Shift

This is my blog that I never posted back in July. It’s so anti-blog to post something old but I’ve been out of touch with so many friends since we moved that it’s a great little life’s update! On that note, I am going to transition over to my Yogiskimom blog giving you the option to continue following. It seems more appropriate. Or perhaps reading about tragedy and recovery is your thing and you can opt to not follow. This is your chance but most of all, thank you for accompanying me on this journey and I couldn't have done it without your love, kindness, help, cupcakes, princess presents, secret friend presents and friendship overall. September’s blog post to follow! Today is our fourth week as official Vermonters! That means we have spent July playing outside in the sun, outside in the rain, dirt, sand, rocks, we love it! Any day might include swim lessons, throwing stones in the river or “rock beach” as the boys call it, more swimming, pretending to play tennis, learning new tricks and making new friends in the playground, perhaps a hike, picking blueberries and maybe, just maybe, eating ONE. Then there’s chasing chickens, hiding out during monumental rain storms, studying how ALL toilets work whether it’s in our house or a restaurant or even the port-o-john in our driveway. Personally, I’ve been getting back into mountain bike riding and enjoying practicing yoga both inside and outdoors. The boys have reunited with their toddler girlfriends who live nearby and the good news is that Michael and I have made some wonderful new friends including said-girlfriends’ parents ☺. We went to our first pot luck dinner last night which made us nostalgic for our Wastena potlucks yet eager to meet new peeps. On a very positive note, most everyone has kids the same ages as ours, which simplifies things since only about… two of our friends in Ridgewood had kids the same age, none with babies. Everyone is very very VERY nice and helpful. Moving to Stowe is like joining a secret society that you never knew existed. I highly recommend it! We can divide our friends here into a few categories: families where one or both spouses grew up in Stowe AND families that are not from here. Because we’ve had a house here for ten years, I think we bridge the two kind of well. On a business front after looking at nearly every viable commercial space for sale or rent over 8 years, we signed a lease to bring Commodities Natural Market to Stowe hopefully this November. We are so excited!!! We’re busy evaluating floor plans, redesigning the logo, getting temporary signage up, applying for permits and tax stuff. I was beyond overjoyed two weeks ago when my dear dear friends Cindy and Adam had twin baby girls, Anabel Eve and Cecilia Rose (The Rose part being named after our dear Sylvie Rose). I flew home to be with them and help where I could. It was amazing to see their journey into parenthood. I also got to stay with Polina on the UWS, take my first Soul Cycle class (Thumbs Up), Yoga Works class (won’t be going there again) and a special yoga class taught by Elena Brower at ABC (two thumbs way up). I drank way too much coffee at the Boulud space on W.65th Street. My pal Stacie came to my rescue and essentially re-worked her whole weekend so we could spend time together in the city. After dinner, we headed to Ridgewood for my 13 hours there. I enjoy the easefulness of her entire family. I just adore them. I felt a little uncomfortable on our dog walk the next morning, past our old house, which maybe I created myself, but it didn’t feel like home—none of it. Then I picked up a zillion macarons for the boys at Sook Bakery and headed to the cemetery with pruning shears. We made a choice-- A big lifestyle choice by moving to Vermont. We have wonderful friends in Ridgewood but I think our personal priorities as people, as parents, as citizens are better suited 325 miles north. Not to mention, losing Sylvie was our Get-Out-of-Jail card. We had hoped Sylvie would say that she didn’t want to leave the Mountain House and we would, four years ago, never have gone back to NJ. We bought a house here ten years ago because, in part, the schools are great and in the back of our minds, we thought we just might move here. But Sylvie never had the chance to say she wanted to stay at Mountain House forever and ever. She died. Michael and I have, I guess as successfully as two parents who have lost a child, created a new life and yes, a new family. We are allowed to move, we are allowed to do whatever it takes. And to be happy. We have a couple of friends (family too) who either don’t understand our motive for moving, or are pissed because they felt left behind or that they are tethered to jobs and family locally. Who doesn’t want a friend with a fancy ski house?! Over the weekend and even at potluck dinner meeting lots of new folks there were a lot of, ‘Wow, after having twin boys, you had the courage to have a third,” “Good thing you got a girl!” I couldn’t help but respond each time with, “Well, the universe OWED us!”