Ella Quent

Ocean Grove, Treasure Trove

For our 'girls day out' my friend and I decided to visit Ocean Grove. Ocean Grove is a gorgeous, quaint, town on the Jersey Shore.

From the minute we arrived we were captivated by the plethora of boutique type stores, as well as the open air dining choices. We worked our way slowly up  Main Avenue, which although only a small jaunt took us ages as we meandered from one exciting store to another.

The stores were full of one-of-a-kind clothing and gift items. Charming antique stores spilled out lost treasures with prices that were surprisingly reasonable. 

One of our favorite finds was Comfort Zone, a super-sophisticated beauty store which carried luxurious lines of natural skincare products from all over the world. It was a casbah of colors, and choices,  and so magnificently merchandised that the store presentation itself was a work of art. Victor Aluise, one of the owners, was delightful as he graciously indulged all our questions about products and obscure scents we suddenly felt compelled to buy. 

Comfort Zone

 

Thankfully the exclusive and eclectic baby boutique was just for girls clothes, so my new-mom girlfriend was able to resist a temptation, which would have otherwise been impossible.

 

We then found ourselves at The Emporium, Victor Aluise and his partner's newest arrival in town. The Emporium lured us with it's colorful, fair-trade, Soho style boutique. We did not leave unscathed! Anna bought the most dramatic straw hat I have ever seen and I indulged in a never-get-it-again turquoise blue belt. Victor was there, and so fun and helpful with our wardrobe choices. If you visit this store you must see the hand-made fabric "flower bags," pictured here.

 
        

As we wound up our idyllic visit to this ocean oasis our final decision was where to eat. With bunch of choices such as the adorably named Raspberry Cafe, it was our hardest choice yet.

However, we finally settled on a busy, little cafe that served pasta and the like.We were not disappointed. From local feedback, we gathered you could pick any of the many restaurants here and be happy.

As we concluded our girls day out, and got ready to leave we took a last view of the town and snapped some photos of the abundant, antique, architectural details that make Ocean Grove so charming.

Surf, sand and shopping, Ocean Grove has it all.

  

Marry Him - Revisng Romance

I found Lori Gottlieb's book, Marry Him, when scanning the new arrival shelf at the local library. The jacket was attractive, the title was odd and I added it to a collection of other books selected for further perusal.

I have to admit being a little halfhearted about the subject material. After all, having been married in my early 20's and later having an eight year relationship, I didn't feel I particularly fit Lori's audience. Nevertheless, the opening chapters detailing Lori's own journey and struggle to reconcile what she wants, with what she can now get, are so raw and vulnerable that I found myself completely drawn into Lori's quest and rooting for her.

This initial spark carried me through until I realized this book was a landmark, almost scientific, treatise on a subject matter that had not been examined, or presented like this before. The subject being human's tendency to make judgments and assumptions based on inaccurate or limited information, especially in the arena of romantic relationships.

Lori's often humorous revelations force her, and us the reader, to consider then reconsider not only how we make decisions in life, but if our perspectives are realistic enough for us to ever reach our goals.

If I had one question about Lori's argument it would be, 'what about those to do get married to Mr. Good enough early on, and then get divorced anyway, ending up in the same dating site as their never-married single friends. Were they still ahead of the game?

This is must read for anyone, not just single women. It is a funny, sad, insightful, brilliantly written book. It will make you laugh, but more than that, it will make you think!

Ella Quent 2010