Birthday week

Last night Nacho and I made it back from what was a whirlwind trip to Porstmouth, NH for 36 hours.   It was kind of a planned yet impromptu trip to visit an area north of Boston that we've been talking about a lot over the past few months. For us, there is always the feeling that New York City, as much as we love our neighborhood, is not a permanent place to live. Maybe it's because we are so far from owning anything here, or because rent goes up again in July, or just because the school outlook for middle and high school years is a bit complicated, but we constantly have the feeling that we should be considering life outside these city limits. Mind you, neither of us is in a rush to move anywhere. On the contrary, we love our little neck of the woods in Sunnyside, Queens and have built a wonderful network of families that we love and rely on for so many things.  But there's still that nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, we could have our cake and eat it too if we moved out of such an expensive place to live. So with that in mind, we wanted to check out the possibilities within an hour of Boston which included parts of southern New Hampshire. Nacho has been working at JetBlue now for a few months and has met several pilots based out of Boston that live in that area. Since we knew we'd need a car to get around, driving up made more sense than flying so we set out on Sunday morning for a little old fashioned road trip with nothing but a general sense of where we were headed and some good snacks.  

The snow that pushed through on Saturday made the whole area seem much more wintery than it has been in weeks. And the temps, though mild, were promising to take a turn for the worst after Monday. So we scampered up to Portsmouth after a nice lunch at the Red Raven in Acton, MA (another town we've been tracking). That area was nice enough, but I didn't get a strong livability vibe from it. So onward north we drove and with each passing mile, I felt like I finally had room to entertain some of these big life decisions and really talk to Nacho about them. We have all the same fears and hopes about a move out of the city. We love it and wouldn't retreat lightly. In fact, I think we both want to live here in another 15-20 years. But in the meantime, what? Do we wait this out and hope that we haven't exhausted ourselves and our bank accounts by then? Are we really giving ourselves or the girls the lifestyle we deserve? The city offers so much in the way of attractions, entertainment and socializing, but it demands a lot too. Never having a stabilized rent/mortgage and no laundry facilities, or space to get away from each other are all big considerations as our family grows.  In the four hours we meandered up north, I thought of so many options and never closed my mind to what lie ahead.  By the time we pulled into Portsmouth it was a lovely, foggy afternoon and the town seemed to be all lit up with festive town square lights and welcoming coffee shops. I could get used to this. 

The evening ended with a visit to a friend who lives in Portsmouth and who blogs about her life and all of its suburban glory. Brenna is a native New Yorker and longtime Bostonian, and she doesn't mince words when she says she loves it up north. For her, the trade offs have taken a while to get used to but now she loves it and she thinks everyone should move there. I can see why. There is a delightful mix of old and older homes with charm, relatively sane housing prices, good schools and a quality of life that I doubt you can beat in many places. A once older neighborhood is now filling up with young families and there's a Trader Joe's just down the road. Oh, and her fire place was killer. I could have stayed there drinking wine all night. But really what it boils down to is that we are still in the exploratory phases of our move-or-don't-move decision making. And having her testimony along with our two day coastal spree was exactly what I needed to fill up my reservoir with lots of things to think about. Getting up and hitting the road to Kittery, ME the next morning was another good choice. Brenna recommended Lil's Cafe for their excellent coffee and crullers, and I was not disappointed. Telling the counter girl that I had been pointed in the right direction to come there prompted a free cruller and a smile. "This one's on the house." Well, okay, then. Nacho and I tucked into a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit that couldn't have been better and an almond croissant filled to capacity with deliciously oozy and gooey almond cream. I was thinking maybe I'd never leave Lil's. I could just send for the kids...or not. It was the kind of cafe you wish you lived around the corner from so you could soak in its beautiful light and exposed brick wall while people watching and noshing on some great food. 

The rest of the day after that delicious breakfast was even more spectacular. Kittery caught my imagination even as I read the name off the map for the first time several months ago, and it did not disappoint.  I fell in love with the scenery in a way I had not expected. I stared out at the lighthouse blinking back at us from the shores of Portsmouth and I never wanted to leave. The coastline is amazing. Even on a bitterly cold and windy day, we drank in the clear blue waters and long stretches of rocky shoreline. It was such a treat to jog along Route 103 north up to Nubble Lighthouse and see the little beach towns dotting the coast. What a different place it must be in summer. Though I loved having it all to ourselves on this wintery day, I felt like I could really get to know that area with more time.  I hope we will. Driving back home after just a day and a half was only made better by the sense of excitement and fun of having the Three Kings to celebrate the next morning. We scooped up some toys and a Rosca de Reyes cake at a local bakery in Bridgeport, CT so that arriving home at 9 p.m. wouldn't be a total joykill. We were prepared. And the re-entry was fairly smooth, even if we didn't come home with a perfectly clear vision of our how our lives will go. We enjoyed the ride and the views from our little escape and that was enough for now.