Our Mini "Stars Hollow."

 

There are so many quaint towns in New England that give Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girl vibes and going to New Milford in Connecticut where they actually have a gazebo that is similar to the one in the show blew me away. I have loved Gilmore Girls since the 90's and my youngest daughter and I can rewatch it over and over again. Apparently there are a few charming New England towns that inspired Stars Hollow. This one has become a favorite. Going during the fall season was dreamy and the fall decor throughout the town is stunning. I'm so grateful to be a fall baby and to be able to celebrate all season long by venturing out to the places I love. 

A Day In Litchfield, CT!

It's the last day of November and I can't believe it has been 10 years since we've been to Litchfield! The first time we came here was during the fall and the kids were so little and young! It was one of the very first quaint New England towns I fell in love with when we first moved to the east coast. So cozy and it totally reminds me of scenes from Gilmore Girls. 

Well, little did we know that this was the town that inspired the location of the show and I can totally understand why! It's such a wonderful spot to apple pick, pumpkin pick, go leaf peeping but most of all go window shopping. It's such a charming town. The village greens is my favorite. Noah was three when he had fun running around and now that he's 14 still enjoys the village greens. We all had so much fun walking around and browsing inside all the shops. I have to say the Litchfield candy store was Noah's favorite. It's not in the village but about a mile outside of town. We hope we will come again when fall peaks so that I can capture the fall foliage in all it's colorful glory! 

The Martha-Mary Chapel & Redstone Schoolhouse.

After we explored this farm last year we stumbled upon a nearby church where they filmed "The Unholy" and I just had to stop! I love Jeffrey dean Morgan (even though he was not a good guy in The walking dead) but the movie was so good and the fact that it was filmed in New England made it even better. We didn't get to go inside the chapel as it was closed but we did get to go inside this cute little schoolhouse. There had to have been about 20 desks and if I lived back in those days oh how I would have loved coming here for school. Noah mentioned how he probably wouldn't be able to sit in one room all day, but he did like the nostalgia vibe it gave and all the antique desks. 

There is so much history behind the Redstone schoolhouse. The tour guide sat and told us all the history of how this schoolhouse is supposedly the school in the nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It was very interesting and we could have talked to her all day! They even had a little library outside where you can take a book and Noah grabbed one to read. This gives us an excuse to go back and return it and add an extra book to put inside. Such a beautiful and peaceful spot surrounded by nature. We will definitely come back here again in hopes to go inside the church and take a peek!

The WaySide Inn Old Barn.

October is here and even though it's 80 degrees right now the weather is nice and sunny outside. Still, I long for overcast days so I can wear sweaters and drink hot chocolate and apple cider. We should only have these warm temps this week and then it should go back to the 60's! We love road trips during the fall and love venturing out to unknown territory. Last year on my birthday we spent the weekend in New England where we did a bit of traveling and we came upon this cool farm stand. New England has some of the most colorful farms and we stopped by and took some photos. I love, love this time of year and hope to explore more farms as we travel and go on more road trips. Truly quintessential New England. More photos below....

A Day In Mystic!

One thing we have enjoyed doing with our kids upon leaving for college is taking them to their favorite place or restaurant. In this case chelsea wanted to eat at Mystic Pizza and we obliged. We absolutely love New England and didn't mind taking a day trip just for that. There is so much to do in this quaint coastal town and just loving coming here. There is tons of shopping and a lot of places to eat, get great ice cream, seafood and leave with a lot of saltwater taffy too. I love spending time with each other and it's always a joy to leave the chaos of Jersey and go to a much relaxing environment. So if y'all are ever looking for a place to enjoy and relax all year round go to Mystic, Connecticut! You may even be lucky to see the drawbridge go up too!

Father's Day Appreciation Post In July.

I know it's been a few weeks since fathers day passed because of I know it's been a few weeks since fathers day passed but couldn't let my days go on without writing a little something about Jon. My father left when I was five which is why I never really write about him or hardly share anything about him. Last time I shared something about him was in this post and writing about that has helped me cope with the fact that he wasn't in my life. With that being out in the open we are so lucky to have this great guy who likes to have his picture taken and I love writing about him! Even after working 14 hr shifts, six days a week for the past two months he is always willing to take us to the places we love. Jon, thank you for staying and for working hard for our family. Thank you for always being there for us even when you're physically not (life of a city UPS driver). You truly are the perfect example of what a dad should be. Here's to more Father's Days like this with kids who are willing to do anything for you. You truly are a super hardworking dad!

A Ferry Ride From Hyannis Port To Nantucket!

For those who may be wondering how we got to Nantucket Island there are several ports to leave from but we actually took the cheaper route. Even though we live in Jersey we stayed overnight in a hotel in Massachusetts and then drove to Hyannis port to catch the earliest ferry. It's about an hour and a half ride to the island, but if you bring a book or something to occupy yourself the ride goes by pretty quick. There is a more pricey route to take which avoids cape cod traffic and gets you there within an hour which is Seastreak but because of the prices we were like...NO! We had the best time riding the ferry and Noah got to see some boats and even got to wave to a few boaters passing by. Riding the ferry was half the fun of this trip and we would love to do it again off season. I wonder how Nantucket is like in the fall and winter months! Here are a few photos from the ferry ride...

Our Fourth of July Weekend In Nantucket!

Our fourth of July was a bit different this year. We usually explore historical places but his year we kept it low key. With the parades and fireworks being canceled we decided to make our own fun and decided to spend a couple of days in Nantucket. It was the perfect getaway for our family. Everyone needs a getaway from the place they live. Even it's your hometown or a place you've been living in for the past 13 years everyone needs to getaway. And that's exactly what we did over the 4th. Although Summer will definitely be different this year for everyone because of the pandemic we have come to terms that if we go anywhere we will do so with an abundance of caution and WEAR OUR MASKS! Cause for some of us we need that getaway. Jon has been working 14 hour shifts six days a week for the past two months and let me tell ya, he really needed this little vacay. He's hoping the deliveries will die down soon from 450+ packages a day to the minimum which is usually about 250. He works his tail off and I'm just so happy that we got to spend some of our days in Nantucket. It truly is a magical place and absolutely loved it here. To tell you the truth I came here to see the Brant Point lighthouse and all the hydrangeas in bloom and man they are everywhere! It is my favorite flower and I definitely had fun taking pictures of everything and everyone! I even did another little video on TikTok.  Here are a few highlights from our weekend...

Last Year In Rockport Massachusetts.

There are so many places we'd like to explore but Covid19 has prevented us from doing. So instead of blogging about recent adventures that have yet to happen want to share some lost photos from our trip to Rockport in Massachusetts last year. I have fallen in love with quaint seaside towns all over New England and this one has become a favorite. I love, love New England no matter what the season is. Spring, summer, fall. Even in the winter time the towns are charming and beautiful. The way they decorate for every season is aesthetic and inviting and hope to never stop exploring the quaint towns of New England.

A Cranberry Harvest At A.D. Makepeace Company.

This past weekend, we drove to Massachusetts to witness some cranberry harvesting in action! It's a beautiful time of the year to do this! We went to the A.D. Makepeace company which is the oldest cranberry grower in the country and have been around for over 160 years! I have been wanting to see this for years and was so bummed to find out that last year was the final year of having the cranberry festival which also means not going inside the bog. Bummer! Luckily they still do the tours, and we still had a grand time learning all about how they harvest the berries. And it was very interesting! 

An Autumn Day At The Pumpkin Patch!

Fall season has officially arrived and since Jersey's fall foliage isn't quite as vibrant went for a drive to New England where we did a little bit of leaf peeping, and pumpkin picking. I love New England in the fall. So picturesque and relaxing. This past weekend was filled with family fun and pumpkin picking is one tradition we will never outgrow. I wish I did this as a kid but because I never did am making up for it in my later years along with my kids and I love it! We ventured out to Castle Hill Farm where we have gone for the past two years and it has become our favorite farm in Connecticut!

For Road Trips- Woodstock, Vermont.

Celebrating Noah's birthday all over New England was the icing on the cake, and in all honesty wish we could have spent another week there. America is a road trip, and the east coast has so much for us to do and explore. Noah has developed a penchant for history, and wanted to explore all over New England...again!

Salem In October!

Going to Salem village in October was pretty crazy with all the crowds, carnivals, and festivals that were going on. I didn't realize how crowded, and crazy it gets up this time of year, but that's what happens when Salem is infamous for the witch trials, Hocus Pocus, and Stephen King. 

Walden Pond in The Fall.

Waldon Pond is just as beautiful in the fall as it is during the summer, and love all the history behind this place. I am so glad I got to bring the kids here so they can see what they look forward to in the summer months. They had so much fun walking halfway around the pond, but because it was 45 degrees didn't make it all around, but it's a good little hike! Next time we want to do the hike that leads to Thoreaus's home, but for now all these kids did was run around, and walk along the trail. As usual I captured them in action through my little camera lens...

Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.

One of my favorite books growing up was Little Women. I remember wanting a copy of it, but because we didn't have a lot of money never owned it, but when I got older bought a copy of my own, as well as buying the dvd. There are so many renditions of that movie, but my favorite 'dreamy' version is the one with Christian Bale, and Wynona Rider. I absolutley fell in love with that movie, and pretended I'd live in that time simply because of how Louisa was raised, who she was, and how she became someone well known through her writing. 

Clearview Farm in Sterling, Massachusetts.

Fall is the BEST time to go to New England so we are taking full advantage of this season by venturing out to familiar places we've been, and exploring unknown places we've never been. There was so much we did this past weekend so I may write about it in a few posts. 

Pumpkin Picking From The Vine!

There's something about picking pumpkins straight from the vine that makes all the fun as opposed to buying a pre-cut one. When we went to this pumpkin patch in Bucks county all we did was walk around to look at all the beautifully precut orange, and white pumpkins, but it wasn't the same as actually picking one from the vine. So we all ended up going back to one of our favorite farms in Connecticut to pick pumpkins straight from the vine, and it was the best! 

A Few Photos & A Little Video of Noah In New England.

We spent Labor Day weekend traveling all over New England. One thing about our trips is that if there is a temple you better believe we are going to stop by even when it's closed at night. We first stopped at the Hartford temple to take a quick look, and parked for a minute to reflect on the beauty, and the peace that these buildings bring. We continued to drive until we arrived to our somewhat final destination in Boston, and found a hotel to stay in about 25 minutes from the temple. Noah has become pretty obsessed with the temple, and every time we tell him about a certain place we are going to he'll ask if there's a temple, and if so can we can stop by.