New York State of Mind

Well it's been a long time since we have posted on here. Quite a bit has changed. Travis made it into PA (Physician Assistant) school in Long Island, NY and we made the big move a couple weeks ago. Travis drove out here with his parents and uncle and they made really great time. 4 days and 2500 miles later, they were in Bay Shore, NY on Long Island. Taisley and I flew out with Taisley's aunt, Lacy Jo, 5 days after they started their driving adventure. Lacy Jo and Trav's mom, Becky, were able to stay out for another week longer so we got to do some fun stuff right away!

(This is our new home. It is a duplex home so it's basically 2 apartments in one home. We live in the upstairs. Once you walk in the front door, there are separate door entrances to the down stairs and the upstairs. We love our new place. ) 

(Our downstairs neighbor has a 3 yr old son so Taisley has a lot of new fun toys in the backyard. Including a trampoline :)) 

It has been so great so far. Travis starts school in about 2 1/2 weeks and he couldn't be more excited. It's been really nice having this time to spend together before he starts because we all know he will be a very busy student real soon! The weather has been awesome! Mostly 70's and 80's. Some days get kinda warm with the humidity but it sure beats the the 100 degree temps in AZ right?  We have a beach about 10-15 minutes from our house!!!! There have been lots of cloudy days but we have spent the sunny days sitting at the beach. Who knew we would come to NY and get a nice suntan? We were really surprised with how nice the beaches are here. The sand is so soft...it looks and feels like brown sugar. Of course little Taisley loves to eat it so we have to keep a pacifier in her mouth...that usually does the trick...at least for a short while anyway :)

One of the first things we did with Lacy Jo and Becky was go to Fire Island. It's a skinny island that runs along the south shore of Long Island. There are a lot of houses on there...nice houses....but no cars are allowed on the island. You have to take a ferry to get out there. It's a great vacation place with beaches and lots of fun shops and places to eat. Taisley, being the friendly baby that she is, made friends with this group of young Asians on the ferry ride out to Fire Island. They were just in love with her. We kept running into them on the island in different areas and they would stop and take pictures of her and laugh and Taisley was just eating up the attention the whole time. I wish we had taken a picture of them taking pictures of Taisley because it was hilarious! One of them even asked if she could hold her and of course Taisley was all smiles and went right to her, haha. She kept saying thank you for letting her hold Taisley. It was like they had never seen an American baby before. They were very sweet.

(taking the ferry out to Fire Island with Lacy Jo and Becky)

We were also able to go to the city the first week here as well. Bay Shore is located 45 miles east of Manhattan along the south shore of Long Island. You don't dare drive your own car into the city so it's about an hour train ride each way. Once you get into the city, you take the subways to get around. It's kind of overwhelming the first time you go to the city...tons and tons of people everywhere. You are not really sure where to start. It can be a difficult trip with an 11 month old too :) Really though, Taisley has been awesome this whole time. Poor baby...she has done more things in the past 2 weeks than some people do in there whole life time :) We definitely have to go back to the city to see everything. We were able to see Madison Square Garden, Time Square, Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial at ground zero. That was so awesome!! It was kind of surreal to be standing in the exact spot where the twin towers used to stand and just imagine how everyone must have been feeling and to actually see it happen. There is still a lot we can do and see in the city but we have plenty of time to do that.

 (The 9/11 Memorial opened on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. There are 2 pools set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers. 30 foot waterfalls descend into a center void.) 

 (the names of all the victims are inscribed in bronze around the pools)

(Time Square)

(Taisley running around in Central Park)

(Taisley on the train ride home from NY city)

Yesterday we drove out to Montauk Point, which is the farthest east point on Long Island. With traffic it was about a 2 hour drive. It's a beautiful drive though. Green, green and more green. So many beautiful flowers too! On the way there you drive through the Hamptons, where a lot of wealthy people live. Lots of nice homes, cars and lots of shopping. It is a beautiful place to live. Montauk Point has a lighthouse that you can walk around and go up inside too. The town Montauk has a lot of nice beaches and was a fun little trip to take.

We have really enjoyed our ward so far. It's very different to what we are used to, or I should say what I am used to in AZ, Travis served his mission in Boston, MA so he has seen the church on the east coast. It is really neat though. The first Sunday in sunday school everyone clapped and cheered when we said we just moved in. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. We really like the all around diversity of cultures and almost everyone is a convert. The enthusiasm that these members have is quite amazing. It almost makes you feel like you have been taking the church for granted in your life when you hear their testimonies. It's very small compared to what we were used to back in Gilbert, AZ. The primary has about 10-15 kids and the nursery has 5-6 kids.

Taisley is such a fun baby! She is always smiling and having a great time. She is walking all over the place, she started walking at 9 months so she is basically running now, haha. She loves to wave hi and bye to everyone she sees...It doesn't matter if it's on an airplane, in a grocery store, on the beach or walking down the street. Travis says her motto in life is "Just smile and wave boys" (what the penguins say in the movie Madagascar). It's really funny. It's very hard to get upset at her when she just gives you that grin from ear to ear...I think we are in trouble for the future, haha. We are just having a blast with her. I'm so thankful I get to stay home with her every day now while we are in NY. She is such a busy body...sometimes, ok a lot of times, it's hard to get her to stop and do something as boring as eating food or drinking a bottle. She literally brings so much joy into our home and we love her so much!!!!