New York State of Mind

I remember a conversation I had with my boyfriend back in 2003
that if he were to ever be stationed passed the Mason-Dixie Line I wouldn’t
follow him despite how much I cared for him. My reasons? First, I don’t do cold
weather. When it would get to be below sixty degrees I would be miserable. Not
to mention our idea of snow in the Lowcountry is a light dusting that doesn’t
even stick to the ground and comes about every five winters. Secondly, I love
Southern food. I love my sweet tea, shrimp-n-grits, gumbo, fried chicken, and
any type of Southern dish Paula Deen can think of. But most importantly, I
don’t do Yankees. Let me point out that my boyfriend, now husband, is from
Ohio. Anyone who isn’t from the South could see these as trivial and almost
laughable reasons. However, at the time, they were simple enough to a
Southern-going, beach-loving, sweet tea drinking woman like myself.

As Murphy’s Law would have it, here I am in Saratoga Springs, New
York. Before moving on up here I won’t lie and say that I didn’t think about
divorcing my husband. However, that seemed a bit radical. I mean, we were
living in Southeast Georgia, about 30 minutes from the beach. I guess I had to
make a decision on which one I loved more: beach and warm weather or my
husband. That is a tough one. No, I’m just kidding. Like every move I’ve made,
and I’ve moved to over a dozen places in my life, I divulged myself into
researching my new home. It didn’t take long to realize there was an
overwhelming amount of things to do in Saratoga and to get excited about my
future home.

I don’t want to sound melodramatic, but this town is amazing. The
first few days my family was here, we just walked up and down Broadway. Locals
are beyond friendly and the list of things to do or places to eat are
limitless. Yes, there is snow in the winter, but I believe I am having a love
affair with it. And of course there are things that drive me crazy up here. For
instance, I am guilty as charge for talking on my cell while I drive and have
had to quickly change that habit. Then there’s Broadway traffic, but that’s no
comparison to D.C. or Atlanta. If you tried to tell me 8 years ago that I would
be in love with a New York town, I would have laughed.

So here I am in a New York State of mind. Already I have a list of
things I want to do and see while I’m here. In four years, when it’s time to
move to our next Naval Station, I don’t know how I’ll be able to leave. I am
completely ecstatic to be given the opportunity to share my experiences of
Saratoga Springs and the things to do here as well as nearby places. I am
a “stay at home mom”, so a lot of what I do will probably focus on
family things. Not all of course and I look forward to any suggestions. Hopefully
once my husband and I find a sitter we love, we will be able to enjoy the night
life this town has to offer. One thing is for sure, as the state song would
say, “New York is different cause there’s no place else on earth quite
like New York and that’s why I love New York.” Thanks for reading!

Cheers Y’all!