Long johns, bear hunting, and damn good food

You know you're in Northern New Jersey when your ass is wearing long johns under your black dress pants to work. Seriously. It's been in the 30's this past week - we've even had snow flurries here and there, but still no full-fledged snow storm. I know it's coming though - probably just around the corner. And I'm already freezing! But luckily, I ordered some long johns (several pairs of pants and the long sleeved shirts) back in October, which are coming in pretty handy this time of year. This may sound dumb, but honestly this is the first time I've ever had to wear long johns in my life! They are somewhat uncomfortable and I feel kind of bulky when I wear them under my clothes, but at least they keep me warm.

Next on my list of random thoughts - bear hunting. This past week kicked off black bear hunting season in New Jersey - a whole six days where hunters can take a shot at one of these massive beasts. The season ends on Saturday, and so far about 500 bears were killed. According to a report at North Jersey.com, there are more than 3,400 black bears in the state of New Jersey. This whole week on the way to and from work, I've seen multiple cars parked along Berkshire Valley Road (wierd cause I never see cars there) - must be all the hunters out on a quest for bear!

I don't think I could ever hunt anything - though my husband is fond of the sport. He wants to go bear hunting sometime while we're up here, but apparantly they don't allow bear hunting every year. What would you do with a bear if you killed it? Would you eat it? Really?

On another note, I ate at the Jefferson Diner for the first time today and it was AWESOME. The diner was featured on Food Network and apparantly there is supposed to be a reality show in the works? It is ranked one of the top five best diners in New Jersey - which must mean a lot, because New Jersey has more diners per capita than any other state in the country. Just Google "New Jersey diners" and see how many little red dots pop up all over the map. It's crazy!

The Jefferson Diner has such an extensive menu - it probably could have taken a half hour to read everything. Appetizers, wraps, club sandwiches, hot dogs, Greek entrees, breakfast foods, burgers......it was so hard to figure out what to order! I finally decided on the Italiano Panini sandwich and it was delicious and HUGE. In fact, I'm about to go heat up my left overs for dinner.....

Massive balloons, marching bands invade NYC

The Smurf was my favorite balloon!

 (But Kermit the Frog and the Pillsbury Dough Boy

were close runner-ups: See pics below)

For the last 24 years of my life, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was just a television program. With all the hype, fame and publicity surrounding it (afterall, it's the largest parade in the country), I never considered that I'd actually go to New York City and watch the damn thing.

But thanks to our convenient location to New York, Kyle and I decided the day before Thanksgiving to venture to the city and witness the traditional spectacle. (Yay for last minute decision making!)

The Macy's parade has been around since 1924, but it was originally done with zoo animals instead of balloons. In 1927, Felix the Cat was the first Macy's balloon to debut at the parade.

I found an interesting TIME article about the history of the parade from last Thanksgiving - click here to read.

We woke up at 4 a.m. and drove into the Newark Penn Station, where we parked the car and took the NJ Transit rail into New York Penn Station. We met up with some family friends of mine who live outside the city. We set up camp in Times Square in front of the Marriott hotel and right across the street from Forever 21.

We stood around for a good two to three hours before the parade started - but man, you HAVE to get there early to get a decent spot because it fills up FAST. Also the police were blocking off roads left and right.

The balloons we saw were: Shrek, Spiderman, The Smurf (my favorite! see picture), Spongebob Squarepants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hello Kitty, some Japanese Anime characters, the yellow guy from Pokemon, Dumbo the Elephant, Snoopy, Kermit the Frog, Ronald McDonald, Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Uncle Sam, Kung-Fu Panda, and other generic things like ice cream cones, colorful balls and pumpkins.

I thought it was funny that most of the balloon crews resembled prison inmates, with their bright orange jumpsuits and toboggans.

The marching bands were pretty cool too, (coming from a high school and college band nerd). We saw Lassiter High School's band from Marietta, GA - I remember our band used to go to the same band competitions with Lassiter, and they always took Best in Show.

NYPD Marching Band = awesome

The New York Police Department marching band was by far the best band. While much smaller than the high school bands, their sound was not only louder, but fuller. One of the trumpet players was playing some crazy-high improv on "When the Saints go Marching In." These guys played with soul, and you could tell they were pros. Man, I miss marching band!

Supposedly there were a lot of celebrities in the parade, but I didn't recognize most of the names. The ones I did recognize though were Kanye West, Joan Rivers, Jessica Simpson and Jimmy Fallon. Oh, and Rudy Giuliani was there, not in the parade, but right across the street from us watching it. Not that I'm crazy about any of those celebrities - I don't think I'm crazy about celebreties period. I think they are all entirely overrated. But I must say, I would probably get super excited if I saw Paul McCartney.

So all in all, the Macy's parade was an awesome experience. I'm so glad we went! Though my feet, knees and back were sore from standing for so long, it was totally worth it.

Nothing like a Monday afternoon hike to clear your mind....



One of many lookout points at Pyramid Mountain park

 So... I've had a lot on my mind lately. Seems like I always have things on my mind - but this morning, my mind was just starting to get a little too overloaded. (And overwhelmed). Luckily, I had the day off work today (thank you compressed flex-time schedule!) so Kyle and I went for a three hour hike at Pyramid Mountain park in Morris County, N.J.

We had been to this park a couple of times in the summer/early fall, but it looked completely different today with all the bare trees and dead leaves everywhere. The weather was unusually warm considering it's late November - it was in the sixties and sunny! Perfect hiking weather.


Whale Head Rock

A few high points along our route were several large boulders, (one was named "Whale Head" boulder because of the obvious resemblance to a whale's head. After reading this on our map, I couldn't help but play The Whale Song by Modest Mouse in my head. We also came to an overlook along the top of one of the ridges (after a pretty steep and rocky climb on the red trail.) After eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and apples at the top of the ridge, we finished the hike by taking the orange trail along the river. Along the way, we saw a couple swans fishing for food.

Of course our dog, Bruno, was going crazy when he saw the sun reflecting off the water. He has an odd obsession with reflections and beams of light. It was an awesome view though walking by the water. Enough to put my mind at ease and just enjoy life for what it is.





Climbing the Stairway to Heaven

View from the top of Wawayanda Mountain

I couldn't help but play the somber sounds of Jimmy Page's guitar in my head as Kyle and I ventured up Wawayanda Mountain on the "Stairway to Heaven" trail on this beautiful November afternoon.

Located near Hewitt, N.J, in Sussex County, just near the New Jersey/New York border, this trail is actually part of the Appalachian Trail. Kyle had scouted out this trail online a couple months back, and we've always been wanting to go. So today, we thought, why not finally climb those damn stairs?

I didn't even count the number of boulder "stairs" on the trail, but let's just say it was quite the work-out. My legs are probably going to be sore tomorrow.

We wore our packs not out of necessity, but for the added weight for an extra workout. After hiking about a mile and a half up the mountain, we took in the awesome view from the top and took tons of photos. It was freakin' awesome (as is clearly evident in the above photograph, lol). There is another trail that splits off the AT to bring hikers on a return loop back down the mountain, but we decided to take the AT back down to the trail head. If we would have got out there earlier in the day, we would have done the full loop, but the sun was already sinking quickly into the horizon even at 3 p.m.

 Coming down the mountain was even trickier than ascending. Kyle joked that the way down was the "Stairway to Hell." It sure felt like hell on my knees at times, as I hoisted myself down from multiple boulders while balancing the 25 pounds on my back. (Yeah, I didn't put much in my pack but whatever, 25 pounds is better than nothing, right?).

When we had finally descended the mountain, we looked back at the steep ridge ahead of us with nothing but satisfaction.



Love is all you need






South Park Jersey Shore

Well, I finally watched the much-anticipated South Park episode about Jersey Shore. This has to be one of the top five greatest episodes of South Park. (the Facebook one and the Guitar Hero one are other big favorites of mine).

I haven't yet ventured to the Shore yet since we've been living in Jersey. Kyle and I spent our Jersey summer days going on hikes and apartment hunting. By the time we decided to maybe visit the Shore, the weather had cooled off considerably (it was after Labor Day, too) so we just put it off. After watching this episode, I think we'll put it off even more! Snookie, you stay away from me!

A few small things...

Just thought I'd point out a few of the seemingingly little, unimportant differences between life in New Jersey versus Georgia. Of course, so many things are different up here - from the terrain, weather & climate, accents, culture,people,  food, etc. - but here's a few little things you wouldn't normally think of at first comparison (at least I didn't).

1) You don't pump your own gas
At first I thought this was strange to sit in my car while a gas station attendant did all the work, but considering the chilly weather we've been having lately, it's kind of nice not having to get out of the car. Also, it seems to make the whole stopping-to-get-gas process go much faster - you're in, you're out, and on your way. Also, apparantly you're not expected to tip them because they get paid by the hour - though I like to give at least buck to them if they are so kind as to wash my windshield for me. (which a couple of them have! aha! how's that for Southern hospitality in New Jersey!)

2) Tags on the back AND front
I never even considered the fact that our car didn't have a license plate holder on the front bumper because we never needed one in Georgia. When you get your tag for your car, you just stick 'er on the back bumper and your done with it. But not in Jersey. Maybe it's because the drivers are so bad up here that the cops really want to make sure they catch you when you're driving like an idiot - so needless to say, everyone displays the tacky, bright-yellow Jersey license plate on both sides of the car. (And it's more in tag fees at the DMW, too)

3) You can buy beer on Sundays!
Goodbye, Bible-belt! In Jersey, it doesn't matter what day of the week it is, you can buy beer, vodka, whiskey, wine - whatever alcoholic beverage tickles your fancy! This applies to both at the package store or in restaurants! However, I have noticed that you can't buy beer inside the actual grocery store like you could in Georgia. Instead, the liquor stores are "attached" to the grocery stores but really it's a seperate store with a separate cash register.

4) No sales tax!
Well, you still pay sales tax on certain things, but you aren't charged tax for groceries, household paper products, medicine and clothing. Also, you don't pay sales tax on gasoline. I've heard that New Jersey actually has some of the cheapest gas in the United States - some research from various websites validates this point.

5) Giants and Yankees fans are everywhere
It would honestly shock me if I didn't see at least five people dressed in Giants attire when I go out in public, even if it's not game day. And, every store has at least one end-cap full of Giants merch in just about any item possible. I even saw Giants Snuggies at the Wal-mart up here. Being a Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons fan, it's odd to be surrounded by Giants fever up here. They are actually my least favorite team in the NFL. The Yankees are extremely popular here, too. I constantly see Yankees bumper stickers, yard flags, t-shirts, you name it. And God forbid you try to say something bad about either of these two teams. You'd probably get jumped in a heartbeat.

Stumbling upon Revolutionary History...and beer.

Yesterday afternoon, Kyle and I sought out the hour-or-so drive to Lambertville, N.J., to check out the River Horse Brewery that we've wanted to try ever since we heard of it a few months ago. But little did we know on our quest for alcoholic bliss that we'd stumble upon a historical place where the bad-ass George Washington led his troops across the Delaware River on Christmas Eve night of 1776.

 

Washington's Crossing at the Delaware River

 It's called Washington Crossing State Park - and not only is the scenery there absolutely beautiful, but the history and stories that took place there are pretty awesome. We saw replica Durham Boats like what Washington used to move his troops across the river. We saw the marker which noted the place along the shore where his army crossed. We saw refurbished cannons and restored historical buildings.

Even walking into the visitor's center to get a map, the man and woman there were dressed in Revolutionary-era clothing (though it was somewhat creepy because they were remodeling the real visitor's center so they had set up shop in a dank-looking double-wide trailer).

The bridge we had to cross was built in 1905 - and boy, was this sucker narrow! Had it been just a few inches thinner, we'd for sure be scraping the side mirrors on the railing.

But no worries - we still got our beer for the day. After moseying around the park for a while, we headed over to River Horse and got samples of four of their brews and got a 30-minute tour of the brewery. The beers there were so much better than mass commercial brews like Bud Light and Coors. They were rich and flavorful (and strong!) Turns out the key is that River Horse, like most smaller breweries, allows the yeast to ferment for much, much longer than the mass-commercial brewers, who will simply let it fermet until it reaches a desired alcohol content and then filter out the rest of the ingredients so they can ship it out quicker.

But River Horse "is patient with the yeast. We can wait as long as it takes" quoth the tour guide. And man, you can surely taste the difference. But the problem is they are already operating at full capacity and still can't meet their market need for River Horse brews. We tried looking for River Horse in our nearby package store but our search was to no avail. So if any of you (who even care to read this stupid blog) happen to see River Horse beer on the shelves, I highly recommend you purchase it! The Lager is amazing, also the "Tripel Horse."

Mega-nerd for Megamind

The fact that I often bring peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch at work may be one subtle hint that yes, I am still a kid at heart - but the fact that I dragged my husband to the movie theatre on opening night of Megamind in 3D just might take the cake in childlike nerdiness.

I was hooked on this movie from the first preview I saw, while we were sitting in the theatre a few months ago watching "The Last Exorcist." (yeah, what a shift from kiddy animation to horror). I remember telling Kyle "oooh, I want to go see Megamind!"

So as we filed into the theatre, it became quickly apparant that we were the only adult couple there without a herd of squealing children trailing us. But whatever, I didn't feel awkward - I was looking forward to seeing this movie just as much as those snot-nosed munchkins were.

Funny thing is, Kyle and I laughed at the movie more than the sea of children in the theatre. And the parents in the crowd also laughed with us. I loved the Megamind character - his facial expressions and mannerisms cracked me up. Will Ferrell did an excellent job with Megamind's voice. Also, the voice of Megamind's sidekick, Minion, was none other than  David Cross - (aka Tobias from "Arrested Development" = awesome). And the soundtrack was cool - with music from Guns and Roses and AC DC.

I will also note that both Kyle and I were wearing our regular glasses under the 3D glasses - I couldn't help but laugh everytime I looked over at Kyle - I'm sure I looked just as goofy. Double dorky...eight eyes!

Oh no. Ice on the windshield.

For the past two mornings, Kyle and I have had ice on the windshield of the good 'ol Saturn Ion. Did you hear me, Georgia people - ICE! It's only November freakin' third and we're already having ice and insane frost in the mornings. No wonder I don't want to get out of bed in the mornings - because it's like 35 degrees outside and it's chilly in our apartment and I want to stay under the warm covers. What the hell am I going to do come December and January?

On another note - on the way home from work today, Kyle and I saw a freakin' huge bear in someone's yard eating out of the trashcan. We turned around and drove by their house two times to get a better look at this sucker. It was HUGE! There was an elderly couple in a pick up truck that was parked on the side of the driveway - the man was standing outside the truck aiming a digital camera at the bear - probably only like 15 feet away from it. WTF!!!!! (but I probably would have done the same thing if I had a camera)

Oh how I would FREAK THE F*** out if I was walking up my driveway after work and saw a monstrous bear sitting there looking at me.

pink, pink, PINK!

One of our favorite places to go for a quick hike is Mahlon Dickerson park in Morris County, N.J. On this Halloween Sunday, you would think we'd see tons of orange on the foilage - but the color that caught my eye the most today was actually a bright, lipsticky pink. We saw tons of these cute little trees decked in rosy cheer- such a pretty site! Most of the taller trees were already bare - a sign of the fast-approaching winter that will likely reap havoc on my Georgia bones. But we shall see.

Halloween memories on Robinson Drive

Well, it's Halloween weekend - time to pull out the facepaint, fake blood, colored hair spray and beer. But 15 years ago or so, my Halloweens were quite different.

I remember my dad used to take us Ammons' girls trick-or-treating every year when we were in elementary school. He would always wear a long, white lab coat - and with his crazy afro-like hair, he looked like a mad scientist with that coat on. Us girls would dress as classic kiddy stuff - throughout our childhood we all wore one of these costumes from time to time, as we handed them down the Ammons' line: little red riding hood, a bumble bee, a witch, a ghost, an Indian...I'm sure there was more but I can't recall them right now.

Anyway, we would go trick-or-treating down good old Robinson Drive, leaving just at dusk and not getting home until 10 p.m. or so. I remember we always watched Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video on VH1 while we were sorting through our acquired stashes of sweets at the end of the night. That music video used to scare me though! Now I just laugh at it.

For a few Halloween's, the Ammons gang merged with Stephanie and Patricia Thomas to create one big trick-or-treating posse. Along the years we had other neighboorhood kids join us - just a large crowd of loud, excited children being hyper and having a blast.

Along our Trick-or-Treating quest, our first stop was always Wayne and Lynn's house. One of the houses further up Robinson Drive used to decorate the yard like crazy - almost like a mini haunted house. They even had a casket with a man lying in it who would jump and scream at you when you approached the candy bowl in his hand.

One of the old ladies on North Robinson Drive would always give us a can of Coke. As children, we always found this odd.

We hated when people gave us those cheap, nasty peanut butter candies with the black and orange colored wrappers. They were nasty and impossible to chew. My favorite candy was the "candy cigarettes" with the monster pictures on the miniture boxes. But Mom always made us throw out the candy cigarettes, because she didn't want us running around the house pretending to smoke. Little did I know I would end up smoking all through college and for a couple years after that, until I finally realized how disgusting it is and quit only a few months ago.

I look back on my childhood memories of Halloween and I wonder if kids still enjoy those same things today. With the messed up crime stories we always see on the news, it's no wonder kids don't trick-or-treat door to door as much these days. I honestly can't say that I would be so willing to take my own child door to door on Halloween. It's crazy sometimes to think about how much things have changed just in the last 10 years. Already feeling nostalgic at age 24.

I'll carve your face off!

Can you tell which one I did and which one Kyle did? People say their jack-o-lanterns say a lot about their own personalities... (no, they really don't say that, or else my husband would be a serial-killing freak.)

We carved these yesterday on our back patio, but this morning, they are host to a multitude of bugs. Guess they couldn't resist the free food. We also wondered if having two freshly carved pumpkins on our patio would lure any bears out of the woods. Trust me, if this happens, you will definitely see pictures on my blog!

The joys of "Pie" in New Jersey

I still chuckle to myself when I drive by countless pizzerias and Italian restaurants up here that display signs or banners about "Pie." In Georgia, the only pie we ate was apple, cherry, pecan - you get the idea. But up here in the outskirts of NYC, "pie" is none other than the most delicious, satisfying and sinful piece of pizza you will ever sink your teeth into. But don't let me tell you - let the photo do the talking.

This bad boy is a large pepperoni and mushroom "pie" from the Blvd. Cafe in Mount Arlington. I pass this place on the way home from work everyday and can always smell the amazingness of oven baked pizza. A large banner read "Special: Large Pie $8.95." So when I got home Thursday, I asked Kyle - "Do you want to order a pie for dinner?" I laughed immediately. Did I just say pie? Well, no matter what you call it, all that matters is that it tastes spectacular!

I love my SISTERS!

Yes, I do! They make me jump for joy, as clearly is evidenced in this pic of me and Ton during their visit last weekend to NJ.

I love them all! My twin Stacy, my big sis Marcia, Marcia, Marcia and my little sis Tonya! Having three sisters and no brothers has been interesting. Growing up, we would fight about girly shit like sneaking into eachothers' closets and wearing eachothers' clothes without asking. I don't even remember some of the crap we fought about now but I can tell you it was probably something dumb. But man, now at age 24, I must say, my sisters are my BEST FRIENDS!

I don't know what my life would be like without them. We are the Ammons' girls and we always will be. We are all different in our own ways yet similar in many others. I thank God for them everyday. What a freaking BLESSING!

All in the family

Tracy, Loretta, Stacy and Tonya at Sunrise Mountain, Sussex County, NJ - Oct. 17, 2010

This past weekend, my mom and sisters Stacy and Tonya packed up their car and drove 15 hours from Bowdon, Ga., to visit me in New Jersey. They just left today, and I'm already feeling a little bummed out. It makes me realize how much I took for granted living in Carrollton for the first 23 years of my life. In Carrollton, my mom and sisters were only a short drive away. My friends were literally right down the hall at the Mandeville Mill Lofts. I knew where everything was, I knew who most people were, and I felt totally comfortable and settled in with my surroundings. The Corner Cafe and the Border became lunch time regulars. Oh, what I would give for a deluxe pot roast sandwich and zorba the greek salad at the Corner.

Now, hanging out with my mom, sisters or friends is a couple-times-a-year event, if that. I will be lucky to see them twice a year I think. In many ways, I'm glad that I've been able to move around these last couple years and see new places and experience new things. It definitely makes life exciting. But it also makes me realize that Carrollton will always be my home no matter what, and that my family and will always be important.

What the buck?!

You know you're in northern New Jersey when the wildlife is just as much a part of the neighborhood as you are. Case in point - the other morning Kyle and I were going about our normal routine when we saw movement outside our sliding glass door that leads to the backyard/woods. It's a freakin' 6-point buck just walking around behind the apartment buildings with the carelessness and ease of a homecoming queen. He was just chilling back there, and he didn't pay our gawking faces at the window (only five feet away from him) any attention.

We saw this same buck again yesterday afternoon, just hanging out outside our door flaunting his six points like it's nothing. The Georgia men would have gone crazy to shoot this thing! But apparantly you can't have hunting rifles in New Jersey, only shot guns, and you for sure can't go shooting in back of an apartment complex. (I question if one could get away with this in Georgia though...)

I got you babe...

I always knew there had to be a real, honest meaning behind me and Kyle's destiny of falling in love and getting married. This photo must be a testament to that, because only someone who is freaking perfect for me would rock it old school with me in a corny Footloose-mixed-with-Saved-by-the-Bell attitude, as is clearly pictured here.
Kickin' it old school...that's right. The dorky back-to-back pose, glasses lowered, and the fingers pointing like we're total bad asses. My friend Jackie took this pic of me and Kyle at Sunrise Mountain last weekend, and it makes me smile everytime I see it. Hope it brings a smile to you, too!

A tale of two friends...and the greatest song legend ever known to man

Thank goodness for friends. Thank goodness for John Lennon. And thank goodness for three-day weekends. I had the pleasure of enjoying all these things this past weekend with none other than my DINFOS buddy Jacqueline Leeker, who treked all the way from Fort Belvoir, Va., for her first real stay in New Jersey.

Saturday (Oct.9), Jackie and I went to New York City and spent the entire day being tourists. Our adventures included Ground Zero, Wall Street, Central Park (Strawberry Fields in particular), the famous Carnegie Deli, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, a couple cab rides and several confused moments on NJ transit.

My favorite part of our trip was Strawberry Fields, where we sang Beatles songs with a crowd of hippies to celebrate John Lennon's birthday. It was a truly unique experience unlike anything I've ever done - being surrounded by that many Beatles fans, everyone singing all the words, with a few acoustic guitars carrying us along tune. And people brought flowers, apples, wine - which were layered on top of the famous "Imagine" mosaic until you could barely see the tiles. Everyone had a smile on their face, everyone was singing, and the sense of peace and harmony seemed very real to me. I wish people could be like that everyday - no hate, no fighting, no selfishness - but I guess that would be asking for the impossible. But in those moments we spent at Strawberry Fields, I most definitely felt what John Lennon stood for.



Beatles fans adorn John Lennon's memorial at Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York City,
with flowers and fruits while singing songs from "Abbey Road" on Lennon's birthday, Oct. 9, 2010.



Carnegie Deli was another story. My sense of inner peace was instantly transformed into a guilty, sinful indulgence, as I sank my teeth into a gi-normous Ruben sandwich (so large that Jackie and I had to share it!) and followed it up with the most heavenly-tasting dessert I've ever had in my life - chocolate mousse cheesecake. Oh yeah.

The rest of our weekend was spent enjoying some beautiful north Jersey landscapes (Sunrise Mountain and High Point), along with some antique shopping and lunch at Krogh's Microbrewery and Restaurant in Sparta, N.J. This place was a real find! Great microbrews and awesome food - and it's right on the beautiful Lake Mohawk.

All in all, Columbus Day weekend 2010 turned out to be pretty damn awesome.

Reflections on Garden State..."the idea of home is gone"

Garden State has to be one of my top 10 (or maybe even top 5) favorite movies. And no, I'm not just saying that because I live in New Jersey. I've liked the movie ever since I watched it several years ago when Kyle and I were living at the Mandeville Mill Lofts in good old Carrollton, Ga.

In a nutshell, the movie depicts the coming-of-age of 26-year-old Andrew Largeman, who lived a repressed childhood full of psychiatric drugs, and not to mention a pretty f-ed up family. After living in Los Angeles for the last few years, he returns home to the Garden State for his mom's funeral, and while there, he re-discovers himself and, for the first time in years, is able to show any sort of emotion - both laughter and tears. (And he falls in love with Natalie Portman = awesome).

I'd like to share a few quotes that Andrew said that really spoke to me, especially considering this new part in my life being far away from home, and considering some issues that have transpired in my own family.

"You know that point in your life when you realize the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? All of a sudden even though you have some place where you put your shit, that idea of home is gone... You'll see one day when you move out it just sort of happens one day and it's gone. You feel like you can never get it back. It's like you feel homesick for a place that doesn't even exist. Maybe it's like this rite of passage, you know. You won't ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, you know, for your kids, for the family you start, it's like a cycle or something. I don't know, but I miss the idea of it, you know. Maybe that's all family really is. A group of people that miss the same imaginary place."

I hate my immune system

Of course, leave it to the Georgia girl to catch the damn flu at the very onset of cold and flu season in New Jersey. Not only a couple days after the first of October, I came down with the classic flu symptoms - muscle aches, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, congestion, and just overall feeling like complete crap. For the last three days I've been lying around the apartment like a worthless sack of dirt. The days have gone by so fast because I've spent them all in bed. I'm sick of drinking Gatorade and TheraFlu. I'm sick of wearing my yoga pants and sweatshirt. I'm sick of my bed. But the good news is, as I type this blog, I'm starting to feel better and better as the day goes by. Sure, I loaded up on five different medicines so I feel almost high right now, but hey, at least I don't feel as pathetic as I did the last two days. I can't wait to get back to the office tomorrow and go to work like a normal person! I miss news releases and articles and media queries and website updates and meetings and phonecalls and social media! (Ah, the life of a PAO)

Sunrise Mountain Adventure...

View from Sunrise Mountain
Sussex County, NJ
October 3, 2010

  I just love Sundays. And this past Sunday was a real treat for sure. Kyle and I took a spontaneous drive up to Sunrise Mountain in Sussex County. Not only was the drive amazing - seeing the array of fall colors as we drove up the mountain - but the view from the top was breath taking. The weather was chilly and windy, so much that I had to wear a hat most of the time, and it's only the first weekend in October. (!)

On our way back from the mountain, we stopped in a little town called Layfayette Township (yeah, it's wierd because all the towns up here are either "townships" or "boroughs"). We found a cluster of five antique shops and looked at a few of them. I love looking at antique stores - it's so cool to see the old retro stuff that reminds me of my grandparents. It's crazy to think just how much our world has changed over the years when I look at old items like washing bowl stands and turn-crank coffee grinders and oil lanterns. Speaking of lanterns, we saw several hanging lanterns from New York Co. dated from 1880 when they used to light the city. I wanted one so badly, but they were priced at $125 or more. Yikes.

Also, we found a chocolatier shop, which also housed one of New Jersey's top five Vera Bradley "Platinumlevel" retailers. (!!!) I enjoyed looking at the new Vera colors and styles - I swear, they get cuter every season! (For those of you who don't know, I'm totally obsessed with Vera!) 



Two of my favorite things: My husband and epic views



Just Tell it Like It Is

I remember when I first told my sister Tonya that I was moving to New Jersey. Her reaction was: "Jersey? But that's nothing but a bunch of assholes!"

And yes, that may be a common impression that most people have about Jersey folk. I must say, I've noticed it myself since I've been up here - people are a lot more straight and to-the-point, and yes, to a Southern girl, it can come across as kind of pushy and rude. The thing is, it's not that all people up here are mean-spirited. I think it's just the way the culture is up here around the New York City area.

People up here - if they don't like something, they tell you. Growing up in Georgia, it seemed like everyone tried to save face - if they didn't like you, they would either keep it to themselves or go talk about you behind your back. I'm sure people do that up here, too - but it seems like Jersey people are way more likely to be up front and confrontational with you.

In some ways, I like this, because it allows everyone to get straight to the point and get down to business (especially in the workplace). I don't think they mean it as a personal attack, they are just voicing their disagreement. I think Southerners are a lot less likely to confront others about conflicts and personal disagreements. I know I am. I prefer to vent about stuff to my close friends but avoid confrontation at all costs. But maybe that's because I think I've always had an inner desire to be liked by everyone I meet. I can't recall many people who just blatantly hate me. I don't think I have any real enemies. (Or maybe I do, but they are all from Georgia so maybe they just hide it from me and talk crap behind my back...lol)

So will living in Jersey give me thicker skin and make me more confrontational? I'm not sure on that one....I guess we'll see. But deep down I'm always going to be a sweet and reserved Southern girl at heart. ;-)

Joe Camel

I needed something to make me laugh today after a busy and almost mind-numbing day on the job. And who wouldn't laugh at this goofy looking camel?

I took this photo in early August at the Warren County Farmers Fair in Warren County, N.J. Kyle and I ventured over there for a break from our trailer park blues and got to see some farm animals, hot air balloons, and of course eat a bunch of fatty, greasy and way-too-sugary fair foods. Nothing like a fun afternoon at the fair to put a smile on your face - just ask the camel. ;-)

Me so Corny

This past weekend, Kyle and I stopped at a New Jersey farmer's market (in Sussex County) for the first time since we've been up here. Dude, I have to say, it was awesome. There was so much fruit and veggies to choose from, they all looked so fresh and so clean, clean - nothing compared to the crappy produce at the supermarket. There was even a little green house filled with mums of every color, and a little pumpkin patch!

My favorite thing at the farmer's market was the sweet corn on the cob. These were some HUGE ears of corn, too. I was worried they wouldn't even fit into the pot but they just barely plopped in there. And the taste - oh my god, the taste - it's just the right amount of crunch on the outside and the perfect mix of sweet, plumpy goodness on the inside. Just lather it up with some butter, sprinkle some salt on it - I'm starting to drool just thinking about it.

And at only 55 cents a pop, who in their right mind would resist!?

Oh, the colors!

Autumn in Georgia doesn't even come CLOSE to the wonder and beauty of fall in the north. The leaves here have been changing colors for the last few weeks, and it seems like everyday I notice quite the difference in my surroundings - more and more reds, oranges and yellows with each passing day. It makes me realize what I've been missing out on this whole time living in Georgia, where the leaves go from green to brown and it's still humid as hell in October.

And driving up through the mountains, like at the Delaware Water Gap National Park where we went today, it makes the colors come even more to life.

We did a 7.5-mile hike today around the Buttermilk Falls and Crater Lake area. Walking through the trails was like a scene in a movie - as the wind blew, it "rained" bright yellow and orange leaves. I was expecting Disney's Pocahontas to come leaping out from a tree bursting into a cheesy song. "Just around the river bend....."

But Tracy, what about the hunters out there who are also enjoying this lovely fall weather? Well, to that I say no worries- at the expense of me looking like a total dork, I wore my tacky "hunters orange" cap. But hey - it almost matched the color of the leaves!

Git 'er dun on the turret

Couldn't resist throwing in a Southern redneck phrase (thank you Larry the Cable Guy), because yeah, I got 'er dun today at work when I got to shoot a gun turret simulator at the behavioral testing lab at Picatinny Arsenal.

Obviously there was nothing coming out of the gun, but I got to shoot at moving targets projected on a screen - it was just like a video game but even more bad-ass. And I got to wear a helmet. Oh yeah.

Good thing I'm not a Soldier though, because I couldn't kill some of the targets no matter how many times I pushed the trigger.

It's pretty cool working at an armaments research and development installation, because by no means am I a weapons wiz, so everyday is a learning experience to say the least. But that's what I enjoy about Public Affairs - I can look at these stories from an outside perspective and "translate" the engineer talk into something the general public can understand and hopefully find interesting.

I never saw myself working for the Army when I was a college student at the University of West Georgia. But you know what? I'm glad I became an Army public affairs specialist. My job is to tell the Army story - and despite all the bureaucracy that naturally comes with any kind of government work, I'm still satisfied everyday as our office brings more and more stories about our Soldiers and servicemembers to the world.

I'm extremely thankful for all our troops who sacrifice their lives to protect and defend our nation - and even though my role in the Army may seem miniscule compared to those on the battlefield, I'm still proud to be a part of it. Can I get a HOOAH?!

Kyle & Crockpots = Amazing

In the midst of my weekend adventures in the Catskills, I seemed to have skipped over another important part of my weekend - a part that I am still enjoying this evening, and will likely enjoy again tomorrow. The warm, beefy goodness I am speaking of is none other than my husband's homemade vegetable beef soup, and I must say, daaaaaaaaamn it's good!

Kyle made it yesterday in the crockpot, where it simmered all day and made our apartment smell freakin' amazing. We enjoyed it with corn muffins for dinner last night, and I just finished eating round two for dinner tonight. And there's still some left for another meal! That's what I love about Crockpot dinners (and my husband) - it's a gift that keeps on giving.

Mountain Memories.....

I practically hobbled like a cripple to my computer this morning to write today's blog post. That's what happens when you carry 30 pounds on your back while hiking 17.5 miles in the mountains for two days. But I must say, though I am hurting today, the last two days of sheer awesomeness were definitely worth it.

 

In celebration of our one-year wedding anniversary, Kyle and I drove three hours north of our home in northern New Jersey to the scenic Catskill Mountains of New York, where he took me on my first ever overnight hiking trip. 

We began our hike Saturday afternoon, completing about seven miles (most of it going steadily up-hill). This stretch of trail had some amazing views of the mountains, which totally justified our brutal climb to the top.

We camped at lean-to shelter, which was nice because we didn't have to set up our tent. The downside was the hard planks of wood we slept on, which was torture on my back, but I guess you can't be too picky when you're out in the middle of nowhere.

We tried to build a camp fire, but our attempts were to no avail, as it had just rained the day before and all the wood was too wet to burn. But we cooked canned soup and ravioli on Kyle's little camping stove, and enjoyed the quiet darkness and peacefulness of the woods at night.

Sunday, after an instant oatmeal breakfast, we trudged through 10.5 miles of trail. I must say, those last two or three miles were rough. Around mile 15, I was so exhausted, I had to stop and lay down on the trail for a few minutes, while Bruno stood over me and wimpered. (Our dog was born for the trail - he hiked like a champ the entire way) But then I got back up and trudged on through - and man, it was so rewarding when we cleared the last hill and could see our car parked a few feet up the road.

I will always remember the feeling of solitude and peacefulness I get when I'm surrounded by mother nature. I'll remember the fun of eating trail mix and apples for a meal. I'll remember the quiet of the woods at night. I'll remember the pain in my hips, legs and feet when the going got tough. I'll also remember the inner feeling of accomplishment and triumph when it was all said and done.

But most importantly, I'll always remember (and continue to treasure) my amazing husband, Kyle. He is truly my best friend. Without him, I can't imagine how I could ever enjoy anything in this life as much as I do when we're together. Happy Anniversary, sweetheart, and here's to many more in our future!

Click here to see more photos from our Catskill Mountains adventure! 

Packin' for da Catskills, bi-atch!

Yeah you read it right. I'm packing for a trip to the Catskill Mountains of New York (bi-atches). Not only did I come home from work today to a beautiful boquet of flowers and a surprise dinner (which Kyle is about to start cooking now), but I also came home to that precious cardboard box marked "Cabelas" - which bestowed upon me

my new backpack I ordered last weekend.

Kyle helped me pack it all up with the essentials - sleeping bag, mess kit, extra socks and clothing, emergency kit, toilet paper (yeah, i don't want to think about having to use the bathroom in the woods but apparantly I'm gonna have to) and more. Of course he is carrying our tent and most of the other heavy stuff, but I think my pack will still weigh in at about 35 pounds or so.

So while I'm enjoying filet mingon, bacon-wrapped scallops and baked potatoes for dinner tonight, courtesy of my chef husband, I'm also getting super excited about our hiking trip tomorrow. In celebration of our one-year wedding anniversary, which is this Sunday the 19th, I'll be going on my very first overnight backpacking trip. (But it will be one of many for Kyle, who obviously has been into this kind of thing longer than I have.)

But what about the bears, Tracy? one might ask. I have to say, no worries, we went to Dick's (that's what she said) and bought a bear horn/air horn especially for those rare encounters we may have with mother nature's finest.

Oh my God....White Castle.

Perhaps it's just a northern thing, because I don't recall ever seeing or going to any White Castle restaurants in Georgia, but I had the honor, the pleasure, the indulgence of enjoying a White Castle meal for the first time in my life tonight. It was like the Harold and Kumar movie, only I wasn't coming off a wild night of shenanigans, beer and drugs. That and I'm not Indian or Asian.


The number one combo was a clear plastic sack full of edible bliss. The cute little steamed burgers, with the sauteed onions and pickles....and the hot crinkle cut fries, with an ice cold diet coke. Amazing. (I don't want to think about the calories though...)

The cashier must have known I was a White Castle virgin by my indecisive gawking at the menu. He asked Kyle and I if we've ever eaten it before. I told him I'm from Georiga, and down there we have Krystals, which is similar, but that no, I've never been in the oh mighty Castle blanca. He just looked at me with a hint of confusion and smiled.

And you know what? I smiled, too. I smiled when we took the food from the white-trash looking lady at the counter, I smiled when we got back in the car (the inside of the restaurant seemed a little to ghetto for my liking), I smiled the whole drive back home to our apartment, and I smiled the whole time in between bites as I devoured it at our kitchen table. I'm even smiling right now.

Trailer Trash and Bears

I guess you could say that Kyle and I were "trailer trash" for our first two months in the Garden State. After all, we did live in a trailer park off-post while we searched for a permanent apartment to live in. But the title of this blog post actually references another type of trailer trash - that being the literal trash in the dumpsters outside the trailer park.

And clearly, in the New Jersey skylands region, one cannot reference a garbage dumpster without mentioning bears. That's right. Bears. Black bears have populations recorded in every county in New Jersey. Especially in this area, there is somewhat of an over-population. Many times, the bears come into residential areas to scavenge for food in the trash.

There's nothing like taking the garbage out to the dump, wearing your pajama pants with somewhat of a buzz from the couple beers you had after work, and then seeing a huge black bear lingering 10 feet away in the bushes. Taking out the trash had become quite the adventure for Kyle and me.

We even managed to photograph a few of these trailer trash bears - a lasting memory of our days at the Picatinny trailer park.

A few thoughts on "Jersey Shore"

I had never bothered to watch the worthless crap of a show "Jersey Shore" until I moved to New Jersey. I was hesitant to watch it even then. Part of this is because my loyalty to MTV programming died a long time ago when I was a boy-crazy middle school girl slobbering over Carson Daily on Total Request Live.

Either way, I was flipping through the channels in our temporary living quarters up here when I came across this crap. I watched maybe 10 minutes of this garbage and couldn't stand it anymore. First of all, what's so cool about walking around like a sketchy chump wearing a wife-beater shirt? I must say I've seen several dudes out in public here sporting a wife-beater and to me, it just looks trashy and somewhat creepy. Must be a "Jersey Shore" thing. But maybe that's because real Southern boys know how to put on a collared shirt, or at least a clean t-shirt when going out in public.

Anyway, I think you get the idea of my distaste for crappy shows like Jersey Shore. And before you ask, no, I've never watched the Real Housewives of New Jersey. I just can't bring myself to it yet. I haven't succumbed to that level or boredom and/or depression yet. So then, Tracy, what kind of TV shows do you like, you may ask. Well I'll tell you, it's none of that MTV rubbish. A few of my favorite programs include The Office, Parks and Recreation, Family Guy, True Blood, MSNBC News and CNN, Hoarders (just can't resist!), anything on HGTV, and those occasional awesome days when I catch some old-school Boy Meets World or Saved by the Bell re-runs. And of course when it's football season, I'm tuned into NFL. So, take that MTV, Jersey Shore and all the other crap on television. My blog shall spite you! Brawhaha!

Jersey Bound

Some of you may wonder, how the hell did I end up in what some call the "armpit of America," also known as New Jersey. Well, that's a good question. I never envisioned myself moving to this area until a few months ago when I found out my new job would take me here. But you know what? It's turned out to be nothing like an armpit at all.

My then-fiance and I packed up our apartment and left my hometown of Carrollton, Ga., in March 2009 to move four hours south to Savannah. The move was the result of me landing a public affairs internship with the U.S. Army. You may think it's nuts, but this was the farthest I've ever lived from my mom and sisters, so it was tough adjusting to the distance at first. I worked in Savannah for a year at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - it was a great experience. I also got married that year, in the same little chapel at Bethesda, where the famous Southern belle and Food Network Star Paula Deen got married. And yes, I did eat at the Lady and Sons and loved it.

My year in Paula Deen country flew by fast. Before I knew it, I was on my way up to Fort Meade, Md., to attend two months of public affairs training from the Defense Information School, or DINFOS. That was an interesting experience - living in a dorm-room type setting and going to class everyday for eight hours. But when it was all said and done, I became what we in the Army Public Affairs community call a DINFOS-trained killer. Oh yeah...command messages, baby. Here, today.

Next I was on my way to the Pentagon - the final stage of the internship. Kyle and I had an awesome apartment in Pentagon City, only one metro-stop away from the Pentagon. I worked there for two months, and wow, I must say it was different. I definitely felt like a little fish in a freakishly-large ocean full of colonels and generals. But I survived - and finally, a year and a half after I left little old Carrollton, Ga., I graduated the intern program and went along my merry way to a promotion in.....New Jersey.

So here I am, a Georgia peach, where I live, work, and play in the Garden State. I hope this blog can give you a glimpse of what it's like up here. I can already predict some interesting stories come winter time, seeing as how I've only seen snow a handful of times in my life, most of which was just a few measley flurries.

So here's to my first effort at most would call a real blog. If anyone out there is even looking at it, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!