Hello from Portland, Maine!
It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks but, we are here and settling in.
Sam is heading into his third week of classes at UNE and is already extremely busy but, enjoying student-life. He has already made some good friends and is learning so much every day. He is gone almost all day, every weekday and is going to begin fieldwork on Fridays soon. He has been very impressed with the program so far and has very capable instructors and faculty. It's hard work but, he's doing well.
Emma and I miss Sam during the week but, we have been keeping plenty busy. Our first week was spent getting things in our apartment clean and organized. It is an old apartment situated on top of a quilting shop. It has lots of quirks but, we've made it our own and we really like it. It's only a five minute drive to Sam's school and there are all sorts of fun little gems in our neighborhood. We are frequent customers of the Rosemont Bakery just a couple of doors down and there is a cute library within walking distance. We are also a short distance from the downtown area of Portland where there are plenty of fun things to do. We enjoy driving to the farmers market a few minutes away on Saturday mornings and we are less than ten minutes from the ocean.
Oh, the ocean. We are absolutely in love and already know it will be hard to leave someday. We have visited several areas on the coast already and each has been different and so very beautiful. There is something magical about the rugged coast of Maine. The mix of pine trees and tall grasses, wildflowers, and the rocky coastline is truly a breathtaking site. There are also many sandy beaches that we've enjoyed playing together on. Emma is a sandcastle master and I am always bent over collecting shells while Sam hunts for crabs. I think we could visit the ocean every day and never get tired of it.
The photos in this blog are from our picnic at the Cape Elizabeth coastline about 20 minutes from our house. Our chapel is near there so, we drove to it after church today with a packed lunch. After climbing to the top of a big green hill, the ocean came into view just beyond some tangled green bushes and jagged black rocks and my heart skipped a beat. It's like Sam said the other day, "New England is always going to have a piece of our hearts." We've been here a short time but, I can already feel that that's true.
And it's not just because of the ocean! The people here are wonderful. They are quirky and honest and so very kind. We have had so much kindness shown to us from the people in our ward and we meet many talkative and friendly strangers everyday. I went in to the quilt shop downstairs to introduce myself the other day and the owner and I talked for nearly an hour. The majority of people here are very friendly. Even people we've passed by on the street have started up long conversations with us. People seem to really want to give you their time here and I admire that.
Unfortunately, the only thing missing from Maine is all of the people we left behind that we love and miss so very much. (Well, that and the Southern Utah mountains.) Every time we visit a new place, I think about all of the people I wish I could take there with me. I have made all kinds of plans in my mind for visitors who I hope will come. It is hard sometimes to be alone with just Emma while Sam is busy in school and loved ones are so far away. We keep busy with our days of exploring (I call them "Emma and Mama's Adventure Days") but, every day we think about the people we love that are so very far away and wish they could all come and stay. (By the way, our air mattress es su air mattress!!)
More to come very soon! I want to share pieces of Maine with each of you.
No comments:
Post a Comment