The Notorious B.I.G. raps my anthem this week as I’m about to head back to my old stomping grounds in the San Francisco Bay Area: “I’m going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali.” *SQUEE*
Yesterday it was 38 degrees outside and my husband actually said; “Was it supposed to be this warm today?” Talk about a heat wave! The winter heat didn’t last however, as it’s a nipply 16 degrees today and it’ll be a blistering 9 degrees on Thursday. It’s so cold that my teeth actually hurt when I’m outside. MY TEETH. Maybe this is why I am so over the moon about tagging along with Jeff on his business trip to California on Friday. We’re taking the kids and visiting our old hood for a week and hanging with my in-laws who have a place there. I cannot wait. Guys, it’s in the upper sixties and seventieeeeeeeeeeeees there. It’s suuuuuunnnnny. It’s sweatshirt weather. It’s…it’s…my fantasy to go there and not come back. Oops!
Moving to Indiana has been wonderful for my daughter Annabelle, and for welcoming our little 3 month old butter ball Leo. Annabelle has enjoyed the space that our larger house has provided, and she loves having a big yard to play in. And the most valuable aspect of living here is that our family is only 3 ½ hours away from us. They can come down on a whim and watch the kids so we can enjoy a night out. My mom can pop down to go with me and Annabelle to see Disney on Ice for a quickie trip. Instead of buying three plane tickets for a long flight from Cali to Indiana for Christmas, we simply loaded up the car for an easy drive up north while the kids slept. I absolutely love that.
All that being said; I can’t shake the feeling that sometimes I still wish I lived in the sunshine state, namely, when it’s 16 degrees here and 70 degrees there. Ugh. I feel guilty about it, too. Isn’t it funny that I lived there for 6 years and I’m totally seeing it as a super fun vacation now? Why did I move???? Idk, I was preggo, hormonal, and not thinking clearly. *Shrugs shoulders* Anyway, I can’t wait to see my Cali friends, and to eat at my favorite restaurants. I want to get my nails done at my go-to nail salon. And for some reason, I am extremely curious to whether Annabelle will remember much about her former life. I want to go by our old house and see if she looks at it any differently than any other house. Will it feel familiar to her 8 months later? Will she recognize our neighbor’s kids? I’m fascinated by what her memory will recall at two years old.
I’m just looking forward to getting out of the Polar Vortex of the Midwest, enjoying great weather, and reverting back to an enthusiastic tourist and enjoying all that the Bay Area has to offer; like San Francisco eats and shopping, Trolly Rides, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Napa Valley! If my next blog is about putting my house up for sale and moving back West, please shoot me.
Hi! Loving your blog! I think we are living sorta/kinda parallel lives? Hubbalicious and I are looking at packing up and moving to Indy! My family is there (sis lives in Carmel – car-mehl – I refuse to call it by any other name!) I’m also kicking around the idea of going back to work too! I’m an adoptive mom, a biological mom, a tired mom, and a happy mom! Your blog is totally spot on! Can’t wait to follow your journey!
Glad you stumbled upon my blog Jo! If you’re moving from California to Indy, be forewarned that it’s going to take you a year to get over your Cali boyfriend. But Car-mehl is a pretty nice area, probably the nicest, along with Zionsville, so that will help your adjustment a little better. We moved hella far away from everything cool, so here’s to not doing your homework before a cross country move. Kidding, it’s not so bad. I’m well adjusted now and enjoying my life here in Indy. Good luck with your move if you do indeed leave the sunshine state!
Your blog really hits home. My husband and I moved to the Bay Area 2 years ago from Michigan. We love the weather, the landscape, the endless amount of things to do, but we always knew we’d go back. We are now expecting our first child and my husband was offered a job (with the same company) making what he does out here. We’d be able to afford the house we want, the little extras, I can stay home with our little girl as long as I want to, and we’d be near family. Family has become a special focus after seeing close friends in the Midwest endure tragedy in their own lives these last two years. But there is one big problem…we are happy here. We love what the Bay Area has to offer and did I mention how much I hate winter? We just can’t have it all (family, home, etc.) I have never felt so torn in my life. I am split literally right down the middle and would feel the pain of disappointment in either decision, though it is most likely we will move back. Reading about your similar experience is oddly comforting. Thanks for sharing…