fall road trippin'

I'm really  not much of a fan of Halloween. Skeletons, haunted mansions and looming fright has no appeal to me. On the other hand, October is one of my favorite month's of the year with the breath taking foliage, chill in the air, apple cider donuts, baby pumpkins and mums. It's a serious level of autumnal bounty that brings heaps of yard sales, mornings of coffee on the porch and unplanned road trips. Road trips! 

Destination: Bethlehem, Pa. 

Keith and I had approximately 27 hours of road trip frolicking where there was not any particular destination and Bethlehem is where we landed. The past few weeks have been a little rough for me between lethargy and morning sickness (lies...it's ALL day sickness) there hasn't been a whole lot of time for frolicking and taking in fall's goodness. So this was perfect! 

We spent most of our time in the historic section with cute shops, great walking trails and quaint homes. I love nature and having the opportunity to just sort of take a few deep breaths and enjoy God's creation. Hitting week fourteen of prego has me grateful in general, but having less energy and not feeling so hot made this weekend all the more meaningful. Very grateful for a husband who values my love of nature and has embraced the power of spontaneity. Every once in awhile it's pretty awesome to put the laundry, house cleaning and approaching week's responsibilities on hold and roll with hopping in the car and see where the road leads. 

Coming to a beach near you

We're having a baby!!!! We have been empty nesters since the end of August and that is all about to change in late April. I am overwhelmed with joy and elated at the gift that God has growing inside of me. Last week during an ultra sound I found myself in awe of the little hands and feet that were fluttering on the screen in front of me.  My mind is seriously blown away at how amazing and intricately made we are and getting a vip view of what's going on in my belly was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.




Our family is pretty excited, but having the opportunity to surprise my 94 year old grandmother with a visit to Florida made the whole prego experience all the more beautiful. We told her awhile ago that I was expecting, but while my mom and cousin were down in Fl visiting her I managed to go full fledge surprise on her. She opened her door, took a few steps back thinking I was my mom for about five seconds and then was speechless just hugging me and pressing her hands against my belly.
All the tiredness and plane riding craziness was all so very worth it just to see the joy on her face. I know the next six months are going to pass quickly and I am doing the best I can to savor all these little moments that mean the world to me.

Roots are deep in friendship

Life is full of milestones. Throughout the course of our lives we'll more than likely experience different part of our lives with different clusters of friends and family members. People do come in go in our lives and that used to bother me, but instead I find gratitude for those I've encountered who have challenged me as a person, enriched my life and have brought joy.

Returning to Jersey over a decade ago I was hesitant about how fully rooted I would be with people new and old. Now, eleven years later I am in awe of those God has placed in my life, friendships and memories that are nothing short of awesome.

I'm gonna miss her...

I don't consider myself a materialistic person. There's no yearning for name brand labels or swanky jewelry. It's not my speed. What I've found most value in are the things that bring me true joy and have a tendency to have serious sentimental value. 

There's the the first surfboard I ever had made for me hanging in our living room. It didn't cost a whole lot, but I wouldn't sell it for anything. I have my old rainbow sandals that need to be retired, but they fit just right and serve their purpose. Then, there's my jeep. Tried and true, she's been with me since 1997. 

I have always found her to be a thing of beauty, pretty dependable and my form of free therapy. No matter what the day had thrown at me, once I started the ignition, all the troubles of the world sort of melted away. 

In my neighborhood for the past few years it has been a bit of an eye sore in the eyes of my neighbors. It creaks, sputters and with age a few rust spots have surfaced. The funny thing is, none of that bothered me. 

Yesterday, the old jeep was towed away destined for a new owner. Handing over the keys to the seventeen year old girl who was beaming with excitement knowing her first car was a jeep. She had the same outlook I did and that made the loss not so bad. 

As the tow truck carted her away I realized how much of my life the jeep had been with me for. From driving along Hatteras Island scoping out the stars, driving on the beach in search of the perfect wave or to sitting in park talking with my sisters to the late hours of the night it held so much meaning. Sometimes it's hard letting go. I am grateful to have had so many memories that run so deep and so far back into the chapters of my life.
So I may be driving my FJ Cruiser every day, but in my heart I'll always be driving a jeep. 

Summer Lovin'

The past eleven weeks have been nothing short of amazing. I'm not sure I could have soaked any more out of the summer of 2014. From Give Kids the World, celebrating my Grandmother's 94th Birthday, exploring Honduras, hanging on the farm, sending the kids off to college and ending a summer as empty nesters it really has been a summer of milestones. 

With Labor Day gently reminding me that summer is fading with the return to school and a crazy schedule it was truly an amazing two months. I am thankful for time with family, friends and having the opportunity to decompress in ways that have me very ready for a new school year. 

It has been strange adjusting to a home without kids, but we're doing ok. From dinners in the backyard, afternoon yard sale endeavors, treks to Ritas and coffee on the couch we are adjusting pretty well. Every stage offers new experiences, memories and opportunities to grow. So although it's an adjustment, we're taking it in stride. 

Flipping through pictures of the last few months I can only smile and think of the million memories that have been created. Lots of serious goodness that has brought so much joy to my heart. 

Peace, Love and ongoing goodness

I love summer. If summer were a forever thing I'm pretty sure I would be fully content. My goal is to wring the most out of the sun, extra time and opportunities to love and grow.
This past week was the ideal mixture of summer days that make me happy to be alive. Tristan was up with me for the week and from our chats about life to having him participate in a leadership camp for incoming freshman it was sheer awesomeness.
I feel very grateful to have opportunities to be with the nephews and just how very happy they make my heart. The little dude was rocking out from sun up to sun down from the lake, the beach, skate park and back yard it was non-stop awesomeness. He definitely kept me on my feet and brought lots and lots of smiles to my face.

I've been a SAC for ten years now and I've tinkered and tweaked many types of programs over the years. But this was my first experience leading a group of incoming freshmen for my first annual "Peace, Love and Leadership Camp." It exceeded expectations. It was so insanely awesome to watch these kids gain insight into the power behind having a plan and goals for high school before they even step foot in the door come September. We hit on their peer group, decisions regarding substances, the importance of being submerged in the school culture as well as the richness involved in giving back. It rocked!

The week ended with close to 20 teens bringing in bags of food collected in their communities and then stacking and bagging goods for families in our area. It was awesome watching them realize the impact they were making and that it didn't take too much sacrifice on their part to do something pretty significant. My heart swelled with pride as I spotted Tristan next to the Food Pantry coordinator organizing pasta sauce and veggies. He didn't hesitate to jump in and later commented on how cool it felt to help people. There's no age limit in giving back. What an awesome week that was challenging, fulfilling and provided a sense of stoke that has left me ready for more. Bring on the goodness!

Honduras

After a pretty intense school year it was really nice to have the opportunity to go off the grid for a week in the middle of nowhere. We opted to stay on Roatan island in Honduras. It is a land of rainforest, beaches and breathtaking reef breaks. With all the beauty the country's people face tremendous poverty and with that comes the risk of petty crime as a traveller. We did our best not to stick out, although that's not the easiest of tasks when you pretty much look and sound American. Touristas....hard to deny the label.

The part of the island we stayed on was far from the ship ports, traffic and street vendors pedaling peanuts to sunglasses. Quiet was nice. I'm thinking I am showing my age when sitting in the hammock sipping coffee, reading and catching the sunset is my speed. I will say the other speed entailed free diving and snorkeling around some fantastic reef sights. How can you beat spear fishing a heap of lion fish followed up with searing them on the grill for dinner? Love it! 

It was a week that went quickly, but one that I really enjoyed. Slowing down, enjoying life and being around the ones you love make you all the more grateful for the days you are given. I'm not sure if we'll ever make it back to Honduras, but it was an amazing trip that will go down in the books.