Settling in....Midtown Manhattan vs Upstate NY

 When we first arrived into Manhattan, this was the apartments that work put us in. This was pretty much how it looked like when we first entered. It surely did not look like this the very next day. The view was of a busy and often noisy city lights but different to this picture, we had a LCD tv where the buffet was and one less sofa. 2 bedrooms either side of this and a dining and kitchen right opposite the living space. It was a hop skip away from everything. An 900sqft amazing way to live and get to know the city of New York, New York....

 

Then, after 30 homes, we found this simple little abode in a quiet street in the township of Ossining. About 45mins north into the Westchester area is a popular yet quiet area. It is popular because the trains are effective in taking people in and out of city and when in this area, you will not even imagine you are in the hustle and bustle state of NYC. We were told again and again that we have to find an area that has good schools and yes, doing our homework, this village is not the top but at least not too far from the top listings. It was however further from the train station which accounted for the affordable rent and the 'bigger' and more comfortable designs. We later found (2months later) that this home at a 2200sqft approx is considered 'small' in this village...ha ha!

 The first week of arrival, our youngest person in the CHAN family turned ONE! We made it memorable and tried as much as we could to capture this moment though, it would have been nicer to have family and friends around...at least by then, we were all nearly recovered from our jet lag.

 A tiny kitchen that help feed the entire family of 5 with minimal utensils and things to use. Made me miss my Maplewoods kitchen. But I was soon blessed with a nice, fully functional kitchen that I can cook up a storm (baby food mostly) with and I was happy to just wait...

 

The city has it's draws...the lovely galleries,  the amazing museums,..

 

and of course the glitz and glamour...

 Back where the chipmunks, squirrels and groundhogs roam...this is now our home to unpack, to settle, to sleep, to play, to pray and to slowly allow God to unveil His plans in our life. We are thankful for sooooo many of His providence!

 ..and yes, 2nd Birthday celebrated in our favourite part of the house, the breakfast bench where many meals are eaten, fought over and splattered.

We are here for the fresh air, for the space, for the community (really nice people here!) and also for a safe place to bring up the family. Let's see what Ossining/Briarcliff Manor has to offer...