We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

Last week we both had a few days off before jumping into a new school year.   We lucked out with nice, sunny weather and headed out to Rockaway Beach for the first time since we’ve lived in New York.  Why didn’t we do this sooner? All we had to do was get on the A train and it took us straight there – and just a couple blocks’ walk to the water.

Patrick surfed and I sat out on the beach to get my burn on.  With it being a weekday, the beach wasn’t the least bit crowded.  We’re hoping to get out at least once more before the temperature drops, but that might be a challenge.  At least we know where we’ll be next year as soon as it starts to warm up!

Spring Into Summer

Yikes! The time has flown by again.  It looks like we’ve gone all of spring and most of summer without a post, so we have some catching up to do.  A few things have changed in our world.

We sold our car early in the spring and have found it very liberating to be car-free.  If we ever find a true need to drive somewhere we can always rent a car.

Later in the spring we took some time off and explored the city a little more.  We tried out the Circle Line tour – cheesy but completely worth it for the boat ride and the views while circumnavigating the island.

Summer was busy but quiet.  Patrick took two summer terms of school and I continued to work as much as I could stand.  He made the Dean’s List again too – congratulations Patrick!

We had a couple more lovely visits to my parents in Lancaster, PA– always nice to see them and be reminded of green land.  They also came out for a day trip to see the city and the little spot we call home.  We started around Rockefeller Center for a bit then took them via subway to our Upper West Side neighborhood, where we walked around and got some pizza.  Next we headed further uptown for a tour of Columbia University so they could see where Patrick is studying.  After that we headed over to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine to see the architecture and rest our feet for a moment.  Then back to our neighborhood to grab some fancy French pastries, followed by a trip back home and naps for everyone (it was a lot of walking in the heat and a lot of eating).  We got back up and walked over to Central Park for a look around, then got dinner at Good Enough to Eat.  They had to take off, as this was just a day trip, but we managed to cram a lot of fun into one day! So glad they were able to come out for a visit.

In late July we took our final trip out to Lancaster and said our goodbyes, as my parents have now moved back to their home in Washington.  Goodbye Mom & Dad! So now we are officially on our own on this coast.  We’re not sure yet how to feel about that but we definitely miss our families (on both sides, of course) and wish we could live everywhere at once.

The biggest change in our lives right now is that we’ve moved to a new neighborhood:  Washington Heights.  We’re still adjusting to new commutes and a sleepier neighborhood, but on the bright side we have more space and some really pretty parks and viewpoints nearby.  We have a lot of exploring to do!

And, of course some blogging music. 

Spring Forward

Finally – an actual current post! We are somehow already in mid-March and just waiting for the weather to, any day now, give in to spring.  We have endured our first winter in the city – colder than expected, but less snow than expected was the general consensus.  We’ve had a successful but very busy Q1 so far.  Patrick upped his courseload and has been studying fervently.  I’ve taken on a lot more weekend shifts than usual and work is always very stressful this time of year.  As a result, it feels like the two of us have barely crossed paths in the last few months.

But what a difference a little time away can make! We took a stretch of days off and took the train to Connecticut to a beautiful beach cottage.  We have finally had some time to catch up on sleep, reading, random projects – and without any jackhammers or sirens at all! It’s this cottage you can thank for any of these posts actually going up.  We came up on Sunday morning and we’ll head back home tomorrow, but for now we’re spending lazy days lounging around and looking out over the water and walking on the (still very cold) beaches.

It has been a unique beach stay in that we got a snow storm last night and got to see snowy white beaches.  We also had some high tides and waves in the middle of the night were under the house and absolutely freaked me out, but nobody got swept out to sea after all.

This place is pretty much our dream house – we could even do with just the first floor, thank you.  Take a look and enjoy! We will definitely be back in the summer.

The Fall

September was a month of getting settled into our new apartment and new schedules.  Patrick spent most of the rest of the year with his head in the books.  I’ve just been staying the course, staying busy with work.

We did have a fun break from our usual routine with a visit from the Trautt family.  They came and stayed with us for 10 days in October, before the weather got very cold.  They were all lovely houseguests and we had a great time.  Really wish we all lived closer!

The weather definitely got colder, and we keep hearing it will get colder still, so we’re learning how to bundle up a little more seriously than we’ve needed to in the past.  This includes puffy coats for everyone.

The colder weather also gave me the push I needed to finally figure out (thanks, YouTube) how to knit.  So far it’s just scarves for me, but it’s a start at least.

November was more of the same, and in December Patrick finally completed his first semester – all As! Woo! So now the expectation has been set.  He has been on a break from school since just before Christmas and I am thrilled to have my husband-friend back.  We’ve fit in a bit of exploring but mostly decompressing.  We went and saw the big tree at Rockefeller Center, though we didn’t do any ice skating.

We did decide to get a tree for our place, even though it seemed like it might be a tight fit.  We picked it up a few blocks away and walked it home.  We even mixed it up with the multicolor lights this year rather than white – big year of change for us!

We took the train and visited my parents in Lancaster the weekend before Christmas, returning on Christmas Eve to have the holiday at our new home.

We stayed in for New Year’s Eve but got a fun surprise when fireworks started going off at Central Park, which we were able to watch from our living room window.  Super convenient!