Settling In

It is has been 3 weeks since we moved into the neighborhood. This is what I have learned....
1. Squirrels are my (Carly) new BFFs.
Seriously, they are everywhere and if you are lucky you will even see a black one. Legend has it that years ago Princeton did a lab experiment that went wrong on the squirrels turning them black. They escaped and can still be found roaming around on campus.

2. I (Carly) am not good at small talk
Although we are finally becoming settled in, the first few days were tough. We met A LOT of people. Everyone at the school is really nice, however we have found that you talk to them for all of three minutes and never see them again.

3. YES it is like Hogwarts.
Although there are no ghosts lining the stairways, the buildings are really cool and have tons of history to them.

4. Bow ties
Yes, I wrote bow ties. Why? The dress code here is slightly different than in California. Everything is very formal and people wear bow ties to class. On one of our first outings at the school, Chris and I showed up in flip flops and hoodies (you know, California formal wear) because we had been over dressed at just about everything else. When we walked into the room everyone was wearing sweater vests and ties. Oops!!!

5. "California Rolls"or "Hollywood Stops" should be re-named in traffic school as "All New Jersey Drivers When There is a Red Sign That Says Stop." Seriously, driving here is scary. My apologies to Irvine, CA drivers for all of the negative things I may have yelled while driving. I (Carly) need an Ambien when I drive in Jersey. There are rarely left hand turns which means you have to do this figure 8 like configuration on the road. Although it gains points for creativity, it scares me.

In all seriousness we are settling in. Princeton is beautiful and has many wonderful quirks. Our place is finally put together for the most part and Chris and I have plenty of space. We can actually be in two separate rooms now as oppose to our previous loft where everything is out in the open. Our place backs up to a canal with a running trail and a golf course. We enjoy taking walks and trying to get to know our neighbors along the way. The past few days it has been raining so we have not been able to take our nightly walks. The rain is a whole new experience. There is thunder and crazy lightning that excites us every time. We have gotten to know our neighbors and are enjoying our living situation. There are eight families to a building and each of the buildings BBQ every week which is pretty cool. Chris is loving class and is reading 24/7. Although it is a lot of hard work, he is finding it is really rewarding. I go and study on campus for my upcoming boards for my PT license while Chris is in class. We have also joined a flag football team and are starting to feel like we fit in. More pictures and stories to come!