Written by Kim
We are so blessed with birthdays and anniversaries of the kids and family clumped together so decided it warranted a few weeks “back home” to celebrate and see friends. We drove up leaving Myrtle early Saturday morning. The drive was brutal – we were so spoiled with drives during Covid with little traffic but we hit traffic from Virginia through DC and again in NJ. Ugh! The 10 hour drive is easy for us but when it pushes to 12 hours that really tests our limits. I was anxious to see Lux so we made a reservation at The Cheesecake Factory because we already knew it was getting late for him and we didn’t want to wait. We arrived just a few minutes before our reservation. We had a nice dinner with Lux sitting like the king in his car seat at the end of the table looking all around. He’s such a good baby. At first I could tell he recognized my voice but couldn’t figure out who this lady he normally sees in the phone was. After a few minutes he was smiling and cooing for his nana. He sure knows how to melt my heart.
We stayed in the Home 2 Suites in Wayne Saturday night. It’s a brand new hotel by the golf range near Willowbrook in Wayne. We used a free night we had so enjoyed checking it out but very pricey for the area. Sunday morning we went back to our old routine with Alex golfing with his Elmtree friends at Preakness Valley while I went to church. It was so good to worship at my home church in person. We had lunch at Fuddrucker’s (we love their chicken sandwiches) before heading south to Embassy in Piscataway, our home for the next few days.
Sunday afternoon we drove to Philly to see Alex and Briana and celebrate their 2nd anniversary. I can’t believe it’s 2 years already. They are enjoying their new home and have made a nice “man cave” in their finished basement. Grandpop got some good snuggles from Millie – she’s so cute and lovable. We had dinner at Urban Village Brewery before having a night cap at Frankfurt Hall Biergarden. It’s great to enjoy a nice night out with the kids.
Monday morning I took Alex to golf with his friends in Somerset County at Quail Brook. Unfortunately he had a terrible distressed stomach so couldn’t finish the round and I had to pick him up. Occasionally he gets some sort of allergic reaction which no doctor can understand where he gets stomach cramping and then it passes. By the afternoon he was feeling better so he rested while I got my nails done and we headed to see Ryan for dinner in Point Pleasant. We had a nice seafood dinner at The Ark but missed Nikki so hope to see her later in our trip.
Tuesday we finally got to see the Jew house we are buying in Lincoln Park. We love it. It has a bit of a quirky layout but will work perfect for us I think because it has a room for us on the opposite side of the house from where Heather, Antoine and Lux will stay. As a bonus I got some Lux snuggles and coos which always makes my day. Plenty of space and privacy with fantastic gardens and landscaping that might be a challenge to maintain. Heather is excited to have a vegetable garden which is well established. We have lots to learn in taking care of it but a new adventure is in front of us! We are all very excited as it will be a great house to entertain at inside and out
Tuesday afternoon we stopped to visit Aaron and take him to the park to play. He’s gotten so tall he’s almost too big for the jungle gym but mastered the monkey bars being able to cross them after practicing a bunch of times. He beat Uncle Alex in a race to the car which he was happy about. Dinner was at the Borghard’s. We had pizza, salad and a competitive game of Scrabble out on the patio. We love these kids. Andrew was so excited to beat Alex (by 3 points) to take back the Scrabble championship since Alex won last time. It was a very fun night !
Wednesday morning Alex golfed at Rutgers while I relaxed at the hotel before I had lunch with Linda. It was interesting to see how the New Brunswick hotels were using the outdoor space during the pandemic. I’m sure they are dying without the businesses open. I tried to go to the J&J store at corporate but they are not allowing retirees in due to Covid. Bummer!
We had dinner at 22 West with Larry & Hollie. It was good to be back at one f our favorites and catch up with good friends. After dinner we bellied up to the bar to catch up with one of our favorite bartenders, Joe. Felt good to just sit at a bar and chat!
Thursday morning we stopped to visit my Auntie Char and Tom before heading over to Heather’s. I haven’t seen my aunt in a while so it was great to catch up. My mom was down by Heather so Lux got all the spoiling in one day. When my mom left she had some issues with her car so we had to call AAA for a tow. With Covid they don’t allow you to ride in the tow truck so we drove her 1/2 way home to meet Doug. Never a dull moment.
Friday morning Alex golfed with his Somerset county friends and I relaxed at the hotel. We stopped for lunch at Thai kitchen (a favorite of ours) before heading to Heather’s for the afternoon. More Lux snuggles. He smiles and loves patty cake.
We checked into our new hotel, Marriott Courtyard, in Wayne. It’s a brand new hotel built across the street from Willowbrook. I guess we’re the first guests that are staying more than a night because the girl made a big deal about us staying 6 nights, asked us to pick our room and gave us water. Lol. We went up to Jefferson to have dinner with Nancie and Jake at the Milton Inn, their new regular spot. It’s always great to see my BFF.
We’re enjoying a visit packed with seeing family and friends and look forward to another week before heading south again but really wish the weather was a bit warmer and more consistent instead of 90 one day and 50 the next. Cmon Jersey.
