Kelly has been traveling to Norwalk, CT for the past 2 years for business. Each time he goes, I get extremely jealous because Norwalk is just minutes away from Darien, CT which is where I was a nanny back in my college days. He would come home and tell me the sites he passed and how beautiful everything was...I told him finally that I must accompany him on his next trip because I needed to get back there! Darien is also sort of where we got engaged. Kelly popped the question in "The Sacred Grove" in upstate New York but we spent the few days after in CT at the Williamson's, calling our parents to tell them the news and walking Roton Point beach together. I took Kelly all around the Darien/Norwalk area to show him where I lived and worked. So, for Kelly and I to go back there together, was meaningful for both of us! I told Kelly that I must go back in the fall because CT is absolutely gorgeous in fall color! So, he managed to get me back out there this past week for a quick visit that was absolutely perfect! It was rough making this whole trip happen due to babysitting glitches, but after a nice red eye Wed. night, I touched down at JFK very excited and anxious to see Kelly who left a few days before me for business (which included fishing in the Long Island Sound!) Our first day was long since I got in at 6:30 am. We drove into New York and had a hardy breakfast at the Brooklyn Diner near Central Park. We then walked the park for a good hour or so. It is so BIG and beautiful! The highlight was walking near the river and seeing a caucasian man doing Tie Chi in dockers with no apprehension what so ever! Different strokes for different folks! That was just the first strange sighting. (There were many!) We then made our way back to get our car and drove out to Darien. Good thing we had "Martha," our GPS, to guide us! We stopped at the Williamson's house first (the family I nannied for) and then drove around and around through gorgeous neighborhoods, cute New England shops and out to the beach at Rowayton. We took pictures of some houses we loved on the way. The thing that struck me was the fact that it all looked slightly foreign to me at first. It took a while for it to look familiar again. Rowayton was the most familiar, and the train station area. Driving around, looking at the tree lined streets, the spacious yards, the streams, the few fall colors that have turned, I was struck by the beauty although not surprised. I love Darien! We shopped, ate, and walked the beach next to Roton Point where I used to spend alot of time with Kari and Matt when I lived there. The beach was closed to us because it is private so we went next door to Bayley Beach which I had never remembered the name of and now that name is significant! We were the only ones on the beach so we settled into some adirondack chairs and eased back into complete serenity! Kelly and I walked around looking for some interesting shells to take home to Bailey (because she LOVES the beach and has a collection of shells.) Kelly came up to me with his hand closed and said, "I found the perfect shell!" He then unfolded his hand and placed a $20 dollar bill in my hand! SCORE! We then went to check into our hotel in Stamford, CT. We got ready and headed back to the Williamson's to meet them for dinner. I can't tell you how much walking into their house and seeing their faces meant to me! It was a wonderful reunion with two incredible people! Unfortunately both kids are gone, Matt in SF and Kari in New York in college. But, Matt did call moments after I walked in the door, to my surprise and delight! I talked to him for a bit while we walked around the house, reminiscing. We went to dinner at a superb place in Norwalk. Great meal, perfect company! It was so fun to catch up and remember the old times together. I had seen the Williamson's only once in 14 years. They came to UT for a family trip to the parks down in southern UT and had a nanny reunion here since most of their Nanny's came from this area. The kids were probably 10 and 6 then. Boy does time fly! Matt is 23 and Kari, 19! Sandy, a puppy when I first arrived on the job, has since passed away. So, thing have changed a little yet are very much the same! The Williamsons will always have a special place in my heart! The next day, after sleeping in, we went to Greenwich, CT and had lunch at The Ginger Man and drove around, shopped a little then went into New York! We stayed in the Soho area where there are a lot of cute shops and restaurants. We walked around for the rest of the day, found some great shops and that night, ate at a wonderful sea food restaurant. We were slightly under dressed for the restaurant which was very romantic, candle lit, piano music etc...but it was OK and we had delicious food that cost wayyyyyyyy tooooooo muchhhhhh! (The hotel picked the restaurant for us!) Saturday we did our tourist obligations and went out to the Statue of Liberty. It was a long trip, cold and slightly damp, but worth it! Every time I see the Statue, I get a little emotional. It is the symbol of our Country, our freedom and independance. It was also a little strange to see the NY sky line without the World Trade Center. There were more foreigners on the boat than Americans! It was fun to listen to where they were from! We went to Ground Zero after the Statue. We were a little melancholy as we marvelled at the gigantic hole that is still being excavated! Such a tragedy! We took the subway up to the Museum of Natural History. Talk about an amazing place! It would literally take you a full day maybe two to see this place! They have the biggest collection of dinosaur bones in the nation. They had bones of prehistoric animals of all sorts-strange and amazing! We loved the American Indian exhibit. After the museum, we were pretty wiped out so we went back to Soho, fought the crowds at a few stores, then hurried back to our hotel for some quick cleaning up before our night out. We met Eric Thiegs, a good friend and colleague of Kelly's, and his wife Becky for dinner. We had fun talking, getting to know Becky and eating great Italian fare. After dinner, we walked to the theatre to see "In the Heights." What a fun play! It won the 2008 Tony for best musical and best story! The main character, Usnavy, rapped, the dancers did some great street dancing, very modern and fresh, the actresses playing lead roles were so gifted with strong voices, the mom and dad characters I recognized from movies and TV. It was a great show and great company! Eric and Becky are easy to love and a blast to share a play with since they are involved in plays themselves and have a passion for Broadway! Kel and I were in heaven! Broadway is a favorite for us and we just sat back with big grins on our faces! Tracey, from Access, lent Kelly the soundtrack so we had already listened and memorized some of the music before hand. Kelly and I stayed after to get some autographs from the performers! So, that was our trip to The Big Apple! We have made new memories to cherish and we won't wait 14 years to go back together! Next time we'll bring the kids and do upstate NY with them!
