the city skyline. Yesterday was not clear, so we could barely make out the city but it was a pretty view nonetheless. I definitely want to go back in the fall when the colors are changing.

There's not much to the park, although there were walking trails on the other side of the road we didn't explore.  We didn't spend tons of time there but the view was worth checking out.

A New Adventure in New Jersey

It's been quite a long time since I posted anything here and I thought I probably wouldn't return to this blog. However, we recently made a move and I find myself wanting to document our adventures. We have moved from Michigan to New Jersey for Gil to do a tour in the national office.

People had mixed reactions when they heard we were moving to New Jersey. They either immediately thought of every New Jersey stereotype they've ever heard or they thought of adventures going into the city.

New Jersey has been better than I expected in the few weeks we've been here. The landscape is hilly and rocky and the shore is beautiful. We haven't had much time to explore yet, as Mason and I have just gotten here and Gil is busy at work right now but we have started a bucket list of things to do while we live here.

On Friday, I took Mason to the shore to visit the Gateway National Recreation Area. We went to the beach at Sandy Hook and saw the views of Manhattan. It was a gorgeous day at the beach. We missed Gil while he was working and definitely plan to go back with him. There were great biking trails and I'd love to go back when it's cooler to bike. 

Here's to more adventures in New Jersey...

7 Years!

We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness–and call it love–true love.

Happy Anniversary to us! Yesterday Gil & I celebrated 7 years of marriage. In the morning we went to the zoo with Mason and then ate outside at MBrew. It was sooooo hot at the zoo, so it was a good thing we got there in the morning.

Water Break!

In 7 years, Gil and I have learned a lot about marriage. It's funny thinking back to our wedding day. We were so young and naive and really had very few expectations. I think it's hard to understand what marriage is until you're in it. 

The image of marriage that I usually see is the glossed over, perfect couples on tv or in movies. That's definitely not real life. Gil and I are not perfect and our marriage is not perfect. Sometimes it's really easy and sometimes it's really hard. But I love that we keep choosing to work on it together. 

I think the most important thing I have learned so far is that communication can make or break a couple. For a long time, I thought I was perfect at this. Surprise, surprise, I am not and often I have to humble myself to my imperfections, which isn't easy.

I've also learned that it's so important to make room for each other to grow and change in the relationship. The person you start out with is not the person you will find yourself with 7 years down the road. Keep falling in love with that person, whoever it may be. 

Through all our ups and downs, I'm really proud of our marriage and where we are today. Can't wait to see where the future will bring us...

Summer Break Has Commenced!

The end of the school year was a doozy! It felt busy, hectic, and my kids were bursting with excitement for summer break (so was I)!

The first week of break was fabulous and calm. It's been so nice being home and being with Mason everyday. He seems like he's growing and learning so fast. He's babbling so much and picking up a lot of language lately. I love how big he is right now! He can climb up on the couch and now has "free reign" over the house for the most part. Two cute things he is doing right now that I don't want to forget:
#1 When he wants something, he sits down on his butt, nods his head, and says "more".
#2 He also points at an object and then points back at himself when he wants something.
Both of these things I find adorable!!! I also love the sound of his little voice and his little feet running around.

As usual, with good weather and more time comes the desire to be active. I've been walking and/or working out most days since school has gotten out and it feels really good. Gil and I have both been tracking our steps with our Fitbits and that's been motivating.

On Sunday, we celebrated Father's day with a present and cinnamon rolls in the morning and then we went to the park in the afternoon. Mason loved the splash pad, even though it was pretty busy. A lot of kids had buckets there and Mason kept following them around trying to play with them. After that, we walked the trails and checked out the little nature center at the park for the first time.

Happy Summer!!!

Little By Little- House Progress

I'm closing in on the end of the school year and I couldn't be more excited! We spent this weekend in Grand Haven, one of my favorite places on the planet, and then out on a friend's boat yesterday. It's been a lovely weekend!

I'm looking forward to being home this summer to hang out with my favorite little munchkin and also to getting our house organized and decorated!

We haven't done tons lately and to be honest, I don't know that we will do any huge projects in this home since it probably will not be our "forever home".

But just painting and doing little things here and there has made a world of difference. We've put a little work into the dining room and I think it's the first room in the house that we can call finished.

We had the wallpaper taken down, painted, put up curtains and a little art and called it a day. Gil also took down the terrible light fixture and switched it out with one I love!

Here are some photos from when the previous owner was still occupying the house:

Here are photos of the dining room in its current state:

The pictures are a bit dark, but the wall color is navy and I love it with the touches of red. There are also splashes of navy in the adjoining rooms. Can't wait to work on some more projects in the coming months!