Tag: adventure

an unlikely adventure

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If you have kids I’m sure you know how quickly you can reach that moment; that moment when things suddenly cross the line.

The other day I was home with my kids and things were going well.  The girls had dressed up and were having a tea party and the boys were building robots and swords.  I was curled up reading a book when I heard a sniff next to me.

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I looked up to see my son standing there crying because his brother had made him (made him??) eat a rubber ball and the girls were “being mean”.  I got up at went into the other room to find my youngest daughter holding our 17-year-old cat upside down while her sister had managed to find every single nail polish bottle we own.  My other son meanwhile had decided that the family room was a good place to eat chips.  The room was trashed!   I mean stuff was everywhere.

We had reached the line!

“That’s it” I yelled, “it’s time to get out of here.  It’s time for an adventure.” Continue reading “an unlikely adventure” →

how to make the winter pass quickly

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It’s cold in Northern New Jersey.  In fact, we are right in the middle of a snow storm as I write this!  This time of year can seemingly last forever.  Short days, snow and ice, dirty cars, steel grey skies, and fly away static-y hair (my own personal pet peeve) make it feel like winter will never end!  But there is a bright spot for our family.  It’s what makes the winter pass quickly…basketball!

Right now we are smack in the middle of basketball season.  Three of my four kids play it.  My 6th grade son plays for his school and my 4th grade daughter and Kindergartener son play for Upward, an excellent basketball program run by our church.  My husband coaches my daughter’s team.  I am also considered a coach but I basically hang out on the bench with the girls during the games.  We are often at basketball practices and games 4-5 times a week!  But, I love every minute of it!

So, in honor of our winter pastime, I created a Basketball Top Ten.  The top ten reasons why I like basketball… Continue reading “how to make the winter pass quickly” →

slow fade

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On a warm spring day this past year we went on a short hike to explore another forgotten building.  We hiked up an old rutted road that was slowly being reclaimed by the forest.   The road climbed and twisted and soon we found ourselves staring up at a whitewashed tree with a huge white owl on a branch!  Had we wandered into a magical wonderland?  No, we had found Outlook Lodge! Continue reading “slow fade” →

abandoned places: frontier town

Posted in Home, New YorkTagged , , , , , , , 9 Comments

 

 

 

We had driven by the park many many times; flying by the exit on our way up north.  The sign, beckoning visitors to stop, faded more and more as the years passed.  Finally, one warm May day we decide to stop and look around.  We turned in to the large parking lot, now covered with potholes and weeds, and drove down a rutted road; heading back in time. Continue reading “abandoned places: frontier town” →

snow day

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Can you still remember that feeling?  It was the main topic of conversation at school all day.  You actually watched the evening news so you could see the weather report.  Homework was more difficult than usual to focus on because you were sure that it wasn’t going to matter because, rumor had it, that the next day would be a snow day! Continue reading “snow day” →

my running playlist

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Today I began my triathlon training for the year.  By that I mean I got my butt in the pool and swam.  I haven’t swam since August because, well, I don’t like to swim!  Lay on a beach, yes.  Float on a raft in the middle of the pool, yes.  Sit in a hot tub, of course.  Actually swim, no!  Unfortunately 1/3 of a triathlon is swimming so I have to start the training.

So I got my suit on, stuck my head under the shower, and walked out to the pool.  Of course, since it’s January, every lane was filled with three people.  I stood, freezing now, while the lifeguard filled me in on the abilities of the swimmers in each lane and which lane would be best for me to join.  Finally I slipped into the water, adjusted my goggles, and dove under.  “Wow, this feels great!”, I thought.  Then I surfaced and began to swim the freestyle (which looks nothing like the real freestyle) and it became painfully clear to me just how long it has been!  All I could think was that I am glad it is only January!

Part of my dislike of swimming is overcoming the boredom of back and forth laps in a pool.  When I run (my favorite!) I have my playlist to keep me company if I am running alone.  I love my running playlist.  It’s named  “Running Fast”! Continue reading “my running playlist” →

ski. new jersey?

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Going skiing seemed like a great idea at the time.  There were two snowfalls within a week and all of the local resorts were finally open.  It sounded great on December 30th anyway when we made plans with friends to go skiing on New Year’s Day.  It was another story on January 1st.

After not getting to bed until 2am on New Year’s Eve, morning came all too quickly.  We groaned as the winter sun began to filter into our bedroom and wondered if skiing really was such a good idea.  But, we were meeting friends, so we were committed.

We headed 15 minutes down the road to Mountain Creek in Vernon, NJ.  Yes, I said  New Jersey.  Please don’t laugh.  There really are mountains in New Jersey…kind of.

Continue reading “ski. new jersey?” →

top post of the year

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Thank you so much for reading my blog this year.

Today is actually the one year anniversary of the start of this blog!  A year ago today I was struggling to get the site set up (so glad that part is over!).  I have had so much fun writing 7feetnorth this year and hope you have enjoyed it too!  I’m looking forward to more writing in 2013.

Look for more adventure and exploration in 2013 and how to incorporate it all with a family.  You can do all the things you love with kids, it just requires some creativity and, often, a sense of humor to survive it!

So, I wanted to share the post that was the most popular this year.   It happens to be a post about one of our favorite vacations:  Grand Manan Island.

I highly recommend taking a vacation here.  It is beautiful and still relatively uncrowded.  You won’t be disappointed.

Here is the post:  grand manan island.

what’s your limit?

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“You don’t have to push

past your limit-

you just have to reach it more often.”

– Ironman Andy Potts  (quote in Outside magazine)

I read this quote the other day.  It’s reassuring; good I don’t have to go beyond my limits.  I don’t have to go beyond what I can handle.  But then I read it again and realized that it makes me question what I do.  Why don’t I reach my limits more often?  Why is this so difficult to achieve? Continue reading “what’s your limit?” →

this cookie party brought to you by Pinterest

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Pinterest.  Every once in a while I enjoy going on the site and checking out all the new pins.  So many amazing craft and recipe ideas.  The problem is, I’m not crafty nor do I enjoy to cook …at all!  So I look, admiring all the beautiful creations, knowing it will never be me.  I pin sometimes too, thinking just maybe I can actually create it.  I get sucked in by the pictures, everything looks so beautiful and, well, easy.

Then I actually make the item that I have pinned.  The result: Pinterest fail!  Why?  Because I still am not crafty and I still do not enjoy to cook!  Continue reading “this cookie party brought to you by Pinterest” →