Holidays at "Home"

January 06, 2022 by Cori Dombroski in home, life

Happy New Year! Now that my full-time job is back in the swing of things this week, I’m realizing that December was really a nice break and slow down from the normal fast-paced madness. During that recharging period, “home” for the holidays really meant all over the place for the holidays, but I’m glad I got to visit and spend time with so many friends and family members. I was home to Poughkeepsie a couple of times, in Harrisburg with my sister a couple more, and had time at my apartment in South-Central Jersey for plenty of cookie baking.

Thanksgiving was hosted by my sister in Harrisburg. I crocheted these festive turkey napkin rings:

My mom and stepdad came up from Georgia to take us to New York City to see the tree and all the holiday decorations. It was still weirdly (and perfectly warm). We celebrated my sister’s engagement at the River Cafe in Brooklyn.

I finally attended my first Long Beach Island Ship Bottom Christmas parade. There’s nothing like a small town holiday parade. This one had lots of boats:

I decorated my place inside and outside. Thanks to anyone who contributed holiday hand-me-down decor!

And here are those cookies. I made six different kinds this year:

For Christmas, I stayed at my dad’s house in Poughkeepsie, NY. Christmas Eve is really our only big family holiday tradition, but last year was canceled for COVID and the year before I was away in Australia. It was great to be back together to gather and celebrate. We also got a lucky ski day in at home:

And lots of cuddle time with their new puppy, Jameson, who is growing much too fast:

That’s all I’ve got for now! Happy New Year, and I hope your resolutions are still going strong in week one.

A New Home

October 04, 2021 by Cori Dombroski in home, new jersey

Ok, I’m in El Salvador teaching yoga this week, but since I’ve been gone for a while, let me keep catching you up! I “moved” over the summer. Only 30 minutes away, but out of my mom and stepdad’s island beach house and onto the mainland. I’m still living and loving in New Jersey— testing the limits of the old adage, “Never fall in love at the Jersey Shore.” It’s impossible not to.

I moved to my own apartment. It was a little earlier than expected—July versus October, but it’s hard to find one-bedrooms around here (and everywhere at this point??) so I got off a waitlist and jumped on the opportunity. I have some friends who live in the same complex, so I generally knew the area, but it keeps pleasantly surprising me.

I’m still very close to the water. There’s a little bay beach just under 2 miles down the road. If I run there, I pass a forested trail and some protected wetlands. I love all the nature here! Totally unexpected when I used to drive down the NJ Turnpike on my way from NY to the University of Delaware. Never in a million years did I think I’d be living so close by.

I’ve got nature, more to explore, and beach life is not too far away. I’m happy! It makes a good home to come back to.

Springtime in New Jersey

April 28, 2021 by Cori Dombroski in new jersey, lbi, home

This is really just a photo dump of sunsets and flowers before I forget! And who could leave out a lighthouse pic…

I might say that I liked winter here better than Spring? Of course, there are the random 65-degree days that are everyone’s favorite because they smell like summer. But in general, I could leave behind the blustery 40-50 temps when the calendar says it’s supposed to be April.

At least in winter you know it’s going to be cold. You’re prepared and expecting it, so you can only be pleasantly surprised when it’s above 30. But Spring… I never know what to wear and I’m just riding it out til June.

We still have the best sunsets for every season, of course.

And my friend Ashley and I went to u-pick tulips at Holland Ridge Farms.

They were everywhere and in every color!

I accidentally picked 11 instead of 12. But I can get behind Spring if there are flowers involved.

I tried my first pork roll of almost two years living here. It wasn’t bad and tastes like ham to me, but I’ll stick to my usual bacon, egg, and cheese.

Or maybe breakfast at home.

Had some yummy pizza up in Brick.

And here’s one more sunset for the road:

Easter in Long Beach Island

April 14, 2021 by Cori Dombroski in lbi, home, new jersey

Even though I got a new job, I’m still working weekends at the restaurant. Mainly because I enjoy it and love the friends I’ve made there. The extra cash on the side doesn’t hurt either!

I spent the full Easter weekend working. I didn’t mind too much, since we got some good sunsets and busy crowds on the island.

I did miss going home or to my sister’s for brunch. Everyone was sending me photos of their yummy meals throughout the day, so I had to make due with deviled eggs off the work menu. Luckily, I like all the food there and these were quite tasty. That’s a fried shrimp on top.

It was a nice weekend to stay put after a couple weeks of traveling (and knowing I’d be traveling again the following week). I was glad to be home.

A Quick Return to Normalcy

July 18, 2020 by Cori Dombroski in lbi, home, new jersey, quarantine

Hi friends! Wow, I think this is the longest I’ve ever gone without posting. But, truth be told, this spring and so far into summer have been wild and loud enough as it is. I’ve been doing a lot of sitting and reflecting (and now working), trying to process everything without adding more content to the noise. There was a lot that I liked about this spring, namely getting to visit with family and a few longtime friends, a chance to slow down and stay on one coast of one country for a bit. And on the other hand there was and continues to be a lot of confusion, frustration, sadness, and anger at why our world is the way it is and what’s coming next—both on a personal level and a societal level.

So I’ve stayed pretty quiet on the internet. I’ve cooked, crocheted, read books, and taken long rejuvenating walks in nature, just like everyone else. Sometimes those are the only things to do. I began to visit with friends outdoors and visit my sister in her new home (more to come on that!)

As summer arrived, I settled back into Long Beach Island, NJ and life has started to feel somewhat normal again (more to come on that, too!). It’s a magical place, and I’m secretly glad for all my failed endeavors to be back in California at this time. LBI feels like exactly the right place to be.

When I first got back, I was pleasantly surprised to find a protest here for the Black Lives Matter movement— I was surprised and a little nervous about going by myself since New Jersey can be very red and LBI is very white. I reached out to some friends to see if they wanted to come and, of course, most of the friends I know here were already planning to go. It made my heart happy to arrive and see people of all ages and skin colors in the crowd.

It felt reassuring to know how many people care, and at the same time it feels like not enough to march with a sign when elsewhere people are struggling and losing their lives. I hope you’re sitting and reflecting too, and that it sparks the changes that we all need to act and make.

I’ll be here wishing you and all of us well.

Small Adventures

May 04, 2020 by Cori Dombroski in new york, home

Ok so, I haven’t been 100% sheltering in place. I did my best, really. And it was a lot easier when it was raining. A person can only do so many puzzles.

We’ve sometimes branched out from our walks in the neighborhood to include nearby parks and trails. My dad and I took a nice weekend hike through James Baird State Park. Having to stay close to home has deepened our appreciation for nearby gems.

But this past week was very nice, so I went upstate a bit to visit my friend Annie and to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday (socially distanced, of course)!

On the way home, I stopped to get my daily exercise in by checking out the Hudson River Skywalk over the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. I think I liked it as much as the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie! It was definitely refreshing to be out and about.

What We've Been Doing in Quarantine

April 24, 2020 by Cori Dombroski in home, new york, quarantine

Hi friends! Here we are again (still!), and we are holding it together (barely)! It’s been a long string of days, but I’m honestly grateful to be home, to have a family that loves me enough to let me stay with them without paying rent, and to have a wonderful neighborhood to walk where I can still be outside. Although I’m certainly the type to get restless, I’m reminded every day of all the things I have to appreciate.

How have you all been spending your quarantine? Have you been sneaking out of the house? I won’t tell. We’ve been cooking and eating yummy meals every night.

I made tempeh tacos (above) and a veggie chickpea stew (below). My dad started doing this thing at dinner where he asks everyone the best part of our day. It gives us all a chance to reflect, stop talking about the news, and be a little more positive. I highly recommend.

I’ve been doing yoga, as usual, mostly indoors. I’m enjoying taking online classes with my favorite teachers from Austin (BFree Yoga) and LA (Golden State Yoga), and some new teachers (like Erika Gasztonyi) who I’ve followed by never had the chance to practice with before. I’ve also been trying out Alo Moves this month, and I love it. I’ve been trying to spread my love and money around to my small business studios, but it’s hard to resist all of the great teachers on the Alo app. I’m like a sponge soaking it all in.

We got cute masks to protect ourselves from the virus. I’ve gone to Costco (first time ever!), the grocery store, and Target. I actually find myself extremely excited to leave the house for these small adventures. Who would have thought?!

And at night we’ve had lots of time to watch some gorgeous sunsets. That’s one benefit of the colder weather in NY. Soon the leaves will be back on the trees to block our view. I wouldn’t mind wearing shorts though…

<3 Thinking of you and missing giving hugs in person!

Easter Weekend

April 16, 2020 by Cori Dombroski in family, home, new york, reflection

Hi! How are you holding up? I hope you are hanging in there as much as we are here. We have been in here for a while, but we’re still trying to maintain some aspects of life as usual.

I had a birthday last week! It was weird and different but equally enjoyable to be at home and to have people to celebrate who wanted to celebrate with me. I Zoomed with friends, ate cake, and drank margaritas. I even got new skis which I hope I will someday be able to actually go somewhere and use. I can’t believe I’m old enough to be having my 10 year college reunion this year.

Easter was many celebrations in one for us: Palm Sunday, my birthday (pretty much the equivalent of Easter, wink wink), Good Friday, and the main event. It was nice to have constant fun to look forward to during this quarantine.

I busted out my ornament painting skills and added some flair to the dyed eggs.

I am feeling very grateful for the occasions and celebrations. And also the fact that we can get outside, walk the hills of the neighborhood, or even explore local trails. This one was a recent find that we tested out on Easter Sunday:

It truly is all about the little things these days and there are a lot of feelings going around. I have my ups and downs, but as always I’m thankful for family and nature.

I miss you and I’m thinking of you, too!

New Normal

March 27, 2020 by Cori Dombroski in family, home

Just checking in to (and taking a break from Disneyland and El Salvador content) see how your quarantine is going. These are wild and unprecedented times! I actually hate the expression “new normal” because we can adapt to the new, but we don’t need to pretend that anything these days is normal. I hope you’re feeling your feelings, getting outside when you can, and connecting with your friends and family members. I’m an eternal optimist, so I believe that we’ll make it out of this, and I’ll keep crossing my fingers that it will be sooner rather than later.

I started off this strange time at my sister’s apartment in NYC. Her boyfriend and I were on the same flight back from LA on March 9th. The airport felt normal (no social distancing yet), but the flight was empty enough that we each had a whole row to ourselves. We’d heard warnings, but weren’t too worried. Back in NY, we even went to Comedy Cellar and to visit Grandma in Buffalo. Yikes, in retrospect!

I stayed at my sister Elayne’s place for a week, and Will took me down to Long Beach Island to pick up my car. Stores and restaurants were still open. I stopped in the restaurant where I worked last summer and grabbed a festive latte from my favorite quick lunch spot.

As it turned out, I wouldn’t be needing my car much. I drove it up to visit my dad, with a bag packed for three days, but I’ve been here ever since. We started to get worried about me getting stuck in NYC, which I’m sure would be fun, but could get old quickly for my sister and Will with me sleeping on their couch and all of us in the same apartment all day.

I arrived in Poughkeepsie on St. Patrick’s Day. My dad tried to salvage the holiday by serving corned beef and cabbage (with Harp lagers!) and my stepmom delivered green bagels. They did a great job of making us forget the quarantine for a night!

Since then, I’ve been here. In the beginning, we took little day hikes in nearby parks, but as the social distancing warnings became more severe, we’ve been keeping our exercise confined to the neighborhood and the basement gym.

It’s really all I could ask for at this time, and I’m SO GLAD to be here at home instead of on my own in Australia or trapped in El Salvador.

There’s no telling how long we’ll be cooped up, but Spring has sprung and the sunset view from the back deck is lovely. I haven’t spent this much time at home in quite some time, so I’m soaking it all in. I planned to visit friends and hug their babies, but I’ve been forced to slow down and sit quietly with myself.

I’m sure you could have guessed that I’ve been practicing yoga!

And Bonnie (my stepmom) made us yummy pizza!

We (mostly I) did a challenging and sanity-testing puzzle!

And here we are, a little stir crazy but enjoying our time with each other! I hope your quarantine days have been rewarding or cleansing or however you’ve needed them to be. We’re all in this together.