New Jersey

Summer wouldn’t seem complete with a trip to New Jersey. This one was in early August and was timed to coincide with Lois, Ryan and the girls traveling there for a week to see Grandma and Grandpa. We drove up on Saturday morning and I came home early Tuesday morning, but James and the kids stayed until Wednesday evening. There is not much to do in New Jersey, but thanks to the purchase of some slip and slides the kids had enough fun right at the house. They also took a trip to Allaire State Park where they rode the train, and we took the kids to Clark Mills and Milford Brook – our old stomping grounds from Manalapan Rec and the site where James and I met some 22 years earlier. It’s crazy that 22 years later, we were there with our two kids and Lois’ two kids playing on the same (loosely) playgrounds where we met and started to get to know each other. It was actually quite surreal. We also went to church at OLM almost 15 years to the day of our wedding, and it was again quite surreal to sit in the pew with our children and expanded family. I had no idea where life would take us, but we have been very blessed and I can’t wait to see where the next 15 years, 30 years and hopefully more (God willing) takes us.

Our anniversary itself was celebrated back in Virginia when James and the kids returned home. We went to dinner at Matchbox - very yummy - followed by ice cream at Boardwalk Ice Cream. Keely made us her own handmade gifts and it was very thoughtful. She wanted to have this hanging in our room when we awoke, but instead it was hung during the day. Notice the artist peeping out the closet door :)