There's beauty in the breakdown.

Things I learned during my spring break.

1. The Bakery House in Bryn Mawr is to die for. Their sweets are heavenly. Cakes are delish and they sell by the slice, which is perfect for me. I will be making the 30+ minute drive, by way of a not-so-great part of Philly, quite often. Side Note: I had some serious issues driving there and at one point, stopped in the middle of an intersection when the light wasn't (apparently) intended for me. A truck behind me started honking at me vehemently and continued to do so at every light thereafter. Even when I was supposed to be stopping. If that wasn't frustrating enough, at one light, he actually pulled up alongside me, creating his own lane, on the sidewalk and started yelling at me through my window. He told me, actually demanded that I roll down my window. I shook my head NO; I'm not stupid. Then, he started yelling obscenities at me. F- this, open the f-ing window, etc. etc. Definitely a scary moment for me. Bryn Marw is a really nice town, but leading up to it, it is not. It was the gh-etto! A guy I work with told me a way to avoid the "bad parts" of Lancaster Ave. What. A. Relief.

2. There really are beautiful parts of New Jersey. I don't care what everyone says, they do exist. I went exploring during my break in search of the sister stores of my favorite consignment store on South St. and in Bryn Mawr. They truly are the best I've ever been to. Greene Lane consignment has 4 stores and they are all fantastic. The owner has extremely strict criteria for accepting clothes. According to her website, she is reluctant to accept Target and Gap is considered low-end. Needless to say, I have come across some amazing designer pieces like Carolina Herrera, Dana Buchman, Anna Sui, and Diane von Furstenberg, and all for a minuscule fraction of the original cost. Still haven't bought any of those pieces, but one day. Still, I love that I can buy what I normally couldn't at these stores. Her newest store in located in Princeton, New Jersey. I was completely unaware of the fact that this was Princeton, as in the location of Princeton University, until I got there. What a wonderful town! A true "college town" dripping with history and charm. I loved it, and would love to live some place like that, at some point in my life. The university was beautiful and the campus reminded me of the Harvard campus (another wonderful place). It's definitely a town I plan to visit again. My GPS took me through a more scenic route- through winding roads, along the side of a mountain. Through trees and back country roads. And although, I initially criticized her (that puts it mildly) for taking me the "long" way, where the speed limit was only 40 mph, I eventually welcomed the opportunity to see such beautiful parts of New Jersey.

3. I need to keep a roll of quarters in my car. Everywhere I went during my break required that I pay for meter parking. When visiting small towns, or the city for that matter, parking lots are obsolete.

4. The rims of my poor car's wheels are receiving such a beating since I moved here. And oddly enough, it's not from parallel parking. My wheels gets scrapped by the curbs when I'm pulling forward, behind a car, for street parking.

5. When I lived in Florida, weather in the 60's was considered cold. Now, anything above the lower 50's is considered mild and feels wonderful. Leading to outdoor furniture being brought out, eating outside, and a wardrobe change to shorts and flip flops. Last week, weather was in the 50's and 60's and even got up to 70. I find myself pushing my down coats to the back of my closet and walking outside free of the weight of a heavy coat.