familar in this unfamiliar world

traditions, in my little world, are the heartbeats in my year- it is the one time i can expectantly wait for a treasured occasion to be relived (and i already know it is going to be good- i have done it before!) 

in this sometimes uncomfortable & unknown world, it is nice to take the time to remember and
"re-live" a moment. the tradition may come as often as donuts on saturdays or new haven pete's on fridays. or twelve dates of Christmas. no matter how often (or not) they are replayed.. they are always worth it.

why can't these precious, treasured moments be revisited more than once? in my opinion they can && should be.
often times.

i can't seem to jump into the fall without going to that boat house in central park and eating brunch at the legendary sarabeths. it doesn't matter how many times i have done it now. it still takes me back. takes me back to a little girl dream turning into a reality.
((i hope when caleb and i are old && grey, we still go back to that park and replay those words and motions.))

so of course, on our nyc trip we did just that. we also added some new special places including the chocolate room in brooklyn- the slogan here being "there is always room for chocolate"- you know i loved every second of it. we also visited a new hidden gem, café lalo (thank you megan for the suggestion). it brought me back to tom hanks && meg ryan- in my opinion a perfect pair.

&& before we departed the lovely city, caleb and i headed to chelsea market- a new tradition as of our last visit & one that i think we will be keeping around. we dined at freidman's lunch and i had the most delicious grilled cheese- of my life. i am not kidding. seriously. just think about it, gruyere && mozerrela, carmalized onion &&... wait for it... bacon. grilled to perfection. satisfied beyond belief.

nyc, you are a tradition, a common place in this unfamiliar world. i will keep you.

^^^ caleb & i before the big "pop" question. fall, 2011

^^^ fall 2012

^^^ i think i like this row boat thing

^^ fall 2013, it can be relived more than once right?!

^^ grow old with me, the best is yet to come.

^^ loving sarabeths. so many options- lemon ricotta pancakes vs. pumpkin waffles. i love these kind of decisions. 

^^^ our view. central park.

^^ café lalo. adorable. words can't describe.

^^ sarabeth's pumpkin waffle. (as you can see, i went with the waffle) please take me again.

lights and camera.

new york city has held a special place in my heart since 2011. the year i got engaged.
however, i think it was before this date that new york seemed like a dream. growing up watching the today show, friends, && moves like you've got mail, serendipity. new york seemed surreal- where the cameras and lights where shining. my sister leela and her husband, russell, called me at the beginning of september- one of those weeks that seemed harder than most. school had just started which means less sleep and let's face it, back to working again. no more pool days. that alone is upsetting. she told me that they wanted to give caleb and i a hotel to use as a getaway && explained that I could pick out the city I wanted to visit.(!!!!!) immediately my mind ran to... NYC. a city I just can't get enough of. && only four hours away from d.c. (one of the best parts of living in the nation's capital) caleb and I decided to book a hotel in brooklyn, and boy, were we in for a treat.

i have never really explored brooklyn (usually head straight for manhattan). however, this time, we decided to take the new challenge && roam the burrow. we attended the brooklyn flea (found on popular shows like "flea market flip" && ended up loading a beautiful find, an industrial cart, into our car). next, we went to the brooklyn brewery- which in my opinion was the busiest brewery i have ever visited & after i tried the drafts- i understood why. we indulged in the most delicious doughnuts at "dough"- coconut, hibiscus, nutella-umm yes (thank you rockstar diary for your suggestion). && the cherry on top, towards the evening, was when we unexpectantly ran into what they call "smorgasbord." if you know me, you know i  am a grazer. smorgasbord is literally an outdoor food venue filled with tents of every food item possible, and all homemade: smores cookies, ice-cream sandwiches, lobster rolls, pumpkin biscuits. heaven in my terms.

if the food wasn't enough,

we sat eating dinner watching the sun go down and

looking at the entire manhattan skyline.

thank you Jesus- this was truly a gift.

^^^ dough. coconut. still dreaming.

my suggestion, if you have never explored brooklyn, cross the bridge.
thank you leela and russell. the lights and cameras seemed to be shining this weekend.

^^^ bummer. a little big.

^^^ our new cart. (hard to see)

^^ smorgasbord. homemade s'mores bars && so much more.

fall, right?

feels like fall. 

70 degree weather. school has started. august has come and gone. no more traffic on 395 South. candy corn is stocked in stores- yes, little pumpkins, i do love you.

i think i'm ready.

this year, i am getting ready for fall early. in previous years, i have waited too long- holding on to summer && then missing half of fall. so alas, i think i solved the problem. 

once you  can grab a sweater before leaving the house- i have declared it's fall in my little world. && thankfully, it has happened for me here. although i get a little sad every time i see that horribly ugly black covering over the pool, i am slightly cheered up at the thought of leaves changing colors and falling to the floor. pumpkin spice everything. warm cozy fires (well, candles in my case), football games && windows open. fall truly is my favorite season. && the best- it is here. 

"Dont you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."- you've got mail

i shall send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils, friends. or just a starbucks card. you pick. 

happy fall.

 

^^^ cribbage, mountains, scarves. yes.

^^the turkey plates have made their debut. i have only waited an entire year.

eat, drink & enjoy life

sometimes weekends need a little extra sprinkles. 

"So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun." Ecc. 8:15

Enjoy this weekend, this moment :)

you're a beach.

This season more than ever, I don’t want summer to end.

Maybe this is how I feel every year. But it seems more tangible this time around.

To celebrate life & all those little things, Caleb and I decided to make one last (I mean it this time) hurrah for summer. We headed to the beach. Rehoboth beach- also by the way, a favorite of Kathie Lee and Hodas, nbd. We packed our bags which included summer essentials: Bathing suit, towels, beach chairs, && sunscreen (thankfully, I had not switched out for fall clothing quite yet.) We made our way over the Bay Bridge and were welcomed by signs “Relax. Your at the beach.”

And, relax, we did.  We found our favorite spots. Khors icecream. There are literally three within one block of each other. After I tried the peanut butter frozen custard- I understood why. Grotto’s pizza- yes, you are legendary to me (p.s. there is nothing better than cheesy goodness while watching the Atlantic waves). And, Kay’s Kitchen, you indeed do make the best sausage, egg && English muffin sandwich. RIP caleb’s sunglasses- first the Pacific, now you, Atlantic. Stop stealing our shades. Until next time Rehoboth. We promise it won’t take us so long to get here.

 Oh by the way, I guess I can succumb to fall now. Bring on the pumpkin spiced latte.

^^rehoboth boardwalk.

          

^^^ "the heavens declare your glory"-Psalms 19:1

^^^ and i am fairly certain, if you start every trip with sprinkled doughnuts, it's sure to be good.

^^ look at that smile. can't resist.

^^ kay's, you do make the best breakfast sandwich

^^ peanut butter frozen custard. two please. 

^^ so long for now.

so long sweet summer.

so long sweet summer. 
you were unexpected at times, yet i still enjoyed your sweet gift of extra sleep && long hours of the today show. not to mention your sunshine.
until next time- only 10 months, right?!

on to year 3 teaching. hard to believe. but thankful.

p.s. so you know how i love traditions. 

caleb & i made a new one. 

homemade chicken & waffles. 

first day of school. seems about right. 

a little place called hope

there are certain memories that will always remain cherished. 

they seem to hold a right of passage to life.

hope college holds some of these moments for me.

a little place called hope. 

i remember going to visit this place for the first time. 

i truly didn't want to like it. 

i had decided i was going to attend a BIG school (i graduated from a very small Christian high school)- therefore, i thought it was time to spread my wings. 

God had a different plan for my life. 

(including meeting my husband the first day of college. coincidence, i don't think so)

telling myself "i'm not going to like this. hope? are you kidding- that is not a name for a college"

however, the second i stepped onto the quaint town of holland

i was undoubtedly in love. 

brick buildings, stained glass chapel, 

ben & jerry's (sadly later replaced by kilwins),

long standing traditions like the pull && nykerk,

 dance marathon, dew crew, young life, lake michigan. 

i so didn't want to like it, but i so loved it. 

and for the next four years, grew more and more in love with it. 

visiting hope seems like a time travel. 

i am brought back to those sweet times. 

running to class, studying at the library, meeting for coffee dates, shopping at JB&me, ordering BBQ pizza at the brewery, listening to friends sing at the kletz,

 farmers market on saturdays, doughnuts at good times. 

there so much sweet here.  

thank you hope college. until next time.

^^^ fennville, salt of the earth. my favorite restaurant. period.

deep fried brussell sprouts. smores dessert. dreaming.