I have a lot going on in life. Work is a lot and consumes a ton of my time. I don't get much time and space to myself. What I really needed was a recharge and that would come from a trip home. I had planned this for a few month and had a bit of a scare toward the end. Some stuff came up at work that would have benefitted from me being there. Luckily for me, my boss and team backed me up and I got a week and half home.

I flew out of Phoenix on the July 24th. I had to be up at 4:40, but woke up at 4. I tossed and turned for a bit and then got my stuff ready. I loaded the final things in the car and got to the airport. I got a great spot and got over to the terminal. The first flight was to Midway. It went very calmly and I had a small layover. From there, the second leg got me to Philadelphia. Baggage was quick and I got over to get my rental. That also was quick so I started the ride to Eatontown. Due to some lingering issues with my right leg, I made a few stops in Howell to grab supplies and stretch out. I got into Eatontown and checked out the new hotel. This time, I was staying in the Homewood Suites. The hotel was great. It was very quiet, very clean, and had a lot of space. It had been a long travel day, but I needed to sleep well. I pushed myself to stay up later, do some internetting, and got to sleep around midnight. It felt amazing.

I woke up Saturday and had a lot to do. First up was a trip to Best Buy to try and find some discontinued Hue lighting. No luck. Next up was to visit with Brian at an event in the Atlantic highlands that he was hosting for the city. He did not know that I was showing up and it was cool to pop in and hang for a bit. We caught up on thins, the event, he spoke of some upcoming travel, and gave me some advice on sightseeing. That said, I needed to head out to the next stop. The next stop was Jersey Shore Premium Outlet to take a look at some Tumi. They did not have anything good, so I headed out. I changed the script a bit and headed to Asbury Park. I had to park a mile out, but the walk was nice. I got to the boardwalk and took a few pictures. I found my uncle's bench, took some pictures, and headed back to the car. I got driving again and headed up 35. I stopped at Wegman's but did not purchase anything. I did grab a few books from the Comic Crypt, and then headed back to the hotel. The plan had been to meet Joe at his house for dinner. He and the family were hitting the Monmouth County Fair later in the day. We met up there for food and fun. We got to hang for a while and catch up. Joe and I earned our Eviction merit badges. It was great to see his kids grown up and being very interactive. They were riding rides, but I decided to head out around 8:30 or 9. I got back to the hotel, got cleaned up from the day, and then called it a night.

The 26th was my last day based in Eatontown. I got up and grabbed some breakfast. I headed out to Seaside with a very special stop along the way. I got parked and got onto the boardwalk. I spent a few hours there taking everything in. I ate shore slices, bought food to take home from Berkley, played games at Lucky Leo's, and enjoyed myself. Postcards are now a real pain in the ass to find. I had to go to CVS to find them and then write them on my leg in the car. I got them all mailed and headed back towards the hotel. It was a long day and I still had a lot to do. I picked up a sandwich on the way and got back to the room. I started some initial packing and then decided to take things in a bit longer. I went downstairs to the patio area and relaxed. I watched a few YouTube videos, caught up on the internet, and just had a blast. I finally got back up to the room and finished my packing. I got cleaned up and watched a movie for a bit before falling asleep.

I got up Monday morning and got the car packed up. I was headed north and had a number of stops to make. First up was getting a balloon before driving. I did so and then made the arduous trek to Kearney. Along the way, I stopped at Jersey Mills Mall to look at the other Tumi store. They did not have what I needed. I grabbed some food from the food court and walked around for a bit to stretch. I got into Kearney much later than expected. I saw the old house and enjoyed the facilities of the Gunnal Oval. I headed over to Stanley's grave and visited with him and my grandparents for a while. I then headed out to Jersey City to get set up at the DoubleTree Jersey City. I got in, got an amazing room, and got unpacked. I then headed out to look around and grab food. At this point, the T-Mobile network went down and I could not properly navigate. I bought a Lean Cuisine to eat in the room and decided to stay in. I had dinner, a few drinks, and worked on the site before heading to bed.

Tuesday the 28th was amazing. I woke up and was very refreshed. The night before was the first night where my body relaxed and started dropping the stress and tension. I felt great and reviewed a few things on the internet. I caught up on some things and then got packed up for the day. I grabbed the PATH train to One World Trade. First up was to get some slices at Pronto and get some postcards mailed out. I grabbed the postcards at the shop next store, got my slices, and got to business filling them out. It took a little longer than expected, but felt good to have sent. I then grabbed the train for the main event. I headed up to the Lower East Side to meet up with Muzz. I've missed him on the last few trips and was excited to see him. He'd also told me that Casey was in town and was hanging as well. I don't think I've seen him in probably 18 years. I met up with Muzz at his place and we shot the shit for a little while. He had a couple of things to take care of so I went over to a local park to hang out and enjoy the scenery. Outside of the bathroom, it was great. Muzz wrapped up and we headed over to Casey's place. We put a plan together and headed over to 169 Bar for some drinks. We all caught up for a while and decided food was a good thing. Along the way, Casey grabbed some pickles from a local shop. We wound up at Saluggi's East. We all grabbed some dinner and a few more drinks. The party then moved over to Clockwork Bar to round out the night. After a few more drinks there, we called it a night. All along the way, Muzz had been putting up World of Ed stickers, so look for them if you are around. Muzz and I walked back to the subway, said goodbye, and parted ways until the next trip. I took the train back to One World Trade. I took a few pictures around the complex and then headed back to Jersey City. I got back to the room, got cleaned up, and ended up just crashing out.

Wednesday, I had a little more sightseeing to do. I got up late and headed into the city again. I got more slices at Pronto and then took the train to Times Square. I walked the area for a while, got a beer at Dave and Buster's, took some pictures, and enjoyed being back again. I also stopped at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. to get some pressed pennies for my nieces. These also are becoming more difficult to find. From there, I started walking. I headed north and then east to Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Plaza. I took a few pics and moved over to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I took in the art and vibe and got a few gifts. I then headed south and made a stop at Best Buy again to check for more clearance items. I then made my way back to Times Square and hopped on the train to One World Trade again. I did a little more looking around including the old building's footprints. I decided to head back to the hotel. It was hotter than expected and I needed a break. A few hours later, I headed out to Whole Foods to grab some dinner. After fueling up, I walked down to the harborside and took some pictures of the Statue of Liberty. After all of that, I headed back to the room. I was leaving in the morning and needed to get all of my packing complete. I did so and fell asleep early.

I was up earlier than expected Thursday morning but was very well rested. I got my things packed up and into the car. I checked out of the hotel and started making my way south again. Due to the lingering issues with my leg, I stopped off in Edison for a stretch break at a WalMart. I saw that I was close to St. Joe's and made a stop there for the nostalgia. I got back onto the road and made it into Old Bridge. I was running a little ahead of schedule so I stopped in another WalMart to grab a few things. From there I headed over to The Habit at Brunswick Square Mall to meet up with Uncle Tom. It was weird to see the mall being torn apart as it was a very fun place when I was a kid. I grabbed some lunch with Uncle Tom and caught up on things. We wrapped after a few hours and I made my way to the hotel. I had some split legs for the remainder of the trip. The next two nights were at the Hampton Inn Old Bridge. I was able to get my things in early and get the room set up. I then headed back out to visit with the Kellers. I spent some time hanging out there, going through some of Joe's old cards (Thanks for the Captain America, Joe), and catching up on things. By now it was dinner time so I made my way over to Nicolo's to grab some slices. I got in and caught up with Joe for a bit while he kept things running. It had been a longer day and I wanted to wind down. I took the long way back to the hotel so that I could stop at Veteran's Park. I loved that place as a kid and was happy to be back. From there, I got back into the room, wound down a bit, and called it a night.

Friday the 31st was really fantastic. I was up early again and very refreshed. I headed downstairs and got some breakfast while plotting out the day. I grabbed my things and got moving. The first stop was another Best Buy. I hit the jackpot. They had the lights that I needed and the MTG Marvel Gift Bundles. I grabbed those as I have room in the luggage. Next up was xFreehold Mall after a pit stop at The Home Depot. I cruised the mall a bit, made a small purchase, and then hopped back in the car. I made another stop at Allaire State Park. I only had about 20 minutes and the park had changed some. There's now an admission to the village, but nobody there to collect. I walked what I could before heading north again. I met up with Brian B at All Seasons Diner for lunch. We caught up and hung out which really felt great. We parted ways and I took the long route back to the hotel. I made a couple of pit stops and gassed up the car. I decided to hand out there for a little and just relax. Around 6, I hit up Nicolo's again to make the most of the proximity to it. While things were wrapping up, Jeff came over with some packages. He and I ended up sitting around and talking for a while. It was a lot of fun and reminiscent of the last trip. I decided to call it a night and headed back towards the hotel. I made a slight stop at WalMart again to grab some food to bring back. I then headed back to the hotel to square things away. I spent some time rearranging suitcases and got the one with the food fully ready to travel. I then wound down some to get another night of good rest.

Friday was the first day of a new month and the next to last full fun day of the trip. I was up relatively early and got breakfast downstairs. I hung around for a bit and then started to get things ready to leave. I checked out around 10:30 and started heading north again. I stopped at Dollar Tree to grab another balloon. I continued my way up to North Arlington. I stopped off in Super Foodtown to grab a few things and Metro Bagels for a Yoo-Hoo. I then made my way to the cemetery for one last visit. I spent some time there and then headed back through Kearney. I made a quick stop at Paradox Comics but did not find anything that I needed. I headed down Kearney Ave and took in the things I could remember from being a kid. I headed down to Passaic Ave and stopped off at Target and Dollar Tree to grab a few things. I also walked over and checked out the sledding hill that Karen and I would sled on. I wrapped up in Kearney and started south again. There was another Best Buy on the way, so I stopped in there. I stopped at Menlo Park Mall and walked around and grabbed a very late lunch. I then headed down to the Hilton East Brunswick where I would be spending the night. I got everything checked in and ready to go by 5PM. I decided to not go out and do anything else. I had some plans for Sunday and thought it best to make some of the stops I wanted along the way. I hung out in the room and caught up on things and finally called it a night.

Sunday the 2nd was my last full day home. I slept poorly and woke up at 6. I just had a lot on my mind including work. The honeymoon of being away was slipping back to reality. I got back to sleep for a while and got up around 9. I packed things up and started to get the car loaded. The issue with a large hotel on a Sunday is that there are a lot of checkouts so elevators take forever. This was no exception. After a disappointing checkout (seems like I'll be speaking to Hilton about unapplied credits), I got in the car and got moving. I only had a few miles to travel but had stops along the way. There were multiple Hue dealers along the stretch and I was hellbent on taking the Old Bridge Turnpike down. I timed things right and got to Nicolo's with enough time to down a few slices before heading to Jeff and Cindy's. Steph was there with McKenzie and I spent the next 2 hours with them. I love seeing them decades later and the family expanding. After discussion about a whole hell of a lot of random topics, I had to get moving. I left around 2 and was notified shortly after that the hotel was ready. On the way to 18, I stopped at St. Thomas and walked to the top of the pedestrian bridge. Lots of good memories there. I was back at the Hampton Inn Old Bridge for the night. I got in and took a first pass at packing. The bad weight distribution was not going to work so I decided to deal with it later. I headed down 9 to check out a few more things. I then backtracked on 9 North and took 18 to Brunswick Square Mall for a deeper look. It was still so weird to see it in the shape that it is. With limited time left, I got more Nicolo's and then gassed up the car. I tried to get to the hotel the long way, but a tree collapsed across the road so I had to route back. I got back to the hotel, evened out the suitcases, and then just chilled out for a while. I went downstairs and sat outside while the sun set. I really wanted to see some fireflies and had basically forgotten about it. Outside of the hotel was a large forested patch and they were out tonight. It felt amazing to see them. This is the part of the trip that hurts the most; leaving home and the place I love to go back to the place I live. I then wrapped things up in the room and got prepped for the morning. There were big storms coming at the easy coast and I still had a long drive to Philly.

Monday the 3rd, I needed to head back to AZ. I slept poorly again and was up at 7. Part of it was stuff on my mind, part of it was a pretty gnarly storm overnight. I got all of my stuff packed and made an initial run to the car. I then grabbed breakfast and finalized things in the room. By the time I ran this stuff out, it was a full on downpour. I jumped in the car and headed to Bagel Boy to grab some bagels for Joe and Rachael. I got on the road and the first hour of the drive was pretty harrowing. The rain was pretty strong and there were a number of instances of speeding trucks in the other direction throwing waves of water over the median. I got through that part and made a pit stop to stretch. I found a fireworks store and had to look. From there, it was off to the gas station and then the airport. I dropped the rental and the sky was relatively clear. By the time I got to the gate, it was pouring. We got out 35 mins late and arrived in Nashville late. Luckily, the connection was the next gate over, so I was able to spend my 18 minutes in Nashville peacefully. From there, I was on my way to Phoenix. The flight had opportunities. I will leave it at that. I finally landed and got my bags so that I could head back to the car. I had a pleasant surprise when settling the parking. I then headed north to drop off some bagels to Joe and Rachael before heading to the house to unpack.

This trip was planned loose but it paid off really well. I needed some time to myself to not have plans and a structure and that is what I got. I slept in each day, winged each day, and really enjoyed where the days wound up. I did not do everything that I wanted to or see everyone that I wanted to, but there's always next time.