Routines

We all have a routine of sorts. It can most definitely vary from day to day dependent on ones schedule.

Depending on your work schedule you may  have a morning routine, mine always starts with coffee.

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I truly love coffee and I get up early to have some before my day actually starts, it acts as a on switch to the brain to get things moving and more so if I have not had enough sleep. The early morning hours before the sun comes up is one of my favorite times of the day, you could consider it early and some actually consider it late if they happen to work an overnight shift, but I get many things done and organized with that coffee and the quiet, and if you have children of any age you know the extreme importance of that time, in all reality I have two such times of day, the early morning and the late night. They are both quiet in my neighborhood so it gives me a time to organize……… well, organize at night and by morning hope I’ve got it all together for the day to come with children most days there is always something that gets out of whack. If they are school age it could be possibly forgetting a clarinet for band practice…….. Yes I have had to do the complete circle in the morning to bring it back to school because my daughter realized it’s an A day and suddenly she needs it. I bought an erasable calendar that now sits by the door with said days on it….. A versus B that is……….. Every Monday she has Girl Scouts unless the weather is bad and with this past winter thankfully behind us we missed a number of meetings this year, unfortunately with the amount of activities kids these days have it’s not an easy make up for scouts, but that is definitely on the calendar as well. School events go on it as well so I have a reminder to send out text messages and reminder emails to all the family as to when the next concert is and there are a few school age kids in the family and in all different grade levels that there is always something going on………. Currently my parents have started using group messaging, I am most definitely not a fan, the only one that is a fan is my niece, she is currently a stay at home Mom and like my retired parents seem to have a little too much time on their hands, I have had to turn the sound off very often of late just to not get annoyed……. My sister, she has it worse….. She actually has to download each individual message so she just gave up…. Though I said she should go get her phone checked… never heard of that before and with my parents redecorating and sending pictures of fabric samples so often the phone at times just dingles nonstop…….. we are all very opinionated and all have varying tastes for sure, and having dinner with my parents just recently and actually seeing the fabric swatches first hand I realize my mom should only take the pictures in sunlight as to get a accurate color, what I thought was awful became my absolute favorite ……….. And the hideous looking rug picture she sent had a completely different color scheme to it, still not a fan but much better than the original. Now after going back and forth as to what is going in the upstairs living room and what is going in the office I did ask for a swatch of my own I do need to get my dining room chairs redone and the burnt orange would go fabulous with my slate stone table, the veins in the stone are almost identical, made my decision easy however my parents are still at it and I said to them to remember that we all do not live here every day and ultimately they have to love it, my mom gave me the look and I went to finish my laundry end of conversation LOL

However with children your routine can do a complete back flip at any moment. Take for instance an early release from school. This year we have had so many delays and early releases as well as school closings that they have taken days from the children’s spring break, some closings were completely unnecessary but as a parent you just have to amend your routine for the day. Today is just such a day, the school decided to release early which isn’t the kink in my day, it is the snow that has the second half of my day probably ruined to be honest. Here at Storage Station in Middletown New York we are just starting to see some snow, which does not really change my work routine it just pushes the time frame up. With the possibility of unsafe travel and my daughter getting out of school early everything has to be done hours before.  I knew this possibility at the start of my day but my eye doctor was running late which in turn made my morning routine change, I had to push off some errands so to get to Middletown just a little earlier so I can do what I need and also want to do at work before leaving for the day, I must also mention that it is Friday and I do not like to leave anything pending for Monday unless absolutely necessary, I have learned not to put things for they catch up with a vengeance and you wind up running around like a chicken in the pen being chased by a very hungry fox I like to start the week off with as little paperwork as possible, it frees me up to many other things and though it is part of the daily routine here I like to keep it at a minimum on a daily basis

TTYS

Snow days

The past few weeks we have had an over abundance of snow days. My five-o-clock calls from the automated school system are almost a regular thing. Either we have a delay or we have a closing. Just yesterday I got the dreaded call, yes I say dreaded because by this point it is painful to reach for it and hear the message, we started with a two hour delay which I understood, the weather called for snow showers in the morning but clearing up pretty quickly by mid morning. Then as I am clearing the driveway yet again my neighbor who also happen to operate my day care hollers across the street to tell me that he got the call that school is closing…….

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Honestly I was speechless. I did ask if was sure and he gave me an extremely exasperated hand thrown up in the air and almost simultaneously we both said “WHY”? The roads we good by this point and no full blown storm on the radar so it really made absolutely no sense to close. I finished the driveway because one way or another I was most definitely going to work! I love a good snow day as do most of us but enough is enough. I had already emptied my DVR of all shows and really had no more snacks and no real desire to be stuck in the house yet another day. One good snow day a month is ok but when you have closings and delays at least two to three times a week it creates the stir crazies!! My drive to Middletown for the most part is an easy one if they clear the highway, and route 84 is a major so they are all over it, not to mention my facility in Middletown on Dolsontown Rd is a hop off the exit and directly off route 17 so it is smooth sailing on most days for me. Now the bridge that is a whole different boat and it’s really sink or swim since it’s under repair. Any major storm and I stay on my side. So with the driveway all clear I stomp back into the house and just moments after taking my boots off does the phone ring and of course Ms. Automated is telling me yet again that the schools will be closed due to inclement weather………..

Yeah whatever I say to nobody because it’s automated, which is probably a good thing with the mood I was now in. My daughter is now up and moving and asked about school so I let her know it’s closed and to my surprise she went into a full blown rant! The only thing I could do was just listen until she was done. She found it unbelievable that they would close school; didn’t I say that we weren’t to get much snow? If we aren’t getting much why are they closing? And if they take away her spring vacation she is going to flip out!!!
I explained it wasn’t my call but I am certainly in total agreement as to how she feels. Either way I have to figure out the where she is going to be so I can get to work. This wound up to be easy since I had already a text in my phone with it all figured out for me and I didn’t have to do a thing, now that was total relief, she loves her after school program but if there is a snow day they stay at the main site with the little kids and the older ones are not a fan anymore. Things change so drastically when they enter middle school, I am still adjusting and we are in the seventh grade, by the time I get it figured out she will be going to high school and here we go again………… :-/

Now I have to say as tell the rant story to my family and friends everyone is cracking up including me, I do not think my older daughter ever went into a tizzy about school closing, and her concern over spring break was over the top, we don’t have a vacation planed so am waiting to see what she throws at me, most definitely she is making plans or the rant would have been just a basic complaint
 
And at this point I really really really wanted to go to work………… did I mention how much I really did?

Now it’s a new month and I have a lot to do, and with last week’s weather interrupting my schedule I have to catch up on a few things, nothing that couldn’t wait but I really couldn’t wait at this point. I didn’t even mind the wise cracks from my out of state tenants, the ones in the sunny states are always the ones who just have to tell me it’s a balmy 79 degrees where they are, and knowing full well what it’s like here ask … how’s the weather? Though not one can get the question out without laughing and so I get to rant and laugh right along with them.

I have such a wide variety of tenants here at Storage Station in Middletown, from the five boroughs of New York to the West coast and all in between. Thing is I really like my job and the people I come in contact with on a daily basis, there is such a wide variety from all walks of life I learn something new every single day and even the one’s I have never met in person we have conversations about all things from family to recipes and we cover just about everything when they call in. Yet these extremely long winter month’s I can most definitely do without. Everything freezes so it’s all about salting and plowing and when will it ever end is most definitely part of every conversation, and now that it is February we are nearing the end so just about everyone is ready for warm weather and flip flops!! Talk to you soon

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Where Did the Time Go?

Can you believe the holidays are already here? It just seemed like yesterday I took down all the holiday decorations and put them away. I remember seeing a post on my Facebook wall that said there was only 180 days till Christmas and when I read it I thought to myself, that seems so far away. It is funny that when we are waiting for a special time of the year to come that it takes forever to get to that date but once it finally does arrive it seems like in a blink of an eye it is over. Many of us do this when we are waiting for a vacation, a birthday, the last day of school, a wedding or any other special day or time to take place. Some of us, especially myself, love the holidays. They are such a happy time of the year. I love to bring out all my decorations and especially decorating my Christmas tree with all the special ornaments that I have collected over the years and remembering all the memories that go with them. Every year I look forward to adding my new ornaments that I collected from traveling or a special time in the past year. I would say my tree is like a time capsule of special events or memories throughout my life.

Like many of us I love all the pretty colors of lights that everyone puts up. It is especially pretty when it snows and the lights seem to sparkle from the white shinny snow. In some ways it does seem magical. I have to admit though I do not like to go shopping with all the crowds and everyone seems to be stressed from trying to find the perfect gift for that someone special. I am more an online shopper at this time of year but there are a few things I will need to actually go shopping for so I join everyone else. I find that trying to find that very special gift for someone is the hardest thing to do. Of course we want everyone to love what we have wrapped so pretty but sometimes this can be the ultimate challenge and I am always ready for a challenge so I find this fun and exciting also. I usually start thinking about what to get someone as soon as possible, sometimes as soon as the last Christmas is over. Either way I really try to put extra thought into making it as special as I can because I want them to be as happy as I am during the holidays.

Even though the food stores are so busy as well I don’t mind going shopping to get all my special ingredients for baking of preparing the traditional family goodies for this time of year. I really enjoy making cooking for everyone to enjoy. I love trying everyone else’s too! Everyone seems to have their own special touch this time of year when it comes to cooking or baking in the kitchen. Maybe this is why we all love going to each other’s homes and spending time together. Of course we enjoy just seeing each other again too!
 No matter how hectic it can seem to become and all the extra work that goes into this time of year, I still

Love it! I love spending time on Christmas Eve with friends and family and the excitement of Christmas day with all the gifts and traditions. It is all worth it to me.

Of course the holiday that this time of year that starts my holiday season is Thanksgiving Day. I have already started putting my list of all the different things I will need to get at the grocery store in order to make a feast of goodies for my friends and family. This day always seem to sneak up on me. Maybe it is from putting the summer things away in my self storage unit or cleaning the yard from all the fall leaves. Of course enjoying all the fall activities outside makes this time go quick too. Either way I always seem to be rushed more for this holiday than any other. I love baking on Thanksgiving Eve and making the house smell all yummy in anticipation for the feast the next day. Watching the Macys Day Parade is a very special event. I usually put it on first thing and watch it while I am cooking and preparing for my friends and family. In the past years I use to look forward to getting up very early to begin the holiday shopping on Black Friday. It was my special day because I got to enjoy all my friend and family for the entire day on Thanksgiving and then have an early day of shopping the next day without having to invade into my special time with my friends and family. This year the stores are opening and starting the Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving Day. I don’t think they should refer to it as Black Friday anymore because it is no longer starting then. I know that there are many people who disagree with this and I understand why. We don’t get a lot of special days to be thankful for those who are with us and there are many of us who need to stretch our money in order to provide our loved ones with gifts to open on Christmas. Wehave to take the opportunity to take advantage of these exceptional savings in order to do so. This is forcing many of us to be torn on what to do. I can understand  why people will be shopping because they are forced too and I respect those who are refusing to go because they are standing up for those who are being forced to work or shop for the discounts. I just wish it did not have to come to anyone giving up that special day and no one losing out on those exceptional discounts.

If you find that you need somewhere to hide those special gifts away please feel free to contact us at 1021 Dolsontown Road Middletown NY 10940 at 845-360-2093 and we will be more than happy to help make your holidays even more memorable and as special as we possibly can.

The Calm before the Storms, Storage Station, West Milford, New Jersey

Life here at Storage Station at 11 White Road and 1867 Greenwood Lake Turnpike in West Milford, New Jersey has been hopping!  People are returning their RV’s and campers to their assigned parking spots or renting a new space for the season and getting them closed-up nice and tight for the winter ahead.  The classic cars shows are almost done for the season and the cars will soon be put to bed in their units to wait until Spring arrives again so they can be enjoyed and shared with the world.  Tenants have been coming and going switching their summer goods for their cold weather items. I have seen them putting away patio furniture, lawn decorations and other summer time accessories. The staff has been busy cleaning up after the beautiful and bright colors of the fall leaves that happen every fall. With the cooler temperatures now we all have thoughts of another winter coming soon. 

Self Storage Blog After the ravages of Sandy hit here in the Northern part of New Jersey, many people were forced to re-evaluate how and where they stored their  items.  Many basements were flooded; stand-alone sheds were demolished by downed trees or blown away by the sheer force of the winds.  Peoples’ lives were affected by more than the loss of power and lack of gasoline. I cannot believe it has been two years since Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast and left its mark with a large amount of damage that affected a many of us in one way or another. Thinking back I remember that being an extremely busy time for us here at Storage Station. For many days we ran several of our locations without power to assist those who needed our self storage services because their homes or business received damages with the extreme flooding and the high winds. With all the damage we received through our areas we had also lost power for days and some areas for weeks making the clean up and travel extremely difficult. I look back and remember seeing so much damage with down trees and debris everywhere I went while traveling from one site to another checking the properties for damage or flooding. I had done this as soon as soon as the state of emergency had been lifted and it was safe to travel again on the roads but even then it was difficult because of large trees blocking road ways. It took a very long time for roads to become clear because of the large amount of trees that were down. In some areas they would not remove the whole tree but instead there would be an effort of individuals who need to at least be able to get through that they would make the road passable in order to do so. It was awesome to see so many residents working together at this time of need. It was also heartbreaking to see and hear about the amount of damage Hurricane Sandy left in its wake. As I went from one location to another and hearing the residents in the areas talk about either their experience and loss or what they had see my heart would break because so many families had to relocate because of their large loss. I don’t believe any of us who experienced this storm will ever forget Hurricane Sandy.

And the affects of last winter’s storms are still fresh on peoples’ minds.  How much snow will we get this year? If I clean out the garage can I park in it? Should I buy a snow blower?   Should we invest in a generator?  How much power do we really need?  Just the mention of bad weather sends throngs of people to the supermarkets and home stores to hoard whatever they think they might need. It was difficult to even find salt because there became a shortage because we would only of a few days between each storm. The large mounds of snow just kept growing and growing and we never thought it would never stop or melt away. Many of us like the snow but I believe almost all of us became exhausted with the large amount and the many storms that we had. I hope this winter there are a few less storms and not such a large amount of snow.

We here at Storage Station are here to help customers figure out what options better suit their needs.  How many items are they storing?  What sizes are the items they are putting into the self-storage unit?  Will the customer need climate control to better suit the items stored?  If they are storing a  car, do we have the drive-up capability available for them?  Do they need packing boxes, bubble wrap, tape or special boxes for special items such as lamps, hanging clothes, or Grandma’s china?

Now that you’ve bought all the necessary tools, salt, calcium, shovels, etc. that you will need for the coming winter months, where do you put all the things that are currently blocking your way in the shed?  Or in the basement or garage?  A self-storage unit is a great and convenient idea.  We can help you find the right size, space and means of storing your things so they are easily obtainable anytime you may need them.  No more struggling to get to the back of the shed or garage only to find that the item you need is still in the attic! 

At Storage Station we stock an array of box sizes, special sized boxes, plastic covers in various sizes, locks, moving blankets and more!  We are here to help you make the transition from cluttered rooms, space or even in emergency we you are in need of self storage so please do not hesitate to contact anyone of our 6 locations throughout New Jersey and New York. If you need further information please feel free to contact 973-846-4637 or 973-846-4402 and a knowledgeable and helpful Storage Station associate will be more than happy to assist you. We pride ourselves on trying to meet all your self storage needs.
   

Wayne New Jersey

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Our address is
2354 Hamburg Turnpike
Wayne, NJ 07470

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