March & Moving On

Soooooo...it's March, and here I am still in New Hampshire.  I repeat, I am STILL in NH!  Everything about California completely fell through.  Everything.  After many  months of anticipation and freaking out with excitement, we were told the trip was CANCELLED.  I thought I'd be sitting here updating you with all of my road trip and SoCal adventures, but nevertheless, I am not, and instead I could talk about the freezing cold weather that will never leave...but I guess I won't do that either.

We found out this disappointing news ONE day before we were supposed to leave.  By that point, everything was pretty well set and planned.  All of the motels were booked, and I had detailed typed notes about each of the cities we were going to visit on our trek out West. I was so stunned when Sam told me the news that day after work.  For the first minute or so I stared blankly, until the news processed, and then I burst into tears.

This was supposed to be our big adventure before starting a family! This was my chance to live in a completely different place without the hassle or more permanent decision of moving. I was going to soak up the sun, EXPLORE, and visit with Kayla and Andrew.  The news broke my heart.

The first week after the blow was tough. Honestly, I was pretty depressed, and felt like there was nothing I could do to cheer myself up. Luckily, day-by-day life went back to normal.  I unpacked my suitcase.  I cancelled each motel.  We (or Jeff) ate our road trip snacks... And oh yeah- Sam and I booked tickets to St. John to visit his sis, Sophie, and Mom and I reserved tickets to Savannah...

Yup, thankfully the two loves of my life were ready to cheer me up with new adventures to look forward to!  Thanks, Sam and Mom!  I am really spoiled. :)

Keeping busy, trusting there must be a REASON our San Diego adventure was cancelled, and looking forward to two vacations has helped me move on. Lesson learned- Nothing in life is ever certain, but it's still important to take a chance.  I have no regrets leaving behind my past teaching position for SD, because it was the push I needed to make a change for many other reasons.

Now let's move forward to what is CURRENTLY going on.  I linked up to Farley's Oh Boy Fourth Grade Currently "party" again.

listening- Anything Could Happen and Best Day of My Life have helped to boost my spirits this past month.

loving- Downton Abbey!  I'm sad to say my DVR deleted nearly all of the episodes I had recorded, so I just HAD to go out and buy not only Season 2 but Season 3 as well. I couldn't even think about joining a waiting list at the library.  I am not that patient!

thinking- I was exhausted when I filled in the above chart last night.  I was up way too late working on a new TpT product.  I have been exhausted in general this whole week as I have been pushing myself to stay busy, workout, and be highly productive.  It's been a successful week!  Can't wait to continue planning my St. John and Savannah/Charleston vacations! This will be our 3rd time to St. John, so I'd like to experience new parts of the island and check out St. Thomas for the first time.  If I get my new passport back in time, I'm hoping we can ferry to the British Virgin Islands. I'd like to visit "The Baths" on Virgin Gorda.

Amazing, right? "The Baths" are huge boulders on the coastline that form small pools of water and caves. Love it!

wanting- WARM weather and spring! Enough.Said.

needing- I still need to head back to yoga. At least I've been doing well with "gyming it"!

????????- A dog, pearls, and Peppermint Patties is my ANSWER to my own secret question.  Can you guess what it is?  I'll let you know soon..

Alright, PEACE OUT, CUB SCOUTS!

XO <3, C

PS One day, Sam and I will take that road trip I planned. The only difference- we won't be staying at Motel 6s. :)

Happy Campers on the Cape

How was everyone's LONG weekend? 

Sam, Dudley, and I had an awesome weekend camping with my parents at Nickerson State Park on the Cape.

These two pictures were taken soon after first arriving and setting up our little two-person tent.  You would think the tent would be perfect for Sam and I, but be aware, Dudley slept in the tent with us!  We ended up being quite cozy, which made for a bad night sleep on the first night.  At least we were toasty warm, even when the temperature hit a chilly 39 degrees on the second night!

We began our first day of camping by heading out to lunch, and then taking a walk around the park.  Dad stayed behind as he preferred to hang out by the fire with Marshal, who very much enjoyed his "camping" kennel!

 My beautiful mum was bundled up for Arctic temperatures on our walk and for most of the long weekend!

We took the Flax Pond trail and discovered the beginnings of beautiful fall foliage!  The only problem- keeping Dudley out of the water so we wouldn't be sleeping with a wet puppy that evening!

 You can bet Dudley wanted to keep trekking through the grass towards the pond,...

 and of course Sam kept us entertained the entire time!

The first night we hung around the campfire, dining on homemade soup, cornbread, and apple crisp!  Yum!

Dudley enjoyed relaxing by the fire from a distance.  Maybe because he once burned his nose on a campfire when he was a puppy?

The following day, we made the drive out to Provincetown.  We lucked out with the weather!  What a gorgeous day!

Unfortunately, this was the only whale we saw as all whale watch trips were cancelled due to rough waters. 

Instead, we had an absolutely delicious lunch at the Lobster Pot.  The restaurant reminds me of The Lobster Pot in Bristol, RI where Sam and I had our rehearsal dinner.  I highly suggest the bread bowl of clam chowder!  Amazing!

 After lunch, we took a few more touristy photos.  Here you can see Mom, Dad, and Dudley as "the cat"! We shopped around a bit and may or may not have picked up a Christmas present for a certain someone.  Of course, we could not leave without purchasing some delicious homemade fudge!

Since the whale watches were cancelled, Sam wanted to check out the Pilgrim Monument.  This was his first trip to P-town and The Cape so the two of us went to the top, while Dad hung out in the car, and Mom watched Dudley outside the monument museum. The Pilgrim Monument was built in the early 1900s to commemorate the Pilgrim's voygage to the New World.  It was built on The Cape because the Mayflower first landed in Provincetown.  The Pilgrims actually spent a bit over a month exploring Cape Cod, before they finally sailed on to Plymouth. 

Much to our surprise, we noticed a little (and sleepy!) fox hanging out in front of the monument.  It seemed to pay little attention to the visitors walking by. 

After hiking up the ramps that covered 116 steps, we made it to the top of the monument.  The view was gorgeous, and I loved seeing ocean from almost every angle! 

Dad wanted to stop by a beach on the way "home" from P-town so Sam could see some beautiful Cape Cod dunes.  We ended up missing the beach Dad wanted to visited, so we stopped here, at Pilgrim Heights, instead.  The Pilgrim Spring Trail begins at this location, and even though we didn't have a chance to take it, I was excited to learn the trail has a special marker pointing out the spot where it is believed the Pilgrims first discovered fresh water.  

We finally made it to a beach just before sunset.  Sam, the dogs, and I were the only ones interested in playing!  Sam and I explored the dunes, and then let the dogs out for a quick break from the car.  Again, we had the challenge of keeping D out of the water!

The second evening was a bit more chilly!  We enjoyed steak, beans, and s'mores while hanging by the fireside!

Above is the view of Flax Pond across the street from our campsites.  I'm thankful for the beautiful long fall weekend spent outdoors with family! It was great to show Sam Nickerson State Park, where my family and I have made many camping memories, as well as create new memories with Sam and my parents!

Dudley, who enjoyed himself very much, was all tuckered out on the ride home. 

Talk to you soon, friends!

XO <3, C