Exploring Brooklyn

Okay so I thought I would write our explores of Brooklyn and some of the fun differences I have come across.

Riding the Bus

Our first day without Glenn we ventured out and rode the bus. Another Mom in the ward invited us to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. She helped us on our first bus ride. We met at the bus stop, loaded our kids up and took the bus for about 15 min. Rebekah thought it was the coolest thing ever. The other Mom said that I will have a good amount of bus stories after a while. The Brooklyn streets are extremely narrow and there are always big trucks in the city. It makes for some tight spots. I was sure one time that the bus wasn't going to make it. The truck on the other side of the street had to pull his mirror in. We barely made it. I think once I learn the bus schedules and such that it will be a good option for us when we travel. Rebekah is actually doing really well staying right by my side when we leave the house. It is making it all doable.

Driving in Brooklyn

Okay, so the second day we were without Glenn I decided that driving in Brooklyn would be scary now or scary in 2 months when I got the guts to try it, so I thought what the heck, lets get this over with. We walked to where our car was parked and I loaded the girls in. I set the GPS for target, took a few deep breaths and headed on my way. I drove through tight neighborhoods, on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, and through the busy streets of a downtown area. Whoo! It was crazy. Not only are there cars on every side of you doing whatever they can to move forward quickly but cars/trucks just pull to a stop and deliver or talk to their buddy or whatever in the right lane. Note to self, always avoid the right lane. The most difficult part was finding parking. I found a spot a few blocks away, but it only let me pay for an hour at the meter. So we rushed to Target did our shopping and then literally RAN back to the car. I barely made it. Once back in the car I just sat for 5 or so minutes trying to gear myself up for the trip home. Thanks goodness for the GPS or I would probably be on Staten Island or something.

Teaching a 2nd Language

Well, it is official, Glenn and I have decided to teach Miriam a second language. We thought about our options....Korean, Glenn could speak to her in Korean and I would speak English. Or there is Spanish, I could speak to her in my small mixed up vocabulary in Spanish and Glenn could speak to her in English, but we figured that only Liz (who took Spanish with me in high school/college) could understand her. Well, we settled on the most natural option....Dog. Miriam has picked up a dialect of the city dog. You see, we can hear dogs constantly in our apartment and also while walking on the street. Miriam is always going around saying..."woof, woof, woof." I am sure she is fluent by now. So if anyone is ever missing 101 puppies call us and we will send out the word via Miriam and her new language skills

Funny things

Okay, so instead of garage sales here they have "Stoop Sales." I had to laugh when I saw the sign on our walk home the other day. For those of you who are unsure what a stoop is, it is 6-10 stairs at the front of your building. So I assume neighbors just pile their stuff up and try to sell it.

Oh, also on trash day people just put their things on the side walk and if you see anything you want or need you just take it home with you. Our closet was missing a shelf, so on our way home one day we saw some wood. There was a piece that we thought might fit, but we thought it would be crazy if it actually did. We took it home and sure enough it fit perfectly. I was amazed.

Last thing. There is honking constantly here. I was driving in a neighborhood where I saw city signs everywhere saying that they could ticket you for honking. You could get a $350 fine for honking. Crazy, huh! I think I should steel that sign and put it right by my house.

Okay, so there is a lot about our adventures here. Sorry it is so much info, but if you are on this cite then you must want to know about our crazy lives right now, so enjoy!