Hi all,
It's been more than a while since my last post. There are a couple of reasons for this - one is that we've settled into more a routine as the months go on, so there's not as much new stuff to share. We're still enjoying our time here and continue to find great places to explore and eat. The second reason is that it didn't feel right to be writing a blog about things we were doing here while our friends and family were strugging in the aftermath of Sandy. However, the last few weeks did give me a lot of time to reflect upon my adopted home state and I would like to share some of my thoughts and story with you now.
I moved to New Jersey in December 1993. It wasn’t something I planned to do. A job opportunity came my way and without too much time to think about it, I decided to pack up and leave Milwaukee. At the time, I didn’t intend to stay in New Jersey. I loved living in Milwaukee (despite the cold winters!), had great friends and enjoyed my life. I saw it as a career move that would enable me to move back to Wisconsin at some point and be able to have a job that didn’t require me to work nights, weekends and holidays. I had worked as a Store Manager for various retail companies for over 10 years and needed a change. The move also provided me with the opportunity to be closer to my family who were living in Massachusetts at the time. So off to NJ I went…
It has been a very trying and difficult couple of weeks for our friends and family back in New Jersey, New York and the surrounding areas. We followed the events online and kept up with people through email and Facebook. It has been heartbreaking to see the losses people have suffered and what’s happened to places we all know and love. I know there are people out there still struggling to get through each day. It’s going to be a long road to recovery for many, but it will happen as the people of New Jersey will make sure it happens.
On a lighter note, my house-sitter had to escape our cold, dark house during the extended power outage and went to her parent's house once their power came back. So our cat, Owen, went on the road with her. Owen is quite the trooper. He made some new friends and settled in nicely in his new surroundings. Here he is catching some zzzz's....
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It's been more than a while since my last post. There are a couple of reasons for this - one is that we've settled into more a routine as the months go on, so there's not as much new stuff to share. We're still enjoying our time here and continue to find great places to explore and eat. The second reason is that it didn't feel right to be writing a blog about things we were doing here while our friends and family were strugging in the aftermath of Sandy. However, the last few weeks did give me a lot of time to reflect upon my adopted home state and I would like to share some of my thoughts and story with you now.
I moved to New Jersey in December 1993. It wasn’t something I planned to do. A job opportunity came my way and without too much time to think about it, I decided to pack up and leave Milwaukee. At the time, I didn’t intend to stay in New Jersey. I loved living in Milwaukee (despite the cold winters!), had great friends and enjoyed my life. I saw it as a career move that would enable me to move back to Wisconsin at some point and be able to have a job that didn’t require me to work nights, weekends and holidays. I had worked as a Store Manager for various retail companies for over 10 years and needed a change. The move also provided me with the opportunity to be closer to my family who were living in Massachusetts at the time. So off to NJ I went…
It wasn’t an easy move.
It took a while to make friends.
Everyone was very friendly and welcoming but it was hard to break through
and make connections. I have a lifelong
friend, Louise, who lived in Piscataway at the time and she was my
lifeline. I truly don't know what I would have done without her there! I remember her telling me that
it wasn’t easy living in New Jersey at first, but after about three years it
will all click into place and feel like home.
She was so right! It was about
that time that I made some friends who helped make New Jersey home for me and happily
are dear friends to this day. In late 2000, I started dating Zack and we have been happily married since 2004.
Fast forward to 19 years later… I never left and am proud to call New
Jersey my home. We are fortunate to have cherished family and friends nearby and love all that New
Jersey has to offer. Even though this wasn't my original plan, it turns out that it was a very good decision and I have no regrets. This overseas
experience we are having now just reinforces these choices, has made us both realize what is important in our lives and makes us
miss home so much.
It has been a very trying and difficult couple of weeks for our friends and family back in New Jersey, New York and the surrounding areas. We followed the events online and kept up with people through email and Facebook. It has been heartbreaking to see the losses people have suffered and what’s happened to places we all know and love. I know there are people out there still struggling to get through each day. It’s going to be a long road to recovery for many, but it will happen as the people of New Jersey will make sure it happens.
On a lighter note, my house-sitter had to escape our cold, dark house during the extended power outage and went to her parent's house once their power came back. So our cat, Owen, went on the road with her. Owen is quite the trooper. He made some new friends and settled in nicely in his new surroundings. Here he is catching some zzzz's....
.JPG)
Fun stuff on our horizon - my mother-in-law is coming for a visit Thursday night and will be with us for a week. We have lots of fun plans for her visit and will have new adventures to share with you later. We got invited to a Thanksgiving dinner here in Hong Kong at the home of a co-worker and her American husband. So, we will get to enjoy turkey and all the trimmings with some new friends. Also, we are anxiously counting down the days to our Christmas
trip home. We will be home from December
23 to January 3 and cannot wait to see everyone and give them big, big hugs!!!
With Love,
Carla
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