We have been in New Jersey for almost a month and are beginning to settle in. By that, I mean the boxes are almost unpacked (mainly craft stuff and garage stuff left), I’ve made several successful trips to the grocery store, Target, and the gym where Chloe is training without getting lost, and the kids & I are starting to establish a routine. So, that is all good. We leave Sunday for the Cayman Islands and will be gone a whole week. I can’t wait to be in the sun again – this has been our nicest week here, and it rained 2 out of 6 days!
Anyway, for this little update, I have a couple Quirky Things from up here to tell you about, and then a list of things I miss about TEXAS!!! So, here goes:
QUIRKY THING 1: We have air conditioning in our house, which I am thankful for because the humidity is NEVER below about 80%. For the last 3 weeks, when the ac kicked on at night (the only time it runs, thanks to the mild temps and all the shade!), it didn’t seem to be cooling the house at all. I was ready to go buy oscillating fans for all the bedrooms, when Joe decided to go check the breaker box. For some reason, any time the ac kicks on, it trips the breaker. So, the good news is it was an easy fix. The bad news is, the fan blew continuously for about 10 hours without cooling the house, so the electric bill is going to be interesting. Plus, we need to call an electrician because obviously there is too much load on that breaker.
QUIRKY THING 2: Everyone up here calls me “Mrs. Widner.” No kidding. Moms at the gym, people at church, kids… EVERYONE. And, they all expect to be called “Mrs. Whatever.” But, they do NOT like that my children say “yes sir” and “yes ma’am,” and in fact try to get them to stop by saying, “I’m not a ma’am – that’s my mother!!” Funny… Mrs. Widner is my mother-in-law!!! J
QUIRKY THING 3: Bergen County closes everything on Sunday, and I mean EVERYTHING. Stores, restaurants, malls, Home Depot, IKEA… EVERYTHING. I know this because we saved a bunch of errands for a Sunday not too long ago and were totally surprised (and a little ticked off) that we could accomplish nothing.
QUIRKY THING 4: Sonics are ALWAYS packed. We’ve been twice now ( I know, pitiful, right?) and both times the parking lots were full. And, there are police officers directing traffic at the entrances. They have signs that say “LOT FULL” that they post when you can’t get in. And that means you keep on driving, which we’ve had to do. I’m thinking supply doesn’t meet the demand. Maybe I need to open one!
THINGS I MISS:
1. Having no plan for the day until Melanie calls and says, “I have an idea!!!” She is definitely the “Lucy” to my “Ethel”!!! Now, I just have no plan!!
2. WFAA Channel 8 and the whole news team, Gloria Campos, John McKay, Dale & Pete… those guys are awesome, and they don’t have weird accents! Well, except for Gloria, when she’s reporting on a Latino.
3. Mark Davis on WBAP. I love it when he sits in for Rush; in fact, it’s the only time I listen to Rush!
4. Acute Kids and 24 hour pharmacies. This needs absolutely no further explanation.
5. Driving by LCA and seeing all kinds of kiddos at summer camps, practices, lessons… even in the middle of summer!
6. Texas sunsets.
7. Eagle Gymnastics and all the fabulous people from there. The gym here is really good, but nothing will be better than Eagle. Chloe said so. And so do I.
8. MAMBO TAXIS.
9. Babysitters that my kids love and I trust!!! We’ve had quite a bit of together time lately! In fact, as I was giving the kids their marching orders a week ago, Emmy walked up to me, gave me a big hug, and said, “I love you, Mommy. Now, shut up.” Gotta love that kid and her honesty!!
I do plan on posting these to my blog. One of our computers has crashed and I can’t access any pictures, and I don’t like to post without them! More after we get back. You know there will be a few stories after the Widner Vacation of 2009!!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
JERSEY UPDATE # 1
Hello!
I have received SO MANY EMAILS from you all that I thought I’d write one big update for you all! Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. It has been an interesting few weeks!
First, New Jersey itself is a very fine state. The weather is great (if you like a bit of rain and temps in the mid 70s in July!), and Joe & I enjoy sitting out on our deck with a glass of wine in the evenings after the kids are down for the night. There are lakes EVERYWHERE, plenty of Italian places to eat, shopping similar to Dallas (there are 3 huge malls within 20 minutes of my house), and even a Whole Foods! So, I am pretty happy with the amenities.
Chloe is happy with her gym – the girls have really welcomed her & made her feel a part of the team – and she has adapted to the move very well. We still have a few tears every once in awhile, but for the most part, she seems to be adjusting. Ross spent last Friday night at Youth Group (yes, they do YG on Friday night, which is a phenomenal idea when you have non-driving almost teenagers in the house!!!) and had a blast. He came home with more information about his 3 hours there than we’ve heard in a long time. I am looking into a couple of camps to keep him busy and help him meet some people before school starts. Right now, he spends most of his days at home with the girls, and while they’ve really bonded, I think he’s ready for some space! Emmy is doing fine, too. She acts out every once in awhile when she’s frustrated with me, but for the most part, she is adjusting. Rex the dog thinks he’s died and gone to Heaven. The back yard is partially wooded, so he goes out the door every morning, thinking he’s on a new adventure! A few nights ago, he was barking in the laundry room at about 2 in the morning, and Joe went to investigate. There was a raccoon on our deck eating his dog food! So, you can imagine that his nose was working overtime the next morning! Funny to watch!
Now for the few irritating things about moving. First, I don’t know where ANYTHING is. There is no zoning here, so the grocery store might literally be a block up, and next door to someone’s house. It is taking me a long time to learn my way around, and I still feel lost a lot of the time. And, because my cell phone service SUCKS (sorry, mom – I know you hate that word, but it’s TRUE!!!) here, my GPS is not even helpful. Joe has assured me this problem will be taken care of this weekend, when we all switch to SPRINT. After asking around, that is the one provider that seems to work in Franklin Lakes. But I digress. The towns here are tiny and connected by roads that change names as you enter the new town. For example, the grocery store that I use is on Wyckoff Avenue, but when I turn onto that street in my town, it is called Franklin Avenue. So, I begin on Franklin Avenue, NEVER TURN, and end up on Wyckoff Avenue. Frustrating.
Next, THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS OF MY HOUSE. My children are going to starve to death! Seriously, people. I’ve found ONE Wendys and ONE McDonalds without a play yard in the towns adjacent to mine. I guess in the long run this is a great thing. But for now, I need new recipes, because hot dogs, mac & cheese, and chicken nuggets are not going to cut it!
The people here are very different, too. The moms at the gym are really nice & have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. They’ve given me tips on doctors, hair salons, coupons, fun things to do with the kids, etc., and that has been great. My neighbors are a different story. I met my next door neighbor, Sheila, when she was returning my trash can, which had been accidentally put back on her curb. She had a sharpie in her hand and asked me to write my house # on the can so the “mistake” wouldn’t happen again. Are you KIDDING me?? Where’s my WELCOME basket??? Where’s the “you’re gonna love it here!”? Where’s the “Let me know if you need anything!”? Non-existent. Joe met another neighbor when he was chasing Rex down the street one night. Those are the only 2 people we’ve met so far. And, we’ve been here for 4 weeks. In Texas, the neighborhood would’ve thrown a party for us by now!!! J
The last thing I’ll complain about in this email is the time change. An hour doesn’t seem like much time, right? Well, it’s not until the nightly news doesn’t start until 11:00! I mean, I’m sure in some other lifetime 11 wasn’t late to me, but right now, it seems really close to THE NEXT MORNING!
When school starts, I think we’ll all feel a sense of routine and belonging. Right now, we’re kind-of floating out here on our own. It has been a real growth opportunity for all of us. Chloe said yesterday that Ross and Emmy are a lot more fun in NJ than they were in Texas! I think it’s because right now, they really just have each other. We leave next Sunday for the Cayman Islands, and we’ll be there for a week. We are looking forward to the time together on the beach in the SUN!
We hope everyone is doing well, and again, thank you for all your support! We all miss you!
Kate
I have received SO MANY EMAILS from you all that I thought I’d write one big update for you all! Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. It has been an interesting few weeks!
First, New Jersey itself is a very fine state. The weather is great (if you like a bit of rain and temps in the mid 70s in July!), and Joe & I enjoy sitting out on our deck with a glass of wine in the evenings after the kids are down for the night. There are lakes EVERYWHERE, plenty of Italian places to eat, shopping similar to Dallas (there are 3 huge malls within 20 minutes of my house), and even a Whole Foods! So, I am pretty happy with the amenities.
Chloe is happy with her gym – the girls have really welcomed her & made her feel a part of the team – and she has adapted to the move very well. We still have a few tears every once in awhile, but for the most part, she seems to be adjusting. Ross spent last Friday night at Youth Group (yes, they do YG on Friday night, which is a phenomenal idea when you have non-driving almost teenagers in the house!!!) and had a blast. He came home with more information about his 3 hours there than we’ve heard in a long time. I am looking into a couple of camps to keep him busy and help him meet some people before school starts. Right now, he spends most of his days at home with the girls, and while they’ve really bonded, I think he’s ready for some space! Emmy is doing fine, too. She acts out every once in awhile when she’s frustrated with me, but for the most part, she is adjusting. Rex the dog thinks he’s died and gone to Heaven. The back yard is partially wooded, so he goes out the door every morning, thinking he’s on a new adventure! A few nights ago, he was barking in the laundry room at about 2 in the morning, and Joe went to investigate. There was a raccoon on our deck eating his dog food! So, you can imagine that his nose was working overtime the next morning! Funny to watch!
Now for the few irritating things about moving. First, I don’t know where ANYTHING is. There is no zoning here, so the grocery store might literally be a block up, and next door to someone’s house. It is taking me a long time to learn my way around, and I still feel lost a lot of the time. And, because my cell phone service SUCKS (sorry, mom – I know you hate that word, but it’s TRUE!!!) here, my GPS is not even helpful. Joe has assured me this problem will be taken care of this weekend, when we all switch to SPRINT. After asking around, that is the one provider that seems to work in Franklin Lakes. But I digress. The towns here are tiny and connected by roads that change names as you enter the new town. For example, the grocery store that I use is on Wyckoff Avenue, but when I turn onto that street in my town, it is called Franklin Avenue. So, I begin on Franklin Avenue, NEVER TURN, and end up on Wyckoff Avenue. Frustrating.
Next, THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS OF MY HOUSE. My children are going to starve to death! Seriously, people. I’ve found ONE Wendys and ONE McDonalds without a play yard in the towns adjacent to mine. I guess in the long run this is a great thing. But for now, I need new recipes, because hot dogs, mac & cheese, and chicken nuggets are not going to cut it!
The people here are very different, too. The moms at the gym are really nice & have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. They’ve given me tips on doctors, hair salons, coupons, fun things to do with the kids, etc., and that has been great. My neighbors are a different story. I met my next door neighbor, Sheila, when she was returning my trash can, which had been accidentally put back on her curb. She had a sharpie in her hand and asked me to write my house # on the can so the “mistake” wouldn’t happen again. Are you KIDDING me?? Where’s my WELCOME basket??? Where’s the “you’re gonna love it here!”? Where’s the “Let me know if you need anything!”? Non-existent. Joe met another neighbor when he was chasing Rex down the street one night. Those are the only 2 people we’ve met so far. And, we’ve been here for 4 weeks. In Texas, the neighborhood would’ve thrown a party for us by now!!! J
The last thing I’ll complain about in this email is the time change. An hour doesn’t seem like much time, right? Well, it’s not until the nightly news doesn’t start until 11:00! I mean, I’m sure in some other lifetime 11 wasn’t late to me, but right now, it seems really close to THE NEXT MORNING!
When school starts, I think we’ll all feel a sense of routine and belonging. Right now, we’re kind-of floating out here on our own. It has been a real growth opportunity for all of us. Chloe said yesterday that Ross and Emmy are a lot more fun in NJ than they were in Texas! I think it’s because right now, they really just have each other. We leave next Sunday for the Cayman Islands, and we’ll be there for a week. We are looking forward to the time together on the beach in the SUN!
We hope everyone is doing well, and again, thank you for all your support! We all miss you!
Kate
Friday, August 21, 2009
THIS SUMMER IN PICTURES
Chloe & Emmy checking out Rex's transportation from Texas to New Jersey.
Yes, it's big enough!!!
Emmy right before we went to the Bronx Zoo.
Ross, Chloe & Emmy at the zoo.
The butterfly exhibit was amazing! I took a million pictures, and so did Chloe!
We drove up to Oneida Lake one Sunday to see Grandma Alice. Nahnee was there, too, an took all the kids out in the rowboat.
Our big vacation (as if moving across the country wasn't enough) was a trip to the Caymans Islands in the middle of August. Fun, relaxing... a great week!
Emmy digging in the sand... by far her FAVORITE activity!
Chloe is ALWAYS working on her gymnastics skills!
Ross & Joe at dinner the first night. It was a Texas bar-b-que out on the beach!
The view from our room.
We went to a sea turtle farm, where we snorkeled, swam, and got to hold the turtles. The kids enjoyed this, too!
The obligatory beach pictures!
Sunset the last night of our trip.
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