Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Our House, In the Middle of Our Street

Moving is tricky business.  
Your family and friends really want you to be happy, they want to support you.  But they, the ones that are not moving, cannot fathom how you could possibly be so happy if you make such a change.

How can you leave them?  {“They’ve got a rude awakening coming…”}
How can you make a home in a place that is not their home?  {“What about all those roots you worked so hard to put down?”}
How can you find peace and happiness without them?  {“You need family near by, what if something happens?”}
With Belle's Ben and Caleb, in Mystic, just before we left.


You don’t know anybody!
You don’t know where anything is!

And then you do.

Moving is tricky because you are happy and you do find peace and you can make a new home, but you don’t want to put off a vibe that implies you were not happy or not at home in the place you are leaving.  {“I talked to her.  Did you talk to her?  She sounds happy…  Did you think she sounded happy?”}

Does being happy away mean you weren’t happy close by?

You miss your friends and your family but missing friends and family should not be confused with wishing you were there or wishing you hadn’t left or wishing you were with them right that very minute and as many minutes as possible ever because you miss them desperately!!

If you seek out true peace and happiness, with the people that you crave being with the most, you will find peace and happiness anywhere you go.

When you move away you miss familiarity.  You miss comfort.  
Moving is scary.  There are so many unknowns.

Jay and I have always been restless.  We have always known that we would not stay in Hebron forever.  We didn’t know if we would give up high taxes in central CT for high taxes in southern CT  or NY  or MA  or FL.  We never imagined CA, that’s for sure.
But look at what we’ve done.
We picked up and left our comfort, our families and our friends.  Really, really good people that we really, really love a lot.

Abby's last minute/snow emergency 9th birthday party - 2 of her besties.

But you know what?  
They’re still our family and our really, really good friends.
And the ones that aren’t?  Well, they weren’t, were they?

We have been through a lot of things in the 14 years we have been married.  Good, bad and indifferent.  Who hasn’t, right?  The more time you spend with someone, the more shit you see.
The one thing that has been consistent, that we rely on, is that we have always put each other, our marriage, first.


Once, Deborah and I discussed it.  Years ago.  My father used to get angry with my mother, saying she put us first when she should have put him first.  My mother’s argument - had she ever made it out loud - could easily have been that he was pretty damn good at putting himself first enough for both of them…  but I digress…  he’s dead... so we don’t say such things.
Anyway.  My sister said in regards to her marriage, “we put each other first and together, we put our kids first”.  I thought that was brilliant because it really does sum up a loving marriage and parenting partnership.


By putting each other first, we make our marriage/friendship/partnership the number one priority.  In doing that, our parenting style puts our kids in the forefront of lifestyle choices, but not at the sacrifice of ourselves - but as a team.
And as a team we managed this decision and this move to leave everything and everyone we know to move across the country.
And we are really happy and at peace.
And we miss our friends and family, but not because we wish we hadn’t left, but because we love them and know we will see them again and it will like we never left.
That’s the beauty of real, love-filled relationships.

In California we have found a lifestyle that allows for more free time, family activities and leisure time that we either didn’t have or didn’t make time for in Connecticut.
We go to the beach every weekend.  We ride bikes for no reason other than to go bike riding.  We watch tv and go to the movies, go to the mall and out to eat.  We spend really good quality time together.  
The weather and the city have created this perfect storm of “no excuse but to have a good time”.

Adventure Time!

We don’t own this house we live in, so we don’t have to look around in disgust at every ache and pain in the yard, on the roof or in the garden if we decide to sit outside and soak up some sun.
We aren’t responsible for “maintaining our investment” so sitting around on a Sunday afternoon watching tv is no longer impossible - there is nothing else to do!  No lawn to mow, no garden to plant, no rooms to paint, no carpet to remove or bathrooms to remodel.  It doesn’t matter!  A roof over our heads and a door to lock on the way out.  Our time is our own in a way that we couldn’t understand under the shackles of homeownership.  There are benefits to owning your own home, for sure.  But they aren’t what they once were and they may not ever outweigh this lifestyle, for us, again.
Fireworks, on the sidewalk.  Fireworks come to us, we don't go to them.

Another aspect of this move is the advantage for our children.  Presented with a new school, new kids and teachers and ways of life.  A school that is not led by all the moms they’ve known since they were toddling around park playdates.  A school that their mom was not president of the PTA for or Room Parent or even allowed to volunteer at (their school requires a TB test, *one of my quests for this summer is to find a place that administers TB tests*).

A shot from my "going away party" - it includes quite a few of,
but not all of, those mamas that we grew so happy and comfortable to live and grow with.
Awesome women.

They are adjusting to change.  Because life is all about change, really.  And to not prepare them to be able to move with and adapt to changes as needed would be unfair, really.

Ask Abby if she ever, in a trillion years, thought she would do - nevermind enjoy - Track Camp.

They are being forced to learn independence.  Independence from groups of lifelong friends, independence from familiarity and comfort zones.  They are being forced to find a better sense of what’s important and what matters to them.
They don’t know who’s cool or who’s connected, none of these kids’ moms are my friends.  They will only judge by who is nice, who is fun, who is happy - those are the people they will be attracted to play with and find their own peace with.


Pole Vault.  You can't really tell in this shot, but he's got this.
Yup.  So does she.  Try to make me say differently.












They are also learning how much they enjoy each other.  And that is something that cannot be taught or demanded.  That is a gift that we are so thankful to witness each night as they go to bed, in Abby’s room, one up in the top bunk and one in the bottom because they prefer it that way.  They want to be together.  They like each other.

Look at that love!!

This summer they have not had tons of playdates or camps or commitments.  They have had each other.  We have had and will continue to have our own playdates and adventures, just the 4 of us, with a few friends we've made along the way.

It's nice when your friend are also your cousins.
And when school starts in September they will have new classrooms full of new friends, new baseball, softball, basketball and dance teams.  Childhood - with all the chaos and drama that comes with it - will continue, but this summer will be one that they will never forget.  Because it will be one that we will never be able to duplicate.

What's your poison?  Wetzels or Cinnabon?
That’s our ultimate goal.  Friends are always friends, no matter what you have or where you live.  Family is always family, like it or not!  But life is what you make it and we are making it into our own adventure.



Guac-stuffed tomatoes ala Wy.
A magnificent pudding pie ala Abalicious.
In the words of that wise man from Joe Dirt - “home is where you make it”.
















Monday, July 27, 2015

Take Me Home, Country Roads...

Last week the kids and I packed our lunches, beach towels and sunscreen and hit the road.
"Adventures" has always been our thing, far longer than they have had a say in where or when, we have always been going to see, do, visit and explore.  I love it - and they love it.
The other day Abby was missing Connecticut and she said "I miss trees.  I miss freshwater - lakes and rivers.  I miss just going somewhere and being in the middle of nowhere."
My little country mouse was feeling a little crowded, I think.

Backpack loaded, ready to go!
We live in SouthBay, it's beautiful beach cities.  Beach.  City.  Lots of sand and gorgeous places to relax and eat, shop and see.  But not a lot of....  shade.  Or quiet.  Or dark.
We had to take the freeway, this was the second time I've driven on the 405 and while getting up over 40 mph is a nice treat, it still feels very foreign.  I am thankful for my large car.

What's really amazing is how this state can offer us the beach and the sun and the amazing ocean breezes at home and just an hour away, a little bit northeast it offers us hot desert sun and mountains that resemble what I saw in the Lion King.

Entering "The Shady Path".

We don't know what this tree was but it was super big and cool looking!

Skull Rock!


The thing that led us to Malibu Creek was the Lava Rocks swimming hole.  Fresh water in the most natural of natural surroundings.  Cliffs and rock formations made thousands of years ago by nature.  Safe?  Sort of, I guess.  There are people swimming there all the time, but there's no lifeguards and there is a sign that says maybe think twice before you jump.  From where we parked and walked the "Lava Lake" was a little over a mile.  We were hot and hungry and happy to find this little oasis.  

This seems pretty clear to me.
This was not the highest point these guys jumped off of on this beautifully hot day but I had to stop watching.
This really was as serene and cold and fun as it looks.
  
While the pond swimming was fun we knew there was more to see so we left the pond to the daredevils and canned beer drinkers and moved on with our day of nature and trees.

This park is where they filmed M.A.S.H.  I was excited at the idea of seeing that as I have seen every episode of that show and the song plays almost constantly in my head.  Miserable song but somehow, that show was happy and funny (usually) in spite of the premise.
It is also where they filmed Planet of the Apes and few other shows and movies,  this is LA after all.
But, after the one mile walk to Lava Lake and the next 2 miles - mostly uphill - to Century Lake - I didn't think the kids had another mile just to see an open field of nothing that would mean nothing to them other than an additional mile back.  So, I skipped it.  No biggie.

After Lava we headed uphill to Century.
We didn't know what to expect but we did know that swimming in both pools of fresh water was our entire plan for the day so even though we now know what this guy feels like - we made it.
Century Lake was sort of hidden.  We walked up a very hard, dry, sun soaked path (came to find out later that we were on an "easy to moderate" hiking trail the entire time, so I guess - technically - we hike now.  
When we stumbled upon it (literally, down a tricky little pricker-y path) it did not disappoint.
It was shady, the water was deep and cold and the only thing missing was the bugs we, as east coasters, have become so accustomed to with shady fresh water.  Pure heaven.

There was a log that they climbed up on to climb up onto the ground.
Very efficient.

Hi Daddy!



The view from the top of the hill we climbed to reach the lake.
(Pinch it to see the port-o-potty island that both of my kids had to poop in.  Why waste a perfectly good, desert-cooked shitter, am I right?)

We don't go anywhere without a wrong turn, this bridge led to a Visitors Center
that was only open on the weekend and had no toilets.
At the end of the day we managed something around 6 miles of "hiking" and we swam twice.  We picnicked, we chatted and we enjoyed silence.  The kind of silence that these 3 country mice forgot how much we miss.  Nothing but wind through leaves and tall grass and bugs chattering - I do not take that kind of peace for granted.
No one cried.  No one argued.  No one got stung, hurt or upset by anything.  It was the best day.

Oh, and on the way back down the hill, I was lucky enough to catch this:
Yes.  They are holding hands.












Saturday, July 11, 2015

What Have You Done For Me Lately -ooh ooh - ooooooh yeah!

Before we moved I had big plans about my budding writing career.  I thought this was going to be the perfect rebirth for my creativity.
I would be bored, and have nothing to do and no friends and be completely surrounded by inspiration.  So, I would write!
I even had ideas about making my blog "subscription only" so that people that worked for Jay wouldn't read it and get in on our personal business.

Of all of those thoughts, I think the "subscription only" portion is the funniest.  Because, really, who reads this?  I know of about 6 people, 7 if you include my mom.  And as much as I appreciate the support - and I truly do - I really write it for myself.
Sometimes I feel myself getting all bottled up.  I have a need to share.
Facebook helps that.  A lot.  But Facebook also allows for feedback.  And often, the one line "You're too funny" or "same thing happened to me" only irritates me and doesn't allow me to fully explore what happened, how it happened or what the impact may be from said happening.

How can I appropriately Facebook my journey through the California Department of Motor Vehicles this past Tuesday?
I can't.  So let me share it with you here.

I made an appointment.  First of all - thank Jesus I made an appointment.  The appointment line was 2 deep.  The "I think I'll swing by the DMV and settle the years' worth of issues I have with the state of California on my lunch break" line was out the door and into the next parking lot.  No joke.  I couldn't take a picture because the other thing about the DMV was - all the criminals and fat people were there.
In my time in SouthBay so far, I have seen many, many walks of life.  Very different from the rural white towns I grew up and settled in thus far.  I have seen, chatted with and befriended people from India, Japan, Korea, Hawaii, NY, Wisconsin and right here in Torrance.  None of them are easily defined as "white", "Indian", "black" or "Asian".  Nor are they distinguishable by class, income or "location" (read - section of town that we are so used to judging each other by).  Its nice.  I have discussed the anonymity of living in such a large town (city) before and I am still, very much, enjoying it.
That said, at DMV I found all the very fat, very smelly, very scary people in SouthBay.
Surprisingly, though, they did not work there.
The kids and I arrived for my 12:15 appointment and by the time we left (around 3) I had a temporary CA drivers license and 2 shiny new California plates for my Pilot.  And my disposition was as good if not better than when I arrived.
The employees were smart, helpful, chatty, friendly and easy to work with.
The woman who helped me register my car informed me that I may not be happy with her when I walked away but she apologized ahead of time for what was obviously not her doing - California requires you to pay CA state tax for a vehicle purchased outside of California if it is moved into California within 365 days.  They do, however, take into account what you've already paid, in my case, in CT.
The lovely woman at her desk at window 15 said "that will be a grand total of $1400 even.  Welcome to California."  Her face did not reflect her sentiment.

From there, California license plates in hand, I went to take my "written test" for my drivers license.  It's not written.  Its done on a touch screen monitor bigger than my laptop monitor.  It was acutally a pretty impressive set up.  I was warned that the test was pretty hard because it asks you about stuff you really don't use in regular driving.  For example - did you know that the legal limit for alcohol for an adult is .08% - but the legal limit for an 'under 21' is .01%?
I would have gotten that wrong because I would have assumed the limit would be 0.  My bad.
Anyway - I did get that question.  I was also asked what the center lane was for on a highly trafficked roadway.  Obviously, not right turns.  We call it the suicide lane, but it is intended for the start and completion of left hand turns and legal u-turns.  Now you know.
So, I passed that, took my picture and was super excited to get my new license.  Imagine my disappointment when the gentleman handed back my Connecticut license and told me this would serve as my temp until my new license came in the mail in 2-4 weeks.  Boo, California!!  That is where CT has you beat!  Printing Press right on the premises!!
All in all, it was not a bad experience.  It was not a thrilling experience, either.  But for a 3-hour stint at the DMV - no matter what state you live in - I was kind of impressed.

***********

I have had a few dates here in SouthBay.  Mom-dates.  I think Deborah coined that phrase.  But I need to make friends.  Like I said to Jay - I have a short list of amazing, life-long friends.  I don't actually need any more.  But I do need some buddies - some moms that I can hang with, bitch with, laugh with, drink with.  So, I'm putting myself out there!  I can and love to talk to anyone, anywhere...  it's very easy for me and I enjoy it.

I had one date with a mom from Abby's class.  And it was a homerun!  We met at the track and got to chatting.  We have the same helicopter-y expectations of our classroom teachers.  Same dry, hilarious sense of humor, same distaste for bitchy/clique-y moms and - go figure - she's about 10 years older than me.  Perfect!
So, we hung out at the beach one afternoon and the love fest continued.
We will hang again and I am happy to report - I like her and she likes me!
(See the similarities?!  It really is like dating!)

I had another date - with a mom I met on the beach one random day that her kids and my kids were playing together in the water.  Seemed natural to meet up at the beach again.
This time, however, it was a date - planned and anticipated.
She, being a native Californian and this being a sort of overcast, chilly day - by California standards - was wearing a sweatshirt, a warm hat and carrying a hot coffee.
Me, being a native nor'easter, had my chair, a large bag of beach toys, a cooler, a large bag with towels and snacks and sunscreen (honestly, I don't know why I bring so much crap to the beach - I'm working on that).  Her kids had BodyGlove head to toe, my kids had a quick spray of sunscreen.  It was cloudy!
We chatted easily enough.  She asked me what my hobbies were, I said I love to read and garden and bake and run and sew and make my own organic sauces - also I am learning spanish and teaching my kids techniques for them to get ahead in the grade levels they are preparing to enter.  Naturally.
She told me she homeschools because she couldn't bear to send her babies into the "zoo that is public school these days".  She also proceeded to tell me how "big government got in the way of states' right to govern individually" when it came to the Marriage Equality Act.
When she was done speaking I was so thankful I had thought to lie about my hobbies (sitting at the beach, shopping, playing Clash of Clans, perusing Pinterest, actually reading - but not books I usually brag about) and quickly decided to not talk to this woman about anything else.  Ever.
Also worth noting here - her son is 11 and thoroughly enjoyed playing with Wyatt who is 7.  This is fine in many cases, but since he kept calling Abby "girlfriend" and asking me if they could sleep over I decided it would be best to call it a day.
Again, 2-hour parking meter comes in handy.

I do have a third date pending.  A lovely lady I met at Swim.  She is born and raised here.  Her face is round and happy.  She laughs a lot and is totally into her kids.  I liked her immediately.  We chat during the kids' swim lessons.  Our kids don't match at all but all 4 are happy, friendly kiddos who, I anticipate, will play well together regardless of age.
We are planning a trip into LA - she wants to go into Chinatown and I want to go anywhere someone wants to take an adventure.  I'll keep you posted!

**********

So - what the hell have we been doing?  We have been having a very good time, my friends.  A very.  good.  time.
As much as I miss my people, and miss being a part of things happening back east, I can't complain about what I'm doing (or who I'm doing it with).
And as long as I keep living - one day at a happy time - I will be forever grateful for the experiences, the adventures and the joy this "perma-summer-vaca" is giving us.

A new addition to our clan.  California Roadster!  



Oh?  An open invitation to bang out a song with a drum circle?  Sure!



We spend some time at the beach.
There's a sand crab in that little hand, look closer!


Dodger Stadium.  Mets were in town for July 4th.  This day deserves a blog of it's own.  "Epic".
Next time we will go as Dodgers fans...  blend easier...
 
Fireworks at the beach, from a few blocks up.

A little v-ball.

Hermosa.

I got glasses!


Night Riders.

Best.  Visitors.  Ever.


Street Fair.  Redondo is where it's at.  #ifweknew

Coming around the third turn~
Track & Field on Monday nights!