Missing

We’ve been living in our new home and community for almost 6 months. It feels like we’ve lived here forever. We’re just so comfortable and happy here! We love our house too. However, I’ve realized that no matter where you go, you can’t have it all. We moved to NJ from Illinois in 2007 and that was definitely a lifestyle change for us. Then we moved to MD from NJ just recently. While this was definitely a good move for us, there are some things I can acknowledge that I miss about NJ. I don’t think my 2 years there were a waste by any means and I probably am more negative about being there than I really should be. In lieu of that, here is a list of things I miss about living in NJ:

1. Not having to pump my own gas, especially in the winter! Somehow gas was cheaper as a result.
2. The friends we made whom we still stay in touch with and enjoy talking to (including friends in NY). We enjoyed seeing some of them when we came up for a visit in December.
3. Being close in proximity to my mother-in-law. However, we saw her 3 weeks in a row around Thanksgiving and Hanukkah time and I know we’ll see her again very soon. I’m still happy to have family nearby, as my brother-in-law and sister-in-law live about 45 minutes away and their kids are close in age to ours.
4. My older son’s school. He has a fantastic school program here and his teachers are wonderful. However, I really think his teacher in NJ made a huge difference when it came to getting him to where he is now. I still keep in contact with her, as well.
5. My bosses (a husband and wife) from my job there. I like everyone I work with now and I still have a wonderful boss. It doesn’t mean I don’t miss them as people. My job in NJ was the first one where I felt truly respected and trusted. I also had a great rapport with the wife. We had some kids the same age and always had so much to talk about. I actually set criteria that if we were to move to a new community, I’d want all the women to be like her in terms of personality. I have not been disappointed!
6. Access to Kosher food. There were so many Kosher restaurants by where we lived and the grocery stores had huge Kosher sections, not to mention the all Kosher stores. Also, I miss the Kosher bakery at Costco.
7. My hairstylist. I was reminded of this the other day. I am hoping I’ll find someone just as good out here.
8. Two words: Amazing Savings.
9. Having a bunch of playgrounds in walking distance for Shabbat afternoon play time.
10. As much as I’m not crazy about NYC, it was nice to be close enough to be able to take in a Broadway show every now and then. Not that we got to see all that many (only 3 within 2 years). It was nice for my parents when they came to visit because they’d do a Broadway marathon.

I could come up with a list for what I miss about Illinois, but it really boils down to my family, our friends and deep dish pizza. (All pretty obvious, if you ask me.) Show Tune Sunday at Sidetracks is a nice perk, but it’s not like I got to go all that often. I kind of lost my connection to Chicago after a while and stayed suburban for the most part. I like the shul we went to, but I’m still in touch with anyone from there who wants to make the effort to stay in touch and my husband still gets updates on the latest news.

We plan to stay where we are for a long time, so there won’t be any more “what I miss” lists anytime soon. I do plan to make a list of what I love about being in MD though. Stay tuned….