Our DC & NY Trip!

This post has been about 2 months in the making. I have started it, added to it, and slowly but surely it is now complete. I have basically been trying to get my footing back and get us into a routine, since this trip. But alas, two vacations away, one new nephew born, one week husbandless away for work, and one spontaneous childless getaway (again!!) to see the Boss' this time in Seattle for Kevin's game, I have been trying to keep up with life! No complaints here, it's been a hectic amazing last few weeks!! But finally, this post is complete... Please enjoy...

I was a ball of tears the day before we left on our trip. I would literally be re-counting how many pairs of underwear I'd need & then burst into tears at the thought of not seeing the girls ever. again.

Or at least 10 days worth.

I was packed and had been looking forward to our exciting vacation, but I wasn't ready to leave my children. About a week before we left, I had the realization that they are practically the air that I breathe, and I truly was slightly panicky not knowing what I would do without my air supply for that long. When one or the other would whine or demand something of me leading up to our trip, I would have moments of "oh I can't wait to get away for a bit". But mostly, I was sad. Really, really sad. Truly, I was an emotional wreck.....

And then we left and everything changed!! :)

I had the most fun I have had in a long time. Beginning with an evening with only my husband. We had a yummy dinner we both love before heading out of town, a fun car ride up, a free airport hotel stay (courtesy of my wonderful Dad), and an exciting early morning flying away. It was so fun to be with only my Love. A different kind of fun. A youthful, feeling like a different kind of Ginny, fun. The whole trip was so busy and went by way too fast!

First stop: 5 days in New Jersey/New York!

We had the privilege of staying with one of my best friends for many years, Breanna, in New Jersey. Her college sweetheart and husband, Kevin Boss, plays for the New York Giants so they reside on the East Coast for now. We have talked about wanting to go visit them, but once the plan arose of going to visit my brother & his wife in DC we decided this was our chance to include a few days in the Boss' neck of the woods. We were so glad it worked out!! Bree had just started her nursing job (she is a nurse in a cardiac unit of a big hospital!!), so she had a few days of work while we were there, but we didn't mind seeing the city ourselves since she took some time when we were with her to make sure we knew how to get around. But after our sightseeing and their time at work we would all meet back at the homestead. Those evening chit chats either over dinner somewhere or just lounging during "comfy clothes time" were delightful and memorable getting to know one another better and Bree and I laughing about who knows what, picking right back up where our friendship leaves off each time we see each other. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. And I laugh a lot around our house, between the silly girls & goofy Aaron!! But we're talking tears!! That can only mean one thing: plenty of history with a lifelong friendship :)

Here are some other snapshots from our time with Bree & Kevin and during our day out in the big city:

Walking through Central Park.

Central Park.


Don't worry. He got through. Just. Barely...

Making some NY friends.

Lady Liberty & plenty of rain.

Sinnnnging in the raaaaaain!

After a yummy local dinner.

As if it needs to be said based upon our attire from head to toe... but here we are at the Giants game!

Why yes we are Boss Fans.

Didn't capture the whole crowd of eager fans, but here's a snapshot of signing autographs after the game. Just Kevin, though.

It was odd no one asked us for ours?

Being goofballs before the game, we found Kevin's Jersey being sold in the Giants NFL Pro-shop. So I insisted on taking a picture.

We REALLY looked like crazed-fans, wearing his jersey while taking pictures of his jersey, sleeping in his jersey that night, what? I didn't do that. Ah, haha..

(awkward trailing laughter......)

I was just really excited to be there!!!!! :)

Me & Mrs. Boss Lady :)
Also, first debut of the Glitter Glam "BossLady" Jersey on the Mrs!

Obviously, we had a blast at the Giants game, we enjoyed going out in public where Kevin was often recognized, we loved riding around in style, but ultimately our favorite parts of the trip were just the conversations and laughter. We are eager for the day that we get to be around the Boss' more. They are both lovely, grounded, generous people & Bree is the same sweet Bree I've always known & loved. Thanks again for all your wonderful hospitality friend!!!!!

Second stop: Travel Day

We rented a car to drive from New York to DC. We didn't have major plans, just to travel the countryside and to stop in Gettysburg, PA. It was a delightful day together. Although New York was fun and busy, we knew there would be more busyness to be had once we got to DC, so we were looking forward to our "travel day" as a slower-paced day in the country.

Picking up our sweet ride for the day...

Here is a much better angle of our powder blue baby.

We stopped at the Battle of Gettysburg Museum and even took the self-guided car tour of the historic city, and I tell ya what, I learned a lot!!! I was a little hesitant about going there, as I am not as much of a history buff as Aaron, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and now have a better first-hand understanding of what the Battle of Gettysburg was all about.

Chattin it up with 'ol Honest Abe.

Truthfully, the day was a little rough on me. Not because my expectations for Gettysburg were lowwww (because I ended up being pleasantly surprised!). Not because of our time together, it was a lovely time. Not because of anything other than my own thoughts. We were SO busy in NY and on this travel time once we were driving, I finally had time to think and miss those two little munchkins who I had left behind. I absolutely knew they were in the best hands with my wonderful Momma, their Gramma Lu, but on this particular day I was homesick for the little Ladies. And there wasn't much I could do about it...

So I text my Mom, asking for her to describe her moment right then. I held my phone and (im)patiently waited....The lump in my throat and my held-back tears turned into laughter with her response. It was a long one, and it included potty training mishaps, attitudes, messes, tears, near injuries from eachother and more messes... I laughed out of pity & out of the reality of what I was missing...and then I felt much better :)

Third Stop: 5 days in Washington, DC!!!!!

Oh what an adventure! I can still taste some of the fabulous wine we drank and food we savoured. Mmmm...Rasikas.... :) Enough said! We couldn't have planned for better tour guides than Tom & Autumn. Of course, someone that lives in the city you are visiting will probably know their way around, but geesh, we really did it up! While Tom & Autumn both had to work, we spent the first day just lounging, we slept in, made coffee, watched TV, just had a splendid leisurely day. We eventually made it out to the city to explore. We had a nice quiet lunch and got to visit the Fallen Officer's Memorial. We walked around and found a recent OSP Fallen Officer's engraved name. As a dedicated & supportive wife of a hard-working police officer, it was quite emotional for me to be there! But it was good, and beautiful scenery.

Fallen Officers Memorial.

We checked out our first museum, the American Portraits Museum. Aaron only set off one of the alarms while we were there... I guess they frown upon you touching the artwork & tripping the invisible alarms, or something?...

Tom & Autumn are total foodies, so you know we ate like Kings & Queens while we were with them. I am not kidding about Rasikas, I am still craving the tastes of the evening spent in that Indian restaurant. Best authentic foreign food I probably have ever had. We also had yummy pizza, where the broad genre "pizza" does not fully do this delicious place justice. We indulged in lamb sliders--YUM, and we enjoyed good sandwiches, appetizers, brunch and of course many cocktails and a variety of wines.

And boy did we see it all!! In one particular day we saw so many of the major monuments with our tour guide Tom leading the way. Tom even said he didn't think he'd seen that much of the city in one day, ever. We took our time at each place too! We just walked and walked and walked until our little feet were tired and our little hearts were content. Here are some snapshots of seeing it all:

Obama's Crib.
I mean, the White House.

Fords Theatre.

Gorgeous new WWII Memorial.

Washington Memorial x2

Tomb of the unknown, changing of the gaurds. This was awesome.

The 4 of us!

Although there were no pictures, we took a evening cruise one night to see the monuments by moonlight from the Patomic River. It was a lot of fun! It became a joke by the end of the trip, but we literally saw Washington, DC from just about every single angle there is possible. By foot, by car, by boat and eventually by plane, we saw it ALL! How fun to have had so many angles. We loved being in such a historic town, it really was very interesting and brought life to a lot of things we had learned, heard or even viewed via TV. But to actually be there was pretty cool. We were so glad we got a chance to go visit the monuments in person, not knowing if we'd ever get a chance to do that again. And it was a lot of fun being with Tom & Autumn. Not only did we get to know them better as adults and as a married couple, but it was so fun to be a part of their lives for a few days!! Yes, very different than our own, in one most obvious way, that we only go out to eat a few times a YEAR! But how fun for us to be a part of their world and enjoy it all with them. :) Thanks again Tom & Autumn for showing us a good time!!!!

It seems surreal that we took this big huge trip together, after over a year of planning, saving, talking about it all and getting the details figured out with care for the girls with some very easily willing, generous help from my parents... but we did go. And we were SO glad that we could!!!

Besides our main hosts' Bree & Tom and their respective spouses, we have a few others to thank.....

Thank you to my Mom SO SO SO much for being so absolutely wonderful, gracious and compassionate with our precious little ones in your care. I know they had a wonderful time by the confusion Audrey had when I was back and you weren't there anymore. You made her feel at ease & safe, which made us feel at ease and comforted knowing you are the next best thing to Momma, and the perfect temporary replacement. And Dad, we appreciate SOOO many things you did for us. From before we left to the moment we walked back into our home, we have so many reasons to thank you. So for all the many things that no one sees or gets to enjoy but us, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! You both made it so much easier to leave and so much easier to return.

And for that, we are very grateful.

It was such a memorable trip for us!!!!

Matched Up

I've never bought them anything matching until recently when I found these comfy pink footie with green froggy jammies at an exceptional price. My intention was to save them for Christmas, so I carefully calculated their sizes by then. But I decided, opening a gift on Christmas or opening one now, really doesn't make a difference to them, and their little toesies might get chilly before then! So now was as good a time as ever to get them all matched up, comfy, cozy and of course, pull out the camera to snap a few pictures in their matching attire.

It helped that they were in such giggly moods!

All matched up.

In their matching giggle pants. :)

Brave Beach Babes

My bravest Mommy-moment thus far? Taking both girls to the beach for their first time.....unplanned until an hour before......and by myself.

I left with lowww expectations that things could go haywire at any moment, and you know what? The day went smoother than any typical day around the here would have been. We had a blast!!!! The weather was decent, Aaron was away for training, and I felt an urge to get out and have some fun with my girls! Sure there were moments through out the day where I thought "oh boy...what was I THINKING?!", but they were few and far between...

First what was I thinking moment: Audrey began getting car sick on the way over. Nothing came of it, just a few gagging moments before I opened all windows to blast fresh air at her face.

Second what was I thinking moment: I asked a nice older man take a picture of the 3 of us once we arrived, upon giving him the camera, it was set to "video mode" unbeknownst to me. Oops...Luckily he was patient to wait for another 3 seconds while I changed it. Still embarrassing, as girls were getting antsy.

Third what was I thinking moment: The restaurant I had planned for had a huge line wrapping around the building...so deciding that wouldn't be a great idea to wait, we chose another place. It was fun and yummy, complete with ice cream sundaes, BUT they did not accept the only form of payment I had. Yes, slightly panicked, I managed to use a few bucks change we had in my purse/car and a few dollars I still had on a debit card. THANK YOU LORD.

All in all we had a wonderful time together. Both girls fell fast asleep once they were placed in their respective car seats and I drove us home all smiles. It seems silly to have felt brave about the day but as I rethink the events that took place, it seems an appropriate feeling. Packing the girls up and packing the appropriate snacks, toys, towels, clothes that we'd need for all the "just in case" moments in addition to the hour drive, getting stroller set up with our bag, last-minute diaper changes in the back of the car, walking about a block to beach, realizing the stroller was IMPOSSIBLE to push on sand, going back to car with all our stuff, unpacking and repacking only the few essentials, all while happily singing to keep girls happy! :) Phew. It was a tiring challenge, but one that turned out to be a blast. They loved it and had so much fun. It was the first time for both. The weather was warmer than it usually is, windy as always, and grey skies.

And what a view we had that day!

They took turns burying eachother and me.

Cute close-ups. :)

Ellie didn't eat tooooo much sand...

Sure I am the only one looking at the camera...

But heck, here's proof that we did it!!!!!!

Sweet Summertime

The look of Summer after coming in from a full morning in the sun.

At the Zoo.

Good-bye Summer!

It always goes by way too quickly, and most of the time the things we do on a day to day basis are not captured through photos, but are still thoroughly enjoyed. Activities like the walks around the neighborhood to visit neighbor friends. Impromptu sprinkler parties with nudie baby friends. Picking fresh vegetables and herbs from my very first garden. Lots of yummy BBQ dinners. Trips to grandparents homes for dinner and AC relief. And new creations in the kitchen, including helping Momma make weekly, what we call in our home, Silly Juice! (a.k.a. Kool-aid..)

Here is a look into our world this summer....

Audrey's first movie at the theater--Toy Story 3!! Courtesy of Grandpa Gerry on Father's Day in, while on vacation. She LOVED it. And by "loved it" I mean that she has been reciting and recalling her favorite parts, DAILY, since June.

And that, my friends, is not an exaggeration at all.

Playing with Grandma on my first vacation.

Daddy teaching about fireworks.

Swinging with Grandpa Tom.

Cousins on vacation.

Things, you too, can learn from my Summer:

1. You will never, ever sleep as well while away from home with children. Just expect that from now on. Infact, you might as well plan for something different than usual to happen at night. I.e. Teething, potty training mishaps, fevers, scared, etc.

2. Don't even bother packing those books/magazines you've had saved up for this trip, you will inevitably be spending your time just like you do at home, corralling children, only busier since you will now be trying to prevent new hazards from happening for the duration of your stay in a new place.

3. Don't worry if you forgot a few important things while on vacation. There is a store close by that sells those minor details you forget, like extra diapers, diaper cream, deodorant, shampoo, and thankfully they will also sell Porta Cribs... (Yeah, OOPS. But you can later return for full price..boo-yah!)

4. Quit worrying about trying to shave your legs before you get in the pool or hot tub.

No one cares, so just GO!

You will forever have sweet memories of biking just your toddler daughter with snacks and drinks to the nearby pool, spending quality time and cherished memories of bobbing around together and cooling off. Oh and, water always equals lonnnng naps afterwards. Remember that.

5. Capture the things you are most proud of, if nothing else, for your own sake to look back on. Your handsome husband in all his swat gear, coming home from being away, in the heat of summer.

Your very first vegetable garden.

Adventures you take your children on by yourself that were difficult
(like the beach! more on that later), these moments boost your confidence for future adventures! And of course, your children giggling, shoving, crying...these are all fleeting moments. Capture them!

6. Yes, it's been 3 years and your husband still has a hard time sleeping after a night shift when the sun is shining bright in the morning. Now is a good time to invest in some (cheap!) window drapes and remove the scotched-taped on "light blockers"... Hey, it actually looks better too! (Also, if you transfer the tape to your children's windows, it will cause them to sleep longer. But not by much--it's still Summer & they somehow know there is much to be done.)

7. If the home was a chaotic mess & dinner was microwavable, but you got to be outside & the only time you got peace in the day was to just sit & watch your daughters play in their blow-up pool, giggling and splashing, consider yourself truly blessed.

Because you are.

8. Close your door & try on all your old VS string bikinis and remember your youthful self, pre-babies. Then go pull out your "post-baby" second hand store tankinis and skirts and cover-ups and feel comfortable with yourself. Or at least the small parts of yourself that aren't covered up... Then buy the adorable frilly polka-dotted bathing suits for your little girls and no one will be looking at you anyway!

9. Keep Praying! When the sun is shining really bright, and your family's health is fabulous and your mind is busy with the go-go-go of Summer activities & plans, it's sometimes easy to forget to pray for upcoming trials and sicknesses. Keep praying. And continue to look for reasons to Thank the Lord for life and all these precious memories.

Sweet Summer has come to an end almost as soon as we really dug our feet into the fun chaos.

We enjoyed it while it lasted!

Bring on Fall!!