Toledo, Sandy, and Halloween.

As quiet as it has been on the blog front lately, it has been almost non-stop activity over here in the real world. I felt like I could barely keep up with things this month- school has been super-heavy on the workload front. I am LOVING my classes, and so I really enjoy my homework, but it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for much else. I have also been traveling and spending time outside with the kids, so what little time I have at home has been dedicated to schoolwork. However, because of the hurricane that came tearing through our area, classes have been cancelled for the week, leaving me with plenty of time to share some pictures and update you on what we’ve been up to!

First and foremost, we have been fortunate enough to be spared any serious aftermath from Hurricane Sandy. There is an evergreen tree uprooted and leaning next to my window, but it parallels the house, and is part of a cluster of trees we’ve been wanting to have removed anyway, so no huge loss there. We didn’t lose power, which I am SO thankful for. Last year we did lose power during the big freak snowstorm, and were stuck in a freezing house for days.

This is a picture of me and Jack sleeping in my bed last year, because it was too cold for him to sleep without a down comforter but he was too young to sleep alone with such a big blanket. Looking at this now, I find it hard to believe that it isn’t Carolyn in the picture- they really do look like twins…

I’ll never forget sitting in the living room in the afternoon and seeing my own breath- it was miserable. I like to think we paid our dues last yeat, and were spared that hardship this time around. That being said, I know that many people are without power, and have extended invitations to my friends to come by the house for hot coffee, showers, food, or just company. I have done the power outage thing, I know how lame it is, and so we’re happy to help out anyone in need.

As far as plans and trips, we have gone in to New York a few times, and are actually planning to go in again on Sunday for the marathon! My friend Deb is running, and the kids and I are going to stop by her post-marathon party before meeting Patty for dinner and Babycakes (if they haven’t been flooded- I have to remember to call and check on that tomorrow…) Most recently, we went in for Luis’ birthday.

We all went out to breakfast at a midtown restaurant where his cousin heads up the kitchen. I was delighted to find vegan blueberry buckwheat pancakes on the menu- incredible!

Another thing I miss about New York- most restaurants sell FRESH orange juice- as in, from a juicer. We only drink fresh juice, but around here most restaurants only stock bottled stuff. I was thrilled to find that this was not the case here.

Fresh OJ: one of my favorite things ever.

After breakfast, we left, only to realize I had locked my keys in my car. Womp womp. We ended up waiting an hour for AAA to send a locksmith, which wasn’t bad at all. It was a beautiful day and we were right near the park, so it wasn’t a big deal. It took about an hour, after which I dropped Luis off at his job in Brooklyn and met Patty in Queens. More food ensued:

This soup was so outrageous- the serving was huge, but it was really light with tons of veggies, so I didn’t feel like I was over-eating. It was also c-h-e-a-p, and so delicious. Definitely on the menu for Sunday.

Of course we made it over to Babycakes, and got a bit carried away- though, in our defense, they gave us an entire box of assorted baked goods for free because it was the end of the night and they wouldn’t keep overnight, so we’re not so ridiculous.

I’m just going to put this out there: Patty is probably my favorite person to eat with, for obvious reasons. We both LOVE food, and we’re both vegan- and she’s gluten-free, so I never worry about 1) being able to find something to eat on a menu when we go out together, and 2) feeling like a pain when I ask for all kinds of crazy modifications. Grande, sugar-free, light syrup, decaf, soy, pumpkin spiced latte, anyone? Patty is my culinary soul mate. Looking forward to Sunday… 🙂

We’ve also had some gorgeous CSA pickups the past few weeks- lots of greens, carrots, and the beginning of fall veggies! This past Sunday was the last summer share, but I am signed up for 7 weeks of winter shares, so I’m really looking forward to that!

 

We also went pumpkin picking! I forgot my camera, so I don’t have very good pictures of the kids in the field, but here is a picture of our Mommy-Jack-Carolyn pumpkins:

Jack picked that lumpy pumpkin. We found a beautiful one at the farm, but Jack found this one and insisted that it was the one. So be it! The kids have been pumpkin-crazy this season, but then again, so have I, so I guess it runs in the family!

Speaking of family, we took a big trip last week just before the hurricane hit- out to Toledo to visit Big Ron! But as this post is getting rather long, I am going to cut it short here and save the Toledo recap for tomorrow. Also to come: Halloween pictures! Though I’ll tell you now, Jack was an absolute riot.

I hope you all weathered the storm and came out of it alright. We’ve been thinking about everyone who is currently challenged by the aftermath, and are willing to help any way we can. Seeing the pictures of New York broke my heart, and I am anxious to get in to see my friends on Sunday.

I am also going to make an effort to be more consistent on here. There are a number of posts I’ve been meaning to write, but haven’t yet gotten to. I am hoping this week off from school will allow me the time to get to writing them! Until tomorrow-

Bloom U!

I am writing this post from the passenger seat of a rental car, on my way home from visiting my brother at Bloomsburg University! I was going to save this post for Sunday night, but we had such a great time, I couldn’t wait to re-live it by typing it all up.

We left a bit later than expected this morning, which meant that instead of driving with two sleeping children, we drove up with two chatty kids playing peek-a-boo and holding hands in the back seat.

 

Carolyn did sleep in short spurts- she woke up this morning with a low fever, but since that’s her only symptom I am hoping it’s a sign of an emerging tooth. I am beginning to wonder if she won’t just be a toothless wonder, since we haven’t seen any action on the tooth front yet.

It was such a gorgeous drive up. The scenery on the way to Bloom is so beautiful, it didn’t feel like the 2 1/2 hour drive that it was.

Seeing James was such a treat. I don’t vocalize it too much, but I miss my brothers all the time. Seeing them is like opening a door into the most brilliant sunlight. I spent most of the day feeling so glad that my mother and I made the trip up to visit.

We parked downtown and met James and Emily, popped the kids into the stroller, and walked around Bloomsburg. First stop: a little street market!

Most of the vendors were packing up, but it was still fun to walk through and see what was there- mostly local farmers selling in-season veggies and herbs. Check out the adorable parsley display:

There was a booth overflowing with some of the most beautiful tomatoes I had ever seen, but I didn’t think they’d make it through the day bouncing around underneath the stroller or boiling away in the car.

We also stopped in to a little chocolate shop where they had a huge chocolate fondue fountain set up. They had different things to dip and sample, totally free to the public!

We were all about it. We stuffed our faces, and then headed off for…more food.

We had an actual lunch at a local burrito place, Ready Go Burrito. They had come up when I had searched for veg-friendly eateries near Bloom, and James said that their food was pretty good.

I got a whole wheat tortilla burrito with grilled tofu, black and refried beans, cilantro-lime rice, guacamole, salsa, onions, and mushrooms. Delicious!

We took advantage of the great weather and walked around downtown Bloomsburg and the University’s campus, and snacked on more chocolate. It is such a beautiful little town, and the campus is like a picture.

We also got a peek at the dorms, and the incredible view out Emily’s window:

Then it was time for some football on the quad. Start ’em young!

We chased each other and the football around for a while. Jack didn’t quite understand what to do, so he settled for chasing the ball around the field and periodically throwing himself onto the ground. Carolyn took a much-needed nap in the stroller while we played and enjoyed the weather. Bloomsburg is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been- there is a soothing quiet there that is hard to find around here. It felt so good to be there! Of course, I might have been a little swayed, since we were in such great company.

After we had all had our fill of running around like maniacs, we walked back into town for some refreshment. We met up with this lovely lady…

Joy was up visiting a friend of hers who also goes to Bloomsburg, and she walked down to meet us for dinner. Win! We all went to the Prana Juice Bar and Namaste Cafe to assess Bloomsburg’s first vegan eatery. Honestly, this place really deserves its own post- it was that good, and that interesting. But here is a preview of one of the most incredible veggie burgers I have ever had in my life:

We said our goodbyes after dinner, and Joy went to meet her friend while Mum and I strapped the kids back into the car. It was sad saying goodbye to James, but I’m looking forward to seeing him at Bloom again soon- as well as the next time he comes home to visit.

Today was legitimately one of the best days of my life. We had such a wonderful time, and I felt like I was really able to unwind, relax, and enjoy my time with my family. Looking forward to the next visit! For now, I am tired.

Tomorrow’s plan: CSA pickup, an Arts Festival in Doylestown, and an attempt at punching out a full summary of our Namaste Cafe experience. Let me tell you, it’s worth reading about!