Vacation Planning

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Lately, I've been stuck on the idea of taking a family vacation. It may not be in the cards for us this year since we had to purchase a new car after Brian's Honda died 2 weeks ago. We have 2 weddings to attend this summer but I'm still hoping we can swing a small family vacation.

I'm not really sure where we would like to go but I do want to go some where close to the beach. Children like Jack with Cystic Fibrosis really thrive with the salty air at the beach. We live in northern New Jersey and the obvious choice is to go to the Jersey Shore but I've never really liked the NJ beaches. Nothing against NJ but every time I have went to different beaches I was not impressed with many of hotel accommodations, the trash on the beaches and it's just not for me. The beaches like Spring Lake (where we stayed when I found out I was pregnant) and Ocean Grove are beautiful but really expensive. I'm ready to experience a little something new but would consider if I could find something family friendly and affordable.

Brian and I love North Carolina. We have vacationed in Oak Island twice and really enjoy it there. The Oak Island/Wilmington area is one of my favorite places to visit. We usually stay at my families beach house but this year we are thinking of staying at a hotel. I hate imposing on others. The problem I have is it's a 12 hour car ride and Jack doesn't like the car so I really think North Carolina is not a good option.

I've also been thinking about the beaches in Delaware and Maryland.  Both aren't that far from us. I think 4 hours is my limit with Jack in the car. I've heard good things about Ocean City, Fenwick Island, Rehoboth Beach. I haven't been to the beaches in either so it's all new to me. I've been doing some research but I really hate searching for hotels or beach rentals. I always feel like they look great on line but no so much in real life.

Have any of you taken a toddler on a beach vacation?

Is anyone familiar with the beaches of Delaware or Maryland?

Vacation Days- New Jersey Botanical Gardens

On the 3rd day of my vacation we were finally together as a family of three. We started our day at church. We have found ourselves a new church that we would like to raise our son in. (I grew up Catholic but have not been practicing in years.) We love it and have decided to Baptize Jack there in the fall. It is the most welcoming community and we feel lucky.

After church our family took a trip to The New Jersey Botanical Gardens at Skylands Manor. It was gorgeous. The grounds were amazing.  They are filled with 96 acres of formal gardens  and surrounded by 1000 acres of woodlands. They are filled with all types of gardens including hosta, wildflower and annual gardens which were all in bloom during our visit. Although we only saw some of their late summer blooms the grounds are filled wit amazing blooms like the peony, lilac gardens as well as magnolia and crab apple trees.

 The Skylands Manor is also located on the grounds. We did not take a tour inside it was beautiful.  It was built in the mid 1920s and I could totally picture Great Gatsby-like parties taking place here. They continue to host weddings and events. My husband even sang here with his high school choir.

It was a perfect day. We had such a nice time. Jack is always such a happy boy when we go places. It has been such a pleasure introducing Jack to new experiences. Although he may not remember all of these times it is so nice for us to make memories as a family.

Vacation Days

The first day of our vacation Jack and I were pretty low key. My mom had just been released from the hospital the night before so we were sure we wanted to visit. My mom has been sick since October. She has suffered greatly with allergic reactions and stomach issues. Her body has taken a beating especially since February. Thankfully the doctors believe they know what is wrong and she should be ok as long as she follows a very strict diet.

Jack and I made our way over to grandma's house shortly after we hit up Carters. We have a 1st birthday party to go to this weekend and since it's for a little girl I couldn't resist picking up some girlie goodies. I don't mind shopping for my little boy but clothes for girls are just so darn cute! I got my hands on a few outfits for the birthday girl  (here, here, )and of course I just had to pick up some adorable stuff for Jack. (here, here, here, here) I can't help myself in that store. Those are only some of the goodies I picked up.

After Carters and a visit with mom Jack we met my cousin for dinner. Jack was a total ham and flirted with all of pretty waitresses and customers. It's getting out of hand. My little boy is such a flirt. I swear that everywhere I go some one if not more than one stop to talk to my little flirt. He's such a good boy and always happy I guess people have a hard time not chatting with him. After dinner the 2 of us hung out on our little bridge in town and watched the ducks swim while listening to some live music in town.

On day 2 of vacation Jack and I woke up super early. Jack hasn't been waking up at night like he used too but the 5 am wake up is tough. We did lots of chores and took a nice early walk. Jack's new favorite thing are walks because he is completely obsessed with dogs and in his carriage he is at dog level. He met the new neighborhood Golden Retriever, Bailey. Bailey is a beast but loves kids. He came right up to us. Licked Jack all over and stole one of hit toys. Jack thought it was hysterical. 

 After our walk we went to our local Farmer's Market. Since making Jack's baby food I've been trying to find the freshest, most organic, and local products. Our market is fantastic. There are over 25 booths and so much to chose from. I even treated myself to a crepe filled with lemon curd and fresh from the market blueberries 

The market is only about a mile from our wedding venue. I took a walk over and sat at the boardwalk. I took pictures of Jack were some of our wedding pictures were taken. I just adore that our life has become full circle. 

We did a little shopping for grandma's birthday at my new favorite store, Shelter Vintage and promptly went home for a nap in order to gear up for movie night in the park. 

More on our vacation coming up soon. 

Vacation Recap

Well, I certainly didn't expect to skip almost a whole week of blogging but hey, work and life definitely got in the way last week. I'm happy to report the huge work project I had been working on is complete and I can breathe again!

Two weeks ago Brain and I took off on a 10 hour road trip to Oak Island, North Carolina. I was so excited to get away on our little babymoon trip. We had plans of relaxation on the beach and enjoying the company of one another for 6 days.

The last time we vacationed in North Carolina was 3 years ago. We were still dating. The engagement came the week after. It's amazing how things change!

So our vacation started off on a scary foot. We were just hitting the DC area when I read on Twitter that a shooting had taken place. We were stuck right before the Navy yard and could see what I assume were the ambulance taking victims to the hospital, helicopters doing their fly overs and military closing off much of DC. It was scary and our hearts were breaking for the people involved.

Once we got down to North Carolina this pregnant lady was a mess. I was swollen from top to bottom. I was unable to wear any of the shoes I had packed. I guess I didn't factor in the swelling part of the road trip. We went out to dinner and we were both out cold by 9pm.

The next several days were spent on a very empty beach and pool. Apparently, in North Carolina when the temps reach 75 no one hits the beach! We had beautiful weather the entire week. We played golf, took lots of walks and even spent some time in the gym together. I'm still sporting a pretty sweet tan that I hope lasts a little while longer. It was so nice to extend our summer an extra week.

Here are just a few snippets from our days at the beach.

I'll be back Wednesday to post a bit about our day trip to Wilmington. 

Happies and Crappies

Happies:

- It's already Friday. That kinda flew right by. 

- Going shopping with my mom tonight for a bridal shower tonight1 I haven't bought a lot of maternity clothes so I've been getting creative with what I'm wearing but I really want something cute to wear to my shower.

- My best friend is getting married next week and I am so excited for her. I really can't wait!!! 

- I've got a pretty great tan from vacation. Love that I can carry that summer glow into October! 

- We received our first baby shower gift from my cousin and his family. We got one of our diaper bags from Pottery Barn Kids. I can not wait to use it! 

Crappies:

- I'm in a post vacation rut!

- I've been working extra hours all week and bringing work home that I've worked on till 10 or later at night. Plus, I have to work tomorrow. I'm feeling really burnt out! 

- Since I've been so busy I haven't had time to blog about our vacation. 

- As a huge Yankee fan it was very sad to goodbye the best baseball closer of all time. Good night Sandman. Thanks for all the amazing baseball memories. 

Off to Never Never Land...

Back...

We are back to the real world. Vacation was a blast but I am exhausted. This pregnant body was not made for 11 hour car rides. This morning I am swollen and sore in so many places and that is after 12 hours worth of sleep last night. I'm getting myself back into work mode although I really wish I took today off. I'm anticipating a brutal day. I could really use some happy thoughts to get me through it!

This week I'll be sure to post about our little babymoon to North Carolina but until then here are a few pictures from our trip.

If you follow me on Instagram you have probably seen most of them.











Have a fantastic Monday.

Road Trip Must Haves

We are so close to leaving for our little road trip vacation I can barely sit still. I love road trips because I honestly hate to fly and I like to make a vacation out of the trip whenever we can. Last time Brian and I went on a road trip we stopped in Baltimore at the Inner Harbor and took in Orioles games at Camden Yards. This time around we are just driving straight to the beach but hope to find some great stuff along the way. Since I'm a road trip girl here are some of the things that are a must have when we hit the road.

Road Trip Essentials by kj2380 featuring a michael kors eyewear

- A clean Jeep- It looks like I'm going to be hitting up the car wash to give my Jeep a little loving this week.

- A pillow- I usually take one but I have a feeling being 6 months preggo I may be needed a couple this time around.

- Sunglasses- Nothing makes for an uncomfortable ride like forgetting your glasses. To be honest I always have a spare in my car.

- Twizzlers, Sour Patch Kids, Pretzel M&Ms- You know all the good stuff that is bad for the teeth.

- Starbucks coffee followed by some seltzer and waters- I am a constant drinker. I love to have some form of fluids with me at all times. I'm hoping that doesn't backfire and we are stop 1 billion times on our 10 hour drive.

- Magazines- I love my husband but sometimes you just run out of things to talk about during a 10 hour car ride. I have trouble reading books b/c they often make me car sick but magazines, short stories help that significantly.

- Ipod with some good downloads- I'll need to update my ancient 2nd generation ipod before we go. It still works perfectly!

We are off in just a few short days. I'll catch back up with everyone when we get back. Have a fantastic week. Follow me on Instagram for some vaca adventures.

Happy 1st Anniversary to Us!

Last week my husband and I hit the road for our first anniversary trip and head straight for the beach. Now, it is still on the chilly side in New Jersey but the thought of getting away to anywhere was delightful.  We needed to break the monotony of every day and celebrate our one year anniversary.

We stayed in the adorable Evergreen Bed and Breakfast in Spring Lake. We were the only guests and had the entire place to ourselves.

Brian and I aren't the real "romance" type people. I have to admit I laugh at anything that has to do with  romance. When Brian proposed I laughed at him for a few minutes before I even said yes.

We indulged in an amazing and very fattening breakfast. 

Pumpkin pancakes and crab cakes eggs benedict. I'm still having dreams about how delicious they were. 

Our Anniversary dinner included watching the rain fall while eating lobsters and enjoying a summer shandy. It briefly felt like summer. 

It was a wonderful time. We hope to do it again very soon!