Showing posts with label JMU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JMU. Show all posts

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Hoppy Easter

Hey All!

I'm currently typing this on an iPad so forgive me. Also know how much I love y'all that I would type on an iPad just to get a post out. It's because I love y'all not because I'm bored out of my mind on a 5 hour car ride home from Harrisonburg Virginia or anything.

This is for one night...I need help...4 bags

Since Dylan has attended JMU we've made the 5 hour trek to visit him for Easter weekend.  Don't get me wrong, I love my brother and I love to travel, but this girl's idea of travel is Southwest Airlines with a bag of mini pretzels. Not a 10 hour road trip in 36 hours. I love Virginia once we're down there, it's the driving part I loathe.


Beautiful Scenery!

Our trip started Saturday at 12.  I had to tutor and the fam had errands to run so we left a little later than desired but it doesn't really matter because we have no plans when we got to Va.  I amused myself with 3 back issues of Glamour (aka how you know I've been a busy bee- I haven't been able to read my fave tome. However, only 2 weeks left until I'm done student teaching and will be able to catch up on all of my reading material. Also I just subscribed to Cosmo, so that will be a great poolside read.) and season 7 of my beloved Friends. Also I talked for most of the trip (Deb and dad you are welcome ;)).

We saw this super cool dog at the gas station in NJ

When we finally arrived, we headed straight to the hotel to change for dinner.  Harrisonburg is not a truly happening place (it's gorgeous but kinda boring...not like Ewing the cultural hubbub of Central Jersey) so there is about 3 Easter appropriate places for dinner.  This year, like last year we are at Union Station (if you haven't noticed, my dad has a train obsession and we tend to stay at and eat at train themed places. I.e our Nashville trip where we stayed at the Union Station Hotel.  I highly recommend it for a Nashville stay). The food is always amazing and the drinks are to die for!  I got a virgin drink because we brought our own wine for a little hotel party. I got a blackberry meringue. Daaalish!  I love when restaurants offer a bunch of mocktails. I also devoured the black bread and my BBQ chicken panini.  After dinner, we went to Kline's ice cream stand. It's the best ice cream, it's all homemade on premises. I ordered a children's sized chocolate peanut butter cup. Freaking fantastic!  I highly recommend that stand.

Forced Pic


Aren't they cute?




Blackberry Meringue.  To.  Die.
Ironically, Kline's is located across from the church we attended last year. I was a 4 hour bilingual vigil.  And not to be outdone, it was also their RCIA programs sacrament ceremony. It was beautiful but after being in a car for 5 hours it was not something we wanted to do.  So this year, we wished those attending the mass good luck from behind our ice cream.

View from Kline's



After dessert, we made our way to Target to outfit Dylan with supplies for his last 3 weeks of school. I can't believe he'll be done his sophomore year of college in 3 weeks!  I'm getting old!  I digress. Targets in the south sell wine!  Wine!  In NJ this is forbidden. They also sell it at gas stations. Caaaraaaayyyzyyyy. At Target we found some things we NEEDED but deb said no even though they were in sale. Not cool.

Don't you think I need this?
I KNOW WE NEED THESE!  THEY WERE EVEN ON SALE!
Our hotel had a cute little gym so Dylan and I headed down for a sweat sesh. Also, our room was located on the first floor (usually I'd say no way Jose, but I get progressively less prissy after a long car ride. Who knew?) and we had the brilliant idea to jump out and scare people walking by.  This idea was quickly poo pooed though. Oh we'll, there's always next time. After the gym we drank our wine and fell asleep to the sound of Friends playing in the background. Good nights y'all.

We got up super early (8:30...hey it's early if you aren't a morning person) and grabbed breakfast. Welp, usually our hotel has biscuits and turkey sausage (when you go to the south you expect this kind of exotic fare) but today they had cardboard sponge, or what they call French toast sticks. So I had cereal.  The texture reminded me of the time I had to cut apart sponges for a cheerleading car wash because we ran short. Gross!

The Easter Bunny delivered!
Mass was nice!  It always amazes me how different JMU is from TCNJ. JMU held mass in a ballroom, let's just say TCNJ doesn't hold many balls. (Except for the statues of balls we have in our quad.). We had a you know you're from nj moment at mass. Before mass, the priest asked the congregation to stand up and greet the people around you. Well guess which four people didn't stand up?  These people. Nj for the win!  Eventually peer pressure forced us to stand up- however we didn't interact with our neighbors. If you're wondering, this mass was 1.25 hours long. ;)

Next, we went to Dylan's room to pack up some of his things so move out day won't be so bad. He showed us all his crap that he has accrued over the past year, a Breakfast Club poster, a hunting knife?  And then we headed to the arboretum. Dylan's psychology honor society cleans up the arboretum for philanthropy purposes and it was nice to see it.

On the Arboretum Bridge

The boy who cleaned the Arboretum

How cute is this duck!






Where did we have Easter dinner?  A nice classy place?  Yeah no.  My fave restaurant, Texas Roadhouse!  I love this place!  We stuffed our faces and drank margaritas and ate ways too many rolls and peanuts. Can you blame us though, that cinnamon sugar butter is to die for.



Anyway, we're about an hour form nj now and my spring break is officially over. I'm prepping for another interview tomorrow afternoon so wish me luck!  I hope you all had a nice Easter and remember what the day is for. Not just pastel candy and preppy dresses, but for Jesus.


Saturday, October 19, 2013

Virginia is For Leapers?

So last weekend was a blasty blast!  We spent it in Virginia visiting my little brother at college.  It's weird to visit your baby brother at college (especially when you yourself on have a few short months before you will no longer be a college kid/grown up/in between).  I was no on my Super Type A game and forgot a toothbrush, toothpaste, and my flip flops.  The hotel was nice enough to give me a prison grade toothbrush until we could make it to Target in the am.


Friday was crazy because we drove through The Monsoon To End All Monsoons...seriously I was waiting for an ark.  After a 7 hour car ride we picked up Dylan and went to sleep.  Saturday was a super fun day!  I wore my southfit (Southfit:  noun, an outfit worn in theme with the south.  Think cowboy boots, plaid button down shirt, and skinny jeans.  Sentence:  Fern, take off that southfit you look ridiculous and this isn't the time for a costume!)  If you were wondering, that was an actual sentence Dylan spoke.  But I love a theme and the southfit was worn much to Dylan's chagrin.  It was raining so I had to swap my cowboy boots for my hawt pink Huntah Wellies (that's to be spoken in a British accent because Hunter's are from England...naturally they're classier).  But did I get upset?  Goodness No!  (Pete the CATTTT FTW...sorry I was subbing yesterday and read that book a few times.  Love him)  I love my Wellies and take any/every/all excuse to wear them.

Dylan goes to a much bigger school than my beloved TCNJ.  His school has about 20,000 undergrads.  They even have a football team with actual human fans...I'll let you pick up your chins after this one.  I've never actually seen any non-family member football fans at TCNJ.  I went to one game when I was a frosh and I felt like I didn't belong there because I wasn't related to anyone on the team.  After the shock and awe that comes with actual football fans and seeing people and students who are sporting their JMU sweatshirts/tees/shorts/etc (this is beyond unheard of at TCNJ, we only wear our "Bookstore Outfits" as unknowing freshman.  So we realize the Er of our ways and hide them deep in the recesses of our closet, only to be worn again when we are visiting our home towns.  We only wear them in our hometowns as not to be confused with townies...i.e. people that never left) we went to the mall.  Yup, you can take the family out of Jersey but you can't Jersey out of the family.  We walked around, sat on a tractor, bought Dylan things, then, the best thing ever happened!  I noticed a bungee cord meets trampoline contraption!!  $5 for 3 minutes?!  Can you say best deal ever?!  I paid my money and jumped til my little heart was content!  I flipped, I toe-touched, I was 10 years older than the other patrons, I didn't care!  That was a freaking blast!!  The best night ever!  I did get a little woozy bouncing around like that for a few minutes though.


After this we went to my fav place for dinner.  I'm obvi a super classy, super formal person and insisted we go to Texas Roadhouse.  This place has the best margaritas, barbecue chicken (except for Squeal's in NOLA) and mashed potatoes.  But the real reason anyone goes here is the bread and cinnamon sugar butter!  Toooo DIE FOR!! (Plus I IG'd a pic of my drink and Texas Road House commented on it!  Some people dream of their fav celeb tweeting them back or IGing them back...not this girl.  Texas Road House made my life!)

Next was a dance party in the hotel room while watching the Cardinals game.  Pretty fun night.  Sunday was a long day.  I will claim to be a traveling princess.  I don't like long car rides.  They're not for me.  I probably wouldn't mind driving alone for the 6 hours from JMU to NJ but alas I ride all squished up passenger style.  I think I'm 12 sometimes (if you couldn't deduce that from my trapeze work mentioned above, and I bring a ton of things to entertain myself.  I'm talking movies, iphone, ipod, computer, magazines, books...the list goes on.)

I also got a new JMU sweatshirt!  Hot pink, thankyouverymuch!

Well, I'm going to leave you with some pix of the weekend because I am off to the ballet.  Yes yes I'm quite the dichotomy, the Texas Road House loving, southfit wearing, 12 year old also loves the ballet!

xoxo,

E

awkward car selfie

tying a tie...this is press

Oh you know, just casually riding a tractor...in a mall


Love seeing my Birds repped in VA...P.S. this wouldn't happen in NJ

The picture of all that is evil in the world.  Grown up Camo Crocs

Oh you know just jumping in a mall

Because I'm 22 and that's how we do

Miss Patti would be proud of my pointed toes

Working Up The Courage To Flip 

Flipping Out

Pro Status

Medalled in Mall Flipping


Dance Partayyyy!

Every time I leave a hotel room and
see an open hallway I expect the Grady Twins to
be there...

Southfit!
Jeans:  Jessica Simpson
Boots: Hunter
Tank: Target
Top: Target
Bag:  Kate Spade
Earrings and Ring:  Tiffanys
Necklace:  Robin & Leigh

Chillaxing in the Hotel

UNMANNED MAID'S CART!
ROSS GELLAR:  1 HAMPTON INN MAIDS: 0