This time last year, I was traveling throughout Myanmar on my first trip of my gap year. This year, I was home with no upcoming travel plans, feeling a little bummed about that but also feeling wonderful about many other things. I had lots of visitors, spent time in the NYC area for the longest time in over a year, and started a few new exciting projects.

Posts on 10 Miles Behind Me in September:

• Ireland | Why You Should Stay in Real-Life B&Bs & 3 to Try
• Finger Lakes, NY | Doing More of What Makes Me Happy With Southern Tier Kayak Tours
• Wisconsin | How to Relive Your College Days in Madison
• NYC | A Hamilton Happy Hour with Urban Adventures

New Jersey/NYC

Last year, I missed Labor Day Weekend at home for what I think was the first time ever aside from when I was in college. It’s always a special weekend for us as a family because so much of our lives revolve around our beach at home in the summer. We will sit at the water’s edge for at least a few hours even if we have to wear sweatshirts and pajama pants or if we have to run to the car when it starts pouring. I always find myself reflecting a lot as I stare in to the ocean for what in some years is the final time for nine months. I wonder what my life is going to be like the next time I have my feet in the ocean at this particular beach that means so much to me. I think about how much has changed since I first put my feet in over Memorial Day Weekend.

This year, my cousin Christie visited us for a few days over LDW. We had a wonderful time, per usual, catching up, sitting in the sun, laughing our booties off. The day before she came, NJ was feeling the effects of Hurricane Harvey, so instead of sitting on the beach, my family went to two of the seven wineries in Cape May – Natali and Jessie Creek. I bought a bottle at each with the intention of drinking them in my new apartment, whenever I end up getting one. I plan to visit all the wineries while I’m home in the off-season and I’ve just decided while writing this that I’ll wait to buy the final bottle at the seventh winery after I sign my lease. I still have four more to go before that, so I have some time to search.

The next weekend, Marie, Katie, and I had a Finger Lakes reunion when they came to visit. We had a wonderful beach day where we watched the dolphins jump over the waves, which I’ve never seen in my {cough} 32 years on the Jersey Shore. The next day, we strolled the Ocean City boardwalk, won friendship bracelets at the arcade, ate my favorite ice cream and pizza, and giggled a ton. Aside from losers people I’ve dated, I’ve never shown my hometown to any of my friends in the last few years, so it meant a lot to me that they made the trip down.

I rode back up to New York with Katie and Marie and spent the next ten days in Jersey City. I had a few reasons to commute into NYC, including a tour with Urban Adventures, a photoshoot in Brooklyn that I won on Instagram, a travel event to catch up with some buds, and a celebration of my cousin’s engagement, but I mostly stayed around Grove Street. I was there to dog-sit my second favorite pup and stay at my friends’ place {while also spending time with them on the bookends and for a night in the middle}. I used to live right around the corner from them. The area has changed so much in eight years and I love exploring more of the new restaurants, coffee shops, and cocktail spots each time I’m there. I met up with Katie a few times to work in coffee shops together, Em and Jordo came in for the half marathon, and my friend Julianne from Bloghouse made the trek from Brooklyn to try {many} cocktails and brews. She is a cocktail/beer/wine blogger over at It’s Five O’Clock Here.

I returned home for the last third of the month and was surprised with a few more nice beach days, which typically don’t happen too long after Labor Day. My parents and I continued Taco Thursday at Cinco de Mayo in Ocean City. Oh, and I also spontaneously bought a flight for the last day of the month to spend 11 days exploring a new country with someone I met in Dublin in August. But that’s a story for October’s recap. And the reason it took me so long to write this one.

xx