Just a few days left to go in the year! Time for my favorite activity — the 2022 year in review. It’s amazing how many things you do throughout the year that you forget about. It’s easy to remember the downs so I love to use this as a moment to reflect back on the year and appreciate all the moments of good. I always share this and to be honest, it’s usually more for me to pause to soak it all in!
Trips
We managed to squeeze in several trips this year. We went on a family vacation to Lancaster and to Dutch Wonderland. We had a great time and had so much amazing, fresh food. We also went to the Jersey Shore, visiting Lavalette the week after Labor Day. I made a solo day trip to Sea Girt and Spring Lake for some beach time. So many cute spots in the North Jersey Shore area!
I also made a trip south for two Tori Amos concerts – one in Oxon Hill and the other in Philadelphia. Going to a show at a casino was a first! I preferred the The Met venue in Philadelphia though.
We did a ton of local area day trips as a family. The biggest one was to Coney Island, where we saw a Brooklyn Cyclones game and went to the New York Aquarium. We went to the pick-your-own tulips at Holland Ridge Farm, where we were surrounded by rows and rows of gorgeous tulips. It was like someone smuggled a bit of Amsterdam into New Jersey — and I didn’t mind one bit.
We went to Snyder Farm for both u-pick blueberries and for their Food Truck and Music Festival. We went to Ort Farms for their Summer Harvest Celebration. We took a tour at the Bobolink Farm and Dairy and checked out the Hunterdon Land Trust’s Farmers’ Market. We went apple picking at Hillview Farms.
Restaurants
We celebrated our 7th anniversary over the summer at Publick House in Mountainside. We celebrated T’s birthday trying out Stone House at Stirling Ridge, a super cute upscale restaurant with outdoor dining as well as a large event space. I went with my dad and sister to Fig & Lilly and dined in an igloo as we remembered my mom. Five years gone, and in so many ways it feels as fresh as ever.
We fell in love with Agape Cafe while on our vacation to Lancaster. If you are in the area, it has the best food and ambiance — with goats bordering it. I went to Motel Morris in Chelsea with my colleagues at the holidays.
We’ve also fallen in love with Wonder, the mobile truck which brings chefs right outside your house to prepare all sorts of amazing meals. We are still not dining out and as someone who loves trying new foods, this has been a fabulous way to do a more of that from inside our own home.
Fitness
I ran my third half marathon (the Jersey Shore Half Marathon) in cold crazy rain. It was miserable but was somehow a new personal best! I learned a lot in the process of it, too.
I was also recently named a Still I Run Ambassador for 2023 and was also accepted to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network’s team to run with them for the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in March 2023. I’ve officially kicked off my training. My fundraising page for the team is here if you’re able to make a tax deductible donation. Every little bit helps!
It was also another great year in the air at Air! I went not once but twice to goat yoga with Finding Felicity (formerly Healing with Crystal Flow.) It was such a great experience. It is not the most aggressive of yoga classes which makes it perfect to pair with enjoying the time with the goats. The second time, Q even joined me!
I ended the year completing my 25 hour aerial fitness certification with Air, and I’ll be continuing my aerial journey in early 2023 in format training, the next step towards teaching. Very excited for this new challenge.
To more adventures along the lines of all of the above in 2023!
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