New Jersey Trip

Once my husband went on terminal leave from the Marine Corps I knew we had to take the chance to go to New Jersey for my Poppy's 94th birthday. My Babci is 91, so I really wanted Will to get to meet his great grandparents. It is a long drive, we broke it up with a few days at my mom's house, but it still took nearly 9 hours to go from their house to New Jersey since we had to stop and feed and change Will. But we made it, and surprised them! They were so so happy. Babci held Will as much as possible, she loves babies, and rarely ever put him down.

I am so grateful we were able to make this trip. Poppy is getting pretty frail and it is hard to see him so  weak, but he smiled big holding Will. Little Man is great grandchild number six and the fifth boy!

While in Jersey we tried to see as many people as possible and it still was not enough. On Saturday night we went to my old church, the one I grew up in and that Ryan and I got married in, so it was very special for us to have Will there.

I don't know if I will ever find another church like SEAS, but I hope we do someday! It still feels like home no matter how long we are gone and all our church friends loved cooing over Will in person instead of online! After mass we went someplace I never expected to bring my newborn and husband... my high school!

Our family friends we wanted to visit were there as their daughter had soccer practice, so we went and met up with them there. If you had told me ten years ago I'd be standing on the side of the football field with my family like that I would have thought you were absolutely insane. I was not popular or happy in my academic high school (my theatre high school was different) and my life only went up from there!

Sunday the 21st of August was Poppy's 94th birthday. Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins descended on the house and we had a giant dinner, lots of cake, and family time. I teared up more than once out of sheer joy. Poppy is playing the harmonica in the above photo to accompany our singing, which Will loved by the way!

All the present cousins (and spouses) with the birthday boy. The air conditioner was making Poppy cold, hence the blanket. The clock behind us a is a cookoo clock I bought back from Switzerland for them!

We also walked around the corner to where my brothers live so Little Man could meet his Uncle Sean and Uncle Shane! We even convinced Shane to hold him, which was impressive since he wouldn't hold our niece until she was nearly five months old!

Little Man also met his cousin Adrianna (and my brother's girlfriend Kelly, Adrianna's mom). They are almost exactly a year apart! Adriana was born on the fourth of July 2015 and Will was born June 29th of the following year, just five days shy! Naturally Will slept through the entire thing, but we took pictures as proof it happened.

On Monday Ryan took me in to New York City as an early birthday celebration. He hunted some Pokémon (and will never admit it) and we walked around a bit before stopping at Cabellas for lunch.

We shared a delicious plate of ravioli, since it is family style dining, delicious bread, and then cannoli. After we digested we walked to a place I always wanted to visit, the Museum of Modern Art.

For some reason in the two decades I lived in NJ I never made it to MoMA! I also really, really wanted to see my all time favorite painting, Starry Night. We may have gone back to that room two or three times before we left so I could glimpse again. Sure, I wish I wasn't holding on to some baby weight in this picture, but I am so glad Ryan forced me into it! There was a large crowd always gathered around it so it was a bit embarrassing to jump in front!

Ryan found Dali, so he was happy too. It was smaller than I expected! And Monet's Water Lilies took up an entire room! As did Jackson Pollock! When you only see it in books it is always surprising to see it in real life.

We also briefly met up with our friend Kim while she was at work. She was one of my bridesmaids when Ryan and I got married and went to my theatre high school with me, we have been friends over a decade now!

Four generations, one picture

It always breaks my heart to leave my grandparents, both my mother and I cried the first bit of the drive back to North Carolina. I am so grateful we were able to go visit and for the millionth time I wish I lived closer to them. It was an amazing trip and I think Will enjoyed his first visit to New Jersey!

Carrie's Wedding

The weekend before Memorial Day one of my closest friends Carrie got married. She was our neighbor when we lived in Alexandria VA as newlyweds and even after Ryan and I moved to North Carolina we all managed to stay in touch. I was extremely touched when she asked me to be her bridesmaid... and then momentarily panicked a week after I accepted when I realized I was pregnant! I called her up immediately and she laughed saying I would be one of two! Another bridesmaid was also pregnant and two weeks ahead of me and she was glad to have both of us if we were up for it. It was a little disconcerting trying to pick out the right size for a bridesmaid dress from afar and guessing on sizes and not wanting to alter until the last minute, but my dress fit and all was well!

Even though Carrie and her now husband Pete still live in Alexandria, Pete's family is actually from my home state of New Jersey, and that was where the wedding was to take place! Double score! Ryan and I drove up a day early (and had our engine overheat on 95 in Virginia causing a 9.5 hour drive to take 11 hours thanks to full on DC rush hour after we fixed the car) to try and spend some time with Babci and Poppy. Friday we drove "down the shore" as we NJ-ians say for the rehearsal and dinner in Pete's hometown. It was great getting to know the other bridesmaids better and of course the families of the bride and groom. The bride and groom gifted all the bridal party a hotel for the night, which was lovely, and we had a small, impromptu bachelorette party at the wine bar across the street  after the dinner. It was a quiet night though as we all had to be up early the next morning.

The top picture is the bay down the street from our hotel the night of the rehearsal, and those smudges on the horizon are actually of the New York City skyline. It was much more visible with the naked eye! In the morning the bridesmaids and bride all got up early and drove over to a nearby salon to do our hair and make up. The husbands all slept in knowing they didn't have to be at the venue (an hour and a half away) until the afternoon. We assembly lined through the salon getting our hair set, make up done, then hair pinned up... I thought it was great and felt extremely pampered. Especially when the matron of honor ran to the bagel shop for us! I got a sandwich called "the bomber" that the groom, Pete, told us about the night before; pork roll, egg and cheese with hashbrowns mixed in with the egg on a hard roll. Heaven! Pete's family also treated the bride and her bridesmaids to a limo ride to get us to the venue. Party animals we were everyone had maybe one mimosa (made with seltzer for us pregnant ladies) and then slept most of the way! At one point Carrie and I were the only ones awake in the limo! But we made it to the venue with plenty of time to spare and got checked in to our rooms. She got married at the Inn at Millrace Pond, a gorgeous venue with lots of historical buildings and it was so lovely!

We had some time for lunch and to relax before we went to the bridal cottage to all get ready. By that point all the men arrived and photographs started and we just all prayed the predicted rain would continue to hold out! It was cool but not cold and the sky was gray, but we were super hopeful the outdoor ceremony could go on! Carrie looked stunning in her dress and made us all cry as we helped her get ready. She had more gifts for us, touching letters and Alex and Ani bracelets with our initials, that seriously almost made me ruin my mascara. The groom, getting ready in another building, got a pretty great gift too... a motorcycle Carrie had picked out with the help of his brothers! I think I got Ryan a Taylor Swift CD (as a joke) and a binder of the emails we sent back and forth while he was deployed!

Unfortunately during the set up the catering truck delivering the tables and chairs backed in to our car and put a hole in our bumper! It was minor and mostly cosmetic, but the guy drove off without leaving a note or anything! Luckily there were witnesses so we filed a report and plan on getting it fixed since they were so dishonest about it. We tried to keep it from the bride, but she did find out, and considering there were one or two more issues with them we know she was not a happy camper! I felt bad adding to that stress for sure!

But luckily for us the rain held out and we had the ceremony outside. Ryan shocked me by taking a lot of pictures which he usually never does. I was the second reader during the ceremony (and I will not share those pictures as my mouth is open horribly in nearly every one!) and I was very honored she even asked. The ceremony was beautiful and it quickly rolled into the cocktail hour with pictures. The large meeting house in the background served as the cocktail hour headquarters but it was inside and outside. There was a massive tent set up for the reception and the rain held out until we all got inside! It was perfect.

I actually forgot to take pictures during the dinner and reception, we just had a fantastic time and I didn't bother. I danced and ate delicious food and Ryan and I literally stood guard in front of the sweetheart table so the bride and groom could eat! I don't know why people think the instant the bride and groom sit down it is time to go shanghai them, but don't! Most people at weddings are either already married or have been to at least one wedding, you should know how this works! It should not take a Marine and a pregnant lady threatening to belly bump you out of the way so the poor couple can eat! I was also on bustle duty as those darn things never want to hold up. Luckily the matron of honor was prepared with tape, pins and a sewing kit. Why make gorgeous gowns with big trains that are literally held up by a piece of thread?! My gown did it at my wedding too, as have most of the brides I encountered!

After the reception died down we went back to our rooms in the converted mill (over 200 years old!) with intent of going to the after party, but Ryan got horribly sick from something so we just called it a night. I was swollen and exhausted to boot so I spent the night in sweats trying to make Ryan keep something down. Poor guy. Been there! He was perfectly fine in the morning thankfully. We had a big wedding breakfast and then wandered the trails on the property for awhile.

We met my aunt and her boyfriend for lunch later that afternoon and it was so good to catch up with them! She is my biological father's sister and I honestly haven't seen her since my own wedding but we talk often. She and my other aunt and cousins chipped in and got a lot of things off our registry (our entire bedding set and bumpers) and she had lots of baby things from work (a diaper bag, outfits, bibs, blankets, stuffed animals and ultrasound frames) that she also surprised us with. We were so touched!

After we went back to my Babci and Poppy's house and spent the rest of Sunday and the morning Monday with them before we had to drive back. Ryan set up cable in the back room and helped shift furniture and do things that a big, strapping Marine in his 20s can handle with ease that made me so thankful for him. Anything he was asked he jumped to it instantly. We also went and visited my brother and niece that evening and she is getting so big!

Poppy seemed to be getting around a bit better since Christmas but is still more frail than I like seeing him. We got out his piano and harmonica though and he lit up! He said he hadn't played in ages and he did really well with them both. Ryan even learned a bit while we were there. Poppy learned and played both completely by ear so it is impressive to see at 93 for sure. Babci doesn't look anywhere near 90 and she was going up and down the stairs and cooking dinner (chicken popperkosh!) and refusing help left right and center. I did pick out a beautiful knit blanket for our Bean that Babci made that I cannot wait to wrap the little guy in.

Once again, these trips are entirely too short and Ryan and I had to drive back Monday to get to work Tuesday. It was a shorter drive back, only about the expected 9.5/10 hours, but it still was not fun to do seven months pregnant! I hope once the baby is born we can do another quick trip so Bean can meet his great grandparents! 

Christmas in NJ

Yes, I am behind, what else is new? :P

For Christmas this year we got to drive up to New Jersey to see my extended family for the first time since my best friend's wedding back in May of 2014. I was super excited to say the least! I hate going so long without seeing my family, and even though I didn't get to see everyone this time around, I did get most people, which is a plus. 

The Tuesday before Christmas we drove 2 and a half hours to my parents' house and spent the night before leaving early Wednesday to continue the drive to New Jersey. I got kicked out of my car and Stefan and Ryan drove together where I rode in the van with my parents. I see how it is boys! It took us about 8 hours with a long stop for lunch but we finally got to New Jersey! 

My uncle Dave was visiting from Florida and he had some home made chili and sourdough bread bowls waiting for us and many of my aunts and uncles and cousins came over, so we got family right away. It was so wonderful to see everyone it just made my heart happy. One of the big things about going to New Jersey for me is the food!

I have to get a taylor ham egg and cheese sandwich on a roll, it is a breakfast must that my mom went out and got for everyone the first morning. We also have to order pizza at least once, because lets face it, Jersey pizza is the absolute best! We had that as our last meal when we left. Then the bottom two above are our Christmas Eve and Day meals, which are always fantastic. Since we are Western European (Polish) we tend to do a meat free Christmas Eve with pierogies, fried fish and mushroom soup. Christmas Day we go crazy with ham, smoked turkey, lasagna, beef wellington, more pierogies and tons and tons of cookies. So many cookies! Ah the food. So thankful for such deliciousness!

Another big highlight for us was finally being able to meet our niece Adrianna. She was born on the 4th of July to my oldest half brother Sean and we finally got to visit and spend some time with her. She is definitely a little firecracker, like her fitting nickname suggests! I loved being able to snuggle her and spend time with her and my brothers and their family.

My heart was also happy to spend Christmas Eve mass at my home church that I grew up in. This is the church I attended from the time I was in about second grade on. It is the church I was a lector (reader) in, received my first communion, confirmation, and got married in. I have lived many places over the past ten years since I left home and none have had a church that compares to this one. I hope someday I find one that will, but until then when I return it is like coming home. Everyone still knows us and treats us like family and it is just a tremendous blessing. It felt like a second reunion being there. 

My best friend Sam met us at Mass and then all of us went to our good friend of the family's house afterwards to catch up. We were there until almost 3am on Christmas Eve! My parents ducked out around 2:30am and us "kids" followed not too far behind afterwards. We still had a long drive back to my grandparents' house after that. Needless to say Christmas Day we slept in a bit before the rest of our family descended on us for dinner.

When my extended family gets together every room looks like this. People are setting up and stealing food in the kitchen, talking in the dining room, and watching TV in the living room. Everywhere you turn someone is there and you bump in to a lot of people and it becomes a hundred degrees in the house but it is wonderful. It was a very balmy Christmas in New Jersey, in the 70s most of our visit and the 50s maybe when we left, so the windows were wide open the entire time! All the people tend to drive my husband nuts but he loves everyone so he tolerates being crowded for me!

I was flipping through some old albums and I found this picture of my Poppy (second from the right) from 1928, when we was about six years old. My Poppy was one of thirteen children, but only Ethel, Emil, and Grace are in this picture with hum. For some reason I just loved this picture and had to take a snapshot of it to have. 

I was a little concerned on how the Dup would do with so many people, but she was utterly fabulous. She only almost jumped on Poppy's visiting nurse once and my cousin's aunt another time. Oops. But everyone basically loves dogs in my family so she got a ton of snuggles and treats and food sneaked her way. She was very unhappy with us when we returned home. One, she hates the car and sticking her in there for ten hours made her miserable, and two she missed all the attention she got for three days straight! Rylie literally spent all day Sunday hiding from us and refusing any treats we offered her. 

As always, the trip was entirely too short. Ryan and I had to leave Saturday to get back to North Carolina. We both had work Monday and knew we'd need Sunday to get stuff done. I hate saying goodbye to my grandparents, it always breaks my heart, and I sobbed as Ryan and I got into the car. And continued to sob most of the way down the New Jersey turnpike. It was a rough, long drive back. We left around 3pm and drove through rain on and off and didn't get home until 1:30 in the morning. We stopped briefly for food and gas but had to take a lot of smaller highways as the 95 area and cities were just a mess.

So it was a really terrific trip and I am so happy we were able to go and spend time with my family. It truly was a wonderful Christmas because of that. Hopefully not so much time will pass before we can get up there again.

I hope you and your families had a great holiday season.

Tryon Palace

In early December we met up with my parents and brother and went in to New Bern, NC to see Tryon Palace (aka the Governor's Palace) decorated for Christmas. I wasn't feeling too well but we still had a fabulous time! We went for a really nice dinner at Morgan's Tavern (delicious French Onion Soup for me) and then went to tour the house.

We have been having such a mild winter that short sleeves have been completely common place! The house was beautiful and I didn't feel like interrupting the tour to take pictures inside. They lead you through beautifully decorated rooms and have actors in each telling the story of how the Queen's sister is visiting. You see everything from the lavish gowns dancing in the ballroom to the servants gossiping in the kitchen, it is really neat! After they had gingersnap cookies and hot apple cider for us to munch on. We also watched some blacksmiths working, a slack rope walker, a sword swallower, and a very impressive fireworks display! My mom got us all old fashioned candy sticks to munch on during the fireworks and it was just a supremely lovely evening.

Mostly these days I have been working, trying to get my stomach in order, and getting as much done for the holidays as I can!

Tonight we leave for my parents' house and then tomorrow we all drive the rest of the way up to New Jersey for Christmas. It is our first time back there since my best friend's wedding Memorial Day Weekend 2014, so it has been way too long!

I have been horrible with this blog, but hopefully we will pick up again soon.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

PS - Star Wars? AMAZING. I cried during the opening fanfare and I am NOT ashamed! ;)

My Best Friend's Wedding

This past weekend my best friend in the whole world got married and I was honored to be a bridesmaid for her special day! It was my first time being a bridesmaid and I was excited to not only be going to New Jersey and seeing my family and my best friend but to be in a wedding! Ryan and I left Thursday morning and drove through some torrential downpours in Virginia and Maryland on our ten and half hour drive. Google Maps took us completely around DC, a first for us, and it definitely made the trip less stressful in some aspects. The weather delayed my mom's flight a few hours so we actually ended up picking her up at Newark Airport before finally making it to Babci and Poppy's at 11:30pm. Long, long day. Especially with the killer cold I developed just in time for the trip.

Friday was spent with my grandparents, visiting my brother, and enjoying some New Jersey pizza.... aka manna from heaven in my book.

In the evening my mom, Ryan and I made our way into New York City to see Aladdin on Broadway! For my parents' twentieth anniversary last month my dad got the tickets for my mom (and us) to use on the trip. I was pretty stoked. I love going into New York City (even with the madness that is Fleet Week) and I was really looking forward to seeing a Broadway show with Ryan, something we have never done together before. He saw Chicago back in high school and I saw quite a few growing up (perk of living close to NYC) but in the six years we've been together we have never made it to a show together. So we took the train in, umbrellas in hand, and walked our way to the theatre. Luckily the weather held out until the show started so we got to see some of Times Square and other things before we got to the theatre.

In Times Square

At the theatre

As soon as we got to the theatre massive thunder boomed through the streets, which if you've never heard in NYC sounds pretty loud! We made it in and got to our rather tight and small seats with plenty of time to spare and drinks in hand.

The show was FANTASTIC. The Genie?! Geeze give that man a Tony!!!! He was probably 6 feet tall and easily 250lbs and he was dancing across that stage like Fred Astaire. He could sing, dance, and his improv and comedic timing were amazing to watch. We laughed uproariously the entire show. No exaggeration. The Never Had a Friend Like Me number nearly brought the house down, it was so wonderful. Anyway, we staggered out into the rain to find a cab and make it back to New Jersey since....

Saturday was the wedding! The plan was I would take my stuff and meet Sam and the wedding party at the hotel and Ryan and my mom would drive in later to meet us at the venue (aka the boat). You have never lived until you've carried a giant bag and a bridesmaid's dress on a train and across New York City... let me tell you!

Once I found the hotel (with help from Sam's sister and cousin who ran into me on the street) we were in a flurry of hair and make up. I did most of my own make up and Sam's cousin Kay did my hair. I helped Sam into her dress and did my best to help/stay out of the way and do whatever needed to be done!

Kay helping Sam with her hair

All too soon it was 4:30 and we were madly rushing for cars/cabs to get to the venue. Poor Kay was helping everyone else with their hair and makeup that she didn't finish hers, so Danielle (Sam's sister) and I waited with her and took a separate cab. Our cab driver had NO idea where we were supposed to be going, so my trusty smart phone and google maps got us there. Sigh. He tried to drop us off at Pier 60 (the wedding was at Pier 40, a good five miles down) and asked if we could walk! Oy.

The Hornblower Hybrid, aka the venue, and naturally a hybrid for my eco conscious best friend!

Once we got to the venue we ran around setting up centerpieces, place cards, guest books, and anything else needing to be done. Sam and Lauren disappeared for a bit for some pictures in the park before the rain came. Normally people don't board the boat until the wedding time, but with the downpour that came they thankfully made an exception. Ryan and my Mom arrived early and managed to snag some good seats for the ceremony, which was on the bottom most deck. The bridal party hung upstairs on the second deck while everyone situated. It was so good to see my best friend's family... I've known them for 14+ years so seeing aunts, uncles, cousins and more felt almost as good as seeing my own family after years apart!

Sam (in blue shoes), Danielle (yellow), Kay (orange) and Me (red)

The entire bridal party were different colors of the rainbow (Sam's side being me, her cousin and sister in Red, Orange and Yellow and Lauren's side being her brother, sisters and their significant others in Green, Blues, and Purple), and it looked awesome! Our side wore white Converses and Lauren's wore black while Sam wore blue and Lauren purple. I cannot wait until my mom uploads pictures from her camera (and to see the professional shots!) so I sadly have none of the ceremony at the moment being I was up there. It was short, sweet, and nearly had me in tears. I was so touched to see my bestest buddy so damn happy.

After the ceremony we took some pictures and headed upstairs for the reception just in time for the rain to stop. The rest of the evening was beautiful. Unfortunately the decks were wet and my long dress got the hem soaked and turned my poor white converses black. Sigh. A night in wet shoes also didn't help my cold but I had a total blast!

Danielle giving her maid of honor speech

Mom and I out on the deck after the rains cleared

My love and I

Me and the happy happy couple right after the ceremony

There was a ton of delicious food, an open bar, and upbeat music that had us partying for a good five hours as we cruised the Hudson River. We got amazing views of the Empire State Building, the Freedom Tower, the Brooklyn Bridge, the whole skyline, and the Statue of Liberty.

The boat actually got super close to the Statue of Liberty and stopped for photos as the DJ played America the Beautiful, New York New York and other such songs. There are some gorgeous pictures of Sam and Lauren that I cannot wait to see (although I did see a preview or two) with Lady Liberty in the background. Poor Sam also slipped and hit the deck at this point but the lucky duck she is she didn't even smudge her gown! I walked around that thing and had black from the ankle down, she falls flat on her butt and not even a slight tear or stain.... must be bridal luck!!

It was a wonderful evening that I was sorry to see end. I ate a lot, drank a lot of champagne, danced and talked with people whom I love dearly, and I got to see my best friend have the happiest day of her life. Sammy Sam, I wish you and Lauren many, many years of happiness together. Enjoy your Disney (cruise and parks!) Honeymoon!!!!

After the boat docked I was dead on my feet. Ryan drove us back to New Jersey where I promptly put on sweats and climbed my tired butt into bed! We slept late the next day knowing we were driving back to North Carolina later on and wanted to maximize family time. My cousin Jill graduated law school last week so we also stopped by her family's house for a party and to see as much of my family as possible. We had a good (albeit too short) visit before hitting the road at 5:30 pm with a 10 hour drive ahead of us.

    

Anytime I say good bye to my Babci and Poppy I sob my eyes out. As they are getting older (Poppy is 91 and Babci 88) I always panic during my visits that it may be my last one with either of them. I always try to maximize our time together, I call them weekly, and I cherish the times we do have, but I inevitably sob my heart out as soon as our truck leaves the driveway. This time was no exception. I always make Ryan let me drive the first shift because I know if I am driving and crying I will snap out of it and stop sooner than if I were sitting as passenger. I still cried from exit 12 to 8 on the turnpike as I drove. I really hate saying goodbye to them. :(

It was a long, long, long drive back to North Carolina. The only highlight of the trip was this....

Woohoo?

I drove to the Maryland House, our typical stop in Maryland, where we had dinner, a ketchup fight that ended with Ryan changing shirts in the parking lot (oops) and then switched. Ryan drove the rest of the way where we skirted DC again and I fell asleep around 1am and didn't wake up until we were home at 3am. Monday was spent nursing my cold, the cold Ryan caught from me, and trying to prepare the house for the work week ahead... aka grocery shopping, laundry, yard work, and meal prep. The weekend was a blast and positively flew by. I am not sure when we will be heading back up to New Jersey but I do hope in my heart of hearts it is soon.

Thanks for bearing with me through this long, long post!!! (That is, if any of you did of course!)