May Has Arrived!

Blossoms are indeed a favorite and feel as if I've been neglecting them in photos. Lately I've just been walking to admire them instead of capturing pictures of every cherry tree in sight. Spring is such a beautiful season and it flies by so fast. There were a few trees in Utah while we were walking around Lexie's neighborhood. The flowers are vibrant but soon they will fall off. I captured a few in Utah and a couple here in our Jersey hood. Noah's allergies were bothering him that day but he was a good sport and he let me take a few photos! 

Nostalgia in Blackwood - 10 Years Later....

It's been more than a minute since I've logged on here. Even though we have a month left of spring it feels as if it's already over. The smell of summer is in the air, and the temps have been warm lately but today it's nice and breezy. The blossoms in the spring are gorgeous but now they have fallen off the trees and have disappeared. Earlier this month I took a drive to my old hood with Noah and couldn't believe how fast time flew having raised this kid here. It's been 10 years since we've seen his childhood train. He loved coming here with his miniature Thomas the train figures pretending to be a conductor. I thought it was a train phase but he is now 14 and still has a love for trains. He was such a cutie. Still is.

Graffiti Train.

It was a cloudy afternoon in May when we decided to go for a drive toward New Hope to check out this graffiti train that is located in Lambertville. Although it was a pretty cool train I still wouldn't touch anything except the handle to climb in. I was however impressed with how clean it was. There were no empty spray cans, needles, trash, empty cans, etc. Still...we were careful and had fun while capturing the moments inside this train cause after all...how often do you find a hidden gem like this in a small Jersey town. 

We also stumbled along another train while on a walk along the D &R Canal trail that was not very clean. We only stayed for about five minutes to take a few photos and then we headed back to town where we crossed the bridge and Noah stood in two states at once. 

An After School Adventure!

One day after school this past spring I decided to take Noah out on an adventure and I've always wondered about this building called Divine Missionaries. I finally had the nerve to drive into the entrance to check out their territory and little did I know there was a field of flowers along with a garden surrounded by what looked like a "tomb." It looked so historical and peaceful and as we walked through it noticed a walking trail. Noah had flip flops on so we didn't walk very far but we did venture along the garden and tomb looking cave and Noah kind of felt like a character from Lord of The Rings. It was so cool and it is a perfect spot to just sit and meditate, explore or go on a simple walk with family or friends. Perfect in the summer or spring to venture out! 

Life Lately In Black & White.

I captured a few moments of the kids doing various activities lately including making a thankful sign to those who are out risking their lives. It's mostly for all essential workers but because their dad is a UPS driver made it especially for those who deliver all kind of essential/nonessential goodies! We are all trying to get through this pandemic the best way we know how and one thing I love to do is take pictures. Since this is the season where we go out and venture to places like Central Park, and D.C. to see the beauty of the blossoms in all their glory I decided to capture a few shots of the kids inside our home in all their glory! While it's not always fun and games in this house at the end of the day there's quite a bit of laughter, and I'm sorry's along with smiles and a prayer saying, "tomorrow is another day to try again." 

This is life lately quarantined in black and white! 

Rumple Buttercup & Matthew Gray Gubler!

When I read the tweet about Matthew Gray Gubler comimg to Jersey for a book signing I immediately cleared my schedule and told the kids that we were going to meet "Dr. Reid." Noah was a bit quiet when I told him the news. I think it was more of a "I have to see him to believe it" sort of look. I don't blame him.

Nor'easter!

When everyone woke up yesterday the first question we all asked each other was, "where is this snowstorm everyone is talking about", and "is this why they cancelled school for?" We were expecting to wake up with a ton of snow on the ground, and there literally was only half an inch dusting of snow on the grass, and within two hours it was all gone.

75 Degrees In February!

The weather we had this past Wednesday was absolutely gorgeous, and too good to be true especially in our neck of the woods. It's very rare to have warm weather in February. The last time I remember having a warm day in February was four years ago. 

A "Bomb Cyclone" In Jersey.

Well, the first snow of the year was pretty intense and bitter, bitter cold with sub 0 temps compared to Jonas in 2016 & Stella last year. this bomb cyclone literally mind "blowing" but we came out of it unscathed. The plows did a good job on clearing up the streets, and main highway because at the last minute I had to make a Walmart run to buy some food that I can actually cook for the kids. As much as I dislike freezing temps, and sometimes driving in it,  there is something about freshly dropped snow that is so beautiful.

Visiting Maplewood & Maggie.

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in all honesty I feel as if my heart moved away when my dearest and closest friend Maggie left, but then again I feel that way with half my friends that live all over the nation. Maggie and I both moved away within two weeks of each other, and we both feel that these moves were just what we needed. Now that I'm 50 minutes away from her instead of 15 minutes I feel as if I somewhat took our time for granted while living in south jersey because now that we live further away from each other we want to visit each other every weekend! It's a shame that we didn't see each other enough except at church, and we both know that we could have done more, but because family, jobs, and life can take up all our days leaving us with no time to make girl time can cause us to forget the little things that are important when it comes to friendshipping. Sure we spent our birthdays together at the temple, and certain holidays, but because we are like sisters seeing each other again after two months was as if I saw her yesterday. 

And those are the best friendships. 

A couple of days ago the kids and I got in our car and drove to Maplewood to visit Maggie, and boy was she a sight for sore eyes. I tell ya, absence really does make the heart grow fonder especially after everything we have both experienced living in south jersey. Change is good, and as long as we water the grass on our end, we both know that there are greener pastures ahead. 

We had so much fun visiting this part of north jersey, and we spent the whole day here. She's so lucky that she's just a 25 minute train ride into  New York City. Maplewood is a beautiful town, and it sort of reminded me of Mystic without the boats, and the water. There are a ton of cute shops, a library, and a park all within walking distance. 

This was the simplest day I ever spent, and we had sooooo much fun. I tell ya it's the simple things that make the day so meaningful. Window shopping, a walk in the park, and just taking in the july sun with my kids, and dear friend was the remedy I needed since moving to my new area! The kids had too much fun that Noah conked out on the way home around 6pm, and didn't wake up until the next morning! 

Here a few photos I shot around town. Not too many, but enough to make these memories last! 

 As we were walking I saw a store with my name on it, and I just had to take a picture of it! 

 The girls saw this mummy, and since they were standing still figured I'd capture them in the moment. They 
were obviously mimicking it. 

Cute kid with a carriage. 

 A lot of the walking called for some ice cream, and these kids were screaming for it! 

Getting our ice cream fix which we hardly eat! I swear I'm lactose intolerant now, because my tummy won't allow me to digest it properly, but a little bit won't hurt! 

that little tongue tho...

 I love bookstores, and this store called [words] is so quaint, and cozy. Maggie and the kids were going to town looking around, and I swear I could have left this store spending 100 dollars, but I didn't. I told Lexie to put any books she wanted on her wish list. Same with Chelsea.

And Noah. 

We could have stayed here all day reading books, relaxing just to get out of the heat. Noah loves it when I read to him, but really encourage him to read on his own. He'll be in first grade this year, and although I feel confident about his reading level,it's still good for him to read by himself, plus he's getting way too long to sit on my lap! I don't mind it though! 

We had such a wonderful time with "Aunt Maggie" and the kids look forward to seeing her again. Definitely taking advantage of seeing each other more now that we are both closer to the city. 

No excuses! 

Mercer Park & My Way of Adjusting To a New Place.

The other day I received a text from a friend that read, "sometimes you gotta move to a bigger pot so your roots can stretch out and nestle in deeper where it's going to become stronger." 

Thanks friend for that because I'll tell ya...it's already stretching. 

Although we've moved many times before I have to admit that this particular move has somewhat been a bit different, and it's probably because we were getting too comfortable in the place we were in. Even though I was excited for this move, I had a mixture of nervousness, and fearlessness. Nerves because we never know what to except, and fearlessness because I am an extrovert, and love meeting new people. There were a few bad habits that I chose to rub off on me while living there, and in the beginning of this year I decided to throw them to the curb. I won't go into detail as to what bad habits they were, but I'll tell you this...in those eight years of living in south jersey, and going to church I learned what to do, and what not to do! 

And I've learned sooooo dang much! 

With moving comes adjustment, and I find that in order for me to adjust to my new surroundings is to venture outside. To not be afraid of what's out there. To not be afraid of letting people know who you are especially when it comes to the church I belong to. There's no use in wallowing in pity because I'm further away from all the good people I met at church and in my community, or because my kitchen is much smaller, or because I no longer have a bike trail or library that I can easily walk to (man were we spoiled), but I know this....because of the love I easily build towards people, and to know that I have a church no matter where we move I can make new friends, I can appreciate having a bigger dining room, two full baths, and be more grateful for a smaller kitchen (miss that counter space though, but it's okay) and knowing that I can walk to the post office is a blessing because I love to write letters. And the fact that I don't mind driving, because boy have I done quite a bit of that so far! And when you like driving, you love traveling to unknown territories. 

Where I live now is pretty rural, and although I miss having everything so close, I have  realized even more that simplicity is best. 

So as I was driving around my area we discovered this park. Not just any park, but a big one. Not as big as Central Park, but for my area it's pretty huge. It is amazing and probably one of the best ones I've ever seen so far in Jersey. There is so much to do here. There are various sections of the park where one can play tennis, volleyball, frisbee golf, soccer, and they even have a huge skating rink. There is also a huge pavilion with a good size lawn where you can watch shows, and concerts. 

There's also an awesome boathouse where you can launch your own boat from, and rent paddle boats, and kayaks. We've been to this playground twice, but never really explored all around the park, or ventured further into the woods near the lake. 

We also saw people fishing, sunbathing reading a book, couples snuggling (miss you during the day Jon!), families having picnics, and people just chilling all over the place. It was pretty cool. 

We then went on the other side of the boathouse where there's a gazebo with benches along the water where people can just sit and take in the sounds of the water crashing into the rocks while watching the sun go down, and boats passing by.

Absolutely breathtaking. I am calling this my mini central park!

With Lexie and Sierra being gone all the time my crew of kids is getting smaller. It's bittersweet because I get to hang around more with these two goofs, and they sure are a joy, and interesting to hang around with! 

After walking around, and having the kids play in the playground we decided to be adventurous and walk along the trail into the woods. The next thing you know we found ourselves near the lake, getting our feet wet (too bad no swimming is allowed), and skipping rocks. After watching superman Noah was in search for a meteorite, and he actually found one similar to it! Cracked me up! 

And when did this girl get so tall?? Stop!! 

and this boy...what a cutie. 

 I'm telling ya! Too much fun in one afternoon! 

And what a beautiful day it was! 

I always want to be able to have the energy and stamina to drive whether they're long or short distances, and to continue to explore my surroundings no matter where I live. This is how I've learned to adjust whenever we've moved, and I'm so grateful for a tolerant family that deals with having a crazy momma, and for the helping hand of a loving Father in Heaven who lends me His guiding hand, and gives me the strength to make the adjustment when it comes to moving so much easier.

Because it will never happen overnight! 

Happy Wednesday folks, and here's to adjusting and to bloom even more now that I've been planted here, and to grow in hopes that my new area will help me build an even deeper, and stronger appreciation for life, the gospel, different cultures, and all that comes my way! 

THE DAY OF THE STORM.

The day started out with sunny skies, and hot, 92 degree muggy weather. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay indoors, but in the end you can't because of summer loving kids. I went out to visit a friend in need, and am so glad because in return I needed her. We all need girl time right? After visiting her for a few hours I walked out of her air conditioned apartment feeling rejuvenated. I went on my merry way home hoping that the kids are all getting along, and that Lexie hasn't pulled her hair out yet. Her patience is like mine. It only goes so far especially when it's hot! That's the only time I'll get really cranky especially when I haven't had anything to eat. Luckily I prayed that morning for strength to get me through the day, and to withstand with whatever the day brings. 

As I walked in there was nothing but peace permeating around the house. I heard laughing, and saw smiles being exchanged between Lexie, and Chelsea, and even a loud laugh in between. The girls were playing UNO, and were really getting into the game. I was exhausted, and wanted to lay down for a bit on the couch. We have an extra couch in the kitchen (odd place to have, I know), but I have to say it's the most comfortable couch. I can't seem to get rid of it. It's perfect to sit, and sleep on, and the kids use it as a nook for reading. 

While the girls were playing UNO, Noah was perfectly content watching toy story on the mac, and after watching it he immediately wanted me to go to the store to buy him buzz lightyear. Here I thought I got away with Noah not wanting anything to do with the characters from toy story. I owned that movie ages ago when the girls were little, but because I felt it was a movie for boys I got rid of it. I know, my bad. I never thought I'd have a son though! I think somehow I'm getting payback with my son bugging me to get Buzz because of getting rid of that movie. That's what I get for judging a movie I felt was only for boys. I certainly have learned my lesson that all movies are equal, and that there is no such thing that certain movies are for boys, and vise versa.

Maybe he'll get buzz for his birthday. 

After about an hour or so of playing tennis we headed home to get ready for church activities. That's when we all received notifications on our phones that we were under a tornado watch. I was like holy crap! Growing up in hurricane alley I always take those warnings seriously. You don't want to mess around or doubt mother nature especially when it comes to a tornado, because you don't get much of a warning. 

Young women's at church was cancelled, the skies grew dark, and it began to pour. This was indeed a torrential rainstorm with very strong winds! They were hitting hard against our windows. I was praying that they wouldn't break!  

It's times like this where you don't want to be separated from your family, and luckily Jon was safe. Evidently he did well driving a UPS truck in this major inclement weather!! On my way to pick him up there were uprooted trees, a lot of damage to a couple of homes and the streets were dark due to a power outage. It seemed like Armageddon with it being so dark. People were standing outside taking pictures, and inspecting the damage. 

There were numerous uprooted trees every where I drove. The storm brought a cool breeze which was needed after the day being so hot! I'm seriously investing in a generator after experiencing hurricane Sandy, and now this, but I thank the good Lord for keeping us out of harms way. 

Overall we were extremely lucky!! We have electricity, and thank goodness there were no serious deaths. From what I understand we were very, very close to the tornado. We live about five minutes from the mall that was damaged where a few cars flipped over! 

I have been counting my blessings over, and over again for having a beautiful day yesterday with the kids, and for saying my prayers that morning to help give me the patience with whatever came our way, and to keep us safe. 

God is good, and obviously heard my prayer. 

Here's hoping that those families who are in need, and without power will have it restored soon! 

Then again...it's New Jersey!