365 Days of my Life: Keeping it Local

This past weekend, my best friend and her fiance drove down from New York to help Pierce celebrate his 3rd birthday (Yikes! Where did 3 years go?). They made this trip last year, and we drove all around the state doing various things. With the cost of gas, them saving up for a wedding, and us trying to save as well, we all decided to keep it local and find activities and places to go in the immediate area. We succeeded, and we had a blast!

The first thing we did on Friday, was hike up to the rock at Black Rock State Park. It is literally 2.8 miles from our house, and I seem to always forget about this park. The hike itself can be a little strenuous, and to be honest we had not hiked this since Hurricane Sandy. Parts of the trail were washed away or covered in trees that had fallen, but it was still an amazing hike. Pierce had a blast, and actually hiked the whole trail to the top. He was so proud of himself, as were we, since he does get tired easily. Carter would have made it, if he had not fallen and scared himself. However, I am still proud of Carter that he made it 1/2 way before having to be carried.

Saturday was the day of Pierce's party, and also was soccer practice in the morning. I did have to make a quick stop at New Morning in Woodbury on my way home for a few items, such as a smoothie for Pierce's birthday. The rest of the day we welcomed Pierce's friends and our family to our home, and had an old fashioned BBQ for his birthday party. All Pierce was concerned about was having a hot dog bar, and we even purchased those local at the Watertown Meat Center.

Sunday morning we had to say good-bye to our guests, even if we didn't want them to leave. So instead of making breakfast, we stopped into JDT's and had a nice Sunday morning breakfast together. I love this establishment, and I love how kid friendly they are. They provide quick service, have decent food, and will not give you dirty looks if your children are saying hello to everyone in the restaurant. There really is something to be said about the small local establishments.

Following breakfast we headed over to Rockwell Park and explored everything with Daddy. We found tadpoles, turtles, fish, frogs, various plants, and of course we were able to play on the playground and get that last little bit of energy out before nap time. After nap time, I took the boys back to Black Rock Park, but this time we stayed on the pavement so both boys could ride their bikes. We have a gravel driveway, and lately they have both been "expressing" how difficult it is to try to pedal tricycles on dirt and gravel. We had a blast for about an hour going through the parking lot and traveling around the campground section.

By keeping it local, it took away the element of traveling stress. I didn't have to worry about filling up my gas tank again because the weekend was over, and I didn't have to worry about packing a car full of clothing changes, tons of food, etc. Plus, I feel a little bit better by supporting the local businesses in our town and the surrounding towns. We had a blast this weekend, and it was the perfect mix between clam and insanely busy. What did everyone else do this weekend? What are some of your favorite local spots?