Meet the Armfield family: From London to Blackhawk

Photo by Kim Lind Photography

www.BlackhawkLivingCA.com

@BlackhawkLivingCA

Story by Megan Scott, Blackhawk resident since 2010

Cassandra and Toby Armfield never meant to settle down in Blackhawk. What was supposed to be a fun American adventure for a few years turned into purchasing a forever home, getting a dog and setting roots in a new country. Both born and raised in the United Kingdom, they had an established life in London with two young kids, family and friends. Then Cassandra says Toby came home from work one day with some interesting news, “He said he had been offered a job in California. I asked him if he said yes, and the rest is history. In 2013 we packed our bags and set out on what was supposed to be a fun adventure in California for a few years.” Cassandra adds that she thinks ending up in America was meant to be as several generations of her family nearly ended up here. “My Grandfather was American, he met my grandmother during World War II. They met in Paris, where my grandmother was is the British army. My grandfather was in the US Air Force and after the war ended they had my mother in London. My grandfather went on to Germany, then back to Wilmington, Delaware. My Grandmother decided not to travel to America to the unknown and stayed in London with her young daughter, my mother. My mother never got to meet her American father and years later when she was a young woman, she met a man in the US Air Force, but again declined an invitation to travel to America with him. Now, three generations later, the time was right for us to live in America.”

Cassandra was born and raised in Kent, England and Toby was born in London then moved to Kent when he was older. Toby went to University in North Wales and studied business and management. He says he began his career as a tax consultant in London, but ultimately ended up working in IT. “I worked at Accenture and EMC in London and across Europe before the opportunity arose to move to California to work for Visa in San Mateo. Now I’m back at Dell EMC working from a combination of Blackhawk and airline lounges,” says Toby. Cassandra’s career in London revolved around investment banking, but after having her daughter, Olivia, she realized she was not able to work the hours expected of her, and her investment banking career came to a halt. Since relocating to Blackhawk, Cassandra has started a new career as a destination consultant/relocation specialist. “I help relocate and settle in expats to the East Bay, primarily in San Ramon, Danville and Blackhawk. I also help to manage an expat Facebook group called Danville Area Expats,” says Cassandra.

A mutual friend introduced Toby and Cassandra. Cassandra says it took a while for her to catch on that he was interested in her. “Toby used to spend lots of time chatting with me and making me laugh at a local club. Little did I know he was flirting with me and wanted to date. Once I caught on, we were inseparable. In 2004, Toby proposed while we were on vacation in Sorrento, Italy. The following year we were married in an outdoor ceremony in Kent, England.”

Their two children, 10-year-old Olivia and 8-year-old Emilia keep the Armfield’s life full of fun and laughter. Oliva enjoys reading, singing, skiing and gymnastics while Emilia is a soccer girl and enjoys being a Girl Scout. The family is completed by their dog Oscar. “As soon as we bought the house, we wanted a dog. We went to a few shelters but didn’t see one that would fit our lifestyle. Then a friend mentioned she saw a dog on Craigslist that we should take a look at. It was an adorable one-year-old boy that was already potty trained. It sounded perfect to us. Once we brought our Craigslist dog home we realized he was a little bit crazy, but totally adorable. The first few days he raced around the house jumping and bouncing off every piece of furniture, and we found out the hard way that he was not potty trained! So we went back to basics, and now we have the best dog. He swims with the kids, can catch a ball, loves to be pushed around by the girls in a doll’s stroller and best of all, he loves to curl up with us and cuddle,” says Cassandra.

The Silver Maple community is where the Armfields purchased their home two years ago. They visited a friend who lived in the area and fell in love. It just so happened that the friend’s neighbor was selling her house; the Armfields decided to make an offer. The rest is history. “We got really lucky with our neighborhood. We have the best neighbors; we have neighborhood dinners, carpool together, have a street party over Christmas time, and an annual Easter egg hunt.

We are so thankful we moved into such a nice community, to have kind and friendly neighbors is a true blessing,” says Toby.