In November we had the amazing opportunity to heat out east to visit Matt's family in New Jersey and some of our friends in New York City. It's something I've been wanting to do for quite awhile now. I had still never met Matt's grandparents and had been wanting to visit Anna in NYC since she moved there 7 years ago.
We started by spending a few days at with Matt's aunt Barb and uncle Mike at their gorgeous home in Perrineville, NJ. We couldn't have felt more welcome and the kids immediately made themselves at home. We got to spend some time with Matt's grandparents (Grandmom and Pop Pop), Barb and Mike, and their kids Jay, Gabe and David. We got right into the swing of things and began our East Coast adventure. One of the first nights we were there, we were able to hang out with Matt's aunt Diane and her husband Frank. It was nice being able to catch up with everyone that we hadn't seen in over four years. One of the days we were there, we took a trip to Princeton, which was absolutely gorgeous. The town was adorable and the campus was so old and beautiful. We just wandered around town and enjoyed the amazing weather. Plus, Sue and Don's old friend Mike was able to come over and join us.
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| Frank, Max and Julia hanging out |
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| Max and Jay goofing around |
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| Barb and Evelyn |
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| At Princeton |
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| Future Princeton student? |
One of the other days we were there we visited a place called Grounds for Sculpture. Basically, it was just like it sounds- large grounds covered with sculptures. I don't think I could ever do it justice, by describing it, but I will say it was so unique and different and the sculptures were all so creative and interesting.
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| Sculpture of a lunch by the lake |
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| Max loves ducks! |
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| Sculpture of a Monet painting |
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| Creepy shadows in the bamboo |
Before heading to New York, the gals (minus Diane, who sadly was working) got to go and get mani/pedis, which was SO nice and relaxing. We also spend more time with the rest of the family and went to visit Don's cousin Joanne at her house. She hosted the most amazing dinner where we were able to meet more extended family. Those New Jersey folks sure do know how to make you feel welcome.
Next up, Matt, the kids and I headed to NEW YORK CITY!!!! We drove into Queeens to drop off our stuff at Anna's house and immediately took off for Manhattan. It was so much fun getting so see all the things I had only previously seen on TV or in the movies. The kids played at Central Park, we visited Times Square, did a little shopping and did a LOT of walking. On day two in NYC, we did more wandering and shopping and met Matt's old college buddies, Travis and Pedro for lunch. They were so much fun and so incredibly interesting. As Anna put it, you can tell when guys went to school in Montana. They just seem nicer and more down-to Earth than the average New Yorker. Other than that, we got to see the Statue of Liberty, Occupy Wall Street and Ground Zero, which was just as moving as you might imagine. I loved our tour of the city and can't wait to go back. It was slightly challenging having the kids with us, but we still saw a lot and had so much fun. And I was so, so happy to be able to spend some quality time with Anna. She was a fantastic tour guide.
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| First subway ride! |
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| At Central Park |
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| Anna and I |
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| Tribute flag at Ground Zero |
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| Occupy Wall Street |
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| Travis, Pedro and Matt |
After a few days in NYC, we headed back to Jersey. We relaxed some more and got to have dinner with Don's cousins John and Tom and aunt Jean. Not surprisingly, they were great people and were just as fun and interesting as the rest of the family. This trip exceeded all of my expectations. Evelyn was feeling a little under the weather, but overall the kids were great and had a blast. Max adored everyone and loved horsing around with his cousin Jay (and playing with his snake-ew!), bonding with his aunts, chatting with uncle Frank and snuggling on the couch at bed time with Uncle Mike. Evelyn was comfortable with everyone too, and really took to Barb. Both kids loved spending time with Grandmom and Pop Pop too. I love that whole family and am so happy to be a part of it. I can't wait to go back next year.
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| Sue and Don on their anniversary |
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| Max and uncle Mike |
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| Grandmom and Pop Pop |
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| Frank and Diane |
