Spring is in the air!

Spring is here and the blossoms are in full bloom. The weather is still a bit nippy hence the sweater wearing but walking along the jersey waterfront and along the neighborhood of Hoboken made this day the best! And although he longs to go back to work it sure has been nice having Jon home so that he can hang out with us more during the day. 

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. 

New York In Bloom!

Spring has officially popped up in the city and the blooms are stunning! After watching this show we headed toward Central Park to see if the blossoms have bloomed and they have! It was still a bit chilly over the weekend so we didn't walk for too long but I did capture a few shots of a blossom tree with Noah standing near it. Noah also captured a photo of me with these tulips before crossing the street to the park. Aren't these tulips stunning! So glad spring has arrived so we can enjoy the outdoors instead of being cooped up inside!

Spring!!!

Spring has sprung and I've been spotting quite a few blossoms on cherry trees lately. This is a blossom tree in our backyard and when it blooms its absolutely breathtaking. I wish they can last all year round. The older I get the more I ache for warmer weather and when March comes around my soul becomes a bit brighter knowing that spring is coming and it's finally here. Well, officially it's here but the temps have become cold again and hopefully spring will stay when Easter comes on the 31st. I love this time of year and as you can see so does Noah. This was taken in 2022 and although I love how time and season change but I hate how fast my kid is growing up!

At The Tail End of Spring....

 

Here we are at the tail end of spring and soon summer will be here. As I was cleaning up my phone and  scrolling through old photos I realized these spring pics never made it to the blog. I really have to be motivated to hop on here to load and edit photos but lately they have all been making it to the gram. I know eventually blogging will become obsolete for me but as much as I want to give up I somehow find myself back on this computer typing my fingers away until my wrists and back start hurting. I love to write but I feel that my aching body permits me to do that these days. That's why I love Instagram, it's so easy to do. You post photos with a caption and....voila! You're done! IG is like a mini blog/journal for me and since 90% of my friends and family don't write letters anymore I figure this is the easiest way they can "keep up" with me. Social media, it truly is the way of the world these days! This blog has meant so much to me throughout the years and as I look back into the archives it blows my mind how diligent I was in writing on here. And I mean really writing. Not just writing boring stuff (at least I hope not) but raw stuff. Maybe someday my blog will go back to the old school days but for now this is it. Little snippets of my life as my kids not only grow older, but get taller than me too! 

Tulips Are My Fave!

And just like that...spring is pretty much gone and all the blossoms and tulips are a thing of the past. Wisteria kicked in and so are peonies. Oh how I love spring! Too bad it's a short season. Luckily I was driving through my old hood and I saw a table with a bunch of tulips for sale. Since I didn't get to make time to go to Holland Ridge Farms this year to pick tulips I was happy to have just bought a small bunch from a lady in my old neighborhood and she even gave me a vase! 10 bucks and I was pretty satisfied with them. Picking tulips is a fun thing to do and would have liked to have gone but it's okay if traditions don't stick. Time shifts and changes and life gets busy. What's most important is to literally "stop and smell the tulips" and to not feel the need to go to every single farm and pick, pick, pick. Whether it's fruit or flowers just take the time to enjoy life without the hustle of trying to pack in our seasons full of activities and events. What's important is to relax and breathe and buy flowers that don't break the bank account! 

The Bridal Path & Cherry Blooms In Central Park!

Ahhhh! Here we are on the last day of April and since the rain we've had for the past three days have caused the blooms to fall off the trees wanted to document my day in the city from last Friday while the blossoms were still in bloom! 

The cherry blossoms in the bridal path near the Jackie Onassis reservoir have become my favorite! I can't believe this is my first time actually coming here when they are in full bloom! I am so glad I took a day to come to the city by myself to take in all their beauty! And the people! So many people on the grass having picnics, taking a nap. mommas playing with their kids, or just resting from a bike ride. Oh how I love this city! This is something I would do on my lunch break if I worked here and every week on a warm spring/summer day if I lived here. So beautiful and serene. Those blooms with the San Remo apartment building in the background is epic! I sure do love this city. Even the sounds of the city are soothing when you're just chilling on the lawn. Wouldn't bother me one bit! 

Blossoms in D.C.!

 

Blossoms in D.C. this year sure did bloom quick and we caught the tail end of them earlier this month. I'm sure they are all gone by now but oh how beautiful spring looks in D.C. with all the cherry blossoms in bloom. I captured a few photos and did the best I can in capturing all it's beauty. It was the weekend so there were way too many people in some of my photos but that doesn't really bother me none. It was a gorgeous sunny day and everyone deserves to take pictures while photobombing others! LOL! 

Spring On Stockton St. in Jersey!

This is my old hood where we used to live on Historic Stockton street. I literally lived in that White House where the white blossom tree is at. We still live within walking distance from here and I absolutely love walking down this street, especially when spring arrives. This tree and the magnolia tree are my favorite. I captured them before it becomes petalpalooza! There are some petals already on the ground and because spring is such a short season these petals will probably all be on the ground by the end of this week! So I'm salvaging every moment of spring here in my neck of the woods. I feel that the older I get I appreciate the change of seasons. Cause with each season changing so do we. We choose to be how we want to be. I choose to be kind and bright like these trees and when the petals start to fall I don't allow it to bring me down. It only means that something better is coming. And summer will be here before we know it! Spring...whether you're in New England, NYC, D.C. or Philly is absolutely stunning!

Macy's Flower Show in NYC!

The flower show at Macy's this year was simple and colorful. It gave happy vibes! I blame it on the colorful rainbow, white clouds and the blue sky they displayed. I loved the smell of the flowers as we walked through and everything was decorated beautifully. I have seen better flower shows in the past years pre-covid but this one was still tasteful. I love coming every year just to see the display in person because pictures online don't do it justice. Noah came with me and he enjoyed it as well. He still likes me to take his picture as well as taking pictures with me and I hope that doesn't stop anytime soon! I only captured a few shots as I was too busy smelling the flowers and walking around being in the moment! Thanks to this lady for taking our photo amidst a busy crowd! The flower show is usually on display for two weeks and starts on the last week of march and ends on the first week of April. 

Easter Sunday!

Be prepared for a big photo dump like this one because besides Christmas- the easter season is my favorite holiday. I feel that the older I get along with my kids these holidays that are meant to not only remember "the reason (Jesus Christ) for the season" they are also for us to remember to have fun! Our kids are getting older but these two who are left to raise in the home will never grow up. Apples and trees...I mean, they do take after Jon and I and I know there will come a time when they'll seriously grow up, but I feel as if they will be a kid at heart even when they are in there 20's and 30's. Aside from Easter egg hunts, cascarones (confetti eggs) is a tradition that I grew up with and have kept it within my family since my kids were toddlers. I absolutely love making these but to be honest as I've gotten older I have started ordering them on eBay! Making them for the past 20 plus years have been a huge labor of love but it's time for me to just order them instead of making them! LOL!

Spring Scenes from Good Friday in Philadelphia!

The beginning of April was too good to be true. I thought it was April Fool's because the temps were in the 80's and it felt so good to have warmer temperatures. But it was real. Spring in Jersey has come and I hope it is here to stay. That is of course until Good Friday came. Temps were not as warm but they were in the 40's and it was still a beautiful day! I went to the temple and focused on the goodness that it brings when I attend. Afterward I went for a walk in the city. Logan square right now is filled with tulips and it is gorgeous! I am so lucky to live close to three great cities where it is beautified in the spring. I captured a few photos and the flowers took my breath away. I love fall in NYC, the blossoms in D.C. but man, Spring in Philly is pretty too! 

Spring In Central Park!

Spring in the city is my absolute favorite! Especially when the blossoms are beginning to bloom! Last weekend with temps nearing 70 brought out the entire city into Central Park and it was a beautiful sight! This sunny weather was well deserved after having two days of cold, wet rain! I love the outdoors and when it's cold and rainy I don't really want to go out. So my heart was supper happy that last Sunday was filled with sunshine! I look forward to more adventures like this and hope that spring is here to stay. 

Nowadays it seems that Noah is my adventure buddy. After Chelsea graduates he is it. The last one left to be able to do things with. He's the next best thing to his dad. They are both great adventure buddies and we all had fun on this day as a threesome! 

Happy First Day Of Spring!

 

Flowers have been blooming for almost two weeks now and when I went to the temple last Friday my face lit up when I saw these daffodils! Such a wonderful beginning of a new season and I am so happy that spring is officially here! Looking forward to warmer temperatures and for more scenes like this with various flowers in bloom all over the tristate area! Happy spring everyone! 

A Roller Skating Rink, Dirty Laundry & An Art Piece At Rockefeller Center!

There is always something going on at the Rockefeller center. A new art piece or installation. And for this spring all the way into early fall there will be a roller skating rink in place of a lawn or ice skating rink. Pretty cool and when we went it took me back to the 70's when I actually owned a pair of roller skates and skated for hours! Noah thought it was better than an ice rink. He isn't a great ice skater and prefers roller skates so yeah. We didn't get to skate on this day because we were pressed for time but we did walk around for a bit and stood for while to watch people boogie on the rink. You can see a reel of the art piece here and a snippet of the roller rink here on my TikTok.

Princeton Tulips With A Flashback Link!

Last week before the rain hit and when the tulips were in full bloom we ventured out in our neck of the woods and treated Noah to a walk on Nassau street for some gyoza and a mango slushee from Kung Fu tea. Passing these tulips, stopping by Lindt chocolate and prancing around Palmer square brought back memories of the last time I took Noah out here on a little date. The tulips were bright and colorful. Cheerful. It was a perfect day with perfect weather. Sunny. The piano on display was a unique touch and even though Noah was too shy to play a tune he let me capture him in front of it as if he was about to play. 

A perfect moment and a perfect memory for the books.

Spring & Chelsea.

Oh how I love spring where I live. So many trees. So many blossoms and I cannot get enough of them lately. Luckily I have a daughter who still likes for me to have her picture taken. Last week after school we passed by an assisted living development and it was surrounded by flower trees. I asked chelsea if I could take some pictures of her with it. She obliged and I snapped away. It didn't matter if there were bees swarming around. I figure, if I don't bother them then they won't bother me. I didn't get stung and I captured these two beauties in all their glory. 

Tulip Time!

It's been two years since we went tulip picking and when I saw all the posts on social media being posted about tulips knew I had to take the kids and go! We started this tradition five years ago when we moved to central jersey and being that we are less than 20 minutes away from Holland Ridge Farms just had to go. Luckily spring break is still ongoing and so the kids didn't miss school nor did we have to rush through the field to pick. In all honesty I come here mostly for photos and only end up buying like five tulips at a dollar a stem (best deal) but just the feeling of walking through the fields trying to find that perfect tulip gives off so much energy. It definitely gives off that "spring is definitely here" vibe and we are here for it! The weather was perfect. The crowds were tolerable and there was enough social distancing to go around. The tulips are vibrant and better looking this year. Such a beautiful time of year to go tulip picking and I suggest to go now because I have a feeling they will only be around for another week or so! 

Now for some photos!

Macy's Flower Show -2022!

The Macy's flower show in NYC this year was absolutely stunning. The colors were vibrant and there were so many flowers! Every year the show is unique and different and although the weather hasn't felt like spring lately, I am thankful for Macy's to put on a flower show that reminds us that spring is in the air! Too bad the show is only on display for two weeks so this past weekend was the final time to see it. Noah and I had so much fun walking through Macy's and of course captured some moments of him walking around. There was even someone taking photos outside the store for free! Noah and I couldn't resist and so this photographer (wish I got his name) captured some really nice photos of us. The rest were taken by me or Jon with our smartphones. Still...I prefer pictures from a Digital point and shoot camera or film camera over a smartphone any day! Now for some photos...

Happy April - Happy Spring, Happy Everything!

Weather in April has been bipolar lately. We have had rainy cold weather for a week and then for one day it was 75 degrees. I know that April showers bring May flowers but I would actually like the weather to feel like spring instead of winter! Regardless of the weather I try to make it a good day. It's funny how we go out on rainy, overcast days but I realized that those are the days that are perfect for outdoor pictures. Industry city has a beautify floral installation right now and we went earlier this month and it's absolutely gorgeous! So colorful and with Easter approaching makes it a perfect backdrop for photos. Even for Mother's day next month! We are expecting warmer temps this weekend so let's hope the forecast isn't teasing us about all that sunshine next week! Happy Spring!