This was my first year in more than a decade that I didn't have a classroom to set up in the fall. Andy and I decided that with the logistics of the move, this was a good time for me to take a break from teaching and decide what I want to be when I grow up. I have not said goodbye to education forever, but it will probably look a bit different in the future as I don't see myself going back into a classroom as a classroom teacher. We shall see! That being said, somehow this summer went faster than any other that I can remember. To even think that it's October feels strange as my daily routine is so different than it would normally be this time of year. The changing of the trees even surprised me as I didn't realize how late in the year it was. So let's take a trip down memory lane and review what the last part of what our summer looked like.
As I mentioned previously, teachers have to take advantage of their time off in the summer, so I had some friends come and stay the weekend so we could explore NYC. Being close to the city still doesn't feel normal so it's a whirlwind of a day when I go there. I try to see everything I possibly can and cover as much ground as possible. It's exhausting. We started in Soho and made our way up to Central Park and back down to Chelsea. I think we were all a little bit delirious by the time we made it home, but we had a long list of great places we had gone. I loved having people stay at the house and get to see what our new life looks like.
Andy's sister Lisa also got to make a trip out here and it was amazing! In the best way possible, I forget that she is Andy's sister and not just my friend coming to visit. I have to remember to let them have time to hang out! She and I explored a little town nearby and learned that BYO restaurants have liquor stores that deliver to them. So you get a menu from a liquor store, and they deliver within minutes and you don't have to pay restaurant prices. SCORE! We also spent a day in NYC. We went to Andy's office, got lunch, wandered around a bit and then met up with Andy for HH and dinner. It was nice to pick a specific area and explore it well. The following day she and I went to the beach. It's about an hour drive to get to the closest NJ beach and it's a perfect spot for a day trip. We spent hours watching kids learn to be life guards at 'camp' and then had late lunch at a restaurant in town. Her final day was spent lounging at home and exploring a mall nearby. I know it doesn't sound that exciting, but everyone talks about this mall and how nice it is so we had to check it out. They were right. It was not fun saying goodbye. We miss her and her family SO, SO much. But the good news is that they will be visiting as a family for the holidays so we are really excited to have that to look forward to!
The rest of August was pretty calm. I went to PA for a weekend and had some other friends come up for a night here and there. I have gone into Jersey City and NYC for breakfast or lunch and just to wander. I was able to see a live recording of a podcast at theSkimm HQ, which was SO cool to see. I got into a good habit of going to the gym while nobody else is there (between 10am and 4pm) and I'm definitely learning my way around town. There are still a few places that I didn't realize were so close to us but I will explore more now that I have the basics down.
Andy and I went to PA for a weekend to stay with friends and they had a dinner with my teacher friends. It is amazing how close that group is. Everyone talks and everyone listens and the night disappears before you realize it even started. I am so lucky to have found that group of friends and as people move in and out of teaching, the friendships stay close. It's really fun to be part of such a special group of people. It's even more amazing when the husbands all want to hang out together.
The most recent visitors we had were Andy's dad and his wife Kathy. I did a similar tour with them that I did with Lisa. We took them out to a cute dinner spot in a nearby town the first night and then into NYC on Saturday. We took the ferry to the World Trade Center and it was beautiful to see the view of the city from the water. We had lunch and toured the 9/11 Museum. That took a few hours so we didn't do any other exploring. On Sunday we went to Sandy Hook Beach in NJ, which is a national park along the northern most part of the shore. We had lunch and watched some football before heading back home. Then on Monday, Mike and Kathy spent the morning helping me hang ALL of the pictures around the house. It's one task that I don't have much of a knack for and they helped with spacing, height, etc. It was fantastic! Then we went to a cute town nearby and walked around, shopped a little (most of the stores were closed because it was Monday!) and had a quick lunch before they were headed home.
Now, here we are starting October. We are up on a hill overlooking a valley so I am really excited for the colors to change and to see what our view is from the front of the house. We have had a few other visitors from PA and have a few more weekend visitors ahead. I am so happy to have moved within a few hours of our previous home so we can see everyone so easily.
Now we cozy up, and continue to settle in to our new home. Happy Fall!
As I mentioned previously, teachers have to take advantage of their time off in the summer, so I had some friends come and stay the weekend so we could explore NYC. Being close to the city still doesn't feel normal so it's a whirlwind of a day when I go there. I try to see everything I possibly can and cover as much ground as possible. It's exhausting. We started in Soho and made our way up to Central Park and back down to Chelsea. I think we were all a little bit delirious by the time we made it home, but we had a long list of great places we had gone. I loved having people stay at the house and get to see what our new life looks like.
Andy's sister Lisa also got to make a trip out here and it was amazing! In the best way possible, I forget that she is Andy's sister and not just my friend coming to visit. I have to remember to let them have time to hang out! She and I explored a little town nearby and learned that BYO restaurants have liquor stores that deliver to them. So you get a menu from a liquor store, and they deliver within minutes and you don't have to pay restaurant prices. SCORE! We also spent a day in NYC. We went to Andy's office, got lunch, wandered around a bit and then met up with Andy for HH and dinner. It was nice to pick a specific area and explore it well. The following day she and I went to the beach. It's about an hour drive to get to the closest NJ beach and it's a perfect spot for a day trip. We spent hours watching kids learn to be life guards at 'camp' and then had late lunch at a restaurant in town. Her final day was spent lounging at home and exploring a mall nearby. I know it doesn't sound that exciting, but everyone talks about this mall and how nice it is so we had to check it out. They were right. It was not fun saying goodbye. We miss her and her family SO, SO much. But the good news is that they will be visiting as a family for the holidays so we are really excited to have that to look forward to!
The rest of August was pretty calm. I went to PA for a weekend and had some other friends come up for a night here and there. I have gone into Jersey City and NYC for breakfast or lunch and just to wander. I was able to see a live recording of a podcast at theSkimm HQ, which was SO cool to see. I got into a good habit of going to the gym while nobody else is there (between 10am and 4pm) and I'm definitely learning my way around town. There are still a few places that I didn't realize were so close to us but I will explore more now that I have the basics down.
Andy and I went to PA for a weekend to stay with friends and they had a dinner with my teacher friends. It is amazing how close that group is. Everyone talks and everyone listens and the night disappears before you realize it even started. I am so lucky to have found that group of friends and as people move in and out of teaching, the friendships stay close. It's really fun to be part of such a special group of people. It's even more amazing when the husbands all want to hang out together.
The most recent visitors we had were Andy's dad and his wife Kathy. I did a similar tour with them that I did with Lisa. We took them out to a cute dinner spot in a nearby town the first night and then into NYC on Saturday. We took the ferry to the World Trade Center and it was beautiful to see the view of the city from the water. We had lunch and toured the 9/11 Museum. That took a few hours so we didn't do any other exploring. On Sunday we went to Sandy Hook Beach in NJ, which is a national park along the northern most part of the shore. We had lunch and watched some football before heading back home. Then on Monday, Mike and Kathy spent the morning helping me hang ALL of the pictures around the house. It's one task that I don't have much of a knack for and they helped with spacing, height, etc. It was fantastic! Then we went to a cute town nearby and walked around, shopped a little (most of the stores were closed because it was Monday!) and had a quick lunch before they were headed home.
Now, here we are starting October. We are up on a hill overlooking a valley so I am really excited for the colors to change and to see what our view is from the front of the house. We have had a few other visitors from PA and have a few more weekend visitors ahead. I am so happy to have moved within a few hours of our previous home so we can see everyone so easily.
Now we cozy up, and continue to settle in to our new home. Happy Fall!
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