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Home Sweet New Jersey

Well, I've been in no rush to unpack. I've decided that I'll really start the job hunt once the house is put together. Last time it took me 3 years and I'm moving at a bit of a slower pace this time around. The things that are distracting me are waking up late, taking time to drink my multiple cups of coffee, reading books, floating in the pool, and NYC. Many of these things can only truly be enjoyed during the summer months so I think it makes sense to use the time while I have it. Andy hasn't disagreed yet, but I'm sure I'll start to get some looks come fall.

For the 4th of July we decided to stay home and see what we could see from our house. We live on a hill so we were hopeful we'd have a view. I had the great idea to watch from the roof. Turns our my fear of heights is as bad as I remember it being so I only made it, shaking, for about 5 minutes before I had to climb down. We ended up being able to watch the fireworks from our staircase. Air conditioning, no bugs. Andy was a tiny bit disappointed, but I was happy to be off that roof!

Our trip to MN was short but very, very full of good people and love. Andy got to golf while I visited our aunt who just moved back to MN from Chicago. We went to a wedding and got to see almost ALL of Andy's extended family. The next morning we went to spend time with my parents on their 45th Wedding Anniversary. The timing couldn't have worked out better. Andy picked raspberries for the first time in his life in my mom's garden. It was really fun to be home. I love that my parents still live in the home I grew up in because it will always be home to me. Then we went to the other side of the cities for an "After Wedding Gathering" and got to be with family a bit more. Andy was on a flight out first thing Sunday. I spent a bit more time hanging with Lisa, meeting up with a friend who moved back from New Orleans, and then heading to Amanda's parents house to get ready for our road trip.

Amanda's time in MN just happened to overlap with my weekend home. She needed to make the road trip home and I jumped at the chance to take a cross country drive. In my opinion, the trip FLEW by. It felt like it took us no time and it was absolutely beautiful. The drive through Tennessee was my favorite. The kids road trip really well and they were in great moods for the 2.5 days that we drove. Once we got home we made sure to take a quick trip to the Atlantic and get our feet in the salt water. It was a perfect summer excursion.

Now, it's time to just enjoy the house and clean up some of those weeds (yikes) and start getting people out to visit. Our first visitor came last weekend and we spent a night at home and a day in NYC. A few friends from PA are coming up this week to do the same. Teachers have to take advantage of that time off in the summer! After that, Andy's sister Lisa is coming for a few days to help us make memories and see where we live. Then Andy's dad and wife are coming later in the fall. It's exciting to finally have the house set up for visitors. I've learned the basic area around me but there are a lot of cute towns around us that I need to start exploring. I can't wait to see more of where we live!

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