One Year in Dobbs Ferry: The Wins, The Lessons, and The Bunnies
“You belong among the wildflowers. You belong somewhere close to me. Far away from your trouble and worry. You belong somewhere you feel free.” — Tom Petty, “Wildflowers”
One year ago this month, we made the Brooklyn -> Dobbs Ferry, Westchester move, which I’ve learned is extremely common, except most families up here did it 6 years ago when the pandemic started. Despite some occasionally harrowing stories (looking at you, “getting sprayed in the face with a broken outdoor water valve the night before the biggest snowstorm, like, ever”), it’s been an incredible experience for my family and me. The schools and teachers are A+, we’ve found some amazing restaurants to rival some of the ones we miss from Brooklyn, and we’ve found “our people” up here.
No longer needing to look for parking late at night, the ability to wash and dry clothes whenever we need to, and the unbridled joy of Kenzie’s tail wagging / kisses/ general freakouts when you walk through the door (every time) are just some of the WINS of this move for sure.
We learned quickly that we needed a second car, and that a 4-page PDF of every vendor we might need as homeowners was the best housewarming gift we’ve received. Thanks again, Lisa Cassella! It will surely not surprise the great folks in my BNI 53, Worth Waking Up For group that I’ve quickly become the go-to person to refer others in Dobbs to these vendors. Giver’s gain, even when you don’t get any credit for it. =)
I’m burying this in the middle of this post, and I’m going to whisper it: I don’t really miss Brooklyn.
As someone who lived there for 15 years and kind of thought we’d be there forever, I’m surprising myself here. We miss our FRIENDS from Brooklyn and have made it a priority to spend time with them. It’s always fun to visit, but I don’t miss the constant traffic in and out of it, and once when we were visiting with Kenzie, I was like, “Where’s the grass for her to pee in here?”
Coming from a rental, I still find joy in being able to look at something in the house and fix or change it to suit us. Little things like hanging up the snowboards in the garage, learning to hang a TV, and doing yard work are still enjoyable. The fact that I enjoy this stuff? I’m gonna go ahead and attribute that to my Dad’s influence.
In the “I’ve seen fire, and I’ve seen rain” category: other wins are the capability of grilling our meals, a roaring fireplace in the winter, and making s’mores with the kids in said fireplace. In the summer, the sprinkler is maybe the best $10 I’ve ever spent; we’re gonna bust out the slip n’ slide any day now, and an outstanding town pool complete with water slide is a short 10-minute walk away.
Adorable bunnies and chipmunks have replaced late-night ambulance sirens and out-for-public-consumption drug deals.
The kids can just go outside whenever they want, and we don’t have to think about it. We just didn’t have that in BK. Although to be fair, we also didn’t have a backyard with a trampoline and ninja obstacles, so…
Finally, finding our crew has been the main highlight for us. Friday night happy hours at Climbing Wolf, Wednesday night Jazz nights on our beautiful waterfront, my gamers crew that I didn’t know I needed in my life, my two ice hockey squads, and our community at Woodlands Temple. Everyone has been so welcoming, hospitable, and friendly to us. We immediately feel home and embraced as we dive right into this chapter of our lives.
One selfish ask before I go: I’m still actively looking for a softball team up here if anyone knows a team that needs people.
Finally, if you’ve made a similar move, what wins have you had?
This month, Murph Consulting turned 18. I cranked up Alice Cooper's "I'm 18" and Skid Row's "18 and Life" to get the vibes going. My company is now old enough to vote, get a tattoo, and get married, all without parental consent. Watch out, world!
In all seriousness, the passing of another year of entrepreneurship and running a successful business always feels like a good time to reflect. Since we started in 2007, we've assisted nearly 600 small businesses and residential clients. Businesses in every industry, ranging in size from the solopreneur to 100 employees. There’s no company we’ll say “you’re too small for us to help”, and that gives me great joy. Small businesses need tech and CyberSecurity support, and we’ve got their backs.
Speaking of, it's October again, and you all know what that means, right? The Mets have failed us, and the Islanders, Jets, and Rangers are about to. It's also Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Every small business should be implementing some basic security measures by now. It's easier and more affordable than you think it is, and definitely cheaper than dealing with the fallout of something drastically bad happening to your business.
How's your password game? Do you use strong passwords on all the sites you visit, or are they all slight modifications of one word, like your kids or pets' names or birth dates?
If it's the latter, let's chat. You should be using a password manager. They are easy to use, create complex passwords for you that you no longer need to remember, and keep them all safe for you. I can't remember the last time I had to click on the "forgot your password" link for any site, and I love that for me.
A password manager is just one of the seven software we feel EVERY small business should have in place to help keep them protected in 2025. We’ve packaged these up together neatly and made them affordable for the small businesses we will always support. If you’d like to learn more, please click the “Contact Murph” button below to send me an email.