Week One in New England

Hard to believe a week ago I managed to say good bye to friends and family, board a plane with a cat foaming at the mouth, and settle into temporary housing in Darien, CT. "Settle" isn't the right choice of words as it seems everyday we are outa this apartment exploring our new surroundings. While the beach is a short five minute drive a way, we have learned there are good beach days and bad beach days. A bad beach day is when thunderstorms are predicted. This was the day the lifeguard asked us patiently to stay out of the water for fear of electrocution. (We were acting like foreign tourists and ignoring the "Water Closed" sign.) But no worries, we've had good beach days when the water is warm and calm and the beach is sandy and "Uncle's Snack Shack" serves up a decent burger. The beaches are a definite highlight here.
Another major highlight is our short 50 minute train ride or 40 minute car ride to New York City! Our forays into the city have not included a lot of sightseeing yet, however, as we have been on a mission to find what we need to make our home our home when we move in, in one week! The girls went hog wild in the PB Teen store and I was overwhelmed by the 10,000 rugs at the ABC Rug Store.  Fortunately for us, Danville friend and designer Cindy is in NYC while her daughter Monica attends ABT (she's a serious ballerina and loves the city as much as her mom). Cindy helped me find the perfect rugs for our hardwood floors (the only rug we've ever owned is a bath mat and wall to wall carpet).  Sorting through the 10,000 choices for me was not just like finding a needle in a haystack, more like poking me in the eye with the needle while I tried to roll in the haystack. I was that overwhelmed. Thank goodness for Cindy. 
We have had some wonderful culinary adventures in NYC this week, as it's Restaurant Week where many of the city's fine restaurants offer up their specialties on Pris Fix menus at a reasonable rate. (Again, a tip from our savvy NYC guide Cindy.) Our girls are taking after their dad as culinary critics. We enjoyed an amazing lunch at David Burke's Townhouse, which included a cheesecake lollipop tree for dessert. The Jean George at Trump Towers didn't impress as much as the exotic smells and flavors we experienced at Spice Market (also a Jean George restaurant) located in the fun and trendy meat packing district. I keep reminding Barry, a girl needs sustenance when making important purchases.  We plan to start a separate blog to log our restaurant reviews. Needless to say our brief jaunts into NYC so far have been a huge highlight and each time we say we can't wait to go back!
In sharp contrast to NYC, we retreat back to this quaint picturesque New England seaside town of Darien, CT (population around 20,000). It is lush and green, the archetecture is old and traditional, the people are friendly. The weather....well that's a whole other blog entry. Let's just say I'm still learning how to tame the frizzies in this thick humidity. Every day I'm shocked when I catch a glance of myself in the mirror and realize my hair is having a party without me. I've put the girls on frizz patrol and if they notice it's getting out of control they hand me a hair band and subtley suggest, "mom, would you like one?"
I do get why folks spend so much time talking about the weather here, because actually you do have to plan your life around it a bit. Case in point: my birthday excursion today was to include stand up paddle boarding. There's a place in the next town, Rowayton, that rents boards and kayaks and offers guided kayak-yoga excursions out to the islands in the sound.  Well, I hear thunder rumbling in the distance and while it IS 80-degrees at 9 a.m.right now, paddling in the rain just doesn't sound like fun to me. We may just have to check out the acquarium in Norwalk and dinner tonight is seaside at the Rowayton Fish Market. I am so happy to have my family here to celebrate (Siena just got in last night!).
My birthday present to myself this morning was enjoying a nice cup of illy and giving myself time to start this blog.  I hope to use it as a way to keep in touch with the many of you who have been so important to us in shaping our lives. We have shared many joys and survived many challenges together and I have no intention of ending that chapter just because I happened to move 3,000 miles away.  I'm not one to typically tip toe down the path, so as I plunge ahead and dive off this cliff, I'm bringing you all with me. I could go nowhere without the moral support, sage advice and unyeilding friendship I've been blessed with. Thanks for everything and we'll see you soon!