Seasons Change

Well it finally feels like winter is over! That seems like a crazy thing to be saying in mid-May. When we lived in Georgia mid-May usually meant temperatures already in the high 80's and dealing with the constant onslaught of pollen. To be honest with you, I'll happily trade the longer winters for no pollen! And now that it is spring, New Yorkers head outside to enjoy this city. The other day I even spotted Big Bird and Elmo out for a stroll in Central Park.

Going through our first season change here in the city reminds me just how much our lives have changed in such a short time. Tomorrow we will have been in NYC for four months and the truth is, we are becoming New Yorkers. Katie and I were discussing this the other day walking home from the subway. Here are some of the changes we have noticed:

• We have a great view of the Empire State Building when walking from the subway to our apartment. Now that trees are starting to bloom it is blocking our view. The other day I commented, "They need to cut these trees back, so we can see the Empire State Building!"
• We've learned to determine who are tourists and who are locals. The easiest place to spot the difference is on Times Square. Tourists always are looking up and don't know when to walk across the streets and they love to stop in the middle of the sidewalk without warning to point at something or take a picture.
• We don't miss driving, and would prefer never to drive again! The public transportation system in NYC isn't perfect, but I wouldn't trade it for a Porsche 911 (those of you who know me well know that is my dream car!). PJ and Natalie are as adept as we are at getting around this city. Ask them how to get to the Lower East Side (LES) and they will tell you to take the 7 to Grand Central then the 4/5 to downtown to Union Square to catch a M14 across town. 
• We are understanding how important food and dining is in this city. Olive Garden isn't good italian and we will never order pizza from Domino's again! People in this city connect with each other over food, really good food.

We could not have asked for a better start to our life in NYC than we have experienced over these first few months. Sure we have had our moments of missing family and friends. We have all had to learn how to operate in this city and adjust to some new realities. But God has open some tremendous doors and opportunities for our family and new church. 

Below are some pictures we took last Saturday in our backyard (Central Park). Thanks for you continued prayers and support!