This past weekend my husband and I enjoyed the simple pleasure of getting in the car and just driving, and enjoying one another’s company.
As you know, New Jersey is called “the Garden State” and a place where there is a lot of farming. You may not know that if you have never been here and rely on what you see in movies, or if you lump New Jersey together with New York City as many do who are from other parts of the country.
In fact, New York City isn’t all there is to New York either. We are very close to the state line which takes you into “Upstate” New York, the term we use for the more rural and beautiful parts of the State.
This past weekend our travels took us into Pine Island, the black earth region in Orange County, NY, the soil is so very rich and beautiful, and root crops, especially onions, were being harvested as we drove through. We stopped to buy some local delicious produce, all grown in this rich soil.
And what does all of this have to do with free business cards? I was introduced to a pretty site that talks about free not really being entirely free…but what really caught my eye was the beautiful business cards, and because we had just been visiting these farming communities, was drawn to look at the “farming and agriculture” cards, there were hundreds of beautiful choices. In fact there are many, many categories of cards to choose from no matter what your profession. You really must stop by and take a look for yourself. I have bookmarked this site for future reference, there’s so much to look at, you can custom make cards at the site as well.
Here is a picture from Pine Island, “donamaree” of Webshots gets credit for this lovely photo. Notice how black the earth is between the crop rows.
The “Jersey Shore beach Vacation” season will be starting at the end of this month, a favorite time of year for those of us that love the beach. There’s hardly a place in NJ that isn’t within a reasonable distance from one of our beautiful beaches. We are in the very northernmost part of New Jersey, but have made trips down to Wildwood, NJ which is at the bottom of the state, and is always worth the trip!
If you are planning a vacation or trip to the Jersey Shore this year, and will be near Wildwood, New Jersey, please do plan to attend one or more of the FREE concerts offered at Morey’s Piers taking place from June through August. Many of the top Radio Disney artists will be performing. Morey’s Piers is a fun place for the whole family, if you are in need of a place to stay, this link will provide you with some Wildwood New Jersey motels in the area.
You’ll find more information at any of the fun links in this post.
Just last week a friend of mine stopped by to say hello who is a nurse, and has been out of work for months, so when this website came across my path, it was hard to resist posting about it….I’m going to share this with my friend.
This is about job opportunities in the Travel Nursing field. There is a staffing service called Procare USA that provides registered nurses with assignments throughout the United States, and has been doing so since 1990. Assignments can last up to 13 weeks, or may be more permanent, depending upon the job requirements.
If you’re lifestyle is flexible enough to take advantage of a job opportunity like this, you can look forward to good pay, travel, and the can choose from hundreds of nursing jobs throughout the USA.
There are also benefits beyond just receiving good pay, they include free housing that is private, medical/dental/health insurance, 401k with company match, immediate vesting, expense reimbursement, and a lot more, so please do take a look at the procareusa.com site and see if this is for you.
Now I’m off to email or call my NJ Baby Boomer nurse friend to tell her about this opportunity.
Here are more Christmas events to enjoy in New Jersey…continuing the theme of the previous post.
Cape May, all the way at the opposite end of NJ from where we live has a lot to offer:
Dec. 12, 19-20 Enjoy the Lamplighter Christmas Tour – Self-guided, tour 5 beautiful B&B’s and Inns. They are beautiful, too! Adults – $15, Children – $7.50 Tickets at the booth at Washington Street Mall.
Dec. 11-12 Cape May Candlelight Hospitality Nights – Merchants offer treats to holiday shoppers throughout Town. For more information, call 609-884-9565
Dec. 13 Cape May Christmas Candlelight House Tour – Another self-guided tour of Victorian Inns, homes, churches and more all decorated in beautiful holiday splendor. $22 for adults, and $11 for children. There is a free shuttle service. Call 609-884-5508 for more information.
Dec. 13 – Ocean City will have it’s Christmas Parade on Asbury Ave, complete with Santa Claus. This will be at 7:30 pm. from 6th to 11th Street.
I haven’t spent much time introducing you to some of the finer places to spend time in New Jersey.
One of these places is the 30+ year old New Philharmonic of New Jersey, the picture is borrowed from their website. Their 2008-2009 season began last month at the fully accessible Dolan Performance Hall on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth close to the center of Morristown, NJ.
Along with the concerts scheduled this year, the New Philharmonic of New Jersey “is proud to honor two local champions of the arts. At [their] November 23 concert, [they] will honor Judith Wharton for her support of fine music and her work to foster a love of music in people of all ages. At [the] March 15 concert, [NPNJ] will honor the late Jerry Ben-Asher for his lifelong devotion to classical music”.
If you love classical music, and are local to, or will be visiting, the New Jersey area over the next several months, visit New Philharmonic of New Jersey’s website for schedules, cost and directions. Read the interesting link to their history.
As much as I love where I live in New Jersey, there are times when my husband and I get frustrated about certain things…like taxes, and such. We’ve even had moments when we’re ready to put a for sale sign out in front of our little lakefront cabin, but here we stay, so far anyway. It was nice to stumble on this article written by a travel consultant to remind me of the GOOD things about New Jersey.
Why New Jersey is the Best State to Live In
By: Frank Dalotto
Often the butt of jokes from visitors from neighboring states, and negative stereotyping from TV shows like the Sopranos, despite all of that, New Jersey continues to attract people looking for good paying jobs, quality health care and education, awesome leisure activities, and a great place to raise kids.
I am quick to acknowledge that New Jersey is not an inexpensive state to live in. The definition of best does not mean cheap or inexpensive.
While you may be paying more, New Jersey has the nation’s best state and municipal services contributing to an infrastructure that supports a safe environment and a variety of quality of life services.
As a wise old man once told me You get what you pay for.
The Top Five Reasons Why New Jersey is the Best State to Live In.
1. Health Care
By almost any measure, NJ is at the top of any list in states with the best healthcare. Ranked #1 in lowest (best) population under served by primary care physicians and ranked 7th in lowest infant mortality rate in 48 states. Source: AARP. Ranked 8th out of 50 states in number of Physicians/1000. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2004 2006 Data. And just across the river in NYC and Philadelphia, New Jersey residents have access to some of the best medical institutions and doctors in the world.
2. Low Crime Rate
Ranked 4th in property crime and 13th in violent crime out of 31 states east of the Mississippi River. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2004 2006 Data. And when you consider that New Jersey has the highest population density in the U.S., New Jersey is a very safe place to live and is a credit to the state and the municipalities in crime protection and law enforcement.
3. Student Education Grades K-12
New Jersey stands tall when it comes to education; New Jersey is Ranked #1 out of 50 states in Grade 8 to High School graduation rates; Source: National Board and Educational Testing Policy and Ranked #4 in the lowest (best) Student/Teacher ratio. Source: IES National Center for Education Statistics.
4. Entertainment
New Jersey is a Mecca for entertainment. Because of the states small size, world class entertainment is in easy reach of most New Jersey residents. There are major entertainment venues throughout the state as well as the hotel casinos, and the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, [Note from site owner: wasn't too happy when Atlantic City became a Casino haven, a gaudy blemish on the otherwise beautiful Jersey Shore, but that's just me.] New Jersey is a magnet for world class entertainment. New Jersey also has 2 NFL teams, a NBA team, and a NHL Team. And with New York City and Philadelphia, just across the river with Broadway shows and major entertainment venues, the entertainment options for New Jersey residents are unbeatable.
5. Geographic DiversityWith outstanding beaches like Wildwood [picture below at sunrise] being the best on the East Coast, beautiful hills and mountains in Northwest NJ [the area where we live also pictured], and quaint Victorian towns like Cape May, New Jersey’s diverse geography is easily accessible within an hour s drive from almost any place in the state. National Geographic magazine has called New Jersey America in Miniature.
Author Resource:-> Frank Dalotto is a freelance writer and travel consultant. His specialty is writing articles about New Jersey travel, including attractions, events, and restaurant reviews. Frank is the owner and editor of http://www.new-jersey-leisure-guide.com/ New Jersey Leisure Guide and a travel consultant for Leisure Travel Mart.
I haven’t spent much time introducing you to some of the finer places to spend time in New Jersey.
