Tiny Living

Growing up in a small house you would think that one would want to buy a bigger house when they got married and are older...not me. Not us. We've moved around so much in the past 30 plus years of marriage and because of that always rented. And although people would say, "you're throwing money away" I didn't care. Still don't. Renting for years has worked for us and doesn't make us feel obligated to stay stuck in a place for too long and for that I am grateful! 

So with that being said, after five years of living in a house that I thought we would be in at least until Noah graduated or Jon retired is up for sale.

While we were at my daughter’s graduation in Utah last month, we got a surprise phone call from our landlord saying that he’s selling the house due to health issues and that we have 60 days to vacate.

Well, my stress level cannot handle finding a place within 60 days so as soon as we landed, we immediately started looking and low and behold, our daughter Lexie helped us find the cutest space within a week. 

And it was a HUGE blessing in disguise…

We are in our mid 50s and we’re not getting any younger so having us leave a house that had stairs and a huge lawn was not feasible for us anymore. We just couldn’t keep up with it anymore. Sure the stairs  kept us in shape but there were many times where we accidentally almost fell down the stairs or even tripped a lot. But broken bones are not worth the risk-oh wait, my husband has already done on the job as a UPS city driver, and he definitely doesn't need that to happen at home. 

We also had garden beds that I never planted anything in. I am not a green thumb, never have been. My mother was a perfectionist at gardening, but not me.  The house on Franklin street worked out for us for five years but now that we just have Noah left in the nest downsizing makes a lot of sense. 

However, we are still paying the same amount of rent and that’s OK because this cute tiny living space is so worth it. The peace that it brings is worth the price. 

This tiny living space reminds me of a NYC apartment, but without living in the city. We absolutely love it and although I didn’t hoard too much it did help me get rid of more things that I realized I didn’t need and it was so refreshing to do that. 

Less is best and this space is exactly what we needed right now especially at our age. We adore it. We love it and Noah loves his room. 

Having our landlord make this decision, not only for his mental health, but for ours as well was something that we definitely needed, and we truly feel so much more at peace with this adorable tiny living space.

Here’s hoping we stay here until Jon retires and then move somewhere permanently where the state will not tax his pension! 

Life Lately Since The Year Began...

 

Is this it, am I done? Is this the end of my blog? I certainly hope not but here we are in the middle of June and I haven’t shared or written anything in the last six months.   

For the past 15 years I’ve always looked at my blog as a journal of my life. I haven’t written major long stories in a while. All I have done in the last few years is pretty much shared the same thing that I post on my Instagram and snippets of what we’ve done on a weekend and sometimes that can get monotonous for those of you who follow me and read.

I would love to go into depth with my writing. I would like to share more about my life and be even more vulnerable in detail like how I used to be when I first started this blog. Especially with everything that has been going on the world and with me up until now at 54 years of age.

I also want to bring light and joy into this writing space. I always don’t want to be a Debbie downer but sometimes I have to be because, well-that’s life in todays world.  

So since the beginning of this year, I have to say that life has literally been bittersweet- both happy and sad. 

Currently-The one good thing that is going on in my life has been becoming a grandma and my granddaughter is growing up so fast! She’s 7 months old now and because of all the A. I. crap that’s on the Internet and out of respect of my daughter I will not be sharing any photos of her on the internet. But we are sooooo happy to say we are proud grandparents of a beautiful granddaughter. 

Then Nutcracker at Lincoln Center.

Jon and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary two weeks ago and for the first time I finally got to see the Nutcracker. It was very beautiful and loved every second of it. Apparently there are two versions of the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center and we saw the one with the little children which was George Balanchine's version. We hope to see the original adult version in 2026. Anyway, it was a crazy, beautiful snowy day in the city. Who knew we'd have snow the day of the show! We all had a grand time including Noah. Yes, he tagged along and we all saw the nutcracker together. But in all honesty, Noah is not really into the ballet, but he thought it was pretty cool nonetheless. Going to the city is always fun and it was a very low-key anniversary date...with our son. 

Waiting For Godot!

One of my birthday wishes was to see Keanu on Broadway and we did! We saw the legendary Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Waiting for Godot and it was interesting in many ways. I love that in many ways the writing behind it was referring to God and I loved that about this show. Keanu and Alex need to do more broadway shows. They were all brilliant and amazing in this and I recommend watching it before it closes next year in January! 

Merry Christmas!

 

Even with one kid in the house the Christmas magic still thrives. It thrives slightly different, but as a much older mom I do my best to make it special. I still hang stockings but instead of them being filled with candy and trinkets they literally just hang for decoration. See, not all my kids come home every Christmas. Once they get married, graduate from college and have real jobs, they come home less and less. However, I still manage to put up a tree and have a few gifts under the tree. They may not be material things, but they are little things that they can use. 

Oh Christmas Tree.

After going tree hunting for 15 years I did not buy a real tree this year. I don't know, I just wasn't into it. So we decided to buy an artificial one and I think it looks pretty good. We've had it up now for a while now and put on ornaments a few days ago. In spite of the feelings I have toward the holidays now that my mom is gone I somehow manage to keep the spirit alive for the sake of the kids, my sanity, and also because Christmas was my mom's favorite holiday. 

December is Here and Flying by Fast!

 

Second week of December and time is already flying. Took our traditional photo at the plaza earlier last month to beat the crowds and Noah continues get taller and towers me. It is such a bittersweet time knowing these moments are going to completely become obsolete once he leaves the nest. I have two more years with him and will take advantage of these moments every chance I get! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season without the hustle! 

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

 

Thanksgiving came late this year and even thought it was just the three of us this year we kept the tradition of going to the Macy's parade. We always have fun and although it didn't rain like it did last year it was pretty cold. We were bundled up and with being in my menopausal state didn't mind the cold. LOL. We had a fun time and enjoyed watching this year's "90's themed" parade. I swear millennials were behind organizing it! They had 90's bands as well as Gen X music such as "Only in my Dreams" by Debbie Gibson playing on a serta mattress float. It was crazy good and although we miss the performances in the beginning because we are watching the parade we can always see it on tv later. I captured a few photos but this year wanted to enjoy watching it instead of recording so I didn't record videos or do a reel but I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. Now we kick in the Christmas season! 

Fall's Final Stretch In Central Park.

While Noah was at a scout camp Jon and I had the whole weekend to ourselves and we decided to spend time in the city. We are so so fortunate to live close by and that it's only an hour drive for us. We didn't get a chance to catch the fall foliage when it peaked earlier in the month or when my sister was here. Not enough time. I swear there is never enough time in the day to do all things one would want to do in NYC when they visit! So luckily we caught fall's final stretch inside the park and it was nice to see the last of the fall foliage. We also decided to capture moments of us (a little photo shoot if you will) and the beauty that Central Park brings....

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday and that November is almost over!! Last weekend we went to the city and saw the holiday decor at Macy's. It always looks so magical every time we go and it never gets old looking at it every year. We have been coming here sine Noah was three years old. He may no longer sit on Santa's lap but he always obliges when I want to take pictures. He's so fun and at times a bit silly but I can tell the he loves the city just as much as I do even though he doesn't say it enough. 

Dia De Los Muertos.

Dia De Los Muertos is becoming easier for me to celebrate. I love that I can remember our loved ones on this day. Particularly my mom and Joe. Including those who I was closest to growing up. My ofrenda isn't big at all and I don't go all out on making one. And that's okay. It's probably a good thing because that shows how many deceased people I know. I miss my mom everyday and think of her all the time. I cry for her at random times and sometimes they are happy tears and sometimes they are sad. But at the end of the day I want to celebrate her life and not be in mourning all the time. It's still hard though. Especially when her birthday creeps up and mothers day comes. Those are the hardest days. Not to mention the holidays. She LOVED Christmas and it is almost here. But I will remember her as the woman who did her best in making our Christmases special. We didn't have many, but the two I remember I will always cherish them and keep them etched in my mind for always. 

Liberation, Jersey Shore, and Time Spent With My Sis.

My sister made yet another trip to see me recently and it was so nice to have spent time with her. I hadn't seen her since our mom passed away last summer so having her here reminded me of her and it was nice catching up and reminiscing about mom. We spent most of our time relaxing in my little house which she loves so much. She finds it very cozy. I personally do love spending time at home especially when it's in my tiny living room talking or watching Netflix. I love small spaces which makes a place more welcoming and personal. She was only here for a few days so I made sure that we planned a day in the city. 

Almost Licensed.

Noah has been taking drivers ed this semester and is pretty pumped that he is almost at driving age. Although I'm not quite ready for him to get behind the wheel I feel he will be responsible when it comes to driving like his sisters but still...I am not quite ready. It will be nice to have another driver in the house though so let's see how this goes and how he does in class and in taking the test!  

Our Jersey Boy Is Sixteen!

Incredible that this towering boy of ours is 16! he has the funniest one-liners in his Gen Z language that comes out of nowhere. Having three older sisters helps him know how to put up with the girls. I love that he watches Netflix series and true crime documentaries with me. He is my concert and movie buddy and I love that he still likes to hang out with me. He is kind and lovable, but most of all, I love that you still let me take your picture and I love the time we did this photo shoot! I am so lucky to have this one boy! Happy birthday Noah!

A Child Is Born!

My firstborn baby girl had her first baby girl yesterday and we are in love!!!! Not sharing any photos of our precious angel but I'm happy to share that mommy and baby are doing fabulous and that everything went well. Also want to share these photos of Sierra and her baby bump. Sawyers sister Savannah who is a photographer did a good job capturing all her beauty and the glow that she has while holding her belly with her firstborn inside.

Pumpkin Picking Photo Dump at Happy Day Farm!

Happy November and yes I am happy because we had a very good Election Day yesterday. We are staying blue and now have a woman Mikie Sherrill as governor so that's great! I'm not one to discuss politics but I will share my passion about my heritage and how much I loathe the way this administration is handling things but that's a whole other blog post! I want to be happy and so I am sharing the time we went pumpkin picking last month. I love capturing moments in the fall and with Noah getting older I had to take each moment in as he was on the lookout for the perfect pumpkin. I don't decorate as much on halloween like I used to and don't buy as many pumpkins but it was fun trying to find two perfect pumpkins and we did! 

Halloween 2025

 

Noah had been talking about going trick or treating with his friends recently and wasn't sure what to dress as. I told him to find something we already had in the house because why buy a costume when you'll most likely wear it once. Luckily I saved a few old costumes and this was a last minute costume Noah put together. I think he looked really classy and give him a 10/10 for creativity! He's also going to turn 16 in 8 days!! I am just so glad that he still has that inner child in him. I miss those days of taking him and his sisters trick or treating. Those days have gone but am glad that he had the desire to dress up and go with his friends. I hope that he will continue to go trick or treating until he's 18 because you're still a teen and a little kid at heart! 

The Met Rooftop!

Can you believe I have been to the met multiple times and never made it to the rooftop! Well we finally made it before they closed it off. Yes, the Met Rooftop is now closed and won't reopened for another five years! I am so glad we were able to go and take in the view of the city. Noah particularly loved the views. He would like to be an architect and loves buildings and looking at them from the top. It was a sunny day when we went and I capture some wonderful moments on here. We do look forward to coming back here more often when they reopen again. Jon and I will be 60 and Noah will be 20 when they reopen!! 

Now for some moments captured on camera....

Road Trip To Texas Part Two.

 

One thing I love about Texas are the sunsets. We were driving on a highway and captured the sky. It looked as if it was on fire. Road trips are a highlight of our summer and I absolutely enjoy them.

A Texas Summer Part One.

Going a little backwards in October with snippets of an August summer in Texas. I can't believe it's over. It was a fast one filled with bittersweet moments. Visiting Texas without seeing my mom this summer was sad. I can't believe she's gone. I cried off and on along the way. Luckily we had Whataburger to cheer me up.