Blessed

I'm feeling particularly blessed today. Mine and Luke's move to Jersey has not always been easy. We've missed our friends and family in Texas and continue to miss them. There were definitely some growing pains that came with our new work schedules, new life routines, finding a church, and making new friends. And we still feel these pains from time to time. 

But today, I was reminded how grateful Luke and I are for...

• The church family we've found at Liquid Church and for the pastors and friends that have loved on us from this place. 
• The friends that Luke and I have made through the company we work for. A lot of people will tell you to keep your personal and professional lives separate and I agree with that to a certain extent, but Luke and I have built some great friendships with a few of our colleagues here in Jersey and I'm thankful that these friendships can bloom outside of our office walls.
• Our precious dog walker who loves our babies like her own and shows up during puppy emergencies when she doesn't have to (Bentley had a run-in with a fishing hook this weekend). She loves the Lord and this shows in the way she takes care of us. We are SO blessed by her!
• The little things...Our sweet neighbors that stop to say hello and pet our pups as we pass each other walking in and out of our apartment building, friends and family that continue to call and check on us from 1800 miles away, and the way that with each passing day, mine and Luke's relationship grows stronger as we walk this adventure together. 

You won't hear me say this often, but I'm thankful for New Jersey. Looking back, I wouldn't change our decision to move for anything. God knew what He was doing when He opened this door for Luke and I to walk through and so much growth was required from both of us. I've cherished these last 9 months, the good and the bad, and I'm excited for what His perfect plan holds for our future.

Thank you, Lord, for this adventure and Your many, many blessings each and every day.

Our July 4th (on July 5th). Happy birthday America!

We spent our first 4th of July "down the shore" and on the boardwalk with friends. The Jersey Shore was actually better than I expected! I knew the company would be awesome (we do love our friends!), but when you've grown up near "the beach" your entire life and then you go to "the shore" for the first time, you wonderful how different/similar things will actually be. Guess what peeps--a beach is a shore and a shore is a beach. Whew! Glad it worked ok. ;)

We laid out, played soccer in the sand, dared to dip our toes in the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean, ate some amazing fresh crab legs and shrimp, danced, and celebrated America's birthday with traditional fireworks. We had a blast! *pun intended*

Happy birthday, America. We are proud to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

Our 2nd anniversary trip, Pt. 3

On our last day at Sweetwater Farm B&B and Grace Winery, we took our time waking up and getting to breakfast. Since check-out was at noon, we wanted to make the most of the last few hours of our anniversary weekend.

Once again, breakfast was wonderful. Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and caramelized onions on an english muffin and coffee. Seriously, I've got to get better at cooking breakfast, ha! After breakfast, we took a walk through the vineyard. It was so fun to see the grapes growing, even if they weren't ready to pick. 

After our walk, we went back up to our room and finished packing. But before we said goodbye to our anniversary/getaway weekend, we had to stick with tradition and take our 2nd anniversary picture! We decided to take this one in front of the red barn where we did our wine tasting the first afternoon. 

I'm so glad that Luke and I decided to spend a weekend away from New Jersey and everyday life to celebrate our 2nd anniversary. Someday, trips like this won't be easy. I've cherished so much these first two years that Luke and I have had as husband and wife without kids or too many big commitments. I know that someday I'll look back on these early years and be so grateful that we took the time to invest in each other and just be "us."

If anyone is ever looking for a cute place to stay with your husband/wife, get the family together, or even have a fun girls' weekend in or near Glen Mills, PA, we definitely recommend Sweetwater Farm B&B! :)

Our 2nd anniversary Trip, Pt. 2

The best part of staying at a bed & breakfast? The FOOD! Sweetwater Farm's breakfast was amazing both mornings we were there. Orange, cranberry, and apple juice...coffee (my fav!)...scones and muffins...fresh fruit...and two main courses you can pick from (different each morning). YUM! Luke went with the french toast  and sausage for his first breakfast and I chose the veggies/potatoes, eggs, and sausage. If I had the time to cook breakfast like that every day, it would probably be the only meal I'd eat. We were so full afterwards!

After breakfast, we took the house dog, Brogan, with us on a hike. This dog was so awesome! All you had to say was, "Brogan, walk?" and he would take off towards the trail. We hiked the trail twice, we liked it so much. The most beautiful creek runs through the trail about two-thirds of the way through and we stopped both times to enjoy the view, take pics, and just listen to nature. 

After our hike, we drove down to the Brandywine River and rented a canoe for an hour and a half canoe trip. The canoe company made us wear lifejackets (a little laaame), but we still had a really great time! Luke decided he wants a legit canoe now and I don't hate the idea. :) Maybe for Christmas?

After our canoe trip, we were ready to go back to SWF and relax. We laid out by the pool for a little while and then headed back to our room to get ready for dinner. The funny thing is, once we got to our room, we were even more tired! So, we took a short nap and then decided that instead of dinner, we'd catch a movie and just eat popcorn. I mean, it is vacation after all, right? We saw World War Z (bleh), which I had no idea was about zombies or I would have protested. It was still fun to see a movie though.

At this point, I couldn't believe our weekend was almost over!