Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Nor Cal Years Begin.....Again

It's been two weeks now. It still feels a bit like we are visiting, and I'm not sure I'm done mourning Santa Barbara, but Im ready to more forward - and I like what I see!

Things I'm excited about as we start our Nor Cal chapter:

*Closer to both of our families. So far, we've been house-hopping between my folks and Nate's and a bit with my sister. Luckily everyone's been so supportive of our family of FOUR moving through and disrupting their lives. ;-) We look forward to Finn and Selah growing up right along with some of their 1st cousins and 2nd cousins, and seeing their grandparents ALL THE TIME!


*House hunting!! We've been at it for a couple of weeks now. Nate and I are really enjoying the process - it's fun to dream and talk about our future. Maybe we are being picky, but how hard IS it to find a beautiful home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, open kitchen, big yard, room for a garden, not too far from a freeway, walking distance to a park or river, walking or biking distance to Nate's school, near a grocery store, in an established neighborhood with mature trees? I mean, come on! (We put an offer in on a house with SOME of those qualities......and we are waiting to hear......!)

* Growing my own food.....well, some of it anyway. Right now my parents' backyard is busting with tomatoes, zucchini, beets, plums and apricots and more. You can grow so many things in this area. I'm in the middle of reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. (One of my favorite authors) It's so inspiring. I look forward to getting my hands dirty.


*Downtown Sacramento. As much as I love open spaces and gardens and orchards and all that, there's also an urban girl in me. I'm excited to explore all the cool little pockets that Nate and I love in Sactown.

*Not far from some good friends! We ended up sort of following our friends and old neighbors up North. We love that we are close to the Reeds...and baby #3 due any day now! We got together a couple of times already and it was just like old times.


*Location, location, location! I'm excited to dust off the old snowboard and get on the slopes this winter. Sac is conveniently nestled between the mountains and the ocean so you can take your pick on where you want to go for a fun weekend or day trip. Look out Tahoe, Apple Hill, San Fran, Napa, Santa Cruz, Echo Lake, Nevada City, Stenson Beach...here we come!

*There's so much about the Sacramento area that we haven't experienced. Nate and I have vowed to be tourists in our own town, and we're excited about it. Every place has its charm, and I'm looking forward to being charmed by Sacramento and its neighboring cities. Yesterday's 106 degree heat was.....charming indeed.

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