New York, Anew

A close friend’s wedding in New York last week was the perfect excuse for a mini-trip for our family, a timely getaway in the midst of a heavy season of soul searching. Though worlds apart from our cozy life in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, New York still holds such a special place in our hearts and our story. We spent the first two years of our marriage there - eating our way through NYC, spending long weekends camping in the Catskills or exploring a new east coast city, weathering the intensity of PA school, learning our rhythm as husband and wife. 

It was such a joy to relive our newlywed days with Haley in tow. She loved trekking through the city or running along rows of apple trees as much as we did, especially “Haley self!” (by herself) as she’d swat our hands away shouting, “no hand!!”. Our muscle memory allowed us to quickly adapt to speed walking the city blocks of the Lower East Side (even with a tiny person in our arms), and seeing the fall colors start to peek through the trees along the Long Island Express felt strangely like home. 

This trip felt like a step back and step forward into time all at once, almost like I could see my 25-year-old self with the clear vision of hindsight as my present self walked those familiar roads nearly five years later. It was a lovely reminder that there is beauty and abundance in growing up, changing with the passage of time. 

embracing new seasons,
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