4th of July at the Jersey Shore!

    And yes, we went on another adventure! Jacqueline's family rents a house at the Jersey Shore almost every year and this year they decided to do so over Independence Day weekend and we decided to tag along. So on top of a full family complete with all siblings, cousins, uncles,and grandpa...all of the girls from our community piled into the house. Most of us took the Thursday before the 4th off so we could leave that day around 2pm since it is about a 5-6 hour drive. (If I have't already said it, Syracuse is surprisingly within 4-6 hours of so many great places!!!)

    We arrived just in time for dinner (homemade red sauce with clams!) on Thursday night and oriented ourselves by getting our barrings. We were on Long Beach Island in Harvey Cedars between Manahawkin Bay and the Atlantic...aka new piece of heaven! Enter a pull out couch queen bed and two twin air mattresses and we were up late talking before slipping into slumber. We awoke to voices coming from the upstairs talking politics and "the way it was in the old days." We listened to the discussion and I began to think what sort of "in the old days" I will be describing to younger generations someday. Musings that only lasted a short while since I was hungry and my coffee craving was kicking in. Oh, it happened to be Friday which meant it was the 4th! Celebrate! Well, almost, it was rainy and cloudy most of the day since Hurricane Arthur was somewhere off the coast and blessing us with precipitation and wind most of the day. We did venture our for a bit to the cutest little grocery store (within walking distance) and then after watching both soccer games that day we went to visit the Barnegat Lighthouse. We decided to wait until the next day walk up the 217 steps to the top when hopefully the weather would be nicer. Even though sunshine was spotty on the fourth we kept some Independence Day traditions alive by enjoying grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and watching fireworks (most were postponed until Saturday) off the upstairs porch. And this must be mentioned....we had a talent show! Jacqueline's cousins were totally into it and enjoyed performing acts with the "big girls". We had a great time!

Syracuse ladies.

    Saturday is was hot and sunny! We went back to the lighthouse and were able to climb to the top which gave us a gorgeous view over the island and bay. After that, it was time to hit the beach!!! I am all about laying out on the beach and soaking up the sun to get a little "pink" (don't worry Momma, I wore sunscreen....mostly). Elizabeth, Katrina, and I went into the (rather chilly) ocean and enjoyed playing in the waves while Paige, Jacqueline, and the cousins made sandcastles and holes to sit in. I was introduced to one of my new favorite inventions...the outdoor shower! I think it is super clever and so very refreshing that if every house had one I would not be upset in the slightest. Saturday evening at the house we ate super savory grilled chicken and vegetables! Although we had planned on watching the fireworks which had been postponed we ended up spending the latter part of the evening in line for ice cream (which in my opinion is not a bad trade-off honestly).

At the top of the lighthouse.

     Sunday meant going to mass in the morning and a quick second trip to the beach before we left around 3pm. Traffic was unbelievable and what should have taken us 5.5 hours took us about 7 instead. As I typically do, I will sum up the weekend as "exactly what I needed." Us girls certainly enjoyed the beach and holiday weekend traveling and being together. Who doesn't want to go to the Jersey Shore for the 4th of July? I mean really!

Oh Canada!

   So I realize I haven't talked much about the day-to-day around here and primarily focus on the weekend adventures. Well, that's because they are ADVENTURES! The day to day is pretty typical, work 9-5, bus to and from, no air conditioning at home or work, lots of people to feed, many schedules to consult, community time in the evenings, and then bed to do it again the next day. I know it sounds silly but I do enjoy it (not the no AC part) and the sentimental side of me is certainly kicking in because I have to keep telling people that I leave in just one month!

    So I focus on the adventures and 2 weekends ago four of my community members and I went to CANADA! We drove to Wellesley Island (still in NY) on a Friday after work and stayed at a super great campsite on the St. Lawrence River. It was beautiful! We pitched the tents (oh, minor heart attack before we left we realized the tent we had borrowed from someone didn't have any poles so we made a pit stop at another person's house and picked up a tent, complete with poles this time!) and made a fire. The four girls slept in one tent and our male counterpart enjoyed the luxury of his own space. (He deserved it, 5 people in a 5 person car for a lot of hours can be tough.) Our diet over the weekend consisted of hot dogs, chips, carrots, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, dry cereal, s'mores, and white trash mix (click for a linked recipe and thanks for Jacqueline's family for introducing this to us!). We realized quickly that bugs were the enemy, specifically mosquitoes, because within the first five minutes of being out of the car we each had over 3 bites so bug spray was a must!

Katrina enjoying nature out the window.

Campsite on Wellesley Island.

     On that Saturday morning we made our way into Canada to explore Ottawa for the day. We had a bit of a mishap and our little group got split but each half seemed to enjoy the time just exploring (and I of course took way to many photos). We hung out mostly downtown-ish and even watched a bit of one of the World Cup games on a screen that faced out into the street. Since Ottawa is in Ontario there is almost equal English and French signage around which was a great precursor to our journey into Quebec because the signage is only in French there. (And yes, I used some of my french skills!)

Locks in Ottawa.

    Saturday evening we drove to our campsite near Montreal, pitched the tents again, cooked more hot dogs and then drove a bit closer to the city to watch a fireworks display. (If that is a representation of the way Canada does fireworks then the US definitely has them beat.) We remembered the bug spray and pretty much went to bed as soon as we got back to the campsite so we could have a full day in Montreal well rested.

Campsite near Montreal.

    Sunday was spent exploring Old Montreal and the Olympic stadium of 1976. So many people were out and about just walking around and enjoying the beautiful sunshine! We toured the Olympic stadium after walking around it for about 30 minutes trying to find the entrance since it is under construction right now. The drive back to Syracuse took us about 5 hours and it is crazy for me to think that we were able to drive somewhere in such a short amount of time that was so different than what I experience each day. And then Monday...work.

In Old Montreal.

Olympic Stadium.

In the stadium.

Happy anniversary blog!

    Since I started this blog by thinking I couldn't blog, I am proud of myself for making it just over one year! In this one year I have gone through a few phases: blog about everything (at the beginning), what do I even have to blog about? (middle), too cold to walk to the neighbor's house or Dunkin' Donuts to blog (winter), and let me share the sunshine through my posts! (now!). If you have been reading along then maybe you noticed those phases and have your own take on them.

    Also, if you have been reading along for this past year then THANK YOU! I wanted to keep this as an engaging and active memory-keeper for myself but also to stay in contact with others. I have already looked back at some posts and found comfort in my own words that remind me to be grateful, creative, and adventurous! Hopefully I have grown (in some positive ways) this year and will continue to grow and reflect as I shoot for another blog anniversary! Thanks for joining me!

   Although some people might be over this song I am still a HUGE fan so please enjoy should you have the time: