My Sunny Saturday

Picking up where I left off in yesterday’s post…

On Saturday, after the brothers finally got outta bed we went to hike around the mountain that overlooks New Paltz. The cliffs are beautiful and are really popular for rock climbers?? – mountain climbers ?? So we saw a bunch of them too. Fortunately there were no accidents while we were walking!! Just a lot of people without shoes laying in the dirt. Or scaling the cliffs. And leashed dogs too.
The view from the trail was so gorgeous. All the leaves were starting to turn and the weather was perfect. The trail around the mountain was about five miles and the walk to the car was about a little under a mile each way. I have to admit at one point I really thought we were never going to make it all the way around, but I’m glad we did it. The two soccer players weren’t quite as thrilled :)

Afterwards, we came back to the house for cheese and crackers and, of course, a fire. Mark’s mom bought goat cheese to spread over date bread. It sounded totally gross but it was one of the best things I have ever eaten.
I couldn’t get enough of it!

Oh I want to go back SO bad…
We made a fire outside too – so the boys could make hotdogs. It was REALLY cold once the sun went down.
The boys lasted much longer than I did.

Mark had four hot dogs.  Four hot dogs with onions, mustard, and chilli. MMMMmmm.
No thank you. I’ll stick with my date bread and goat cheese :)

A Weekend Away…

This past weekend I was in New Paltz, NY for a weekend get-away with Mark’s family. It was such an amazing mini-vacation.  Feather pillows, fires, yummy food, hikes through the woods, and my favorite second family :)

Here are a few pictures from the first part of the weekend…

On Friday night we ate at a  pub called The Gilded Otter. It was SO SO loud inside, so we sat out on the heated porch. And of course the boys made us laugh the entire time and never stopped quoting Dumb and Dumber. After dinner we went to the house, sat in front of the fire until it died, and then fell asleep on feather pillow tops mattresses which huge duvets.
It was heavenly.

The next morning we sat in front of the fire reading and drinking coffee. The house was decorated SO beautifully. I drooled the whole weekend. Mark’s bedroom was my favorite. It’s messy in the picture, but the sage green/grey walls with the dark four-post bed and crisp white Pottery Barn linens was to-die-for. The bathroom was also divine. That bathtub… Like I said. I drooled.
And Mark was such a happy camper through all the pictures haha ;)

The best thing about this house was how calm and relaxing it was. The color scheme was cool and very neutral. The beds were amazing. The couch was comfortable. There was plenty of firewood to keep the fire lit whenever we were in the house. Everything just worked together so perfectly – and nothing seemed rushed. I decided after this weekend that having a mountain house is now on my life bucket list.

Having a house like this to go to every weekend to rejuvenate would be amazing.

More pictures to come this week!!

Without You

Life has been really crazy lately. Very stressful at home. But family sticks together.
Apology is important. Forgiveness is important. Changing is important.
Showing up and seeing it through is important.
Change is hard. Changing with change is hard too.
But that’s life.

There’s always sun after the storm. And sometimes a rainbow too.
A great reminder of God’s promises.

Last night Mark took me out for a nice dinner and some shopping to relax and just not think about anything. We saw this rainbow on our way to dinner. The weather turned out to be really nice. It had been in the 70s all week, but the rain brought a cold front and I think fall might be here to stay. We had dinner at Duck Sauce in Newtown and then walked to Starbucks and sat in the window watching traffic go by. It was exactly what I needed.
I’m so thankful for him.

When we were driving home this came on the radio and it was the first time Mark had heard the song. I think it might become one of our favorites.

Hope you’re having a great weekend!!

The Saga of the Mean Monks Cafe

Last week Mark said he had a surprise for me and I was scared it was going to involve something requiring special footwear or a shady restaurant. Ironically our day involved both of those things – but they weren’t quite planned.

After church we went downtown to eat that this restuarant Mark found online. We had looked at the menu and thought it seemed like a reputable place. Unfortunately it turned into the saga of the mean Monk’s Cafe. First of all – Mapquest is stupid. I like google maps. I like google maps. I like google maps. After walking about 17-20 city blocks (I regretted my shoe choice and was in so much pain I was almost crying) because parking was crazy since everyone and their grandma was downtown to enjoy the beautiful weather, we got back in the car and finally found it using the gps on my phone. Then we spent ten minutes trying to find a parking space  and Mark parallel parked like a pro. FINALLY. With grumbling stomachs we walked to the restaurant JUST to be asked for ID. We looked at each other totally confused. I asked her, “Oh you have to be 21 to EAT here?!?” and then she nodded yes. So we backed up and we turned around and we walked out. Now our feet hurt, we were starving, and we felt like idiots. I guess if they don’t want to serve 20 years olds lunch and get our money that’s just fine. So we decided to drive home and get Primo Hoagies and call it a day. And the hoagies were DELICIOUS by the way. They hit the spot at 3:30 :) Then Mark brought out the real surprise. A pumpkin. He’s never carved his own so it was a big deal. And it was his idea to carve our initials - I felt like we were in middle school. I carved his and he carved mine- HAHA!  I don’t think his parents believed it was his idea and thought I was super lame. But I’m ok with that. It was sweet.

So the saga of the Mean Monks Cafe ended with a really good hoagie and a cute pumpkin.
Next weekend we’re going up the mountains and then we’ll each have our own.
Mine will be better than his ;)

Sundays are the best…

Wanna know why?

Because it’s the one day out of the week that I get to spend legit time with Mark. It’s the most fun-filled busy day of my week. I always look forward to it. And I always fall asleep with a smile on my face on Sunday nights.

AND ALSO because it was fifty-something degrees outside and it finally felt like fall.
Yes – it was mostly that. I could wear a scarf and not feel like an idiot.

This past week consisted of church, Mark’s brothers soccer game, watching the Eagles dominate despite their lack of urgency, cheese steaks at half time, watching Andy Reid let the Eagles lose, going to the mall and Wal-Mart, realizing my ankle is bleeding from a blister I had no idea existed, watching House Hunters, giving Pugger a bath, eating Carrot Cake, and the driving home in complete silence. Basically – it rocked.

Poor Pug has fleas. Which totally grosses me out and gives me something else to add to my list of reasons why I can never own an animal BUT Mark loves this dog more than anything so I choose to have compassion instead of disgust. The cutie got tired of trying to escape the bath, that he finally just sat himself on down and put up with it. Sadly, he was awake all night scratching. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

He really was the cutest puppy ever. And when his family comes home he’s the happiest dog in the world. Also that cheese steak was delicious. And I love Mark’s shirt.

What a weekend

I just had the most amazing four-day weekend.

I’m not sure if it was the change of weather that screamed FALL IS FINALLY HERE!! Or the fact that I spent it with my favorite people in the world. Or that God continued to show his goodness and grace and his promises to me over and over all weekend. Or if it was the combination of all three, but this weekend was out-of-the-park amazing.

Thursday I was at the beach with my parents and Sarah. We laid on the beach all morning in the glorious sun. Then headed back to our house once we heard the thunder. We watched the storm from our front porch – it was amazing! Then we went out to dinner to this Italian place my family has been going to forever. And then Sarah and I braved the wind and rain and ran up onto the boardwalk for ice cream. Totally worth it. Once we got back to the house we all snuggled in the living room to watch the Phillies and I called it an early night because I wanted as much time in that marvelous bed as I possibly could get :)

(Can you tell it’s torrentially down-pouring? Well it was…)

Friday when we woke up the storm was gone but it took the heat right along with it… We ventured down to the beach and it was perfect. The air was crisp, but the sun warmed you right up. The ocean was pretty calm so it reflected the sun so brightly. I may have been wrapped in a few towels because the wind made it a bit chilly, but I just couldn’t shake the perfectness of the day. I was surrounded by my family. And that was all that mattered. After a rousing game of Rummy 500 we had lunch and then I packed up to come home. I went to Mark’s house and then we went to his brother’s soccer game. It’s C’s senior year and he’s one of the best players on his team. Nane brought Philly Soft Pretzels and I brought a pair of Mark’s socks for my toes. Again, it was perfect.

(I’m pretty awesome at centering my phone for pictures, huh?)

After the game, Mark and I watched a few episodes of Keeping Up that he’d saved in the DVR for me and then ordered wings. Woo baby were they good. Afterwards we sat outside at the fire with his dad and brother and talked and made s’mores until midnight. We talked about life, work, school, family, friends, plans, dreams, hopes, favorite memories, lessons we’ve learned… everything. And it was so good. We kept adding wood to the fire until we were too tired to keep talking. No wake up calls. No interruptions. No sporting events on TV to watch. Just family.

Saturday started off with an everything bagel and then a trip to the gym followed by pb&j. Gosh, I forget how good that is! My parents went out for dinner for their anniversary and gave Sarah and I money to go out. We, of course, chose Saladworks. And then came home to paint our nails and watch Madagascar 2. I could do that every night, I’m pretty sure…

Sunday I got up and went down to Mark’s for church. The message was so wonderful. It was centered on a passage in Luke that talks about the second coming of the Lord and it reminded me of my freshman year when I sang in the University’s Chorale. One of my favorite songs was a prayer for Jesus’  return and it was the most beautiful song… After church Mark and I went to the Langhorne Coffee House and sat outside in the chilly fall air with our coffee. Brunch was delicious. As usual. Then we headed to his other brother’s soccer game, stopped by the mall for some pantalones, and then went to his cousins’ birthday party. After the singing, candle blowing, and the cake-face smashing of the 9 and 10 year olds, we headed home. And Mark’s mom proceeded to make Chocolate Chip Chocolate Chunk cookies that were out of this world. Mark and I then bundled up in cozy blankets on the couch and read side by side. I was reading for pleasure and he was reading for school, but it was still really nice. To be together but to not be watching TV or talking. Just to be.

I guess nothing really spectacular happened this weekend. Besides the fact that I ate a TON of food. Yikes. HAH! But I just felt so content and so totally happy. I was surrounded by my family. I got to spend hours with someone who loves me. I got to shop, read, watch some soccer and football, and listen to an incredible sermon in church. And everything just kept filling me up. I thought at some point it would stop and I’d deflate and be totally let down, but that never happened. This past weekend was absolutely fabulous. I am so thankful for my parents and my sister. I am so thankful for Mark. I am so thankful for Mark’s family. I am so thankful for the ways that God has blessed Mark and has given him the positive attitude towards his school work. I am so thankful for the way God provided a job for me. I am so thankful that I can live at home with my parents and can come home to them each night. I am so thankful for an omniscient God, who has a plan. So that nothing is by chance or out of control. I am also incredibly thankful for Fall :)

Back to the start…

Langhorne Coffee House – the cutest place in all of Langhorne, that is frequented by everyone who goes to PBU. My sister was the first person that ever introduced me to it. It’s adorable. The walls are lined with local artists’ paintings and the seats are filled with business people, college students, the local police officers, and moms with their children. It’s tiny, but so welcoming. I love mom-and-pop places, and this one is probably my favorite. Over the course of my three semesters at school I went with my girlfriends a bunch of times, and it became the place to go. It’s only open until 2pm and they serve breakfast and lunch items. My favorite thing about LCH is that they cut their muffins in half and put them on the grill with butter. They come to you warm and toasted. Delish.

Mark and I decided to go Monday. In honor of meeting two years before, we spent a few hours in the town where we met. So cheesy. But still fun. The weather was SO gorgeous that we got to eat outside. The humidity has finally died down and the air has that cool hint of the coming of fall that I love. We both got Arthur Palmer’s to drink which is iced tea mixed with lemonade – I never knew it had a name!! And I called it a Hey Arnold because I couldn’t remember the real name :) Mark, of course, knew all about it/him…

After brunch, we headed to school and walked around the pond. It was weird to be back on campus, and even weirder that for the first time since I was five I won’t be going back to school. No school supplies, no packing, no anticipation. No school. Very weird. Mark high-fived me for taking the easy way out, joking of course. We both agree that my decision to work until I figure out what I want to do is the right thing, but it’s a little sad that I won’t be with him at school. No more runs to Wawa or Dunkin or LCH for coffee. No more sitting in the library listening to completely different music on our headphones and mouthing the words while writing papers next to each other. No more dates in the Eagles Nest for fried food and cookies. This fall is going to be a lot of change for both of us, so we’re trying to hold on to these last few days of freedom and summer. I feel that way at least. On September 1st I’ll start a full time job and five days later I’ll say goodbye to my teens. Welcome to the real world, right? It’ll be an adjustment, but I’m glad I still have days like Mark and I had to relax with the people I love.

The end of summer is always a little sad, but Autumn truly is my favorite season. And I can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store…