Postcards from Weston

The Stef adventure continues…will an adventure marked by big city life and international cultural and historical world centers end in the woods in Weston? I would like to think that the adventure is not ending, but entering a new phase…yes, in the woods in Weston. Is this a full circle experience? Our first house we bought was in Weston, and life worked out pretty well…let’s hope the luck stays.

The biggest change, Bob has left GE, his career for the past 14 years..where he began as a financial analyst who understood very little of what was going on around him,(what is a basis point?) to the financial reporting group where he would wake up at night with night terrors of “closing the gap”, with many years of Danbury and Norwalk commutes “this is not the 405”, to great adventures in New York, and NBC, public speaking nightmares (the girls and I would hate having to listen to his pitches over and over) that evolved to where he can teach classes, wonderful growth and development, professionally and personally.

He is no longer the same, he has matured and evolved. He (and I) have made many friends over the past 14 years, many we will miss, many we hope to always have in our lives…not easy to leave such a great experience…he gained a lot and it took a lot of contemplation to make the change, it was not a decision taken lightly...it took a lot of courage…well done Bob…I know what you are capable of…you will continue to succeed and grow. I am very proud of you.

The girls are thrilled to be back at Greens Farms Academy, and I am amazed at how easy it was to slide back into the routine…teachers and friends and the schedule…like old school. Lauren starts in 9th grade, high school…she is happy to be at GFA, but told me a fun story that compares St James and GFA well…Mrs. Hartwell, the headmistress of the school, walked into the high school common room where the kids hang out between classes or at the beginning of the day, she noticed a school book on the floor and asked the students whose book this was…no one responded, and she soon walked out. Lauren couldn’t believe that everyone did not stop what they were doing, stand up and say Good Morning Mrs. Hartwell and then promptly reply to her question….a big change…(not sure I think for the better, but a good illustration of the difference in school cultures) and as I type this, I need to ask Lauren, did she answer Mrs Hartwell?

Megan started Kindergarten and has Mrs. Reardon, the wonderful teacher Rachel had in Kindergarten..and Rachel has Ms Thorkolson (Ms. T) who she was hoping to get..They are so cute going into class in the morning….all is well and they are making new friends and getting back in touch with old friends. Last night was Back to School BBQ, and it was nice to see old friends and catch up…I am amazed how much the children have grown in such a short time. More than one person has confused Megan for Rachel.

I asked Megan how Friday assembly was, any commendations? None, she smiled, this is not St James..sadly no..there is so much I will miss at St James, Sanskrit assembly with Mr Jessup's fun and enlightening fables, Friday assembly with the lovely commendations, cake sales on Thursdays, no matter the weather, Mrs Thomlinson and her wonderful care and guiding hand, Mrs Bowman with her loving, steady forward motion, Mr Weigal with his attention to detail and high expectations, Allessandra nagging me to sign in and out all the time, Mrs Brown with her cute skirts, the proper behavior expected from my children, the cute uniforms, the swimming lessons, Lauren's three languages and three sciences.

Most of all I will miss my dear new friends who made my experience not only bearable, but wonderfully enjoyable and enriching...I know each of them taught me a new lesson that I will cherish always..I will think twice before slathering my children in hydrocortisone, when perhaps olive oil may do the trick, or tea tree. I will always think of pregnant British Americans walking dogs in parks and munching on Peanut Butter Captain Crunch while lamenting the size of her belly, and then eating a croissant - sorry, sharing a croissant. Moms navigating the streets of London with three children in a large basket bicycle, with a killer butt and great sense of humor. Tireless moms who keep St James moving along day to day, with no thought of themselves, give give give.

Friends who taught me about art, world religions, homeopathy and Indian culture, British country life and wonderful help with my many adjustment issues..thank you thank you thank you...you were a blessing in my life. I hope that the small size of this world we share will allow us to stay in touch. I shall miss you all very much.

Commuting from Madison to GFA and NYC was not a fun option, the girls and I rented a temp apartment in Norwalk this week while we looked for a place to rent…the place was convenient, but pretty shabby..but they took Ramsay, so we were happy that he could be with us.

After much back and forth, we found a wonderful newly built home in lower Weston…it is nice size and the details inside are much like our house in Westport, same kitchen cabinets, similar tile floors, etc. It has a nice flow for us and we like it a lot…Megan, Rachel and I slept here last night (Lauren had a 9th grade camp out at school) and it was a bit quiet, and Ramsay was on high alert all night, but we did pretty well …Thanks so much Mom and Dad for helping get this place ship shape so quickly!! I think we are going to be happy here….I need to stop talking down Weston, this new house is less than 10 minutes away from Main Street Westport, can’t complain about that. Its just so many trees, so little signs of life.

It is very nice to be back home….I pinched myself last Sunday when we having a family dinner that included my grandparents, and said to Bob, as wonderful as London is, that is what I missed the most every weekend was time with family around the table…we are so blessed to have such a wonderful family to come home to and love. Looking forward to your sauce on Sunday Nana.

I will email you our new address. Phone will be switched on Tuesday. For now, my cell works at the house.

Lots of Love from Weston...

Amy

PS - Lauren has slept all day while I readied Soundviews for Tropical Storm Hannah - seems the 9th grade campout did not involve any sleeping...its now 2:30pm...zzzzzz