Dear Friends and Family,
Starting August 1st Joey will begin a new job as organist/choir master at Calvary (Episcopal) Church in Stonington Borough, CT. Joey will commute to Stonington from our current home of Wallingford, CT during the month of August, and we will move to the borough beginning September 1st. Reverend Alfred Tisdale is the rector of Calvary Church and is one of the main reasons Joey was so drawn to Calvary. Reverend Tisdale is a wonderful person, and he and Joey share the same vision for the music program at Calvary. Joey and I are really looking forward to getting to know people in the church. So far the people we have met have been wonderful. One of the nice things about Joey's job is that the church will provide us with free housing. Because the borough is a small peninsula surrounded by ocean, it is a popular tourist destination and boasts million dollar seaside homes as well as historic homes. We would normally never be able to afford to live in the borough. However, the church will be giving us the rectory house (Calvary House) to live in which is located directly next to the church. (See picture above) Currently the rector and his wife live in the house and will continue to live there until they are able to sell their home in North Haven, CT and buy something in Stonington. Until they are able to move out of Calvary House, the church is renting us a beautiful home in the borough. Joey has always commented that it would be so ideal to be able to walk from home to work and now he will actually be able to do so. The church also has a music school and pre-school. Joey and I both hope to teach in the music school and Clara will be able to attend the pre-school when she is old enough. Many people from the church have commented that Stonington is a wonderful place to raise a family. There is a small beach located within five minutes from our house, and we can buy fresh seafood from the local farmer's market. Everything is within walking distance. Stonington is also located within 15 minutes of popular tourist destinations such as Mystic, Connecticut and Watch Hill, Rhode Island, so there are plenty of fun things to do when friends and family come to visit. We are planning to give a recital at the church sometime this fall in order to "introduce ourselves." We can't wait to start the next chapter of our life in Stonington. We couldn't ask for a better place to raise Clara. (We have already had babysitting offers, and we haven't even moved yet!). We will keep you updated and will hopefully be able to post some pictures of our new home once we move. Best wishes!
Erin, Joey and Clara