My Epic Fun Weekend In Pictures: It Started With American Pie

Well this was certainly a fantastic Fall weekend here in Northwest New Jersey. Definitely an Epic Weekend I'll never forget, that's for sure. My Epic Weekend included some fun, new adventures, and some nostalgia too. I know I say it all the time and I'm biased, but nothing beats Fall in the Northeast. I love driving around, even while it's raining, and seeing our Fall Foliage getting stronger and more beautiful. Success!

Friday night I had a nice, planned chill night with besties Jasen and Brendan on Campus. They asked me if I could bring them over a cheese pizza from The Irish Cottage Inn, and they didn't have to twist my arm for me to go there on my way to them, LOL. I had a fun time seeing so many of my friends, Artie, Margie, Packer Fan Patrick, Mayor Paul, Buckeye Paul, Scot McBrit, Tim and more. I'm so lucky to have all of these wonderful friends. We always laugh together. I then went to besties Jasen and Brendan's place. The minute I walked in with a bottle of wine I saw what they were watching on tv and I yelled "YESSSS!" They were watching the American Pie movie, originally released in 1999. If you were in high school or college during that era, this was your movie. We always talk about how Dirty Dancing dominated the 1980s with its power. Over the weekend when I reflected about it, I think American Pie in the 90s spoke to a generation the say way that Dirty Dancing and Breakfast Club did. I know that might be a silly hot take, but wow did we have fun laughing our Cabooses off at the American Pie movie. By the time I got to their place, I just missed the Apple Pie scene. Comedy gold, and I'm okay with missing that scene LOL. A couple glasses of red cabernet wine and laughing with some of your besties while enjoying major nostalgia? That sounds like a kick@$$ Friday night to me! And it was.

Saturday late morning I was in full blown errand mode. I went to Rockaway Mall, hit up the Bank Of America ATM to get some quick minor cash. I then had a hankering for an ice cold beer and some hot wings. I saw my bartender new friend Andrew at Buffalo Wild Wings. I like how everything there is so simple, and quick. You can get in and out of there pretty fast. Quite often when I drive back to Jersey from visiting my family in New England, I swing by The Buffalo Wild Wings in Danbury, Connecticut. By then I'm only 90 minutes away from Jersey, I can stretch real quick, take a break from driving, and recharge for my final miles. I did the "Hot," level of buffalo wings with fries and they hit the spot.

Saturday afternoon I hit up Starbucks over by ShopRite Of Sparta to get a Treinta shaken iced green tea. It's beautiful in there. If I'm taking note of how beautiful it is in that Starbucks, that probably shows you that I was there for awhile. They were SLAMMED. While there are staffing shortages all over it seems, that wasn't the case here honestly. I counted 8 employees all running around nonstop. It was just a product of a much higher volume than normal, with it seemingly being everyone all at once. I love Treinta shaken iced green teas on the weekends. My hack tip? I drink tons of water during the week but not as much on the weekends sometimes. If you drink a shaken iced green tea that's 32 ounces, that can definitely help hydrate you big time.

Saturday afternoon I had a chance to enjoy a glass of red cabernet wine with my new friend at Mohawk House. It was a wonderful experience to meet my new friend there with red wine, pizza and brussel sprouts wrapped in bacon. Bring it on! It was definitely a fun afternoon / evening I won't forget anytime soon. We met there at 3:30, and didn't leave until 7:00PM. With the beautiful Mohawk House ambiance, it's easy to have a fun Saturday afternoon / evening there.

Saturday night feeling great after an amazing afternoon, I was able to see some more of my besties. Bestie Brad informed us earlier in the week that his son Joey was visiting. It's always fun to hang out with Besties Brad and Steve, and even better when their kids are in town visiting. We had a lot of laughs in not that long of a time. We love to catch the kids up on comedic stories that happen up here in Jersey about our friends. The kids always have fun seeing us and hanging out with us on Campus. They call the Great Gorge Village Condos as Campus too, LOL. I like the name Campus far better than some sad nicknames I've heard before, like "Divorce Alley." Campus can be beautiful and fun! You never know what kind of random comedy gold you may walk into. Brad, Steve and I took a selfie because there was a gentleman nearby who resembled the late Tony Soprano James Gandolfini. Then of course we have to debate their final scene, lol. I think it was a great way to close out the series, personally. That being said, I haven't seen a single episode of The Sopranos, but after seeing the creators explain why they closed it out the way they did, I understood. If you're a Made Man, it isn't going to last. They basically showed that eventually he was going to wind up dead or in jail, and that you always have to keep your eyes open due to not knowing when someone will go for you. Yes, I know, I'm a diehard Departed fan yet haven't watched The Sopranos yet. I think maybe after football season I'll give it a shot.

Speaking of football! Let's go Patriots! When my Patriots play the Jets, it's a different feeling for me the past almost 8 years now that I've been living in New Jersey. I always want my Pats to win no matter what. I have so many friends who are Jets fans, I always want happiness for them too. See, I'm not a Pats fan M@$$hole. The Patriots were not a Dynasty while I was growing up 12 minutes from their stadium. I don't take our 20 year run for granted at all. I think that's why it's so easy for me to root for friends to have happiness with their team, as long as it isn't against us.

I had fun watching the Patriots vs Jets game at Jiggs on 23 in Butler with my new friend, who's also a Patriots fan. That is quite the fun little bar. It was so much fun to see my Patriots do well. Ironically many friends who aren't Jets fans were yelling at me for the Patriots running up the score against the Jets. I don't have any problem with it. If I lose to a Team, I'm miserable whether it's by 1 touchdown or 7. Once the horse has left the barn, it doesn't matter to me at all what the score is. If anything, it's almost easier when you get blown out instead of losing last minute like we did against Tom Brady's Tampa Bay and Dallas recently. This was a nice cleansing of the palette for me. On top of that, enjoying the game with another Patriots fan? I'll take that! It looks like I might be winning this week with both of my fantasy football teams too! I'll take that.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Epic Weekend In Pictures. I had a wonderful weekend with some terrific new experiences. Time to start planning next weekend!