Date Night In Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Dumbo in Brooklyn is one of our favorite places to go on a date and man did we have fun on this night! Time out market has so many places to eat and we had some pretty tasty Thai food. It was windy and cold and walked under the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridge until our faces couldn't take the cold wind anymore. We then drove into Manhattan and went to see our "old friend" which is our new favorite photo booth to take goofy photos because that's what you do inside these photo booths! Even with a fractured arm...it was the perfect date night! 

March Recap!

Here we are on the last day of March attempting to catch up on a months worth of living. I've been unmotivated to blog online and when I tell myself I'm done and am only going to handwrite in my journal, here I am hopping on my old iMac from 2011 trying to play catch up. So here we go...

Under The Brooklyn Bridge.

I can't believe we are one week away from Christmas and 14 more days until 2025! I have been so unmotivated to write on here but alas here I am about to document a moment under the Brooklyn bridge  from June 4. 

After my daughter got married and chelsea flew home from JFK Jon wanted to cheer me up by taking me to the city for a broadway show to see Hell's Kitchen and to relax at one of my favorite spots in Brooklyn. Dumbo is my absolute fun zone and on this day we saw art, had some yummy ice cream, or in my case a root beer float because that always makes me happy. I absolutely loved this day and to tell you the truth, looking at these photos, at times...I miss summer. 

A Little Valentines Day Message....

 

As my husband and I have gotten older Valentine's Day for us has become low key with spontaneous outings. We don't go all out for each other like we used to in our 20's showering ourselves with material gifts, flowers or chocolate but mostly with love letters. What we've realized in our 50's is that our love has become even more sentimental. Our love for others has become stronger. Sure we think of us but mostly we think of our children first. We think of our friends and family and anyone who may be having a rough time when it comes to this holiday. It can be the most romantic but also the most hated. Misunderstood and lonely for some. I just want others to know that you are not alone. Never alone. You have you. Love you. Take care of you. Make time for you. Find things that bring you joy that revive you with energy. Love is always there. It's in your heart. It's in your mind. You just have to know it, because it's always been there.  It took a serious love for God and a marriage to realize that I've always been loved. For me. Love is a beautiful thing and we have the choice to make it a beautiful one for ourselves and for others. Look for the lovely on this day and all the days of your life. 

So no matter what -  celebrate your love today. Whether it's for yourself or with your spouse, your family and friends. I wish you the best of today. And know that your are the first person in your life to be loved...by you. Remember that! 

 Happy Valentine's Day my darlings! 

Jane's Carousel Grand Opening In Dumbo!

Oh how we've missed riding on carousels particularly the ones in the city. Jane's Carousel and the Seaglass carousel are our favorite ones to go to in the city and after a year of being closed due to the pandemic have both opened up! We went ahead and decided to go on grand opening weekend! The lines weren't too crazy at Jane's but we did stand in line for about half an hour but you can't beat the view of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges and the price to ride it isn't too bad. So it was worth the wait! For two bucks you can ride it and it's a good timely  ride. The kids are 16 and 11.5 years of age and they still love riding on the carousel. I hope those days of them riding on the carousel never end. We ended the day eating ice cream and pizza at our favorite spots in Dumbo. We absolutely love this area. There is always fun things to do and see all year round here. 

A Farewell To The Summer Of 2020.

Although the summer of 2020 was not what we were expecting and just downright bizarre, I'm still a bit sad to see it go. But we made it work. We made it to the woods in Maine, and to the beaches of New England. We made it to the Jersey shore and spent simple moments outdoors as a family. We made it to the drive in theater and made numerous trips in the city that was once the epic center of the virus. Spent time in Dumbo and ate ice cream, shake shack, and Juliana's pizza. And the times we went the lines weren't long! Such meaningful and wonderful moments that will be etched in my mind for always. I do look forward to fall and hope for the best this season, but in some weird way summer of 2020 will always be remembered. Always. 

Here are a few photos from a bit of summer spent in one of my favorite spots in Brooklyn. They had a really cool installation in Brooklyn bridge park which is a reverberation bell which indicates that by pulling it summer is ending. 

Simple Summer Moments In Brooklyn.

Our love for the city continues to grow especially in Dumbo and after being away from her for three weeks we couldn't stay away. Especially during the summer. Oh summer in the city. No matter how sticky our clothes get on our backs while wearing masks in 98 degree weather doesn't seem to bother us anymore. And we don't mind. We don't mind because we know this is how New York is healing. We don't mind because we know it's what saved thousands of people including us. We know it's what's going to continue to keep us safe. She is thriving under the sun trying hard to breath with us. She may never be the same again. Ever. But I know that she is slowly surging just like the New Yorkers that surround her. 

Spending the day in Brooklyn with the kids yesterday was the best. Everything about that day was meant to be. Ice cream cones and root beer floats. Facetiming with Lexie whilst sitting on a bench at Brooklyn Bridge park where she can see the views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. And although it brought a little bit of homesickness to her face she was happy. Happy that we continue to thrive as humans just as New York does. Happy that nothing stops us from coming to the city and doing the things we love. Happy because she sees us filled with joy and seeing Noah being the typical little bro that he is always brings a smile to her face. And she laughs. We are so happy for these simple moments that we had all while keeping our distance and being safe. Summers in Dumbo is all we need to keep these kids smiling. 

Even while wearing a mask....

That One Late, Late Night in Dumbo...

If I look extremely tired in these photos it's probably because I was! They were taken a couple of weeks ago in Brooklyn where we spent most of the evening meandering the streets of Brooklyn way up until midnight! Although the shops at the Empire Stores close early the building itself is open until 2am and when we saw this booth we couldn't help ourselves. We stood on the white circle trying to figure out which small black little camera to look into and we had way too much fun. We most definitely have become fanatics of photo booths, and any kind of self picture-taking booth that deals with a hashtag. 

A Day in Dumbo, & A Lot Of Art.

If you want to have fun, eat good food, go to a flea market, and see some art installations in Brooklyn Dumbo is the place to go. We love this place because it exposes our kids to culture, and art. Not only do we have fun at the park, riding the carousel, and Noah scooting all over Brooklyn bridge park on his scooter, but everywhere you go there is bound to be a work of art in your midst. 

Sunday in Dumbo & The Brooklyn Flea Market!

Having the Ross's visit New York all the way from Utah was a perfect excuse to skip church and meet up with them this past Sunday. We hadn't seen them since 2004 back when we were neighbors living in our tiny basement apartments in Sugarhouse. The only kids we had back then were Sierra, Lexie, and Trace, and now we have four kids each! I can't believe how fast time flew for our kids and to see both Lexie and Trace as teenagers together was surreal because the last time they saw each other Lexie was four, and Trace was two! It was so nice getting current pictures of this gem of a family! 

Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn.

^^^ Kudos to my husband in taking this shot of the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building in the center! ^^^

Summer is becoming my favorite time of the year, and so is Brooklyn. Brooklyn rules this time of year with so many places to go and see. Every time we come to the city we usually go to Manhattan but on this day we decided to walk the sidewalks of Brooklyn. I truly love it here, and the kids did not want to leave. I think it's the fact that they would prefer riding a scooter over driving in a car, parks that have fountains where you can wear your bathing suit and get wet, eat good pizza, Coney Island, and having a nicely, beautifully renovated carousel for all to ride in Brooklyn Bridge Park.  

An interesting fact about this carousel is that it was created by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1922, and in the '80's an awesome couple bought the entire carousel at an auction rather than it being sold piece by piece, and refurbished it. You can imagine how this carousel looked like when they bought it, and having it renovated must have taken a lot of work. Apparently they scraped off 62 years of "park paint" with an X acto knife so that you can see its original 1922 carvings in the horses...WoW! The couple then donated it to the city of New York and now has its permanent home in the Dumbo section of Brooklyn. It is such a beautiful carousel and the kids loved it. The best thing about the ride is the scenery. You literally are in between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridge and that is an added bonus. The price isn't too bad either. It only costs 2 bucks to ride, and as long as Noah stays under a certain height he gets in free! We could have ridden this over and over again. Why not when there are three rows of 48 horses to choose from! It was so awesome and I guarantee we will be coming back again. 

^^^ Mandatory pics with our main man... ^^^

Walking the streets of Brooklyn can be tiring especially when you're used to driving more than walking and we had us some hungry kiddies...including us! We have always eaten pizza at Grimaldi's whenever we go to Hoboken, but just found out about another pizza place that's right next door to Grimaldi's called Juliana's. And let me tell you...I personally prefer Juliana's over Grimaldi's. Sorry Grims...but it's a fact. Everything about Juliana's pizza was perfect. The taste, and how they take their time in making it. I can tell that the owners priority about this pizza is the quality...not the quantity. It was absolutely delicious, and I'll tell you something...we will be back for more! 

^^^ Don't you just love Noah's expression on his face. ^^^

There are days when I just want to pinch myself because of all the things that I am allowing to do with our family. Taking my kids outside of Jersey, and exposing them to a variety of culture, and there is so much of that here in New York. This week has been pretty awesome, and although I miss Lexie, and Sierra coming with us on our trips I still manage to take these two out into the 'real world' to fuel their imaginations while in the city.

And it never gets old.

We just keep coming back for more.