Two Weeks in CA

Week 2 in California was an eventful week with it's share of ups and downs. Monday was a crazy day, but we saw a rainbow in the morning. My mom needed to head back to Texas. We had to call a cab to take her to the airport since we were waiting for both the movers and my car to arrive. The movers had to unload onto a smaller truck in order to get into our apartment complex, so the unloading process took up most of the day. In the midst of all of that my car arrived safe and sound.

Our apartment went from almost empty, to filled with boxes, and then to mostly unpacked this week. We still have some unpacking and organizing to do, but things are mostly functional around here. We weeded out a lot of stuff in Texas, but there is more weeding out to do here. We have a large donation box ready to go. You do not realize how much stuff you have until you move!

This week I discovered that Alex is at an "in between age." I thought that joining the YMCA would be a good thing for Alex and I to do, but this one does not have as much for an almost-three-year-old who is not potty trained yet. The local Mother's Day Out and Preschool programs that I found at an affordable price are full of course. Alex is not at a good age to go with me on all of the boring errands that are part of settling into a new place. I am looking into some other childcare options to help while I look for a job.

Story time at the library and playgrounds continue to be a hit with Alex. He also built me three houses one morning.

We ended the week with a picnic lunch and a brief hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This was Alex (and Paddy's) first trip into the mountains (or "mounts" as Alex calls them).

First Week in CA

I have lived in California for a week and our move is still in progress. Our stuff and my car will arrive early next week. I have a lot of unpacking in my future! John only had a week to find us a new place, and he did a great job.

We figured out how to live in a semi empty apartment for a little while. Ikea and air mattresses have really helped!

We are looking forward to having our stuff again, especially the beds and kitchen table. I am sure that Alex will be happy to have the rest of his toys.

It will take us a while to settle in, but I am learning my way around the immediate area. I am working on establishing my new "5 mile radius", although my next job will probably be more than 5 miles from home. I've had two job interviews so far, but it will take a while to hear back on them.

My mom flew out with the dogs on Thursday, which was a huge help. In the moving process, I realized that there was no way that I could fly with a toddler and two dogs. The dogs did well overall on the plane ride, and we were happy with how United treated my mom and the dogs. Frida rode as a carry on, but Paddy had to go with checked bagage. They are both making themselves at home.

Checking Things Out

I had the opportunity to make a trip to out to California before the move to check out the area and have a job interview.

I had the chance to get outside during my lay over in San Diego, and it was a beautiful day.

As we flew north up the California coast, I could see the sunset, mountains and water.

We had a delicious brunch at La Mere Michelle in Saratoga before heading into the Santa Cruz Mountains.

I took my first trip across the Golden Gate Bridge and enjoyed great views of San Francisco.

We had lunch in Sausalito at Fish and enjoyed walking around the area before heading into San Francisco.

I had a job interview at San Jose State University and enjoyed seeing the campus. (It will be a few weeks until I hear back about the position.)

It was a good weekend in the middle of all the craziness of moving!

The 2011 Roller Coaster

We are saying good bye to 2011 today. As I look back, I don't really remember the first half of the year. There were six uneventful months. And then the roller coaster began as John started applying to jobs in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area. It was just on a whim, but then he started getting interviews! The process began in July 2011 and will last into 2012.
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We've had our ups and downs. We have examined so many aspects of our lives. We are willing to let go of many good things to open the door for new possibilities and growth. I wonder how I will reflect back on 2012 when the year winds down. I expect it to be a year of many new things, but I am not exactly sure what is coming.

Over the past few months, I have realized the my family of three is the most important thing to me. (Other things are important too: my extended family, friends, job, home, etc.) What I need most of all is John and Alex. When I saw this video posted last summer, it clicked with me.



I wish you a happy 2012! Soon my blog title will be outdated: I have another 1600 some miles to travel.

Checking in

Bit by bit, we are getting ready to move to California. I know that things will move even faster in January. I am sad to be leaving my current job the first week of January but excited about some job prospects in California. I am nervous about selling our house but excited about our new place even though I have not seen it yet.

I finished my Christmas shopping but have not even started wrapping...

Merry Christmas!

Stuff

It is so easy to accumulate stuff! We are cleaning out some things before the move and preparing to live in a smaller space. The movers estimate that we have 4,718 pounds of stuff to move to California. It is weird to think about the amount of stuff you own in pounds!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We have really enjoyed the Thanksgiving Weekend!

Our Thanksgiving decoration was a turkey that Alex made at school. He likes that it is hanging on the refrigerator.

With the craziness of preparing to move, we decided to keep our Thanksgiving simple:
Thanksgiving Menu
Turkey
Gravy
Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry Sauce (from a can)
Pumpkin & Apple Pies (Baked by HEB)

Everything tasted great and our meal was ready ahead of schedule. We have just enough leftovers to enjoy.

Alex watched a little of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but it did not hold his interest. He spent lots of time playing.

We found out that one of our neighbors was planning to have a garage sale on Friday. It was perfect timing, and we also had a successful garage sale. It is easy to ignore Black Friday sales when you are preoccupied with clearing out extra items for a move.

On Saturday, we had some time to rest and a fun play date with friends. We continue to organize and weed out extra things. I feel better about selling or giving away items when I know that someone can use them. I feel less sentimental than expected about letting go of baby items since I have so many photos of Alex from that time. I don't feel that I need the physical items since I have the photos and memories.