Happy Friday, friends! Lotte & I just got back from the sweetest little trip back east where we got to do so many fun things! Some of these fun things included visiting Lake Wallenpaupack, pool lounging with family and meeting more family out for dinner … Steph & I even snuck into the city where we met up with some of my friends for brunch before seeing Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite.
It’s been a rough couple of …. years?! Honestly. With our last trip back to New York being the roaring success that it was (ahem…it was not), it was nice to head back this time, even with just the two of us, to see our beloved friends and fam.
Ignoring the news for a few days provided a much-needed reprieve, as well.
Anyway, friends, here’s some of what we got up to …
Me and my oldest, ready for adventure!Cutest cousins <3We met up with my friends at Valerie, which was the perfect location for seeing Plaza Suite after, and very tasty, too.Just a couple of tourists.The play was so cute! The tickets are pricey (we sat at the very tippitty top!), but even just to see those two act together was totally worth it!It rained Monday morning, so we headed to Billy Beez (similar to our Urban Air) to let the girls get their jiggles out 😉Tuesday was gorgeous, so we hit up the pool at my bro-in-law’s parents’ house … the girls had a blast!Couldn’t let the girls have all the fun …Dinner Tuesday night was with family we didn’t get to see over Christmas because of Covid, so this was pure delight.Wednesday was also gorgeous, so we headed to Lake Wallenpaupack in the town where Steph & I hope to find a family lake house we can buy together. Until then, frequenting the area to get to know it better is lots of fun!Because my sis is the cutest, she even planned an early surprise birthday celebration for Lotte, who of course was floored.And that was our trip in a nutshell, friends! I’m so glad I got to spend this time with my little love, who ….… is the best dang travel companion around <3
Bis bald, friends — I hope you’re all hangin’ in there this summer and finding yourselves some happiness 😉
Welp, friends … there goes another year. As the photo above indicates, we’ve had our highs and lows. I think the year didn’t quite pan out the way most of us were hoping it would, but still, there were bright spots to be found.
Here’s hoping 2022 brings you and your family all the happiness and cheer that you deserve! And here’s what we were able to get up to in 2021 …
April
We dusted off our travel boots for the first time in more than a year (!) this past April for a trip to the mountains. We headed to one of our favorite low-key spots — Granby Ranch — and the older girls even tried their hand at skiing for the first time.
Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoLotte, Grace & Emilia cuddled up on our couch in the cabin.Chris and the big girls posing on frozen Grand Lake.They look a little weathered here because this was after their lessons … but I HAD to get a pic of the two of them with their adorable little set of skis! We wrangled the kids to take a quick selfie when we got out on the lake in Grand Lake.
Grandpa came for his first visit in more than a year!Lotte started track!Evergreen Lake, Evergreen, ColoradoMe and my JMU girls 😉We sure do love a good splash pad!Just a dad and his trio of ladies.
July
The end of June and beginning of July was a busy time for us, as we packed up the car and hit the road for our trip out East! We started in Colorado and made out way out to New Jersey and New York and then back, stopping in a number of states along the way. (You can find all the gritty details here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
Cody Park, NebraskaThe Bean in Chicago!Brigantine Beach, NJThese cutie cousins <3With Atlantic City in the backgroundStaying at a real, working farm in Pennsylvania was … interesting!One of the best stops on our trip home!The Gateway Arch, St. Louis, MissouriColorado State Line
As the holidays rolled around, we were really looking forward to spending Christmas and New Years with family back in New York. Unfortunately, Covid had different plans for us. Perhaps we’ll have better luck next year. Still, we managed to get a day in Manhattan, and we did get to spend actual Christmas Day with family, which was an upgrade from last year, so we’ll call it a win.
Times Square is never not entertaining!Grace was very taken with the Rockefeller tree 😉Snow on Christmas Eve was a perk!Christmas Day cutiesMerry Christmas to you and yours!
And that’s 2021, my friends. We’re looking forward to a quiet New Years Eve (and wedding anniversary, for myself and Chris <3) and planning for (hopefully) some fun travels to come in the New Year.
I should start by saying that the ride out to the farm was less than optimal. (Think lots of things going wrong, including traffic and car sickness … it wasn’t our best ride …) So by the time we arrived, we had all about had it. The farm itself was very sweet, with lots of rescued animals for the girls to fawn over and fall in love with. I, however, was ready for a delightfully decadent shower, or perhaps even a lovely bath.
That wasn’t going to happen here.
Staying on the farm is a unique (and ultimately worthwhile) experience, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into. I’d liken this stay to “glamping,” since there was a roof over our heads and running water, but it wasn’t fancy by any means (nor is it advertised as such … that’s just what I was hoping for at that particular moment in my life.)
Once we started to get over the effects of our gross ride, things got better. It was actually very sweet to see the girls react to the animals, to eat a picnic dinner on the table by the lake, to watch the fireflies outside next to a campfire and to fall asleep to the sound of bullfrogs, and all the other nature surrounding us.
The farm is right next to the cabins on the property, so we walked over pretty much as soon as we arrived.After this trip Grace won’t stop asking for a cat, while Lotte has her heart set on a dog. Either way, I’m not ready for a new pet, so here’s hoping they forget soon!I do love a cute barn scene.There are a ton of animals on the farm that are being rehabilitated from less-than-optimal settings. The girls loved being able to feed and pet them all.Too cute. This was the view right outside our cabin, and the girls couldn’t wait to get out on the water with Chris the next day!That quiet life.Taking it all in.I made Chris stay near the cabin on his run that night (hah!), but this view wasn’t too shabby!Like I said, the girls were ready to go the next morning!
In all honesty, we decided to stop off in Pennsylvania — and in this area in particular — because my sister and I are considering getting a lake house together and we’re scouting spots. We love the idea of getting a place together where our kids can grow up and visit throughout the year. Living far away from family is hard, but if we had a place like that — and a trip like that — to look forward to every year, it might be just a little bit easier.
After our one-night stay in the cabins, we decided to check out Hawley, PA and the cute zoo — Claws “N” Paws Wild Animal Park — in the area. We only got to spend a couple hours in Hawley, but I can tell it’s a very cute area, so we definitely plan to be back!
Livin’ her best life, always!Lotte was thrilled they had lions, as they are her favorite animal 😉These cuties <3So much to explore!
After the zoo, we were finally on our way to upstate New York, where we would be spending the rest of our trip. That included a stay at Grandpa Robert’s in Newburgh, one night at my sister’s in Middletown and one night at my aunt and uncle’s in Goshen. My aunt and uncle were kind enough to watch the girls for us while we attended a wedding, and we were forever grateful!
I’ll post separately about the wedding — because the beauty of it deserves a post all its own — but for now, here’s a bit of what we got up to in New York …
No visit to New York is complete without a stop in Equilibrium, Chris’s favorite brewery.Our stay with Grandpa Robert was delightfully chill, filled with barbecues and walks with Ranger.It was love at first sight for Emilia … not so much for Ranger!Me and my girl <3Grace and Ranger, on the other hand, had a love affair going on!Our last morning before leaving Grandpa’s.The girls had THE BEST time at my Aunt and Uncle’s! It was so sweet seeing them together, especially with Em, who they were meeting for the first time!Seeing Em with my sister for the first time on this trip was pretty special, too <3Cousin love. These photos were actually taken on the night Chris and I went to the wedding and my aunt and uncle watched the girls. I mean … look at that face!My aunt and uncle planned such a fun night for the girls — including cooking and campouts! — and we were so grateful. Taking fabulous care of our kids AND making homemade scones for us the next day? I mean … why did we ever leave?!
We always have the best time when we head back to New York, but it’s usually really hard to fit in seeing everyone who we want to see. Even though this was a quick trip, we got lucky and were able to cram a whole heck of a lot of visiting in. I am so grateful for all the memories we made with so many people we love. This was one amazing trip that we won’t soon forget.
The Details
Most of this portion of our trip included stays with family, but we did visit a few noteworthy places:
The Hawley Silk Mill is a cute little indoor shopping area that’s right next to Cocoon. After many iterations as a textile factory, silk factory and antique center, the factory has been repurposed into the shopping center that it is today.
Equilibrium Brewery is a fun place to check out if you’re in the Middletown, NY area (and if you like meat, which I don’t, but everyone says theirs is great!).
I’ll be back tomorrow with one of the most beautiful weddings we’ve been to. Until then … bis bald, friends!
