Eye Love It Here!

I have to admit that I did not consciously move to Middletown because, when compared to all other options, my husband and I knew it was the best of all places to live. The truth be told, I was teaching in New London and he had just accepted a new job in Danbury, and Middletown was literally in the middle. We even drew a circle on the map at exit 20 off 91 and said that our house had to fall within a 1-2 mile radius of that point.

That was in 2002, and until last year, I was fully focused on my job, and then on the transition to stay-at-home mom with 2 and then 3 children. Sure, I knew the neighbors on my street, and then some of the families that attended school with my children, but really no one else. I love to walk, and I can remember walking through my part of Westfield, wondering who lived in the houses I passed.

Then the Army came to town. Honestly, I only caught a faint whiff of what happened the first time around in Maromas (that's how clueless I was about what happens in Middletown), and I didn't know about the Boardman Lane choice until the very end of June 2008. I attended a Westfield Residents Association (WRA) meeting at Smith Park, and then the Common Council Meeting and before I knew it, I was in the middle of it.

I have to personally thank the Army Corps of Engineers for its decision to hold a "press-only" press conference in July 2008: that event was my introduction to the Middletown Eye, and my first story as a citizen journalist (I even have press credentials!!!). Thank you, Ed, for trusting me, encouraging me, and opening my eyes to all that Middletown is and can be.

Thank you also to everyone who has contributed in the last year. I have learned so much about this town I call home, and I'm grateful every day for the geographical reasoning that brought us here! Keep up the good work! Even the smallest contribution serves to tighten our relationships with each other, and those relationships have become very precious to me.

Happy Birthday, and here's to many more!!!