Jennie's Decade in Review: 2000-2010

A friend wrote a decade in review and inspired me to do the same. Here is my decade in review, with photos! Looking over the years, it seems my theme for the decade was love, travel, friends and music!

2000

* I left PA (the state I grew up in) to be closer to Jimmy after 1 1/2 years of NJ>PA dating. My good friend, Nicole and I moved up together and shared a dumpy, mice infested apartment in Hoboken. But, hey, it was cheap!!!

* I got a job at ClearForest as Marketing Coordinator on the 47th floor of the World Trade Center on September 1. I loved my job, my co-workers and working in this amazing building in Manhattan!

2001

* September 11 was intense for us all for so many reasons. I was still working at ClearForest, however, overslept and was running late that morning and never made it to work that day. It was a life changing time and was an event that immediately bonded me with Manhattan.

* Nicole moved out and Jimmy moved into my Hoboken apt in October for a month. In December, we got our own place together in the Jersey City hi-rise, Metropolis Towers.

* I quit my job at ClearForest in October and made the decision to go back to school full time at a small school in Manhattan.

* Jimmy and I got our first pet together in December. Sebastian stole our hearts. He is so special ....I don't know what it'd be like without my little dude! :)


2002

* I started school in January and was so proud of myself after maintaining Dean's list all year...I knew I could do it if I applied myself! ;)

* I lost my maternal grandmother, Florence Rein, in January after she developed lung cancer. My grandmom was an amazing lady. My only regrets are not being able to have had more time to spend with her.

* I lost my maternal grandfather, Carl Rein, in February four weeks to the day of my grandmothers death. While he was 89 years old, he was fairly healthy. We feel he died of a broken heart. He missed my grandmother so much after she passed.


* In June, I drove cross country to move a good friend, Tina, to San Francisco. We had a great trip across the country in a Uhaul.


* On October 15, a freak accident changed our lives. A hot water pipe burst in our Jersey City apartment in the middle of the night flooding it with scalding hot water. In the process of getting out, I got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on my feet while Jimmy got 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his hands, feet and legs. After weeks in the hospital and skin grafting surgeries, we spent the rest of 2002 recovering.

* NYE - 2002-2003 - We saw Phish for the New Years run at MSG and it was amazing. It was our first big outing since the accident and while we were in wheelchairs for the show, it was a special one for us. Seven Below with snow...I'll never forget it!

2003

* On January 11, Jimmy proposed to me during a sleigh ride in Breckenridge, CO as the snow fell. One of the best days of my life!


* In October, I traveled to Europe for the first time and got my first taste of truly experiencing other cultures! I loved every minute of it.

* NYE 03-04 - New Years Run in Miami with Phish=amazing fun! That trip was one for the books!


2004

* Right before our wedding, I withdrew from school with only one year remaining.

*On September 18, I married Jimmy, my true love, who I met on an online Phish message board in 1998/1999. :)


2005

* In June, I attended my sister Rebecca's high school graduation.


* For Jimmy's 30th birthday, we went to Las Vegas and attended the first Vegoose festival.


* In November, I attended my 10 year high school reunion and spent it with old pals.


2006

* In January, we became homeowners and bought our condo at 420 First Street in Jersey City, NJ. We fell in the love with the place immediately.


*My Pop Pop turned 80 and I attended his suprise luncheon in Florida! I'm so lucky to still have my Pop Pop in my life!


* In May, I traveled to Jamaica to celebrate our good friend Nikkie's 30th Birthday. This trip was the first of many group trips together.


* On June 1, Sassy Sweet Treats was officially filed as an LLC and I began doing farmers markets in Jersey City selling my gourmet cookies and brownies.


* I was supposed to have been in two weddings right after our accident but because of our injuries I wasn't able to be in either one. When my good friend Nicole asked me to be in her wedding in June, I was thrilled. I knew I'd finally get to be in a wedding party for the first time! Nicole and Todd tied the knot on June 10 in a beautiful wedding in PA.


* Then, the summer of weddings kicked off. In late June, we attended an all weekend wedding fest for our friends Chris and Lani. Camp Gallagosen in Kent, CT was a blast. It was great to witness two good friends get hitched :)


* In August, I traveled to Montreal for the first time to witness good friends Robyn and Andrew get married. This long weekend in Montreal was a truly fabulously fun trip!


* In November, we hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner for our family.


2007

* In the spring, we traveled to Arizona with our good friends Kristina Andy to see the Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Tempe, Sedona, Flagstaff and Scottsdale.


*After our trip to Arizona, we flew to Jazzfest to experience great music with our good friends Shawn and Jess.


* I launched an e-commerce platform for Sassy Sweet Treats and officially opened an online Sassy Store in September.

* in late July, we met and fell in love with Daisy who became our dog in August!


* In December, I turned 30 and traveled to Belize with friends to celebrate. Here we are at the airport at Jet's Bar with Jet having our first drink!


2008

* In late winter, I traveled to Alaska to cheer on Tina while she completed a cross country ski race. Our time in Alaska was very interesting but fun!


* In April, I attended my Bube's 80th Birthday Luncheon! I'm so lucky to still have my Bube and Pop-Pop in my life!


* In June, I attended my sister Rachael's high school graduation.


* In July, I witnessed my very dear friend Jackie lose her brother suddenly. In September, I watched another set of good friends Chris and Lani suffer a great tragedy with the loss of their son, Silas. These two experiences with death would help shape my own grieving experience with my father, but I didn't know it yet.

* Jimmy and I took 14 days to drive across the country in an RV. We spent 4 months in San Francisco and then took 11 days to drive back home. The drive to and from and our stay in San Francisco remains one of the top trips Jimmy and I have taken together. We blogged about our entire trip HERE!


2009

* We rang in the New Year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico with friends.


* In March, I traveled to Sedona with my good friend Jackie to have a relaxing spa weekend. I ended up having a life changing spiritual awakening while I was there.


* In May, we traveled to Boston to see the return of my favorite band Phish after a 5 year hiatus. They played Fenway Park and it was incredible!


* In May, I attended my sister Rebecca's graduation from Towson University!


* In September, Jimmy and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in Ireland and England!


* In October over Halloween, I attended Festival 8 (Phish's 1st festival post-hiatus) in Palm Springs. It was my musical highlight from the year!


* On November 2, my father died suddenly of a bacteria infection and pneumonia. It was a shock to us all and is still something that is very hard to process. :( I started writing a blog HERE to help me deal with this great loss.


* In November, after five years of trying for tickets, my mom and I attended a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show! It is ironic that after the lows of losing my father, I experienced the highs of fulfilling a life dream with my mom - a trip to Chicago to see Oprah.


* In November over Thanksgiving, I traveled to Spain with our good friends Ryan and Nikkie. We had fun exploring Madrid, Toledo and Barcelona together.


* In December, I spent my 32nd birthday at my mom's beach house.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I have been to the following states in the last decade:
PA, NJ, MA, CT, NY, VT, NH, RI, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, LA, CA, WY, WI, IL, IN, OH, KS, OR, CA, WA, UT, NV, TX, SD, AZ, MO, MN, WV, DE, ME, AK, NE, CO

I have been to the following countries in the last decade:
Holland, Mexico, St. Lucia, Mexico, Belize, Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Jamaica, Canada, Ireland and England

Hopes and goals for the next decade:
To become a mother
To graduate from college
To own a single family home
To travel to all of the remaining states I haven't visited
To travel to many more countries
To continue on my spiritual journey
To laugh often and to live in the present moment

This must be the place

We got back into Jersey City around 7:30pm on Friday night. The drive through PA was smooth and provided some beautiful fall scenery.

It was fitting as we drove out of the sunset one last time in the RV. The sun was beaming against the downtown high rises of Jersey City showing just what a little metropolis it has become.

We pulled up in front of our place and quickly noticed the progress of the construction next door. The foundations have been poured and there weren't nearly as many big piles of dirt as there were when we left.

Jimmy unlocked the doors and when we both entered our home, we were thrilled. We love our place and always have. I guess the fact that we were away for almost 4 months made us appreciate it even more. It smelled like home and we quickly made it look like home as we brought in box after box. We really did accumulate a good amount of stuff while in San Francisco for three months. Once the RV was empty, our downstairs was jam packed with boxes and bags and luggage and clothes on hangers.

We agreed to let everything just be for the night. We wanted to relax on our comfy couch and veg in front of the TV.

I put in a quick call to our favorite local pizza place. When I said the order was a pick up for Jennie, they said "Your usual?" Medium plain pie and an order of french fries?

I was stunned. It had been almost four months since we've been there and they remembered our order in an instant. This family run pizza place greeted us warmly upon returning home and as odd as it felt during that moment, I felt like we had never left.

But, of course we'd left. The air was warm and sticky in July as the Four Winds rolled down First Street headed towards the west coast. Now, in November, the air was cool and crisp and the leaves were an arrangement of all of the autumn colors.

We've returned with an appreciation for everything and are grateful that we had the opportunity to see as many great sites as we did.

When we were out to dinner with some friends on Saturday, one of them asked about the highlights of the trip home. Grand Tetons and Wyoming in general was my first response. Seeing Mount Rushmore was pretty cool, too. Of course, its always nice to see friends. Oregon, Wisconsin and Illinois treated us to some quality time with some great people which was definitely a highlight. The whole trip was an experience with so many great parts. It is difficult to pick just one.

In the 2 1/2 days we've been home, we've unpacked and have re-explored downtown Jersey City. A few new stores and restaurants have opened since we've been gone while a few old favorites have closed.

We've both noticed that driving our car feels downright weird, too. We can't get over how low we are to the ground. I guess we're used to driving the big ol' RV. I must say, it is nice to have a home that isn't on wheels, even if I found that lifestyle suited me well for the most part.

I'll miss traveling around and waking up in a different location everyday but I look forward to getting back into the grove of things at home. The holiday season is almost upon us and I've got big plans for Sassy Sweet Treats so I plan to quickly switch over from vacation mode.

We look forward to seeing our family and friends in the coming weeks who we've missed so much while we've been gone. We appreciate all of you that have read our blog at any point during our travels. We hope you have enjoyed reading as much as we've enjoyed writing.

Who knows if we'll keep this blog going as we return to normal life...you'll just have to keep checking back periodically to see!

*~Jennie~*

Home - is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home - -she lifted up her wings
Guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time Before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be . . . where I'll be

May The Four Winds Blow You Safely Home

Well, this is most likely it. This will probably be my last post from the road. It’s hard to believe that we’ll be sitting on our couch in Jersey City tonight. I haven’t seen our apartment in 3 and a half months and while I think I could draw the place exactly (with the help of a sketch artist) I am sure I forgot something about it. I am looking forward to being there.

The Mercer, PA KOA took claim to the title of final campground the Four Winds called home on our travels to and from San Francisco. Today was their last day open for the season and we wanted to stay in the RV for a final night even though we probably could have powered through to Jersey City and arrived before the neighborhood left for work this morning. Instead we hooked up the electricity, turned on the propane and went through our routine of getting the RV prepared for an overnight stay.

Prior to pulling into spot #50 we had our last dinner on the road at the Elephant And Castle in Mercer, PA. It was a good meal with your typical bar fare, but it was our experience in the parking lot after the meal that would be in our minds for a while. Jennie jumps into the passenger’s seat and I looped around the front of the RV to get into the driver’s side. As I grab the keys to unlock my door I see a black cat take off from the RV. I assume it’s Sebastian and that he slinked out the door when Jennie got in. He goes darting across the parking lot and under cars. Now I am in a pickle. Do I try to trail him on my own? Or do I double back and grab Jennie so we have 2 sets of eyes? I see him run under a car so I take that as my chance to run back. I tap the window and wave my hands in a “come quick” motion to Jennie and as she is opening the door I am running away, but yelling loudly enough for her to hear “He Got Out!”.

“He? Who? Sebastian? Are you Sure?” He hadn’t taken the time to say hi and tell me his name as he darted off so I didn’t have all of the information Jennie was requesting as she trailed me now running through the parking lot. I can only imagine what we must have looked like to the patrons of the bar and the gas station nearby. Jennie suggested I go back to grab the flashlight and his crate so we can toss him in there when we find him. At this point he darts from under the car and down into a water filled ditch which is back by a corn maze. Jennie bounds down the bank of the ditch and I sprint for the RV. I jump in the RV, find the flashlight and grab the crate. When I do, the crate doesn’t come with me as easily as I thought it would and Sebs comes tumbling out of it.

He was in there the entire time! Another black cat must have been using our RV’s engine as a warm place to hang out while we ate. Disaster avoided, cat safe, Jennie/Jimmy finally have a normal heart rate again.

We did end up at the South Bend East KOA the night before, but just spent the night, woke up and got on the road to PA. I would have liked to check out Notre Dame, but the KOA was beyond it and I wasn’t up for going back. I’ll get to a game one day. Anyway, our travels took us through IN and OH. We missed the Indiana sign, but I believe we got it on the way out. We did get the Ohio sign, but I preferred the one on the barn side on the way out to SF than this typical roadside piece of metal. We did get a picture with the Four Winds though.

Before settling into the South Bend East KOA, we spent the night a few hundred miles west with friends in Chicago. The original plan was to stay in the Chicago area for a few days and make a few trips into the city, but we couldn’t find any open RV parks within 45 minutes. So the plan changed to dinner/hang out and a quick meeting of dogs followed by driving further east to an RV park along 80. Our friend, Dan, Lives in the Andersonville section of Chicago and knew of some areas that could accommodate for RV parking. Street RV parking!

We made our way from Deforest, WI and into the Chicago area just as rush hour started to settle in. It was the first time we’d been in traffic since San Fran and the first time in rush hour since our near empty gas tank in St. Louis. The traffic was easy and we soon were parallel parking the RV on a Chicago roadside. Jennie gave me directions (like Tad in his driveway in Utah) and I got the RV into the spot with no major complications.

Dan lived nearby and came to the RV with his dog, Mingus. Daisy and Mingus met and got along very well. We were bummed that we didn’t get to a park to let them romp because in their short time together they showed very similar playing tendencies. Mingus is also the first dog that not only enjoys Daisy’s kisses, but also gives them back.

After about 20 minutes in the RV, a walk with the mutts through the neighborhood and a stop at Dan and Rachel’s place we went to Charlie’s Ale House for some food and beers. Mike and Katie met us as well and we spent the night catching up in person. Jennie and I both like Chicago a lot and having friends to spend time with there makes it even better.

OK, battery is wearing down on the laptop and as Jennie mentioned, we have no connection with the lighter anymore. Thanks for taking the time to read during both of our trips and for our time in SF. I am glad we’ll have these times recorded and I hope you had fun reading.

I'd also like to thank everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday this week. Jennie decorated the RV for me and I know it'll be a birthday I remember forever.

Jimmy

In Franklin's tower the four winds sleep,
Like four lean hounds the lighthouse keep,
Wildflower seeds in the sand and wind
May the four winds blow you home again

-Franklin's Tower, Grateful Dead

Technical Difficulties

The Blogericks are having technical difficulties which is why there has been a lapse in posts. You see, the cigarette lighter stopped working for us during our travels yesterday. We use the cig. lighter with an adapter that keeps the laptop power going when the RV is in motion. Since we don’t have power in the rest of the RV when we’re moving, the cigarette lighter really comes in handy. We like using the laptop as we drive to have quick access to Google for maps and directions. It’s also fun to get online to email, surf the ‘net and of course, blog. We only have electricity when we stop for the night and since the past two nights have been later nights, we weren’t up for blogging.

I’m ready to catch up, providing this laptop doesn’t die on me since it’s not plugged in.

Last we left off we were in South Dakota and were grounded due to high winds. Luckily, the winds died down for us so that come Monday, we were able to head to our next stop in Fairmont, MN. We found ourselves on interstate 90 again passing sign after sign for Wall Drug. Our friend Tad had warned us against going there. He described it as just a drug store and definitely a Tourist trap. Since the chances of us being near Wall Drug again anytime soon were slim, we decided to stop. We passed exactly 50 signs along the way, all enticing us to stop for 5 cent coffee refills, donuts, Cowboy gear, dinosaurs, you name it...

How could we not stop?

It was a great pit stop for some much needed coffee. Since it was Jimmy’s birthday, we picked up some donuts to celebrate with later. We took a quick look around at all of the souvenirs at Wall Drug and we were back on the road. We wanted to drive through Badlands National Park and since it was just a bit passed Wall Drug, we made another detour. The dirt road took us out 7 miles to the beginning of the park. It took about an hour and a half to drive through. We stopped at many points along the way to snap photos……

We only saw a few other cars throughout the park. One was from Bucks County, PA which is so close to where I grew up. Small world! we declared and kept moving through the park. The day was gorgeous, as all of our traveling days have been so far. Getting back to the highway from here was cake.

We’d been warned that after Badlands, South Dakota would be a pretty boring state to drive through. I drove most of it while Jimmy and the dog were curled up on the couch taking a birthday snooze. I'd agree that besides lots of flat farming ground, there wasn’t much to see. Good music got me through and since Jimmy was sleeping, I was able to crank it up and sing loudly until my heart was content.

The drive to where we were staying in Minnesota was just less than 500 miles so it was a long haul for the day. Factor in the hour we lost switching over into Central time and we didn’t arrive at the Flying Goose Campground in Fairmont, MN until a little after 11:30pm. We’d been on the road since noon so it was a long day and we were both tired.

The owners of the Flying Goose insisted we call them when we were close. They were up working at their farm harvesting and drying corn so we wouldn’t be bothering them, they assured us. They wanted to show us to our spot so they met us there a few minutes after we arrived. We registered and pulled into our spot and settled in for the night. It was still Jimmy’s birthday according to the clock, but not for long.

We lit the candles on his birthday donuts and I sang Happy Birthday...

He opened my present, a fresh new pair of his favorite sneakers, and then we called it a night.

The next morning, we slept in a little bit and got ourselves on the road to head to Madison, WI. The RV Park we were planning to stay at was just outside of Madison in a town called DeForest. It was one of the only places open in the area. They’re closing on 10/31 so we JUST caught them, really.

The drive from Minnesota through Wisconsin was easy. The only thing we stopped off to see during this drive was in Blue Earth, MN. Our friend Ryan had told us about a 60 foot Jolly Green Giant in this town. Since we be passed right by it, we had to stop. There were actually signs for this thing so it was easy to find. The sun was glaring on the statue making it hard to see in the pictures, but I ensure you that he really was Jolly and Giant and Green.

Jennie at the Jolly Green Giant

Jimmy at the Jolly Green Giant

It was during this ride that we lost our cigarette lighter connection. We stopped halfway during the drive to see if we could figure out how to fix it. After talking with a few truckers, we were told what to look for in the fuse box and we got to work. Jimmy pulled each fuse out and we both inspected them. None of them seemed to have what we were looking for. They were all intact and all seemed to be working fine which led us to believe that the cigarette lighter actually shorted and didn’t just blow a fuse. We even bought new fuses and tried replacing a few of them with no luck. We were bummed we wasted over an hour trying to figure this out. We got back on the road, but knew we’d be getting to the Madison area later than expected now. We put in a quick call to our friends Travis and Jen who we were meeting for dinner and let them know we got held up trying to fix the fuse. It wasn’t a problem on their end, thank goodness.

Once we finally made it to DeForest, Wisconsin – my 40^th state – we registered got settled and then hit the showers. Unfortunately the water was completely shut down in Minnesota so we couldn’t shower there when we left in the morning. When we called ahead to Wisconsin, we wanted to make sure the showers were on and they were….but only in the men’s bathroom since they were working on the ladies restrooms. I asked if I could shower in the men’s room and they said it wasn’t a problem. At first, I wasn’t thrilled about this. No offense gentlemen, but the ladies usually keep their restrooms a bit neater so I wasn’t sure what I was in for.

Jimmy and I packed up our shower stuff and headed to the bathrooms. Living the RV lifestyle reminds me of being away at college when it comes to showering. You lug your toiletries to and from the bathroom everyday and you shower in flip flops , ha!

When we got to the men’s bathroom, I let Jimmy go in first in case there were other men in there to warn them I was coming in. The coast was clear and I entered to discover the nicest bathroom we’ve visited yet! It was newly renovated and the place was spotless. The showers were huge with nice size dressing areas right outside of them. There was so much room in the shower caddy for all my toiletries….it is the little things in life that make us happy, I realized. Most places we go to have small cramped quarters with no where to put toiletries expect on the shower floor. When I find place that has an actual spot for these sorts of things, they immediately get bonus points in my book. I took the longest, best shower of the trip and got ready for dinner.

Our friends Travis and Jen were coming from Middleton to pick us up at the RV park. They arrived, got a quick tour of the RV, met Daisy and Sebs and we were off for our tour of Madison. They were great tour guides showing us all of the surrounding lakes, Downtown, the Capital and town square area, the University of Wisconsin campus and noteworthy spots like the Terrace and the nicest Student Union building I’ve seen. We ended up at the Great Dane which was a brewery that served some delicious food.

My stomach hasn’t been happy on this trip with almost only fast food options. At a point, enough is enough and all you want is a real meal. We were very happy and thankful that Madison provided us with just what we needed. After dinner, we took a stroll down State Street and peered into all of the stores and restaurants. We made a stop off at Paul’s Club for a beer. Travis and Jen mentioned this bar was unique and as soon as we walked in we saw why! There was a huge tree inside this bar. It wasn’t alive anymore, but it sure looked it. We snapped photos under the tree after enjoying a beer…

Travis and Jen were kind enough to drive us around all night and even brought us back to the RV Park at the end of the night. It was so nice to be in a car and not have to concentrate on driving. We listened to Travis’s Phish Cover mix and relaxed as we headed back to DeForest. They came and hung out inside for a bit, and then headed home for the night. We figured out it had been since at least 2003 since we’d seen them, so getting some quality time in their town with them was so enjoyable. They’re such genuine people!

Today’s travels started around 2pm and we’re on the road now. We just left Wisconsin and have crossed into Illinois. We’re headed to Chicago where we’ll park near our friend Dan’s house for a few hours. Dan’s dog, Mingus, and Daisy have never met and since they’re both young, we’re sure they’ll have a blast meeting and playing. The plan for tonight is to see all of our Chicago friends - Dan, Mike and Katie - and have dinner together. Since we couldn’t find an open RV park within an hour of the Chicago, we’re only staying for dinner. Then we will head east to South Bend, IN (Go Fightin’ Irish!) and stay at the KOA.

I can’t believe we’re getting so close to home. It’s even looking like we’ll make it home a day early, on Friday. I’m looking forward to getting there, but I know I’ll miss the traveling lifestyle we’ve lived for the past week and a half, too. I think it’ll hit me once we get back to Jersey City that we’re no longer living in San Francisco. That definitely hasn’t hit me yet and I’m sure it will…..and hard.

The latest photos can be found HERE!