Family time- living like a local in CT, Berkshires adventures…Bye Bye CT….hello Chapter 3….

I have not written in a while, as I have been living a very normal life in West Hartford, CT with family and new found friends. Life has never been better. Shocking how fast 2 months has flown by. I just arrived to Woodstock, NY tonight. To recap and share Dora’s adventures with fun photos……This has been my WeHa home. So blessed to have spent 3.5 weeks of cherished time making more memories with my Aunt & Uncle. Many home cooked meals and good times. Normal living feels just like home.

I really do LOVE New England so much. I have been walking daily Elizebeth Park & the Reservoir, between the 2 I try to do 3-5 miles a day. Its the best way to start my day. The flowers, green trees, water, brisk air, the moisture in the air, rainy days, being surround by the beauty of nature, and mostly the sounds of bugs…..music to my ears. Such fairy tale land scenery. We have had my cousin Julies dog, Darla visiting. She has been my side kick on my many walks. My eggs for breakfast with fresh hazelnut coffee. Then I work…..been hopping between the 5 star Delamar boutique hotel, Cafe Sophia Coffee, or the Treva restaurant Bar in the afternoon. If you have not caught on yet, remote work is the best gig EVER!! One day I was lucky to work at the Spaces co-working place, a real treat to get to try out for a free day. It was such a productive day with my support group I host across state lines.

When I mentioned its normal life….I did my 5 day Prolon fast, we had Saige sleepover, the kids add the fun chaos to a family filled loud house like Im used too. Bubble baths for the kids, lots of play time, normal type errands(new watch battery needed). Life feels regular here. Family is family. My uncle had his high school friend visit, it was fun to sit around and hear old stories of them in their 20’s traveling cross country when they stayed with us in AZ….Terri was a toddler, I was not even here yet. I know stories of this guy that it was fun to finally meet in person. He and his wife stayed over. I had another beach day…Adam with the 2 kids and my aunt/ uncle….we all went to Ocean Beach in New London, CT. Dinner on tye water by the boats. Another dreamy weekend for the books after my sleepover in the country. Adam lives in Ellington, CT. My sleepover was so fun. These kids are too cute, such a good age….my fav in fact. As all my girls know the younger years are my sweet spot. I mean, can you believe it, that our Macey has started college. Nuts, how fast time flies. All my girls are getting to be adults off on their own. I was lucky to get up with Lincoln in the AM, we had an hour of solo play time. Too cute. Saige is my bff, but she truly LOVES Whitney. It is SO cute as we had to face time Whit a lot!

Julie came to get Darla, we got to have a night out just the 2 of us, soul sisters…..we had a pedicure, and made our way to New Haven, CT. If you are not aware they have a famous Pizza scene near Yale University. A few rivalry’s to choose from….out of the top 3 I researched we ended up at a place called, Modern. It was a yummy pizza. I dropped her off at the train and headed back to get ready for my last week in CT. Many more walks- really trying for 2 in one day(6 miles a day), farmers markets, a visit with Dr Tom, my savior Dr who my dad loved. More lunches at Treva, kid time, work, and the famous Crown tuna. The Crown is a legendary kosher market that I have been going to since my childhood…..they have hands down the best tuna. I had a fun night out with a new friend at mini golf/go-karts, and a CT lobster roll dive place that was SO yummy, the Blue Lobster, ended by a Max’s Salted caramel brownie….Fun times. I need to up the walking exercise no doubt. The reservoir walk is so gorgeous, especially on a misty cloudy morning before work. My aunt has made many of my fav home cooked meals of hers I love. I had the great pleasure to watch the Republican debate on FOX with my CUJ next to me. It was like old times with my dad, although the commentary is much different. It was so entertaining to me. The family texting and TV was super entertaining to me. I can’t wait for the next one. Saige & Lincoln come over to be watched 2 mornings a week, it is truly the BEST way to start the day with these lil cuties. They are both such happy kids, and the absolute cutest. I had the treat of meeting the incredible most positive John Brubaker for coffee. He did my resume for me 6 years ago. His business is here in CT, and he is worth every penny. If you need to be uplifted in the career space ever- he’s your guy. We have stayed in touch through linked in, and he had genuine interest in learning more about PairTree and catching up. It was a lovely visit.

We planned for just a kids night out for my last Friday. Me with my cousins w/kids and one friend. We had a great night at Bricco, ate so much, again…with great cocktails, thankfully we all walked the center after…..West Hartford center is like a downtown setting out of the movie Father of the Bride. Kids can run, everyone is out in the streets. It was a beautiful evening. I actually saw the Mayor and took a pic with her, a friendly jewish fire cracker lady. i had heard about her and when we spotted her in the street , of course I marched over to introduce myself and grab a selfie. Lol

Saturday my last full day I had the treat of experiencing the Berkshires…..never did I know how close this slice of heaven was to CT. The drive was beautiful scenery….so many animals on the drive..baby horses & cows, chickens, bunny’s, lots of dairy farms, tree farms, weird smells, bakeries and farmers markets everywhere. We passed sunflowers, corn fields, creeks, and many farm fresh stands. The church’s and old feel architecture of history is exploding in this part of America. It is why I love New England. Our final visit was the Umpachene Falls…a gorgeous water fall that I climbed around on rocks like a little kid. It was absolutely breath taking scenery and so much fun. Ended the day with Ice Cream on a cute street in the down town area, lined with funky Flagstaff like stores. It was the best way to spend a Saturday. I wore my Dora necklace today, as it was a total Dora the explorer day.

Today, Sunday was a pack up, clean up, say good- bye kind of day. I finally got on the road at 4:30 pm for my 2 hour drive to Woodstock, NY. Half of the drive was exactly the same as yesterday to the Berkshires. Sooooo dreamy with good tunes playing. The drive on the back roads is breath taking to me in these parts of NY. Water, green trees, small towns, so much charm and history around every corner. I drove through Rhine beck and made my way over the Hudson River. I arrived to Helene’s house where I will stay with her for 5 nights before my real Chapter 3 in NYC begins. She made us a yummy dinner upon my arrival with white wine. She is my dear friend who I volunteer for at home 6 months of the year. She lives here the other part of the year. I have visited her here once before and we just have such a great time together. Im excited to see her friends and have quality time when im not working. She is truly an inspirational determined woman, a role model to me in many ways. This lady never gives up and always with a big smile. She is a ray of sunshine .I’m grateful for my stay here and her willingness to keep my car here when I go to NYC. Her driver will bring me to the city.

The remainder of my year has been booked. Im thrilled for this way of life to continue. Stay tuned for Woodstock life update on Friday, before the fun in the city that never sleeps begins. Ill leave you with a photo of my new home. Sweet dreams to my loyal followers. I miss you all and hope you are wonderful!

love Laurie Sue…

aka Dora the real explorer💕❤️😘XO