>Stay-cations R Us

>In light of purchasing a home, Rich and I decided that whisking ourselves off to Barcelona may not be the very best financial decision. So, during Rich's week off we meandered around the tri-state for some local fun.

Monday, it was off to Ocean Grove with a bunch of friends, which, generally speaking, doesn't usually float my boat. I'm a self-admitted anti-jersey shore-goer, but I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. No sand in my suit, warm water, lunch at the SeaGrass (trust me on this one and leave the soggy cooler sandwiches at home) and home before your arms start sticking to your beach chair.

Tuesday, we kicked it true vacation style with a slow morning start. Rich went with the boys for some soccer practice for the big game on Sunday, and I headed over to Konrad and Gabi's to give an English lesson in return for all the awesome Portuguese lessons Gabi's been giving me.

Monday, the beach, Wednesday, the mountains. We headed to New Paltz, NY for some hiking around Mohonk Lake, perusing the shops and stopping for lunch at the Gilded Otter. (If there, invest in the Summer Porch Lager if only for the lovely purple hue the wild blueberries inspire as they float around in your mug).

Thursday was a brief trip back to reality as we had to take care of some Mortgage issues (vacations for adults are never the same). But, it was right back to vacation mode on Friday....

Friday, to the city! We spent the entire day at the Bronx Zoo, running around Jungle World, racing who could locate the tree frogs-Rich always wins-, snacking on homemade tuna sanwiches, granola and fresh summer peaches. After an hour on the Manhattan bound 2, we were obviously thirsty making a stop at the Gingerman imperative. (I'm finally sated to have gone, since the gentlemen have made numerous visits without their female companions. Come on, guys, we like beer, too.)

Saturday wrapped up our awesome stay-cation week with a birthday party for our friend, Sarah at Mompou Tapas and Wine Bar on Ferry St., in Newark. Fabulous decor, creative tapas and good wine is a guaranteed winning combination.

So, we didn't make it to Europe. We didn't even make it outside of an 100 mile radius. Even so, we discovered how stay-cations can be just as fun as vacations. They're both just great excuses to hang out together.